Total Trust

I sometimes have a hard time coming up with names for these clipsets. There have been times where I've banged my head against a wall for an hour or more trying to figure what turn of phrase captures the theme and mood of a particular series best. I want something that will ring in the viewer's ear and inspire interest in the set and will make sense upon viewing. Some efforts have been more successful than others and sometimes I end up surprised with how well a particular title works.

Such was the case with Total Trust. I mainly chose the title because I love the way Petronia Paley uses her voice in the role of Vivian and when she said "total trust" in the media awards scenes, it stuck in my brain and I thought it would be as good a title as any. As I began putting the individual clips up, I was struck by how well the title applied to the relationships between Gilly and Sid, Gilly and Nick, Gilly and David, Ross and Blake, David and Bridget, Vanessa and Bill, and others. It also serves as an interesting counterpoint to the interactions between David and Vivian and Roger and Holly.

Taken from the beginning of 1995, Total Trust mainly follows several weeks in the life of Gilly Grant, a character never really used to her full potential and played by the underrated Amelia Marshall. It spins out to include great looks at Gilly's brother David, as well as Ross & Blake, Roger & Holly, Vanessa & "little" Bill, Bridget, Lucy, Nick, Fletcher, and one of my all time favorites Det. Patrick Cutter.

This set is also of note because it prominently features Sid Dickerson, a character I hated while he was on the show, but who I actually enjoy quite a lot in this set. I think what it was was that I was still very bitter about GL not electing to pusue the Gilly/Alan-Michael connection which I found so intriguing when I first began with GL. That is still, to me, one of the great missteps in the show's history.

This is a great time in the show's history, falling as it does before the "Onslaught of the Returnees", during which the show would be handed-- lock, stock, and barrel-- to Reva, Phillip, and Harley. This is a GL that vanished mere months later, never to be seen again.

Total Trust--

clip 1 , clip 2 , clip 3 , clip 4 , clip 5 , clip 6

clip 7 , clip 8 , clip 9 , clip 10 , clip 11 , clip 12

clip 13 , clip 14 , clip 15 , clip 16 , clip 17 , clip 18

clip 19 , clip 20 , clip 21 , clip 22 , clip 23

From Here to Infinity

The mid-80's were a time of big things: big spending, big hair, big shoulder pads, etc. GUIDING LIGHT, during this time, tended to do things in a big way as well and they were quite successful for their efforts. Many viewers see this time in the show's history as the "glory years" and it was the last time that GL held the number one position in the Neilsen ratings.

The 1985 wedding of Mindy Lewis and Kurt Corday is an example of the lavish production values that went into the show at this time. The outdoor location shoot boasts hordes of extras, animals, carriages of various types, and gorgeous costumes (well... most of them are gorgeous) and set pieces. This event is also an example of the appropriate usage of this kind of excess. It's overblown and larger than life, but in a way that is exciting and otherwise stimulating and doesn't detract from the real emotions of the situation at hand.

The same, unfortunately, cannot be said for the reception which features a convoluted (to the point of unintelligibilty) intrigue plot involving Billy's mind being controlled via an image in Lujack's music video. Improbably, no fewer than three separate shootings occur at this time, one of them wounding Maeve Stoddard (played by the always luminous and watchable Leslie Denniston). The more I see of this character and of Denniston's work, the more I wish I had more material featuring her. It's also worth mentioning that the moment where Reva realizes that a wounded Maeve is pregnant with Kyle's child is the point that resonates the best in this set.

This clipset also confirms a suspicion that I've had for awhile, which is that John Bolger was actually really good as Phillip. I've never quite been able to buy into popular opinion about this character, but Bolger adds a level of charm and sympathy to Phillip that makes me want to view the character the way most other viewers do... and he looks hella good in his Prince Charming pants! LOL!

So, when all is said and done, if you can ignore the Infinity nonsense at the reception, this is a very enjoyable set of clips: romantic and fun and suspenseful.

Enjoy From Here to Infinity--

clip 1 , clip 2 , clip 3 , clip 4 , clip 5

clip 6 , clip 7 , clip 8 , clip 9 , clip 10

clip 11 , clip 12 , clip 13 , clip 14 , clip 15

Also, here is a previously presented short set dealing with the aftermath of this event.

The Woman You Love--

clip 1 , clip 2

Finally, for the fate of Kurt and more of the Maeve/Kyle/Reva triangle, refer to the Dearly Beloved blog entry.

Sins of the Father

During the last part of 2004, GUIDING LIGHT was said to be "on fire." This was due mainly to the "Reva meets Jonathan" and the "Phillip is shot" plots. These two high profile storylines had the press and fans alike in a lather about a GL renaissance and did much to create a very positive feeling about the show in most sectors.

There was a third major storyline going on at that time and while I did enjoy the Jonathan and Phillip stories very much, my favorite thing going at that time was the Holly scenario. After Maureen Garrett was dropped from her contract status in 2003 and then from the show entirely in early 2004, I despaired of ever seeing her again. You can well imagine my surprise and pleasure when it was announced that Holly would be receiving a front-burner storyline featuring closure for her past with Roger. The initial reception was good, but then a lot of public sentiment seemed to turn against it as viewers focused on the flaws in the story rather than on the continuing brilliant work being turned in day after day from Garrett.

For my part, I loved the story of Holly being forced to look head on at the deepest, darkest parts of herself and her past. I loved being able to luxuriate in heaping helpings of Garrett's magic and it was for that reason that I was able to overlook some of the potholes in the story and Doug Hutchison's excessive acting choices in his portrayal of Sebastian. The good parts of this storyline far outweighed the bad as far as I was concerned and I was heartbroken when Holly abruptly vanished early on in 2005.

For those of you that may remember not enjoying this storyline, I urge you to take another look. There's a lot here that is worthy of reevaluation. When I started this Project in April of 2006, this story was one of the things that I wanted to revisit. It's taken me over a year to get the materials, but I'm now very pleased to present Sins of the Father.

Sins of the Father--

(clips A through D were previously presented under the title He Is Just Away)

clip A , clip B , clip C , clip D , clip 1 , clip 2

clip 3 , clip 4 , clip 5 , clip 6 , clip 7 , clip 8

clip 9 , clip 10 , clip 11 , clip 12 , clip 13 , clip 14

clip 15 , clip 16 , clip 17 , clip 18 , clip 19 , clip 20

clip 21 , clip 22 , clip 23 , clip 24 , clip 25 , clip 26

clip 27 , clip 28