Susan Scanell had a busy 1982. She marries Chris Roland on April 23, 1982. She first appeared on air as Kristen Carter on Search for Tomorrow the last week of May, 1982. Then about a month later she exits as Becky on Another Life. I dislike most of Becky's story after her miscarriage. I did like the final implication that Dave had lied to Becky and that he wasn't really a famous producer with Becky being his first star. Don't even get me started on the "not married" revelation. Wasting mother from hell Carrie Weaver on that tripe was disrespectful on multiple levels.
I felt like you could always revisit Becky. Jaded by her career, Becky returns to Kinsley and doesn't receive the warm greeting she was hoping for with everyone moving on with their life. I would have had her and Carla fighting for a position at a nightclub as a lounge act with the club owner having mob ties and drawing Becky into that life which would provoke some sort of response from the people who have loved her. I also would have revisited the idea of who Becky's biological parents were and maybe reveal she was the daughter of a minister or someone in the political circle. Russ and Becky would be a toxic end game because Russ would always want Lori so I would probably move Becky onto someone like Gil if they weren't going to keep Amber around.
Amber does seem increasingly hostile without any real moments of sincerity. This is one of my only complaints in the Phillips family story. There was a nice moment of jealousy where Gil gushes over Miriam when she and Charles are dining at the Greenbriar with Amber being furious about the lack of attention, but Miriam is so possessive. Everything is an object to her; everyone is just pawns in her game. Part of the issue is Amber's world is so narrow. I'll be curious to see how she interacts later on with Blair Simpson. I think I would have twisted the knife with Amber by letting her land a local public access talk show so that she could be a faux journalist and torment Stacey some more.
I think Elain Graham left Another Life for a travel production of Home, which she did for most of the fall and winter of 1982. She appeared with Samuel L. Jackson and S. Epatha Merkensen for the Negro Ensemble Company. I also feel like Elain Graham is known for speaking her mind. I did notice that they recently had Carla wearing a bit of a turban to cover up the new haircut Graham got. Kari Page was just very unmemorbale in the role. She also wasn't given much to do.
Streisand is definitely someone on the mind of the writers. In a bit in the last set of episodes I watched, Nancy calls a second hand store to speak about selling her mother's furniture. She gets the store owner's wife Rose and starts cracking up, and I believe mentions Streisand by name.
Babs is interesting. There is quite a gap, from what I recall, from when she starts until when she appears regularly. I remember her initial appearance in jail with Nancy (just like Dave with Jeff Cummings), but I don't remember her popping up again until what felt like several weeks later. The original appearance is definitely under the Barnes, but I cannot recall right now if Babs is featured much again until she is thrown out of the car. I feel like she is already looking into another life out of the prostitution ring before Vinley arrives, but maybe I'm wrong. I thought Babs' monologue about running into a former classmate who was now a wife and mother leading to Babs to want to start over was well done.
Jesus was Jewish. I have seen sitcoms do more of the blending of Christmas and Hannukah than I have soaps, but I do know there is occasionally an attempt at unity. The suggestion that Babs and Harold might have been presented as Jewish characters is intriguing and something I will think about more.
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dc11786 ·
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