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What can I get you?
Coffee's a dollar
I hope you like whip cream.
I just love the Voice of the Night. We have this
special connection.
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Raising
A Glass to the Holden Family 
What
Was, What Is, What Should Have Been
As Al
“transitions” on Monday, February 16, 2004, one of the consequences will be
that the presence of the Holden Family in Llanview will effectively be erased.
For some of us long time viewers, the passing of this family into the soap opera
equivalent of oblivion is significant and, although all of us acknowledge that
things change and soap viewing is often about moving on, I thought it would be
nice to have a thread here in The Kitchen acknowledging the Holden Family--what
was and what might have been. So
following SophieSoaps’ suggestion in an earlier post, I’d like to
invite everyone who’s interested to pause for a moment and symbolically raise
a glass to the Holden Family.
And, if you feel like it,
 share a memory
or two, or talk about what was, or talk about what might have been, or post a
graphic, or suggest a song, or just give out an extra big hug or two as we start
on this new journey.
Raising my glass:
Here’s to the Holden Family. I’ll always
cherish the memories. ~~ Tessarae87
I haven't
been a viewer for long but I could tell in the moments that I did see that this
was a close-knit family portrayed by brilliant actors. I celebrate their scenes
and the joy they brought to long-time viewers. Here. Here. -–Marcalrimi
What a
beautiful picture of one of my favorite families on OLTL!! I've had my ups and
downs with the Holden family, going from dislike to adoration throughout the
years but I am going to miss them and the possibilities of what might have been
(Man am I still disappointed about 2 missed opportunities of "Moxy"!)
I'm not going to walk down memory lane for long, it depresses the hell out of me
further but I just wanted to say that I will miss them: Gabrielle's adoration
for her son; his tender love for her & his desire to take care of her even
at such a young age; Max's wanting to be a better person for his boy. And the
boy himself? Ah the possibilities!
Thanks for the thread Tess... and here's to the next regime of OLTL who
will get it. That's the good thing about soaps...nothing is ever
written in stone. --Whlwtcher
Wonderful
thread, Tess, and thanks for this opportunity to pay tribute to an awesome clan!
Well, what is it about those Holden men? It still amazes me how they went from
men that I loathed and detested at one point, to men that I adored!
MAX HOLDEN- It seemed the man was ALWAYS scheming and was never satisfied with
what he had. He met and later married Luna Moody. They had a deep, powerful
love. However, Max developed a gambling addiction and ended up having an affair
with Blair Kramer. That just infuriated me! I could not stand him for cheating
on Luna; also, Blair was a skeezoid that used his addiction to sink her hooks
into him! Anyway, that's why I loathed Max. However, throughout the years
something amazing happened- Max developed a conscience! He would still scheme at
times, but he would do the right thing in the end! Also, I just LOVED, LOVED,
LOVED how he wanted to be a better person, an example for his eldest son, Al. I
also loved how he encouraged Al to tell the truth when he realized that Al was
faking his paralysis to guilt Jen into marrying him. I also liked how Max seemed
to have genuine affection for Asa and Renee, despite fraudulently claiming (on
several occasions) to be Asa's biological son. I think some part of him really
wanted to be their son, and not just because of the money! I know I'm leaving
out loads of stuff, but those are the things about Max that stuck with me;
that's why I miss him, but smile when I think of him.
AL HOLDEN- there's just not enough time, space, or words to adequately describe
how I ADORE Al Holden! Yes, I did indeed loathe and detest him during his Jen
obsession! Frankly, the boy scared the crap out of me. He was so ANGRY, INTENSE,
MANIPULATIVE, AND INTIMIDATING! However, somehow, I started to feel sorry for
him; maybe it was his willingness to let everyone think that Jen's baby was
Christian's after Jen threatened to (abort the baby???) if he told her secret.
Or, maybe it was him thinking he caused her to lose the baby. I'm just not sure
what did it, but I know I started to root for him after he kicked Jen to the
curb! However, it was every scene of the MARCAL friendship and romance that made
him so endearing to me! Now, I'm not even going to attempt to describe specific
scenes. We've done that countless times already, and frankly, I don't have the
energy tonight. Also, I'm trying very hard to control my emotions where "Al
Holden" is concerned. How many friggin' times can a person cry over the
loss of a soap character and lament over what could have been? More times than I
care to admit. So, I'll simply say this: I think it was his sensitive side that
made him so endearing to me. If Al Holden loved you, you knew it! He'd feel it,
say it, and show it! He loved his parents, siblings, friends, and his girl! If
he was scared, he'd admit it. I loved how he loved, protected, and encouraged
Marcie. He made huge mistakes in the past, but if ever a person learned from his
mistakes, Al Holden did! NO ONE (in Llanview) was more deserving of a second
chance than him. The mortal Al Holden will always hold a special place in my
heart! I'm happy that his soul lives on- what a beautiful soul it is!
GABRIELLE- I don't know how old I was when she came to Llanview. There's a lot
that I don't remember about her earlier days. I'm sure some of you can give her
a better tribute than I can. My memory of her comes down to a single word-
class! I just remember her as being a classy lady, who loved her son beyond
words! I do recall that she and Max had some sizzling chemistry when they were
paired together!
What endears her most to me is her love for Al; Oh, and her accent, Dahlings!
I'll miss the shining light that was Gabrielle Medina!
MARCIE HOLDEN- WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN--- I won't even go there people, I just
won't allow myself to go there! However, I will say "Thanks!" to all
the Fan Fic writers who joined Al and Marcie in Holy Matrimony! Through your
stories I have and/or will have the MARCAL HAPPY ENDING THAT I REALLY WANTED!
And yes, oh yes, I do recall that MARCAL'S Souls are married, "always have
been, always will be." However, in this instance I'm talking about a Real,
Physical Wedding on Planet Earth- Mortal to Mortal! So, I toast all the
beautiful, romantic MARCAL WEDDINGS that I have or will read about in your
stories! You Fan Fic Writers- ALL OF YOU- ROCK!
Here's to THE HOLDENS: THANKS FOR THE LOVE, THE
LAUGHTER, THE DRAMA, AND THE
--marcalmelter
I didn't
start watching Max and Gabrielle until the early '90s a few months before James
DePaiva left and the recast happened. It was around the time that little Al was
kidnapped and Max was shot trying to save Gabrielle from a bullet, Gabrielle
running away to a convent, Max going after her, etc. I stopped watching after JD
left.
I had only seen a few months of story, but I always was holding out hope that
Max and Gabrielle would get back together and was disappointed when it didn't go
that way. They had the best chemistry!
I was a bit surprised to see that they had SORAS'd Al and thought his whole
storyline with Jen was silly (what little bits I saw by accident and read about)
but I thought NM was a very good actor from having seen him on ATWT.
It's disappointing they don't just leave the door open for memorable characters
anymore...the finality of killing part of a soap's history off is just plain sad
and a terrible thing to do to fans. -–reneerose242000
Beautiful
Collage, Tess. Adding some
thoughts:
Max
From the moment he first strutted into OLTL to the last wink as he left the
stage, here was a fascinating character -
one for which much potential remained and it appears squandered. I remember the
Tina days, the Gabby days, the Megan days, and of course, the Luna days. And the
story that might have been with Roxy.
Gabby
My feelings for her were more love-hate: loved her with Max, didn't like the way
she treated Steve Holden and Marcie when she first found out Al and Marcie were
dating. But she was a beautiful woman and didn't deserve to end up in a bathroom
stall.
Luna
One of my favorites ever although Heaven Can Wait even had me frustrated with
her. Loved her with Max; loved her as Al's step-mom. I've even enjoyed most of
her ghostly appearances but not this one for the most part.
Al
Too much to say and I've said it all I think.
But will sadly lift my glass to this family! Thanks, Tess, for starting this.
DAMMIT! --Nancy
Ge
Raising
my glass…a toast to the Holden family.
Thanks for starting this, Tess.
Gabrielle: I've loved her, I've hated her, I've adored her, I've been frustrated
by her... and in the end I will miss her. I was thrilled when they brought her
back with Al, and frustrated that they wasted her.
The early Gabrielle/Tina scenes are some of my favorite soap moments. These two
incredibly different schemers just lit up the screen. My all-time favorite is
Gabrielle giving birth to Al in that cabin in Argentina with Tina there trying
not to get hysterical. I remember Gabrielle holding that unusually large baby in
her arms and telling him "You have a father, yes you do. And his name is
Max Holden." It killed me when they showed her remembering that scene after
Al had died (the first time). I've made no secret that I wanted Marcie to be
carrying Al's child. I had a mental image of her holding baby Gabrielle and
telling her "You have a father, and his name is Al Holden." Because I
thought it would add symmetry to the story, and give us just a little bit of Al
to hold on to. *sigh*
Max: A tour de force, both the actor and the character. He was complex and
interesting. I secretly held out hope that he and Gabrielle would end up
together, even though I did enjoy Bo and Gabrielle. There was always a spark
between Max and Gabrielle. I adored Luna, and adored the way Max was with Luna.
Until that unfortunate incident with Blair... HOWEVER... he was fun and
interesting and charming and, deep down, he loved his children. He never shied
away from the fact that he was deeply flawed, yet he had a humanity to him.
Al: I could go on and on. NM was by far my favorite Al. He really seemed to
"get" him on a level the previous Al's didn't. I totally bought him as
the grown-up version of the Al who looked his father in the eye and told him he
was going to live with Gabrielle after she got out of prison because she needed
him. Even when he was an obsessed Jen stalker, you could always sense the pain
under the anger and this kept him from being irredeemable. When Al and Marcie
got together, I wasn't just happy for Marcie. I was happy for Al. For so long,
he got the short end of the stick. He had all this love pent up inside of him
and finally, he found someone who needed it and who honestly loved him back. The
absolute turning point for this character was when he chose to keep silent about
being the father of Jen's baby so she wouldn't abort it. The decision that it
was more important for his baby to have a chance than it was for the world to
know it was his was selfless, mature, and completely Al.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and memories. Here's to the Holdens. --SophieSoaps
Raising
my glass and pressing a hankie too my tear stained eyes. Seemed we have done
nothing but cry this last year. The demise of something so wonderful is pure
torture. True, I wasn't an early watcher to the party but I was instantly
captivated by the Holdens. Loved Max with Roxy, Adored Al with Marcie, and had a
soft spot for Gabby and Bo in the beginning. And even though I didn't get to
actually see Max and Luna in action the story intrigued me. Soul mate's seemed
to sum them up just as it does Al and Marcie. Now as the final chapter closes
with Al Holden I raise a glass and toast these amazing characters and talents
that gave them such life and you never know, another time and another place,
memory's can return and the Holden's could be resurrected. --Gottahavemarcal
Hoy
Polloi,
Here's to
Holden on.
Tess that collage you made truly took my damn breath away. And reading
everyone's tributes have brought tears to my eyes.
Not sure what I can add at this point. I too remember that baby being born in
the cabin in Argentina....and I wept when they decided to bury his body
there…no grave to visit, so far away and all alone. Though if we are to
believe the writers, Gabrielle was taken home to be with her son.
The injustice...the White Scene…for what? Why? And then to be snuffed out next
to a damn toilet??!! F.U. MM & JG & FV & BF for that. Gabby, and
more importantly Fiona, deserved better, WAY better than that.
So sad all the Holden's we'll never have. Marcie. Little Gabrielle. the return
of Frank & Leslie....and Max (may as well have killed him off too)
Gosh I loved Max! Even when he was being the worst fly in the ointment for my
fave couple Todd and Blair back in the day. Hell I even loved him when he was
lying to Renee about being her son.....because I knew he really wanted to be her
son. Loved the Max and Tina days! Loved Max and Luna!
And mostly we are here to say good bye to Al Holden AGAIN. Damn, I could have
sworn I mounted a campaign to save Al Holden as well as Nathaniel. So they
killed Al twice basically. What great soap opera. Not.
Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda. I watched the Holden family from the early Max &
Gabby days (even though I wasn't a huge fan of theirs) to the birth of our
little guy Al, to the Max and Luna days when Al was CJ & Sarah's pal and a
part of the Llanview canvas. I loved the Holden family and am saddened that the
current regime just didn't GAF about them to bother saving them.
Here's to the Holden family and to all who still hold them near and dear in
their hearts. -–Ladyday
Great
collage, Tess --SnappyDaze
Here's to
the Holden's, they will forever live in our memories and in our hearts! Gone but
NEVER forgotten! I will never understand how such a brilliant group of people
who brought so much to Llanview could be wiped out in the twinkling of and eye.
It certainly was not for the viewers because we all stood firmly behind them. It
was just a series of missed opportunities that were never capitalized on. Much
heartfelt thanks to James and Fiona for bringing such wonderful characters to
life. You will be missed! I know Al will be leaving us in a matter of days which
feels like ripping scab off of a old wound, but we have to look at the bright
side we still have Nathaniel and Kathy to keep bringing us joy! Thanks again
Holden Family for keeping us laughing and crying over the years! BRAVO --conniemae
Beautiful,
Tess. Here's to what could have
been...
Max was great...I've always loved JDP and what he did with the role. And the
love Max had for his son, as well as his relationships with Gabby and Luna,
well, made me adore him all the more. His exit was shoddy and not the way a
great character should have went out. The IIC missed the boat with that one.
Gabrielle- Lying, scheming, manipulating, loving, tender, willing to give up her
life with her son...what can I say ? I think the moment I most loved her was the
scene in Al's hospital room, when she had to explain to him about his liver
failing and the transplant...how she told him he saved her life and she was
merely returning the favor. Now I'm not a mother, but that was the most
beautiful, realistic scene ever. Having her die the way she did, was a HUGE
disservice, to both FH and us.
Al- I adored Al from the time NM came on the scene, even during the Jen stuff,
cuz you could see Al's pain, through everything that he did, NM made him a real
person. And when he fell in love with Marcie, we all fell in love with him.
Saying good-bye to him twice was a punch in the stomach and this is gonna take a
long, long time for me to come to terms with.
So, I raise my glass to a beautiful family that I won't soon forget, no matter
what happens. -–Jezzebelle22
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