Blair's job interview at The Banner. ❤️ 

 

2 hours ago, DRW50 said:

Thanks @Maxim the rivalry between Blair and Dorian is very entertaining. You could say Dorian should know better, but the days of Dorian being quite so sharp had already been in the past. Elaine and Mia click as rivals, helped by the show not having them compete for the same man. 

It would be sad to let both of them go when the actresses are out next year. I know that they are both gone, I've read about it. We'll see how I adjust to the changes.  🫣 

27 minutes ago, Maxim said:

Blair's job interview at The Banner. ❤️ 

It would be sad to let both of them go when the actresses are out next year. I know that they are both gone, I've read about it. We'll see how I adjust to the changes.  🫣 

Thanks again. They sure did love that music cue. I would have had Viki be more skeptical, but then she'd just been shot and had a stroke not that long previous...

It's going to be a real adjustment with Dorian and Blair in 1993.

@slick jones, I enjoyed watching Arlene Dahl as well. She was very colorful and really threw herself in the role.

I dropped OLTL in 1983, when ABC fired Jacqueline Courtney, but would still watch it from time to time for years, to see what everyone else was doing. The decade was a disaster for the show, IMHO. Losing Judith Light, Jacquie Courtney, Ellen Holly, Lillian Hayman, Al Freeman, Jr., and so many other once-core players was bad enough, but the decision to go full-out sci-fi camp was painful to see. As the writing deteriorated, the show become unrecognizable.

It amazes me how so many soaps self-destructed in that decade.

Up to March 27th 1992.

📖

"It's easy as A-B-C."

 

I'm slowing down a bit, I can't watch more than 2-3 episodes on work days. Thank God, because that OLTL-induced insomnia was beginning to be an issue. 🫣

🔷

So what is happening right now?

  We are seeing Leanne's good side. She is helping Jason learn the alphabet. I love how dedicated the writers are to making Jason multi-dimensional and showing him grow. Leanne on the other hand is having trouble adjusting to life at Llanfair mansion - she is feeling guilt, like she doesn't belong or deserve all the good things she is receiving. I think they (writers) are compensating for her blatant opportunism by making her so empathetic and loving to Jason. 

🔷 

 Blair is on the verge of nailing Dorian. But will she be able to succeed?  She used Asa's connections at the bank to steal sensitive information. In the bank records she found out that huge sums of money were going from Dorian's account to Mrs. Jackson's - Victor Lord's nurse. She then visited that elderly nurse and tried to pressure her into admitting what Dorian did. She gave her 24 hours to give a statement or she'll go to the police and report Mrs. Jackson as an accomplice to murder.

🔷

 Bo called Cassie, but instead of his usually loving and tolerant wife, he heard the voice of a fed up, tired and disappointed woman who gave him a beautiful ultimatum - you either come home to Llanview within the hour or when you are back - our marriage is over. BRAVA, Cassie! Finally some common sense in that naive head of yours. You are growing! How could anyone tolerate their new husband spending weeks with his ex... and LYING about it. I don't care if she was at death's door. Such disrespect. Of course, I doubt that this is the end for Cassie and Bo, but it seems like it for now... since Bo clearly chose Sarah again. I can't stand this girl. Please write her off. W-R-I-T-E SARAH O-F-F!

🔷

 So let's get to the most interesting part. Renee found Blair and her husband in a compromising position. Asa was holding Blair's hand, the overall impression - pretty intimate. What can I say? Disgusting pig. When Renee confronted them... Asa acted like he had just been caught with his hand in his pants... while Blair tried to lie-her-way out of it as usual... but it was too obvious. You can't play innocent 24/7 sweetheart. People are beginning to notice your second face. 

Overall - 10/10!!!

Clip of the day - Renee sees Asa and Blair together. 

Thanks again @Maxim I could watch Mia Korf all day. She could have run for years, although realistically they would have just ground her Blair down the way so many women were as the '90s progressed. 

There's another excellent scene with those three on the way soon.

1 minute ago, DRW50 said:

Thanks again @Maxim I could watch Mia Korf all day. She could have run for years, although realistically they would have just ground her Blair down the way so many women were as the '90s progressed. 

There's another excellent scene with those three on the way soon.

I can't wait. ❤️❤️❤️

Blair starts working at The Banner. 

Up to April 2, 1992.

📖

"Asa Buchanan or the Texas Othello."

It was another sleepless night here in Germany. I just couldn't stop. The show is firing on all cylinders right now. Compared to when I started in October 1991... it has improved so much, that I'm getting scared that this will not last. I've gotten used to this. Brava Michael Malone!

🔷

So what is happening right now?

  Leanne and Jason bonded while reading together. I can't remember another soap where I've seen such a storyline. It's so unique. To have the show's rebel character be so multi-dimensional, so troubled, yet so original and unforgettable. It reminds me of the French movie - "La Cérémonie" starring Isabelle Huppert, where one of the main characters (working as a maid) couldn't read and kept that a secret. 

🔷 

 Blair got what she wanted, Dorian made her Editor in Chief of "The Intruder". But that is only the beginning. Now Dorian has even more reason to get rid of the parasite "intruding" life. It's not a happy period for Dorian who is also suffering from her break-up with Jason. She finally confessed her feelings to Cassie and admitted that she wants Jason as something more than a boy-toy. I like Dorian and Jason together, they are not typical and have crazy chemistry. I hope we haven't seen the last of them.

🔷

 Bo is the biggest disappointment of the year! What did he do after Cassie gave him the ultimatum? He betrayed her by sleeping with his ex-wife. Then Sarah... miraculously recovered her lost memory and remembered that she saw Carlo Hesser kill an agent called "Scarecrow" - it can't all be perfect, so I'm giving the show a huge MINUS for the way they did this. It was just too easy and convenient for Sarah to remember all of this post-coitus. But I'm not that mad about it. All of this is leading to something, which I'm pretty sure I know what it is. 

🔷

 Someone is about to do something to Carlo Hesser. Shoot him, slit his throat, push him down the stairs, who knows. The show has build all of this up and given us plenty of suspects. So many people... at the same time... want Carlo dead. We have Sarah who just remembered what Carlo did to her, we have Tina and Cain who want their money and diamonds, we have Julia Medina, who came back just couple of episodes ago... who wants to get her revenge for Carlo trying to murder her (he also threatened to kill her grandson), we also have Alex who is not tolerating living with Carlo very well and just met with her attorney in order to nullify the prenup she signed. We have the district attorney, even, Hank, who wants him gone. It seems that pretty much everyone in town wants him dead. Most of all - ASA Buchanan. And that bring me to the most interesting storyline.

🔷

 It's like we are witnessing Shakespeare's Othello happen in real life. Iago (Cain) has done everything he can to destroy Desdemona (Renee) and Othello (Asa)'s marriage. He has put all the seeds of doubt and turned them against each-other. Asa is now completely out of control, terrorizing Renee and threatening to kill Carlo Hesser. And if we follow Othello to the end... it means that Asa will probably shoot someone (which I doubt will happen). Overall this storyline works perfectly - it's incredibly well written, somewhat cliche, yet done with style and substance and wonderfully acted. 

Overall - 10/10!!! (with a little minus for the Bo and Sarah stuff)

Clip of the day - Renee breaking down after Asa torments her and accuses her of cheating. That's the kind of melodrama I watch soaps for. It's just beyond entertaining.  

Edited June 25Jun 25 by Maxim

Thanks as always @Maxim 

Renee must be a very very neat writer to get her whole life in that diary...I do feel for her in that scene, but Pat seemingly chewed whatever was left of the diary, and the scenery.

The Bo/Sarah story was also the most panned at the time, I believe. 

Cain is one of those characters where the writing vacillates too much for me to invest, but Christopher Cousins is very much worth watching. 

What do you think of Julia? 

I always think of her for this ham-on-ham delirium:

While I'm here, there's never a bad time to repost one of my favorite camp Viki scenes (it's at about 5-6 minutes):

 

Edited June 25Jun 25 by DRW50

3 hours ago, DRW50 said:

Thanks as always @Maxim 

Renee must be a very very neat writer to get her whole life in that diary...I do feel for her in that scene, but Pat seemingly chewed whatever was left of the diary, and the scenery.

The Bo/Sarah story was also the most panned at the time, I believe. 

Cain is one of those characters where the writing vacillates too much for me to invest, but Christopher Cousins is very much worth watching. 

What do you think of Julia? 

I always think of her for this ham-on-ham delirium:

While I'm here, there's never a bad time to repost one of my favorite camp Viki scenes (it's at about 5-6 minutes):

 

Thank you for the clips @DRW50 I saw some of these scenes while I was updating myself with previous Alex Olanov/Bo/Cassie content couple of months ago (My regular viewing starts with mid October 1991, but I've seen most of the Alex scenes from 1991, just hers and Bo). I love the actress that plays Duanne! Really creepy lady (the character) - you can't forget that voice. Gives me the creeps. 

About Julia Medina - I still don't have much of an opinion, she is quite new to me, even though I know she shot Duanne. So far... even before anything has happened to Carlo, I'm already suspecting her. Why did they bring her back? Maybe she's faking her paralysis and secretly walking around plotting Carlo's murder. She has already killed once, so why not do it again. 💀

Edited June 25Jun 25 by Maxim

 Blair meets Dorian for the very first time. The beginning of the war.

 

Up to April 8th, 1992.

💀

"The Jerry Springer Show In Llanview turns DEADLY."

Wow! They did it, I couldn't believe they would go there after losing so many characters in the past few months. It seems that every single month someone dies. This new regime loves killing people.  

Well, I will miss Carlo, but I may be the only one, because pretty much the entire town is breathing fresh air after the not-unexpected demise of mobster Carlo Hesser. This is the first huge-umbrella "Who did it?" crime storyline that pretty much dominated the entire narrative. There was hardly anything else other than the murder story, which was fine. I enjoyed it. Like a great mystery-crime novel, it gave us multiple suspects and many many clues that leads us to the wrong person. Agatha Christie-style.

  Of course it's not Asa, even though they want us to think that. Of course it's not Alex - it will be too easy. It's not Cain Rogan - his bracelet was left at the crime scene, planted by someone. Blair Daimler saw that bracelet falling down in the restaurant. Alex may have seen it too. Is it Julia Medina? Did she throw herself down the stairs in order to hide her crime? Mmm, no. I would not be surprised if the killer is the one we least expect. Maybe it was Carlo's daughter - Charlotte (who wants his money probably)? It has to be the least obvious one. Either that or the most apparent one - Asa.

One of my theories is that IF it is Asa... he did it in a drunken rage... left the scene, but didn't know he was followed by Blair Daimler who saw him kill Carlo and then planted the Cain Rogan bracelet so that she can then blackmail Asa and make him her slave... like she did with Dorian. That would explain that bracelet ending up at the crime scene.

But it would be too far-fetched. Don't tell me! I'm so obsessed with this right now, I can't wait till it's night-time, so I can continue.

🔷

The only OTHER storyline that we got some movement on... was Leanne and Jason - they were close to kissing. Leanne stopped it by saying "I have a husband!" to which Jason replied - "And another man's baby!" LOL. Leanne of course had a quick meltdown and stormed out. A part of me is feeling like these two are end-game. I won't be opposed to it.

 🔷

Overall - 10+

I rarely enjoy these types of "Who killed X-person" storylines - to me they are very boring and don't lead to any character development. But in this case, it's really fun and entertaining. 

Clip of the day - In this episode of "The Jerry Springer Show" we have a drunken husband on the verge of insanity, his wife - a woman he calls "tramp" in public and her alleged "lover" - the town's mob boss with a heart of gold! Don't miss this episode! It's the mess we all want to see while we dine out! 

 

Edited June 26Jun 26 by Maxim

Thanks again @Maxim

Phil Carey must have been having a blast, doing fight choreography at his age. The direction, as you've mentioned, is striking, adding some life to soap moments that often feel played out. There's an atmosphere allowed here. 

I am impressed with the amount of extras milling around the Banner. Imagine the luxury...

They sure made use of that Blair theme. I wonder when the last time was that characters had their own music cues.

34 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

Thanks again @Maxim

Phil Carey must have been having a blast, doing fight choreography at his age. The direction, as you've mentioned, is striking, adding some life to soap moments that often feel played out. There's an atmosphere allowed here. 

I am impressed with the amount of extras milling around the Banner. Imagine the luxury...

They sure made use of that Blair theme. I wonder when the last time was that characters had their own music cues.

I am very impressed by Phil. I recently found out he has quite the movie career and I plan to watch some of his stuff when I have more time. He was soooo handsome when he was young. Like... such a classic male beauty. Not that older Asa is not dashing, of course. 😁