9 hours ago, alwaysAMC said:

Reading about the Marty transformation is very interesting (I only have vague memories of OLTL at this time - mostly Tina/Cain/Alex/Luna/Max). I definitely remember Marty, but not in the way she was in 1992 from your prior recaps. Anyway, can't wait to read more about your thoughts in this area! I love that you can feel it.

That clip of the day was SO fun. Such Dirty Dancing-vibes and I love scenes like this on soaps. Around this same era, there was a similar dance video of Dixie and Craig on AMC. It was way more sensual/sexual, but still similar in nature, and boy do I remember watching that as a kid, as if it were yesterday. I feel like had I seen this Marty/Seude scene as a kid, I would remember it just as well. Thanks for clipping this one.

I'll have to check that Dixie scene in the future.😊 I also love scenes like these in soaps... And as much as I adore this show (in this era)... they need some positivity now and then because it gets too dark often times or comically stupid (Alex, Mortimer, Tina). A bit of fun without the caricatures is much needed.

8 hours ago, mar4331 said:

I love that you @'d me for your review about Bo and Nora lol! Is Bo's hairy chest good or bad? I say good ;)

I say Good as well. 🤭

And Linda Gottlieb of course famously produced Dirty Dancing before coming to OLTL. She was seen as a huge coup for daytime at the time for that reason.

5 hours ago, Vee said:

And Linda Gottlieb of course famously produced Dirty Dancing before coming to OLTL. She was seen as a huge coup for daytime at the time for that reason.

Which was ridiculous to me even back then, because, c'mon, it wasn't THAT great of a movie, lol.

21 hours ago, Vee said:

And Linda Gottlieb of course famously produced Dirty Dancing before coming to OLTL. She was seen as a huge coup for daytime at the time for that reason.

Marlena de Lacroix used to call her Linda "Dirty Dancing" Gottlieb.

@Maxim Finally catching up with your reviews and I must say your thoughts on Dorian, Marty and the growing love between Bo and Nora are beautifully written, especially the different dimensions of Dorian. The line from Nora about how they can never hurt each other can never be real, but you so much want it to be real, which is the power of the dialogue, chemistry, performance.

And yes, it's very nice to see Andrew sans shirt.

That Marty and Suede scene is such a blast (other than Suede mouthing the words, which I do not like). The emphasis on the sexual tension between them, somehow presented in a positive, fun way, instead of seedy, is difficult to pull off. The sequence is a beautiful yet dirty fantasy - there's the heat, but a safe heat, with everyone cheering them on instead of someone throwing up, or starting a fight, or grabbing Marty's ass.

What I appreciate most in these clips and most of the show at the time is the very honest and very believably presented sexuality. It's not trying too hard - you don't have characters in overly edited scenes to try to show passion or characters in a room full of fire hazard candles. The scene with Jason and Dorian where she keeps asking him to make love to her as he tries to instead emotionally comfort her is incredibly restrained even while in the throes of passion - you can believe these are lovers, you can believe Dorian's fears and Jason's concerns. None of this would get on the air now.

It always amazes me that Frank Valentini was around to first-hand observe these years of OLTL but his work in comparison often feels so sexless and when he was working with Ron, felt so juvenile. I imagine if Ron ever watched any of this, he'd fall asleep.

I did laugh when Dorian reminded Jason that she is a doctor. I can't remember if Elaine Princi had those mentions of Dorian's medical past. Enough producers and writers would go back to this that I wonder if Robin Strasser wanted to mention Dr. Dorian.

I don't love Lindsey's wardrobe. I'm not sure if there was a plan for her clothes, maybe she was meant to dress in a way which seemed non-assuming, but it comes across as having a limited budget. I think the clothes are too young for Anna Holbrook, if that makes any sense. Maybe that is the idea, I don't know.

Edited 2 hours ago2 hr by DRW50

1 minute ago, DRW50 said:

It always amazes me that Frank Valentini was around to first-hand observe these years of OLTL but his work in comparison often feels so sexless and when he was working with Ron, felt so juvenile.

Yeah, and the Carlivati years (and prior) were far from sexless tbh, nor was Frank's OLTL in general. One could argue the Carlivati years were a bit too horny given the subject matter with Todd/Victor, and Frank and Ron's GH was also pretty hot and heavy. FV's first few weeks on the job here also featured one of the most explicit scenes OLTL or any daytime soap has done in the 21st century (if ever), Troy and Lindsay (Rappaport, not Butler) in bed together with him taking her from behind.

I think FV has always been a chameleon changing with the times to survive. I think he believes the current climate and his current audience at GH wants less sex and less envelope-pushing in general. That's why he consistently insinuates that the only online audience they listen to is Facebook, and a certain subset of seniors. Whereas his first 10+ years as an EP were full of sometimes envelope-pushing sex.

Edited 2 hours ago2 hr by Vee

@DRW50 -Ah! Such an eloquent post... I missed reading your thoughts through the last months. So many interesting reflections.... things I hadn't thought about. Thank you! Talking about things I forgot @Vee mentioned about Linda's Dirty Dancing... something that completely escaped my mind, I don't know where my brain went while I was watching that scene, probably too excited to observe Marty be something other than a witch... so thanks for reminding us about that. I don't think I've seen Dirty Dancing from start to finish, but I will have to do that now for sure. I remember it was my mother's favorite movie, so I was sort of biased against seeing it. I just know she doesn't have good taste in entertainment, but we'll see. So I guess @alwaysAMC caught that vibe pretty perfectly.

Up to April 14th, 1993

🦩

"The Devil in Llanview"

🔷

Ugh... I'm starting work Monday and... I'll probably have to hit pause again. Sadly. But right now... I'm binge-watching like crazy. And let me tell you this - the show just HIT a perfect 10 for me. It's on FIRE. The last two times it was this good were 1 - when Blair was infiltrating Dorian's life back in early 92 and 2 - during Buchanina's mid-affair with Sloan (The Stud as Marty calls him). Now, the show is hitting yet another POWER moment for me. Let's dive in, shall we!

🔷

With the risk of annoying you guys with my constant praise of her - Robin Strasser showed me what she is capable of once again. Girl... what did you do to me? I cried so much last night. Why are these scenes hitting me so hard? Was it Elaine and Mark's performances... or the way the writers frame Dorian's spiral before her potential cancer diagnosis, while her enemy's life crumbles too? It's all so emotionally charged, and Robin thrives in it. First, we see her in denial again, avoiding the doctor - drinking, fighting, anything but facing reality. But then Jason wouldn’t let her escape. He’s such a good guy... this one. We all need a Jason in our lives. He kept pushing and pushing and not letting her go away. That moment when she wanted to drown her thoughts in vodka at the bar, the bartender's sudden mention about losing someone to cancer... reminding her of her reality if she doesn’t act. It broke me. Lump in my throat level of broke me. I’ll clip that whole sequence for the CLIP of the day. Robin Strasser has been here for only 2 month or something like that... and she has changed the entire show for the better. It's not the same. It's a different show now. A better show.

🔷

I only hinted at Viki Buchanina's mess... and now I have to dig deeper... Buchanina hasn't just split her family in two... she's completely shattered it in little pieces. MIDLIFE CRISIS STYLE. I'm catching glimpses of Dark Viki in how she treats her kids @DRW50 - it's honestly shocking to see her bossing Jessica and Joey around just to make Sloan feel better. So, they had this HUGE Anna Karenina-style dinner where the Society Slut was set to OFFICIALLY introduce her lover to her kids. JESUS. She and Clint aren't even officially divorced yet! Viki is such a villain right now, and I am here for it. I never thought Erika Slezak would shine in this role, but she absolutely is... That woman can pull off anything, but this more flawed Viki is way more captivating than the dull saint she played before. I both despise and love her. Watching the kids squirm next to Sloan (who's already in STAGE 2 of destroying Clint - he told Viki she should FIRE HIM from the Banner) was INTENSE. And the fact that Marty Saybrooke is the one Jessica turns to for solace... tells you everything. I adore their friendship - it seems nonsensical at first, but then it totally makes sense. Marty sees herself in that kid. I hope Jessica is spared that destruction.

🔷

I need to talk about Clint's reaction to all this in a separate place. He's not taking it lightly, and honestly, I love it. Clint has the tendency to look weak in comparison to Viki - he lets her walk over him way too much. But no this time. It's like a full-on WAR between Viki and Clint. The war of the Buchanans. He's using her writing and articles to passive-aggressively mess with her head... giving all the good stuff to Lindsay instead. He even threw a little office party for that snake! Watching Victoria's jealous stare as she walked in was priceless. And classic soap. She totally gave off Stephanie Forrester vibes in that moment. I can't believe Lindsay has lasted so long in this show with THAT hair. Now, Viki and Sloan's camp sees her as Clint's new girlfriend. As I mentioned before... Sloan's been planting ideas in Viki's head about getting Clint fired. THIS GUY! He's basically the MALE BROOKE LOGAN. I said it months ago, and I stand by it. It's not enough that you took this guy's wife... now you want to take The Banner too? Brooke Logan 2. I'm sorry, but I'm on Team Clint here.

🔷

Last year, we dealt with "homophobia in small towns"... and this year... they may be going into "RACISM in small towns". Todd Manning is a pig. RACIST pig. He made vile comments to Rachel, and she called him out on it. It was uncomfortable to watch. Here they are again, diving back into hard topics. This isn't your typical soap opera where everything is just safe, safe, safe. The writers are pushing buttons in order to make people uncomfortable, WANTING to provoke thought and discussion on these topics. BTW, I heard Todd became some kind of hero in the upcoming years... and that thought makes me cringe. He's such a despicable villain here. But the real shock was Kevin's complete lack of response when his girlfriend heard that racist comment. Kevin had the audacity to spin it like she was overreacting and making it all about "black and white". So, I guess Hank was right about some things after all. Hank always is, btw.

🔷

So... Tina and Cord swapped roles. Now it's Cord who's begging her to return... but Tina finally GREW a backbone and said - NO - I'm marrying Cain. THANK GOD. Now cue the Angela creature who was close to giving Cord a blowjob in the tub, while preaching about God and "curing" his soul from rage. That b-tch uses both The Bible.... aaaand her oral cavity. Let's see where this All About Eve plot is headed .She can't fool me. This is a devil in disguise. You don't get all sensual with a man like that... while claiming to wanting to save his soul and acting like a preacher. EVIL.

Overall -  10/10 - Very high moment for the show.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Clip of the day