Vlad wrote:

... the knowledge the writers display of customs and language and manners during the various time periods ...

This makes me think of how much I enjoyed the early Elizabeth Stoddard. While watching the pre-Barn eps for the first time in the 90s, I was so impressed with Liz's dialogue, and how dead-on perfect it was for a woman of her station. Especially in contrast to Roger whom you could tell was raised with equal privilege but had ever so slightly let it go by the wayside. It helped distinguish him from his sister as being less than trustworthy. I think that the pre-Barn writing was very good and extremelly well thought out. You could tell a great deal about the characters just from their grammar and vocabulary.

I also enjoyed and was very impressed with how the writers wrote for Viki before 1968. AM had so many scences with so many different characters. I loved how she was seemingly a different person with each of them. Perhaps this is normal and how writing should be but I personally had never noticed these nuances until I watched this part of the show at that time in my llife. I haven't looked at entertainment in the same way ever since.

It's somewhat funny, though David Collins is in no way close to being my favorite character, many of my favorite scenes from the pre-Barn days consist of scences where the adult characters interacted with him. It was these scenes (the writing) that made my faves, my faves.

I wonder if the "hairy boy" was intended to take over as the resident male youngster on the show, with Henesy's departure?

That depends on how big they are. 

sqd.

But then again, didn't Vicki have some friend from the foundling home/orphanage with whom she kept in contact initially?  Maybe "Tracy" could have been that friend, coming to Collinwood to investigate why Vicki hadn't been sending any letters back to NYC for the past couple years.   

Ah, Sandy, one of my fave cameo roles on the show, and one of my favorite quotes as well: "So you've got a yen for fishing villages, then go out to Long Island and have a ball!"

She's not Tracy, I know, but maybe Tracy had the room next to their's.

BTW, great plot idea, Cassandra Blair! I love reading ideas about the way we think things would, should, and could have been.

I saw/heard on TV yesterday that a Dukes of Hazzard movie is in the works with Britney Spears being the leading candidate for consideration in the role of Daisey Duke. I can't remember if the male leads were cast, and if so, who they've chosen or are considering.