5 hours ago, carolineg said:

I couldn't imagine GH making that up years later lol. I was so naive back then.

It wasn't something they did a lot of in those years. Ron and to a lesser extent Frank's post-RC regimes have done a lot more of those kind of offscreen bomb drops, because Ron couldn't manage time or characters properly and then he'd always go on Twitter and blame the editing bay for cutting scenes for time. Then we'd cut back to Duke and Lucy after 3 weeks and they're fúcking! What?! I'll never be over that one.

4 hours ago, titan1978 said:

Pratt absolutely turned Melrose Place into the show to watch when I was a teenager. He’s the one that told them they have a soap, and they might as well take advantage of it. I do think a good writer for GH in modern times should be better at balancing character development and growth with the spectacle and crime elements they are known for, slow it down a bit too! Pratt is too much trash all the time.

I think Pratt is the main reason 2003-05 have such sleaze in them and really abject misogyny. Not that Guza couldn't absolutely be sleazy or misogynistic, but there is a hysterically vulgar, almost camp edge to the brazen sexuality and envelope-pushing, to Faith's sex-laden madness and how the men would grapple with her (I think I've talked about the extended scene with Sonny sadomasochistically manhandling her in front of the Five Families and asking the men if they 'want a piece of this whore,' which should not have aired), to the catfights and even lesbian teases with Faith, Courtney, Carly, etc. that fades after Pratt's gone. And a ton of blondes, blondes, blondes. And of course they hired Kari Wuhrer, who I think Pratt may have had a tie to from his time at Spelling soaps.

I'll always give him his props for his days at Melrose, a show I adored, but it's a totally different beast.

Edited 10 hours ago10 hr by Vee

4 hours ago, Vee said:

I'll always give him his props for his days at Melrose, a show I adored, but it's a totally different beast.

Agreed! And yes, his tenure with Guza was much sleazier than Guza alone.

The 1987 Christmas Eve episode was interesting. A lot of the characters from when I started watching in 1990 were on.

I'm reminded of how hard it was to find a proper pairing for Robert outside of Holly and Anna. The character he's paired with here, Autumn, is not very good. I understand she only lasts a few more episodes!

I had no idea John Ingle played another character on the show, at the same time David Lewis was on as Edward Quartermaine!

It was interesting seeing a triangle between Ruby/Dan/ and Aunt Charlene! Did Dan ever get a proper exit, or did he just disappear?

When was the last time they actually had the reading of the Christmas story at the hospital? It's a forgotten tradition at this point.

And to see Jeff Donnell as Stella! I imagine this is one of her last appearances, as she died in April 1988. Another character that just disappeared?

And there's a continuity error at the end, as Anna and Robin are at a Christmas party at their house at the same time they're at Steve's telling of the Christmas story.

Edited 3 hours ago3 hr by Jdee43

22 hours ago, DRW50 said:

Thank you so much for passing these along. This one in particular is a gem.

I don't even know why Bobbie is crying in her close-ups during Steve telling the Christmas story but just that and Beradino's recitation got me. Good old Jackie. Meanwhile Luke and Laura are all but fúcking in the doorway in front of the little children. Good times all around.

Edited 3 hours ago3 hr by Vee

1 hour ago, Vee said:

Thank you so much for passing these along. This one in particular is a gem.

I don't even know why Bobbie is crying in her close-ups during Steve telling the Christmas story but just that and Beradino's recitation got me. Good old Jackie. Meanwhile Luke and Laura are all but fúcking in the doorway in front of the little children. Good times all around.

I don't know either. Maybe Luke and Laura leaving Port Charles.

Sad knowing this would be the last moment for Leslie and Laura for a long time. I wonder if they knew Denise was leaving by this point. Her "death" seemed very sudden.

This is framed so much as our final goodbye for L&L, yet they return (briefly) later in 1984. I guess the ratings were slipping and Genie and Tony needed the cash. I can't remember if they even show in in Port Charles.

It's sad seeing that sweet moment with Alan and AJ knowing what is to come. In later years the show tended to act like every childhood moment with Alan and Monica was a misery.

26 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

It's sad seeing that sweet moment with Alan and AJ knowing what is to come. In later years the show tended to act like every childhood moment with Alan and Monica was a misery.

It was lovely to see Alan's "stupid trains" as Tracy affectionately called them a couple months ago. Kudos to the writers who dug that up.

I thought Denise got fired after tangling with Monty or the network.