I have made it to December 12th. I can’t explain why, but I am simply not connecting to the material surrounding Cord’s presumed death. Perhaps because Tina and Cord essentially ended when AE (my #1) left and were no longer leads at this point.

Viki comforting Clint while preparing to tell Megan she needs a kidney is great; JB is fantastic as Jason, taking offense to Dorian trying to school him on how to dress and eat. Andrew as the voice of reason is also great, he is a great addition.

My ears have reached exhaustion hearing LB’s Cassie saying Sarah, I can’t take it once more and while I am trying, I am not getting attached to nuSarah, not even in scenes with Megan.

To be honest, Sarah returning with Cord dying and all the contrived Bo/Cassie drama is much too much and would easily be balanced with, I’m sorry I am saying it again, the use of the community in it’s entirety: giving Larry, Sheila, Wanda, etc. more to do. It feels like the same characters every episode and I am looking forward to seeing more of Blair and Sheila and the additions of Hank, Rachel and Marty in the next year.

I will avoid commenting on Max vs Asa again but wow, pairing that with the family gathered at the Lord library for news of Cord’s death was a lot.

It’s still worth it to see the transition period so I am going to try to move through it.

Best scenes of maybe the entire year (that I’ve seen) just might be Megan learning she is sick after Andrew takes her to the hospital and Larry assumes Viki has already told Megan. Jessica Tuck killed it as Megan went in on Larry then broke down in Andrew’s arms.

I really, really loved Max with Megan and Gabrielle but I don’t like anyone with Max, save Blair since I’ve seen some of 1992. I was just liking Lee Ann when she went back to him and now here we are with these cringe scenes of Max and Luna bonding. Doesn’t feel like Luna at all, especially knowing Lee Ann is with him.

Nice to see some balance to the drama with Cain Rogan sneaking about in a jam.

Now up to December 19th, holy cow! Megan should have been a troublemaking hot mess and they completely wasted her through 1991, her getting drunk and hitting the town, spanking Herb, dancing with (and unknowingly taunting) Andrew and running off with Cain to Atlantic City, that confrontation with Viki and then dancing around the crowd post meltdown before collapsing in tears has been an astonishing performance. I haven’t tracked how many episodes this has gone on for but I would happily take more of this, and more conflict between Viki and Megan before we get to those hospital bedside weeks.

Back to Megan being a mess-what a wild ride 1989-1991 could have been if Viki and Megan didn’t make up in 2.5 seconds and she became a heroine.

Edited 19 hours ago19 hr by soapfave06

16 hours ago, Maxim said:

You guys are just too sweet! 🥰 All I can say is... I'm flattered that anyone misses them/me. I shall return to Llanview very soon. Having some time off from the show really made me miss it. I blame Malone inspiring me to read Anna Karenina, which I just had to finish before continuing. @soapfave06 - I caaaan't wait to read more of your reviews as well. Can't wait till you hit February 1992.

OMG... Is this what I think it is! Viki Buchanan, you naughty girl! Thanks for posting @DRW50.

1993 is a heavy year so you were right to take some breaks. Take whatever time you need as the show will always be waiting.

12 hours ago, soapfave06 said:

Thanks for sharing, I’ve never seen! Kind of insane Viki had affairs that nearly ruined her marriage so close together. In hindsight, I wish Roger and Sloan shared a similar backstory (as one character instead of two) I can’t judge the chemistry of Sloan and Viki, but man Roger and Viki had no chemistry.

This is random but they also failed in casting Prince Raymond-no chemistry with Megan. I equally love realism and fantasy in my soaps and the Mendorra tale could have been something if they just had chemistry.

I am very curious in the casting I initiatives at this time.

On paper, a Clint/Viki/Roger triangle should have been dynamic. The show was partly to blame for likely not wanting to rock the boat about Clint and Viki, but Larry Pine was miscast - he did well in smarmier or darker roles but was not a romantic leading man.

Thanks for your newest recaps. I agree about how limited and tiresome a lot of that material felt. As for Megan, they may have made her a little too nice too quickly, but I think she would have been exhausting if she'd been written too much like Marty was in 92-spring 1993.

Edited 16 hours ago16 hr by DRW50

@soapfave06 - Thank you for sharing your latest impressions. They truly highlight (for me) how this period pales in comparison to what I experienced in early 1992. Now as I think about it... starting with the October 1991 episodes gave me an advantage, as I had nothing to compare them to... making everything intriguing, regardless of my perspective. However, after watching more and more material... I can now see, with the help of your insights as well... just how rocky this period was. I recall how random Cord's death seemed... it felt as if they were developing his relationship with Blair... going for a future affair, and then... flatline.

7 hours ago, DRW50 said:

1993 is a heavy year so you were right to take some breaks. Take whatever time you need as the show will always be waiting.

It's truly wonderful to know that this topic and all of you are here, alongside the show. It has nearly become an integral part of my viewing experience... coming here to express my thoughts and feelings with you all. Reading your insights and comments. As soon as I relieve that itch for literature... I shall return... just like Dorian Lord in the ski lodge. ❤️

I am close to the end of 1991 and things are back on the upswing. I agree Cord’s death came out of nowhere, they must not have thought JL would be leaving and I see now that they pivoted quickly from Cord’s death to the focus of Megan’s illness.

Unfortunately, Megan ended up passing out and woke up completely back to her normal self with a 2.5 second apology scene to Viki for her meltdown. Jessica Tuck is really giving some of the best performances of 1991 (I’ve primarily only watched September-December but this year doesn’t give much) and certainly her entire time on the show. I will admit I almost thought Ruby Bright came back 😂

Megan and Andrew have something special-so many calm conversations about life that I become entranced by and the way he looks at her so lovingly but unable to have her, I can feel the torment in his heart. I don’t care for Megan and Jake, and of course she was never staying past her contract but I wonder what the two would have been like. Probably best to love each other deeply but never together.

Major 1992 plots are being set up: Blair and Cassie had a great late night talk at The Banner which led Blair to meet Asa, see his power and become quickly thirsty + Addie spooking Cassie when she visits Blair; Max and Luna with Serenity Springs; Lee Ann pregnant; Cain Rogan back.

Troy (who is so effing dull my god) and Sheila are treated like less than background characters. Sheila had the blip of the racist play and a less than supporting role in the Jane Ebert plot, a brief newspaper drama as a source against LH for Viki at The Banner and has barely been around since.

JB’s Jason continues to steal the show. I have no opinion of Jason and Dorian overall but his hurt over getting Lee Ann the necklace and her mistakenly believing Max got it out of love and his later confrontation with Dorian on Llantano Mountain, looking down at Llanview the way people look down on him, whew his acting was phenomenal.

Question: was Jason ever popular in viewer feedback or magazines at the time? He feels so quintessentially 90s I could have seen him on the show through the end of the decade (I know he got usurped by Todd but I would rather not waste my time focusing on that)

PS-OLTL just oozes wasted potential sometimes. The 70s erased for the Buchanans with no longterm characters lasting; most of the 80s characters being temporary; then longterm there is Carla, the Jason’s and Sheila’s of the 90s and the Layla’s and Fish’s of the 00s.

45 minutes ago, soapfave06 said:

Major 1992 plots are being set up: Blair and Cassie had a great late night talk at The Banner which led Blair to meet Asa, see his power and become quickly thirsty + Addie spooking Cassie when she visits Blair

The Blair/Dorian storyline is just beginning... and you'll just love it... I'm sure of it. So excited for you!

P.S. I just watched 2 new episodes from 1993... so I'm officially back in business. They were WILD. Jason and Dorian slapped each other. I think this is the first time I've seen a man answer a slap with a slap on a soap. I'll either wait for a bit more material or just jump straight into a review tomorrow morning, since I think there was plenty material to cover. The Viki Buchanina storyline is also back in full swing... there is talk about this legendary train and Viki going on the last ride... without knowing that Sloan is going to be there too. GOD I love things like these and again that train motive... is so Anna Karenina. Today I've been going back to all the soaps - BTG too. It feels like I'm back in my favorite world... Long live soap operas.