8 hours ago, depboy said:

Hi everyone!  Here is March 1974 GH summaries.

Friday, March 1, 1974: Augusta gives Henry a birthday kiss.  Joel invites Diana to dinner, and she awkwardly turns him down.  Jim is annoyed when Lucille mentions that they knew of Joel’s assistant coming and that Audrey didn’t tell him.

Monday, March 4: At the risk of losing Chamberlain’s annual contribution to the hospital, Steve decides that Lesley will stay on the Grey case.  Wyatt finds Florence extremely upset, not wanting to live; he’s baffled not knowing she knows the truth about Lesley and Gordon.

Tuesday, March 5: When Audrey tries to tell Jim not to be uptight about the situation with Joel, she immediately regrets it.  Lesley finds Florence hostile and incommunicative.  Joel and Jim have a confrontation with Jim telling Joel he was foolish for bringing in the assistant surgeon; Joel says he’s not going to let Jim’s ego interfere with his having the best surgical team.

Wednesday, March 6: Peter hints to Jessie that he misses Diana more than he thought he would; Diana admits to Jane that she is lonely without Peter; Peter arrives and tells Diana he would like to come over and pick up some of his things.  Howie is indignant when Jane tells him that she sometimes worries about his being with other women.

Thursday, March 7: Joel apologizes to Audrey for the conflict between him and Jim; Joel tells Steve that if Jim insists on him using a different surgical assistant, he won’t comply.  Florence tells Peter she doesn’t trust anyone, including him and refuses to talk to him further.  Peter arrives at Diana's and finds her in her robe; he finds her very appealing, but his mood is interrupted by the baby.  He is still not fond of her, and leaves; Diana is bitterly disappointed.

Friday, March 8: Lesley refuses to see Gordon.  While looking for the keys to the car in Jim’s coat pocket, Audrey finds a small bottle of whiskey; Jim is defensive, and tries to cover his annoyance.  Gordon comes to see Lesley at night; she tells him that it is no longer possible for them to have a life together; Florence calls Wyatt and begs him to come pick her up from the hospital.

Monday, March 11: Steve asks Jim if he can attend the meeting in which Joel and Jim will decide whether or not to perform the difficult surgery.  Augusta suggests that Henry ought to have more fun in his life.  Florence sneaks out of the hospital; Wyatt tries to convince her to return to her room; Florence accuses him of lying to her about Gordon’s affair and begs him to help her escape; as Gordon and Lesley continue their talk, he tries to kiss her and remove her robe; she slaps him; Jessie calls to tell Lesley that Florence has disappeared.  

Tuesday, March 12: Jane tells Howie that she is miserable about their marriage, particularly her part in it; Howie gets a call from Jessie in which he is told that Florence has disappeared; Howie talks to Steve and tells him that if Florence isn’t found, heads are going to roll; Wyatt is angry at Florence; Lesley calls Wyatt and he admits that Florence is with him.  Steve, Jim, and Joel argue in the coffee shop about the difficult surgery; a reporter, Kira Faulkner, overhears and takes notes.

Wednesday, March 13: Jim is extremely upset that Joel refuses to do the surgery.  Kira annoys Steve with questions and her suggestion that the conversation she overheard would be interesting for a community interest news telecast; he finds her charming.  Steve tells Jim that it is Jim, not Joel, who is putting the cardiac patient’s life in danger; Jim tells Joel that if he gives him permission to use his assistant for the surgery, it is a one-time-only deal; Joel agrees; Jim tells Audrey the surgery is underway; he tries to cover his anger, and leave to go get drunk.

Thursday, March 14: Lesley is afraid that Florence knows the truth.  Joel emerges from the surgery happy, but exhausted; he tells Diana of the tension and asks her to celebrate; she accepts.  Kira’s mother suspects that Kira is out scalp-collecting; Kira and Steve get better acquainted and she does her best to get a news story out of him.  Wyatt refuses to allow Lesley in the house to check on Florence; she enters anyway, and learns that Florence knows about the affair; Wyatt forcefully removes Lesley from the house.

Friday, March 15: Audrey finds Jim drinking.  Augusta tells Lucille she is lonely.  Joel and Diana return from their night on the town; Joel asks Diana if there is room in her life for someone new now that Peter is out; Joel tells Diana he hopes to get Jim’s job; he kisses her goodnight.  Jim admits to Audrey that for one fleeting moment, he hoped that Joel would bungle the surgery.

Monday, March, 18: Augusta jokingly suggests that Henry take her to the Chinese ballet; she tells Jessie that the carefree unattached life isn’t for her.  Lesley tells Jessie that Florence knows about the affair and that she is going to draft a resignation letter.  Gordon tries to see Florence, but Wyatt refuses to admit him to the house.  Jessie suggests to Audrey that she talk to Lee about her concerns over Jim’s drinking.  Steve refuses to let Lesley resign and he won’t be bullied by Wyatt.

Tuesday, March 19: Howie tells Jane that Thurston is about to blow his stack over the Grey case.  Gordon asks Lesley to help with Florence; she goes to Florence and tells her that she did love Gordon once, but the circumstances are different now; Florence’s hostility wanes, but she continues to refuse medical help.  Jane pleads a headache when Howie wants to make love; he walks out, telling her a healthy marriage should be a lot different from theirs.  

Wednesday, March 20: Joel asks Peter if he minds if he dates Diana; Peter, annoyed, says she is free to do whatever she wants; Joel asks Diana for a date, but she turns him down.  Steve and Mr. Thurston argue over the Grey case; Steve says he will resign if Lesley is removed from the staff.  Diana dreams of Peter and Joel.

Thursday, March 21: Steve tries to explain to Audrey why he had to intervene between Joel and Jim; Audrey admits to Lee she is worried about Jim’s drinking; Lee and Jane have lunch.  Jim asks a doctor friend in Boston to nose around and see if he hears anything about Stratton.  Steve receives a letter addressed with unusual handwriting.

Friday, March 22: Gordon sees Florence and begs her to let him return; Florence goes into shock and is rushed to the hospital and into emergency surgery.  Diana agrees to go out with Joel.

Monday, March 25: Wyatt can’t bear to hear Florence say she wants to reunite with Gordon; Wyatt finds Lesley and threatens that if something happens to his daughter, he will see to it that she will never practice medicine again; Lesley tells him to save it and go and pray for his daughter’s life.  Peter, waiting at Diana’s, sees Diana return with Joel; he watches as Joel kisses her goodnight.

Tuesday, March 26: Lucille notices another letter for Steve with the same unusual handwriting.  Florence is brought from the ICU, and Wyatt and Gordon are grateful; the old hostilities are swept under a flood of relief.  Jim begins to get the feeling that if he doesn’t perform surgery again he will be disappointing Audrey.  Gordon thanks Lesley for saving Florence; this is the last time he will see her alone.  Steve opens the envelope and discovers it contains three coins.

Wednesday, March 27: Howie tells Steve that all of the wrinkles have been ironed out in the Grey case, and that Wyatt pledged $50,000 to the hospital.  Jane admits to Jessie that she and Howie aren’t close and that she feels sick when he comes near her.  Peter admits to Jessie that he waited for Diana and that she came home from a date with Joel and it was extremely awkward.

Thursday, March 28: When Lee cautions Audrey not to push Jim into returning to surgery, she pooh-poohs him.  Howie tells Augusta that he and Jane are having problems, but it’s Jane that’s the problem, not him. 

Friday, March 29: Another letter arrives for Steve; Kira invites him to have lunch with her and her mother; he is unable to go.  Diana receives her R.N. pin tomorrow; she tells Jessie she enjoyed kissing Joel.  Augusta senses that Peter is feeling low; she makes an effort to cheer him.  Steve opens the envelope, this time it contains four coins and two tickets to the Chinese ballet; he and Jessie speculate as to what it all means.

Wow! So Diana dated brothers (Joel and Owen). How exciting was GH during this time period. 

 

I’ve been going back to 1996 GH recently (as it was the year I first started following GH as a teen back in Australia), specifically the Jax/Brenda/Sonny/Lily storyline, and it strikes me how even back then the writing was so deep, rich, and character-focused. I’m curious to know though when exactly Labine stopped and Guza started.

In case anyone is interested, link to the 1996 Sonny/Brenda playlist is here, featuring such memorable events as Jax’s eccentric introduction, Tracy’s re-entry and exile from the Qs, and most importantly Clink/Boom!

 

3 hours ago, OzFrog said:

I’ve been going back to 1996 GH recently (as it was the year I first started following GH as a teen back in Australia), specifically the Jax/Brenda/Sonny/Lily storyline, and it strikes me how even back then the writing was so deep, rich, and character-focused. I’m curious to know though when exactly Labine stopped and Guza started.

In case anyone is interested, link to the 1996 Sonny/Brenda playlist is here, featuring such memorable events as Jax’s eccentric introduction, Tracy’s re-entry and exile from the Qs, and most importantly Clink/Boom!

 

Guza takes over on March 4th, 1996 with Karen Harris.  Guza departs and Culliton and Harris take over on Aug. 6th of the same year.  Culliton takes over solo briefly then Iacobuzio/Whitesell and Guza is back by December 1997.***

Clink Boom is May 1996, so I don't know if that was entirely Guza's idea or part of Labine's story arc.  I always though Guza created Miranda, but she doesn't appear until later in 1996 although she was hinted at for awhile.  Culliton does most of the culmination of the triangle including S&B's reunion.  I/W do the actual non-wedding.  And Sonny is gone by the time Guza comes back in 1997.   So in all honesty, Guza didn't write a lot for Sonny/Brenda/Jax-just their most famous moment.  Labine did most of the heavy lifting with Sonny/Brenda.

***All these dates are from Wikipedia, so take that for what it's worth. 

I also don't know how involved Guza was before he took over in 1996.  I was always under the impression ideas like pivoting Jax to Brenda were more Guza ideas than Labine's, but the dates don't really support that.

I am sure someone on this board has articles or better knowledge of the Labine/Guza transition, but those are just some dates to help you out.

23 hours ago, carolineg said:

Guza takes over on March 4th, 1996 with Karen Harris.  Guza departs and Culliton and Harris take over on Aug. 6th of the same year.  Culliton takes over solo briefly then Iacobuzio/Whitesell and Guza is back by December 1997.***

Clink Boom is May 1996, so I don't know if that was entirely Guza's idea or part of Labine's story arc.  I always though Guza created Miranda, but she doesn't appear until later in 1996 although she was hinted at for awhile.  Culliton does most of the culmination of the triangle including S&B's reunion.  I/W do the actual non-wedding.  And Sonny is gone by the time Guza comes back in 1997.   So in all honesty, Guza didn't write a lot for Sonny/Brenda/Jax-just their most famous moment.  Labine did most of the heavy lifting with Sonny/Brenda.

***All these dates are from Wikipedia, so take that for what it's worth. 

I also don't know how involved Guza was before he took over in 1996.  I was always under the impression ideas like pivoting Jax to Brenda were more Guza ideas than Labine's, but the dates don't really support that.

I am sure someone on this board has articles or better knowledge of the Labine/Guza transition, but those are just some dates to help you out.

A few things I can clarify from interviews/social media posts by the writers I have read over the years- Michele Val Jean has said that Carly was entirely Guza’s creation, and that Labine was happy to help them with the transition and let them implement pieces to help with the transition, as the other writers were mostly staying. By all accounts Jason’s accident was also a joint effort, although the idea was generated by Labine and team deciding they needed to do something with Steve Burton, he wasn’t being utilized enough.

Guza and his team had a bible, it went through a period of time after he left for Sunset Beach, some say 4 months, some say 6. Miranda was in it. The specifics of Clink/Boom were all Guza and his team, as was how important Jax becomes to Brenda. Culliton used the outlines, and when they ran out it was very noticeable.

Tracy being part of the Q takeover storyline was dictated by ABC to reintroduce her character before she was on The City as the lead, replacing Morgan Fairchild. It fell in line with Lois leaving Ned perfectly too.

As a viewer, it was clear that the show wasn’t as tight by the fall of 96, and really falls off the rails shortly after Laura’s fake death is exposed. 
 

The show’s writing was very collaborative at that point. Nikolas came about because Genie Francis wanted to play a secret, and had spoken about those missing years being a good source for story, including having had a child. She also had been pushing for how important Lesley was to Laura.

Lulu’s illness was one of the ideas generated as a possible reintroduction storyline when Luke & Laura returned to the show, and it was deemed not big enough.

The entire Miranda backstory was grafted on to Alexis, and the delivery was wild. One conversation with Luke, and he laid out her entire past as a child of Mikkos. And Helena having killed her mother.

That was a strange time to watch the show- Guza wasn’t credited yet, but onscreen everything got more Guza like right away. It was pretty clear to me that he had been tweaking things before he was credited.
 

His “relaunch” week sets up all his stories for his return in ‘97, starting with Nikolas being shot at Luke’s and Carly telling Tony Jason was her baby’s father. Speaking of which, AJ being Michael’s father was not planned by Guza, but it was one of the few things he loved that Culliton did.

On 12/16/2023 at 5:35 AM, OzFrog said:

I’ve been going back to 1996 GH recently (as it was the year I first started following GH as a teen back in Australia), specifically the Jax/Brenda/Sonny/Lily storyline, and it strikes me how even back then the writing was so deep, rich, and character-focused. I’m curious to know though when exactly Labine stopped and Guza started.

In case anyone is interested, link to the 1996 Sonny/Brenda playlist is here, featuring such memorable events as Jax’s eccentric introduction, Tracy’s re-entry and exile from the Qs, and most importantly Clink/Boom!

 

It was a wonderful time on the show. As much as I loved Labine’s very grounded stories, the show had run out of steam after Stone died. It was like Guza and Riche found a perfect balance between the grounded Labine era while infusing some of the action and intrigue of the Monty era.

Sonny/Brenda/Jax was a fantastic triangle, and Clink/Boom was an iconic moment on soaps.

I was also watching some stuff from this period recently, and I couldn’t help but notice how stuff like the Cassadines could have flopped easily, but didn’t. The audience remembers them and the silly Ice Princess weather machine. But because of the mood the writers and producers used for them, they are more mysterious than silly, all the fog, dark clothes, grandness without spectacle. And the way Tony and Genie play the scenes makes them seem dangerous and scary. Laura is terrified and her past trauma makes that story work (excellent casting for Stefan and Nikolas helped too)!

2 hours ago, titan1978 said:

A few things I can clarify from interviews/social media posts by the writers I have read over the years- Michele Val Jean has said that Carly was entirely Guza’s creation, and that Labine was happy to help them with the transition and let them implement pieces to help with the transition, as the other writers were mostly staying. By all accounts Jason’s accident was also a joint effort, although the idea was generated by Labine and team deciding they needed to do something with Steve Burton, he wasn’t being utilized enough.

Guza and his team had a bible, it went through a period of time after he left for Sunset Beach, some say 4 months, some say 6. Miranda was in it. The specifics of Clink/Boom were all Guza and his team, as was how important Jax becomes to Brenda. Culliton used the outlines, and when they ran out it was very noticeable.

Tracy being part of the Q takeover storyline was dictated by ABC to reintroduce her character before she was on The City as the lead, replacing Morgan Fairchild. It fell in line with Lois leaving Ned perfectly too.

As a viewer, it was clear that the show wasn’t as tight by the fall of 96, and really falls off the rails shortly after Laura’s fake death is exposed. 
 

The show’s writing was very collaborative at that point. Nikolas came about because Genie Francis wanted to play a secret, and had spoken about those missing years being a good source for story, including having had a child. She also had been pushing for how important Lesley was to Laura.

Lulu’s illness was one of the ideas generated as a possible reintroduction storyline when Luke & Laura returned to the show, and it was deemed not big enough.

The entire Miranda backstory was grafted on to Alexis, and the delivery was wild. One conversation with Luke, and he laid out her entire past as a child of Mikkos. And Helena having killed her mother.

That was a strange time to watch the show- Guza wasn’t credited yet, but onscreen everything got more Guza like right away. It was pretty clear to me that he had been tweaking things before he was credited.
 

His “relaunch” week sets up all his stories for his return in ‘97, starting with Nikolas being shot at Luke’s and Carly telling Tony Jason was her baby’s father. Speaking of which, AJ being Michael’s father was not planned by Guza, but it was one of the few things he loved that Culliton did.

It was a wonderful time on the show. As much as I loved Labine’s very grounded stories, the show had run out of steam after Stone died. It was like Guza and Riche found a perfect balance between the grounded Labine era while infusing some of the action and intrigue of the Monty era.

Sonny/Brenda/Jax was a fantastic triangle, and Clink/Boom was an iconic moment on soaps.

I was also watching some stuff from this period recently, and I couldn’t help but notice how stuff like the Cassadines could have flopped easily, but didn’t. The audience remembers them and the silly Ice Princess weather machine. But because of the mood the writers and producers used for them, they are more mysterious than silly, all the fog, dark clothes, grandness without spectacle. And the way Tony and Genie play the scenes makes them seem dangerous and scary. Laura is terrified and her past trauma makes that story work (excellent casting for Stefan and Nikolas helped too)!

Thank you for clarifying.  While looking at the dates I was a bit confused because a lot of things I attributed to Guza or felt like Guza didn't fall in line with the actual timeframe.

Aj being Michael's father was probably the best thing about all of 1997 tbh.

The scenes from the first few months of the Cassadines' return in 1996 were exciting, and did manage to fit into the more grounded show GH had become by that point.  But I question whether that ever could have been sustainable, even if there hadn't been another writing turnover. 

A lot of dramatic (and well written by Val Jean, Mulcahey, et al) confrontations with most everyone in town could only go so far.  Eventually the Cassadines, who(se family) had once tried to freeze the world, would have to show their hand and actually attempt to do whatever they really came back to town to do - and every other character/story on the show at the time would have had to exist within that same universe.  And the friction between Laura and the men/boys in her life also seemingly had a shelf life, before they would have to get to the uncomfortable (especially given her history with Luke) gist - they blamed her for being sexually trafficked and/or how she reacted to becoming pregnant as a result.  I actually wonder whether Guza or anyone else actually knew what the emotional and/or mystery climax would be.

Never mind that ABC had just been bought by Disney, and the network seemed to be a lot more involved from that point forward.  Not a lot of long-range umbrella stories like this was shaping up to be (didn't the Cassadines even buy the hospital or something?) really got to play out as originally planned from that point forward, even if the credited writers stayed put.

Edited December 17, 20231 yr by DeliaIrisFan

6 hours ago, titan1978 said:

A few things I can clarify from interviews/social media posts by the writers I have read over the years- Michele Val Jean has said that Carly was entirely Guza’s creation, and that Labine was happy to help them with the transition and let them implement pieces to help with the transition, as the other writers were mostly staying. By all accounts Jason’s accident was also a joint effort, although the idea was generated by Labine and team deciding they needed to do something with Steve Burton, he wasn’t being utilized enough.

Correct me if I'm wrong but this is when Claire asked to be freed because she told Wendy Riche she was totally exhausted & just bone tired, right? 

6 hours ago, titan1978 said:

His “relaunch” week sets up all his stories for his return in ‘97, starting with Nikolas being shot at Luke’s and Carly telling Tony Jason was her baby’s father. Speaking of which, AJ being Michael’s father was not planned by Guza, but it was one of the few things he loved that Culliton did.

It was a wonderful time on the show. As much as I loved Labine’s very grounded stories, the show had run out of steam after Stone died. It was like Guza and Riche found a perfect balance between the grounded Labine era while infusing some of the action and intrigue of the Monty era.

Sonny/Brenda/Jax was a fantastic triangle, and Clink/Boom was an iconic moment on soaps.

I was also watching some stuff from this period recently, and I couldn’t help but notice how stuff like the Cassadines could have flopped easily, but didn’t. The audience remembers them and the silly Ice Princess weather machine. But because of the mood the writers and producers used for them, they are more mysterious than silly, all the fog, dark clothes, grandness without spectacle. And the way Tony and Genie play the scenes makes them seem dangerous and scary. Laura is terrified and her past trauma makes that story work (excellent casting for Stefan and Nikolas helped too)!

Have you ever heard, or did you read in the Digest GH60 Special Edition how Steve Nichols got cast as Stefan? I totally love it. MBE was already playing Katherine Bell & there was a fan event & SN went with MBE to it. And, in no time at all Wendy Riche came over & started chatting him up & she began talking about this dude Stefan. And, from that he was cast. 

On 12/17/2023 at 3:42 PM, DeliaIrisFan said:

The scenes from the first few months of the Cassadines' return in 1996 were exciting, and did manage to fit into the more grounded show GH had become by that point.  But I question whether that ever could have been sustainable, even if there hadn't been another writing turnover. 

A lot of dramatic (and well written by Val Jean, Mulcahey, et al) confrontations with most everyone in town could only go so far.  Eventually the Cassadines, who(se family) had once tried to freeze the world, would have to show their hand and actually attempt to do whatever they really came back to town to do - and every other character/story on the show at the time would have had to exist within that same universe.  And the friction between Laura and the men/boys in her life also seemingly had a shelf life, before they would have to get to the uncomfortable (especially given her history with Luke) gist - they blamed her for being sexually trafficked and/or how she reacted to becoming pregnant as a result.  I actually wonder whether Guza or anyone else actually knew what the emotional and/or mystery climax would be.

Well for me what you post is ultimately why I got sick of them. The only actual endgame that happened with any consequence was the slow dissolution of Luke & Laura’s marriage. The immediate goals of establishing the Cassadines on the then current show (including the tone they wanted) was a success. Within a few years we had an impeccably stylish Helena just threatening everyone without any major movement. Stefan was saddled with Katherine, who was killed twice, and a relationship with Laura nobody thought was going to last. Everything after that was just a slow slog to the end of the character.
 

We never got to see where the hospital takeover was going, or Stefan and Bobbie’s marriage. I know real world issues happened that they had to work around in 1996- John Beradino’s death, Bob Guza leaving due to his Sunset Beach contract, Genie Francis’ second pregnancy- all played a part in the way the Cassadine story was told. I don’t even remember whatever the stupid faberge egg had in it, or the online game Stefan was playing with Lucky was all supposed to be about. We even got Lesley back, but Culliton clearly had no interest in telling that story. And 1997 became the year Riche got distracted by the launch of Port Charles.

 

8 hours ago, titan1978 said:

Well for me what you post is ultimately why I got sick of them. The only actual endgame that happened with any consequence was the slow dissolution of Luke & Laura’s marriage. The immediate goals of establishing the Cassadines on the then current show (including the tone they wanted) was a success. Within a few years we had an impeccably stylish Helena just threatening everyone without any major movement. Stefan was saddled with Katherine, who was killed twice, and a relationship with Laura nobody thought was going to last. Everything after that was just a slow slog to the end of the character.
 

We never got to see where the hospital takeover was going, or Stefan and Bobbie’s marriage. I know real world issues happened that they had to work around in 1996- John Beradino’s death, Bob Guza leaving due to his Sunset Beach contract, Genie Francis’ second pregnancy- all played a part in the way the Cassadine story was told. I don’t even remember whatever the stupid faberge egg had in it, or the online game Stefan was playing with Lucky was all supposed to be about. We even got Lesley back, but Culliton clearly had no interest in telling that story. And 1997 became the year Riche got distracted by the launch of Port Charles.

 

Agreed completely.  I just don't think Guza staying would have changed much of any of that (except Katherine's involvement).  I believe the Faberge egg contained a computer virus - which, while terribly executed, was as logical an endpoint as any for a character who was presented as holding an epic vendetta against a woman his family had trafficked and an entire community they had tried to eradicate, literally.  Either these Cassadines would have eventually shown their hand and been dispatched of like '80s short-term villains, or proven to be not as bad as their relatives - which would have had to involve making a definitive break from them.  (Or some combination of the two, i.e., Nikolas realizing his family was as bad as everyone said just as he was put in a position where he had to kill Stefan to save Laura, perhaps with Laura even trying to take the rap to protect him like her mother had done for her.)  I really don't believe there was ever a long-term story plan or character arcs, just a lot of mood and dialogue that was probably better than it had a right to be.

I can't argue with a lot of the points made above, but I do think the re-introduction of the Cassadines was impeccable and I suspect there had to be some sort of long-term bible or plan for whatever the hell they were doing - I don't think they were just spitballing. (Someone should ask MVJ or Mulcahey on Twitter.) But it also would've allowed Stefan and Nikolas to remain, whatever it was. I blame Guza's first exit and the other factors mentioned. I also think Stefan and Laura got ruined by execution, plotting, the long wait between writers, Katherine and so on; they were scorching when he first appeared but by the time they got together it was Sominex. Plus, as a kid I never accepted the breakup of Luke and Laura (and their quickie reunion under JFP in her dying days was mishandled).

Edited December 20, 20231 yr by Vee

3 hours ago, Vee said:

Plus, as a kid I never accepted the breakup of Luke and Laura (and their quickie reunion under JFP in her dying days was mishandled).

Once the show acknowledged that Luke had raped Laura, there was no way that they could put them back together.  Which is why I was dead set against acknowledging it.

I think there was a long-term plan in place for the Cassadines and others, but that plan was ruined primarily by Bob Guza's forced departure from GH to work on SUNSET BEACH.  Unfortunately, in the time that he was away, that plan was changed to the point where, even after Guza had returned for round two, GH was never again as on-track as it had been before he left.

Edited December 21, 20231 yr by Khan

As far as asking one of the other writers what the original plan was, didn't Mulcahey essentially state in print that initially there was no firm commitment as to whether the Carly character would be good or bad, or what her agenda was - they just gave her different types of scenes to see what stuck?  His words were more gracious than I am conveying—I recall he meant it as a compliment to SJB, saying they basically figured out who the character was based on her performance and all the layers she brought—but that was my takeaway.  I think it's kind of similar with the Cassadines, no?  In hindsight, 1996 GH was a lot of interesting ideas with mostly good casting, but not much follow-through.

Culliton got a lot of blame at the time and my teenage self certainly partook in that, but by all accounts he's been very successful as a staff writer since, i.e., executing a(nother) head writer's vision.  If there was a long-range story in place at GH with characters he clearly wanted to keep on, I feel like he would have followed the contours.  Unless Guza had a brilliant, multi-year story outline that he refused to share with anyone else on the writing team, and never came close to replicating in his career.  Didn't he write a crossover story for Faison on Loving in the early 90s that is largely considered a flop?  I can't help but think that's illustrative of what the '90s Cassadines might have been with a lesser (cumulative) writing team and/or a weaker foundation to build upon.

19 minutes ago, Khan said:

Once the show acknowledged that Luke had raped Laura, there was no way that they could put them back together.  Which is why I was dead set against acknowledging it.

I think there was a long-term plan in place for the Cassadines and others, but that plan was ruined primarily by Bob Guza's forced departure from GH to work on SUNSET BEACH.  Unfortunately, in the time that he was away, that plan was changed to the point where, even after Guza had returned for round two, GH was never again as on-track as it had been before he left.

I have said before and will say again-almost all of 1997 was a mess.  The only bright light was the Carly/AJ/Michael saga.  Miranda being entirely dropped threw off the intended Cassadine story and it was handed to Alexis, the Stefan/Katherine debacle, Genie being gone, the absolute stupidity of the Sonny/Brenda/Jax nonsense, Kevin/Lucy being on their way out, the Pierce Dorman mess which I still don't understand (he's a drug lord?).  Somethings couldn't be helped casting wise like Rena leaving, Genie's maternity leave, KMc going part time, LH/JL going to PC, LH as Miranda bombing and VM and MB being wishy washy about staying or leaving, but, man, the momentum was lost.  1998 even with Guza had some moments, but also a lot of iffy stories like Brenda's breakdown and the Tale of 2 Macs.

8 minutes ago, DeliaIrisFan said:

Unless Guza had a brilliant, multi-year story outline that he refused to share with anyone else on the writing team, and never came close to replicating in his career.  Didn't he write a crossover story for Faison on Loving in the early 90s that is largely considered a flop?  I can't help but think that's illustrative of what the '90s Cassadines might have been with a lesser (cumulative) writing team and/or a weaker foundation to build upon.

I really think Guza had a pretty good idea of where he was headed and I wouldn't be surprised if he kept it to himself.  Casting issues may have taken him out too, but I think it would have at least been more coherent that year if he had stayed.

53 minutes ago, DeliaIrisFan said:

As far as asking one of the other writers what the original plan was, didn't Mulcahey essentially state in print that initially there was no firm commitment as to whether the Carly character would be good or bad, or what her agenda was - they just gave her different types of scenes to see what stuck?  His words were more gracious than I am conveying—I recall he meant it as a compliment to SJB, saying they basically figured out who the character was based on her performance and all the layers she brought—but that was my takeaway.  I think it's kind of similar with the Cassadines, no?

No, I think that's a big extrapolation. Seeing where a new actor fits is not the same thing as a long-form story bible for a major plotline at all. And since it's come up, Carly was created and Sarah Brown was hired in the last days of Labine - what if anything she had in mind for the character we don't really know. But Guza made her what she became, which all the longtime writers from both Labine and Guza's tenures confirm. People too often take Mulcahey and MVJ's quotes to mean Guza hired SJB and made Carly, and it's not that simple. From WLS:

Quote

We Love Soaps: Carly Roberts came on right before you left the show. Was she your creation or a different writer’s?

Claire Labine: She was ours. We left them really well set up. We really tried to leave the show with takeoff points. The next writer could choose the direction, but they had good springboards. And Carly was part of that, and so was Jax. I thought he was going to be a lot of fun. We left after his first few episodes. There was a lot set up for Mary Mae Ward’s family as well, but they chose not to take that path. That story with Mary Mae was one of my favorites. Rosalind Cash was one of my favorite performers. We had so much fun with that.

As for Loving, that show blew through maybe over half a dozen writers in under five years - I doubt the silly Faison crossover was anything but an ABC mandate or something from one of their many EPs.

Edited December 21, 20231 yr by Vee

1 hour ago, Khan said:

Once the show acknowledged that Luke had raped Laura, there was no way that they could put them back together.  Which is why I was dead set against acknowledging it.

The show had a persistent problem because of the rape & I thought it was pretty stellar of them to bring it out into the light of day & deal with it. And I thought the story Michele Val Jean wrote about Luke raping Laura & Liz's stranger rape & Lucky getting all bound up in empathy for Liz & Nik thinking that was his moment to deliver a comeuppance & told Lucky about Luke raping Laura, was pretty brilliant. What would you have had them do? 

But, you are correct that they couldn't put that Genie back into that lamp. 

I was reading notes from conversations with Patrick Mulcahey recent-ish & I have underlined, "Do not write that Luke kisses Laura." 

Edited December 21, 20231 yr by Donna L. Bridges
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