Up to November 20th, 1992.

  🦩

"I loved him from the first moment I saw him."

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 Ladies and gentlemen... buckle up... because it's going to be one hell of a ride!

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 You know it... the moment you hear his name - Dr. Jonas... that hot blond male psychiatrist that turned Sarah into a drug addict with 3 sessions. @DRW50 - He was back! And I just knew this hottie would give her the worst advice possible and push her into the most careless possible direction. A guy that good looking shouldn't be giving people advice. He should be the reason they are going to see a psychiatrist. 😈 So when Viki sat in that chair, looked into his eyes... her defense mechanisms stopped working. One, two, three questions... so simple and asked with such calm... made her face all her deepest... desires. She confessed to not only being IN LOVE with Sloan, but actually WANTING him... and the most shocking of all... the fact that maybe she fell in love the moment she saw him. That brings us back... nearly half a year or more ago. So all the time she was gaslighting Clint... she was lying to him and to herself.

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And that brings me to the moment I've been waiting for months. Michael Malone, you did this again! Every beat played to the max, slow build up that made us fall in love with Sloan along with Viki... then you gave her so much turmoil and so much self-sabotage... that you almost drove me insane. But in the most amazing, addictive way. And now... seeing Viki stand on Sloan's door and for the first time in months actually be the one taking control - she turned around and kissed him HARD. It was not him kissing her. It was VIKI doing everything she had suppressed for so long. Dr. Jonas... you little devil... you did your job again... I felt such a release... I teared up. I couldn't believe it. It was such an Anna Karenina moment. If Tolstoy was alive... he would be a Michael Malone/OLTL fan. Believe me. She deserved that kiss. We all deserved that kiss. It was time to say - f-ck the rules and let's LIVE like it's the last day of Earth. We'll think about consequences later. 

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In such a beautiful twist... we saw Asa Buchanan show his good side. This man is so accustomed to hide every sign he is human. I get it. I know why he is doing it. He wants to protect himself and he also wants to seem as monstrous as possible so people fear and respect him. Powerful people are like that. Not all, but a lot of them. So seeing him almost tear up in secret sitting next to comatose Max... was heartbreaking. He is secretly still loving a man that he wants the whole world to know as his biggest adversary. This reminds me of the sentence that all wars start with love. Hate is just love turned wicked. And do you know who was the person who saw a glimpse of that good Asa back - Renee! The only woman that I could se standing next to him in the future. I am hoping from the bottom of my heart that Cain manages to break Asa and Blair and Renee is back in that house. He needs her!  We all need her! 

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Cassie and Andrew were having one of their mini arguments about marriage. Cassie was once again giving him the "Not now." But then everything changed when Satan herself came to gloat at the fact that she doesn't have a ring on her finger. Marty Saybrooke and Cassie had such a wicked scene, where I felt they were testing them for a potential rivalry. Marty was so clever. The actress is sublime. Real rare talent. One other thing triggered Cassie - Bo announced his plans to marry the ex-druggie - Sarah. She felt so humiliated in that moment. Seeing how little she meant for the man-whore Bo. I think this is the last straw that will make her agree to marry Andrew. We'll see.

 Overall -  10/10!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Clip of the day

Viki finally gives in to temptation.

 

Edited November 3Nov 3 by Maxim

Hi Maxim, out of curiosity, do you just focus on the main stories at the time? Are there C stories you don’t recap?

Side Note: I have to go back and finish 1992, I’m a huge Viki fan but in the Spring episodes I watched if it didn’t pertain to the Cramers I was bored out of my mind. Viki came off so stuffy with LeeAnn and Kevin drama and the Carlo Hesser murder bored me to tears. 

47 minutes ago, soapfave06 said:

Hi Maxim, out of curiosity, do you just focus on the main stories at the time? Are there C stories you don’t recap?

Hi @soapfave06! I try to discuss everything... except for scenes that are repetitive and provide no new information or movement in the plot. It's a daily show, so dull moments are meant to happen from time to time. Like Blair and Cain's bickering that is going on for weeks now. I've also mentioned Alex trying to make Mortimer - "Carlo" countless of times and even though I try to give it a different spin each time... it's just the same old, same old. So to resume - I ONLY skip discussing storylines or characters when there is nothing new, to avoid boring readers and myself with the same descriptions. Right now, I'm really into the Viki story, so it may seem like I can't stop talking about it... and that's true. 😁 I'm not diving that much into detail about the Max-Luna-Death storyline, because I already gave my take on it. It hasn't changed - it's not my cup of tea, but I try to find things to like in it. Or situations around it, like Asa visiting Max on his death bed. I also talked about Luna's character assassination quite a bit. That's what more interesting to me. Of course these shows are made to be experienced subjectively, so if you watch the show you may find other moments and nuances that you like and enjoy. All of this is just my take (at times very limited in terms of knowing the prior history). 😊

46 minutes ago, soapfave06 said:

Side Note: I have to go back and finish 1992, I’m a huge Viki fan but in the Spring episodes I watched if it didn’t pertain to the Cramers I was bored out of my mind. Viki came off so stuffy with LeeAnn and Kevin drama and the Carlo Hesser murder bored me to tears. 

The show improves significantly after the "Who killed Carlo?" storyline finishes. It's almost unbelievable how much better it gets. My recaps should reflect this change... and it probably shows in my overall attitude. I nearly quit during the Carlo nonsense. If you ask me, the top 3 storylines of 1992 are:

1. The Cramer Women - An intruder into Dorian's life turns out to be her vindictive niece opening the door to past history and horrors. Blair's intro - she was the magnet that kept me watching these first months when I started the show.

2. Homophobia/AIDS Quilt - A breathtaking social commentary-bold criticism against bigotry and intolerance. This storyline resonates so much in modern times... It makes me sad that people don't have access to it... in pristine quality. 

3. Viki/Sloan - classic soap opera storyline, done remarkably well - with complicated backstory, build-up and veeeery... I mean very impressive performances. Anna Karenina in Llanview. 

Everything else varies in quality... many characters leave or die. (Cord, Megan, Carlo 💀)Characters like Tina, Alex, and Cain seem stuck... and are very inconsistent. The three storylines were nearly perfect from beginning to end. (With the the 3rd one still going strong. and the 1st one having potential to continue soon or next year.)

So you absolutely have to continue watching 1992 and don't forget to come here and tell us all about it. ❤️

Edited November 3Nov 3 by Maxim

Thanks again @Maxim That therapist truly is a handsome man. Kudos to the show for never making him a psycho as so often happens on soaps (including on AW around this time). I've said this before when he was with Dorian (I'm surprised they didn't make any hay out of the ladies sharing a shrink, like running into each other in his office), but he's sort of the anti-Marland shrink in that he seems to encourage his patients to embrace more of their instincts and desires. A Marland shrink would have likely had Viki isolated and extremely solemn, which may have been healthier, but wasn't very entertaining. 

Again, I am so impressed and drawn in by that music with Viki and Sloan. It's very early '90s in the best ways. It has its own character and journey.

9 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

Thanks again @Maxim That therapist truly is a handsome man. Kudos to the show for never making him a psycho as so often happens on soaps (including on AW around this time). I've said this before when he was with Dorian (I'm surprised they didn't make any hay out of the ladies sharing a shrink, like running into each other in his office), but he's sort of the anti-Marland shrink in that he seems to encourage his patients to embrace more of their instincts and desires. A Marland shrink would have likely had Viki isolated and extremely solemn, which may have been healthier, but wasn't very entertaining. 

Again, I am so impressed and drawn in by that music with Viki and Sloan. It's very early '90s in the best ways. It has its own character and journey.

Now as you mention this... and trigger my curiosity about Marland's writing. I feel like I'm destined to dive into his ATWT sooner or later. It's just meant to happen. I haven't seen any of his material with exception of couple of 1982 Guiding Light episodes in German that I actually loved. 

BTW... I just did a quick google search... looking for Viki's weak spot in his youth - Roy Thinnes (Sloan) and I was not prepared for this. WOW. I mean... Jesus... The man was breathtaking. 

 

Viki has good taste. 

https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/ghs-erika-slezak-and-yrs-roger-howarth-dish-their-real-life-one-life-to-live-reunion-excl/

I really want to get back into the Show but struggle with a starting point. What year should I start with?

5 hours ago, DRW50 said:

https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/ghs-erika-slezak-and-yrs-roger-howarth-dish-their-real-life-one-life-to-live-reunion-excl/

Oh, thanks for this. I had no idea.

3 hours ago, AMCOLTLLover said:

I really want to get back into the Show but struggle with a starting point. What year should I start with?

I started with October 1991 and I quickly got into it with Blair's arrival. It's a time where the new producer-writer team are doing a lot of changes, so a lot of people are written off/killed off and lots of new storylines begin. I was recommended by a hardcore OLTL fan to start watching somewhere April to October, since they told me... that in April... Alex and Bo's storyline really kicked off (Alex's obsession and reign of terror) So while I was watching October-December 1991 I was going back to April, May and etc... to watch that storyline in particular. So if I really have to answer... I'll say - April 1991 (to enjoy Alex's storyline) or September-October 1991 (The new regime and Blair coming into the picture). 

  

Edited November 5Nov 5 by Maxim

This has probably already been seen by most, but I'm posting it because I find it interesting that it's the most watched OLTL clip on YouTube with over a million views and it has only been uploaded for a few months. Personally, it'll always be Max and Gabrielle for me, but the always fantastic Mia Korf and James DePaiva have loads of chemistry and MIa Korf seamlessly makes your heart break and ache all at the same time. How desperately I wish soaps could still be done this way.

 

 

8 hours ago, Maxim said:

I started with October 1991 and I quickly got into it with Blair's arrival. It's a time where the new producer-writer team are doing a lot of changes, so a lot of people are written off/killed off and lots of new storylines begin. I was recommended by a hardcore OLTL fan to start watching somewhere April to October, since they told me... that in April... Alex and Bo's storyline really kicked off (Alex's obsession and reign of terror) So while I was watching October-December 1991 I was going back to April, May and etc... to watch that storyline in particular. So if I really have to answer... I'll say - April 1991 (to enjoy Alex's storyline) or September-October 1991 (The new regime and Blair coming into the picture). 

  

I remember Alex being played by the fabulous and talented Tonja Walker , right? I loved her on GH and saw a bit of her 00’s returns. My mom wasn’t into OLTL so we didn’t watched much but I did catched it just a few times in the 90’s.She was one of the most beautiful women from OLTL with Tina (Andrea) and 2 others. 
I will give it a go from April 91. Thank u so much.

Edited November 6Nov 6 by AMCOLTLLover

4 minutes ago, AMCOLTLLover said:

I remember Alex being played by the fabulous and talented Tonja Walker , right? I loved her on GH and saw a bit of her 00’s returns. My mom wasn’t into OLTL so we didn’t watched much but I did catched it just a few times in the 90’s.She was one of the most beautiful women from OLTL with Tina (Andrea) and 2 others. 
I will give it a go from April 91. Thank u so much.

Yes, Tonja Walker. And quite frankly I prefer some of her material pre-Malone. And boy... you have some amazing stuff up ahead. The Lake Madness episodes that are the climax of her obsession with Bo are a must-see. The entire production is perfect. I am very excited for you, since anyone who hasn't yet seen late 1991-1992 is a lucky person in my mind. These episodes have made OLTL my number one soap. There are some dull moments... of course... (especially around people dying) - it's not 100 percent smooth sailing... but the highlights and the great writing/dialogue outshine everything.

Right now... I am taking a couple of days pause since I have a lot of work to do and reading a book as well... but can't wait to finish 1992 and head into 1993. I see there is a strong improvement in video quality as I'm going to be entering 1993, so that's great too. Please keep us updated on while you go on this OLTL journey! 

 

I would not start in April personally. The show is very rough under Rauch then. I started '91 around late July/early August when Gottlieb was already in place and Malone not far behind, already making small changes to the show and adding/cutting people. Malone's first credited day is September 13th, but he was already having clear influence before then with a few bits here and there, and Gottlieb had already introduced Mark Brettschneider as Jason in August.

Finally getting back to November '91, it is funny seeing Dorian call on Andrew for counsel when she's framed by Alex, knowing what is to come between them. It was nice to see them on good terms again when he was last(?) seen in 2010 joined at the hip to Cassie once more. I got the impression by the end of the show that they were back together, as IIRC they would usually make appearances together and I think the show sometimes made mention of Cassie and Andrew both being in Savannah. (Though Andrew did have his last great scenes right back in Llanview with no indication he was visiting, meeting the amnesiac Marty all over again at St. James in 2008.) Andrew and Cassie reuniting was fine by me.

Equally wild: Luna rolling her eyes at Lee Ann's renewed lust for Max, and then having her first scene with him (on November 14, I believe) and instantly getting a bolt from the blue and sensing her new BFF's older man is the man of her dreams. We've discussed this before, but I do wonder how soon they locked in on Max and Luna being for real and endgame. They knew by now John Loprieno was out re: Cord and Blair, as his exit is mere days away, but I don't think they even begin with Max and Blair til the very end of '91.

I can't say enough about both Susan Batten and Mia Korf in this period. They were both such breaths of fresh air for the show. Yasmine Bleeth was also strong, though very soon these newcomers and Susan Haskell would eclipse her. Anyway, my spam will likely renew shortly.

Edited November 8Nov 8 by Vee