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Toxic Lovers: EP and HW Combo edition


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My votes for most toxic combos. In addition to many of those mentioned here, the two that immediately spring to mind are:

Days of our Lives:

Al Rabin/Nina Laemmle. A textbook example of how to totally F-Up a soap opera, eliminating 14 characters in six months on a show whose ratings are fairly steady and not that bad.

Ryan's Hope:

Ellen Barrett/Mary Ryan Musinsteri

Joseph Hardy/Pat Falken Smith

Barrett/Munisteri must have been more ABC's doing since each had a significant history with RH, leading one to assume that the show would not change as drastically and quickly as it did. It was regrettable too as Labine and Mayer had begun to get back on track again after the disastrous end to 1981. Barrett and Munisteri botched literally every strength RH had going for it.

The following year, Labine and Mayer returned for nine months and completely turned the series around. I had never been a hug fan of Ryan's Hope, but 1983 was a gem. Then Joseph Hardy and Pat Falken Smith took over, and the show went straight to hell in handbasket. Unlike Barrett/Munisteri who made unwise story decisions, Hardy and Smith almost completely obliterated the series itself, starting with a bomb blast which wrecked the show's focal pub. PFS had been a truly amazing writer on Where the Heart Is and Days of our Lives. I also thought her vision of General Hospital was totally in synch with Marland's style. I knew she was capable of wonderful things, but her writing absolutely ruined RH. It took years to recover and was never really the same until Claire Labine was back, working with Felicia Minei Behr.

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ABC started wrecking RH around 1979, 1980, although 1981 was a big low point (I think the show's refusal to let characters mature was another issue). What stories were Mayer and Labine doing before they were let go in early 82? I just saw up to the end of 81.

I know Elizabeth Harrower gets a lot of the blame for the DAYS problems. Do you think that's fair?

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I'm not "hating on" Frankie V. and Ronnie C.'s work because it's "fashionable." I openly dislike their efforts, feeble as they are and have been, because I find them to be tasteless and a complete antithesis to the many examples of good writing and producing I've been exposed to since I was two or three years old.

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Labine and Mayer had wrapped up that dreadful Merit Kara adventure story with an exciting conclusion. Then they made a 180 change in EJ's characterization. I love Maureen Garrett, but I found her perky, overzealous reporter to be completely obnoxious. She and Roger became engaged, and then it was revealed that she was a liar with a very dodgy past, including a dodgy husband from whom she was not divorced. Maureen really bit her teeth into those scenes as EJ agonized over whether or not she should continue lying, walk down the aisle with Rog, and commit bigamy. It was also somewhat deliciously ironic as Roger was typically the lying, cheating, scheming character in the story. Right before the wedding, Randall Edwards left and was replaced by the original Delia, Ilene Kristen, who had hysterical scenes as she hated EJ's guts and seethed as the Ryans planned a big family wedding. EJ's ex-husband was Ox Knowles, played to perfection by Will Patton, who had amazing chemistry with Garrett. Along with the Roger/EJ/Ox story, they returned Siobhan and Patrick to the canvas. Although Helgenberger was more successful than Clarke, having two Ryan kids back was a blessing. Helgenberger had the fire her predecessor lacked, and focusing on Siobhan attempting to stay away from Joe had so much more drama than being with him as a clueless wife. Labine and Mayer's final act was to bring Hollis Kirkland into the story. Hollis was a great character. Actor Peter Haskell's chemistry with Louise Shaffer trumped all in my opinion. The fact that he was actually Kimberly's father and part of a past Rae rejected set up so much conflict to be played out. The problem was that Barrett and Munisteri backburnered everything to feature Hollis practically every day as some type of New York Blake Carrington. All of the other plots took a back seat to Hollis' desperation to win Rae's love and later all of the problems with daughter Amanda. The story began to be more about his wealth and power than playing out the conflicts inherent in situation. In other words, the problem with the Kirklands was in their execution after Labine and Mayer left. The characters absolutely should have worked. Patton and Garrett were also quickly dispatched too, which left Roger without much story. Failing to recast Frank left Jill and Faith in limbo. Barrett and Munisteri did not have a clue what they were doing, and even the slow Labine and Mayeresque plot of Johnny's jealousy over Maeve's dance marathon fell flat.

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You know that I absolutely loved Days from 1967 to 1980. Was Elizabeth Harrower an exceptional headwriter? No. Could she have done a better job? Yes. Was she responsible for the problems at Days? Maybe, maybe not. Bill Bell was the best writer Days ever had. Pat Falken Smith was a very close second. Ann Marcus had good moments and bad, but overall, I enjoyed Marcus' work. However, Marcus left in a disagreement with Betty Corday over the Chris Kositcheck story. It was not Harrower's fault. Harrower took some stories in directions I would not have gone, but the show still remained fairly solid. It was entertaining. Some things she wrote were very difficult and really pushed the envelope, such as Laura's attempted hanging. I think Harrower tends to get a worse rap than she should because she is SSH's mother, so accusations of nepotism creep into situation. But, regardless of what Harrower did or did not do, she kept the series mostly intact with the same tone and characters. Nina Laemmle literally massacred Days. It was very similar to Joe Hardy and PFS at Ryan's Hope, only they didn't axe over half the cast. Under Laemmle/Rabin nothing about Days was the same except the theme music and logo. Tuning in, it felt like a completely different soap opera, and after 13 years of watching, I changed the channel and did not go back again until Pat Falken Smith returned. For me, Days was literally unwatchable under Laemmle.

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I don't hate them at all. They seem to truly love soap opera, which is great. I just think they're overpraised and derivative. That being said, I think their brand of camp and gimmicks every five minutes would be a perfect fit for Days.

For me it is Tom Langan and Tom Langan/Ken Corday

1.Carrie and Mike's flying bed.

2. Greta and Austin in the Garden of Eden

3. Making a fool of Vivian

4. Brady hates Marlena

The only good thing Tom Langan did was Crazy Nurse Allie.

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