Halloween 1984

- or "when Melissa Brennan Reeves was young and innocent...and she did not eat homophobic hamburgers." - 

Continuing with the Halloween Update, today I propose to you some scenes of the episode dated 31 October 1984: so this was the first Halloween in Santa Barbara. Nothing to do with Halloween night 1985. Here the tones are lighter, the characters are younger. In short, nothing memorable, but definitely something fun. And then there's the Dobsons’ touch. This makes it worth seeing. The short video that I propose to you is in French, but it is not necessary to know the language to understand what happens:

In full storm, Jade (Melissa Brennan) and Danny (Rupert Ravens) are once again confronted with the faults of their typewriter. Jade goes to the library and, armed with many works on black magic, organises with Danny a séance which succeeds to make the table move! Suddenly, on the music of the film Ghostbusters, a strange light appears in front of the bar of their hotel. Terrified, they leave the place by howling. But from their departure, everything calms down and two rather old men appear. They prove to be responsible for frightening Jade and Danny, trying to make them leave the place to search the hotel with ease, where a mysterious booty was hidden.

Synopsis from Santa Barbara: le site francais

Halloween in Capwell Mansion - 1985

Halloween is getting near, and Gina decorates the house with pumpkin heads and skeletons. When she sees Brandon hanging a skeleton on the door of CC's room, she takes it off, telling him he can put it anywhere in the house but in this room. While they are talking, Brandon asks her if she is planning on getting a costume for Halloween, and she tells him she will be dressed as a witch (referring to Eden of course).

"Let me die...Let me die..." - says the voice coming from Gina's tape. CC suddenly opens his eyes. Gina is terrified when she notices it. "My god!" - she whispers with horror. Eden, totally unstable and thinking she's hearing her father's voice, closes the door behind her. Sophia passes in the corridor outside CC's room, and notices Eden before the door is closed. "Poor daddy" - cries Eden as she approaches CC...

Can you see me?" - asks Eden, knealing near CC's bed. "My heart breaks everytime I see you like this. I know what you told me to do. Twice you told me, I didn't forget. Daddy, I'm here. Eden's here". CC just stares at her. "I love you daddy. I love you more than I love myself. I love you more than I love Cruz!". Gina is in the closet, hearing every word. "Go ahead Eden. Pull the plug! So I won't have to..." - Gina says in her heart. Eden continues to talk to her father: "I've been so tortured, I didn't know whether to disobey you, but now I've decided what I'm going to do. You've trusted me with the business and your life's work, and your life - you put them in my hands. I hate these machines daddy, I really hate them. They just go on and on. They don't care about the pain, the hopelessness..." - Eden bursts into tears again. "I wore this dress daddy because it was your favorite. In my dreams I'm always wearing it, and I've tried to get rid of it because it frightened me. I don't know why but I still have it!". Eden gets up. "In my dreams I just keep...I do...I do exactly what you want me to do..." - Eden approaches slowly to the plug. CC starts to blink, his pulse is getting rapid. Eden reaches a trembling hand to the plug. "Do it Eden. Do it now!" - Gina begs in her heart. "Do it! Pull it! You know you want it, so do it Eden, do it! Go ahead!" - hopes an anxious Gina, but Eden can't make herself pull the plug - and faints.

"Get up Eden, come one, get up! You can do it!" - thinks Gina, but Eden lies motionless on the floor. Gina decides to act, and goes out of the closet. Suddenly, CC's hand moves as if he was trying to grab Gina's arm. "My God! You moved!! Am I imagining this?!" - Gina panics and moves away, but CC follows her with his eyes. "Can you see me?" - asks a horrified Gina. "Eden, don't pass out on me now!" - Gina shakes Eden. "Finish what you've started, you were so close! Don't give up now! Eden, can you hear me?". Gina moves her look from Eden to CC, who is still watching her. "Your eyes...they move! Can you see me?! Can you see me??" - Gina can't bare to look at CC anymore. "I'm not doing anything! I didn't do anything, stop looking at me!". CC blinks. "Stop it, I can't stand it!!" - shouts Gina.

CC's life are still in danger. He looks at Gina, his heart beats very fast. "Stop looking at me like that! This is what you wanted, this is what you've asked for, so you're going to get it! Your darling Eden is going to do it. This is what you wanted, isn't it?" - Gina grabs Eden's hand, but can't face CC. "You have no right to look at me like this! I was the one who was hurt by this marriage, not you!". Then she takes a deep breath, and puts Eden's hand on the plug. "Goodbye CC. See you in hell...". Gina uses Eden's hand to pull the plug...

A moment of silence. The sound of the machine is no longer heard. The respirator stops working. Gina freezes. "It's done. It's over." - she says with a low voice. Then she hears a weak cough. She looks up at CC - and sees him moaning weakly for a few moments, then his eyes are closed. After a few seconds, an alarm breaks off. "No!!!" - Gina screams horrified.

It is the beginning of a nightmare for Eden, culminating in a marriage with Kirk Cranston. Everything happened on Halloween in 1985. In Santa Barbara. Can you imagine a story scarier than this?

Synopsis from Santa Barbara Home Page

EXCLUSIVE LETTER OF PROTEST ABOUT MARY'S DEATH

Today I present to you one more rare unique unobtainable trendy document about Santa Barbara. It is dated July 15, 1986.This is a letter signed by the official fan club of Santa Barbara and it is addressed to the writers of our soap. We have always heard about many letters of protest written by fans following the death of Mary Duvall, cruelly killed, crushed by the big C. Today we can see one of them. Fans gave much advices to the writers, but were their requests answered? Let's see, in hindsight ... 

LILY LIGHT: FROM PREACHER TO CHEATER

R. Mattson - Lynn Clark

Imagine a funny bitch, who lost much in her life and whose main occupation is blackmail. Her name is Gina. Now imagine an evangelist preacher, always dressed in white, attractive, involved in fight against humanity’s vices such as gambling, smoking and alcoholism. Imagine that in private she loves drinking, smoking and having sex with Mason Capwell. Her name is Lily Light. Imagine a strong rivalry between Gina and Lily. What kind of link can connect two so apparently different women? Lily is the secret daughter of Gina, result of a rape. Gina believes that Lily was dead newborn. So her mother told her. Lily believes that her mother has abandoned her. So Lily tracks down Gina and she decides to approach her in an unusual way: to redeem her from her sins. Gina instinctively can not stand Lily. Imagine lightning and thunderbolts. For the role of Lily it was chosen Lynn Clark. The actress was very much like Robin Mattson and this similarity was also used in the scripts, provoking very funny moments.

R. Mattson - Paula Irvine

Unfortunately once the two women overcome their disagreements, the writers were unable to find an interesting story for her and after just four months, Lily Light left Santa Barbara. I loved very much this character that maybe was not loved by many. Bridget and Jerome Dobson then decided to bring back the character on the show after five years. But they called a different actress, younger and less like Robin Mattson, Paula Irvine. New Lily has nothing of the mad evangelist who caused years before the death of Amy Perkins and especially no one seems to remember her past. Neither Mason. Who is your favorite Lily?


 

PAMELA: THE WOMAN WHO LIVED TWICE

On the occasion of Patrick Mulcahey’s birthday, I thought to celebrate this day by proposing you one of the best SB’ episodes and definitely the best of the 1991 season. At the time Mulcahey had already left SB about a year ago, when Bridget and Jerome Dobson back to the soap that they created, after winning the long-running lawsuit against the New World Television. For their return the Dobsons had thought about a grand entrance: in fact they decided to bring with them the character of Pamela, CC ' ex-wife and Mason’ mother, locked in a mental hospital after trying to kill Kelly in 1988. So they contacted Mulcahey and asked him to write this episode  (he left SB in 1990, probably due to some creative differences with then-executive producer John Conboy). Mulcahey accepted because of the strong friendship that linked him to the Dobsons. The episode has a strong symbolic meaning: the crazy, insane Pamela returned to Santa Barbara to rock (again) the life of the Capwell family ... as well as the Dobsons are back to the show to awaken characters who slept too long. Pamela, magnificently played by Marj Dusay, wears a beautiful green dress, evocative of ghosts from the past and death. That same green color that Kim Novak wore on Hitchcock's masterpiece "Vertigo". On the movie James Stewart, haunted by the death of his beloved, tries to bring her to life shaping another woman in her image and resemblance.

Kim Novak on "Vertigo"

Even on Santa Barbara, Pamela brings all the skeletons locked in the closet of the Capwell  house: CC stealing Pamela from his own brother Grant, Sophia stealing CC from Pamela and meanwhile conceiving a son with CC’ number-one enemy, Lionel Lockridge, culminating in the murder of Channing Junior by Sophia, his own mother. A real private trial for the exclusive use and enjoyment of the Capwells. Remember that they learned that Pamela had not jumped to her death off  Manhattan 59th Street Bridge, just in 1987 during another (real) trial, Cruz’ trial for Elena Nikolas’ murder. Patrick Mulcahey wrote that episode, elected the best episode of the year by SOD. From Pamela’s (then played by Shirley Ann Field) poignant entrance into the courtroom assisted by both of her sons, to a sight gag of Gina wearing an ostentatious black veil, to Keith’s comment about Pamela’s sudden wealth (“I thought she left New York without a pot to puree in”), to Julia finding Mason drunk (“I’m sorry. I can’t help it if I’m drowning. It’s genetic!”), Mulcahey’s writing came together with directing and acting in a coherent and entertaining fashion. In summary, Pamela enters to the Capwell house labeled like a crazy woman, but over the dinner she reveals the truth: she is definitely crazy, but Capwell Mansion is nothing more than a madhouse. And for once we are rooting for the villain. As on some Hitchcock’ movies, as on Shakespeare's tragedies, as on Santa Barbara. This is the Elephant of Surprise. Happy Birthday Mr. Mulcahey!

Pic #1 is from Capridge.com

CAPWELL FAMILY TREE...EXPLAINED BY GINA TO A SPLIT PERSONALITY

Who were Elena Nikolas’ parents? Who killed Channing Capwell jr? The romance between Kelly and Jeffrey was it an incest? Who was Mason’ mother?

As we all know it, soap opera’s plot  is hard to remember, as well as all the intrigues and plot twists. So in 1988 Santa Barbara’s writers decided to give us a funny gag: characters involved were Gina (Robin Mattson) and Sonny Sprockett (Lane Davies).... Yes, Mason’ second personality mocked Miami Vice’s star, named Sonny Crockett (played by Don Johnson ) – Hoorray for Santa Barbara!  Mason was then returned from dead with Sonny’s personality. Gina obviously decided to take advantage of Mason’ amnesia to cheat CC stealing his money. (Again). But to achieve this, Gina has to teach Sonny to seem like a real Capwell. So they need to review Capwell family tree. Result is exhilarating! Watch it to believe it! The way Gina hits the board makes me going crazy!!  My favorite line? It’s easy, "This is like a soap opera."

Pic is from Capridge.com

"THE CAPWELL ZONE": THE MOST MEANINGFUL EPISODE OF "SANTA BARBARA"

Please, close your eyes and Imagine the city of Santa Barbara populated by aliens with green skins, pointy ears, big lizards tails and talking in iambic pentameter. Ok, now open your eyes and tune on the episode # 1234 of Santa Barbara, 1989 season. 

You are about to watch one of the most original and clever episode ever written. Perhaps it was not fully understood. But I think that the episode # 1234, called “Capwell Zone”, is a true Masterpiece. And now I try to explain why.

Years ago, C.C. Capwell had a one-night stand with Megan Richardson (Meg Bennett). Nine months later, she gave birth to a boy and named him Greg (Paul Johansson). She proceeded to raise him alone, telling him that his father had been killed in the war. Over the years, Megan became a successful writer. When she turned up in Santa Barbara, it was to pen a novel about the town's most powerful tycoon, C.C. Capwell. Certain that he wouldn't remember their past alliance, Megan took this opportunity to get to know the man who fathered her son. When Greg showed up for a visit, C.C. took an instant liking to the boy - especially after learning that he was Greg's father. C.C. was sure that the rest of his family would welcome Greg with open arms. Instead, Mason, Eden, Kelly and Ted reacted negatively to the news.

This was the background.

Feeling like an outcast, Greg sat alone at the beach and contemplated ending it all. He was approached by Mason, who tried explaining the Capwells to him. His emotions getting the better of him, Greg grabbed a surfboard and ran into the ocean. Greg was pulled out of the water; unconscious. In this state, he dreamed that Julia and Mason were aliens. "We, Gregor, are Santa Barbs from the planet Montecito. We are a kind and helpful people, whose mission is to bring beauty, goodness, unconventional sex, occasional amnesia, general improbability and, overall, a certain polish to your dreary planet," said the aliens to a dumbfounded Greg by way of introduction. In my opinion, this step is the most intelligent and brilliant.

Thanks to the Mulcahey’s excellent writing, the representation passes to a metatheoretical level: Santa Barbara talks about itself and does it mocking about itself. In summary, as well as the Capwells become aliens and mock the "real" Capwells, even the classic soap opera turns into Santa Barbara, it enacts surreal situations and then it mock them and the whole soap genre. The self-ironic detachment: this is the SB’ absolute originality. This makes SB different (and better than) from all other shows. Only an EXTREMELY talented and visionary writer like Patrick Mulcahey could write an episode like this. Luckily, the aliens were played by Lane Davies and Nancy Lee Grahn, both of whom have a great facility for the English language. They took Greg to a new dimension, "The Capwell Zone", where he observed family members discussing the pros and cons of being a Capwell.

"Capwell Zone" episode - Greg wakes up on the beach and sees all the Capwells as aliens

June 20, 1989: "Capwell Zone" episode - #Greg (Paul Johansson) wakes up on the beach and sees all the #Capwells as aliens.

Pubblicato da Santa Barbara Blog su Martedì 28 maggio 2019

When Greg asked to see into the future, he witnessed the apocalyptic fate of the Capwell family and his own funeral. He heard C.C. talk about how Greg spent his whole life in a rage, never accepting the Capwells. Shaken, Greg asked Mason and Julia for another chance. Minutes later, Greg woke up, happy to be alive.

In Italy, each episode of SB was dubbed, and at that time I could not fully appreciate the greatness of the “Capwell Zone”. But when I saw the episode in English, I gaped because of the amazing writing. My God, who knows how much work there must have been behind that single episode! It's just brilliant. That represents an innovative choice in the representation of the dilemma that troubles Greg: accept or reject his new family?

Any other soap would have addressed this issue in a traditional way. The originality of Mulcahey instead gave us a new approach to testing a new narrative form. I would like to thank those who gave him this freedom to experiment and of course Mr. Mulcahey .... Thanks for giving to our minds a chance to peer into new horizons!

With immense esteem,

Pierpaolo

ITALIAN PROMO FOR "SANTA BARBARA" - Feat. A MARTINEZ, MARCY WALKER, JUDITH MCCONNELL, LOUISE SOREL AND MANY OTHERS

Santa Barbara came to Italy in April 1989. Originally it aired on Rai Uno at 7:10 PM. At the end of 1990, the soap was suspended for several months. Then it started again in June 1991 on Rai Due making a big step backwards: in fact, the soap started again from the episode # 134 – (Joe and Kelly’s wedding). Practically in Italy we watched twice the 1985 season. The new episodes aired since January 1992. So in 1991 some special promotional video dedicated to Santa Barbara were realized ​​ to publicize the passage on Rai Due with interviews to the actors and a description of the main characters. Today I am proposing to you these rare videos (as requested by Marco, who lives in Paris). I suggest to you to watch them. the entertainment and a bit 'of nostalgia is guaranteed! Let’s rediscover Santa Barbara!

 

Hereafter you can watch a video that summarizes the plot of the first season of SB until the eve of the wedding of Joe and Kelly.

 

VALENTINE'S DAY WITH EDEN, CRUZ AND THE BIBLE

What better way to celebrate Valentine's Day than with a candlelit dinner together with your love? Well, for example by passing the Valentine's Day in company of Eden and Cruz. The supercouple par excellence, the triumph of Love with a capital L. In the video below, I propose to you one of the best moments of Eden and Cruz. A romantic and intimate evening spent in front of the fireplace just before the departure of Eden to Utah. The planned wedding was canceled because of Elena Nikolas, but that's another story. In the video Cruz dedicates to Eden one of the most beautiful passages of the Bible, the promise that Ruth makes to Noemi:

“Don't ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me."

 Enjoy!

But I leave you with the most beautiful words ever written to describe love: the letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians. May Saint Paul has taken inspiration from Eden and Cruz?

"If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

Love is patient,

love is kind and is not jealous;

love does not brag and is not arrogant,

does not act unbecomingly;

it does not seek its own,

is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,

does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;

bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails".

WHEN "EDEN" CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN

Marcy Walker comes to Santa Barbara after 45 episodes from the beginning. At the time she was very famous thanks to the role of Liza Colby on All My Children. Bridget Dobson, SB creator, managed to convince her to go to SB, saying: "Eden will be ten times more interesting than Liza." So Marcy Walker accepted the challenge and as soon as her contract allowed her, she launched on SB. Literally. In fact the arrival of Eden was rather bizarre: Eden  wanted to celebrate her father’ birthday and then she returned to SB on board a small plane from which she launched with a parachute. Not before having flirted with the pilot. From the beginning, Eden is a character sexually uninhibited. So Eden ends up landing on the Lockridge garden.... into the arms of the young Warren Lockridge (John Allen Nelson). The choice was not accidental: the writers originally thought of giving birth to a love story between the two. But when they noticed that the chemistry between A Martinez (Cruz) and Walker was crackling, unlike the one with the young Lockridge, they decided to groped an interracial love story. So they gave life to one of the most popular super couples of all time. In the video you can see the incredible arrival of Eden. Attention to the color of the parachute; when Eden launches, it looks like this:

But when Eden collects her parachute, its color changes:

I haven’t never noticed it before. Eyes are fixed on the magnetic Eden Capwell!

"SANTA BARBARA BLOOPERS" GREATEST HITS - (LE PAPERE)

Santa Barbara was a one-hour show. Every day Lane Davies, Marcy Walker, Robin Wright and everyone else had to memorize dozens of pages of script. Soap stars work at full speed. So the margin of error must be reduced to minimum. An error means time and money wasted. Despite this, errors can occur. And when an error occurs, it is called BLOOPER! In the two videos below I propose to you the best bloopers from Santa Barbara! I put the early years of the show into the first video and the later years were included in the second video.

In the first video you will watch:

·        a spat between Mason and Peter Flint

·        Lane Davies facing a tie

·        Lane Davies facing a little confused judge

·        Lane Davies arguing with a bottle

·        The love story between Mason & Cruz

·        a small fire at the Capwell Mansion

·        a naughty flag

·        Mason remaining speechless in front of Sophia

·        Nancy Lee Grahn's amnesia

·        Nicolas Coster spiting on the milkman’ hand and a blind Augusta laughing

In the second video:

·        the trio: Charles Bateman, Louise Sorel and Nic Coster

·        a not very stable sofa

·        the thud of Louise Sorel and Marcy Walker

·        the Robin Mattson’ mischievous earring

·        the Bunny’s strong shoe

·        a not very stable telephone

·        a difficult crime to reconstruct

·        Marcy Walker almost killing A Martinez

·        strange odors on the set

"...IF BRIDGET DOBSON WERE NOT BEEN LOCKED OUT FROM SANTA BARBARA?"...OR "THE BEGINNING OF THE END"!

As you know, Santa Barbara has not excelled in terms of ratings in the USA. In fact, for its entire duration, SB has always remained at the bottom of the ranking. Here we can see the ranking.

But as usual you should not stop at appearances. While SB aired on NBC, ABC broadcast General Hospital (the most followed soap) and CBS broadcast Guiding Light, which was also widely followed. If we consider that, while SB was born, GH & GL went on the air for over twenty years, it is easy to understand how unlikely the audience would have abandoned these historical safe soap for the newborn SB. But something happens. Because, while GH & GL (and all the other soaps on the air then) start to lose audience during the '80s, however SB increased the number of its aficionados. You can see it better in the following graph: the blue curve (SB ratings) grows up, while the red and green curve fall down.

So while SB increases the number of its viewers, all the other soaps lose audience. But please do not automatically think that the public left the other soaps to follow SB. Or at least not only. I really think that SB has attracted a new section of the public. An audience that normally did not follow the traditional soap opera. An audience composed not only of housewives, but a younger audience. For instance, I was 10 years old when I started to follow SB.

What I have said thus far, it only applies until 1988: in fact from that moment on, the ratings of SB begin to decline until reaching a record low in 1992, the year of cancellation. You can see it well in the following graph: these are the ratings of SB divided by season.

Green: growth

Red: Loss

Orange: no change

What happened in 1988 so as to cause such a loss? Eden’ Rape? Well actually it was pretty traumatic to discover that the gynecologist who had examined her after the rape was the same who had raped her. Yes, but can not this be the reason for the ratings’ decline: for instance Luke had raped Laura on GH and later the two were married at the time, and GH did not lose viewers. Oh, maybe I understood: the Bunny’ presence on the show, a mob boss who liked to dress up as a woman at night ... Well, no, it was very funny. What else could have happened in 1988 to cause a progressive loss in the ratings. I can not think of anything right. Well yes, the Dobsons were expelled from the show that they themselves had created. In 1990, Patrick Mulcahey and Frank Salisbury (two historical SB writers) also leave the show due to some disagreements with John Conboy (and the ratings falls again). They were very clever and innovative. Why do  value them? So thanks from the bottom of my heart to New World Television and NBC: you have freed us from a tremendously brilliant show, horribly ironic and so tragically unmatched!

THE SUPERCOUPLES: EDEN & CRUZ

Inauguriamo oggi lo spazio dedicato alle super coppie, parlando di quella più emblematica di Santa Barbara: Eden Capwell & Cruz Castillo. L’origine di questa coppia pare che non fosse stata prevista in anticipo. Infatti quando Marcy Walker (Eden) arrivò nello show (dopo circa un mese dall’inizio), ci arrivò lanciandosi con il paracadute da un elicottero e atterrò nella siepe…di casa Lockridge. Ad accoglierla trovò Warren Lockridge (John Allen Nelson) e pare che l’idea iniziale degli sceneggiatori fosse quella di far nascere una love story tra i due. Poi però non venne riscontrata abbastanza alchimia nell’interazione tra i due e così non se ne fece nulla. Quando però Marcy Walker girò le prime scene con A Martinez (Cruz), ecco scoccare la scintilla: queste scene insieme erano fatte di piccoli battibecchi e punzecchiature e la tensione erotica saliva davvero alle stelle. Il pubblico si affezionò prestissimo a questa coppia che stabilì un primato non indifferente: Eden & Cruz furono la prima supercoppia multietnica, dove la parte maschile era interpretata da un Messicano, etnia spesso relegata a ruoli minori nelle soap americane. Riassumere le loro vicende sarebbe un’impresa disperata: basti sapere che i due si sono lasciati e ripresi a più riprese, hanno provato a sposarsi più volte venendo però interrotti da incendi, accuse di omicidio ecc… Eden arrivò addirutta a sposarsi con un altro uomo, pur non amandolo (lo psicopatico Kirk Cranston, che da allora in poi tornò periodicamente nello show per tormentare Eden & Cruz). Cruz si sposò con Santana, pur non amandola, ma solo per permettere alla donna di ottenere l’agognato affidamento del piccolo Brandon. Dovremo attendere ben quattro anni prima di assistere al tanto desiderato matrimonio: uno dei più magici di sempre, celebrato nella splendida Pebble Creek. Ma questo non mise al sicuro la coppia: dietro l’angolo un terribile stupro avrebbe atteso Eden, un fantasma di nome Robert Barr (Roscoe Born) sarebbe tornato ad insidiare l’amore di eden & Cruz e infine la follia avrebbe presto colpito Eden, frammentando la sua mente in svariate personalità che la condussero fino al tentato omicidio della madre, Sophia.

Il senso di colpa spingerà Eden ad abbandonare Santa Barbara nell’estate del 1991 senza più fare ritorno. Qualche mese dopo Cruz riceverà una lettera di Eden nella quale la donna chiede il divorzio. E da allora, più niente. Un destino davvero misero per una delle supercoppie più amate nel mondo delle soap. Marcy Walker aveva lasciato la soap per tentare la carriera  nel primetime. Questa esperienza si rivelò presto fallimentare al punto che la Walker sembrava intenzionata a ritornare in Santa Barbara. Purtroppo però venne annunciata la notizia della cancellazione dello show e A Martinez aveva abbandonato a sua volta SB, quindi del ritorno di Eden non se ne fece più niente. I nuovi sceneggiatori non pensarono ad un happy ending anche solo off screen. Per quanto mi riguarda, io oggi immagino Eden e Cruz di nuovo insieme, di ritorno a Santa Barbara con Chip e Adriana sulle note di “The Change in Me is You”, la colonna sonora del loro amore. E voi?

IF YOU COULD ASK ONE QUESTION TO BRIDGET DOBSON...

Dear friends,

As you already know, I recently found the Dobsons. I do not know yet if Bridget Dobson agrees to answer the questions that circulated for years in my mind. But ....if she accept, I would like to add some of your questions to my questions. So: if you could ask one question to Bridget Dobson, what would you ask her? Respond here or on facebook. Then fans will vote their five favorite questions and I will insert them in the interview (if any).

Thanks for your cooperation.

PAZZA, PAZZA ELENA NIKOLAS

Tra tutti i cattivi che nel corso degli anni hanno messo piede in Santa Barbara tra il 1984 e il 1993, quella sicuramente più sadica e spietata fu Elena Nikolas a.k.a. Eleonor Norris, interpretata dall’attrice Sherilyn Wolter. La prima cosa che fece Elena fu di stordire Eden con un colpo in testa nel giorno del suo matrimonio, abbandonarla in mezzo alla neve, noleggiare un aereo privato a nome di Eden, pilotarlo, piazzare una bomba sull’aereo, gettarsi via con il paracadute pochi istanti prima dell’esplosione e far credere così a tutti che Eden fosse morta per un tragico incidente (vedi video). Un ingresso esplosivo e da protagonista assoluta. E in effetti per tutto il tempo della sua (breve) permanenza in SB, Elena fu la principale protagonista della maggior parte degli intrecci. Dopo aver assunto l’identità dell’agente CIA Eleonor Norris, riuscirà ad introdursi nella vita di Cruz e a consolarlo per la presunta morta di Eden. Ma poco dopo la vita di un altro Capwell viene messa in pericolo. Parlo di Mason, che improvvisamente scompare dalla città e viene rapito dagli scagnozzi di Elena. L’obiettivo era di fargli firmare un documento il cui contenuto non verrà mai reso noto, nemmeno alla fine. In realtà questo fu l’espediente utilizzato dagli sceneggiatori per concedere a Lane Davies (Mason) il consueto break estivo per potersi dedicare ai suoi impegni teatrali. Successivamente gli scagnozzi di Elena attentano anche alla vita di Kelly, sorella di Eden e Mason (vedi video). In quel caso però Elena si assicurò che non venisse torto nemmeno un capello a Jeffrey. Ma perché? Bene, nel corso di un confronto tra Elena e quello che crediamo essere suo padre, il Dr. Alex Nikolas, veniamo a sapere che il vero padre di Elena altri non è che CC Capwell. Dopo aver avuto Mason, CC lasciò Pamela per Sophia. Quello che nessuno sapeva era che mentre Pamela lasciava casa Capwell, portava in grembo Elena che nacque e visse quindi in esilio dalla casa paterna. Questo ha portato Elena a sviluppare un profondo odio nei confronti di CC e una profonda invidia nei confronti dei suoi fratelli/fratellastri. Il suo piano era quindi quello di ferire CC nel modo peggiore, sterminando tutti i suoi figli. Ci provò con tutti, tranne che con Ted. Forse non fece in tempo. Grazie all’aiuto di Cain venne infatti smascherata, riuscì comunque ad attirare Cruz in una trappola durante la quale improvvisamente si ode un colpo di pistola ed Elena ricompare distesa al suolo in fin di vita. Giusto in tempo perché CC arrivi sul luogo a raccogliere le ultime parole della donna “E’ stato Cruz ad uccidermi…..PAPA’!”. Detto ciò, spirò (vedi video).

Sherilyn Wolter oggi

Giusto in tempo per inguaiare Cruz che andrà a processo per l’omicidio della donna, verrà condannato all’ergastolo, riuscirà ad evadere in maniera spettacolare nel corso del matrimonio di Kelly e Jeffrey e a dimostrare la propria innocenza. Infatti non fu Cruz ad uccidere Elena, ma fu Elena ad uccidere sé stessa. Il suo piano era di incastrare Cruz e dividere così per sempre la super coppia Eden-Cruz, il tutto con la complicità dell’altro super cattivo di SB: Kirk Cranston. Fu proprio lui a fomentare l’odio di Elena. In ogni caso io ho adorato Elena:il personaggio aveva spessore e la sua storia non ha nulla da invidiare alla tragedia classica greca: la figlia ripudiata che medita vendetta nei confronti del suo stesso sangue! Peggio di una soap opera.