Classic Soaps (I'm Still) Watching Another World

[Jason73]

I'm in September 1987--Cass (Rex?) has returned and Kathleen is "dead." I'm assuming Nicole will be returning any day now. Both Amanda and Victoria have returned as well. All of these returns have breathed some fresh life into the show. It was feeling sort of dreary and stale. Sam is here now too, although because of how many gaps there are in these episodes, I haven't actually seen an episode with him yet.

Adam finally knows the truth about MJ and I found the fallout fairly well acted by both of the actors. Ed Fry toned down his usual shouting and played it numb and shell-shocked. It was good to see he has some range. I can remember watching him a little bit on ATWT and not minding him so much there. But then I also remember watching him in an episode of Sex And The City and I didn't care for him. He was playing a man with a French accent who basically treats Carrie like a hooker and his accent was awful.

I think the AIDS story with Chad's sister is kicking off.

It's fun having Brava back front and center. Rachel, Mac, Sam, Amanda, Cass, Julie Ann, and Mitch are all working there and Zach and Scott are involved in Cory business from time to time as well.

Ada is dating the police captain whose last name is Delaney. That was the writers just grabbing the first stereotypical Irish police captain-ish name that popped into their heads, right? It's no relation to Robert Delaney and the Delaney family that was a part of Somerset?

Gosh Michael is AWFUL. Sanctimonious, self righteous, bossy, pushy, shouty -- just awful, awful, awful. I can't stand him.

The next episode jumps into October and it won't be long until I've reached Thanksgiving 87 with Liz's return and Lemay's writing.

 

[Jason73]

By the way, I had to look some stuff up….. yep HUSSY!!!

FELICIA GALLANT: FLIRTATIONS

She even flirted with Vince??

And this--I must have blocked this out:

Ryan Harrison
In fall of 1992, after Lucas had died, and Vicky and Grant were making marriage plans, Felicia and Ryan shared an intimate candlelit dinner in her suite, where they came within inches of outright flirtation.

 

[Daniel Avery]

Sam is here now too, although because of how many gaps there are in these episodes, I haven't actually seen an episode with him yet.

So you missed his famous introduction to the public? A man we've never met walks into Felicia's darkened suite, takes off every stitch of clothing, and is taking a nap on Felicia's sofa when Felicia and Mitch come home. It was....quite nice.

I'd love to watch the whole Rex thing closely just to catch all the ret-cons they have to throw in when Kathleen comes back. "Rex" didn't go over very well (ya think?) so they decided to retcon his whole existence.

Ada is dating the police captain whose last name is Delaney. That was the writers just grabbing the first stereotypical Irish police captain-ish name that popped into their heads, right? It's no relation to Robert Delaney and the Delaney family that was a part of Somerset?

The guy who played Captain Delaney also played the police captain in the Police Squad! series, so I half-expected him to launch into schtick at any minute. Though I doubt they intended him to be part of "those" Delaneys, I would not have put it past Harding Lemay to try tying him to them once he (Lemay) took over the writing.

Co-sign on the Michael Hate. And even after AS returned, he did not moderate the behavior one bit. They ought to have directed him to be more Mac-like, since both men had married very strong-willed women who were not going to be "managed". Matthew certainly didn't treat her like a naughty child.

 

[Jason73]

So you missed his famous introduction to the public? A man we've never met walks into Felicia's darkened suite, takes off every stitch of clothing, and is taking a nap on Felicia's sofa when Felicia and Mitch come home. It was....quite nice.

I'm sorry I missed that.

I'd love to watch the whole Rex thing closely just to catch all the ret-cons they have to throw in when Kathleen comes back. "Rex" didn't go over very well (ya think?) so they decided to retcon his whole existence.

I was hoping to watch closely to see how it fit or didn't fit with Kathleen's return story but I missed the first few days of his return and so missed the story he gave. The Rex story hasn't to be one of the dumbest ways to bring a character back.

Co-sign on the Michael Hate. And even after AS returned, he did not moderate the behavior one bit. They ought to have directed him to be more Mac-like, since both men had married very strong-willed women who were not going to be "managed".

I think I also just don't really care for Kale Brown. I didn't like him on OLTL either, though I enjoyed the Lindsay, Bo and Nora stuff.

 

[Daniel Avery]

From what I recall of the Cass/Rex/Kathleen storyline, Cass and Kathleen went on an around-the-world honeymoon. A chance meeting with Rex occurred and for some reason the man hated Cass. He decided to ruin Cass's life by staging the plane crash that would kill Kathleen. He would then kidnap Cass and stash him somewhere and have plastic surgery to look just like Cass. He would then return to Bay City, steal Nicole Love's inheritance, murder her in front of witnesses, then release Cass from captivity to take the rap for all of it. (Yeah, I know ) Things fell apart for Rex when his plot to kill Nicole went south and everyone started noticing "Cass" wasn't acting like himself. I recall Real Cass escaped and showed up in time for a chandelier to fall on Rex and kill him, and Cass later hooked up with Nicole for real.

When they opted to resurrect Kathleen, they had her visiting comatose Jake in the hospital (Paulina shot him the night he raped Marley). Frankie saw her on a hospital security camera and investigated. She found out Kathleen was in witness relocation because she had discovered Carl was alive and had provided various info to the government about him. Carl had rigged the plane crash that "killed" her on her honeymoon, and Cass had somehow not been with her on the plane (??). Nothing was said about Cass not being Cass when he returned to town (as if that's something not worth mentioning), and Carl was still trying to kill her.

 

[rlr718]

She even flirted with Vince??

And this--I must have blocked this out:

I don’t remember her flirting with Vince and it just have been before Mary remembered who she was. I also don’t remember the the candle lit dinner with Ryan.
I can only see her in my mind with Mitch and Lucas.

 

[rlr718]

Unlike the Ickiness Overload of Carl Hutchins having bagged mother Felicia and daughter Lorna, at least Jamie was cute. And Julia was greatly amused.

[Sharlene Hudson has entered the chat]
:laughing:

 

[Jason73]

When they opted to resurrect Kathleen, they had her visiting comatose Jake in the hospital (Paulina shot him the night he raped Marley). Frankie saw her on a hospital security camera and investigated. She found out Kathleen was in witness relocation because she had discovered Carl was alive and had provided various info to the government about him. Carl had rigged the plane crash that "killed" her on her honeymoon, and Cass had somehow not been with her on the plane (??). Nothing was said about Cass not being Cass when he returned to town (as if that's something not worth mentioning), and Carl was still trying to kill her.

I loved that story because I honestly didn't know who to root for between Kathleen and Frankie. I watched some of those episodes not that long ago (when Kathleen is back and Cass is torn) and Julie Osborn was just so good and so heartbreaking.

​

I can only see her in my mind with Mitch and Lucas.

And I would add Zane to that list.

 

[Jason73]

I've been re-reading the Soaps and Serials novelizations on and off for the last few months. They're mediocre writing but it's fun to visit 60s and 70s Bay City. I have all 14 of the AW books, plus all 14 of the DOOL and Y&R books. I love the pulpy, trashy covers.

 

[Jason73]

Ugh! Fall 1987 is a dreadful period for the show. I can't stand Nicole. I forgot how much I dislike that actress. (Partly I've never forgiven her for thinking she could take the place on Patsy Pease* on Days of Our Lives.) I could care less about her fashion show caper. There just isn't anything exciting happening. The Donna/John secret has been dragging on forever. Mac and Rachel aren't doing anything but fretting over Amanda falling for Sam and pretending to be "Mandy" at Brava. Vicki is in a coma. Scott and Cheryl and Dawn are boring. Vince and Mary are taking forever to reconcile. I don't really know why Reginald and Peter and Cheryl and Adam are still hanging around. Felicia isn't doing anything. The show feels like it's straddling two eras right now.

The only thing I kind of like is how concerned and caring Lisa is being regarding comatose Vicki. It makes what Jamie and Vicki are about to do to her` even more awful.


*Every time I think of Patsy Pease it makes me think of Minx, who used to post here and loved Kimberly as much as I do. I miss her.

 

[Daniel Avery]

Just keep repeating to yourself Iris is on her way, Iris is on her way....Tis always darkest before the dawn.

Speaking of Dawn (see what I did there?....)
In AW's defense, the Dawn Rollo story was soaps' first effort to address the AIDS epidemic, and as I'm sure you recall, this was a very thin needle to thread. People were being irrational and AW likely feared irrational reactions, no matter how "sterile" they played the storyline. I thought at the time that they went too far in making her so perfect, so spotless (i.e. not a "bad person") as to make her two-dimensional, and I was sorry they copped out by having her leave town and die overseas rather than explore the decline in health onscreen. But I was glad AW approached the subject first and gave other soaps the green light to address it on their own shows.

 

[Jason73]

Just keep repeating to yourself Iris is on her way, Iris is on her way....Tis always darkest before the dawn.

I'm doing lots of that as well as taking extended breaks from Bay City and spending extra time in Monticello.

In AW's defense, the Dawn Rollo story was soaps' first effort to address the AIDS epidemic, and as I'm sure you recall, this was a very thin needle to thread.

I remember what a big deal the soap press made of it at the time. It always surprises me that they even decided to do the story. AW isn't really a soap that makes me think "social issues."

 

[Daniel Avery]

AW isn't really a soap that makes me think "social issues."

It had its moments. Another World featured the first character (Pat Matthews Randolph) to have an abortion (mid-1960s). They wrote that complications had occurred that would make it impossible for her to have another baby....but the show later decided to undo that plot point (thus "awarding" her twins Michael and Marianne). Thank Agnes Nixon for that one. We don't think as much of it today, but Ada's late-in-life pregnancy in the mid-1970s was a controversial topic since there were so many more medical jeopardies involved. And of course there is the famous "plot that never happened" involving Michael Randolph, who was scheduled to become soaps' first gay character until someone at the network forced Harding Lemay to rewrite it at the last minute. Sandy Cory was going to be revealed as a gay-for-pay hustler after he arrived, but the network similarly balked and made it clear he only slept with women for money.

 

[Jason73]

And of course there is the famous "plot that never happened" involving Michael Randolph, who was scheduled to become soaps' first gay character until someone at the network forced Harding Lemay to rewrite it at the last minute. Sandy Cory was going to be revealed as a gay-for-pay hustler after he arrived, but the network similarly balked and made it clear he only slept with women for money.

I knew about the abandoned Michael story. I don't think I knew about Sandy.

Also, going on during the same period I am watching now is Mary and Cheryl involved in fostering a girl who has been taken away from her parents. I guess that counts as a social issue too. Also, I guess I could consider John traumatized and injured from his stint in Vietnam as a social issue too.

 

[Daniel Avery]

I get what you mean, though....in the later years (1985 onwards) AW was on the ropes, ratings-wise and that often makes soap producers shy away from controversy out of fear it will backfire and scare off some of their viewers rather than bring them in. That's why today's soaps are playing it all so safe (and boring). It's too bad Agnes Nixon can't appear to the Exec Producers as The Ghost of Soap Writers Past and kick their asses.

 

[Daniel Avery]

So I'm going full speed ahead on PlutoTV's Dynasty Channel. I'm watching S2 E1. Claudia has awakened in the hospital after her car crash and who should be playing her doctor but Kale Browne. I hope he doesn't get all shouty and self-righteous at her.

 

[Jason73]

who should be playing her doctor but Kale Browne. I hope he doesn't get all shouty and self-righteous at her.

Intersting--so he did both Knots Landing and Dynasty around the same time, before heading to daytime.


Something very, very, very exciting has finally happened in the 1987 episodes that I'm watching. Unfortunately it has nothing to do with the plot. The new opening visuals have arrived!!! I don't like that they end with Jamie and Lisa. It's better and more appropriate when they end with Mac and Rachel or the multigenerational shot of Rachel, Ada and Amanda. But it's just nice to finally have them here. Interesting that they featured Reginald but not Peter and they featured Scott and Cheryl but not Adam or Nicole or Chad. I haven't seen Adam in forever, so maybe he's gone now. Lisa and Jamie are featured twice which is odd. It's like the show thinks they are a super couple or something.

It's actually not too bad as I head into November. Cass and Nicole are engaged and I'm actually starting to tolerate Nicole. Michael is figuring out the truth about Donna and John finally. Sam and Amanda are about to get together. Vicki (fresh from her coma) and Jamie are getting to know each other better.

 

[Daniel Avery]

There is so much press lately about Rena Sofer returning (briefly) to play Lois on GH after 26 years. My first exposure to that actress was in fact her role on AW in the period you are watching. She worked with Sam and "Mandy" at Cory Publishing but I can't recall her name---just those caterpillar eyebrows.

I know I'm biased but that is probably the best example of innovative (for its time) opening titles in all of soaps. Great music, beautiful imagery.

 

[Jason73]

There is so much press lately about Rena Sofer returning (briefly) to play Lois on GH after 26 years. My first exposure to that actress was in fact her role on AW in the period you are watching. She worked with Sam and "Mandy" at Cory Publishing but I can't recall her name---just those caterpillar eyebrows.

Joyce -- she's been in it but I haven't really paid much attention to her.

I know I'm biased but that is probably the best example of innovative (for its time) opening titles in all of soaps. Great music, beautiful imagery.

I agree and sort of timeless. I don't think it really looks that dated.

 

[Daniel Avery]

This is only tangentially related to Another World but I really got a kick out of this story. Kim Rhodes was one of the bright spots of the final years of AW as she played crazy-pants Cindy Brooke Harrison, and went on to other notable roles, but I had no idea she'd been in Suite Life of Zack and Cody. Obviously not a show for my demographic, but my nieces used to talk about it. Apparently she inspired great loyalty in her co-stars.
'Suite Life of Zack & Cody': Dylan Sprouse Refused to Tell 'Fat Jokes' (variety.com)