As The World Turns Discussion Thread

[juniorz1]

Looking forward to watching that clip. I always really liked Lisa Brown's Iva. She was such a strong actress, which is probably she worked as an acting coach for several years after leaving the spotlight.

[DRW50]

Lisa should still be on a soap. I think she played Iva too long and it was easy to forget how good she is.

[Mitch]

She was terrible playing Nola again. I know the writing sucked, and McTavish made her come back depressed, but Lisa was playing Nola like she was sad sack Iva and Nola was never a sad sack, she got up and fought. They really missed a great opportunity to really bring the Reardons (and by extension the Bauers ) back and reinvigorate. Instead of being sad about being back in the boarding house they should have made Nola happy to be home and being able to get back into everyone business and "fix," it. I am thinking like an AW Aunt Liz type of character, fun and oddball butting into your business but actually being right about things most of the time. I do love that McTavish brought back the love/hate of Nola and Van, and Lisa was best in her scenes with MK. Would have loved if they had followed up with Nola and Ed, but PS for some reason raised a fit about it, and was left without a storyline (PS always seems to be a bit of a pain in the ass.) It would have been nice for the Bauers and the Reardons to have a matriach that could bring it all together again.

[DRW50]

This is a fun ad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F380NDfz43I&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

[P.J.]

Damn I loved Kirk and Iva.

[DRW50]

I enjoy their scenes when they get to laugh and have fun. It's such a refreshing change for Iva. By the time I started watching, Iva was downtrodden 24/7, and while I did connect to her through that (she's probably one of the most realistic soap characters ever) it was grueling and depressing. I wonder why they never considered putting them back together once Ellie left town.

[Mitch]

Love that promo..so funny..as Marland's ATWT was far from "wild," (which I liked about it!)

I actually like Kirk and Iva too..hated Ellie and Kirk (and what were Kirk's generic kids and their generic names Timmy and Sally or something???) They should have done a story where Iva finds out she has a depression problem and seeks help! They could have then done a story where Iva was looped up on pills and goes out on the town giving blow jobs down at the dock...okay, so that would have been the storyline I would have written but Marland would have had us go through more "therapy," sessions and give us detailed descriptions about depression, its symptoms , it causes, its treatments.

The only redemption story they gave Iva was when she went on that cruise and had a "Now Voyager," makeover and fell in love with one of the most unattractive and gayest acting straight men on a soap. Typical Iva, when she gets a man he is gay and ugly!!!

Remember the Kirk actor on GL when they briefly paired him with MG's Holly. He was actually kind of hot as the cowboy and he and MG had chemistry out the ass, but of course, it was just a set up for the next "Cassie," storyline!!!

[DRW50]

I can't remember their names either. I was going to say "Pete and Jenny," but that's Julie.

A sex addiction story for Iva would have been interesting, given her history. I would have had her have a one-night stand with a man, leading to a no-strings relationship, and then see how that developed. Maybe someone like Duke.

I have not seen a lot of Kirk/Ellie, but I think Renee Props work in the story with Craig, and Brock/Emily, is fascinating. She's so understated and yet you can always feel everything she's feeling.

I love Marland's work, to the point where I can only complain about little things, but I do yearn sometimes for more conflict. This episode has a scene where Julie tells Lien she had a much harder life than Lien. Lien snaps and starts to tell her how untrue that is, and they're interrupted. I wish that scene had been extended (although today it would probably be some campy catfight).

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Edited November 4, 2011 by CarlD2

[P.J.]

Kirk's kids were Stephen and Linda Ann. (Stephen was played by a very young James VanderBeek, btw)

I don't know why Marland didn't put Kirk and Iva back together either. I know that he was always willing to "move past" couples and "grow" characters (at least if their names didn't rhyme with Molden and Philly), but I thought Lisa and Tom had a rare chemistry. I kind of wonder if they hadn't been more conventionally attractive if the affair with Ellie wouldn't have been a bump in the road for them.

And ditto on the horrendous Jason Benedict. For like a month, there was another actor in the role, and he was a badass jerk lawyer. Then they recast him with the most underwhelming actor ever to enter soaps, and married them off. UGH.

[Mitch]

I'd say that was the one thing missing from Marland's ATWT, "passion," either real sexual passion, family passion, or just plain angry passion. Everyone is so damn polite all the damn time. Kim is the only one who gets to loose her temper, or if a character does loose their temper, its always directed towards a "bad," person (i.e. James, Lucinda, Tonio,) and never at a "good," person. I always thought it was annoying that all the "good," characters liked each other, always thought Long's and the Curlee, Demorest GL was more realistic and had more heart, people would say funny snarkey things about other characters, be they good or bad.

[DRW50]

I actually liked Jason - well, at the time I thought he was OK, but I may have just been pleased Iva was going to be happy. The actor was a bit off though (he'd been a hippie type on the Doctors and then a year before ATWT he was on OLTL as a homophobe with a gay son - he wore very loud golf pants).

Thanks. I don't know why I couldn't remember their names.

[DRW50]

Yeah, I see your point. I think this changed somewhat over time (for instance, some of the fury and disgust from Emma when she learned about Iva's Aaron lies) but generally people were very polite. I do think this helped ATWT stand out, but I think Marland was such a unique writer, the structure of ATWT was impossible to recreate. I think when he passed away they may have been better off hiring a very different writer very quickly. Then again I liked Cullton's work a few years later.

[Mitch]

Oh good God, thank you, I remember, "Stephen," (never Steve) and "Linda Ann," (always, always both names....)

Iva needed someone like Kirk, who was one of the ATWT who was unapologetic about his drive and ambition. She also needed someone to kick her in the ass and likewise with him.

I can't remember, but how was Brown's chemistry with Deas on GL when they were briefly paired. Always thought on paper that they would work well, Nola would be the one woman who wouldnt cow tow to Buzz's arm flapping and yelling.

Jason Benedict..yes, would love to have seen the story where sad sack Iva found out she was a beard for Benedict...hell Nancy Hughes and Ellen Stewart would turn to each other and say, "Who is that QUEEN??"

[DRW50]

The story was so bad that I can't remember either. I think they would have worked if Nola hadn't been written as so pathetic by that time, and if it had been a real story, instead of her being in love with him overnight just as an obstacle to Jenna/Buzz.

What did you think of Kirk/Sam?

[Mitch]

Always would have loved to have seen what Curlee could have done with ATWT. I always loved her explanation of how soaps are, and how you can only go so far (when she admitted killing Maureen was too much and essentially turned the audience against GL) and her inclusion of Nancy Hughes and her kitchen in that. I think she would have got it.