For me, ironically enough, it was '84, when Meg Ryan left and was replaced with Lindsey Frost, that I started watching.
Doug Marland became the writer and suddenly this show was truly different from the other soaps.
We got the Snyder farm family and Lily Walsh was recast.
The standout situation to me was Lucinda Walsh shoving Susan Stewart into that Christmas tree and injuring Susan's back. Susan is in the hospital and the gloating Lucinda pays her a visit.
Susan, a recovering alcoholic, becomes addicted to the pain killers for her back. Kim Hughes is helping her son, Andy Dixon, deal with his alcoholism after the bad girl he loved, Julie, has dumped him for Tonio Reyes.
Turns out it was Lucinda who brought Julie to town to begin with.
Kim's husband, Bob Hughes, feels ignored by Kim. He aids Susan with her withdrawal, and next thing you know, the pristine Bob Hughes is having a one night stand with Susan, whose husband Dan had had an affair with Kim decades earlier.
But the fun didn't end there.
Bob and Kim learned they had a long lost daughter, Sabrina Fullerton (originally played by Julianne Moore).
Sabrina (later played by Claire Beckman) was not the most welcoming person. She would feel sorry for the villianous Tonio Reyes (Peter Boynton), giving him all her inheritance from her adopted parents.
Bob would learn of Tonio's evil deeds, and attempt to stop him.
Tonio shot Bob in the back, then fled to South America with Sabrina.
As they drove across the outback, Tonio began confessing to Sabrina all he had done; the lies, the thievery and even shooting her father.
Tonio would say very calmly "Don't try to escape"
Sabrina would respond "I have no where to run to. You've seen to that."
I couldn't believe I had just heard such a powerhouse line in a soap opera.
There would be more, with Julie on the rebound from Caleb Snyder and Holden broken up with Lily, Julie and Holden would have the infamous one night stand that would rebound throughout the show with Julie getting pregnant.
Andy would deliver the baby with Snyder sister Iva, who would adopt the baby.
It was all amazing to watch.
Then Kim would have to trust Bob and Susan again when they went to South America to do medical duties and they vanished. Turns out they had been kidnapped and had to operate on the wounded Tonio Reyes!
Remarkable show.
When Conor Jameson was recast, and Neal Alcott (Mary Kay Adams) left the show (she was murdered), it was losing its fun.
Doug Marland would die as the murderer was revealed, but it wasn't exciting.
Then Iva Snyder would suddenly marry and leave the show, and so did I.
Ah well. The moment was gone.
But what a moment it was!
