Back from the dead - The good, the bad, & the ugly

[Vee]

They dropped it all because they were brainstorming how to bring Roger Howarth and co. back, and pair Carly with the serial killer who got her son raped. Such a waste.

[Liberty City]

Sean Kanan got the short-end of the stick. Everything that was promised to him AJ would not become he ended up becoming any way. It's clear he was brought in the fill the avoid of Steve Burton's exit as Jason and when they got Billy Miller, they didn't need AJ anymore.

While I believe AJ's exit was a permanent one, I'd love to see Warlock reprise the role, with Robert Adamson firmly in the role of Michael, and see that relationship re-develop!

[dragonflies]

Plus SK was a bit bigger body wise than Ron liked so Ron couldn't have him shirtless cause Ron only drools over buff bods, even though I've seen women go gaga over SK's body lol

[Vee]

Billy Miller was much later. They should've capitalized on how they very smoothly and deliberately brought A.J. in days after Jason's 'death' - a stroke of genius narratively, IMO - but instead they were more focused on prioritizing the OLTL 3 again. They were the issue, not Miller.

I love Billy Warlock but he's too old for the part now and looks it, and was never as popular or charismatic in the role as Kanan, who has buzz again from Cobra Kai. I'd bring him back in an instant (say Michael and Monica have kept his survival a secret), but Michael needs a long, long break from the canvas, same as Maxie.

Edited January 31, 2023 by Vee

[dragonflies]

I agree about Maxie and if they brought her back, recast with someone better, cause KS isn't it and never has been

[Planet Soap]

BEST

GH: Jason 2017. It was great having OG Jason back. Steve Burton owned the role too much to have anyone else be believable in it. 

Robin 2013: Robin was shown to be alive but presumed dead. Her reunion with Patrick and Emma was great, but it was frustrating to have her leave the show again. At least she and Patrick went off into the sunset.

GL: Reeva 1995. I like the drama surrounding her breaking up Josh and Annie, which created one of the shows greatest villains. Some people didn't like it however because it went back to Reeva being the star instead of an ensemble.

 

[j swift]

One of the worst BFTD has got to be Tony Dimera.  Not only have they never established how the audience can differentiate between Tony and Andre, but he switches between being a romantic partner and an evil villain every time he is resurrected.  At this point he's returned from the dead so often that I've lost track of how he died the last time.

I've had this thought a million times, but just once I want a soap to go through beats of how one re-establishes their lives after BFTD, like going to the DMV to get a new driver's license, and applying for new credit cards ("I'm sorry Mr Dimera but you and your father have returned from the dead once too often for us to approve your American Express card").  It would ground the story and make it seem more relatable. 

[Vee]

The really weird thing about Andre is the period when they seemed to legitimately be trying to play him like Tony in the late 2010s, just having him in a normal romantic role with Kate, etc. This is a deranged undead serial killer but the show would not distinguish between them and was like 'they're basically the same! you guys don't mind, right?' Finally someone wised up, killed him and brought Tony (the good one, who Andre posed as for most of the 90s and 2000s) back properly. For now.

Edited January 31, 2023 by Vee

[Taoboi]

Well Ron is one to talk.

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For all of the stalling...who DIDN'T tune in the following week to see the fallout with Robin back. That was well done.

 

And yes, I love, love, LOVED Reva vs Annie. 

[Michael]

The entire Tony/Andre run onscreen is a big soup of nonsense. And because so much of it was actually Andre-as-Tony, Thaao basically always plays them the same. I'm glad Tony and Anna have ended up together and I respect the history there, but he always come off as so smarmy and gross. When Johnny was tied up in that mausoleum with his arms up above his head and his biceps bulging last year... I thought Andre was going to devour him, the way he was practically salivating with each syllable that snaked its way out of his mouth. And I know Andre is the "bad" one, but since the performances and wardrobe and everything are basically the same because their entire beings have to be the same to facilitate all the switcheroos... Tony comes off as grotesque to me, too.

That period of a year or two where they tried to sell Andre as a normal character and romantic lead was insane. I'm convinced that Kate's subsequent pairings with Gilles Marini's Ted and Brandon Barash's Jake were to make up for putting Lauren Koslow through that era.

If they'd wanted Andre (a two-time serial killer!!!) around, he had to be a villain. Like, a real, dark, in-the-shadows villain. And they've never in all these years addressed who his parents actually are/were, how Stefano is actually his dad, or what his original face looked like.

[Vee]

Thaao is just pure queeny camp period lol. I have shrugged off him playing them pretty much the same. I do think he still adds some more pathos and genuine earnestness to Tony though - he's always seemed to appreciate that they brought the real, mostly heroic character back after so long (twice). I am happy Tony is around, I never liked how Higley immediately wasted his resurrection when she took over.

[Michael]

It's weird. I find Thaao so supremely unappealing and yet am glad Tony's around and used. 

I never understood why they killed off Tony in 2009. What was the point of that colossal retcon if we lost the "real" character not two years after they brought him back??

[Vee]

Bringing back OG Tony was Hogan Sheffer's baby. Higley took over and didn't give a fùck.

[te.]

To be fair to Thaao - how many times did he actually *know* he was supposed to be playing Andre? Tony kept being retconned into really being Andre, so he basically had no chance to really create two separate characters; add that sometimes and sometimes not Andre was clearly supposed to be in for the long haul (until some producer decided they didn't like Thaao again), so he had to add likeable elements to the character.

 

In all honesty, I think Thaao himself is understandably confused as to how to play Tony. I do like having him (and Anna) on the canvas though.

Edited February 1, 2023 by te.

[DRW50]

I never really thought Billy and Sarah had chemistry. I also thought the pairing was lazy. The most interesting part was the whiplash from day to day of which writers tried to push it and which blasted AJ to hell.