Some thoughts on the April 1982 episode:
Jackie and Luke work much better as friends talking about his missing Laura than as any romantic pairing. The scene where she was in her Barbie dress and hair and disappointed at him not noticing her made me cringe a bit.
They clearly let Tony have plenty of room to ad-lib, which was smart as his showmanship sold the opening of the Haunted Star. I can't imagine the script having him refer to Jackie's "Flash Gordon" outfit. Or mentioning Lenny Bruce. (the only Lenny Bruce mention ever on a soap?)
It amuses me how much Rick clearly hates Amy in any episode from this period I see.
They do a very good job of showing Lesley trying to move forward while still being scarred by Laura's disappearance. The monologue to Rick about how she doesn't even want to go on the yacht due to it representing so much of her fear over Laura was very important, and not something we'd get today.
Robin Mattson looked beautiful in her evening getup and styled in a way I don't see very often for her. She looked like she was from the Princess Amethyst comics.
I realized while watching this that I've read about Emma Lutz but did not recognize her. She's very pretty. I see that she is around through 1984, but her husband Charlie is near the end of line. I wonder what the reason was for that.
In only a few scenes the Q storylines and dynamics are put through so succinctly. They are in their own universe, so I appreciated seeing Edward drawn into the drama at the Haunted Star opening.
Janine Turner is just so green. One of the greenest actors I can remember on a soap. I can see why she didn't last very long. (naming her Laura probably didn't help either)
David's plans for JT Laura are confusing to me (admittedly I haven't seen most of the story). If he's worried about how much she knows and her wanting to be with her sister again, you'd think he would just kill her.
I wonder how fans felt when, after months of talk of sisters reunited, Laura was gone not even after a year later. Maybe relieved?
The bond between Luke and Ruby is the perfect blend of tough and tender.
I truly appreciated the atmosphere of the opening night scenes and the episode as a whole. This wasn't just what we often get on soaps with a bunch of characters sitting around. There is a folksiness along with a certain naughtiness, which is not an easy combo to make. Gloria's age makes me think that she never forgot the movies she saw in the '30s and '40s - I could easily see Andy Hardy wandering into Kelly's or the Haunted Star.
Something else Monty does well is working with an hour episode. That's not easy - most hour-long soaps are slogs, especially when they aren't firing on all cylinders. Somehow, scenes like the whole magic game with Tiffany and Robert don't just seem like killing time (even though they were) - they're a smart lead-in to the more fraught material which closes out the episode.
The whole sudden psychic break with Luke was...certainly a turn (complete with that dramatic music), but Tony sold it. He was presumably glad to get to play some darker material.
Kin Shriner was very appealing during the Scotty hero days, but he is the right kind of dirty hot here. I'm sorry, but I loved him trolling Luke with the gift from Laura.
For as questionable as the stories may be, I will gladly admit that the cliffhanger with Luke lunging for Scotty, the lights going out, and JT Laura appearing was terrific. Monty and her directing team, her whole production team, knew how to do these set pieces.
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DRW50 ·
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