12 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

Is Nora still having her headaches?

They stopped a few weeks ago, maybe even months at this point. I think the regular chili dogs she has with Bo... played a part in this. Let's say they improved her circulation. 🤭 I'm glad you asked... because they kept repeating the headache line for weeks... it was going somewhere for sure. The writers must have changed their minds.

36 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

Robin seems to relish going up against Susan Haskell, as they are both such forces. As she later described her scenes with Erika Slezak - being in "the arena."

I love this... Thank you for sharing!!! I am looking forward to their future interactions. So far only 2 scenes... and the chemistry is off the charts. It makes me want to watch the German episodes again, but sadly not being able to hear the original voices in English... sort of... kills the magic for me.

Still enjoying your recaps and I hope to be back to 1991 soon!

Reading this, Maxim or anyone else, would you say they set Marty up to be heavily involved with Viki from the ties to lupus and Megan or not? Sometimes it seems they played up to it, other times not. Reading these recaps really makes me wish Marty had been further involved with raising hell for both Viki and Dorian.

10 minutes ago, soapfave06 said:

Still enjoying your recaps and I hope to be back to 1991 soon!

Reading this, Maxim or anyone else, would you say they set Marty up to be heavily involved with Viki from the ties to lupus and Megan or not? Sometimes it seems they played up to it, other times not. Reading these recaps really makes me wish Marty had been further involved with raising hell for both Viki and Dorian.

I think they connected them right from the beginning - Marty's entrance into the show was through Viki and Megan. Viki helped Marty open up about her past and traumas early on. She has been motherly towards her ever since she lost her daughter, often mentioning Megan in attempt to calm Marty down. Recently, though... Marty has become more and more cruel to her. It seems the more Viki tries to help, the more defensive Marty gets. Marty reacts this way to anyone who tries to be kind to her. The first one that tried to "fix" her was Andrew - he got called a pedophile for it and she nearly destroyed his life. He could have been killed at that time. The last few months, Viki was the one trying to support her, checking in on her - she got called a Society Slut for it and publicly humiliated. So the pattern is very obvious at this point. You try to help her or love her - she bites you. HARD. And now, like proper masochists Andrew and Cassie have invited her into their home... 2 days later and she is already plotting the end of their marriage. Marty is like Kathy from East Of Eden - she's a very damaged person who ruins everything she touches. At least this has been her arc so far. Fans have told me that everything will change eventually, so I’ll be watching for that.

P.S. But here is how they were months and months ago, if you are interested. :)

17 minutes ago, Maxim said:

I think they connected them right from the beginning - Marty's entrance into the show was through Viki and Megan. Viki helped Marty open up about her past and traumas early on. She has been motherly towards her ever since she lost her daughter, often mentioning Megan in attempt to calm Marty down. Recently, though... Marty has become more and more cruel to her. It seems the more Viki tries to help, the more defensive Marty gets. Marty reacts this way to anyone who tries to be kind to her. The first one that tried to "fix" her was Andrew - he got called a pedophile for it and she nearly destroyed his life. He could have been killed at that time. The last few months, Viki was the one trying to support her, checking in on her - she got called a Society Slut for it and publicly humiliated. So the pattern is very obvious at this point. You try to help her or love her - she bites you. HARD. And now, like proper masochists Andrew and Cassie have invited her into their home... 2 days later and she is already plotting the end of their marriage. Marty is like Kathy from East Of Eden - she's a very damaged person who ruins everything she touches. At least this has been her arc so far. Fans have told me that everything will change eventually, so I’ll be watching for that.

P.S. But here is how they were months and months ago, if you are interested. :)

I am not sure they maintain this longterm, I barely remember any Viki and Marty scenes in the 2000s and always thought of Larry as closer to Viki in the mid-90s I have seen. That scene is really great and shows Marty’s reluctance, also never knew Kiki was an addict on that!

I am now at the beginning of December 1991 and I have to admit, I did not love the interrupted wedding as much as I thought I would. First, the Dorian/Cassie drama felt so contrived (maybe from the episode restoration editing) to include Dorian attending the wedding and I am not sure why, but it bugged me with everyone being rude to her. Cassie was just completely played as pathetic. Of course I have to adjust to this Sarah, as a big fan of the 80s Gordon sisters dynamics.

The editing of the actual show felt odd too, extremely odd choices (unless it is just me) even Alex locking Cassie in the room with her would have been better had we heard the lock clicking, the camera angles of Sarah turning, zooming in on Bo. However, Alex demanding Cassie sit, converse, be respectful and then punching her was fantastic. Again though, no one heard this door slamming, crying, yelling, nothing? It could have upped the stakes quite a bit.

Cassie later bursting into Megan’s uninvited to talk to Sarah-at this point she is driving me mad. I don’t hate the actress, it’s the writing.

The Max and Asa trial is a snooze fest for me but Blair and the aftermath of Cord being shot is back in play so I do have that to enjoy.

I miss the dynamics of Jason, Wanda and LeeAnn at the diner and it would be great to see more of Sheila (although Troy is a snooze) to balance out this other drama and rather small cast (alongside the recasts)

Edited December 31, 2025Dec 31 by soapfave06

11 hours ago, DRW50 said:

I was not expecting Andrew to have his hands at Marty's waist.

Malone clearly did have some attachment to that pairing which never quite gets used the way he may have wanted.

I've said this before, but I think Andrew and Marty was in many ways a replacement for Andrew and Megan in Malone's eyes. Marty and Andrew come closer to consummating things, but neither fully goes there. They did have chemistry right to the end of the show's run though.

The relatively rare Dorian/Marty scenes after this period always remind me that La Boulaie, the Cramer homestead, was Marty's family home in these years. I think Dorian bought it off her or her Aunt Kiki.

It was wild to see Roger Gordon pop back up to visit Sarah, Megan and Viki, particularly in this transition period and with a mustache! That is a big what could have been-had they cast a better leading man to tempt Viki in the Megan era, although Maxim has me excited to see Sloan now.

I'm obsessed with ES sharing her subtle opinion on all the Executive Producers. Still puzzled why she loved JFP so much when she did massive damage to every show she worked on.

3 minutes ago, BadBoy93 said:

I'm obsessed with ES sharing her subtle opinion on all the Executive Producers. Still puzzled why she loved JFP so much when she did massive damage to every show she worked on.

I think only the actors who were frontburner liked JFP lol. The amount of hate from the cast for Linda Gottlieb is insane. The show was never better with her.

1 minute ago, BadBoy93 said:

I'm obsessed with ES sharing her subtle opinion on all the Executive Producers. Still puzzled why she loved JFP so much when she did massive damage to every show she worked on.

I wouldn't call her opinions subtle lol. Erika usually held her fire while on the clock or mid-story, she was always very professional in the moment. But in her fan newsletter which went under the radar of most of the audience until the mid-2000s, or in spaces like these interviews (or the oral history post-show) she could be refreshingly, bracingly blunt and candid. She was still the same very recently when discussing visiting Roger Howarth during her GH stint in L.A. Howarth is someone Erika has immense affection for, who she's always liked and enjoyed working with and sung his praises from the start (as opposed to Trevor St. John), but she also casually said Roger was 'a pain in the ass' when he was young lol.

I think Erika liked JFP because of the story she got with Ben, and because of what was maybe seen as a forthright female POV BTS. But I really wouldn't know. Lots of talented actors love Jill. Lots didn't. Erika openly says she disliked Linda Gottlieb both personally and professionally. A lot of Gottlieb-era stars felt that way about her; even Hillary B. Smith who was hired by her was less than fulsome in her own praise in the oral history. But ultimately I don't care if someone is Mr. or Mrs. Sunshine BTS (not that JFP was). As a viewer I care about the product. Gottlieb's was superior, and Jill's nearly destroyed the show. I don't judge Erika for her views, I just don't share them.

And FWIW Hillary was frontburner during JFP. But she also was so upset about the Matthew story with Sam that she went to the network to try to get Nora killed off during childbirth.

Edited Monday at 11:32 PM1 day by Vee

Up to March 12th, 1993

🦩

"A taste of her own medicine."

🔷

I can't believe this is the very first review of 2026! I've had a full week away from the internet... (spent reading books and lying around with my husband) Let's dive in, shall we?

🔷

It was time to take a break from the Anna Karenina saga. They had to pause before it started getting boring or repetitive. The actors needed to rest after carrying the show for months. Erika Slezak has been working non stop for the past year. Dramatic scene after dramatic scene after dramatic scene. In late 1991, early 1992 she was more in the background, but ever since mid-1992, she has been the central heroine of the show. So... in the aftermath of Clint finding Viki and Sloan... post-coitus - it was the perfect moment to cool things off. Fallen and humiliated... the "Society Slut" ran off to Paris to be with her children, while the general was off on his own - probably preparing for the next battle. The only one we’re still keeping an eye on is Clint. I think this is the first time a show is making me root more for the guy... and not for the woman. I want Clint to find happiness - with another woman. Talking about other women - Lindsay is still trying to seduce him. She "accidentally" twisted her ankle in the woods (while they were waiting to meet a source for an article), so Clint had to step in and massage it, then carry her. Clever girl.

🔷

The Saybrooke Demon finally got a taste of her own medicine. Overhearing Jason and Marty discussing her fake alibi, Dorian rushed to Nora and Bo, revealing to them that Marty's story was fabricated. YES! Finally someone who treats trash... LIKE TRASH. Brava, Dorian! Bo, of course, flipped out... and was on the verge of killing Marty... but Andrew got an idea - he will speak with that supposed drug dealer and verify her version. Saint Andrew helping the Devil again. I think that guy subconsciously wants Marty. It's Good attracted to Evil. Classic stuff. When he went to see the dealer, the piece of sh-t suddenly had a record of Marty purchasing drugs from him that night on Thanksgiving. Hmm. It seemed too easy. Too obvious. I still think something is being hidden, but it was enough proof for Nora and Bo to leave Marty alone. Realizing that Andrew saved her ass once again, the demon couldn't contain herself and KISSED him! We all knew it would happen - Dorian was right all along. And this is the girl you invited into your home, Cassie. I like this storyline. A monster lurking in your own house... Cathy Ames with a touch of All About Eve.

🔷

The ridiculous Carlo-Morty fiasco continues. It's better, but it still doesn't completely work. Honestly, I couldn't care less about this Mortimer guy anymore. Either write him off or just bring back the real Carlo, because this is just 🥱at this point. And what about making Luna and Max the town's amateur detectives... it was fun for a day, but now it's continued episode after episode and it just screams confusion from the writers about what to do with them. Luna jumps from one cartoonish storyline to another. That reminds me - that guy the show wasted so much time and energy on... Suede... is now reduced to a bartender we see once or twice a week for a second or two. Why did we have to suffer through his storyline... why did we have to be subjected to a remake of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier... when the guy ended up serving drinks and getting 2 minutes of airtime a week... Why?

🔷

Tina and Cord's son got away. After Cord yelled at him for turning into Cain Junior. The boy was showing signs of becoming a little scammer. I have to say, I’m really into this storyline. The writers deserve credit for it. It's relatable and classic human relationships. We all know these types of people. Tina’s irresponsible behavior and her tendency to associate with criminals have put her kids in danger and exposed them to bad influences. This is what happens when a spouse dies or when there’s a divorce, and one of the parents gets involved with scammers/trash. The kids start picking up on all that bad examples... they absorb it like sponges. I’m blaming Tina all the way. I love that the writers are making Cord prioritize the kids, because let’s be honest, Tina has always been about her own needs first. She’s so caught up in her love life that she seems to forget she has kids! I’m team Cord on this, all the way.

🔷

I'm saving the best for last! The dessert will be - Robin Strasser as Dorian Lord. ❤️ I'm continually amazed by the numerous dimensions/facets of Dorian... Strasser has been slowly revealing to us since coming back on the show. The latest one is the romantic/S&M Dorian. The chemistry with Jason/Mark Brettschneider is absolutely electrifying, and she's employing every tactic to keep him in Llanview... - kneeling in the woods, standing just inches from his crotch... offering him money, presenting him with job opportunities. I find their dynamic fascinating. At one hand it resembles a typical male gigolo-rich woman relationship. But on the other hand... there is this slight touch of sado-masochism. Of the emotional kind. Dorian IS that commanding, powerhouse woman in every other aspect of her life... yet she craves to be dominated by someone in her intimate life. It even appears to me that she desires Jason more when he humiliates her. I appreciate that we are witnessing this raw side, which strongly contrasts with the fierce persona we see in other scenes. It truly makes her feel much more relatable and human. We all have our secret desires. I've heard of presidents and CEOs who like getting spanked in their free time and feeling completely dominated. The human mind always find a way.

🔷

OH... I nearly forgot - trouble is knocking on Rachel and Kevin's door - Leanne freaking DEMEREST is about to ruin everything once again.

Overall -  7/10

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Clip of the day

Dorian vs Marty

Great to see you back with your recaps @Maxim ! Great clip there of Dorian/Marty. :)

2 hours ago, alwaysAMC said:

Great to see you back with your recaps @Maxim ! Great clip there of Dorian/Marty. :)

Ah, I'm so happy you liked that clip. ❤️ I have one more that I think I should do with these two and I'll tag you when I post it. I just have to get myself to the laptop and look for the scene in the episodes.

Talking about reviews, I can't wait for @soapfave06 and @Vee to continue with theirs. Having recently watched these same episodes makes it intriguing to consider different perspectives, especially when they are as insightful and interesting as theirs.

Thanks @Maxim . Nice to see you're back.

I enjoyed the scene with Marty and Dorian. Susan Haskell and Robin both toned down their performances a tad. They were both spitting venom but weren't wrong. Reminds me of that "we see each other" meme from Real Housewives.

At first, I thought Cassie was drunk. That would have been a fitting story for her. Once again, she seems to be childlike in her reactions to Dorian. Herb was one of Dorian's great loves and was one of the only people who saw her for all she was, so that's likely the reason she didn't want to see him when he was ill.

Your insights into the dynamics between Jason and Dorian are compelling. More interesting than what the show tended to do with them.

It seems like Mortimer has been there forever even just from your reviews. A great example as to why you shouldn't bring an actor back just because you killed off their last character.

Malone seemed to like the idea of CJ being corrupted or ruined by Cain and Tina. This is implied by him again a decade later (this isn't really a spoiler as the show never does anything with CJ).

2 hours ago, DRW50 said:

Thanks @Maxim . Nice to see you're back.

I enjoyed the scene with Marty and Dorian. Susan Haskell and Robin both toned down their performances a tad. They were both spitting venom but weren't wrong. Reminds me of that "we see each other" meme from Real Housewives.

Great observations @DRW50 ! It's truly fascinating to me that it took such a long time, almost a year... before anyone spoke to Marty the way Dorian does. Without trying to feel sorry for her or being insincerely kind or looking down on her with condescension. It's as if someone finally respects Marty in a twisted perverse way, because Dorian is the first person to express pure hate and venom towards her, treating her as an actual threat - someone that should be dealt with... and not underestimating her like all those other saintly characters do. I love it. These two remind me of my two cousins - sisters who would constantly bicker because they were so similar and wicked. They couldn't lie to each other, because that shared nature made them guess correctly what the other was doing or plotting all the time. I will quote the show from couple of episodes ago - A witch... always recognizes a witch.

2 hours ago, DRW50 said:

Herb was one of Dorian's great loves and was one of the only people who saw her for all she was, so that's likely the reason she didn't want to see him when he was ill.

While they were operating on him... she was on her knees in the woods. Probably hearing about his close-call with death... made her want to REALLY FEEL ALIVE. 😁

2 hours ago, DRW50 said:

Malone seemed to like the idea of CJ being corrupted or ruined by Cain and Tina. This is implied by him again a decade later (this isn't really a spoiler as the show never does anything with CJ).

I really like that idea and I hope they continue it at least for some time. Once again... it reminds me of real life... I appreciate that Malone/Griffith are telling sort of a cautionary story about how harmful unchecked influence can be in a child's life. A bad mother is a mother who puts her children in the presence of people like Cain. And again.. the show does the most unexpected thing - I side with the male - Cord (like I do with Clint these days). I wonder how many men were watching the show back in 1993. Malone era OLTL gives a really strong male point of view... all the time.

P.S. I just uploaded that second clip of the day - it's a collage of scenes, but the most entertaining part is in the middle - Marty and Dorian, of course. @alwaysAMC - I promised to tag you! 😊 Robin is on FIRE in this clip.

Edited 22 hours ago22 hr by Maxim