13 hours ago, soapfave06 said:

PS - I really always thought Erika Slezak faded to the background from the stroke story through Victor Lord murder trial, but between what I am seeing in Fall 1991 and Maxim’s recaps, she’s still very prevalent.

She does have a little faded period where Malone is not sure what to do with her and she's just a MOTHER and nothing more... the character looks so matronly at one point in early spring. But then as soon as summer 1992 hits and Sloan Carpenter comes into town... it's like Viki is 10 years younger... there is new life breathed into her. And she's been center stage non stop since then. The first half of 1992 is very Dorian heavy while the second part... Viki heavy. I can't wait to read your thoughts on that. So far I'm enjoying your takes very much. You are still not even in the good parts, so if you are enjoying it now... then you will LOVE it in couple of months.

Edited 14 hours ago14 hr by Maxim

P.S. I just saw Cassie's wedding... and I'm still a bit sweaty from these 3 episodes. THEY WERE INTENSE. Marty's nervous breakdown... while Cassie was saying "I do" - so dramatic... (even though they did repeat themselves a bit with yet another man who has a near stalker like Bo did with Alex... this time it's better though and more organic) Viki, parallel to that... also having her own personal FALLING APART moment... Clint telling her "You are in love with another man!" and deciding to sit away from her. The SHOW IS BACK. I can't wait to gather my thoughts tomorrow morning before work... for the review.

Edited 13 hours ago13 hr by Maxim

About Blair and recasting her with a white blond woman... Well did the writers forget that Blair was interpreting Japanese when she and Cord were at Jaba city? Did the new Blair forget she knew Japanese when she suddenly became white?

I prefer Mia as Blair. It's a shame she wanted to leave the show.

3 hours ago, Maxim said:

About Blair and recasting her with a white blond woman... Well did the writers forget that Blair was interpreting Japanese when she and Cord were at Jaba city? Did the new Blair forget she knew Japanese when she suddenly became white?

IIRC, Michael Malone envisioned her as a blonde white woman originally, so that probably made the decision easier for him. I may be wrong though.

12 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

IIRC, Michael Malone envisioned her as a blonde white woman originally, so that probably made the decision easier for him. I may be wrong though.

I never realized she was imagined this way originally. Thanks for telling me.

Wow... just imagine how social media could have changed things back in 1993... how people would have reacted. Do you think anyone would have lost their jobs over it? If the outcry was so bad.

It’s a new thing that this part of the show is now easier to find online and on YouTube... This means more people will start talking about this particular issue. Those who never got to see the original Blair... Now have the opportunity to do so.

24 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

IIRC, Michael Malone envisioned her as a blonde white woman originally, so that probably made the decision easier for him. I may be wrong though.

He said he always envisioned her as a Scarlett O'Hara type, yes, and that his ideas surrounding Blair, Max and later Todd were heavily influenced by his love for Gone with the Wind. IIRC he also said they simply cast whoever they found best for the role initially, namely Korf. I don't know if Mia Korf was another example of Gottlieb finding an interesting face and asking Malone to create a character. (As she did with Mark Brettschneider.) I do think both Blairs have elements of that GWTW archetype.

1 hour ago, Vee said:

He said he always envisioned her as a Scarlett O'Hara type, yes, and that his ideas surrounding Blair, Max and later Todd were heavily influenced by his love for Gone with the Wind. IIRC he also said they simply cast whoever they found best for the role initially, namely Korf. I don't know if Mia Korf was another example of Gottlieb finding an interesting face and asking Malone to create a character. (As she did with Mark Brettschneider.) I do think both Blairs have elements of that GWTW archetype.

I think Mia Korf gives film noir (and femme fatale) more than Kassie DePaiva did. I don’t see why they needed Blair back when Kassie could have simply played an additional Cramer character with the same vendetta (and Kelly was pointless IMO)

Ohhh what could have been. I would have been infuriated at the time just based on the little I’ve seen of vicious Blair in 1992 and her first full month.

1 hour ago, Maxim said:

I never realized she was imagined this way originally. Thanks for telling me.

Wow... just imagine how social media could have changed things back in 1993... how people would have reacted. Do you think anyone would have lost their jobs over it? If the outcry was so bad.

It’s a new thing that this part of the show is now easier to find online and on YouTube... This means more people will start talking about this particular issue. Those who never got to see the original Blair... Now have the opportunity to do so.

I don't want to spoil too much but the show has a wink at this in 2002, so I guess even then it was infamous.

1 hour ago, Vee said:

He said he always envisioned her as a Scarlett O'Hara type, yes, and that his ideas surrounding Blair, Max and later Todd were heavily influenced by his love for Gone with the Wind. IIRC he also said they simply cast whoever they found best for the role initially, namely Korf. I don't know if Mia Korf was another example of Gottlieb finding an interesting face and asking Malone to create a character. (As she did with Mark Brettschneider.) I do think both Blairs have elements of that GWTW archetype.

Oh right it was the Southern belle part, not the blonde part. Thanks.

@Maxim , you might also be interested in knowing that Mia Korf's first gig after One Life to Live was David Henry Hwang's Face Value, which never officially opened on Broadway. It's also related to infamous casting.

1 hour ago, Franko said:

@Maxim , you might also be interested in knowing that Mia Korf's first gig after One Life to Live was David Henry Hwang's Face Value, which never officially opened on Broadway. It's also related to infamous casting.

I know about that flop! I think she left explicitly to do that play. Tough break.

1 hour ago, soapfave06 said:

Ohhh what could have been. I would have been infuriated at the time just based on the little I’ve seen of vicious Blair in 1992 and her first full month.

I would just use Mia Korf today to introduce an Asian family tied directly to Blair's foster home past, lol. Her old partner in crime. It's the best you can do.

I am glad Malone was committed to the character he created, but it's just a messy and unfortunate situation all around looking back through 2025 eyes. Kassie's Blair was rightly beloved and popular over time (and she got some seriously unsympathetic story in that first year) and thanks to Malone's work the core of the character remains the same, but Mia Korf's Blair was something entirely unique for daytime then and now. It helps that unlike the future Blair, Korf's never got to be totally shackled to an obsession with a man like Todd (though Max came close).

Edited 6 hours ago6 hr by Vee

8 minutes ago, Vee said:

I know about that flop! I think she left explicitly to do that play. Tough break.

Closing in previews is especially rare, so Face Value must have been a total turkey or had absolutely no advance ticket sales.

7 hours ago, DRW50 said:

I don't want to spoil too much but the show has a wink at this in 2002, so I guess even then it was infamous.

Thank you for not spoiling! I always appreciate that! And cheers to me surviving till the 2002 year of this show. I don't know if I'll be able to do it... with the current pace I'm watching (1 complete year took me 6 months) I'll be at 2002 in... 5 years. 😁

7 hours ago, Franko said:

@Maxim , you might also be interested in knowing that Mia Korf's first gig after One Life to Live was David Henry Hwang's Face Value, which never officially opened on Broadway. It's also related to infamous casting.

I'll look into that right now! Thank you for sharing. It's such a pity that she left. She could have done SO MUCH more in the role. Quite honestly, she is departing JUST when Blair became reaaaaaally interesting. Which has a positive side to it as well... (stepping down on a high) but still.

Up to January 18th, 1993

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"The good PRINCESS and the envious DEMON."

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GUYS! GUYS! GUYS! My fingers are ACHING to tell you what I THINK. I'm beyond excited! LET'S GET TO IT.

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The lead-up to Cassie and Andrew's wedding saw one very unstable character, drinking herself into a state of utter madness... Marty Saybrooke, or as I prefer to refer to her, "The Demon of Llanview" was on a path of destruction. With the writers pairing Cassie with YET another man who has a stalker, we were dangerously close to recycling old material. I mean... Cassie's last wedding had a similar scenario with Alex Olanov. However, this time the drama is more layered compared to Alex's cartoonish fixation. The fact that Marty created the pedophile rumor about Andrew adds a layer of authenticity to the situation. It's what we expect from this creature. I enjoyed watching Viki struggle to control Marty, who was having a nervous breakdown at the wedding. Viki and Marty... despite their contrasting personalities... found themselves in similar predicaments that day. Both were on the brink of losing the man they want. The acting! Oh my goodness! THE ACTING! You simply have to witness it for yourselves. Marty reminds me of the villain from the Turkish soap opera 1001 Nights - her name was Eda, and she was fixated on the protagonist's future husband. She even poisoned her while she was pregnant on her wedding day. There were many scenes with Eda wreaking havoc while the heroine's life was going happilly.

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This leads me to Viki and Sloan. Clint not only saw them chatting as if they were the best of friends... he even expressed his disgust, telling her, "I know you are in love with another man." After that, he chose to sit away from her, leaving her by herself. Viki reached her breaking point, unable to bear watching Sloan and Clint at the same time anymore... and had her own emotional collapse, which happened parallel with Marty’s. Eventually, they ended up together at Marty's apartment... where Viki once again attempted to play the role of a supportive friend/mother figure to the BEAST. Naturally, it didn’t work out. I believe that beneath her friendly demeanor lies a strong dose of condescending PITY, which Marty can sniff out. AND THEN just like that... like a scene from Anna Karenina, Viki and Sloan found themselves outside Marty's house. They kissed and KISSED. AND KISSED. He kissed her. She kissed him. SHE KISSED HIM AGAIN. The intensity and passion were overwhelming. And the line that will forever stick with me - While Viki was trying to convince Sloan to stop, telling him about her marriage and the potential destruction of her family... his RESPONSE - I... DON'T... CARE! CONTINUING to kiss her. It felt RAW and REAL, like something one would say in such a passionate moment.

🔷

Rachel and Kevin have officially entered a new phase of their relationship. Rachel finally did something she has loooong desired. She shared her first time with Kevin. Normally, I don't like stories like this, girls losing virginity is not a topic of my interest... but I actually CARE about Rachel. They've placed her in a fascinating position - caught between Leanne and Kevin, while also being at odds with her father. She is the young heroine I truly care about. Naturally, Leanne had to come and watch her child through the window... I would feel sympathy if she were a decent person, but I don't. I appreciate that the writers have kept little Duke with Kevin. I would much prefer Rachel to be his mother figure rather than Leanne DeMerest. Oh, and before I forget - Rachel decided to leave her father's apartment and move in with Nora. FINALLY! Even though... despite my dislike for Hank's attitude, I believe he is correct about one thing - Rachel will ultimately get hurt. Kevin will hurt her. But isn't that what soap operas thrive on, after all?

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The drama around Blair Buchanan is still going strong. We witnessed Tina and Cain attempting to pull a ridiculous scheme involving hiring a male escort, drugging Blair, and snapping photos of her with him. This is not just repulsive and illegal it's downright IDIOTIC. Tina and Cain, along with Morty-Carlo and Alex, are the show's weakest links when it comes to character development. They fall far SHORT of the quality of everything else. I've mentioned this numerous times before. Unsurprisingly, the plan backfired, leading Blair to Blair laughing at their faces. Nothing unexpected here. Oh... and before I forget - Renee now believes Mortimer is Carlo, because he cited a poem she knew from years ago. LOOOOOOL. If they really pull it off that Mort was Carlo... I'm going to PUKE.

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As a whole... I found the three episodes we binge-watched to be quite exciting. My husband joined me, and I believe he’s finally become hooked on the show - he’s particularly curious about Marty and what she'll do to Andrew and Cassie. This will be his first real storyline from the show, so I’m hoping it's good and not just a repeat of Bo/Cassie/Alex. I always knew he would eventually start watching with me, especially if he wanted to spend time in the living room, of course. 😁

Overall -  9.5/10 - (Minus 0.5 for Tina, Cain and Morty)

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Clip of the day

Marty threatens Cassie and has a nervous breakdown.