8 hours ago, DramatistDreamer said:

 

IMO Kirk was Iva's best pairing.  In the very beginning they had that witty, sharp dialogue that I used to love to hear from HBS and GM's Tom and Margo (what we writers would call 'The Billy Wilder Effect').  They even had a bit of that combative repartée, the way John and Lucinda sometimes had. They were dynamic and in the beginning, Iva didn't have to play the put-upon 'heavy' as she had in other other relationships.  It was a big mistake to pull them apart without them finding their way back to each other. 

That pairing of Iva and Kirk put Iva in a light I had not been used to see her before--they sizzled.  IMO none of Iva's other pairings had that kind of sizzle.  I didn't even know the Iva character was capable of producing those kind of sparks

 

Agreed, and it's not even really a contest. I loved Craig, but she never really had a shot with him, and the relationship with John was just...weird. The less said about Jason Benedict, the better.

 

Its almost debatable whether Lisa had better chem with Wiggin or Michael Tylo's Quint. 

 

8 hours ago, vetsoapfan said:

 

Yes, so often, Iva was a downer, a heavy drudge who always seemed lethargic. After watching Brown play Iva on TGL, this was a major letdown. I loved to hate Nola. Iva just made me want to turn the channel most of the time, except when she was with TW. I would have rather seen Iva Snyder written out than Kirk. 

 

I saw the "vulnerable" scene live, so I do not know if it's on youtube, alas. Maybe someone else has seen it  online and can point us to it..

 

Iva got written out before Kirk, IIRC. I don't recall the vulnerable thing at all. 

7 hours ago, Soaplovers said:

Given the kind of life Iva had.. I could understand her being a downer... and her all too brief pairing with Kirk made her come alive.  The only other time Iva came alive was when she won the cruise and got a make over and had the time of her life.  Considering that she was raped by whom she thought was her cousin, had a baby at 13/14, gave the baby up, and basically ran away from home.. I'm surprised she was only lethargic.  While I didn't like who she ended up with, he seemed like a nice and steady guy... and that was what was needed in her life..imho.

 

 

5 hours ago, DRW50 said:

I really loved Iva - maybe it's because I'm not a very happy person myself, so I could relate to her. When I went back and watched the episodes again, many years later, I could understand why many did not care for her and felt she was a downer and a bore, but I still feel that bond with her in a way I don't with some I was a big fan of at the time (like Shannon). I also think Lisa's acting was just so good - so so good, and so intelligent and full of depth. I think that they just got the balance wrong with Iva in her last years. I also think pairing her with John was a very stupid decision that was just too incestuous storywise, given his history with Lucinda and Emma. Iva needed a fresh partner. 

 

It's just unfortunate that so much of that performance carried over into Nola when she went back to GL. I don't think it was good for Lisa Brown to play such a heavy character for 8 years. 

 

There was always something so rootable about Iva though. It seemed like Marland wrote Iva as a 180° turn from the ditzy Nola just to prove there was more to Lisa than that. But it did have the effect of making Iva's life one endless river of misery. 

 

I think Nola's bummer return to GL was more about the HW than some hangover from Iva. That was McTrash's work, wasn't it?

9 minutes ago, P.J. said:

 

I think Nola's bummer return to GL was more about the HW than some hangover from Iva. That was McTrash's work, wasn't it?

 

Yes. The writing was atrocious, and unplayable. I just felt like the spirit wasn't really there either.

2 hours ago, P.J. said:

 

Its almost debatable whether Lisa had better chem with Wiggin or Michael Tylo's Quint. 

 

 

Iva got written out before Kirk, IIRC. I don't recall the vulnerable thing at all. 

 

 

I think Lisa Brown carried Michael Tylo, actually. On his own, or with anyone else, I doubt he would have made many sparks.

 

Had I been writing the show at the time, I would have written off Iva pretty quickly, much faster than I ever would have written off Kirk. Indeed, I probably would have kept him around indefinitely and not written him out at all. The show needed charismatic leading men.

Admittedly, its my teenage judgment. LOL. 

 

8 hours ago, DRW50 said:

 

Yes. The writing was atrocious, and unplayable. I just felt like the spirit wasn't really there either.

 

The only thing really enjoyable about Nola's return was the cattiness with Vanessa. 

14 hours ago, Nothin'ButAttitude said:

 

 

Thank you for sharing!!! Nothing like spending a lazy weekend watching old ATWT and GL on Youtube. 

12 hours ago, P.J. said:

 

The less said about Jason Benedict, the better.

 

 

LOL well put! How many actors played Jason Benedict over the years anyways? 4? I remember Olivia Wycroft better than I do Jason. It was strange to me Iva got paired up with him, but then again I felt Iva's exit there in late '93/early '94 was rather rushed and unnecessary. 

29 minutes ago, soapfan770 said:

 

 

LOL well put! How many actors played Jason Benedict over the years anyways? 4? I remember Olivia Wycroft better than I do Jason. It was strange to me Iva got paired up with him, but then again I felt Iva's exit there in late '93/early '94 was rather rushed and unnecessary. 

 

I only remember two, looks like Dennis Miller mullet guy and old grandma Jason Hogan. Someone in casting must've hated Lisa at the time. 😱

Jonathan Hogan played Jason. He can currently be seen on Retro TV's reruns of The Doctors as Jerry Dancy, the love interest of Julia Duffy's Penny Davis.

29 minutes ago, amybrickwallace said:

Jonathan Hogan played Jason. He can currently be seen on Retro TV's reruns of The Doctors as Jerry Dancy, the love interest of Julia Duffy's Penny Davis.

 

Where he and  Julia Duffy have good chemistry.

 

So I often think chemistry can make/or break a couple.  I didn't much like who Iva married to.. but he seemed like a nice guy with a solid career.. and was willing to be a step father to her child with John Dixon.  At that point in her life, it made sense Iva decided on friendship/stability over passion/excitement she had with Tad, Kirk and to a lesser extent John.

 

I often think Iva's quick write out had to do with the fact that the Marland outlines the replacement team had run out.. and her character had a more natural conclusion to her arc hence why she ended up leaving.  I do wish she had been allowed to visit more especially in 1994/95/96 when Lily was going through the pregnancy, gas lighting, and losing Damian.

 

And I do agree her Nola return had her playing her more like Iva.. but I did notice in 96/early 97.. she was acting more like Nola of old... but then the writing got weird for her with that obsession story... but she had a few fun fantasies on her return like in the old days.

Nola's obsession with Buzz was a step back for her in SO many ways.  Even when she WAS more of a villainess, manipulating poor Morgan into thinking Kelly was laughing about being with someone so young and inexperienced, Nola wasn't the type to STALK a man.  (Fantasize that he's like some character out of an old movie?  Yes.  Stalk?  No.)  Moreover, after Kelly, Quinton and even Floyd (!), Buzz just seemed like a downgrade (and I say that as someone who is a fan of Justin Deas').  At best, the two should have remained close friends, supporting each other through various relationship and familial crises, with Nola unsure whether Jenna was "the one" for him.  (Heck, even in my mind's eye, I see Nola trying to hook him up with her returning BFF, Gracie Middleton!)

Edited June 10, 20187 yr by Khan

2 hours ago, Soaplovers said:

 

Where he and Julia Duffy have good chemistry.

 

So I often think chemistry can make/or break a couple.  

 

Agreed on both counts.

I was just noticing the original Dani the show had cast there in 1994 was definitely way too old looking to be a teenager, passing for her 20s quite easily! Even though I grew to hate her, at least Ashley Williams looked her age. 

Lisa and Kim always had a good friendship the whole time I watched ATWT. When did their freindship start ? I remember in Kim's 25th anniversary episode, her sister Jennifer (the ghost of) said " Lisa surely didn't need you in the old days. You two were like oil and water. The last thing she wanted was you to be anywhere near Bob". Lisa and Kim are already close friends in the 1979 episodes uploaded.

 

 

Would love to know the answer to the Lisa & Kim question as well. I can sure see Lisa not liking Kim because Lisa either wanted Bob back or...Lisa didn't want Bob, but she didn't want anyone else to have him either. Speaking of, did Lisa like Jennifer?

 

I can't chime in to the Kirk stuff - I can't really read it all so I don't spoil myself BUT because there were so many posts about him, I had to google the character a 2nd time. I started to really become interested in Kirk Anderson (both character and actor) so I looked him up to see how long he was on ATWT...I saw April 1988 - August 1988, thought he must have just been a writers strike character, and thought no more of it. However, from the conversation and memories that seemed to come out of it, I looked him up again and saw that he was on the show from April 1988 - August 1998...Whoops! 

I think for most of the 1970s, Lisa is married and in love with Grant while fighting Joyce... so I'm sure Lisa was more of a terror to Jennifer then she would have been to Kim.