1 hour ago, Franko said:

After the fourth or fifth time, Bobbie should have just been like, "Screw it, I'm becoming a dog mom!"

I assume in a day to day format it didn't seem as redundant as it does in clips, but I swear every time I popped in to watch the era Bobbie's main story was trying to get a child in a variety of different ways.

41 minutes ago, titan1978 said:

There was something sweet about the proposal and them falling in love as friends and fully adults. But I also found them boring as a couple back then. Truthfully I never liked Tony until Labine got there. And even then he is often judgmental. But I do think he played an important role for balanced storytelling by being the one calling out ridiculous and irresponsible behavior.

I actually enjoyed his slow descent into being broken. My problem then and now was they didn’t build him back up. Even though his life had been very hard, you still want a soap opera to give him some hope and happiness again.

I agree. I loved her and missed her when she was gone, but never as a lead. She would have been a great character to build the PC media empire around, with the Quartermaine’s backing her, but even then I would have her as supporting the other characters in the story.

Tony is a good utility player and Brad Maule makes Tony more likeable than he probably is with his slightly dorky dad charm. I liked Bobbie/Tony a lot in the Labine era as well so maybe I was spoiled and underwhelmed when I went back to their early courtship and marriage.

I always did have a problem with him never being able to recover from his breakdown too. He was basically shelved after the story concluded.

11 minutes ago, Khan said:

That sounds awesome! Maybe something that could've played out over a summer.

Maule is a Texan IIRC, and has a real eccentric streak beneath the surface when Tony got going. I think he'd have a ball with it.

1 hour ago, Vee said:

Maule is a Texan IIRC, and has a real eccentric streak beneath the surface when Tony got going. I think he'd have a ball with it.

As long as it works better than the tale of two Macs. I still have trauma over whatever that was.

It was too bad when the show dropped Sean and Tiffany in February 1995. They had Luke accidentally shoot Sean, and then Sean shipped out of town for better medical care, and Tiffany a blubbering mess. And then they were never heard from again. Not exactly a great ending. I suspect they were both axed for budget reasons?

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by Jdee43

3 hours ago, Vee said:

I just adore the Tony/Bobbie saga under Labine today, as an adult viewer. It feels very lived in and painfully true, and Brad is just amazing to watch. It hits you different when you're older, and you want more for them as a couple.

It gives me pause to remember @DRW50 (I think) and their idea of a Tony doppleganger con man for BM to come on and play and have a bit of fun. And you'd get to see his ghost again too, because why not.

It may have been me. I know it wouldn't be the same with Bobbie gone, but you could play beats with Lucas and Felicia. And I could actually see this being something Brad does as Brad is [!@#$%^&*]ed in the head. Maybe Brad's character could change his mind after getting to know Lucas or something.

2 hours ago, Khan said:

I agree. I think it would've been wonderful to see Tony rebuild himself, personally and professionally. Was a reunion with Bobbie possible? Probably not, considering how much blood flowed under that bridge. But I would've loved to see Tony find love again (and redeem himself) with someone new.

It's just like you've said, @titan1978 : Bob Guza knew how to tear everything apart, but he never knew how to put it all back together, making his GH, for the most part, a very dark and unhappy show. (Of course, I'm at the point where I'd take even THAT over what we're getting now, lol).

I get why but I just don't. I was barely watching through his third tenure as anything I saw of it horrified me, but I know many here have praised various elements of it. His second just annoyed me and bored the hell out of me once we got past 1998.

@carolineg I can see why people wouldn't care for Bobbie and Tony as it does seem like something of a last resort pairing. Even under Labine I got the sense they were not meant to be.

@dc11786 Thanks for the extra details. I can see why Marcus didn't care for the story. An adultery story for Bobbie at that time in her life feels like a regression.

2 hours ago, Khan said:

Bob Guza knew how to tear everything apart, but he never knew how to put it all back together, making his GH, for the most part, a very dark and unhappy show.

Labine broke your heart but there was always an undercurrent of hope, community, and love. I don’t know what the hell happened to Bob Guza, but his stories rarely had that kind of heart in them. And he was surrounded by a lot of the same writers as Labine, they just didn’t break through from the cynicism. By the end of his final run things were beyond bleak, and JFP likes that too, so there was no reprieve.

54 minutes ago, Jdee43 said:

I suspect they were both axed for budget reasons?

That’s how I remember it. There was some corporate speak by Riche that they had no story for them and no plans for one, and they were too important to just languish, or some nonsense like that. But it was budget. They were expensive players in the beginning days of declining revenue being the norm from then on.

I am sure I have said this before but I have a hard time seeing where Tiffany/Sean fit post-1995. I know the show could have made them fit, but they feel like the most disposable from the 80's era. I don't think their exit was abrupt. I recall it as mostly a happy ending because Tiffany was pregnant and the idea was Sean would heal and they'd get a fresh start. I saw it as a natural conclusion for them.