38. Vanessa’s beloved father Henry Chamberlain passes away and Springfield mourns. A devastated Vanessa is unable to let her emotions flow. But then she reads Henry’s final letter to her and the tears pour forth. Vanessa references the letter during the show’s final episodes. Touching and heartbreaking.
39. Annie Dutton Lewis turns to alcohol and drugs to help her cope with all of life's troubles. Friends and family help her overcome her demons. But soon, Annie gives into her dark primal urges as she wages war against her rival Reva Shayne.
40. Reva’s mother Sarah Shayne makes a stunning deathbed confession: she had an illegitimate son. Reva sets off on a quest to find her brother only to get another surprise: Sarah’s illegitimate child was actually a girl.
41. Meta Bauer, who hadn’t been seen since the early 1970s, returns to Springfield in November 1986. She is portrayed by Mary Stuart who had starred for 35 years as Joanne on Search for Tomorrow. Meta provides Guiding Light and the Bauer family with a much-needed matriarch.
42. In January 1997, all of Springfield gathers to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Cedars Hospital, in conjunction with Guiding Light’s 60th anniversary. Familiar faces return for the celebration, including Mike Bauer and Harley Cooper.
43. With a boat in trouble out on the water and Springfield’s lighthouse not working, friends and enemies alike gather to get the light working.
44. In February 1997, the truth about the paternity of Blake’s twins comes out, and the relationships of Blake & Ross and Rick & Abby are left tattered.
45. Desperate to hold onto Josh, Annie embarks on a number of schemes. She is artificially inseminated and passes her unborn child off as Josh’s. Knowing that Reva is loyal to family, Annie pretends to be Reva’s long-lost half-sister, leading Reva to call out to her late mother and question her for producing such a terrible person.
46. Annie’s fetus dies and Annie hatches a diabolical scheme to frame Reva for killing the child. At the top of the staircase in the Spaulding manse, Annie places Reva’s hand on her own chest, screams “Reva! No!” and then falls backward down the stairs.
47. Annie’s schemes are unraveled on the witness stand as the truth is revealed. Afterward, Annie collapses in pain in the courtroom. She is rushed to Cedars Hospital and has a hysterectomy. Turns out that carrying the dead fetus caused an infection, leaving her barren.
48. Abby is nearly raped by thug Roy. The case goes to trial but Roy gets off on a technicality. When he threatens Abby in court, Abby snaps, grabs a guard’s gun, and shoots Roy dead.
49. Lewis patriarch HB passes and family members return for his funeral. His granddaughter Marah, Reva and Josh’s daughter, gives an unforgettable speech about her granddad.
50. Spoiled, rich Drew Jacob becomes friends with Michelle Bauer and copes with the death of her father. She’s stunned when she learns that she’s actually the daughter of hooker Selena Davis and Ben Warren, Ross’ half-brother.
51. Josh and Reva remarry in June 1999 in a beautiful ceremony overseen by the spirit of Reva’s late mother Sarah. But their happiness is fleeting. Before long, Reva begins to piece together the years she was presumed dead: she had lived on an island and had given birth to Prince Richard Winslow’s son, Jonathan. Josh and Reva would divorce, only to remarry in 2002 at the Beacon Hotel.
52. Meta talks with Michelle about the enduring power of the Bauer family. The Bauers have been around since the late 1940s.
53. Rick Bauer would suffer from heart failure in 2002 and his father Ed would return to Springfield after a long absence to be with his son. Meanwhile, Richard Winslow, who had married Reva’s half-sister Cassie, was involved in a car accident. He begged Reva to help him die and Reva shut off his life support machines. After his death, Rick received his heart.
54. Alexandra Spaulding returns to Springfield after a long absence with the role now being played by Dynasty actress Joan Collins. Her stint is brief. She quits after only two months and actress Marj Dusay returns to the role.
55. Sandy Foster shows up in Springfield and claims to be Reva and Richard’s son Jonathan. But Sandy is a fraud. The real Jonathan shows up in 2004 and he’s a real bad ass. Not only does he viciously confront the man who assumed his identity, he sets off on a quest to destroy his mother and her family. How so? He seduces Cassie’s young daughter, and thus his own cousin, Tammy.
56. Jonathan proves he is his mother’s son. Just like Reva did back in 1984 when she baptized herself the “Slut of Springfield,” Jonathan hops in the country club’s fountain and makes quite a spectacle. The scene continues here as tensions escalate. But it's not quite over as Reva reminisces. The scene wraps here.
57. Jonathan’s revenge continues. Just as Cassie is about to marry Edmund Winslow, she wakes up in bed with none other than Jonathan.
58. In 2007, tragedy hits Jonathan and Tammy, who have fallen in love. Alan Spaulding tries to have Jonathan killed but it is Tammy who is hit by a speeding car. She dies in the hospital with a grieving Jonathan by her side.
59. Guiding Light celebrates its 70th anniversary with a special episode that pays homage to its incredible history. Beth Ehlers, who played Harley Cooper, portrays Irna Phillips, who created Guiding Light. The serial’s days on radio are recalled.
60. Jonathan, with his and Lizzie Spaulding’s daughter Sarah in the car, madly pursues Alan’s limo in a desperate quest for revenge, only to drive off a cliff. But father and daughter aren’t dead. Jonathan faked his death so he and Sarah could escape Alan’s diabolical clutches.
61. Olivia Spencer falls in love with Alan’s son Gus, who has left his wife Harley to marry his old love Natalia. Dying from heart failure, Olivia is the recipient of a heart transplant. In an ironic twist, she receives Gus’ heart after he is killed in a motorcycle accident.
62. After a rocky beginning, Olivia and Natalia become friends. Olivia and her young daughter Emma move into Natalia’s farmhouse. When Emma makes a school presentation about her two mommies, school officials assume the women are lesbians. In time, Olivia and Natalia fall in love. Here, Natalia admits her love for Olivia.
63. Buzz Cooper’s son Henry Bradshaw Cooper begins a steamy affair with Beth Raines who is by now married to Alan Spaulding. Coop, as Henry is called, is involved in a car accident. He dies in the hospital as the Coopers grieve.
64. Phillip Spaulding returns to town and begins to repair his numerous tattered relationships. But Phillip is harboring a secret: he is dying.
65. Old memories and good times are revisited as Phillip, Beth, Rick, and Mindy attend their 25th year high school reunion.
66. Ed Bauer returns to aid a dying Phillip. Michelle Bauer and her husband Danny Santos return for the final Bauer barbeque. Longtime friends speak of Springfield as Rick talks about his beloved grandmother Bert.
67. Lizzie Spaulding and Bill Lewis, the son of Billy and Vanessa, are married in a beautiful outdoor wedding.
68. Phillip’s teenage son James is found to be a match for a bone marrow transplant that could save his dad’s life. But Phillip doesn’t want to put his son at risk. In a surprise twist, it is revealed that Alan, Phillip’s adoptive father, is a match. After seeking advice from his friend/enemy Buzz, Alan offers to be a donor for Phillip.
69. Jonathan decides to stop running and returns to Springfield with his and Lizzie’s daughter Sarah. Lizzie is speechless as she is reunited with her daughter.
70. Billy and Vanessa prepare to remarry in a beautiful ceremony at the country club. Buzz, who has been dating Beth’s mother Lillian for a few years, gets down on one knee and proposes to Lillian. In Lillian’s 26 years on Guiding Light, she has been mainly known as a nurse at Cedars, as Beth’s mother, and as Lizzie’s grandmother. Billy and Vanessa convince Buzz and Lillian to get married with them. The two couples exchange vows with faces present and past watching.
71. Before Lillian marries Buzz, she has one stop to make. She heads to the cemetery and goes directly to Maureen’s grave. She reflects on their friendship and how her mistake cost Maureen her life. Lillian tells Maureen that she has found someone special and that he’s asked her to marry him. It’s a touching, beautiful moment. Tina Sloan, who has played Lillian since May 1983, rocks the scene. Like Charita Bauer (Bert) and Ellen Parker (Maureen), Tina Sloan has become the heart of Guiding Light.
72. Since his introduction in 1977, Alan Spaulding has been a most complicated and tragic villain. Over the summer of 2009, Guiding Light focused on the redemption of the character, culminating in a selfless act that saved Phillip’s life. Alan is finally a changed man. He is happy that Olivia has found Natalia and that they are together raising his granddaughter Emma. He is proud of his grandson Rafe, who is enlisting in the military. Alan shows up at the double wedding and shares special moments with family, friends, and enemies. For one of the few times in his life, Alan is actually considered a hero. He shares a special moment with Phillip and encourages his son to make the most of his life. Genuinely happy, Alan sits by the lake while he reflects on his life. When Phillip returns to his father’s side, he discovers Alan dead. It’s a touching, beautiful, poignant, heartbreaking moment and incredibly reflective of the amazing institution that was Guiding Light.
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