Awkward Returns

[DRW50]

This has already been discussed in the Ryan's Hope thread recently, but, much as I love Ilene Kristen, something feels very sad and very off about her 1982-1983 return as Delia - what is available, anyway. Even if I didn't know the backstage pressures against her for her weight, what was onscreen feels so tired.

 

Alice Barrett's 1999 return to AW. This was impacted by the show's cancelation, no doubt, but I can't imagine Frankie fans being very impressed by that convoluted story.

[Chris B]

I don’t know that I agree. I thought Lesli Kay was fine and they didn’t give her any time to settle in the role. I don’t even think she had the chance at a story before they fired her. Didn’t she only get fired because she was pregnant? I just can’t remember her being given a real chance to succeed. At the time GH was so mob heavy as well. I just don’t think the writers wanted Lois. I’d be interested in seeing how they’d handle her return today now that they have more balance between the mob and other aspects of the show. Plus with Ned being a key character it could be interesting. 

[Dion]

Lesli Kay played the Lois recast in 2004. I think Lois is one of those unique characters who can really only be portrayed by the original (in this case, Rena Sofer) and it certainly didn't help matters that Lois spent half her time in 2004 haranguing Brook Lyn and the other half pursuing Lorenzo Alcazar.

 

He would have been wrapping up his Y&R stint around the time that Julia returned to AMC.

Edited January 4, 2021 by Dion

[Vee]

Lesli was decent. The story sucked.

[carolineg]

I agree with those that say Lesli was decent.  Her story was a mess.  Lorenzo really?  That would not ever be Lois's type. I tend to agree that Lois maybe someone who only works under the original portrayer.  I loved Lois, but the character veers on obnoxious and can become a caricature very easily.  I also think there is something very 90's about Lois that doesn't hold up today.  I am not sure a 50 year old would have the same charm with the OTT accent and the crazy nails and wacky wardrobe and if you change those aspects of Lois you basically get Olivia lol.

[BetterForgotten]

Lois was Brenda's only female friendship I ever bought. I always thought Brenda was too damn old to be hanging out with Robin in the 90's. 

[carolineg]

 

I think Brenda was only a couple years older than Robin.  They did go to high school together.  But agreed.  Robin looked like a teen while Brenda looked 25 even if she was only 18 on the show.  I loved Robin and Brenda together but it was a little strange Brenda lived with a 30 year old man and had a full on adult relationship and Robin was still in high school lol. And I swear Brenda broke up with Sonny, married Jax, and Lily blew up and Robin was STILL in high school lol.  I know that's not true but it felt like Robin was in high school forever.  But then again, Sonny was way too old to be Stone's BFF and it worked okay.  Lois and Brenda always seemed like more equals for sure, but Robin and Brenda work(ed) well now.  I still found them believable the last time VM returned. 

[BetterForgotten]

I guess it helped that Rena and Vanessa are only a few months apart in real-life, but Kimberly Mccullough and her baby face in the 90's looked way too young to be hanging out with the crowd she was in, lol. 

[Franko]

I could be wrong, but I think Robin was two grades below (and roughly three years younger than) Brenda, Jason*, Karen and Jagger. If I read Curlyqgrl's summaries right, the older kids all graduated in 1993, followed by Robin in 1995, then she took a year off/stayed with and mourned Stone/romanced Jason before leaving for Yale in 1996. Also, Robin turned 13 in October 1990, while Brenda turned 21 in March 1995.

*In reality, Robin would be older than him.

 

My next question is if they ever had A.J. going to college, whether actual or retconned.

 

Edited January 4, 2021 by Franko

[Khan]

For me, it would have been hard to accept anyone other than Rena Sofer as Lois -- but I agree, the story, such as it was, with Lesli Kay's Lois did the poor gal zero favors.

[BetterForgotten]

Lois was also one of those kooky Labine creations that I don't know if another writer (least of all Guza) would have the same affection or care for. 

[titan1978]

I also think Lesli was as good as she could be with the show as it was at that time.

 

Lois is just not a character that works well outside Labine I am afraid.  Her team seemed to really get the full picture- Lois wasn’t stupid, she just wanted to believe the best in the people she loved.  She also had a full understanding of how dangerous Sonny was becoming to her friends and her business.

 

I just don’t enjoy Wally as Ned that much, especially as Eddie Mayne or as Guza’s gatekeeper persona.  What a waste of that character.  I loved Rena though.

[Soaplovers]

I don't even think Rena could have played Lois with what the character was given when Lesli played her.

 

I would say Echo on OLTL was kind of a mixed bag.  When Zimmer first came back, she had a slight accent and changed the inflection of her voice when playing Echo.  However within a few months, the show started writing Echo like Reva...and Zimmer finally just started playing Reva instead of Echo.  Based on scenes of Echo back in 1983..she was more like a Luann (rhony) than a Reva type of character.

 

 

[Vee]

I think Lesli did a good job embodying Lois. I remember they (unwisely) reshot flashback scenes from Rena's run with her and Ned, and she pulled it off for the most part. But Lois as a character needed a very good reason to be back full time, and there wasn't one. They tried to clumsily slot her into the post-2000 mob-obsessed version of the show by pairing her with Lorenzo in C-story (as in, the only stuff not mob at that time) to keep him away from Tamara Braun and it didn't suit the character at all. So LK couldn't win for losing.

 

I don't think the role needs Rena to work, but I do think Lois (like Marty on OLTL) was a singular moment in time as a contract player unless you come up with something excellent or have very solid day to day writing. The corps GH had in place at that time was still fairly solid but the stories largely sucked, especially in 2003-2005. So neither Lois (nor Marty IMO, and Marty is one of my all time favorite characters) had a truly compelling reason to be back as a full time contract player.

 

 

[Mitch]

And we really needed Ed for the Santos stuff...it was weird that they would get rid of him at that time...(and I think that Gentry would have weird chemistry with SS..not that Ed would get with her but she would be kind of turned on by him standing up to her...)I liked Gentry (agreed so tired of sour puss Simon) and the show did have the Bauers involved in the attack on Abby and her trial, etc. so they could have done a lot with him. I did like his chemistry with both MG and Lillian and I opposed to others, wouldnt have minded them getting together..(Ed was much more to blame for Mo then Lillian was.) I could even seen him with Alex...TPTB  were obviously no the least interested in rebuilding the Bauers.