The GL Daily Recaps Archive offers a day-by-day history of Guiding Light. Fans can relive favorite moments and research GL's past with weekly and daily summaries from 1996 through the final episode in 2009.
The GL Daily Recaps Archive offers you day-to-day summaries of television's longest-running scripted program, Guiding Light, beginning in 1996 and continuing through the series' final episode in 2009. To view any of the daily recaps here, simply review the brief summaries provided for each each.
To read that week's comprehensive recaps, simply click on the appropriate link located under that week's summary and you'll have access to the complete Monday through Friday daily recaps for that week.
To access Guiding Light recaps from any other year through the present calendar year, please click on the corresponding link in the Recaps Quick View or visit our Daily Recaps Achive index, which also provides fun features like our throwback recaps for this week in GL history.
JANUARY 1997
January 6 to 10, 1997
Roger found Vanessa, who told him that Alex was holding something over Alan. Zachary and Michelle professed their love for each other. Reva found out her lost sibling was a girl, and then left Buzz.
January 13 to 17, 1997
Michelle and Zachary tried to run away together, but the weather stopped them. Buzz stopped Jenna from leaving town. Annie made another visit to the fertility clinic.
January 20 to 24, 1997
Guiding Light celebrated its 60th anniversary with a ball. The light shone again. Zachary disappeared trying to rescue a sinking boat, but later showed up at Vanessa's side.
January 27 to 31, 1997
Josh was not pleased that Annie had taken a job as Alan's secretary. Zachary left Springfield. Rick asked Abby to marry him. Dinah gave Jean Luc $20,000. Jenna confessed to Buzz that she was married. Annie was pregnant. Buzz and Reva looked for Reva's sister.
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FEBRUARY 1997
February 3 to 7, 1997
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February 10 to 14, 1997
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February 17 to 21, 1997
Blake was still unconscious and in intensive care. Rick operated on Kevin and removed his spleen at the same time that Ross was making comments about the special bond that Rick had with Kevin. After the surgery, Rick confessed to Ross that he was Kevin's father. Blake woke up and learned that Ross knew the truth about the twins' paternity. After leaving Ross, Rick then confessed to Abby. The next day, Ross checked Jason out of the hospital and returned to the house. Frank arrived to question Jenna about skipping bail. Annie went cameo shopping. Josh ran into Dr. Sedgwick, who said he hadn't seen Annie in months.
February 24 to 28, 1997
Blake left the hospital. She headed straight for the house to talk to Ross. Rick showed up to take her back to the hospital. Annie's ultrasound was stopped abruptly.
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MARCH 1997
March 3 to 7, 1997
Reva finally told Josh that she was looking for her sister. A girl named Lena gave them a sob story about the sister, "Danni's," life on the streets. Alan wanted Annie to find out about Amanda's marriage to Roger. Roger told Amanda that her long-ago belief that Blake's babies had two different fathers was correct. Alan and Alex had a plan to show Amanda that Roger could ruin Spaulding Enterprises. Jeffery told Jenna that she had one week to take care of personal business, including saying goodbye to Buzz, then she was to leave Springfield with him. Annie, in a fit of anger, shoved Alan's wheelchair across the room, causing the bust to topple and break. The hidden papers were hidden no longer.
March 10 to 14, 1997
At her keg party, Michelle got drunk and took a guy up to her room. Buzz learned that Henry was his son. Alex found the broken bust. Amanda and Alex had a major confrontation. Josh and Annie practiced breathing techniques for the childbirth classes. Josh and Reva made another visit to Simon House. Charity pointed out a headstone where "Danni" liked to lay her head; the name Dutton was on the headstone. HB was very sick.
March 17 to 21, 1997
Jeffrey told Buzz how he and Jenna had fallen in love. While talking to Reva, Annie got a "chill" and put on her sweater with the cameo attached. Michelle posed nude at Jay's photography class. In preparation for a routine doctor's visit, Rick and Ross verbally sparred. At the pediatrician's office, Ross and Rick continued with their verbal jabs with Blake in the middle -- trying to attend to both of the boys. Abby was in training as a physician's assistant. Buzz asked Frank to do a background check on Jeffrey. Roger explained Brandon's will to Amanda. Alan learned that he was not Amanda's father. Ross asked Griffin to represent Blake in the divorce. Alex disappeared.
March 24 to 28, 1997
Alex showed up. Annie had told Reva about losing a parent. Reva saw Sarah's picture in the cameo. Roger still wanted to marry Amanda. Alex went on an extended trip with Nick and Susan. Blake didn't want a lawyer. Rick was suspended. Jenna would be doing community service at Cedars. Reva told Abby that she was afraid she had found what she had been looking for.
March 31 to April 4, 1997
Vanessa told the nun that she could never go home because she had faked her death. Jenna and Buzz frantically searched for a missing Coop, while Jeffrey had him in his hotel all the time. Abby went out on a date. Blake's attorney accused Ross of stashing away millions in off-shore accounts. Roger visited Vanessa in the sanitarium. Reva shared her secret with Abby. Annie had cramps and bleeding.
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APRIL 1997
April 7 to 11, 1997
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April 14 to 18, 1997
Alan and Annie gloated about their plan's success. Bill moved back in with Matt. Later, he introduced Matt to chat rooms on the Internet. Vanessa confided in her physical therapist. Ross and Blake drew closer together. Buzz told Jenna that he would help her get away from Jeffrey. Annie didn't want Josh to go to childbirth class because he would see that she wasn't as big as the other women. Abby demonstrated CPR -- on Rick. Josh left Annie. Reva realized that the picture in the cameo could not have been put there at the birth of her sister.
April 21 to 25, 1997
Frank handcuffed Buzz to the diner door. Hart was surprised when told that Bridget and Peter had gone to Minnesota. Matt and Vanessa met in the poetry chat room. Annie packed her bags. Rusty confirmed Reva's suspicion about the photo. Jenna discovered that Jeffrey was using a judge to keep Jenna from ever returning to the U.S. Josh took the kids and left town for a while. Alan took Annie to a doctor who told her that her baby was dead. Matt locked Dinah and Hart in the potting shed.
April 28 to May 2, 1997
Reva learned that Fran's last job had been at the fertility clinic. Amanda planned a big party to announce Ross running for D.A. Annie decided that her dead baby could help her get back at Reva. Annie and Reva fought, and Reva let Annie know that she wasn't her sister.
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MAY 1997
May 5 to 9, 1997
Jenna and Buzz were locked in the morgue. Lillian unwittingly sent Jeffrey in that direction. Jenna covered by pretending that Jeffrey had rescued her. Michelle discovered that Maureen had donated her heart when she died. Ross accepted the nomination for D.A. Annie staged a fall down a flight of stairs and made it look like Reva had pushed her. Matt and Vanessa met up in an Internet chat room. Annie's baby disappeared from the morgue. Reva was arrested for the attempted murder of Annie Lewis and the murder of Annie's unborn child.
May 12 to 16, 1997
Reva was in jail, but was later released to Billy. Annie noticed the cameo on her sweater and realized she needed to get rid of it. Her idea was to make Reva look crazy for thinking she was Annie's sister. Josh tricked Annie into thinking he was on her side, then found the sweater with the cameo on it under the bed. Bill unknowingly talked to Vanessa on the Internet. The trial began.
May 19 to 23, 1997
Due to technical difficulties, this week's recaps are unavailable. We apologize for this inconvenience.
May 26 to 30, 1997
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JUNE 1997
June 2 to 6, 1997
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June 9 to 13, 1997
Matt had Dinah doubting that her mother had really died. Annie grew agitated when her infant's remains were found. She made a call to the hospital. Josh listened and realized that the baby had already been dead when Annie fell down the stairs. His new mission was to find the doctor who had treated her when the baby died. Ross wanted to reconcile with Blake, but Blake was worried about her secrets. Later in the week, she spilled her guts at the trial, which sent Ross back to his old unforgiving mindset. Roger taunted Holly with a kiss.
June 16 to 20, 1997
Fran testified in court that she knew Annie had been artificially inseminated. Fran had performed the procedure herself. Later, Alan paid Fran off. Josh found the doctor who had treated Annie when the baby died. Annie was finished. Josh hugged Reva, and Alan looked on angrily, because he knew that Annie had duped him. Harley tricked Jenna, who was telling Buzz that she didn't love him, to go to the diner. There, Harley locked her in the storage freezer. Everything Jenna said to convince Harley that she loved Jeffrey was countered by Harley. Bridget made plans to move to Minnesota to be with Dylan. She was taking Peter with her.
June 23 to 27, 1997
Jenna and Harley concocted a plan to get rid of Jeffrey. Annie had an infection from carrying the dead fetus inside her. The operation to correct the problem left her unable to have children. Dinah and Matt made plans to go to Switzerland and look for Vanessa. Michelle and Billy graduated from high school. Maureen returned as a ghost.
June 30 to July 4, 1997
Michelle ventured into a different part of town and met Jesse. Vanessa returned to Springfield with Michael and spied on Bill's graduation party. Michael gave her the wrong impression about Matt and Dinah's current relationship. Dinah and Matt headed to Switzerland and tricked the nuns at St. Augustine into giving them information about Vanessa. It was the week of the annual Bauer Barbecue. Michelle stirred up trouble by inviting two unwanted guests -- Jesse and Roger. Things got worse when a drunken Annie crashed the party. Blake and Ross talked. Ross said he forgave Blake. Blake said she wanted Ross's unconditional love. Vanessa, who was wounded by what she thought was going on between Matt and Dinah, made plans to live at the lake where she had met Matt in the first place. Michael wanted to live there with her.
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JULY 1997
July 7 to 11, 1997
Matt and Dinah found evidence that made them believe Michael had killed a former patient. They headed back to Springfield to find Vanessa before something bad happened to her and then later, Matt believed she was at the lake house. He left to get her. At the same time, Vanessa had discovered the article that alluded to the fact that Michael was a murderer. Jeffrey found a picture of Harley and Buzz that made him suspicious. He took it to Eleni, who covered nicely and put Jeffrey's mind at ease. Michelle realized Jesse was illiterate. She wrote a letter to the judge, explaining why Jesse had missed his community service appointments. Ross couldn't find Blake, and he was sick with worry. Policemen showed up at the door, asking Ross to identify Blake's personal effects.
July 14 to 18, 1997
Jesse was given a choice -- go to prison or be tutored by Michelle. He chose prison, but Michelle tricked him into changing his mind by saying he wouldn't actually have to do the tutoring. That was wrong. The judge planned to check his progress. Michael told Vanessa that he had, indeed, killed his patient, but that it had been a mercy killing. Ross went to the morgue. He fell to his knees in front of the body. It was not Blake. They went back to the house, and Blake walked in saying her keys and purse had been stolen. Phillip kissed Harley to carry out the sting operation. They felt something, and it startled them both. Vanessa left the cabin to get away from Michael but had nowhere to go.
July 21 to 25, 1997
Jesse told Michelle that he hated the Bauer family because her father had killed his mother. Rick asked Abby to marry him. Frank became suspicious of Eleni. Phillip, Jeffrey, "Starla," and Jenna's plans sped into higher gear. The search for Vanessa resumed and intensified.
July 28 to August 1, 1997
Vanessa spent time arguing with her other self as work continued on her new house. Phillip, Jenna, Buzz, and Harley's plot to frame Jeffrey ended successfully. Michelle and Jesse spent quality time together. Phillip questioned Harley about all the time they spent together, but she thought they should cool things down and return their relationship to a platonic level.
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AUGUST 1997
August 4 to 8, 1997
Matt and Vanessa were reunited. Later in the week, he revealed himself to her as her Internet contact; she was overjoyed. Josh and Reva made plans to remarry. Later in the week, they hired Jenna and Harley's detective agency to find Reva's sister, who was at that moment agreeing to go to work for Annie and Alan. Dahlia wowed the record producers instead of Marcus.
August 11 to 15, 1997
Matt revealed to Vanessa that he felt betrayed. She tried to reassure him. Mr. Jacobs, the record producer, wanted to close a deal with Dahlia, not Marcus. Dahlia and Marcus' relationship became sexual, as did Annie and Alan's. Cassie landed a job as Billy's new secretary. Lillian found the proof that Jesse's mother's death hadn't been Ed's fault.
August 18 to 22, 1997
Reva tried to make a deal with Annie, who had been moved to the psych ward. Rick put pressure on Michelle to get her to stop seeing Jesse. Buzz received flowers from an unknown source. Mallet informed Harley, via the telephone, that he wanted a divorce. Abby was in danger of being raped by one of Jesse's friends.
August 25 to 29, 1997
Reva set Annie up to make it look like Annie had pushed her, thus extending Annie's stay in the psych ward. Jesse and Michelle declared their love for each other. Jesse found Abby unconscious and rolled up in a rug in his room. When Rick saw Abby's injuries, he blamed Jesse.
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SEPTEMBER 1997
September 1 to 5, 1997
Michael discussed Vanessa's disease with Hart and said Dina might have inherited the disease. They ended the week on a bad note. Abby's mom wanted her to return home. Jesse and Michelle said goodbye for the sake of the hospital. Annie had escaped from the mental institution. She headed to the house she shared with Josh. She and Alan almost made love, but were interrupted by a phone call meant for Josh. They arrived on Josh and Reva's doorstep with bad news.
September 8 to 12, 1997
Annie and Harley became roommates at County General. Cassie drank to forget her deal with Alan and Annie, and found herself stripping in a bar. Hart took Cassie home. Dinah deceived Hart about her birth control pills. HB was remembered. Old faces returned to say goodbye. Vanessa and Matt learned that she was in remission... but pregnant.
September 15 to 19, 1997
Annie began to warm up to Caitlin/Harley so Harley asked indirect questions, trying to get Annie to give her the name of Reva's sister, even going so far as to portray herself as a stripper. Buzz's admirer began to break into Buzz and Jenna's home. Nola was acting suspicious. Cassie and Billy shared a kiss. Cassie, Hart, and Dinah spent the week bumping into each other. Vanessa wrote a letter to her unborn child, but Matt returned home and told her he wanted her to choose her life over the baby's.
September 22 to 26, 1997
Annie discovered that Caitlin was really Harley. She fixed Caitlin's chart so that Harley ended up being medicated with a drug that made her psychotic. When Phillip tried unsuccessfully to reach Harley on the cell phone he had given her, he got Buzz and Jenna, and the three of them showed up at the institution just as Harley was climbing the walls -- literally. She finally calmed down in Phillip's arms. They shared a touching moment where she told him why she had been avoiding him -- because he would leave her. Everybody left. At the same time, Reva was being set up by an imposter posing as her sister. Alan, in a foul mood after being blackmailed by Fran, flipped out when he found out what Annie had been up to. Nola was acting so strangely, even she was noticing it. Reva and Blake hatched a plan for Annie. They headed straight for the Spaulding mansion where they chloroformed Annie.
September 29 to October 3, 1997
Alan and Josh had a confrontation. They put two and two together and raced after Reva who, along with Blake, had taken Annie to Cross Creek. While there, the tag team paraded in Fran, who told Annie that Alan had paid her to testify against Annie in court. Alan and Josh arrived to free Annie. Everyone left except Annie, who was basically coming unhinged. She began drinking and wrecked the cabin, all the while carrying around an "Annie gets even" list. Jesse discovered he had Maureen's heart. Ed returned home and told Rick the story behind why Jesse had gotten Maureen's heart. None of the three wanted Michelle to find out the truth. Good things happened between Harley and Phillip. Buzz followed Nola to the cabin. Nola was very lonely. Buzz offered to help her and ended up falling down the stairs.
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OCTOBER 1997
October 6 to 10, 1997
Buzz had fallen down the stairs. When he woke up, he had amnesia. He and Nola were trying to piece together his memory, when J arrived in search of his mother. Reva began investigating Allied Corp., a company buying up a lot of Lewis Oil stock. She discovered the company was in financial trouble and was owned by Annie Dutton. Cassie discovered the combination to the safe in Billy's office. She was stealing the money out of it when Hart walked in. She told him a portion of the truth, and he agreed to help her. Jenna was pregnant but was unsure who the father was. Josh and Annie's divorce was finalized. Ed visited Jesse. They got along famously and agreed that Jesse and Michelle should not be involved.
October 13 to 17, 1997
It looked like Jeffrey was the father of Jenna's baby. Dinah decided to report on Hart's heroic robbery intervention, but discovered from the police that Hart had lied about the whole thing. She immediately confronted him about it, and they argued to the point where they almost broke up. A lot of arguing was going on all over town. Reva walked in on Annie and Cassie verbally dueling and demanded to know what was going on. Cassie covered beautifully by pretending that she was setting Annie straight about what a rotten person she was. Over at the Marler House, things were heating up as Blake had gotten the wild idea of putting all of the twins' grandparents -- by marriage and otherwise -- together in the same room for dinner. It was dysfunctional and got even more so when Rick showed up. Harley reached the conclusion that Nola was Buzz's stalker. She and her usual group of cohorts headed to the cabin to rescue Buzz.
October 20 to 24, 1997
Michelle learned Jesse had Maureen's heart. Rick stepped up his demands as far as Kevin was concerned. Blake informed Ross, who remained cool about everything, until he found out Rick wanted his name on Kevin's birth certificate. Abby was not very pleased about it either. Cassie's lawyer wanted her to fake an engagement to Hart -- it would improve her chances of getting her daughter back. Annie thought, probably correctly, that Cassie was going to double-cross her, since she had Hart's help. Annie knew just what to do -- put a bug in Dinah's ear...and she did.
October 27 to 31, 1997
Hart and Cassie headed to Chicago to get Tammy. Even fog couldn't keep Dinah away. She arrived at the most inopportune moment and used it to her full advantage. Cassie's chances of getting Tammy back were destroyed, so she stole Tammy from her foster family, in a suitcase. It didn't take Alan long to ruin that plan. Tammy was under the sick care of Alan and Annie, who wanted to play Mommy; however, a determined Reva, with Harley and Phillip as assistant sleuths, was closing in on a trail of clues. Roy was out on bail. He attacked Abby in the parking garage, threatened Michelle's life, and then showed up at the Bauer House on Halloween, disguised as a devil. It allowed him to get past a disarmed Abby and into the house, where she was a vulnerable sitting duck. Beth called Phillip to talk, but he was having none of it.
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NOVEMBER 1997
November 3 to 7, 1997
Reva wanted to know why Alan was in Chicago with Cassie. Cassie covered by saying the whole thing was a coincidence. Reva no longer suspected Cassie of being the leak. She thought it was the accountant. Annie had her eye on Tammy, for keeps. Hart thought he and Dinah needed some time apart, so Dinah reminded him she might be pregnant. It was a lie, but it worked -- until Hart found the birth control pills in a drawer. Later on, Hart and Cassie could no longer fight their attraction to one another. Abby was shaken by her encounter with Roy on Halloween night, but unharmed. He continued to stalk her the rest of the week. His shady lawyer showed up to inform everyone that Roy was innocent and they would soon be proving it in court. Nola had decided to leave town, but when she found out Jenna was pregnant with another man's child, she made it her business to get involved. The twins' birthday arrived, and all of Springfield's residents with any sort of blood ties celebrated. It appeared Rick would wait until after Abby's trial to make his broader demands known. Roger made a play for Holly and plied her with jewelry.
November 10 to 14, 1997
Hart confronted Dinah about using birth control. Vanessa and Matt felt the baby move. Hart encouraged Cassie to come clean with the Lewises. Ben propositioned Blake. Roy continued to terrorize and intimidate Abby. Marah found Tammy in the park and took her home with her. Roy's trial began. Reva thought she had found the spy in her company. Reva saw her mother's cameo worn by a most unexpected person. Cassie drugged Josh.
November 17 to 21, 1997
Reva and Cassie discovered that they were sisters. Reva foiled Alan and Annie's plan. Hart pointed out Dinah and her new boyfriend -- it was her uncle Ben. Jesse defused the bomb left in Michelle's car. Abby took the stand, and Ben harshly questioned her. When Michael warned Vanessa that the disease would probably return during the stress of her pregnancy, Vanessa made him promise to save her baby no matter what. Roger had to remind his daughter that he was not a hit man. Abby shot Roy.
November 24 to 28, 1997
The shooting was caught on tape, but the tape dropped out of the camera during the struggle. Phillip and Harley went to the airport to pick up Lizzie, and they were surprised to see Lizzie walk through the door -- with Beth accompanying her. Vanessa had abdominal pains. Josh returned home with the good news that Cassie had won full permanent custody of Tammy. Annie interrupted Thanksgiving at the Lewis household. Nola demanded that Buzz be told the truth. When Abby refused to leave the jail for Thanksgiving dinner with the Bauers, they took the dinner to her.
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DECEMBER 1997
December 1 to 5, 1997
Annie and Alan announced their engagement. Abby paid a visit to the funeral parlor, and Roy's mother accosted her. Jesse and his father argued at Jesse's mother's grave. Beth admitted to Phillip that life hadn't been the same without him, but the words were too late. Cassie and Hart played "stork" when the cleaning lady at Lewis Oil went into labor. Ross decided to resign as D.A. and hoped that Abby would accept him as her defense attorney. Jesse proposed to Michelle.
December 8 to 12, 1997
Ross and Ben talked about their mother. Annie used WSPR to bash the Lewises under the guise of announcing her upcoming wedding. Jenna admitted to Harley that she was carrying Jeffrey's baby. Rick disagreed with Abby's choice of attorney. Ben used influence to be named District Attorney of Springfield. Jesse and Michelle planned their elopement. Dinah was unable to keep the disastrous interview from being shown; Annie was humiliated. Roy's buddy Ski and a couple of his friends decided to get back at Abby and all her rich friends. They cut the power to the house and threw a firebomb into it. Annie went into the burning house, looked down at Reva, and left her there to burn.
December 15 to 19, 1997
Michelle was trapped in the burning house. Jenna was adamant that she wanted to tell Buzz the truth. Lizzie manipulated Beth and Phillip into a kiss under the mistletoe. Beth made it clear to Harley that she wanted Phillip back. Cassie loudly blamed Annie for the fire, and Alan did not defend her. Reva and Josh were distraught that all their belongings and memories were gone. Buzz lamented the bad parts of his life that he remembered. Jesse's father was involved in the fire. Annie and Dinah were planning a big surprise for Hart that would show once and for all who he loved. The bandages were removed from Michelle's eyes.
December 22 to 26, 1997
Hart was astonished at Dinah's surprise wedding. Michelle remained blind but hid it from Jesse. Alan commented to Annie that it was apparent that she would stop at nothing to hurt Reva and her family, and Annie whole-heartedly agreed. Buzz learned the truth and ran away. The wedding was interrupted. Buzz went into a church, where he found an abandoned baby by the altar. Buzz experienced an epiphany causing him to return to his family for Christmas. Josh and family went on a "treasure hunt" with directions from "Santa" and found a new home. Hart told Dinah that he didn't want to marry her.
December 29, 1997 to January 2, 1998
Dinah was shocked to learn that her mother's old house belonged to the Lewis clan. Dinah had evil plans for Matt during their New Year's Eve celebration. Beth used Ben to try to make Phillip jealous. Michelle wrote a goodbye letter to Jesse. Harley made special New Year's Eve plans for herself and Phillip, but Annie and Beth spoiled the plan. Dinah dreamed of the time when she told Vanessa that she would dedicate her life to making Vanessa hurt the way Dinah was hurting.
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