Requiem for a Daytime Drama: Finale
By J Bernard Jones on September 18, 2009
The final part of a highly personal, non-objective series highlighting various aspects of the last episodes of Guiding Light, which which ended its 72 year run on September 18th.
The final part of a highly personal, non-objective series highlighting various aspects of the last episodes of Guiding Light, which which ended its 72 year run on September 18th.
What was it that got me first?
Was it the opening flurry of Guiding Light's logos throughout it's 72 year history or was it the show's last "Only Love" opening featuring the most of the current cast as it had never done before? Whatever it was that first triggered a torrent of emotions that ran through me, this is what happened on Guiding Light today:
In the wake of Alan Spaulding's death, Fletcher whisked Alexandra away to see the world. Doris pulled strings and got Ashlee into a writer's program at Berkeley; Daisy and Ashley went to California together for school, while James stayed behind and bonded with his father. Mindy informed Billy that she was moving back to Springfield. Remy and a newly pregnant Christina got married in the quickest wedding in soap opera history. Olivia & Natalia settled on a name for the baby — Francesca, named after Frank. Maureen played matchmaker for Matt and one of her pretty school teachers. After weeks of online dating, Frank & Blake finally hooked up for their date, with seemingly all of Springfield stalking him. Beth gave Phillip, who once had great dreams of being a writer, a journal in which to put his every thought.
Finally, there was everything involving Josh (Robert Newman) & Reva (Kim Zimmer).
It wasn't what happened "today" that was most important; it was what happened "one year later" in Springfield that truly mattered. As I sit a home, with the television now turned off and with more than a few tears in my cynical eyes, I cannot help but be amazed that I bore witness to what I believe was one of the greatest series finales of an American institution as has been produced during the long — and now endangered — life of a uniquely American genre.
I've watched many soaps go off the air, many of which I was a fan. Of their series finales, there are three that I think were fitting, magnificent tributes in their final weeks and their last day. In no particular order: Texas, perhaps the most underrated daytime drama ever, left the air with a stirring scene of most of the cast gathered at the darkened television studio KVIK (which had been sold) and raised a salute "To Texas!" My all time favorite soap opera The Edge of Night had as it's last scene most of the entire cast spring into action to solve another mystery and another murder as life went on full force in Monticello. Finally, Santa Barbara ended with one of it's most popular couples, Mason & Julia, celebrating the birth of a child and most of the principle cast literally dancing into the sunset to one of the most beautiful original songs composed for daytime, "Never Let Go." Not to be forgotten, Another World merits an honorable mention for it's brilliant and poignant last scene, where Rachel & Carl ascended the stairs of the Cory mansion while the camera slowly zoomed in on a photo of the late Mackenzie Cory. It is into these ranks that Guiding Light's series finale takes its place.
In terms of the structure, I can only applaud the decision to include a "One Year Later..." coda as the last segment of the show. If I am not mistaken, this has never been done in a soap finale before and — by giving us a glimpse into the lives of the citizens of Springfield after their initial plots & narratives over — we got to see how life went on. Remy and Christina became proud parents. Shayne and Marina reunited to raise Henry. Frank and Blake also became a couple, while he shared parenting duty with Olivia and Natalia. Rafe came home from the army unharmed. James and Daisy continued to date. Buzz and Lillian were still happy. Jonathan and Billy became close ("Uncle Billy"!) with Jon working at Lewis Construction! Meanwhile, Dinah & Mallet reconnected and he slung her over his shoulder like he used to do! I even danced a little jig when it was revealed Rick found love (and marriage) again with Mindy, making The Four Mouseketeers whole again! Despite all the happiness & joy, everything boiled down to Springfield's biggest, most star-crossed lovers.
The year earlier Josh had left Springfield for Tulsa to work on H.B.'s memorial V.A. hospital and find himself. Before he left, he confessed his undying love for Reva with words that may go down as some of the most romantic ever said on a daytime drama: "Every part of me was built to be with you."
In return, Reva confessed that she too loved Josh but needed some time to pull her own self together. Thus, Josh gave her a year and said he would meet her at the lighthouse at noon and to meet him there if she was ready.
In one of the most lovely scenes GL has ever filmed, a year later Josh arrived at the lighthouse as promised, and so did Reva with Colin (a wee bit old for his age) in tow. In what would turn out to be a heart pounding moment of emotional suspense, Reva — who looked stunning — told him she had found herself again and asked Josh if he still meant what he said about wanting to be with her forever. He said yes. As their theme music swelled, Josh and Reva kissed and before they drove off together, these were the final words spoken:
Josh: Are you ready?
Reva: Always.
They then clinbed into Josh's truck and drove away on an adventure with the lighthouse in the distance and the words "The End" appeared the screen.
Zimmer and Newman were transcendent in their final scenes. The way Josh's voice cracked, the way Reva looked at her Bud, the hope (and fear) in the way both of the characters and the actors carried their bodies was as intimate as the daytime form gets. These actors broke a barrier between the screen and the audience allowing us to feel what they were feeling and live in the moment — their moment — as if we were living it ourselves.
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Comments
30 April 2009
1 week 1 day
Thank J for your wonderful words!!!
27 June 2009
1 day 8 hours
First, let me say I have no beef with you. Your devotion to the show and your eloquent writing is commendable, but unfortunately I think GL's finale week was far from great. There were some wonderful scenes, but as I've said I think most of them were saved by the amazing actors, not the writing or storytelling, or rather lack thereof. I felt GL did the absolute bare minimum it had to do to satisfy its audience with certain couples, such as Josh and Reva, and Ed and Holly, people Wheeler clearly did not care about; with others, like Olivia and Natalia, the insults continued, as we even saw "One Year Later" couples kiss but the women still could not. All she really cared about, it seems, were the Coopers.
You can say that I'm being unfair because GL only had X amount of time to wrap things up, but the fact is they knew MONTHS AGO. They had MONTHS to plan, MONTHS to put these things in motion and do these people, their stories, and their reunions up right. Instead, they did most of it in about seventy minutes, with what I felt was very lackluster storytelling. Ed and Holly did not have to have only ten minutes of screen time total since their returns. Fletcher did not have to appear for only three minutes. Dinah and Mallet did not have to only cameo. Nola and Bridget did not have to be subliminal messages. The Jeffrey/Reva/Josh storyline did not have to be hand-waved with no real resolution. GL CHOSE to treat its characters, its ensemble, and its fans this way. I believe AW had less time before the end than this, and they still put together what I thought was a fairly decent and true ending.
Yes, there were moments today and this week that touched me, particularly the ending at the lighthouse. But most of it seemed to come from acting and sheer luck. The look of the show did not improve; little care, I felt, was given to characterization, narrative, or production values. I felt this finale was a lesson in what not to do in many ways. They gave us some of what we wanted, but only at the last possible second; they did it all on the cheap. And they did not have to. At all. They had time and options. Ellen Wheeler chose not to use them, perhaps because she disagreed with the fans on what to do, or perhaps she was simply erratic and incompetent, or both. And that's a shame. Again, I feel for you, and I feel for this once-great soap, which I loved. But I can't call this a great finale. Not by a long shot.
9 September 2008
15 min 48 sec
Jase, I don't think you nor anyone else who disagrees with me on this particular issue of GL's end have a beef with me.
What I question (without it sounding like an "attack") is how many soap opera finales have you actually seen? Of the ones I personally remember — Love of Life, Search for Tomorrow (which I shamefully neglected in my piece above), The Edge of Night, Generations, Capitol, Texas, Port Charles, The City, Loving, Ryan's Hope, Santa Barbara, and Another World — not one of them took a slow, leisurely stroll down Character Driven Lane or Logical Plot Resolution Drive in their final weeks on the air. They quickly wrapped up their storylines (or not) and gave their characters resolution (or not) and that was that.
Also, have you actually watched Guiding Light the last year and a half or as far back as the John Conboy era, when GL was buying props from Target? Calling the show out for doing their finale "on the cheap" is like suddenly realizing that you can access the internet through a computer.
But I don't see the point of the rancor, the anger, the recriminations at this point. GL finished filming over a month ago. Every thing was edited a little while back. Let's Make a Deal is ready to go in a few weeks; affiliates have shuffled their schedules; the actors, crew and staff are off to other things.
What's done....is done.
25 February 2009
4 hours 12 min
Great blog again! I enjoyed today's show and I thought the "one year later" bit helped in letting go...Without the "one year later" much of GL would have seemed unresolved somehow.
There were certain things left unsaid, such as "where did Jeffrey fit into Reva's picture"? Jonathan knew Jeffrey was alive....So we have to assume that during the last year, Jeffrey either died or Reva chose not to be with him any longer.
I will say that Wheeler did have several months to prepare for the inevitable and it is a shame that some things didnt happen sooner, such as the reuniting of the Bauer family..Couldn't Danny and Michelle move back to Springfield after the Bauer BBQ? Couldn't Mindy have moved back after the Bauer BBQ?
Ah well.
I will miss GL terribly -
RIP GL
25 February 2009
4 hours 12 min
Oh, I also noticed that most of the current cast was featured in the opening credits - everyone except Doris ! Wow..Alan was missing but his character is dead. Edmond wasn't on the opening credits but his character is missing from Springfield so I guess he doesn't count. So, only Doris was missing...A blooper ?
RIP GL
27 June 2009
1 day 8 hours
Yes, I've seen several soap finales, and I've watched GL on and off for a long time. I've also seen plenty of it this past year. I remember the nightmarish Conboy era as well. But I don't think we can deny that Wheeler's regime, and this production model, is the absolute bottom of the barrel, and very often undermined any decent work anyone on the program in front of or behind the camera tried to do. And I think that remained true in the final weeks, not just because of the visuals or logistics, but because of how they chose to "write" the show on the fly. Other cancelled shows maintained a standard of reasonable quality up to the end. GL's production staff made people bring their own clothes, do their own makeup, sometimes rewrite their own scenes from nothing, gave its characters extremely perfunctory send-offs, and they just did not seem to care. They made an attempt to look like they cared about what we wanted, but what they were really caring for there was the amputated, mutilated version of GL they had eked out - handing it to us and to the performers, saying, "Isn't it great? It's just like we remember!" And of course, it's not. Not to me, anyway.
You're right that all this is behind us and the rancor isn't worth it. But I think these things have to be said, because people at the soaps need to remember there's a right way and a wrong way to do things, and I feel virtually everything about this was wrong; even when the ends turned out right at the last second, the means were mangled. I loved GL and I miss it and celebrate it for what it was, for those glimmers the cast managed to let shine through in the final hours and minutes. It had nothing to do with anyone behind the camera, that's for sure. I loved the final scene with Josh and Reva, but that's the most obvious, easy thing you can possibly do - I'm not going to commend GL for giving people exactly what everyone always knew they would have to do as the bare minimum in the final episode, in order to avoid ending up facing the ire of fans in a bloodbath similar to the fate of Katharine Hepburn's son in "Suddenly, Last Summer."
12 September 2009
21 weeks 1 day
Your eloquent reviews have been beautiful....thanks...
3 March 2009
2 hours 13 min
Awesome f*cking blog! Totally there with you with everything! I totally loved how they included every opening of the show at the beginning, I was shocked that they included that! I loved how they wrapped up the present in the first half, and loved how the rest was in a "year later" part! Josh and Reva totally suprised me!!! The spoilers seemed to say that Jeffrey would come back to Reva and Josh would just be there, but the ending had Reva and Josh re-connecting and riding off into the sunset, the way it should be.
Also love how they had Mallet and Dinah, Blake and Frank, Olivia and Natalia, Alex and Fletcher. Holly and Ed and Phillip and Beth together at the end.
Its also great that they had Mindy, Jonathan, Danny and Michelle move back to Springfield for good.
9 September 2008
15 min 48 sec
Jase, I suppose I would be on board with you if not for several factors:
The other cancelled shows maintained what you call "a standard of reasonable quality"...except those that didn't. Outside of broad generalizations, which shows maintained that standard at the very end?
Was it Santa Barbara with its dull and dreary sets that represented the barely lit Walker cabin, Connor's police station, or Warren's never staffed newspaper offices? Maybe you're referring to the singular standing Capwell mansion atrium set that was left and the rented hotel for BJ & Warren's wedding?
Perhaps you're referring to Edge of Night's sets, which were so tiny and flimsy (the Isis Building, anyone?) that the walls visibly vibrated when anyone seemed to breathe, or its last "Wonderland" set where Donald Hecht was stabbed in the back? You know the one that looked like it had been built out of scraps from the clearance bin of a Family Dollar store...
Maybe you mean that one futon, sheer curtains, painted plywood walls and what looked like a painted chain link fence that served as the major set pieces for the last episodes of Port Charles that ended with Imani becoming a werewolf in a storyline that would never be resolved....which had apparently been inspired by the Bed, Bath & Beyond curtains that doubled as a tent when Sloane may or may not have been shot by a firing squad on Capitol?
On the other hand, you could be referring to that massive, empty, overlit soundstage with those scraggly looking fake trees where the old sets had once stood that Another World used for Cass & Lila's wedding where they brought back the man in the gorilla suit and put a baby in a tree.
Then again, you might be thinking about either how Texas was literally reduced to shooting in a completely empty studio for its final scenes.
Now, Jase I get what you're saying about Guiding Light, but did you REALLY, HONESTLY, SERIOUSLY expect for Proctor & Gamble — who controlled the budget for GL, not Ellen Wheeler — to suddenly shower Wheeler with enough money to remake Remains of the Day? Or for P&G to get permission from ABC to use One Life to Live's studios for one last hurrah? Or for the investors from Shark Tank to throw in a couple of million for production costs out of the goodness of their hearts? Because that is what the gist of your argument about how "cheap" the finale was/looked boils down to. I'm not trying to be mean here, but when it comes to the budget and how GL looked at the end, if you were expecting the showto look like it did in 1987, there are a bunch of YouTube clips you can look up. If you have a genuine argument with P&G about how Guiding Light looked at the end, you should write them an email. Good luck with that.
As for the writing "things on the fly" for the finale, again, point to one cancelled soap where they didn't do that. Show me an axed soap where people didn't have sudden conversions of character, buried long standing and bloodied hatchets, surprise and miracle pregnancies (as well as births on cue), folks up and leaving town at the last minute, mysteries suddenly resolved, star crossed lovers resolving all their past issues and difficulties and finding each other, villains reform (or at least mellow out), and even the reappearance of presumed characters at the last minute? Loving turned good girl Gwyneth into a bug eyed serial killer. Another World showed dead ass Grant Harrison alive on an island. The ever faithful, loving, devoted husband Henry Marshal had a heart attack just before he was about to commit adultery with Doreen on Generations. Capitol turned long established, upstanding Senator Mark Denning into a murderer in its last days.
Seriously, name ONE cancelled soap where these things haven't happened in multiple combination?
There are a number of people who feel the way you do and there is merit to some of the arguments you (and presumably they) present. And if Guiding Light had six months left on the clock, I guess I would be more sympathetic to them.
22 March 2009
7 weeks 6 days
I agree with J Bernard, and sorry, Jase. YOU. ARE. AN. ASS.
Are you that STUPID to think that the lower budget and the changes made to accommodate it were a CREATIVE choice... and not a FINANCIAL one?
You HATED GL'S final episode.... but I'm sorry... what would you prefer? The last long-running soap to go off the air, "Another World", based it's final episode around Cass and Lila marrying... but a gorilla stepped in to steal Lila, a la King Kong. IS THAT WHAT YOU WANTED?!
No soap fan wants their show to go off the air. But if it does.... you want things tied up... the way GL did.
So yes, we are all allowed our opinions... but c'mon Jase. Stop being a TOTAL TOOL. If you didn't like something... give us REAL reasons and comparisons. Otherwise, you just seem like an idiot.
25 February 2009
4 hours 12 min
Not everything could get addressed before the finale - It would be interesting to know if Phillip was ever going to get 'found out' about Grady.
As we all know, Phillip had a hand in Grady's death...It was a GREAT moment !!! I think everyone was happy about that.
Then, the cancellation notice came...Storylines were rewritten.
Just wondering.....
25 February 2009
4 hours 12 min
Ooops let me clarify - I wonder if anyone outside of Phillp's family was going to find out about his hand in Grady's death...I know Lizzie and James knew.
25 December 2008
1 hour 7 min
I could care less about Grady quite frankly. When he died, people cheered, I don't even think Cyrus gives a damn about what happened to Grady.
Thanks for the article J.Bernard. I loved seeing the words "there is a destiny that makes us...FAMILY" and then all the different GL logos.
I personally liked all the endings. I thought people ended where they were supposed too, although I'm know there are a lot of disgruntled fans (the Jeffrey fans, Shaynah fans, Otalia fans to a certain extent)
I loved the little nods to history, like Bill sadly telling Fletcher he misses Ben, Beth giving Phillip the journal, Rick and Mindy getting married and Shayne and Marina coming full circle, Mallet and Dinah in a scene reminiscent of one of their earlier scene.
I never was fond of Daisy and Ashlee but I'm glad they went to college, hey if they can go to college, anyone can go to college.
Josh and Reva were magical as usual. I'm not upset about Jeffrey getting shafted because this character has hijacked so much for the last 6 years that it was almost poetic justice to see his character "forgotten" by the town and by the writers.
Loved Jonathan calling Billy "uncle Billy" and obviously having an amicable realtionship with Bill and Lizzie who were pregnant.
I loved the finale.
20 January 2008
18 hours 54 min
The finale was the first episode I ever watched in its entirety, and I could see why people would like this show and how some couldn't stand it. On the one hand, the acting felt rushed and/or improvised most of time, with a lot of awkward little silences, like they just took the first take that they got in the can; the camerawork was shoddy (compared to some of the stellar outdoor work on OLTL); hair/wardrobe failing on many levels; and the music was so blaringly loud, I could barely hear some of the dialogue, especially when there were lyrics. And I was shocked that in the final exchange between Josh and Reva, they couldn't do another take so you wouldn't hear the plane passing overhead.
On the plus side, it was pretty easy to catch on to the relationships between the characters, and I found them intriguing, and I found the characters quite enjoyable to watch. And I thought the coda was a sweet ending which I'm sure made all the fans happy. I found it very touching. I could see how it could have been a compelling series to watch, and obviously it lasted 72 years so people must feel the same way...so I'll always wonder what could have been had the production model not failed them so.
14 December 2007
3 days 5 hours
Amen, Thx
14 February 2009
25 weeks 1 day
Thank you for this beautiful post on the end of Guiding Light. Although it was a sad day, I felt that the episode truly let the fans say good bye to these beloved characters, knowing that they were in a good place. That last shot of Josh and Reva, driving down the road in HB's truck, the lighthouse in the background.....perfection.
As far as the critics go, you know, the most devoted GL fan can recite chapter and verse what went wrong, who is to blame, etc, etc, etc. But can you give us at least until, I don't know, Monday before you start picking over the corpse? God.
27 June 2009
1 day 8 hours
I remember how AW, PC, SuBe, etc. ended. And the bottom line is while I remember some corners being cut, I didn't think any of those finales (or final weeks) I'd seen looked as slapdash as the Peapack Production Model. It dragged everything down, because there was no attention to detail on virtually any level anymore. You can no more condemn me for saying that than you can condemn Zimmer, or Lisa Brown, or Maureen Garrett for their comments about the same thing. The honest truth is no other soap that I can recall has looked that bad at the end. No one else had to film in the storage room.
But it goes deeper than that. I realize there's always going to be some measure of hectic storytelling at the end of a soap, I know that very well. But we're not just talking about a final episode at GL, are we? No. I think GL has been nothing BUT hectic storytelling, or worse, languid storytelling, with no real direction, for over a year. And when they had physical and production limitations like this, they really needed to tighten up, show some focus with their stories, especially in these last weeks and months; they had to make the writing KING given their limitations, show some sense of character and narrative arcs, and they couldn't do it, not even at the end. Because they didn't know how anymore. Because Wheeler decided her production model demanded a new aesthetic, a "Hills"-style narrative device where plot and character went out the window in favor of vague effect. When in doubt, show me more mostly-mute scenes of the Coopers wandering through a park. Wheeler's "have a problem, fix it with montage" sensibility took over, and there was apparently no airtime (before the last ninety minutes) for many of these people or for a thoughtful conclusion to their stories over the last few weeks, because clearly there needed to be lots more montage! Olivia walks over to a vacant house and stares at it, over (bad) music. Buzz and the family eat, over bad music. Reva sits around, over bad music. Jeffrey infiltrates a filling station and plays Cops and Robbers. And I needn't rehash certain specifics, like what was done with Mallet's character, or with Josh and Reva's last-day reunion, or the constant Frank-centric storytelling, which finally led to numerous "one year later" couples kissing up a storm (including Good Man Cooper) while Olivia and Natalia did...what? Hold Frank's baby? There was a real antiquated, paternalistic vibe coming off a lot of the story logic in the last months, and not just in the lesbian storyline.
I felt the Spaulding material was mostly handled well (and I wonder how much was written by the actors), even though of course Phillip's other child, Zach, couldn't be bothered to return for his impending death (how much would it have cost to throw in yet another boy among the legions of children they showed in the last week?), nor could Harley or even a stand-in from the back appear for Buzz's wedding or Daisy's college sojourn. They didn't even bother to mention her, or her kid with Phillip. THAT'S the kind of lack of caring I'm talking about. That's what this production model wrought; it started long ago, and it carried into the last few weeks. They started this thing by turning the show into a meandering, subpar attempt at a "mood piece" with few really consistent, ongoing storylines, and that's how it went out, to the point where they had to do everything the audience wanted at the last possible second. I remember AW and the gorilla, but at least that silliness was done in the service of a couple the fans enjoyed, who were not reunited in the last twenty minutes of the program. I seem to recall them wrapping things up with Anne/Frankie, Carl and Rachel, Paulina's child, and other such storylines with a bit of time to spare, a week or two or a few days at least. The show looked reasonably good (or could at least fake it), the narrative still had some consistency, and nobody had to reunite in the last two days, at least not as I remember it. I can't match your knowledge on virtually every soap finale, and I'm not going to pretend that I can. I will say that with the ones I've seen, I felt there was much more of a sense of planning and respect for their work than at GL.
If I'm a tool or an ass as I've been called above, so be it. But I felt GL deserved a lot better than that. I was aware of its budgetary constraints. But that was no excuse for not pulling themselves up by the bootstraps and making the writing and the narrative the best it could possibly be. They failed to do that, for me, at least, in the last year and in the last week. I felt they also banked on nostalgia. Like others, including people at the show, I'd almost have rather it not continued if it had to go out the way it did, with no budget, no production values, and because of those other two things, no coherent narrative that properly represented its ensemble and its history. I'm sorry to be a downer, but that's how I feel. J. Bernard, you say that if GL had months left on the clock you'd understand my argument. They DID have several months, several months ago - what were they doing? Why weren't these Bauers or Fletcher back THEN, reestablishing themselves, building a short story arc for romantic reunions or family re-connections? What was the point of the Bradley Cole resurrection? Why did Josh and Reva or Ed and Holly have to reunite in the last sixty minutes?
14 July 2009
1 week 2 days
JBJ,
Wonderful Tribute. Thank-You! The only things not settled were Alan Michael & Harley, and I guess I knew that would not happen, when it wasn't addressed sooner.
15 October 2008
2 hours 50 min
Great article JBJ.
14 December 2007
3 days 5 hours
Been thinking about Josh&Reva Kim/Robert all day today.
27 January 2009
4 weeks 4 days
I thought the finale was extremely well done...what did it for me was the year later...very clever and needed to put on finishing touches! Sad that it is gone but the memories will last forever...I hope to see some of the actors on other shows..BRAVO on a job well done...you gave this fan what wanted!
7 July 2009
11 weeks 2 days
We get it Jase..you're bitter. So sad for you.
Nice job JBJ!
27 June 2009
1 day 8 hours
Not bitter at all! Just candid.
14 December 2008
13 min 13 sec
Yhanks, J. Bernard. I enjoyed your writing on the end of GL very much. I liked the finale and also think they could've done some things better with an extra hour. I think how we feel about soap finales is such a personal thing. It depends on how deeply you feel for a show. [I mean, I even liked the Passions finale!]
23 July 2008
12 weeks 2 days
Despite what any of these idiots above say, J Bernard, I just want to personally thank you from the bottom of my heart. You are truly an amazing, heartfelt writer, that seems to always write things that are just brilliant. I don't think I could have made it through these final months without your wonderful thoughts and knowing someone else feels feels the sorrow I feel.
I have cried so much this week, and if anyone is a true to heart, connected Guiding Light fan, they would do nothing but praise these final week, and the writings of J Bernard. If you know what had preceded these final wonder weeks, you would be oh so bittersweet that we got a true to story, positive, PHENOMINAL ending that I will remember until the day I die. Personally, a piece of my heart feels as if it no longer exists in me. It feels like a best friend that has always been there has passed on, and all I have left are the fragmented memories of him.
For me, Daytime has become a little more irrelavent to me. No other soap airing do I have this deep love and connection for. Nothing else gets to me like my GL. I loved each one of these talented actors just like I love my own family. I just, uhh. Can't believe that my Light won't be there Monday when I get home to watch on my VCR. What to do? No other show on Daytime has this emotionally rich connection to it's fans. Other shows just don't click with me like GL has. And no other show has this multitude of brilliant actors and actresses. Truly.
No matter what, the Light's afterglow will live on. Don't ever forget the memories of this dear show. Always remember the love and the feelings it brought you, and all those endearing families and characters. Always.
5 November 2007
5 hours 14 min
We could pick GL apart like vultures on a carcass, but it won't change anything now. I wasn't totally satified myself, but I'm happy with what I got. I got all the closure I needed and am intrigued with the thought of Jeffrey and Edmund chasing each other for the rest of their lives. Would be nice to know who killed who though...
Thank you J Bernard Jones for all your writings of GL. I will always remember you for that.
Now what are you going to tweet about at 3 pm? GH is on... LOL
16 July 2009
23 weeks 3 days
Well, it's been a few weeks and I'm still pretty upset.
Jase, your comments have been excellent. (Isn't it strange that those happy shiny people who thought everything about GL was Wonderful are the ones who leave the most insulting and crass comments tearing you down?)
GL deserved SO MUCH BETTER than what it got this last year. The final week was some of the worst writing I have ever seen. Anywhere. (I'm including my college Creative Writing students in that tally!) I cannot understand how any of us who loved GL could be satisfied with how it was hustled off stage in the end. It was the laziest, most slip-shod half-attempt at narrative and drama I've ever seen. The quality of the offerings truly astonished me.
EW and JLH should be ashamed, profoundly ashamed.