The Guiding Light died a ‘good death’.

I can’t believe that I’m going to say this, but The Guiding Light ended in the best way possible.  Everything made sense!  Alan Spaulding’s death was the  umbrella storyline that put everyone else’s “future”  in context.   I’m not sure that Alan’s death would have been acceptable or tolerable had the show continued on, but as the event that brought Springfield to its eternal end, it was brilliant.  Characters like Roger Thorpe and Alan Spaulding are provocative   characters whose actions have typically  impacted many, if not most, GL characters-  both directly and indirectly.  You never really think about how strong an impact their actions have on their onscreen counterparts until you’re forced to live without them.

When Michael Zaslow was unceremoniously removed from the role of Roger Thorpe, I spent a significant amount of time wondering how much differently various storylines would have played out had Roger been allowed to stay – or more to the point, Zas in the role.  I didn’t have to wonder the same about Alan.  The writers were able to show us what life in Springfield without him was like.   How wonderful that Alan’s final, and redeeming, act was to save the life of his beloved golden boy, Phillip.  How terribly fitting that Alan’s death meant that everyone else could be free, as well.

Lizzie could love Bill without worrying about her grandfather manipulating their relationship and living his life for the privilege of tearing them apart.

Phillip and Beth could be happy without having to make a choice between their love and protecting their children from him.  They could be happy and young again, with Rick and Mindy.

James could embrace his father and not feel that loving Phillip meant that he’d betrayed his grandfather.

Buzz was able to live in peace, caring for his family, and loving Lillian without being distracted by fruitless plots and schemes to bring Alan down.

Buzz’s attention on his family, instead of hating Alan, made it possible for him to focus on Daisy and make sure she would be able to go to college – taking Ashlee with her, and giving her a reason to want to come home– to a happy well-adjusted and loving James, of course.

The lack of threat from Alan made it possible for Jon to stay and allow Sarah to know her mother, stepfather, and new sibling, as well as ‘Uncle Shayne, Cousin Henry, Aunt Marina’.

Because Alan died, the Lewis boys weren’t spending their days looking over their shoulders, waiting for Alan to either wrestle away control of their company, or for him to pin a murder/embezzlement charge/public scandal on them.

His death meant that Emma wouldn’t grow up with her various sisters, brothers, nieces, nephews cousins waiting in fear for him to take them from their parents and turn them into his evil clones.

Alex was able to finally walk away for good, and not think about her ‘duty’ to be at her brother’s side in order to love him and defend him when the world turned on him yet again for his dastardly acts.  She had time to love someone else, and to be loved unconditionally in return.

I don’t know whose idea it was to give Springfield ‘peace’ by removing Alan from the equation, but his death made everything that followed feel real (or at least ‘real’ for the ‘reel’).

On Sept. 21st, when I watched my programs and didn’t find GL at the end, I wasn’t wondering what fresh hell would have taken place in our fictional Springfield on that day (though I’d have welcomed the opportunity to find out).  I wondered what it would have been like to open GL and think about where the first leg of JEVA’s romantic journey took them and THEIR son, Colin.  I wondered what it would have been like to watch Shayne and Remy as best friends and fathers.  Would Otalia/Blake and Frank  had dinners together or celebrate the holidays together with their daughters Francesca and Emma and son Rafe?  Would Billy have been the big romantic teddy bear he was meant to be and made sure that Vanessa knew, every day, how much he loved her?

If there is such a thing as  a ‘good death’, The Guiding Light had one.   Alan’s death allowed the writers to create a Springfield I’ve ALWAYS (get it)  wanted to see and one that lives on happily in my memory.

What about you?  Was it everything you wanted?

Will daytime gods NOW work harder to save the genre?

If you were a failed daytime writer, producer, or director, it rarely mattered that your tenure with a show was considered a creative low point. You could easily screw up one soap and move into the same position (most often) with a different soap. Guiding Light aired for the last time on Sept. 18th. Fans and soap critics are speculating that ATWT is the next to go. What do you think the impact will be on the power brokers of daytime? There are many fewer places to retreat to when you’ve performed poorly with one soap.

Will writers, producers, and directors continue to offer lazy storytelling (if you’re a fan like me who believes they are)?

OR

Do you think the cancellation of GL, along with the possible cancellation of ATWT, will light a creative spark causing TPTB to fight to save the jobs they have now? Where are the out of work writers/producers/directors of past canceled shows ending up? Where will those left in the industry go when this is all over? It has to weigh heavily of the minds of those still in the industry.

General Hospital… for the love of LIZ!

Liz and Prince Nikolas are low, sleazy, and just plain trashy… which means that I can’t take my eyes off of them!  They’re a motherfrickin’ trainwreck, people!   I dig their ‘forbidden chemistry’, I do … I just hate them as a couple.  It’s making me like them even less as individuals.  Liz has worn out her status as the woman meant to comfort GH’s broken-hearted males (Jason – TWICE, there was Zander Smith and  Ric Lansing, Patrick – during Robin’s PPD, and now Nik, yet AGAIN).  Still,  I have high hopes for this storyline.  Weird, I know!

I’d love for Liz to realize that she isn’t the goddess of goodness and light she’s seemingly  talked herself into believing she’s become.  Lucky is the evil lowdown drug addicted cheat who can’t be trusted.  She’s the picture of reclaimed purity and perfection still grieving his infidelity… Woe is her!  I thought Lanie’s question during the marriage counseling session, asking Liz if she thought she was incapable of cheating, was brilliant.  Well done writers.. you just blew it on the follow through.  Liz flashed, for just a moment, on her close contact with Prick Nikolas.

Too bad.  If I was writing the character, she’d have flashed back to her interlude with Zander.  Then she’d have thought about her dalliances with Jason, pre-Lucky’s addiction and post.  She would have thought about why her ‘natural’ reaction to finding out that Lucky was cheating was to cheat, herself.  THEN she would have thought about Nik, her ‘husband’s brother… She would have been tormented by the thought of hurting Lucky, the man who gave her the best of himself and who asked her for nothing in return.  Good for him  for asking for nothing, because nothing is pretty much all she has to give to him.  In my hands?   Liz would have experienced a raging inner battle – trying to figure out why so much of her life has been spent making Lucky feel small, cheating on him, drawing him in to love her just to reject him for the next new ‘someone better’.

How prophetic that Liz and Lucky were considered LL2 by fans (the second Luke and Laura).  The show’s writers are as determined to destroy Liz and Lucky as they have been to destroy Luke and Laura.  In this case?  Lucky is Laura… loving, sensitive, sometimes making mistakes but generous and forgiving to a fault.  He keeps loving Elizabeth and hoping that the next time will be different, that she’ll set aside her need for ‘adventure’ and adoration and just love him in return.   Liz is Luke… she says all the right things, but in the end she’s self-serving and cares more about what she feels in the moment than the implications of her actions.  Lucky’s pain can be ‘mended’ and one day she’ll make it up to him… until it’s time for her to leave him again.

Teenaged/Adult  Lucky fell for the feeling he knew best – an emotion that should never be called love, but it was the best his father – and now Liz, had to give.  Just as he clings to Luke and keeps hoping there’s something he can do to make his father love him;  he’s done the same with Elizabeth.  If the writers are in tune with these characters, they’ll have Lucky come to this conclusion and cut Prick Nikolas and Elizabeth Webber out of his life for good.  It’s time.  For all of Liz’s whining and obsessive need to be a victim, she clearly can never be the woman to love Lucky the way he needs to be loved.  Just like his father, she will disrupt his live whenever she needs something from him, but she’ll never give him genuine love and respect in return.   She knows what to say, she just isn’t capable of proving her love with the appropriate action.

Let’s just hope she doesn’t give him yet another child she’ll pass off as his own.  To make him think he was the father of Jason’s kid was bad enough… to make him think he’s the father of his brother’s child?  Brutal!

Writers, I have a cup of popcorn with Lucky’s name on it just waiting to be popped!  It’s ready for the day that Lucky gets to rip into Elizabeth and Nik, REALLY rip into them – in a way that makes it clear to us that there will never be real happiness for the two of them, because they don’t deserve it.  WTG, Prick Nik… guilt your brother into staying away from Rebecca (WHEW, I guess I should thank him for THAT MUCH) and then sleep with the only woman he’s ever really loved.

Trainwreck!

Good-bye, Guiding Light, my old friend!

I keep reading summaries about the show from the last several days.  I haven’t had the heart to  watch the final episodes, yet.   For as much as I’ve hated the lousy writing, stinking production values, and sucking music whose decibel levels far exceeded that of the dialogue it was meant to enhance rather than obstruct… I will miss this show.  I’ll remember the Reardons, and Quinton, Evil Vanessa and beloved Henry, Mature Vanessa without Henry, Wild Reva, Whore-of-Springfield Reva, the heart of GL Reva, Josh the Lewises,  Josh and Reva, the Bauers, shipwrecked Alex, Tortured Holly, Maddening Roger Thorpe, “Zas” the great, Gilly, Hampton, David, Brent-turned-Marian, Nadine, the Coopers, Ed and Lillian, Mo’s death, Hart Jessup, Mallet, Julie, Palomino Ponies and Blue Skies, Chealsea and Johnny,  Lujack, Tony, Fallen Angels… so much more.

The Guiding Light will outlive its worst days, even if it’s only in our memories.  By this weekend, I’ll be able to watch the last days of GL and cheer on every actor and cast member who gave their all until the very end.

I know… it’s just a soap, but it’s a soap that’s been a part of my life since my earliest memories.  Good bye old friend!

A BnB fan responds!

A profund “Thank You” to L239x for her response to the Brooke and Ridge reunion episodes.  After reading her thought provoking response, tell me,  was your take different?  The same?  What reaction did you have to the show’s big reunion scenes?  Drop me an email, let me know!

After not watching for ages, I broke down and watched Thursday Friday & Tuesday’s shows; I had to!  I needed to see for myself so that I could form my own opinion based on what my eyes saw play out.

Although I was disappointed, as usual, in Ridge needing to be hit over the head with a sledge hammer to make a decision, I was pleasantly pleased at the end result.  Can you believe he was going to sit & sulk and walk around in a funk until Thorne came by and told him to get off his duff and do something?

Here is where I think Taylor and Stephanie were off their game.  I think they were feeling too confident in their belief that Ridge had finally come around to seeing things their way (see ‘Let’s be logical’ below) that they forgot what it was that kept Ridge on their playing field and away from Brooks all those many times in the past. It was the constant buzzing in his ear and the unending quest to keep Brooke and Ridge separated and unable to talk to one another without supervision and/or a rebuttal argument from opposing counsel.  Sorry to say that if Stephanie had been the one that visited Ridge in his office that day; Brooke would be looking at the magnificent view of the Eifel Tower from her office at Forrester International.

The naysayers claimed that Brooke was bluffing, used RJ and used her mother’s illness to get Ridge.  “Go buy a clue” is my response to that foolish opinion.  Here’s a freebee, Brooke never used RJ. On the contrary, she told Ridge that he was free to see RJ anytime and even suggested ways they (Ridge & RJ) would remain in close contact even though they (Ridge & Brooke) were no longer together.  Brooke made the decision that if she and Ridge weren’t going to be together than she needed to get away.  Given the fact that her mother is ill, lives in Paris and FC has an office there, she decided to use that opportunity to make her break away from the never ending cycle of pain she was currently in.   She made the arrangements, packed her bags, and was on the plane on her way to Paris.  It wasn’t a bluff.  That, my friend, is what I call a promise.

As Stephanie and Taylor were about to celebrate ‘mission accomplished’ Taylor spots Katie, who should be on the plane with Brooke, across the room with her sister Donna.  As expected, they make their way over to the sisters table to get the 411 on the situation; which brings me to my next freebee.  The unhappy crew claimed that Katie and Donna were smug and gloated and had no business breaking the news to Taylor; my response:

You have got to be kidding me!

Stephanie’s middle name is “Gloat”
Taylor’s middle name is “Smug”

Over the years, I’ve often described Taylor as Smug, having a ‘self-satisfied air’ about the way she comes across when addressing Brooke.  If the tables were turned, Stephanie would have high-tailed it over to Brooke and barged in like the Tazmanian SheDevel, to gloat and cause further pain. She has done it too many times in the past to count. Taylor got the news far more gentle than Brooke ever would have.

Both Stephanie and Taylor deserved a lot of payback. So if Donna & Katie were gloating and appeared to be smug, so be it. Paybacks a Bitch!

The grumpy bunch was also turned off by Brooke gloating with Stephanie and bashing Taylor while, across town, Taylor was being so dignified and magnanimous. They also claim that Brookes concern for Taylor was fake; my response:

Taylor had time to process the information and decide how she would deal with it.  She lost and had two choices; go out kicking and screaming or put on one last performance to show Ridge she was the better woman.

How many times has Taylor sat gloating in the catbird’s seat while bashing Brooke; Too many to count. Just weeks ago she was walking the halls of FC bashing Brooke while she was supposedly planning a wedding. Then, after said wedding was called off, there she was again roaming the FC halls to track down Ridge so she could compare herself to Brooke reminding him of her good she (Taylor) was and how bad Brooke was. It was her bashing of Brooke in the telling of the ‘Love Story’ that resulted in her kid enlisting in the “Keep Brooke Away from Daddy” battle. What’s even worst is that most of Taylor’s bashing of Brooke is unprovoked. She always manages to cram it into the flow of the conversation or she starts up a Brooke bashing session; all to boost her own self-esteem.

What Brooke said about Taylor was perfectly acceptable given the conversation she was having with blinded-by-bestBuddyship-&-hate Steff. The Tazmanian-SheDevel was praising St. Teflon so Brooke responded by pointing out the obvious.  Brooke took away Stephanie’s power in that she didn’t argue, fight or entertain the same back and forth agreement about her relationship with Ridge.

I will also say that if Brooke’s concern for Taylor was fake, so was Taylor’s ‘graceful bow-out’. I chalk it up to the same deal as someone asking you “How are you?” and you responding “Fine.” You do what you do and give the acceptable response when given the normal conversation/situational cues.

Taylor and Stephanie have deluded themselves into believing that Ridge’s feelings for Brooke are nothing more than a temporary infatuation and that with time, he will get over them. Well, they have been wrong for quite some time now.  I believe that Taylor knows it but, having Stephanie constantly reaffirm her deepest wish of being with Ridge, she find it hard to stay on the logical side of reality and instead falls face first into Stephanie’s misleading version of could and should be.  In the end, it’s Taylor, not Stephanie, that pays the ultimate price.

Let’s be logical

I think it’s strange if your best friend, in the whole wide world, is you ex’s mother.  Think about it and be honest, the reason why you would remain so tight with the mother of your ex is because you want the inside scoop, you want to know when cracks appear in his current relationship, you want to know the perfect time to make your move back into his life and you want to be manipulated back into a relationship with your ex.

It feels good to have you ex’s mom constantly praise you as the best thing that ever happened to her son. An equal ego booster is listening to hisses and slurs about his current flame and how he let a good thing (you) go.  Admit it, hearing those words ranks right up there alongside the top 5 things women want to hear most:

• You’re too skinny
• I like your outfit
• I love you
• I wish I had your hair
• Where did you get those shoes

As girlfriends, you talk and feed off of each other’s feelings and reinforce each other emotions, especially when it involves men.  The ‘He made a mistake’ conversation is frequently brought up.  Under these circumstances, you and your best friend, his mom, would feel like you are the only two with the knowledge of what truly makes him tick, how he feels, and what he needs.  It’s only a matter of time before he realizes what a mistake he made and how much he truly loves and misses you. If he doesn’t come to this conclusion on his own, then it’s up to the two of you to bring him to around it.

Taylor’s problem was in not realizing this unhealthy relationship she and Stephanie had.  Hmmm, can she really call herself a psychiatrist?

How will Steffy and Thomas accept the news?

They will adjust and if not; who cares?  They already accepted Brooke years ago when she became their step-mom.  They had no complaints about her as their father’s wife, her abilities and treatment of them as their stepmom, or her as a person and member of the family.  They grew to love Brooke as much as she loved them.  It was only after they were told Taylor’s version of the ‘Love Story,’ casting herself as the Fair Maiden and Brooke as the Wicked Witch, that they (Thomas & Steffy) decided to enlist themselves in the ‘War on Brooke.’

Future Storylines *May contain Spoiler*

Norrth, I love you idea about Stormy and would love to see a Logan family storyline as it includes the family dealing with Beth and her disease.

I think I can speak for all of us; “WE ARE SICK OF THE LOVE TRIANGLES!!!” Being a strongly bonded couple doesn’t have to lead to back burner hell.  Save the ‘happily ever after’ for fairytales and shows that are cancelled.  I read that Stephanie is going to have a mini Stroke.  I think it would be fun if Ridge insisted that Stephanie come and live with him and Brooke so they can take care of her while she recovers.  This doesn’t mean Brooke and Steffzilla become friends, however the manipulations to get Ridge & Brooke apart is old and has worn out our last good nerve!  Brooke and Ridge both dealing with their mothers health crisis while trying to run a business, raise a family and keep a marriage fresh can be their challenge and interesting to watch, if done right.

Remember, I said “Save the happily ever after,” for another time; this is not that time.  Think Deborah and Marie on Everybody Loves Raymond.  Think Monster-In-Law. Think Mother Jefferson from The Jeffersons.  I would like to see Stephanie interacting as the loving grandmother to her younger grand kids; including Jack. I also want to see her and Brooke occasionally being cordial and working together for the greater good of the family, remember they now live together.  But, in keeping with their history, they are mostly catty towards each other.  Maybe one day Jack can overhear the tail end of one of Stephanie and Brookes cat-fights.  The part of the conversation where she (Stephanie) says she loves him (Jack) as if he were her grandson is missed by Jack.  However, he walks in unnoticed as Stephanie says “but, He isn’t my grandson” followed by some derogatory comment about Brooke and his father.  Yeah, let’s see them deal with those kinds of issues.

Taylor – I don’t know.  I come up blank.  I am still of the opinion that her extremely close relationship with Stephanie is unhealthy. Some say they want to see her friendship with Stephanie end.  I say “ain’t gonna happen.”  However, I would like for them to have a misunderstanding and a temporary falling out.  Perhaps Taylor’s old college study mate comes to town and hooks up with Thorne.  Stephanie doesn’t like her which leads to heated words between the BFF’s resulting in Taylor calling Stephanie judgmental. Maybe that would lead to Stephanie verbalizing things about Taylor that she turned a blind-eye on because they were buds and in battle together against Brooke. Oh, let the fur fly before it settles, yeah!

Clark – Let’s bring back CJ and Mark and give Clark a good storyline.  I don’t know about you, but I liked it when he was up to mischief; and I miss him.  Didn’t he and Stephanie have a fling back in the day?  How about Clark coming to visit Stephanie after hearing about her stroke which leads to him becoming a regular visitor at the Brooke & Ridge estate; cause that where Stephanie currently resides.  Perhaps during one of his visits, he overhears, while mistakenly ease dropping, Ridge on a confidential phone conversation involving Forrester Creations. Let the monkey-business, Clark is famous for, begin.

Are soap fans the ultimate ungrateful whiners?

A number of past interviews by daytime writers, producers, and directors  (industry wide) seem to indicate that we are.  We are but swine, refusing to accept the pearls of wisdom laid before us.  Our creed knows nothing of fine art, entertainment, great writing and producing.  We are hopeless.  Since they’ve repeatedly raised the issue, I have to wonder, ARE soap fans the ultimate ungrateful whiners?

Let’s take a look at GH:

Sonny’s ‘Hot Mafia Don’ act wore off on me long ago. Imagine that the GH brass gave us the Sonny Corinthos that so many of us have longed for.    Imagine Sonny Corinthos as an upstanding citizen and pillar of his community after the mob has been disbanded and run from Port Chuckles.  (I know, some GH fans have suggested a painless, or even painful, death for the character as an out of the mob mess.  Others have suggested that Sonny leave all together, to never return.  How can you reform a man who so callously orders the death of other poeple?)

Despite my unease with Sonny, Maurice Bernard is an enormously talented actor so it’s easy for me to understand why the GH brass has a hard time letting him go. I’m in awe enough of his talent to consider what Bernard could do with the character after Sonny’s transformation. I think it would be the acting challenge of a lifetime for him.

What work would Sonny do?

Who would he interact with, post mob?

What love interests would now be suitable for Sonny?

Work?  I dunno.  I can’t see Sonny as an accountant.  Lawyer?  Would he be eligible to take the bar?  He’s never been convicted of a crime so far, none that we know of that is – so it seems that he could.   If he did take the bar, I couldn’t see him being hired, convincingly, as a prosecutor.  He could serve as a defense attorney – but who would he defend?  Other criminals?  No one wants to see that. 

He’d have to work in corporate law.  It would allow Sonny to get as far away from his image as a mobster as possible, but still give him room to make use of his skills as a cutthroat – in a socially acceptable profession.  He wouldn’t even have to get rid of the dark suits!  He and Jax  would become competitors in each trying another takeover of ELQ.  Their attempts could bring back Dillon and Ned (though sadly Wally Kurth is being wasted on DAYS, and Scott Clifton is far to brilliant on OLTL to bring back to GH).  Tracy and her sons would band together along with their new wives and Edward, and Monica,  in fending off the family fortune.  We could get rid of Remily Shaw and focus on a new generation of Quartermaines.  I’d love Sonny forever for that alone! 

Sonny’s new peer group could now become Jax, the newly rebuilt Quartermaines, Nik Cassadine, and the occasional random character thrown in.  Could he take Jason with him? I’d hate to see that.  The bromance needs to end.  Jason needs to go his own way.  Having taken so many lives, I wouldn’t want to see him go back into medicine, as Jason Q once wanted.  The hypocrisy would kill us all, unless there was an epiphany taking place and Jason finally realized the magnitude of his actions.   If he went into medicine, he’d have to work in a clinic setting that treats the poor, not at GH.  It would open new storylines for both the show and the character.  It’s possible that Jason could end up working in a group home, something that would allow him to turn young lives around.  If Jason and Sonny worked together, we could never get the image of their psychopathic former lives out of our heads.

Away from the mob, all romance makes sense for these two.   You wouldn’t have to wonder what woman was willing to sell herself short, damn her integrity, or put her children at risk, to be with either man.  (Let’s hope that NEITHER becomes involved with Elizabeth Webber – whose position as the “betraying healer” is about to be cemented in her ‘forbidden love story” with yet another man Lucky trusts – his own brother)…  GAH, writers!

I don’t think fans are the ultimate ungrateful writers.  We may not always know what we want, but we do know that we deserve better than the writers typically give us.

William DeVry – NuNotStorm Logan? YnR Tie-In?

It’s unfortunate that a phenomenal actor like William DeVry, who was a significant part of the BnB’s success winning it’s first and only ‘Best Drama’  Emmy,  will no longer  be a part of the show!  There are so many unexplored storylines involving Storm – including finding out where he’s been all this time and what he’s been doing.  We know that he saved Donna, once, when she was sexually harassed while working in San Francisco.  We knew virtually nothing else about a character who was such an integral part of the Logan family’s life during the early days of this soap.  I’ve thought about how the writers COULD bring William DeVry back… as Storm’s twin!

(I KNOW, I KNOW, the writers just offered the Owen’s twin storyline.  It, however, was weak and I’m willing to pretend it NEVER happened.  Heck, I didn’t even see ‘Casper’ and I yawned about the character showing up when I read about him).

What if, during a family vacation in Paris, Beth Logan keeps mentioning how both babies were crying the day that Storm was born. Everyone would think it’s just Beth’s AD causing her to remember things that didn’t happen, or that she’s just confused about the babies in the nursery.  She’s insistent that she heard two babies cry when Storm was born.  All would think that she was slipping, especially since she doesn’t mention hearing two babies cry when she’s lucid.

As a former physician, Bridget starts to realize that these memories appear to be real.   Beth was never told she was carrying twins,  and was given only one baby when she woke up.  Because fathers weren’t usually in the delivery room at the time, Stephen never knew there was another child, either.   Shortly after they realize Beth’s memories are real, they all find out that the OB/GYN who delivered Storm is arrested for selling infants on the black market, something he’s been doing for over 40 years.

Let’s make this a HUGE storyline.  We can use it as a crossover!

Soaps are known for indulging impossible odds, so what if this storyline becomes a YnR/BB crossover that solves TWO mysteries?  Veteran YnR viewers will remember the BnB’s  Darlene Conley’s role as Rose DeVille many years ago.  She was the baby broker who stole Nina Chancellor’s child after she changed her mind about giving her baby up for adoption.  Phillip has a slightly older sister out there somewhere.  It’s time for him to meet her.

Why not tie the two shows together when we find out that the doctor who delivered Nina’s child is the same who delivered the Logan boys ?  In fact, it’s because Nina’s daughter traced her family history that she found out she was a stolen child.  Her parents knew they paid for her, they just  never knew she was stolen.  They thought it was a privately arranged adoption.  This storyline brings new complexities to relationships on the YnR AND the BnB.

Regarding the BnB: The Logans would have to adjust to a brother they never knew, one who has the face of the brother who’s tragically taken his own life.

Katie’s trauma over having Storm’s heart starts up again – the guilt.  He took his life to save hers.  Bill is there to help her through it.  She won’t get too involved with her new ‘big brother’ because it’s too painful. She remains focused on her relationship with Dollar Bill.

Beth gets to be reunited with the son she never knew she had before the AD progresses.

Stephen swears to be a better father to (NuNotStorm) than he was to Storm.

Bridget, Brooke, and Donna have a hard time connecting to the new family member… they don’t believe it’s possible that he’s really Storm’s twin and decide to investigate him. They find out that he is a Logan, but they also find out a number of other things about him that put everyone at risk… but what ARE his secrets? (Let’s leave that one for the writers)

As for Donna, what happens if she ends up connecting with Marcus’ father because he knew Storm as a friend,  and understands even better than Eric why this is all so hard for her.  What if the doctor who delivered Storm delivered all of Beth’s children, and even Donna’s son Marcus?  Could NuNotStorm be connected to the Logan family in a way that even HE didn’t know about?… I think you see where I’m going!

C’mon BnB writers, go for broke!  You wouldn’t need to do another (critically panned) back-from-the-dead storyline that damages the integrity and reputation of your show.  Give us a little intrigue, a crossover with the YnR , and bring back one of the best things to happen to the BnB in quite a while.  As an aside, once LK’s stint at ATWT is over,   Felicia Forrester will need something to do… and getting to know the show’s new bad boy wouldn’t hurt!

Gifts for Daytime Characters

The Bold and The Beautiful

Congratulations to the soap on it’s HUGE Emmy win for Best Drama!  The submitted clips – featuring William DeVry, Katherine Kelly Lang, Heather Tom, and Jennifer Gareis, faithfully represented the best of the soap this past year.  Storm’s suicide was an unexpected twist and gave the four actors involved the opportunity to  deliver performances of a lifetime.   The suicide of an emotionally fragile character rarely takes place in daytime. Writers will pen the suicide of characters who are disturbed and already dying.  Even then, suicide is typically used to frame another character for murder (DAYS’ using one of  Tony DiMera’s various deaths to set up John Black for murder, for example).

Storm’s suicide was even more tragic since he took his life to save his sister, Katie, who was accidentally shot while wrestling a gun away from him.  He made sure to not to damage his heart since he was a perfect match for Katie and his heart could be used to replace her damaged heart.  It was painful but poignant and it was one of the bright spots of the entire year.

My wish for all BnB characters is that the writers are emboldened (no pun intended) by this Emmy win and stop writing ‘shock and awe’ storylines and start writing storylines about relationships between people (mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, siblings, lovers).  We could do with MORE of the type of writing that earned the BnB it’s first ‘Best Drama’ Emmy.

One Life to Live

I know that I was supposed to cheer Gigi on when she confronted Kim and told her that ‘pole dancer’ was just a new way of saying ‘whore’, but I couldn’t.  I’m pretty damned sick of Gigi’s whining about Stacy’s non-pregnancy and her anger about Rex being her sister’s baby daddy.   Don’t get me wrong… in Gigi’s shoes, I would be PISSED… but I’d also be pissed and single because there’s no WAY Rex, or any other man, would have been allowed to darken my doorstep after having sex with my sister, lying about it, and then telling it that it’s partially MY fault.  I get that she’s angry, it just annoys me that she attacks and belittles everyone except Rex.

My gift to Gigi is a pair of nice white socks!  She can shove them in her mouth whenever she feels like calling someone an ugly name.  Wasn’t it bad enough that she supported her pre-teen son’s misogynistic behavior?  Why doesn’t she just turn around and give Rex a good smack every time Stacy makes her angry? Maybe then Rex will realize how awful his behavior was and how much pain he’s caused her.  Has Gigi  forgotten that Stacy wasn’t artificially inseminated but that her ‘true love’ took her sister to bed?  Kim is a stripper, Stacy is a liar, and Rex is a mealy-mouthed pain-in-the-ass, and if I’m not mistaken, pain-in-the-ass is just another name for WHORE.  (By the way, what is it with ABC and CBS soap writers referring to women as ‘whores’?  Enough already)

My gift to Rex would be the slap Gigi owes him.  It dropped my jaw to hear him say that he didn’t want to have to hit a girl… WHAT have the writers done to the guy?  They’ve turned him into a complete loser.

The Guiding Light

Reva Shayne Lewis‘ misery makes perfect sense, and under any other circumstance, I would be tolerant and patient, respecting the fact that the writers did the right thing by allowing Reva mourn her husband before moving on – even if I don’t miss Jeffrey.  At this point, I’m annoyed by Reva’s mourning for two reasons:

1 – There’s so little time left on GL that it’s clear that the writers couldn’t put Josh and Reva back together in a way that was organic and believable.  My gift to Reva would have been to have her put on her glasses and look at what’s in front of her… Joshua “Bud” Lewis, the love of her life.  They belong together and it’s just painful knowing that we’re days away from losing this once glorious soap and that the writers haven’t started on the next chapter of their neverending love story.   Shame on the writers and the executive producer for not giving us the time to embrace a JEVA reunion and enjoy one of the show’s greatest legacies.

2 – Reva’s shrine to Jeffrey seems to be EW’s way of getting one last hit in on fans.  We didn’t (in large numbers) support Jeffrey and Reva over Josh and Reva, so our last days are spent either watching and FFing the million and one pics of Jeffrey, or tuning out all together.  Thanks for nothing.   Poor Bradley Cole, I think I’ve seen his face enough for this lifetime.  He should have refused to allow Wheeler  to plaster his picture over every available inch of ‘the cabin’.

Phillip and Beth.  I’d love for them to have blue skies (and palomino ponies, yes).  Rather than having our last days of GL be shaped by the constant thought of Phillip dying, I would have loved to have Billip on some faux vacation shoot, recommitting their love to one another, and leaving us with the hope that this time they’d get it right.  Just as they  give in to their passion, how lovely it would have been for them to find out that the newlywed couple in the next room was Rick and Mindy – who then inspire Beth and Phillip to remarry.  Imagine their last GL scenes ending with the four of them frolicking on the beach, laughing and loving… that’s the way I plan to remember them.