From what I've read, it was very sad when the writers strike happened, because Ryan's Hope was canceled just a couple months later and prior to the strike Claire Labine had totally revived the show, in terms of quality. It's a shame she didn't get to ride that final year out on her own terms, but at least she got to end the show in a high and managed several returns.

Interesting that Pam Long stated that she had approved of the actress playing Blake... and it sounds like she was trying to continue what the scab writers had written for Blake... kind of funny that they had no idea who Blake was making calls too LOL You would have thought the scab writers would have known who she was speaking with LOL Interesting that Pam Long had Blake's character planned out... did it involve being Roger/Holly's daughter... or did that end up happening cause of the scab's total inept writing of the story? Though I think the scab's writing of Sonni actually enhanced the story... you had no idea who sonni was... and since the scabs had no idea how it would end.. I think it enhanced the mystery.

Santa Barbara seemed like a hot mess in 1988... though I'm glad Mason/Julia triumphed... though I do agree recasting Kelly so quickly was a mistake.

I remember Days being awesome in 1988... and I do remember Roman being brainwashed... interesting that the original story was going to be for someone else.. I always find it interesting that Leah Laiman was head-writer of the show in the late 80's and this era was considered a fairly strong era... wonder why her later stints on AW and ATWT were so uneven at best...

The way the scabs handled the Sonni/Solita storyline seems to have made it legendary.

I always find it interesting that Leah Laiman was head-writer of the show in the late 80's and this era was considered a fairly strong era... wonder why her later stints on AW and ATWT were so uneven at best...

I wouldn't say her era at DAYS was "strong." To me, DAYS seemed to be on auto-pilot at that point, with one, routine supercouple plot after another. Patch and Kayla's wedding hit number-one, though, because many, many viewers had invested heavily in their story.

The way the scabs handled the Sonni/Solita storyline seems to have made it legendary.

In more than one way, too.

Except didn't the strike writers kill off Jessie in a more permanent way than planned? Agnes was still officially credited as "Exec Head Writer" at AMC throughout the 80s, though she relenquished on screen credit for much of that.

I don't believe Agnes held that title until around 1992, when McTavish was officially the head writer.