Stories that you feel personally flopped and could've been better....

[cassadine1991]

Interesting that ATWT had this romance with Ben and Lien, what happened. I know Lea Salonga wasn't on that long. Was it because Lien was Asian and Ben was Black? I need someone to help me with this

[amybrickwallace]

I agree with you that the story would probably get made, and even if it did, TIIC would most certainly screw it up. For the reasons listed here and more, people like Pratt are everything wrong with soaps. How awful to ban Agnes Nixon from the story meetings. Heck, if not for her, there wouldn't have even been a show to have story meetings about. She was only the CREATOR of AMC!!!

[cassadine1991]

And I still don't get how writers like Pratt keep on getting hired

[amybrickwallace]

That makes two of us, my friend!!

[ajsp35801]

I remember watching it but I don't remember what happened. And I know I wasn't into BTS stuff then so I have no clue.

[ajsp35801]

There is no way to have saved the P3 return. Especially since Cane was already there. The carnage was just too massive.

[amybrickwallace]

Heck, you could done shots every time just the word "Innishcrag" was said. Or, as you previously mentioned, you could have downed a fifth of fine Irish whiskey and it would have had the same effect!!

[NothinButAttitude]

I don't think so. I just think that Hogan (as usual) wasn't invested in the pairing or Lien. If you weren't Craig, Carly, Babs, Katie, Simon, Lily/Rose, or Holden in that era, you typically were ignored or given scraps. I personally don't remember an outcry about the pairing. I just think that Hogan used this story to throw some scraps to the Hughes clan (preferably Tom), but didn't feel like executing it in the end. Sucks for me because I thought the pairing had potential; however, Ben went on to get paired with Jessica, which Hogan was semi-invested in.

Another flopped story (IMO) was the Holly/Buzz/Billy triangle on Guiding Light. I feel like the writers at this time didn't know what to do and threw these three together. I would've loved for the writers to have had more thought behind this triangle. I think with the vast history these three characters had individually (and all their ties to Roger), I think that had the writers sat and came up with something, this triangle could've been somewhat good.

I'll add the Carmen Mesta story to the list too. The seductress who happens to be Neil's business partner was great. What followed was stupid. Had the writers just built up Carmen as a vixen that was driving Dru over the edge, and she eventually wins Neil would've been good. Then, they should've utilized Ed (the man that escorted a drunken Dru to the party at the Athletic Club and was considered to be a potential love interested) too. It would've been good if he and Dru got together, but his real intentions for coming to GC and Newman was because he was obsessed with Dru the model. Thinking he's doing a deed for Dru that'll gain her admiration, have him kill Carmen (instead of Jana). Have Neil realize that Ed is a bit off his rocker and realizing that Neil is onto him, have Ed frame Neil for the murder. Then while Neil is locked up, have Devon and Lily, now realizing Ed is nutty too, try and get Dru away from him. Dru could've been stubborn at first and not believed it but grew to realize he was strange too. Have Neil be proven innocent and as the cops go and arrest Ed, he holds Lily, Devon, and Dru hostage. Have Ed hauled off to jail and Neil & Dru reunite. That would've been a better story arc rather than doppelgängers and David Chow.

[amybrickwallace]

Marty and Patrick's exit on OLTL in 1997.

[katie_9918]

The tale end of Brent Lawrence's reign of terror on GL. Losing Nadine and Cutter was not worth it, especially since the main center pieces of that story (Lucy and Alan-Michael) became pretty much irrelevant within six months afterward.

Far too dark and violent and it completely ruined Alan as a character.

[titan1978]

I came to GL late, and only find that I really, really enjoy the episodes I have seen from the early 1990's era of the show. Sherry Stringfield as Blake, the true ensemble writing, etc. It was a fantastic time on the show from what I have read and seen. I've never seen the Brent/Marion storyline. Was JFP still there? Who wrote the show at that point?

[cassadine1991]

I think JFP was at AW around that time when Brent/Marion was causing havoc

[NothinButAttitude]

I might be one of the few that was happy with Cutter and Nadine being offed. I never cared for Nadine and Cutter was one of JFP's casting coups before she left for AW.

[robbwolff]

Frank Beaty (Brent) was introduced when Jill Farren Phelps was executive producer and Douglas Anderson was head writer. The later storyline involving Marion was written by Megan McTavish. Michael Laibson was the executive producer at that time.

[amybrickwallace]

Ron Raines was playing Alan by this point, right?