A Damned Shame - Episode Breakdown

9/17/09

I am not a happy camper, right now. Today's episode was the next-to-last episode of Guiding Light, ever, and it was a huge mess and a bloody waste of precious time. It is inconceivable to me that the writers of this show could feel that loyal viewers of this show are deserving of the pile of crap that aired today, or that the actors, who have sacrificed so much during the last 18 months, deserved no better send-off.

Josh Lewis

Josh wants to kidnap Reva and marry her? That's stupid and boring. It's ridiculous. It's pointless. And it amounted to nothing. It seems to me that there was a good 8 or 9 minutes to fill, and some hack decided, "Hey, I know - let's just give Robert Newman some filler bullshit about wanting to marry Reva. No one will believe it's going to happen, and no one will care, but who gives a damn? We can't have dead air." I think this calls for a picture of Olivia, to dull the pain.

The Token Black Characters

I honestly think the writers have felt, for several months, now, that the show just had to have a black story line, no matter how pointless or bad it was. There is NOTHING interesting or entertaining about Remy and Christina. There never WAS anything interesting or entertaining about them. They don't have a fan base. And, I have to call it as I see it: neither one of these two young people could act his or her way out of a paper bag. To say that I'm infuriated by the fact that precious time was wasted in giving them yet another stupid, pointless, boring story line would be putting it mildly. Remy and Christina's surname shouldn't be "Boudreau", it's should be "Token."

If the writers really felt compelled to run a story line with a black character (which is fair enough) why didn't they get Yvonna Wright back on contract a year ago, and develop a meaty story for Mel Boudreau, instead of a quickie bit of fluff between Mel and Cyrus? Wright can actually act, Mel is part of Springfield's main family and, let's face it, Yvonna Wright is not exactly difficult to look at. So much has been said about how the main families of Springfield have been abandoned, and it's true. This is a prime example of a wasted opportunity. Instead of going the token black route and featuring lots of Remy and Christina junk, the writers should have long ago focused on Mel and Leah, placing them front and center, representing the future of the Bauer clan....the future of Springfield, the future of Guiding Light.

But, back to Remy and Christina - are they supposed to be survivors of a great accident? Did I miss the episode when they both incurred massive, traumatic brain injuries? Because only two brain-damaged adults would fail to realize that not having a marriage license is a pretty significant blunder. No wonder it's so easy to get away with crime in Springfield: the police force is manned by total idiots. Remy makes Frank Cooper look like a Rhodes Scholar. Not only does he not know that marriage is, indeed, a legal status, but he clearly has no idea what a pregnancy test is.

The only good thing about any of this was the ten seconds of Olivia, and the look she gave Remy. That look spoke volumes. It said, "You're a fucking retard, Remy. All this time wasted on you and your bug-eyed wife could be spent on ME and MY cute wife who is suddenly starting to seem pretty smart, compared to you." Yes, I'm angry. And, yeah, I'm posting another Olivia picture. Got a problem with that?

Reva and Jonathan

I don't really care about this, but I'm glad to see Kim Zimmer and Thom Pelphrey together, because they have a great rapport. And Reva/Jonathan act like a real mother and son might act. But, really, who cares? I don't.

Daisy

Yeah, whatever. Who gives a shit? Suddenly people from U.C. are calling it Berkeley College, and not U.C. Berkeley. I know a high-functioning moron who has his degree from U.C. Berkeley, so it's feasible that Daisy would get in. But, again, who gives a shit? In fact, I care so little that I'm posting another picture of Crystal Chappell.

Ed and Holly

Where to begin? There writers had the sublime Maureen Garrett on set for one day, and they totally wasted her talents. Holly only ever ever wanted Ed because he was safe. How incredibly boring. I love Peter Simon, but this development is lame and foolish. Why even bother to bring Holly back? For this? Seriously? I still think bringing Holly back as a lesbian would have kicked ass. I'm not even saying I'd want or expect to see her with a partner. I just think that would have been an awesome way to make use of Garrett's one day of shooting. This nonsense of Ed and Holly winding up together? I'm happy for my friend, Patrick Erwin, who likes them together but, for me, it's total bullshit. Yeah - no. I'm not posting a picture of Ed and Holly. RIP, Michael Zaslow.

Edmund and Jefferey

Seriously, does anyone give a shit about this stupid crap? Jefferey raped Olivia a million years ago, and now they're friends. That calls for a picture of Olivia, so that this space isn't a total waste.

Phillip and James

I love them together. The Frisbee scene was perfect. Not too much. Quiet. Sweet. That is all.

Alexandra

Thank God for Marj Dusay, who kicked all kinds of ass, today. I never thought I'd be happy to see Fletcher Reade. I've never much cared for him. But Alex has loved him for years, and he's always had that soft spot for her. It was a fitting nod to the past, to Alex's history, to have Fletcher rush back to Springfield, and to have him be the only person Alex could break down in front of. Marj Dusay saved this episode from being a complete waste of time. "Bye-bye, brother" brought tears to my eyes.

Odds and Sods

I got nothing. I'm seriously too pissed off.

He Is Just Away - Episode Breakdown

9/16/09

I cannot say, and I will not say

That he is dead. He is just away.

With a cheery smile, and a wave of the hand,

He has wandered into an unknown land.

- James Whitcomb Riley (Excerpt)

Phillip and Rick

As I watched the first two scenes of this episode I got all choked up, not just because Alan is dead and Phillip is suffering, but because I realized that I've been watching these two men together since they were practically still boys. We grew up together and, after Friday, I'll never see Freddie and Phillip, again. Guiding Light has treated us to some really wonderful friendships over the years, and this is one of the most enduring. Who else would Phillip call on finding his dead father, but his oldest and best friend? I love these guys together. I love it that the drama of the final episodes provided these characters with a chance to be on screen in a meaningful way. Grant Aleksander's performance was, once again, perfect. He looks as if his heart is broken, and it breaks my heart to see him.

Reva and Jonathan

I've hardly cared about these two until today, and the only reason I care today is because Reva is handling her son's homecoming the way Natalia should have handled Rafe's return from prison. Reva and Jonathan together scream REALISM. Reva's not having any of the weird behavior Jonathan has picked up while he's been on the run. She lays down the law: now that you've re-entered the real world, real world rules apply, so get over yourself. Why, why, why couldn't Natalia have handled Rafe in this way months ago? No wonder he's a douchebag.

I also like that Alan's death lights a fire under Reva and pushes her into facing the fact that loss is, sadly, a part of life, but that life goes on. Nice nod to the fact that Alan and Reva were married once. They were even happy for a little while.

I'm going to ask this, again: why do the wardrobe people hate Kim Zimmer? We've seen her at the Emmy Awards and the Paley event, where she looked great. It's almost as if the wardrobe people looked for the least flattering dress they could possibly find for Kim. Kim isn't 20. And she's not a size 3. Neither are most of us. She's a real woman - something we hardly get to see anymore. "Real" does not have to mean "dowdy." Reva Shayne is not dowdy.

Alexandra Spaulding

If yesterday's episode belonged to Grant Aleksander, today was Marj Dusay's turn to shine. It's about damned time. Alex's controlled, understated reaction to losing her beloved brother was spot-on. Dusay didn't miss a beat. It's unfortunate the actors playing the servants haven't been series regulars, because Dusay was great in that scene, while the actors playing the servants looked like two day players who were really excited to actually have lines.

I loved the way Alex took control and laid out the plans for Alan's funeral. Alex is, after all, the head of the family. For many years, while Alan was away, Alex really was head of the family. She has experience in this area. She does not drop the ball. Alex keeps her shit together, keeps tough, and breaks down when she can do it alone. We saw this years ago when she had her heart crushed by Roger. We saw it again today. The final scene with Alex and Alan's corpse felt like eavesdropping or looking through a peephole at a private moment. Beautiful work from Dusay. What a shame she's been on the shelf for so long.

James

Damn you for making me like you a little bit. What a lousy way to find out your grandfather has died. When James hugged Phillip, I let out a sigh of relief.

Rafe

Rafe is a jerk. He spends a private moment of bonding with Frank, thanks him profusely for all he's done for him, but can't muster up much more than an "I have to go" for his own mother? What about all your mother has done for you, Rafe? All she's given you? Like...basically...everything. And don't get me started on his asking Olivia to take care of Natalia for him. My rant to Rafe: You never even apologized, you little shit! The last time we saw you talking to Olivia, you were gloating and telling her that she was going to end up alone. You don't get to do that shit, never even apologize, and then ask Olivia to take care of your mom, as if nothing has happened. And, no - giving Emma a quarter does not make up for your bad behavior. Being nice to a kid who has just lost her grandfather is the absolute least that's expected from adults in the real world. You don't get a medal for that.

Another thing - I'm sick of hearing that Rafe is a hero. The script writers clearly need a thesaurus. They used this word for Mallet, too. Rafe is not a hero. He's a homophobic bastard who is so afraid of facing the fact that his mother loves another woman, that he's opted to join the army. It's called running away from home. Hiding behind a uniform and a war doesn't make it any less cowardly.

Olivia and Natalia

Sweet. That's pretty much it. They should have made out as Rafe's bus pulled out. I like the idea of him being deployed to Iraq with the image of his mother being groped by Olivia cemented into his brain.

Buh bye, Rafe!

Odds and Sods

Olivia's nail polish is nasty. Sorry, but Herman Munster is not the look Olivia should strive for.

This just occurred to me - why the hell wasn't Ed Bauer at Vanessa's wedding? He's one of her oldest, dearest friends. Dumb oversight.

Did anyone else laugh when Alex told Rick that no one blamed him for Alan's death? Translation: You've killed another patient, Rick!

The fact that Peyton has been invisible for years came back to haunt GL today: the child playing Peyton is just some cute, generic kid who clearly has no rapport with Beth Chamberlain. What could have been a touching scene if the child had at least felt comfortable making eye contact with Chamberlain, ended up being nothing more than a tedious waste of time. We don't know Peyton, so we don't really care about Peyton.

I think it was Nelson Branco who recently wrote that it's wise for writers who don't know how to write for Grant Aleksander to allow his action to take place out of earshot. I liked it that we saw, but didn't hear, as Phillip broke the news of Alan's death to Lizzie. I don't know if the person writing that day's script felt unable to write dialogue for that scene, or why they chose to film it in this way, but it worked.

Of Fathers and Sons - Episode Breakdown

9/15/09

The Lewis Family

Josh and Reva have come full circle and, as I was sure would be the case, there is no reuniting these two. I know many fans will find this heartbreaking, but I like it. In some ways, Josh and Reva's relationship can be just as unhealthy as the relationship Holly and Roger shared. They're better suited as friends. If they ended up together now, it would only be because Reva is lost without Jefferey. Josh's announcement that he will be leaving Springfield because there's no one left to take care of is bittersweet, but logical, and it's good soap opera. He and Reva have played out all they can play out, and the fact that they no longer make sense as a couple reminds me of AMC's Palmer and Daisy, and the last time they parted. I believe Daisy told Palmer, "It's been a lovely, wild ride, but the ride is over." The Reva/Josh tilt-a-whirl has stopped.

Josh's speech about Billy and Vanessa made me mushy. He's right, of course; Vanessa has always brought out the best in Billy. And there's always been such strong affection between Josh and Vanessa - even when Vanessa divorced Billy, she and Josh still lived in the family home together. Their bond has long been like that of a brother and sister.

The Reardons

I'm so glad that Matt was not excluded from GL's final week, but that his inclusion in the wedding festivities was not all HAPPYHAPPYJOYJOY. Matt loves Vanessa. He always will. If Guiding Light were going to continue, I'm sure Matt would continue on as a tortured soul who has no one to blame but himself for losing the one woman he will always adore. The casting of Frank Dicopoulous' daughter (please, someone supply me with her name) as Maureen Reardon is perfect. She's a lovely girl who, with that dark hair and piercing eyes, could easily be the child of Matt and Vanessa.

I loved seeing Brigett and Nola come to Matt's side, and offer him the comfort of family support. Guiding Light, at it's best, has focused on family - on extended family, unconventional family, family hardship, family love - and the Reardons are one of the greatest families Springfield has ever seen. I'm sad we're not getting more of them as the show folds.

The Couples

Billy and Vanessa

So cute together. Maeve Kinkead looks as if she's so happy to be home. Having spoken to her just a day after shooting was over, I know that she was incredibly moved by the experience of ending Guiding Light, and by how much the show had touched people over the years. I may be imagining it, but I think it really shows. When I look at the veterans of the show as they recite some of their final lines, it seems to me that they're giving it their all for the fans.

Buzz and Lillian

Buzz started out in Springfield as a man-on-the-make, a true con man, a hustler. With his pierced ear and street swagger, and a phony name that sounded as if it had been lifted from Valley of the Dolls (Anyone else remember Rex Mancini?) he promised to be Springfield's next smooth operator. He's emerged as the town curmudgeon, but with a heart of gold, and some inexplicable charm that women find irresistible. (The man was this close to marrying Olivia Spencer, for heaven's sake!) He and Lillian are a perfect pair. He needs the steady, reliable love of a good woman who won't bail on him. She needs to take the occasional walk on the wild side.

James and Daisy

Cute. That is all. If there were a future for Guiding Light, they would almost certainly be the next Phillip and Beth.

Phillip and Beth

This episode belonged to Grant Aleksander, but more about that later.

How long have fans waited for this? Phillip and Beth have danced this dance for something like 25 years, and all I can say is: Whew! Thank God they found their way back to one another. Soap opera proposals rarely move me - they happen so frequently - but Phillip's impassioned proposal moved me to tears. He and Beth Chamberlain have amazing chemistry, and their real life affection for one another shines through. I know this will be considered blasphemy in some circles, but Beth Chamberlain is the REAL Beth. Judi who? The belong together. Case closed.

Blake and Frank

I know a lot of people hate Frank, but I don't. I want him to find happiness. And I love Blake. These two have been friends for years, and they used to be friends-with-benefits. They don't exude smoldering passion, but thats ok. Frank will never have another Eleni. Blake will never have another Ross. But they can have one another and make it work. We already know they're sexually compatible, and that's half the battle, when it comes to Blake. And, really, Blake looked smoking hot in that dress. Why didn't Frank notice that? Oh, yeah - he's the one who didn't notice the loving looks between his fiancee' and her best friend.

Olivia and Natalia

They didn't have anything major, in terms of plot development. Their story line seems to be complete. There will be no kiss. I think it's best to assume that all manner of intimacy is happening behind closed doors at the farmhouse. In public, though, they are equal parts adorable and smoking hot as they walk hand-in-hand on the beach. Olivia's red dress seals the deal, as far as the smoking hot part goes. I'm repeating myself, I know: but it's sooooo nice to see these two as a couple, among other couples, just being part of the community.

Alan/Phillip/James

I fear words will fail me, but I'll try. By the time this episode was over, I found myself steeping in a puddle of tears.

Just as Alan finds redemption and passes along some wise words to his son, we can see the father/son dynamic mirroring itself in Phillip and James. Will James ever let go of his anger, and understand that it was love - not resentment - that kept his father from allowing him to lay down his life?

Just as Phillip feels he can finally let go of the past and enjoy a relationship with his father, it's all taken away from him. I'd guessed Alan would die, and I read the spoiler. I thought I was prepared. How foolish of me! If you'd told me a year ago that Alan Spaulding's death would break my heart, I would have suggested a dose of reality. I would have been so wrong. Phillip's words to a father he doesn't realize is dead, and his subsequent reaction, ripped my heart right out of my chest. If the cemetery scene the Otalia story line cemented my long-standing respect for Crystal Chappell's acting prowess, this last episode in the Alan/Phillip saga has cemented my long-standing reverence for the talent of Grant Aleksander. Today, Guiding Light was the Phillip Spaulding show, and what an amazing show.

Yes, words failed me. Sorry I couldn't do any better.

Odds and Sods

Poor Alexandra - she's lost her best friend. But, really, Birkenstocks to a wedding? I've got a little bit of a hippie past. I own Birkenstocks. I love them. They are NOT proper footwear for a wedding.

Speaking of footwear, is there not a single member of the Lewis clan who knows the basic rule about brown shoes? For the love of God - someone help these guys.

I saw some nasty comments about Natalia's dress. Have you folks looked at maternity clothing, lately? That's one of the nicest maternity get-ups I've seen. Anyhow, WTF are you looking at the fakely pregnant woman, when the hot-ass, kettle-bell-svelte hottie in the red dress with the mad cleavage is joined at her hip? Look at Olivia, bitches...you will forget all about the powder blue maternity dress.

Danny Cosgrove is freaking adorable. I'm just saying.

Ok, this is serious: Emma. In the last few years she's been kidnapped by her crazy father, had her father disappear, witnessed the marriage and divorce of her mother and Bill Lewis, become attached to Frank and then Buzz, only to have her mother dump them both, almost died because CK1 is NOT a beverage, found out she has an adult sister, been told her mother is dying, attended her mother's freakish, impromptu wedding to Jefferey, witnessed her mother going into cardiac arrest moments after the wedding, lost her favorite uncle Gus, been shuttled around as her mother dealt with an irrational desire to die, become an aunt, only to have her nephew die and her sister lose her mind, been evicted from the Spaulding mansion, moved into the farmhouse, had her father reappear, moved back to the Beacon, witnessed a jilting, been teased at camp for not having a pink shirt, had Natalia disappear, been scared shitless by her mother's meltdown, been told her father is dying, and lost her grandfather. And Olivia was worried about telling her she was gay, why?????

A Model of Production - Part One

Much has been said about Guiding Light's "new production model", a lot of it by people who have no idea what the old production model was like. As a long-time viewer, I remember well what the old model was like - the sprawling sets, the warmth of film, the tight editing, the flexibility, the sound quality, the lighting, the musical score. For me, the old way of doing things wins this competition, hands down.

Before I go any further, I need to make one thing clear: Guiding Light was not cancelled due to the new production model. The new production model came about in an attempt to prevent the show's demise. Ellen Wheeler and others have stated, in no uncertain terms, that the changes made were made for financial reasons. The "new" model was, in fact, the "cheap" model, and it looks it. That said, having spoken at length with several people who were at the coal face for these changes, I have nothing but respect for every actor, every camera operator, every single crew member who stuck with the show and made the best of a lousy situation. In many ways, I feel it was a labor of love for them to continue producing a show under conditions that others might have found impossible to work under. 

Springfield, Circa 1994 - The Sets

In 1994, Springfield, USA (that's right, Springfield was always Anywhere, USA...not Illinois as has been implied during the last couple of years - there was never any intention to try and pass off this sleepy, little town to television viewers as Springfield, Illinois) had some grand buildings: 

• The Spaulding mansion - so stately, with big rooms and rich-looking furniture. 
  
• Vanessa's house - warm and inviting, with that great stairway off to the side of the living room, by the front door: the perfect place to stand and eavesdrop on what was going on in the rest of the house or even the front garden. Vanessa's house had an upstairs, with large bedrooms, and even a bathroom, that we saw - a rarity on daytime television. 
  
• Towers restaurant - a huge rooftop eatery with two levels, big tables, wide aisles, fine linens, elegant waitstaff,  a grand piano, and live entertainment. Oh, and a panoramic view of Springfield.
  
• The Springfield Country Club - the hub of activity for the town's movers and shakers, the country club boasted a large cocktail room with a long bar, a dining room flooded with natural light coming through grand, French doors that led to the stone patio and outdoor area, where a fountain flowed. The country club also had a huge, elegant ballroom - big enough for every member of the community to comfortably attend a wedding or awards ceremony - which one entered dramatically via curving stairway. 
• The lighthouse - a nod to the show's name and history, and home to anyone lucky enough to rent this quirky home from Ed Bauer 
• Spaulding Industries and Lewis Oil had offices, the former austere, the latter less formal, but still business-like. And windows - the offices had windows.
• On 5th street, there was the Diner - a traditional, all-American spot with chrome-and-formica tables, counter service, and a juke box. And a pay phone that played a key role in so many dramas.
• Holly's house - an open plan living/dining area and kitchen, a fireplace, lots of windows, two bedrooms, a basement - was just a short walk from the diner. 
• A drive out of town led to the Jessup farm - pretty much abandoned since the death of Hart's grandfather, its screened-in porch the only room Hart could bring himself to inhabit. 

Other Springfield sites included WSPR offices and studios, the Bauer house, the Boarding House, the Springfield Banner offices, Blake and Ross' house, and Mindy's studio, where the women of Springfield went to be fitted for formal dresses. And, of course, Cedars Hospital, with its full E.R., O.R. and waiting room. 

These were sets - not actual rooms. They allowed for multiple stationary cameras shooting from different angles. They allowed for large group scenes to be shot. The lighting didn't come from a switch on the wall, but from a lighting crew who specialized in lighting for television. There was flexibility. The open nature of the country club and Towers sets, for instance, made it possible to film large-scale events such as weddings, and have characters move around from inside to outside, from room to room. Under this production model and with these sets, an entire episode might revolve around one setting. Picture it: Towers. Roger and Holly sit at one table, Roger pretending to listen to Holly's concerns about Blake's newest scrape, while actually planning in his head to crash the upcoming Spaulding board meeting and stage a coup. Alan-Michael is at another table trying to talk Vanessa into voting his way at the next meeting of the Spaulding board. By the grand piano is Gilly at the mike, singing a jazz number. Hampton stands at the mezzanine level, where he confides in Billy his suspicions about Gilly and Alan-Michael. At the bar, Nick and Fletcher are getting slightly tipsy, scanning the room, talking about women, and trying to figure out how someone as smart and sensible as Holly can stand to be with Roger. Enter Ed and Eve who are out for a civilized dinner date with no drama - highly unlikley, given the fact that Ed can't help noticing Holly and Eve can't help noticing Nick. There's even more tension when Vanessa notices that Ed is with Eve, who she doesn't like or trust, given Eve's history of stalking and threatening Mindy. How can Ed have this crazy woman in his life, in his home, in Maureen's home, where Maureen's little girl lives?

That'd be a whole episode, right there, and a full one. It would have everything a good soap episode should have: character interaction, relationship issues, family dynamics, friendship,  politics, business dealings, cross-over/overlapping story lines, tension, secrets, and numerous nods to history and continuity. An episode such as this could easily have been filmed during the 1990s - the vast, flexible, well-built sets made it possible. In fact, there were lots of episodes of Guiding Light such as this mock-up during the 90s: mini-movies that made the most of just one or two sets, involved a large number of characters weaving in and out of, and interacting within three or four or five plot lines. There were party episodes where the only set used was Towers or the Country Club. New Year's Eve episodes where the action switched back and forth between Towers and the 5th Street Diner, illustrating the contrast between Springfield's haves and have-nots. Episodes focusing on medical emergencies where all of the action took place at Cedars.

Try doing this with Guiding Light's final sets. It's impossible. As GL winds down, Towers is a claustrophobic mess where even a high roller such as Olivia sits at a tiny table by the front door - because it isn't an old-school set, but an actual room with four walls, and a few crappy pieces of furniture. No room for multiple stationary cameras. No room for those long shots of Hampton walking from table to table to bar, checking in on the dozens of diners and touching base with the goings on of Springfield's elite. No room for the grand piano, let alone live entertainment. The "new" Towers is a rooftop restaurant with no sweeping view. 

In my opinion, of the new Guiding Light sets - all small, closed rooms with four walls and very little space for actors to move around - the only one that really works is the farmhouse. It looks and feels like the real thing. People who have visited the set remark on how tiny the farmhouse living room really is, but it doesn't look or feel small on television. There's an organic flow between kitchen and living room that actually does make possible, with a little help from a video editor,  shots of characters moving about from room to room/upstairs to downstairs. Of course, Natalia and Frank's engagement party had to be limited to a very small group of people, attending in shifts, because five actors and a couple of camera operators using hand-held cameras is about all that room can hold. It worked, though, and the lighting looks fine - especially in the kitchen.

Most of the other new sets sit on the other end of the spectrum. Affluent, successful people such as Josh Lewis and Olivia Spencer work out of tiny, bleak offices without windows, and have furniture that looks as if it's from Ikea. WSPR seems to have downsized and moved to a dusty abandoned building. Cedars is made up of several phone booth-sized areas covered in faux wood grain wallpaper. So small are the hospital sets that Alan and Phillip looked like a father/son traveling company of Gulliver's Travels as they tried their best to make a couple of small gurneys look like actual hospital beds. And don't get me started on the lighting that magnifies every pore, every blemish on an actor's face. Grotesque. Springfield's stately homes of yore? All but completely gone. The Spaulding mansion basically consists of a cheap-looking mock-up of Monticello - the quality of which would be acceptable for a school play. Alan Spaulding's living room looks smaller than Natalia's living room! Marina and Mallet's home looks like a shrine to Howard Johnson's. The other Springfield homes? With the exception of Reva, just about everyone else in town seems to live and get their business done at The Beacon. What the fuck???? Phillip doesn't even get a room - he conducts business via cell phone from a bench outside of Olivia and Emma's "suite." Huh? 

Overall, the sets are a failure. 

I chose these clips because they provide a decent cross-section of GL sets during the 1990s - they're not related in terms of content, which isn't what I was focusing on when I chose them.

The Country Club's Banquet Room

Cedars

The 5th Street Diner/Holly's house (not the best example of this) /Executive office at Spaulding Enterprises

In Part 2: Outside? - Shooting outdoors and on location

What Could Have Been

So much for where the writers of Guiding Light have dropped the ball and left us scratching our heads as they've wasted precious time on nonsense. What else could the writers have done? What other paths could the good people of Springfield have taken as the show slowly came to a halt? 

First off, let me just put it out there - on April 1, when the news came down that GL had been cancelled, the best story line, the most compelling story line, the story line that had bloggers, fans, journalists and even actors who weren't involved in it the most excited was Otalia. This is indisputable.  It stands to reason, then, that Otalia should have been the centerpiece of the last 5+ months of the show. I'm not talking about Otalia as we see it today. The writers could have easily taken Otalia on a trajectory that would have involved every major member of the Springfield community, on some level, provided drama and angst, allowed for loose ends to be tied up. There are two magic words that could have made this a reality, and given the writers a realistic reason to have Natalia leave Springfield for a time as Jessica Leccia went on maternity leave. Those words? CUSTODY BATTLE.

Mid-May: Olivia and Natalia return from their spa weekend (where, in my version, they kissed after taking that hike...because, for heaven's sake, the timing was right, the setting was perfect and, by that time, it actually looked un-natural for them not to just lean in and shyly kiss one another. I'm true to soap convention and, if ever there was a classic setting for a first soap kiss for a couple, that was it.) Instead of returning to some bullshit murder mystery that ends up going nowhere, they return to Phillip Spaulding who has chosen to share with Olivia the news he's just learned: he's dying.  Why does he tell Olivia when there's been such bad blood between them? He tells her because he knows, full well that, once he's gone, he won't be able to protect Emma from winding up in Alan's clutches. He also knows that Olivia is in love with Natalia - a piece of information Alan would happily use against Olivia in a bid to gain custody of Emma - he's made no secret of this. If anything, a disclosure like this about his own impending death would make the emerging friendship between Phillip and Olivia even more believable than it now is. What Phillip and Olivia need is a couple of good lawyers to help them set it up in such a way that Alan can never get his hands on Emma....lawyers they can trust with the information about Phillip, and with the truth about Olivia and Natalia, which is still kept on the DL until there's a legal assurance that Olivia is in no danger of losing custody of Emma. Who are the good, trustworthy lawyers in Springfield? Mel Boudreax and Jeffery O'Neill - both people who Olivia has already blabbed to about her love for Natalia.  Are you starting to get the idea that Olivia and Natalia are no longer adrift at sea on their own private island, but interacting with other characters, forming alliances, and acting a little bit more like part of a community? Good. That's the idea. And, you know that there's no way Reva doesn't find out that Jefferey is up to something involving Olivia, and no way is she going to stay uninvolved. The simplest of tweaks to the story line that the writers of Guiding Light already had set up would have allowed for an Otalia kiss and a partial coming out to the community, engaged Olivia and Natalia with Phillip, Jefferey, Mel and Reva, and set up a killer summer story line way back in May. 

The whole Phillip-is-dying story line is a good one, and I wouldn't change anything about it except his disclosure to Olivia and the timing. If we place his road trip with Alan in mid-June, it opens up a whole can of worms and gives Alan time to find out, somehow (from Emma?), about Olivia and Natalia, and make a move to get legal custody of Emma - even before Phillip is dead. I know some people will say that Alan would never do such a thing. He would. It's exactly what he would do. And especially if he were in pain over the idea of losing his son. Who does Alan call on to take up his case? Doris Woolf, who he considers to be in his back pocket. This strategy backfires on him, though, as Doris refuses to help him and, instead, is moved to finally come out to Ashley. 

By July, Alan has found a lawyer to take up his cause and has filed for custody of Emma, stating that Phillip is mentally unstable and Olivia is a lesbian degenerate. (Remember, Phillip's medical tragedy is a secret from most people - a secret Alan keeps in an effort to avoid facing it, himself. Totally believable for Alan.) Just as the custody case is about to get underway, Natalia leaves town in the hopes that her no longer being in Olivia's life will keep Olivia from losing Emma. And, guess what? She actually leaves Olivia a note explaining why she's gone and telling her where she'll be. Even though Olivia is broken-hearted over Natalia leaving, we don't spend July and most of August with a weepy, crazy, drunken Olivia. We spend it with a kick-ass, keep-your-hands-off-my-kid Olivia as the summer revolves around a super soapy courtroom custody battle where Alan exposes Otalia, and which involves just about everyone in town on some level. 

Think about the line-up of character witnesses Olivia would have on her behalf: from the Lewis family: Josh and Bill, both ex-husbands who she gets along with, and who know she's a good mother....from within the Spaulding/Raines families: Phillip, Beth, Lillian. Hell - even Lizzie knows that Alan shouldn't have Emma. Rick Bauer would champion her cause, especially in support of Phillip. Dinah. Blake. Reva. Buzz. This would have been a perfect reason to have Jonathan come back to town - to support his aunt and to rub Alan's face in it. Same for Ava. And the clincher? Frank Cooper. What better way to prove all the "good man" stuff than to have Frank stand up in court and say that, even though he's been hurt by Olivia and Natalia, he knows Olivia is a good parent and that she and Natalia together have only been a good influence on Emma? 

With other things happening in Springfield (Fallout from Doris' coming out, Bill and Lizzie's wedding, the Vanessa/Billy, James/Daisy, Shayne/Dinah and Lillian/Buzz romances, Phillip's drama), this courtroom drama would be front-and-center, but not be the only story line as the show nears its end. 

Some time in August, as both sides of the custody battle are about to rest their cases, who should show up in court, in typical dramatic soap style? Natalia, who realizes that she can't run away and hope things will take of themselves - she has to fight for what she wants: a life with Olivia and Emma. You want a grand gesture? How about Natalia taking the witness stand and telling all of Springfield that she loves Olivia, and that they want to keep raising Emma together? There is, of course, a happy ending, as Olivia retains custody of Emma and is publicly reunited with Natalia...Alan's evil deeds are finally exposed....Phillip goes into remission...and it's all in time for the show to wrap up with a soap opera double wedding: Billy and Vanessa/ Lillian and Buzz. And non-asshole Rafe being released from jail on Sept 18th. 

Every loose end tied up. No Cyrus. No Edmund. No Remy. No insulting crap about adoptive fathers not being real fathers. No baby stroller murders. No bat-crazy Reva. No flat-leaving Natalia. No boozy, irresponsible Olivia. Just a classic soap story. 

 © 2009 Lana M. Nieves

Limited Licensing: I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby publish it under the Creative Commons Attribution license, granting distribution of my copyrighted work without making changes, with mandatory attribution to Lana M. Nieves and for non-commercial purposes only. - Lana M. Nieves

Dropping the Ball

The news that CBS had cancelled Guiding Light hit us on April 1. It was not completely unexpected, even if the timing wasn't perfect. Why, then, do the last two months of GL look as if they were written, filmed and edited in a mad rush? Instead of tying up loose threads, complicated and useless story lines were developed and placed front and center, detracting from the story lines viewers care about and want to see resolved. Old characters were brought back for no good reason, and with nothing to do, except suck up valuable air time. Conflicts and plot developments were propped up, and then allowed to just fall flat. I hate to say it, but they've dropped the ball.

Stunt Casting

It was nice to see some familiar faces, but why not involve them? Michelle, Danny and Mindy sucked up time and did nothing but eat hot dogs and talk about how great it was to be back. Really? Seriously? That's what Guiding Light calls "a return?" Likewise, it was nice to see that Fiona Hutchison is still gorgeous, but, um, who cares? (see "Cyrus..." below) No one loves Holly more than I do, and it was great to see Maureen Garrett and Liz Keifer on screen together but the whole thing fell flat. They never really had that mother/daughter talk that was implied.

Cyrus, Buzz, Coop, Company

Why bring back Cyrus? Who cares? Did anyone miss him? Did anyone give a damn about that whole diamond nonsense? Was anyone just NEEDING to see Remy in a front-burner story line that was connected to nothing and no one for two weeks? It kills me when I think about the hours wasted on Cyrus - hours that could have been used to properly wrap up things with Phillip, Otalia, Dinah, etc.

The same holds true for the financial troubles at Company, Cyrus' parentage, and Coop's book. Who gives a shit?

Alan

Are we ever going to see Alan get his comeuppance? We know he's responsible for all manner of mayhem that he's walked away from. Most significantly, he spent almost a year gas-lighting Olivia by posing as an insane Phillip. Is the truth about this ever going to come to light? It would be nice for everyone to know that Phillip did not, in fact, terrorize the mother of his child for a year.

Edmund

Where do I start? The murder mystery. It was set up beautifully and promised to be an umbrella story line that would involve every member of Springfield. That flavor lasted all of three or four episodes, and then it became clear that the mystery of Edmund's murder would involve mostly Reva, and go nowhere. We were set up to think Olivia would have some involvement in the whole business - she was the one witness who could place Reva with Edmund moments before his death. But, um...no one seems to care. In fact, Olivia never even reported this to the police. Furthermore, it turns out that the man Reva was arguing with wasn't even Edmund, at all. This means that someone was so good at looking and sounding like Edmund that Olivia and Reva (who have known Edmund for decades) were both fooled into believing this person really was Edmund. It also means that Dinah, who was married to Edmund, was fooled by an impostor. Even in Springfield, this is difficult to believe. Beyond that, now that Dinah has confessed and fled the law, the good people of Springfield seem to be A-OK with the fact that some John Doe was murdered right in their local park. No one seems to give a damn who he was. Even the Springfield PD have dropped the ball.

And, now? Edmund is alive and after Jefferey/Reva/Jonathan? Does anyone give a good goddamn? It's a tiresome story. In fact, it looks less like an actual scripted story line than a Theatersports imrpov skit, with Reva and Jonathan providing comic relief.

Why have a murder occur, at all, if the story is only going to be a jumbled mess that sucks up time from more important matters at hand?

Bill and Lizzie

I'm not a Bizzie fan. That's a fact. I do think this couple got an insane amount of coverage that was pure fluff. The whole Universal Studios thing was one, long commerical for Orlando tourism. Still and all, they deserve better than two months of This Old House outtakes. They have a crappy, old house that needs work. We get it. Do we need to see scene after scene of them shopping for paint and tiles? There was ample time to show a bit of this, while also showing us some meaty, old-fashioned domestic scenes. Life as a new couple. Or, if the house rennovation was something the writers were married to, why not make it a proper barn-raising, involving all of Springfield, and not just one or two people at a time? Isn't that the way a Lewis boy would do it? It would have been a nice nod to the Guiding Light cast's work in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Two or three solid days of everyone in Springfield pulling together to get Bill and Lizzie's house in shape would have been awesome, and allowed for mini-dramas to play out.

Otalia

I was one of the first to say that people who were in a rush for a sex scene between these two needed to slow the fuck down and learn about the medium. I also said that it was highly unlikely we'd see Olivia and Natalia going at it a la The L Word, on the kitchen table. I've been accused of being a part of the overall Otalia problem for having held this opinion, but I stand by it. Back in May, it would have been ridiculous and not at all in keeping with the pacing of the story line or the characters for Olivia and Natalia to have jumped each others bones, as the "just do it, already!" contingency was calling for. That isn't homophobia on my part, it's respect for this type of story-telling and character development. The fact is, I never thought we'd see an actual sex scene between these two, at all. The most I ever thought we'd see was kissing, and I certainly think the pacing established should have made this a reality some time in mid-May. Hate me if you will, send me nasty emails, but I don't believe Natalia would have "gone all the way" with Olivia by May or June. I said it back then, and I stand by it. This does not mean they shouldn't have or wouldn't have kissed by the time they returned from their spa weekend. Certainly by July 4th they should have done more than hold hands and caress one another's backs. While the writers may not have had much control over what the network would allow, I'm sure they weren't forced into writing in a pregnancy that no one really believes, assassinating Natalia's character, and making a mess of a story line that was really great just a few short months ago.

The fact is, this was a good, solid story line that people cared about. A story line that involved at least one major GL character, and could have included lots of other characters, but the writers dropped the ball.

Next: What could have been

Advice for the Lovelorn

Dear Snapper:

As an advice columnist, I hope you can steer me in the right direction.

I am a 40 year old woman with what one might call a "checkered past." My love life has always been a mess. I was raped when I was 16 by a guy who was supposed to be a Prince Charming, but who turned out to be a monster.  It really messed up my ideas about relationships, not to mention my self-esteem. I have had sex with many, many men - some of whom I only knew for a few minutes before jumping into bed with them. I have been married several times - never happily.

I was engaged to a great guy who dumped me for a woman who wandered into our lives and needed help. Before I knew it, she'd hooked up with my fiancee' and I was left alone.

My first marriage was to a man who never stopped thinking about, talking about and running to his ex-wife, who seemed to be under foot 24 hours a day. This marriage ended when he left me for that first wife. I felt like crap.

My second marriage was to a much older man who I didn't love, but who I thought could provide me with business connections and a way to further succeed on a professional and financial level. He turned out to be a cruel, manipulative person who loved to watch others fail.

My third marriage was to my my second husband's son - my adult step-son. Things started out well enough, and we even had a baby together - a child I adore. Eventually, though, things changed, as my third husband became psychologically unstable and he tried to kill me and kidnap our little girl.

My fourth marriage was unbelievably foolish. He was a much younger man - very handsome and sweet, but I was not really in love with him. I thought he could be a good father figure to my little girl, who he cared a great deal for. Unfortunately, I was less than honest and ruined this marriage. In retrospect, I realize that, while he was a great guy, he was immature and wasn't really in any position to be a father to my child, anyhow.

My next affair with was a really great guy - a solid, law-abiding man who is loyal and true, if a little dim-witted. He would have taken great care of me and of my daughter, but he bored me to tears. I broke his heart by having an affair with his father, who fell in love with and proposed to me. I came close to marrying him, but I stopped myself before the wedding. I didn't feel worthy of such love.

This brings me to my present situation. The person I'm currently involved with is great - fun to be around, a good listener, great with my little girl, patient with me and all of my little neuroses. The person I'm involved with doesn't have an obsessive ex who shows up on our doorstep, a crazy, manipulative father, or a mental health issue.  What, then, is the problem?

First of all...the sex. There isn't any. Like...NONE. Nada. In fact, we haven't even kissed. Ever. I've been patient, but there's only so long a healthy woman can wait.

Second, for reasons I can't go into, my partner and I have not really told anyone that we're a couple. I've wanted to do this for some time, but my partner has always found some reason why we should wait.

Third, there's the whole mixed family situation. My new love has a 19 year old son who is incredibly over-indulged. He's rude, obnoxious and disrespectful. In short, he's an overgrown baby with a chip on his shoulder, and he's never called on it. If anything, he's treated with kid gloves. Infuriating!

This would all be fine, I could live with it, and I was coping just fine until something unbelievable happened. One day last month - a really important day for us, actually - my new love up and left town. Just like that. No note. No phone call. No email. Nothing. I went a little nuts, thinking the worst. What if they'd been hurt or worse? Days passed, and then weeks, then it was more than a month and still no word. I was a wreck, but I finally decided that the only thing I could do was move on, concentrate on raising my little girl, and try not to think about my broken heart. Just when I was getting back on my feet, who should pop back into town, acting as if nothing has happened at all, but the person I love. They want to just pick up and be a family, and I'm being called "stubborn" for having not automatically following the plans that have been made for me without a thought given to my own wishes. 

I won't lie - I'm still in love with this person, and very, very attracted to them. I feel, however, that I've been betrayed. I certainly don't feel as if I can or should trust someone who watched as I put my life on hold for a relationship with no intimacy and refrained from kicking a particular teenaged boy in the ass, only to reply to these things by abandoning me and my child, betraying my trust, and dismissing my feelings. 

What should I do?

Sincerely,

Oh, The Awful Lovers I've Attracted

Dear O.T.A.L.I.A.:

Your love life sounds like a soap opera.

I'm tempted to tell you that the woman you're in love with (Didn't you know I'd figure you'd lezzed out the minute you stopped using pronouns?) is another in a long line of crappy partners you've chosen over the years. It sounds as if things between the two of your started out really well, but went nowhere fast. You say there's been no sex at all? Not even a kiss? How is it that you two even consider yourselves to be in a relationship if there's no sex, no kissing, and no one even knows you're supposedly a couple? Are you like super-top-secret girlfriends, or something? 

I'm tempted to tell you to run, run fast, pass GO, and don't look back, because it sounds as if this woman is being less than careful with your heart, and you've had enough of that in your life. I'd be tempted to give you this advice even if it were a man we were talking about, because no one deserves to be treated like a second class citizen.

I won't bother telling you these things, though, because I can tell from your letter that you're determined to be with "this person" and that what you're really asking me isn't should you do it, but how should you do it? Here is my answer:

1) Tell your wannabe girlfriend that you've taken as much crap from her kid as you plan to. Put your foot down and tell her it's a dealbreaker: either the jerk starts showing some common decency, or you're walking. You mention that he's 19. That's a man, not a boy. Besides telling your girlfriend, tell the son, directly, that you're finished with his crap and that, frankly, he can just keep his distance if he can't act like an adult. 

2) Tell your wannabe girlfriend that there's nothing "stubborn" about not being a doormat, and that she has no right to dismiss your feelings. Demand a decent, detailed explananation, a sincere apology, and acknowledgement that she has done something incredibly cruel and hurtful. Tell her that, until you feel there's some self-awareness coming from her, you can never be with her, and you certainly won't trust her to be there for your little girl.

3) Tell your wannabe girlfriend that you are willing to discuss possible plans for your future together, but that you do not let anyone else make plans for you.

4) Tell your wannabe girlfriend that, when two adults are in a romantic relationship they kiss and have sex, case closed. Tell her that, if you make the decision to take her back into your life, there will be intimacy, and you will not wait for it. You've waited long enough.

5) Tell your wannabe girlfriend that, if she really wants to be your girlfriend, she won't be afraid to let people know. In fact, if she loves you and wants to be with you, she'll want to yell it out to the world. Make it a condition of any reconciliation that there be no more secrets, no more waiting, and no more bullshit. 

I wish you well. Frankly, I think you deserve better, but we both know how this is going to play out.

All the best,

Snapper

© 2009 Lana M. Nieves

Limited Licensing: I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby publish it under the Creative Commons Attribution license, granting distribution of my copyrighted work without making changes, with mandatory attribution to Lana M. Nieves and for non-commercial purposes only. - Lana M. Nieves