Young and the Restless’ Surprising Mother and Child Reunion

September 1, 2008 By 8 Comments

Elizabeth Hendrickson

Thinking Fans Comment Update Sept. 2:  Bob thinks the twist makes sense … Jonnysbro thinks EH is paydirt … but Chris thinks the writers won one and lost one. See Comments below. 

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By Patrick Erwin 

By the time you read this, Young and the Restless will have just revealed a major plot point — that fashionista Chloe, Lily’s adversary, is actually Kate, Esther’s daughter!

There are many times where I have written about soaps and have had to be grumpy about what’s happening on screen, or be the bearer of bad tidings. So I’m really happy to ring the bells about this revelation and RAVE about it. I think this is the [Read more...]

Filed Under: PATRICK, Young and the Restless Tagged With: , , , ,

Rating As the World Turns’ Busy, Busy Summer

August 29, 2008 By 9 Comments

Kelley M.

Thinking Fans Comment Update Aug. 30: Kristen says ATWT writers finally got one right … while Oakdalian found the summer a mixed bag … and more. See Comments below. 

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By Patrick Erwin

What’s been happening in Oakdale? It’s been an interesting summer for As The World Turns as the show has been finding its balance after the departure of Martha Byrne (Lily) and several other high-profile departures of other characters earlier this year — including the losses of Jennifer Landon (Gwen), Jesse Soffer (Will) and Scott Bryce (Craig).

Here’s a look at some of the show’s front burner stories from this summer:

Parker and Liberty: The Internet message boards have indicated that fans have mixed feelings about this story. And I’ll agree Liberty and mom Juicy Janet have

I really want to spotlight Kelley Menighan Hensley for praise. As Emily, she’s sold us on every single story she’s ever been in. (And that’s a tall order!)

been overplayed. They’ve only been on for six months, and both characters were thrust to the front-burner almost immediately, first as Brad’s instant family and then in this story.

But I’ve found this young love story to be moving and realistic. Much of the credit for that has to go to Mick Hazen, who is a great young actor. He’s done a great job at playing [Read more...]

Filed Under: As the World Turns, PATRICK Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Soap Surprises: Five Holy @#%! Moments

August 12, 2008 By 37 Comments

Marlena killer

Thinking Fans Holy @#%! Update Aug. 14:  Melanie picks Wayne Northrup’s return as Roman on Days … B3 loved Gwyneth as the killer on Loving … Carl recalls five faves from Santa Barbara … and more.  See Comments below.

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By Patrick Erwin

Soap plots have many twists and turns in them, but we rarely get to see a complete “bombshell” surprise, like the ones we’ve seen in The Sixth Sense, The Crying Game, or The Usual Suspects. The “reveal” of a surprise on soaps usually happens a little bit at a time, with a character or two here or there. And unfortunately, the appetite for news and spoilers has spoiled the element of surprise for many viewers (and that isn’t doing the shows any favors, either).

But there have been moments of complete, utter surprise on the soaps. Here (in no particular order) are five examples of fantastic, goosebump-producing, oh-no-they-didn’t moments.

NOTE: The moments I am talking about, and have listed below, were stories where we the audience, were totally surprised when these scenes played out. There are many, many moments, like [Read more...]

Filed Under: As the World Turns, Bold and the Beautiful, Days of Our Lives, Guiding Light, PATRICK Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Do You Love or Hate it When Soaps Repeat Their Histories?

July 30, 2008 By 13 Comments

Thinking Fans Comment Update July 31:  How to repeat soap histories? Melanie counts the ways … James cheers the Reva/Josh movie wedding … while esther is generally unimpressed by retreads … and more. See Comments below.  

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By Patrick Erwin  

Each of the eight daytime soaps on American network TV these days has a substantial history. The Bold and the Beautiful is the youngest at 21, Guiding Light the eldest at 71. Collectively, this is a rich history. And I’m all for calling on the past to inform current storylines.

But there’s a curious trend emerging this summer, and I’m not sure what to make of it. A few shows have gone beyond revisiting history — they actually seem to be reliving the stories in a way we haven’t really seen before. The stories we’re seeing are often [Read more...]

Filed Under: All My Children, Bold and the Beautiful, General Hospital, Guiding Light, One Life to Live, PATRICK, Young and the Restless Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Point-Counterpoint: The Infuriating Holden/Carly Romance on As the World Turns

July 10, 2008 By 18 Comments

Holden and Carly

What is daytime’s most unpopular romance? Judging from fan complaints, I’d say it’s Holden and Carly on As the World Turns.  Here are two characters — wed not to each other — who are or were partners in two separate long-running supercouples.

Well, so what?  Since partner switch — and adultery — are staples of soaps, I can’t quite understand why there is such a huge fan outcry against this romance.  So I’ve sought guidance from two valued members of Team Marlena:  I’ve asked our Patrick Erwin, who dislikes the pairing, to explain the fan hostility he believes is justified. For the other side of the coin, I’ve turned to my longtime friend and ardent ATWT fan, a television writer/producer who wishes to be known only as pjs.  He, too, has an explanation for why the fans hate the romance, why the fans are wrong, and why he likes the pairing of Holden and Carly.

Enjoy the debate, Thinking Fans.  It may inspire you to post your own thoughts in the comments section at the end.

                                                                        Marlena

                                                                        XXXOOO

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HOLDEN AND CARLY:  THE WRONG TIME, THE WRONG FACE

By Patrick Erwin

Message boards and the virtual soap universe have been filled over the last few weeks with some loud and strong reactions to the pairing of Holden and Carly on As The World Turns. I don’t think [Read more...]

Filed Under: As the World Turns, GUESTS, MARLENA, PATRICK Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Why Today’s One Life To Live Reminds Me of the Glory Days of Guiding Light

July 2, 2008 By 20 Comments

One Life to Live

By Patrick Erwin

I’ve been writing about soaps for a while, but  I am a relatively new daily fan of One Life To Live. Yes, as Marlena has observed, some of us soap viewers are boarding the OLTL lifeboat, and I, for one, have bought my ticket!

Guiding Light logoI watched OLTL a bit here and there (especially during the first Malone years), but I  am really drawn to the quality of the show now. What could I possibly say about OLTL that has not been said before — about the writing, the characters, the pacing? Nothing, that’s what. So instead of trying to recap OLTL, I decided I’d try to tell you why I’m loving OLTL so much … by talking about Guiding Light.

Huh, you say? Work with me here.

With apologies to The Golden Girls‘ Sophia Petrillo, I say: picture it — Springfield, 1990. The show was slated for some major changes. Pam Long was running into network interference, and she and GL parted ways. At the same time, several of GL‘s biggest stars were [Read more...]

Filed Under: Guiding Light, One Life to Live, PATRICK Tagged With: , , , , ,

Losing “The Natural” — An Appreciation of Beth Ehlers, Guiding Light’s Irreplaceable Harley

May 29, 2008 By 13 Comments

By Patrick Erwin

Beth Ehlers is on her way to ABC and All My Children‘s Pine Valley, and they’re all damn lucky to have her. But for the second time in just a few months, P&G and CBS have made the boneheaded move of allowing someone who was woven deeply into the tapestry of a show to walk away. P&G clearly hasn’t learned from the loss of As the World Turns‘ Martha Byrne (the definitive Lily) and made the same mistake twice! They’ve let another beloved performer walk away with the audience’s heart and a big chunk of the tapestry of the show with all of the history and memories attached. This is something few recasts can ever replace, no matter how hard they try!

It’s hard to not be nostalgic and mournful. How do you let years of history and connections walk away? Harley — and Ehlers — had a connection with nearly everyone on the Guiding Light canvas.

Harley was one of the most complex [Read more...]

Filed Under: All My Children, As the World Turns, Guiding Light, PATRICK Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Why Guiding Light is Self-Destructing

May 16, 2008 By 18 Comments

Guiding Light logo

By Patrick Erwin

The other day I got so fed up, I turned off Guiding Light and swore I’d never turn it back on.  That might have been an overreaction — of course I’ve been watching it so long that  I’ll inevitably  tune in again sometime. But in my up-and-down relationship with GL, it’s time to give it some tough love. My old friend has changed drastically over the last few years, but these days, it seems to be self-destructing.

Lest you think I’m fickle and have made the judgment lightly, let me tell you a few things. I’ve been watching GL since 1980 or so, and I’ve seen a lot of wonderful actors playing fantastic stories.  Despite the clunker stories of the 80s and 90s (Ghost Reva, Amish Reva, walking through paintings, etc.)  I have stayed tuned. Why? Well, [Read more...]

Filed Under: Guiding Light, PATRICK Tagged With: , , , ,

10 Merry Mid-Month of May Questions

May 14, 2008 By 13 Comments

By Marlena De Lacroix and Patrick Erwin

1.  When you saw John-Paul Lavoisier as Rex in his recent pre-wedding scenes on One Life to Live, wandering around a bar drunk, shirtless, and disheveled with a wild head of hair, didn’t he remind you just a little of Bamm-Bamm from The Flintstones?

2.  Have you been lost in the maze of brunettes on As The World Turns? When we watched Noelle Beck as nuLily, she looked a lot like Marie Wilson (Meg). Who also looks a lot like Julie Pinson (Janet).  Janet also has a [Read more...]

Filed Under: All My Children, As the World Turns, Bold and the Beautiful, Days of Our Lives, General Hospital, Guiding Light, MARLENA, One Life to Live, PATRICK, Young and the Restless Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

More Emmy Noms 2008: How ‘bout a Little Self-Respect?

April 30, 2008 By 5 Comments

By Patrick Erwin

Basketball may have its March Madness, but the soap world has its own spring madness ritual — the Daytime Emmy nominations. The discussions about this year’s nominations have come fast and furious since they were announced yesterday. Marlena gave her take on the whole process, and I had a few thoughts of my own I thought I’d like to share.

Most Confusing Nomination: The three younger actress nominations for The Young and the Restless. Look, I know everyone has their own favorites, and their own likes and dislikes. And as far as these performers go (Vail Bloom, Emily O’Brien, Tammin Sursok), I have nothing against any of them per se. But even the most ardent Y&R fan has to admit all three of these performers played characters who were unpopular with viewers, and have been in very unpopular storylines. For all three to be rewarded with a nomination defies logic.

The “Guiding Light Survival Raft” Nominations: All of the acting nominations for Days of our Lives. Like GL, Days has been the subject of cancellation rumors [Read more...]

Filed Under: General Hospital, Guiding Light, One Life to Live, PATRICK, Young and the Restless Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
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