The one thread I noticed about Long and her stints was that she was all about the forbidden love aspect from a class perspective.
Alan and Vanessa came from the same world so it made sense that the two would start to officially date in 1983 after his marriage to Hope finally exploded because she was from his world. Even though Billy came from a family with money, it was a less refined/classy world that Billy had come from so naturally Vanessa was drawn to him because he offered something different and did play into her natural instinct to rebel against the world that she was raised in.
CB leaving in the spring of 1984 cut the triangle short, and going against popular opinion... I think Vanessa becoming a parent, suffering from post-partum, and feeling stifled by this new environment did drive her to become addicted to pills.
When Long had come back, she didn't seem keen on Ross/Vanessa as a couple hence her deciding to go to Alan due to need someone more dependable/powerful that was familiar to her.
However, Alan became drawn to Reva because she was different and exciting for him and he did have a history of going for women that were different from the women in his world so I could see why he and Vanessa didn't last yet again (also, Maeve was quitting so they had to 86 that story).
I think Pilon having to take over suddenly and during the writer strike cut short whatever story Long had planned for Alan/Reva since she seemed really committed them as a couple before the strike and before CB had to vacate his role.
@DeeVee I remember that Chelsea/Phillip were still a couple until at least May or June 1988 (knee deep in the writer strike). It seemed the scab writers were trying to make things up as they went along with the show kind of teasing Reva/Johnny during the strike and also Johnny/Blake as well post Roxie leaving.. before putting Phillip with Blake and Chelsea with Johnny.
Kassie Wesley Depriava did say that during the writer strike, without warning.. Blake suddenly had her love interest and her story in a blink of an eye.
To this day, I still love the interview Long did as a part of a post-1988 writer strike follow up article where she freaked out at the show deciding to use her newest creation Blake without any outline or plan... and then trying to figure out how to carry forward with the character once the strike was over.
I also forgot all about Johnny's cancer story and the 40s style melodrama where naturally funny Roxie was forced into the grieving girlfriend role that fit a 40s style movie instead of an 80s style soap opera. I don't recall if Roxie having a nervous breakdown post Johnny going into remission happened before the writer strike, or during the writer strike.
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