Wow, since the show ended, I started watching these old episodes. Amazing writing, brilliant acting. Great production value. I am so thankful to you for posting all this.
The executive producer at the time, Jill Farren Phelps, was the one who decided to kill Maureen off. She didn't like older female characters and wanted to pair Ed up with a younger woman. The decision backfired on her and it was the beginning of the end for GL. She became known as the kiss of death for any soap that hired her. She is a big part of the reason there are only 4 soaps left on the air these days.
It wasn't the writers' fault. HW Nancy Curlee loved Mo and didn't want to kill her, but EP Jill Farren-Phelps decided that Mo was boring and demanded that she be killed off. The writers did the best job they could with the Mo's death story, and even though it hurt GL in the long run, the writing of Mo's death and its aftermath were MARVELOUS. Some of the best soap writing ever.
GL did a good job of showing us real friendships. Vanessa and Maureen were one pair, Philip and Rick another, and for a while, Harley, Blake and Cassie had a lot of scenes together - just friends talking to each other. That's character writing I guess, rather than plot.
These characters and the writers knew how to collaborate together to give the viewers/fans wonderful performanceS and scriptS worth watching. The writers from B&B and Y&R need to take notes. The writers of Guiding Light creativity shined. I miss this show. Thanks for the years of Good writing, but even better performances from ALL the actor and actress GREAT AND SMALL.
I always thought it was a mistake to have Maureen die when she was still so full of rage and sorrow. Viewers never got that closure. They felt what she felt, and as a result, many of them lost interest in the show.
I remember how shocked I was that this happened. I didnt get home from school until 4 so GL was just ending . I immediately rewinded the tape in the VCR straight to GL. I normally started at Y&R.
This was one of the first storylines I remember watching. My siblings watched GL throughout the 1980's, but I didn't start watching until 1992. I can't even recognize the new "GL".
I really could care less if it was the writers or JFP that killed off Maureen, my point was that she shouldn't have been killed off....the only solace was that her death and the aftermath was written expertly well....I don't think she should've been killed off to begin with though--her death left a void which was never filled
@my4ny That is so true. It's one of the reasons I gravitated toward GL over other shows. They had great writers, characters, and actors. And eventually it went downhill.
Ed was a Selfish Jerk!!! He Cheated on his other Wife. And he Cheated in Maureen Twice adleast. It’s not a Mistake It’s a Career!!! It’s Your Own Fault Ed And some Friend you Turned out to Be Lilian. Having Cancer Doesn’t Excuse This………. Cheating is Cheating!!! I’ve been cheated on more then once Myself. That’s why I’m Alone!!!
maureen may not have been one of the power player characters for the show and that was just fine. what mattered was her relationship to others and she was a ground base for many characters. she provided heart for the show. soaps a good one anyway, is more than just sex cheating and lies, its about family and friends. you know heart and character relationships.
I freaking hate JFP she's always killing characters and couples. She did the same thing with one life to lives Bo and Nora killing that great love story and marriage for the sake of a good story which wasn't the case ! I'll hate her till the day I die!!!!!
Ed was feeling abandoned about Maureen working at Spaulding and Lillain had been going through a lot.And Lillan had just a cancer scare.. Maureen has to protect herself..
It was a beautifully acted story, but it was such a downer I had to quit watching for awhile....and I agree the "soul" went out of it with Maureen. Ellen Parker did a phenomenal job with her scenes, I just wish she didn't get killed off.
Yes. I hated seeing her go, but this storyline was beautifully written. Only thing missing was Ed telling Ross the truth. They talked about EVERYTHING. More so than Vanessa and Maureen. It would come out a year later and Ross would question Ed about it. "Why didn't you tell me."
I totally agree. I hated that Ellen Parker was no longer on the canvas (who didn't love Mo?), but the acting and writing during this storyline was top-notch: Ellen Parker, Peter Simon, Rachel Miner, Jerry ver Dorn, Maureen Garrett, Liz Keifer, Maeve Kinkead and Melissa Hayden were simply stellar!
@@bethbogue3742 Though when Michelle came back the actress was older but they said she was 16 which I thought was the right age and Bethany was younger then both Rebecca and Rachel. I thought Rachel looked like a teenager for years even when she was not.
