On 12/25/2025 at 4:01 PM, Maxim said:

Merry Christmas to everyone in Llanview! @DRW50 @soapfave06 @mar4331 @janea4old @alwaysAMC @AMCOLTLLover @Franko @Sapounopera @chrisml @Khan @yrfan1983 🎁🎅 ❤️

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas, Maxim! Thanks as always for your dispatches. I’m learning so much.

One comment - when you observe that specific episodes have a lower quality than previous… I wonder if it’s because of the scriptwriter (working under Malone) assigned to that episode. I’m sure some writers are more talented than others.

1 hour ago, yrfan1983 said:

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas, Maxim! Thanks as always for your dispatches. I’m learning so much.

Merry Christmas to you again @yrfan1983 ! You are so welcome!

2 hours ago, yrfan1983 said:

One comment - when you observe that specific episodes have a lower quality than previous… I wonder if it’s because of the scriptwriter (working under Malone) assigned to that episode. I’m sure some writers are more talented than others.

That definitely makes sense. Unfortunately, not all episodes have credits, so I can't track which one is written by whom, but I have noticed a change in quality for sure. It often stems from the less developed characters, as it's easier to get lost in them since they aren't as evolved. For some reason, Alex has moments of sharp clarity, wit even, followed by episodes where the dialogue writer gives her nothing but nonsense and cartoonish drivel. Again, it's tough to determine if it's the dialogue writer's fault or the overall chaos of the character. But I believe it's a 50/50 situation. I find it quite interesting how dialogue can either enhance or ruin a scene... we've been discussing this in the BTG topics for nearly a year now, and it's easier to track which episode is written by whom - we receive that information as soon as it starts airing, there's always people who report who it is. I'll make an effort to pay more attention to the credits from now on, and if I notice anything interesting or feel a significant difference, I'll be happy to report it. 😊

3 hours ago, mar4331 said:

@Maxim What a review. I had a smile reading the whole thing haha. I'm glad you like Robin! I do wish she would have went back to brown hair for Dorian though. Please dont take too long to watch the next couple episodes...lots of drama!

Ah, hearing that you were smiling reading it... makes me smile instantly too! They say smiles are contagious, so it must be true. 😄 Thanks for hyping me up like this about what's to follow in the show... now I'm going to tell my husband to hurry up with his cooking and come watch the next 2 episodes with me ASAP.

I'm literally screeeeeeaming. I can't believe I'm watching post-coitus Viki and Sloan... while he is feeding her strawberries.

@mar4331 I'm glad I followed your advice! This is wild!!! 😄 Poor Clint is on his way to the inn...

@Maxim that gif needs to have a trigger warning lol!

Just now, mar4331 said:

@Maxim that gif needs to have a trigger warning lol!

🤣

I recently have been doing a OLTL history dive. Why the heck did they kill off Meredith Lord? I read Lynn Benesch didn't renew her contract, but they could have recast. Maybe Jacqueline Courtney could have been recast Meredith instead of playing Pat. I think that was a major mistake as the character could have driven story for decades. Did she die in the garage at Llanfair?

They also killed Victor off 3 years later. Then it became all these convoluted stories of Vicki having long lost siblings and then making Victor the ultimate monster (The DID) storyline. Erika Slezak hated that storyline. She joked that Ernest Graves who originated the role would be rolling over in his grave if he knew what they had done to that character.

Thanks @Maxim . Another great review for the various stories on display. I'm glad that posting some old clips of Robin as Dorian helped ease her in. I like that Elaine and Robin both had strong enough work that you and your husband each have them as a favorite. Someday maybe you could both watch Nancy Pinkerton and Claire Malis for even more of a difficult choice.

You're right about Robin's version tending to seem younger, and more blatantly connected to the lost child in Dorian.

They really are ramping up Sloan's hatred of Dorian. I'm glad they had Viki ask him to leave so she and Dorian could face off. Erika and Robin always had a strong chemistry.

41 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

Thanks @Maxim . Another great review for the various stories on display. I'm glad that posting some old clips of Robin as Dorian helped ease her in.

It was incredibly helpful. 🙂I wanted to tell you... I noticed some lines from Strasser's Dorian that suggest to me the new writers might have referenced iconic material before writing for her again. Phrases like "Let Sloan brutalize me if he wants to..." reminded me of the clips where she portrayed herself as a victim when being thrown out of Llanfair. The wording could be coincidental or just Strasser's style in playing it, but it possessed that same playful, provocative tone - like she's saying, "I'm the actual victim in this, at least that's my story for the Intruder!" I love it. I'm seeing many different nuances with this new Dorian in just 4 episodes. One notable one is how she dominates Cassie. Strasser's Dorian has a powerful presence that Cassie struggles against, unlike Princi's gentler physical demeanor. For the first time, Cassie seems to fade in scenes with her mother, as Strasser's energy outshines her. This isn't a criticism of Laura Koffman... I think this chemistry works better. With Princi and Koffman, Cassie sometimes felt too strong next to someone meant to be so menacing. Now, you truly believe this is a mother from hell... from the famous gallery ofmothers like Faye Dunaway as Joan Crawford in Mommie Dearest.

I think I'm rambling, but I'm just so excited and wanted to tell you this!

52 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

I like that Elaine and Robin both had strong enough work that you and your husband each have them as a favorite. Someday maybe you could both watch Nancy Pinkerton and Claire Malis for even more of a difficult choice.

From your lips to God's ears - I hope 2026 is a year where we uncover more and more lost material from the 70s. I would love to see the other Dorians. This is a role, a character that... as evidenced by Princi and Strasser can be played in so many different ways, without losing the core of it. It's like a different translation of a book - it still keeps the main characteristics and the story, but the tone, the language and the humor are somewhat different. It's fascinating. I think someone must do a documentary called "The Dorians" and look into each one of them individually. I would love to watch something like it.

Edited 2 hours ago2 hr by Maxim

18 minutes ago, Maxim said:

It was incredibly helpful. 🙂I wanted to tell you... I noticed some lines from Strasser's Dorian that suggest to me the new writers might have referenced iconic material before writing for her again. Phrases like "Let Sloan brutalize me if he wants to..." reminded me of the clips where she portrayed herself as a victim when being thrown out of Llanfair. The wording could be coincidental or just Strasser's style in playing it, but it possessed that same playful, provocative tone - like she's saying, "I'm the actual victim in this, at least that's my story for the Intruder!" I love it. I'm seeing many different nuances with this new Dorian in just 4 episodes. One notable one is how she dominates Cassie. Strasser's Dorian has a powerful presence that Cassie struggles against, unlike Princi's gentler physical demeanor. For the first time, Cassie seems to fade in scenes with her mother, as Strasser's energy outshines her. This isn't a criticism of Laura Koffman... I think this chemistry works better. With Princi and Koffman, Cassie sometimes felt too strong next to someone meant to be so menacing. Now, you truly believe this is a mother from hell... from the famous gallery ofmothers like Faye Dunaway as Joan Crawford in Mommie Dearest.

I think I'm rambling, but I'm just so excited and wanted to tell you this!

From your lips to God's ears - I hope 2026 is a year where we uncover more and more lost material from the 70s. I would love to see the other Dorians. This is a role, a character that... as evidenced by Princi and Strasser can be played in so many different ways, without losing the core of it. It's like a different translation of a book - it still keeps the main characteristics and the story, but the tone, the language and the humor are somewhat different. It's fascinating. I think someone must do a documentary called "The Dorians" and look into each one of them individually. I would love to watch something like it.

You're right. Cassie does tend to fade more, at least at this time, with Strasser's Dorian. I am sure some was intended.

Each Dorian does bring different flavors. The most interesting may be Nancy Pinkerton, but part of that is so much of her run being gone. I'd love to see the time when Dixie Carter filled in as Dorian.

Up to February 25th, 1993

🦩

"Off with their heads!"

🔷

If Strasser didn't remind me of Madonna already (at times the way her voice sounds and how she articulates)... tonight Dorian Lord was serving "VOGUE" !

🔷

Where do I even begin? Just three new episodes, but so much has gone down that picking a clip of the day seems nearly impossible. First, let’s discuss the major events. I think this was the longest build-up to sex I’ve ever witnessed in any type of entertainment, literature, or film. Sloan and Viki waited almost a year before finally giving in to temptation. Even the Devil lurking in the shadows couldn’t stop them. Viki slipped into her lingerie and joined Sloan (who looked incredibly fit for his age, MY GOD, he can still pull off a shirtless look - I was totally shocked!) and Anna Karenina finally took the plunge. She crossed that line. Another man’s penis finally got in, and there’s no going back now. Just as she was nibbling on strawberries that Sloan was feeding her... someone knocked on the door. And then everything went dark. Metaphorically speaking. I won’t linger on this too long - it was written beautifully and acted flawlessly. Clint saw his wife, who probably still smelled of Sloan and his body fluids... after what they did. He witnessed something he could never erase from his mind. That’s the kind of sight that can drive people to madness or even make them do something dangerous. However, the overall mood wasn’t one of rage or aggression, but of COMPLETE and utter SHOCK. Clint saw the death of the woman he believed Viki was. In front of him stood someone else, a stranger - someone who broke all their promises and vows... someone who cheated on him with another man while still married to him. Viki’s state shifted from post-orgasm bliss to... total breakdown. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Erika Slezak cry this much before - the tears were streaming down, ruining her eyeliner. THEN Clint LEFT. And the next day, he filed for divorce.

🔷

Switching gears to another part of Llanview - Marty Saybrooke is managing to cover up her trail from Thanksgiving for the time being. She made a call to a junkie friend of hers and set up a fake alibi. A similarly troubled girl who successfully deceived Nora and Bo. Then the writers did something I really disliked. Feeling sorry for Marty, full of pity and concern... Cassie and Andrew got the crazy idea to invite her to stay with them until she gets over her "accident". For a second, I thought - Are you guys complete idiots... but then I remembered that this is just who they are - they have this shared God complex attitude where they believe they can save anyone. It's like Viki on steroids. But I can predict where this is headed. Marty will likely cause trouble, mess up their marriage, or something worse... and Cassie will be the one to pay the price. It's like letting a snake into your home - don't be surprised later when it bites you. Still, it makes sense why we saw them trying to help her for so long. If we hadn't seen these moments prior... this wouldn't have made any sense. So I have to admit - this is something the writers planned out better than I thought they did, and I have to give them some credit.

🔷

Something really surprising is happening on another front as well. While Viki was nibbling her strawberries and Dorian was scheming her revenge... and Marty was in the hospital, we had the loon Alex coming up with a bizarre plan to steal Natasha Romanova (my aunt, actually 😆 - just kidding) 's jewels from The Buchanan Palace. She is enlisting Cain as her expert safe-cracker, with the ultimate goal of ruining Renee's life. Because WHY NOT. Let's not forget that the Hesser widow is still hopelessly in love with Morty, for reasons only her troubled mind can understand. I think it's the penis. That woman sure loved jerking him off in public. Still... when the moment arrived - at Renee's Mardi Gras party... this was the first time a more cartoonish plot like this actually WORKED. Watching Alex and Cain break into Natasha Romanova's suite was really fun. There was suspense. I think it's because they toned down the comedy and this time it’s just an adventure. I enjoyed it, and I have to give them props for that too. I usually dislike things like this, since they tend to be very plot-driven and not much else, but it blended nicely with the other dramatic elements of the episodes. It was a pleasant surprise. Oh, and before I forget - Natasha Romanova was quite the character, we saw her talking to Asa (who I welcomed back with open arms) and I really think they should make her a cast member ASAP (I know they won’t, but I just had to mention it, haha).

🔷

Now let's go back to the meat and potatoes. Dorian Lord is back in town and it's time for her grand entrance back to Llanview society - what could be better than dressing up like Marie Antoinette and crashing a party where everyone despises her? And here, ladies and gentlemen... we arrive at the clip of the day moment. I've chosen not to edit out any of the cheating or breakup love triangle scenes because I plan to use them for a music video soon, and it's best to showcase them in another way. For the highlight, however, I want to feature this little moment that made me scream out loud. Viki... almost like a warrior standing on the battlefield, after losing so much blood, unsure if he can keep going... and the Queen Bee, showing up with her usual wild SAVAGE energy and manic smile just to RUB IT IN. The lines... the finale... AH! You really have to see it for yourselves!

Overall -  10/10 - Honestly, never enjoyed the show more.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Clip of the day

Society Slut vs Ageing Whore

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by Maxim

33 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

You're right. Cassie does tend to fade more, at least at this time, with Strasser's Dorian. I am sure some was intended.

Each Dorian does bring different flavors. The most interesting may be Nancy Pinkerton, but part of that is so much of her run being gone. I'd love to see the time when Dixie Carter filled in as Dorian.

I would love that too. And as much as people like to say that everything is destroyed or lost... every year we get a few surprises and treasures nobody expected to exist...