Oh Vicki/Nicki how I've missed you!

Great list! I miss Erika Slezak so much! Have there ever been any MEN who have had DID in soaps? It seems like it always happens to women!

For me (and as much as I loved Santa Barbara), I would bump the Eden/Suzanne/etc. mess off the list in favor of The Edge of Night's Serena Faraday/Josie storyline, as portrayed by the great Louise Shaffer. The dramatic courtroom reveal is still etched into my brain some 40 years later (of course, I was only a boy then, so I was a sponge).

Hi All....As far as men go, I would think Brent/Marian from GL had an opportunity to become a DID story. At the end, "Marian" appeared to take over after Brent was jailed. Too bad GL never explored if Brent was faking or if DID was involved. I LOVED that story so much. I can't remember his name off hand, but the guy who played Brent/Marian should have won the Emmy that year. He was fantastic.

Hi All....and I totally echo everyone who has mentioned how much we miss Erika as Viki,Niki,etc. I know Erika said at the end of the OLTL run that she wasn't going to retire. I wish she'd show up somewhere on my TV ASAP.

Honestly, I am sick and tired of Kate/Connie! I feel like I have seen enough of Kelly Sullivan's face in the past three weeks to last a lifetime......and then some!

Brent/Marian on GL was one of the best DID stories that I can recall, other than the incomparable Erika Slezak and her multiple personalities. And the actor, Frank Beatty, was nominated for an Emmy that year, but lost to Jerry VerDorn, who was the stronger actor. So the loss was justified.

Ultimate top 3 selections for this list! Michelle Forbes's amazing performance held that convoluted story together, and she gave it way more than the story ultimately deserved. But oh, was she GOOD!

Jane Elliot was so good as Carrie, but the story wasn't able to fully be realized, because it was cut short, unfortunately.

And Erika Slezak as Viki at #1 goes without saying!

Brent/Marian on GL was one of the best DID stories that I can recall, other than the incomparable Erika Slezak and her multiple personalities. And the actor, Frank Beatty, was nominated for an Emmy that year, but lost to Jerry VerDorn, who was the stronger actor. So the loss was justified.[/quote]

I agree completely. GL consistently did the best DID stories. In my opinion, Carrie Todd Marler was the best followed by Brent/Marian.

It's interesting that both led to odd/tragic backstage stories. Doug Marland quit GL due to Jane Elliot's firing & Frank Beatty had to take a personal leave toward the end of the Marion saga.

It's also interesting that we forgive DID more than doppelganger stories because they seem to ring truer - regardless of the fact that if every town in America would be have this many residents with DID it would be considered an epidemic!

One more thing - It's a great list Jamey and it made me wish for more top 5 podcasts - we haven't had one in while....

Mason Capwell/Sonny Sprocket is the only male split personality I can recall. Jamey I LOVE when u do these lists! I watched most of the clips too, damn I love soaps! Any of these clips are better than what any soap is currently doing.

Regarding the Brent/Marian story on GL, I thought that the guy was just a psycho and didn't have DID.

If he did have DID, I would definitely replace the Lorelei/Beth story with that one.

JAMEY

WRONG WRONG WRONG

SHARLENE / SHARLY

By Anna Kathryn Holbrook

was the ONLY and BEST DID STORYLINE PERIOD end of discussion

Unlike One Life were time and time again they brought that TIRED NIKI VIKI mess out SHARLY and SHARLENE ROCKED it from start to start and will be the ONLY storyline as far as DID goes I EVER EVER EVER REMEMBER !!!!

HELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLO SOMEBODY !!!!!!!

Great list Jamey! I didn't realize how many great DID stories that Guiding Light had! I agree that Beth/Lorelei and Sonni/Solita need to be on the list. Beth Chamberlain was amazing playing both roles and I was surprised that she didn't win an Emmy for it. Same with Michelle Forbes, she was one of the best actresses on daytime and look at all the success she's had since she left GL. And that story scared me as a kid, when they showed that Solita had hung herself that just freaked me the hell out!

Glad to see Sharlene from Another World and Kimberly from Days on the list also. I forgot about those stories. And of course Vicki and all her personalities deserve the top spot, FOREVER!

I agree that Brent/Marian was one of the best DID stories, man he was scary! And that actor Frank Beatty was amazing, I wish he had won an Emmy, too bad he wasn't young enough to at least get best younger actor. I remember the actor having to be off the show for a while (and at the climax of the storyline!) when he had the breakdown backstage because of playing a mad man in drag. I was disappointed that the show didn't keep him on after Brent was arrested. And how did he not end up on another soap? He was so damn good!

The Brent/Marian story gave me nightmares. That Frank Beatty had his own emotional difficulties around that time bespeaks how deeply he went into that character. As scary as he was, there was no denying the man's talent.

Viki's DID storylines represent the absolute best that this genre can do. Her daughter's? Not so much.

By now, you guys must know that I will use any excuse to show off my knowlege of Days history. So I have to mention that ten years before the Kimberly Brady storyline, Days did one involving Marie Horton's daughter Jessica. Her alters were Angel and Angelique. Angelique tried to kill Marie. Later, with psychiatric treatment, Jessica became integrated. She met and fell in love with Josh Fallon, later married him, and gave birth to Nick.

It Wasn’t Me, It Was My Split Personality

I seriously want to get that printed up onto a tshirt!

The Edge of Night's Serena Faraday/Josie storyline, as portrayed by the great Louise Shaffer. The dramatic courtroom reveal is still etched into my brain some 40 years later.

ONE OF THE ALL-TIME GREATS, BAR NONE!! TV Gord is RIGHT ON THE MONEY! God, that was a glorious reveal!

Brent/Marion on GL: NOT a DID storyline at all. Never was, never turned into one, either.

Brent started posing as Marion to get back at the Spauldings, specifically Lucy Cooper (not sure if she was married to Alan-Michael at the time), who he'd raped earlier, and Alan. He later went insane, but he never suffered from DID.

Royce Keller (Terry Lester) had several alters on ATWT. That was one of Doug Marland's last stories.

It's amazing how terrible Kelli Sullivan and Bree Williamson can be even in just a photo. That takes talent.

I just hope no one watching OLTL takes any of Erika Slezak's last ten years of work as Niki and sees it as her best. She was at her peak with 80's Niki and then with Jean and Tori in the 1995 story.

Somewhere along the way, DID stories have just become an excuse to have women act like Jerry Springer rejects and throw themselves at as many men as they can find. It's a cheap tease, not a story.

EXCELLENT LIST! GL always had excellent DID and each was based in different stories. My personal top 3 was:

3. Sonni\Solita- MF, worked it like no other actor, long before "Psycho Annie Dutton" there was Sonni\Reva rival. It did have many twists and turns when I thought it was leaning one way, andI had figured it out but NOOOO it make a 360 degree turn, fun to watch...brilliance of Pam Long.

2. Sharlene\Sharly- AH was AMAZING in this story, I love AH. I saw this story when Soapnet was rerunning AW, because I hadn't yet returned watching AW not until '95. I have always thought Sheila Carter was my favorite villain in the '90s but after watching the actress who played Taylor Benson it's close 2nd. That actress made you want to go through the TV and SLAP the shit out of her for tormenting my Sharlene\John. Who was the actress that played that part? Wonderful! That actress deserved to be nominated for Emmy as Taylor Benson.

1. Carrie Todd Marler- JE had me glued TV over this story, one my all time favorite stories on GL...PERIOD! Because of the sheer talent of JE and her abilities, hit every emotional button within me. I'd became outraged at Carrie, or make me cry and felt the sorrow of what had happened to her. JE always mentions this storyline as her favorite in interviews, she deserved an Emmy!

PS...the Brent\Marian saga, as much as GL being my favorite soap out of any soaps...I hated this bullshit story from Megan McTrashy, this was a Psycho story not split personality, FB, was great but the story was utter a mess. Instead of delving into the rape of "Lucy" which was all forgotten, this story was nothing but true gimmick from the pen of McTrashy.....and then he killed my beloved "Nadine"...I was taping my soaps at the time because of schedule and would watch in the morning, Dominick my husband wanted to know that evening what was on the TV screen, I had literally threw my eggs & bacon at the TV that morning when I saw "Nadine" die, I was more then pissed off, I was outraged!

Thank you Carol2, I saw this list and was sure he would be on here, since he knocked it out of the park. He was the first one I thought of after Viki/Niki and Messica.

I agree with sodsince16! More Top 5s!! As much as I love these articles, I would rather here Jamey rip into luke for putting Jessica Buchanan at number 3 over Eden Capwell because he never watched that one. Its just so much fun!

I loved Days' Jessica/Angelique/Angel story too.. Too bad it's been largely forgotten.

it was great looking at this lists. i had forgotten about DAYS' Kimberly and AW's Sharlene. Those were some good times in soap history. I would love to go back and watch those if there are any clips...someone please direct me to them.

I also enjoyed the Brent/Maarian story...at least the beginning to the climax. for some reason that story failed when it ended because it ended so badly. i stopped watching GL after that b/c of it...not to mention they killed Nadine...WTF!!!

but i'd like to see those clips too...so if anyone can help a sista out it'd be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Great top ten list Jamey! Snoop Dogg needs to write a song about Viki/Niki and the rest of her alters.

This is an excellent list! It was so great seeing those old scenes. I really miss the old days of soaps, where even the pacing was different. Scenes had more impact, sets were bigger and more diverse, longer scenes.

Bravo Jamey!

With all this talk of old DID storylines, you all make me want to go and watch old soaps like the ones about Brent/Marion on GL and Serena/Josie S/L on The Edge of Night. I wonder if soapclassics creators/compilers are going to put any of these DID S/L out. That would be great!

With all this talk of old DID storylines, you all make me want to go and watch old soaps like the ones about Brent/Marion on GL

Brent/Marion was NOT — I repeat — NOT a DID storyline.
It never, ever was one.

Serena/Josie S/L on The Edge of Night

SoapArmagedon I too loved the Jessica DID story. Not only did it play to the story of Sister Marie's earlier life with Alex Marshal, but both Jessica AND her alter Angel were involved with Jake Kosichek who it turned out was equally messed up. He was the Salem Strangler. Two very messed up young people managed to find a little solace together for a short time until Jake's craziness took over completely. While Jessica was able to move on with psychologically damaged but not crazy Joshua Fallon (viet nam vet with ptsd). I always thought this was one of daytimes best stories because it was so layered by these compelling and complex characters. Each one suffering in a private hell and clinging to eachother as some sort of life line. Unfortunately Jessica was never able to help Jake because she was unaware of his problems. For me, this is perhaps the best DID story because it had so many layers and was so intregal to the events that played out.

I did loved the Sharlene story on AW. It did suffer from some rewriting though, such as the fact tha "Sharly" not Sharlene was the hooker in the 70s. That contradicted established story. But Anna Holbrooks wonderful portrayal of these two personalities was exceptional.

As convoluted as Eden's DID story was, it offered some really dramatic story. The best example was her shooting of her mother while thinking she was her dead brother Channing (whom her mother accidently killed years before). What Santa Barbara did best was play to its backstory. There was silliness in the story too though. The idea that Cruz didn't realize that Suzanne was actually Eden, was a little rediculous. A pair of glasses and a wig hardly makes someone unrecognizable to ones husband. But the acting was always impeccable in this story as were any story involving Cruz and Eden. Personally instead of this nutty story, I would have rather they recast Eden. It would have been hard to replace Marcy Walker but atleast the show might have survived her and A Martinez's leaving the show.

Mark, it's good to have you back. Don't ever go away for so long again.

I agree with 2 and 3 i frankly adored these story lines; but i never liked Vicky and never tought she was a great actress, to each their own.