Deep Soap: Rest In Peace

By Sara A. Bibel
Fancast.com

Daytime Loses One of Its Finest
October 8, one of daytime’s most beloved actresses passed away. All My Children’s Eileen Herlie, who played Myrtle Fargate, died at age 90. Most older women on daytime are sweet, dessert baking matriarchs, who make heartwarming appearances on holiday episodes. Not Myrtle. She was a former carnie who never completely lost her rough edges. Single for most of her tenure on AMC, she became a sharp-witted honorary aunt to the many characters who stayed in her boarding house. When Erica’s mother Mona passed away, Myrtle stepped in to fill the void. Myrtle offered unconditional tough love. She was supportive, but she would call people out when they were wrong. In her later years, Myrtle had special friendships with Zach and Simone. She was the one person Zach always respected. Her funny, occasionally alcohol induced, conversations with Simone about men always put a smile on my face. Watching a scene with Myrtle was like having a really great conversation with my grandmother. Free from the insecurities and vulnerabilities of youth, Myrtle wasn’t trying to impress anyone. She could call it like she saw it. One of my favorite Myrtle moments happened in the early days of the Kendall storyline. Kendall, then played by Sarah Michelle Gellar, referred to Myrtle’s boarding house as rundown. “Want to see rundown? Step in front of my car.” Only on a soap would two people who started off as adversaries end up thinking of each other as family.

Watching Herlie grow increasingly frail, and her appearances on the show become less frequent, was as painful as watching the decline of a family member. Due to Herlie’s health problems, Myrtle hasn’t appeared on AMC for months. I hope the show will do right by her and give Myrtle the on-screen memorial that she and the audience deserve. Daytime has lost a lot of great women this year: Beverlee McKinsey, (Alexandra Guiding Light/Iris Another World), Irene Dailey (Liz Another World) and now Herlie. I hope that three of them are in a heavenly bar having a stiff drink together, reminiscing about their experiences in the golden era of daytime and flirting with Paul Newman.

Nothing’s Funnier Than A Violent Criminal Father
Wednesday Vincent Pastore began his inexplicably heavily promoted run on General Hospital. I’m not sure why an actor who was written off in an early season of The Sopranos is considered a big deal in daytime, other than headwriter Bob Guza’s obsession with the mafia. But Pastore’s been featured in promos, press releases, and on The View. He is supposed to be as big and bad as the numerous other mobsters on the show – a criminal so diabolical he was deported to Sicily. So his story, of course, is a wacky comedy. His sons, Max and Milo are Jason’s henchmen. They have been peripheral characters for years. Max recently became more fleshed out when he embarked on an unlikely romance with Diane. But Diane’s the interesting character in the relationship. As far as I know, there hasn’t been a demand for an exploration of Max’s backstory. But that’s what we’re getting. Max, it seems, has been lying to his father for years, claiming that he is the head of the Port Charles mob. Given how closely linked all the crime families are supposed to be, it defies even GH Gummi Bear Mob plausibility that Pasture’s character wouldn’t know the truth. It also seems unlikely that the sons of such a prominent underworld figure would be underlings. But hey, it’s GH. Cue the hilarious stereotypical Italian mafia music as Pastore enters the room. Will Jason go along with the scheme and pretend to be Max’s assistant? Who cares? There doesn’t seem to be anything at stake here. Jason bowing and scraping to make Max look good is out of character, since Jason is supposed to be unable to lie due to the same brain damage that turned him for Quartermaine to criminal. Telling a lighthearted story about the mafia while Kate lies in a hospital bed facing possible paralysis as the result of a mob-related shooting is tone deaf. Is the GH mafia a group of violent thugs who ruin innocent people’s lives? Or is a quirky family business? At this point I’d choose option C: a criminal organization that has absolutely nothing to do with a soap opera that’s supposed to be about a hospital.

Another Strange Casting Choice from As The World Turns
Craig Montgomery has long been a popular character on As The World Turns. In the 80s, Scott Bryce was a big hit in the role. He was a series regular on primetime’s Popular when the show decided to bring the character back in 2000, so Hunt Block took over the role. He quickly made the role his own, becoming one of the most popular actors on the show. Then he was let go a couple of years ago, without much explanation. In 2007, the show brought the character back, with Jeffrey Meek taking over the role. He failed to connect with the audience, so the show brought back the now available Bryce. The ratings rose, but after alleged behind the scenes conflict between Bryce and Executive Producer Chris Goutman, Craig was written off again. Now he’s being written back in. Instead of going with any of his former portrayers, General Hospital alum Jon Lindstrom is taking over the role. Lindstrom is a wonderful actor. I’m sure he’ll have an interesting take on Craig. But with both Block and Bryce available, it’s an odd choice. After the departure of ATWT veterans including Martha Byrne and Cady McClain, I can’t help wondering how unpleasant life is in Oakdale these days.