The continuum of so much of what makes OLTL immortal to me - the social conscience, the gritty realism and character analysis, the cinematic scope at its best, the escapist fantasy - is all in these episodes with their past and present sequences showing the whole range. Even though my experience with the Megan character is minimal and limited to what I can find on YouTube, that whole week is some of my favorite stuff from OLTL. And it contains so many of the reasons I think the show is timeless, versatile and could be revived at almost any point, because it always stayed current, modern and visceral in one way or another. It's not bound to a hospital or a family or a town so much as it's bound to breaking boundaries.

Seeing Andrew in these just reminds me again of how rare it is on soaps in the last 20 years to have strong characters who are also decent, caring people - people who represent humanity...especially male characters. That soaps became so contemptuous of this type of character is one of the reasons for the genre's fade into irrelevance. 

I just saw on the NYC news that Sean Ringgold and his girlfriend/wife (who apparently works at WPIX 11, where the story aired) just had a baby girl named Skylar. 

Edited April 3, 20169 yr by DramatistDreamer

 

 

Seeing Andrew in these just reminds me again of how rare it is on soaps in the last 20 years to have strong characters who are also decent, caring people - people who represent humanity...especially male characters. That soaps became so contemptuous of this type of character is one of the reasons for the genre's fade into irrelevance. 

WORD!

 

I have long bemoaned the soap genre's insistence on marginalizing (or eliminating altogether) characters with a moral conscience, and celebrating instead degenerate thugs, hit men and rapists. Give me Larry Wolek over Todd Manning, or Steve Hardy over Luke Spencer, any day.

 

The continuum of so much of what makes OLTL immortal to me - the social conscience, the gritty realism and character analysis, the cinematic scope at its best, the escapist fantasy - is all in these episodes with their past and present sequences showing the whole range. Even though my experience with the Megan character is minimal and limited to what I can find on YouTube, that whole week is some of my favorite stuff from OLTL. And it contains so many of the reasons I think the show is timeless, versatile and could be revived at almost any point, because it always stayed current, modern and visceral in one way or another. It's not bound to a hospital or a family or a town so much as it's bound to breaking boundaries.

 

Seeing Andrew in these just reminds me again of how rare it is on soaps in the last 20 years to have strong characters who are also decent, caring people - people who represent humanity...especially male characters. That soaps became so contemptuous of this type of character is one of the reasons for the genre's fade into irrelevance. 

In her archive interview, Erika Slezak says something to this effect about the character of Joey.  At the time of the interview, she missed his presence on the show, a genuinely  kind soul who didn't have to be all about "pop" and "swagger".

 

 

 

 

I'm always thrown by how earnest and overwrought this period is, especially Gottlieb's part of 1991. You can really see that with the hyperdramatic Asa material, where there are scenes upon scenes of Asa wigging out and Renee reacting in horror (the idea of Renee being repulsed by Asa being abusive to a younger version of her is interesting, but it shouldn't have to be so histrionic). Cassie is literally having a breakdown every time she appears in a scene. Bo asks if she forgot the corn nuts? Watch those eyes bug and hear that voice quake. Then you have the dramatic tension between Tina and Cord (which I've never entirely understood given that he was about to be "killed off," unless they wanted to make sure viewers weren't mad when she quickly moved on with Cain). Even the music in a lot of the Asa/Renee scenes is OTT. Then there's the sheer hilarity of Asa and that sword. I fully expected him to accidentally cut Renee - at least they missed that cliche. Phil Carey is having a lot of fun and seems energized by the material, vile as it is, so kudos to him. 

 

In contrast, the music and staging of the Joey/Kevin scene is superb - a great example of the best of family drama. Clint trying to help Kevin and later console Viki (if she thought that Kevin's first time was a disaster she's lucky she didn't know what would happen with Joey and Jessica). It's such good family-focused material. And it makes the Sloan story even more forced and more unnecessary. 

 

I also thought the little scene with Stephanie and Renee was beautifully done - this is what Pat Elliott (RIP) was best at.

 

I felt sick inside when Viki told Jessica that she wanted to make sure she'd never grow up to be with a man who hurt her, because all I could think of was the later, heinous rewrites that claimed at this time, Niki was taking Jessica out to bars and she was being molested and videotaped. I will never forgive Valentini, Higley, or Frons for that cheap, shock value violation.