Ok gang, here it is � my first View for the new year, and as promised, it is The Worst of 2000. I have to say that I am a little disappointed that I did not get that many responses from you, so I really didn't have that much to work with. Don't be upset if I put something in that you disagree with!
Worst Actor: I would have to say it was Dalton James. At least for most of the year anyway. This is not personal, but, for the most part, it seems he just wasn't comfortable in the role of Hank Bennett. Having to play second fiddle to James Hyde and Galen Gering for most of the year when it came to his scenes with McKenzie Westmore. He has improved during the last 3 months thanks to the writing of the show, and the scenes that they put him in. Let's hope that he continues to improve during 2001.
Worst Actress: By far, the votes that came in were for Liza Huber. It just seemed like she was not right for the part. I can't put my finger on it exactly, but from the get-go, it was not a good fit. Liza did give us her best work right before she left the show, when she had to confront Theresa and Ethan about there love affair (for lack of a better word) and I was extremely impressed in her ability. If only she had shown that from the onset, maybe she would have stuck around a little longer. I don't put the blame entirely on her, the writing staff at Passions gave her those words to speak and it just wasn't too believable. Worst Storyline: The Prom Boat Sinking. Sorry, but this wasn't all that it was cracked up to me. It seemed like they were trying way to hard to duplicate the unbelievable success and special effects that took place on Sunset Beach, when they had the ShockWave storyline. The only thing that was revealed during that entire month was the fact that Theresa admitted her love for Ethan. It just didn't hit home the way I had hoped, although the ratings for the show did improve during those few weeks.
Worst Character: Dr. Eve Russell. That's right! I said Eve Russell. The righteous, upstanding doctor of Harmony who cares so much for the people she tends to, is a lying, hypocritical, bigot. How can someone be so wrapped up in their own lives and teach her children to love people and never judge them, immediately suspected that Chad Harris was a low-down, no-good, hood who was out for only one thing � to hurt her daughters? And still, time and time again when Chad proved to her that he was a good guy, she still wouldn't give him the time of day or allow her daughters to associate with someone like him. Only when he saved her life from the drug cartel did she finally see that he is not such a bad guy. But wait a minute, now that her daughter Whitney is spending sometime with Chad (as friends), she is starting to have those same old feelings about him. In today's day and age, how disgusting is that? I have never liked Eve Russell for this part of her character, and I think it is terrible that the writers would let her drag out this horrible side of her. Shame on all of you.
Worst Cast Change: Taylor Anne Mountz leaving, replaced by not once, but twice. Taylor was fantastic in the role, and Gina Marie May was just as good. Somehow I don't get the same feeling for Deanna Wright. Granted, each person who comes on to replace someone who has left has to make the character her own. But in this case, Kay Bennett was such an evil, mean girl � anything less just wasn't the same. The new Kay is showing way too much heart right now, just when she characters needs to have that bitchiness come through, especially that her soul is now in the hands of Hecuba. Maybe something will change soon and the once loved/hated Kay will return to the screen.
Worst Couple: Sam and Grace Bennett. These two are just so sappy it's really giving me a toothache. Not that there is anything wrong with true, love. It is what we all hope to achieve one day, but how can this show make Grace out to be such a dumb, na�ve person, for someone who is supposed to be mature and wise? OK, she has amnesia and doesn't remember anything before meeting her husband. But to constantly walk around town, seeing the goodness in everyone and everything is just stupid. This is a soap opera, not a fairy tale. Believe me, when Grace finds out about her husbands past fling with Ivy Crane, she is going to be crying and sobbing her eyes out for months to come. And that is one thing I am not looking forward to.
Worst Use of a Character: It's a tie between Beth and Orville. Poor Beth, we haven't seen her in at least 9 or 10 months. Where has she been all this time and what has she been doing with herself? She was in agreement with Hank to try and split up Luis and Sheridan, before they really were an item, and then all of a sudden � poof! She's gone, never to be seen or heard from again. Not one single mention of her in all this time. And as for Orville, the last we saw of him, he was drifting in and out of sanity mumbling to Eve Russell about that dumb bird statue. And then he leaves town and is completely forgotten about with regards to the storyline involving Eve and Julian's past affair. If there is one thing that I can't stand on a soap opera, is when they get you interested in a sub-plot or story, and then it magically disappears without a trace. There are still some things that could have been done with this character before making him disappear from the canvas.
Worst Love Triangle: Well, if you can call it a love triangle, it would be Kay/Miguel/Charity. This poor girl chasing after the boy she has loved her entire life, and he falling madly in love with a girl that he only laid eyes on once at the town carnival. To watch this story over and over again was just plain stupid. At least they could have made Miguel start to have some feelings for Kay, that way it would have been a real triangle, like the others on the show.
Dumbest Character: That would have to be Gwen Hotchkiss. Failing to recognize the growing romance between her fianc� and the housekeeper's daughter for almost a year, definitely puts her at the head of the list. There were a few other characters that qualified. But Gwen, by far, takes the prize. Over and over again, she suspected that Theresa was after her man, but everytime she confronted both Theresa and Ethan, and they denied anything was going on, she fell back into that loving and trusting woman mode. Shame on you for loving someone with your eyes wide shut.
Most Annoying Character: Charity Standish. Yup, sweet Charity just pisses me off. Nobody can be that nice and pure all the time. Nothing bothers or upsets her (unless she sees it in a dream or premonition). Come on, this is a soap, every character has to have a little bit of a bad side, or at least something about them that makes them more normal like the rest of us. And if you think turning her into Evil Charity accomplished that, you're dead wrong. Evil Charity was a completely different character, you can't even compare the two. The Good Charity needs to get a little bit of a makeover (if you know what I mean).
ISSUE #23: The Best of 2001!
January 31, 2001
When I first started putting together my notes for The Best Of columns, I said to myself, 'This is going to be easy to write the best of.' Boy, was I wrong about that. Deciding on who should be given the (a-hum) honor of being selected is a lot harder than it seems. It actually took me much longer to write this column then it did to put together The Worst Of. Well, anyway, here it is � hope you enjoy it, and until next year when I publish The Best And Worst Of 2001!�.
Best Actor: Without a doubt it is Ben Masters (Julian Crane). Who else but Ben could I put in this section of the article. He is not only a genius at what he does, but is somehow able to bring a little bit of life to a character that is hated so severely. Any other actor in this role would not be able to walk that thin tightrope of balancing the upper-crust, pompous, snob that Julian is, with the occasional show of caring and feeling that we know Julian is capable of and only gives us a glimpse of once and a while. Yes, Julian is definitely a love-to-hate-him-kind of character, but without someone who is masterful in his own right, this personality would never be anything like it is today without the extreme talents of Ben Masters.
Best Actress: McKenzie Westmore (Sheridan Crane). McKenzie has definitely shown that she can handle all different types of scenes and attitudes while portraying Sheridan. She can go from a stuck-up, rich girl one minute, to a loving and caring person the next. Go toe-to-toe with Luis (their early days) to being truly kind and compassionate with Ivy or Gwen. When she had to do some of those "Luis, please save me!" scenes, she was wonderful, showing just how scared Sheridan really was. But the ultimate acting challenge came when she had to pretend she was "dead". Lying there, perfectly still in that coffin for what seemed like 2 months has to be one of the most difficult acting jobs anyone can do. McKenzie has grown a lot this past year, and coming from a famous Hollywood family has not hindered her in the least. I look forward to more amazing things from Mac in the year(s) to come.
Best Storyline: Sheridan's Death. Yup, even thought it was at the tail-end of the year, it was absolutely fascinating to watch. Witnessing how Hank shot and killed Sheridan in cold blood like that, to later find out that it was all a setup to nab the French drug cartel was unbelievable. To see Luis pour his heart out with emotion over loosing his love was excruciating. Everyone involved in that storyline did an outstanding job and special kudos to James E. Reilly on pulling it off flawlessly (and without any leaks to the press on who the victim would be). That one storyline definitely raised the stakes and the ratings on this show and it looks like there won't be any slow down in the future.
Best Character:This had to be the hardest topic to choose someone for. There really isn't one single character that I would consider to be the best, because they all have flaws. Choosing someone or something to be the worst is a whole lot easier. So I am going to be politically correct here and not give this one any one single person. I will give mentions to those characters that I particularly like (good and bad flaws included): Sheridan, Luis, Ethan, Theresa, Ivy and Pilar. Maybe next year this headline will have just one person listed, so until then �
Best Cast Change: Jessica Bennett (Jade Harlow). We were all sorry to see Mary Elizabeth Winstead leave, however, the cast change was practically seamless when Jade stepped into the role. Not only did she look like Elizabeth, she also had that same, sharp tongue that the younger sister Jessica portrayed throughout the first year. Constantly giving jabs to big sister Kay, while at the same time staying sweet and innocent with everyone else. Usually cast changes are very hard for the viewer to accept � but this one definitely did not hurt the show, or this viewer at all. Great Job Jade!
Best/Most Improved Actor: Travis Schuldt (Ethan Crane). Granted, most of the actors on the show were new to the biz when they started working on Passions in 1999. And yes, I was not to thrilled with a lot of the acting that had taken place in those early months. However, Travis has, in my opinion, shown the most improvement out of everyone in the cast. He has finally become comfortable with the role of Ethan, reflecting both his "Crane" attitude when things don't suit his liking, to being completely loveable and romantic with the women in his life. He has come a long way with Ethan, and I'm sure that with what's coming up in the next few months, we are going to see a lot more of Travis' range and ability as an actor.
Best Couple: Wow, this one is hard because most of us probably agree that it is a tie between Sheridan and Luis, and Ethan and Theresa. My personal favorite is by far Sheridan and Luis. The key to making a couple successful in the eyes of the viewers, is to load them down with lots of romance. So it was the job of the writers of this show to come up with different ways for Sheridan and Luis to experience love and romance together, without re-inventing the wheel. Soap history has given us a bunch of truly memorable couples (Luke & Laura from GH being the king & queen in this category). Watching these two fall in love, and fight falling in love has been absolutely wonderful. We find ourselves sitting in front of the TV screaming at something they did to once again, halt their impending romance. Against all odds, they are determined to be together, regardless of background and class. Mark my words, these two will definitely make that most honorable list in daytime history as one of the "Most Romantic Couples".
Best Love Triangle: This is a tough one, because there are a few triangles happening on the show at once. Some of them might not be considered true triangles, however, they do involve three characters being romantically involved at some point in their lives. My vote goes to Whitney / Chad / Simone. Although Chad and Whitney are not an official couple yet, there is still that tension between these two characters that seems to take two steps forward, one step back. They definitely are attracted to one another and want to learn and grow together, but there is that big obstacle in there way � TC and Eve Russell. To make matters worse, Simone is completely in love with Chad, and won't get it out of her head that Chad is in love with her too. All because the poor guy professed his love to her, thinking she was Whitney, when he was hallucinating one day. To watch Simone and Whitney go back and forth over Chad's attention is great, because both girls are in complete denial about him. One won't admit her feelings for him, while the other won't admit that he doesn't really have feelings for her. This triangle is definitely going to explode this year, and all three characters are going to bring us on an emotional ride. Best Special Effects: Passions is making a name for themselves in the special effects arena (just like Sunset Beach). With all of the "after death" sequences with Tabby and Timmy, and the Prom Boat Disaster, Passions is bringing soaps into the 21st century. I would have to give this honor to the Prom Boat disaster, it was well planned, and made to feel like it was pretty close to real. There is only so much you can do on a sound stage, but the actors, directors and crew did a great job in making it as real and lifelike as possible.
Best Use of a Prop: I thought of this one at the very last second before posting this article. My choice goes to "Hidden Passions", the book. That's right � the book that Tabitha and Timmy wrote. We've been hearing about this for a few months now, and the hype has been building to a fever pitch. This book claims that it will reveal many wonderful and terrible secrets, and give us all an insight into the past lives of our beloved characters. Thanks to this book, we are finally going to find out some juicy tidbits that we've wanted to know for almost 2 years now. Talk about publicity!
ISSUE #24: Extra! Extra!
February 8, 2001
With the release of the book "Hidden Passions" about 2 weeks ago, I've noticed that the show's ratings are steadily climbing. I have to admit I was pretty intrigued about the entire idea of this book since first hearing about it back in October. We have all wanted to know what some of these big secrets are they the show kept alluding to. I mean, from the first day, the show was touted as being full of secrets and lies, love and passions. Well, finally, some of the behind the scenes tidbits have been revealed in this book, things that we have always been curious about (from the characters pasts). I finally received my copy this past Tuesday night, and as of this writing, I am 5 pages short of finishing the book. I have not been able to put it down when I have any spare time (plus, it is also a fast read).
I give a big congratulations to the man behind the idea, James E. Reilly, for devising this brilliant scheme. I admit, now that I have read the book, things make more sense and fall into place better, knowing how all of the characters lives intermingled so many years ago. Now I don't want to spoil it for anyone, I urge you all to go buy a copy for yourselves (if you haven't done so already) and read it. However, I would me remiss in my duties if I didn't talk about a couple small things here.
I've always been curious as to how Eve Russell knew Orville Perkins (the kooky old man who was hit by the car early last year???) Well, it turns out that Orville was the leader of the jazz band that Eve used to sing with back in Boston over 20 years ago, that's when she first met Julian Crane. A-ha, you say � so that's were the connect comes into this. Orville knows all about Eve's sordid past with Julian and what happened between them and their baby!
Here's another little tidbit � Rebecca Hotchkiss seduced her sorority sister's fianc�e right out from under her, all because he had lots of money and Julian Crane was pining after Ivy. She knew that Julian wouldn't give her the time of day, so she set her sights on the next best thing � Jonathan Hotchkiss.
Now that Ethan, and everyone else, knows the truth about Ivy's affair with Sam Bennett, things are not going to be slowing down anytime soon. There is Ethan's ultimate reaction to being a Bennett and not a Crane. Sam's reaction to having a son all these years and not knowing about it. Grace's reaction to finding out that her husband never told her about his affair with Ivy all those years ago. Ivy's reaction that she is about to become both penniless and homeless. Oh, so much is going to happen over the next month that I honestly can't wait to see it. And that is the first time since the show has been on the air that I have actually said that and truly meant it. I'm already starting to think about what I will write about next week.
ISSUE #25: Who Am I?
February 15, 2001
Well it has finally happened, Ethan found out that he is not a Crane, but rather a Bennett. And everyone else in Harmony knows it too, thanks to Rebecca and Gwen Hotchkiss. They emailed the tabloid reporter about Ethan's true parentage, in the hopes that it will break up Theresa and Ethan. But so far, it's not working, Ethan is still with Theresa, and she is the only person that he is allowing to remain in his life for now. Ethan is extremely hurt and destroyed over this news, specifically at his mother Ivy for keeping this secret from him all these years.
Julian is heartbroken, for the first time in his life he actually showed some real emotions when he found out that his son was not his son. Sam was utterly confused by the news, and then when it really sank in, he almost couldn't believe or understand it. How could a woman that he had once loved keep something like this from him, as well as their child? There are so many emotions rolling around Harmony that it is going to take some time before it all gets sorted out and dealt with. However, the one person who has been effected by this the most has got to be Grace Bennett. She is a victim right now more so than Ethan, she had no clue about her husbands past with Ivy, and she found out by overhearing the news being blurted out in front of all these people at the engagement party. To make matters worse, she is pregnant, and for a woman to be with child at her age is not easy. Of course, she fainted at hearing the news and took a nasty tumble down the stairs (like none of us saw this coming).
Out of this entire storyline these past few weeks, what pissed me off the most was having Grace be pregnant, because I knew right away that she was going to loose the baby. Why do the writers do that to a person in soaps, as if it is an everyday occurrence? I think it is done way too often, that they either make someone pregnant who really should be, then to have that character miscarry the baby and go through a devastating loss. But that is another story altogether. So back to Ethan �
The poor guy � he doesn't know which end is up. He feels that he doesn't know who he is anymore because of what has happened. And I can't blame him for saying that, but he needs to realize that he has not changed. He was raised with certain values, morals and beliefs � just like the rest of us. Those things don't change because of your last name changing. I have a feeling that Theresa is going to help him through this more than you know. I just hope that her little secret about knowing Ethan's real parentage doesn't hurt her relationship with Ethan (but I suspect it won't come out until AFTER they get married later this year).
ISSUE #26: My Pet Peeves!
February 23, 2001
Ok, I'm a little annoyed by a few things with the show, so bear with me for a while. First of all, why the hell is it that Dr. Eve Russell never seems to do any real doctoring? Practically every person in Harmony has needed her medical services to some degree, and all she can seem to do is take a pulse and listen to an occasional heart beat. Her best friend Grace is lying in a hospital bed dying, and she tells her distraught husband "that there is simply nothing I can do for her". When Grace's heart monitor started showing a flatline (no heart beat or rhythm), why did she not pull out the "paddles" and start to shock her? I know, I know, this is daytime soaps � nothing is supposed to be that real. But come on, all we ever see Dr. Eve do is NOTHING. It's really pathetic to have her play a doctor when she doesn't even try to pull it off to be halfway believable.
Next up � Sam bringing his wife back from the dead with his love. I'm not saying that it was a bad this, per-say, but it was done no less than six months ago with Ethan and Theresa. At least wait a full year before starting to repeat scenes in the show, that just tells me that someone didn't really have an imagination that particular day. And if the writers purposely did it because they wanted to show the connection between Ethan and Sam, that they are so similar in a lot of ways with their mannerisms and such � I personally don't think it was needed or called for. They had already shown over these past months how much Ethan and Sam are alike, there was no need to play this scene out with Grace. How many people on this show are going to be on the verge of death and the love of their romantic partner is going to bring them back? There already starting this with Miguel and Charity now. Father Lonigan is telling Miguel that only his love for her will save her life and her soul Ugh!
Next up are those damn Hotchkiss woman. You mean to tell me that nobody in that house notices that they are spending all of their time there, being nosy? Come on, these people are smarter than that, someone must think that something is wrong with this picture. Now that Ethan has broken off with Gwen, why on earth is she still always over the house if not to be a sneaky and nosy bitch? Oh, and another thing � how is it that Alistair knows where Julian is at every single moment of the day and knows exactly what he is doing, who he is talking to and what they are talking about (i.e., when Julian was in the garden room 2 weeks ago after the paternity news was brought out. He was crying about his son not being his son when Alistair called him and told him to stop his sniveling and act like a Crane), but Alistair doesn't know what Rebecca Hotchkiss is up to? She is forever talking out loud to herself and her daughter Gwen throughout that house and nobody ever overhears them. There isn't much that Alistair doesn't know about (expect Ethan's paternity) so why isn't something being done about Rebecca and her stuck-up daughter?
We were all told during the month of January about the upcoming February Sweeps. That how one of the big plots was going to be: "There will be a death of one of Harmony's 4 core family members, and this time, they don't come back from the dead". Well, I've been waiting and waiting every night to see who the hell dies � and you know what? It turns out that the "death" was Grace's unborn child. How disappointing is that? Not only is it disappointing, but misleading as well by the people at Passions. They give us this big building up about a major happening with a storyline, and it turns out to be nothing. I predicted that Grace would lose the baby right after they announced she was pregnant. Soaps today use this tactic way too much and it is not right. They've done it on every single soap at least twice and now it's Passions turn. These writers need to realize that losing a child, especially a baby, is nothing something they can do for a ratings boost. It's pretty cruel considering how many woman out there in real life try to have children and can't. I think these writers need to be a little more aware of their viewership and the storys they portray to them.
Lastly, I was pretty bothered by the fact that lately, Luis has been telling Sheridan how much he can't wait to get her into bed and make love to her. Hold on, don't get me wrong � I've been anxiously waiting for this to happen to, and I'm sure it will be done beautifully. I am talking about at the engagement party 2 weeks ago, Luis kept telling Sheridan over and over again how he wanted to take her home and make mad, passionate love to her. How he wanted to do this and do that � it was really getting to be annoying because that is not Luis' M.O. It just felt really weird listening to him day after day after day tell Sheridan (and vice versa) about how and when and where they were going to "get it on". Am I the only one who thought that? Am I the only one who feels this way about all of the things mentioned here?
ISSUE #27: How Annoyed Am I?
March 15, 2001
OK, by now most of you know that the Daytime Emmy Nominations were announced yesterday. Well I hope that I am not the only person out there that feels this is a total outrage!
I don't mean to knock any of the other soap operas on the air today, but I am extremely disappointed in the Emmy Nomination system as it stands today. How is it possible that out of 10 soaps that are currently in production now, only 2 shows capture the majority of the acting categories? AMC and ATWT each received well over 15 acting nominations, most of them have 2 or 3 cast members in each category (and there are only 5 people per category � with the exception of Younger Actor which has 6). This is absolutely ridiculous! Who at these shows is paying off judges, or producers, or whomever in order to have their show included on the ballots?
Like I mentioned earlier, I'm not knocking these other shows, I know for a fact that AMC is an excellent (I used to watch it way back in high school) and a few of my friends watch it now. But let me say this, how is it possible that Julia Barr (an excellent and beautiful actress) who has not gotten any decent scripts this past year, and has only been on the air a handful of times each month � get a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress? Can somebody please explain this to me?
Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the same thing happen last year when Y&R and GH got most of the nominations? (or was that Y&R and DOOL?) I am even more mortified that Passions received only one acting nomination, for Younger Actor (Josh Ryan Evans). What about Ben Masters for Outstanding Lead Actor, and Donn Swaby for Outstanding Newcomer? Now I'm not saying that Passions should have gotten tons of nominations, but let's face it � the show has some excellent actors, and for a bunch of people who had never really acted before coming on this show, they have improved 100% since their first day. I for one felt that besides Ben and Josh Ryan, the others that should have been nominated were McKenzie Westmore and/or Lindsay Korman (Supporting Actress), and Galen Gering (Supporting Actor). And why is it that all of the acting categories only have 5 nominees, but the Younger Actor group where Josh Ryan is nominated, has 6 nominees? And did you see the people in the Younger Actress category, all of them are over the age of 20? To me, that is not Younger � younger (in my mind) is any person under the age of 15 or 16. Where do these people get off?
If this is going to be the new trend in award nominations for the Emmys, I guess that Passions will sweep all the categories in the year 2005! By then, all of the other shows will have been given their turn at "hogging" all of the glory for themselves. I sure can't wait until the Soap Opera Digest Award Nominations come out � at least we the viewers and fans of the shows get to vote on who we want to see win. Let's hope that Passions gets more nominations than we did last year (3).
ISSUE #28: What The Hell Is Going On?
March 28, 2001
I know I�m not the only person thinking this thought, �What The Hell Is Going On?� I�m talking about the constant changing of actors on the show.
Did you know, that since the show debuted in July 1999, 6 full-time, contract actors have left (for one reason or another)? And of those 6 actors, 5 of them have been replaced by different people. That�s right, 6 actors. Let�s start at the beginning, shall we.
First there was Jason Olive, you remember him, don�t you? He played Det. Frank Lomax, head of Crane Securities who was introduced to investigate Ethan Crane�s stalker. Well, after that whole storyline with Ethan and Theresa was finished, so was Jason. He was released from his contract with the show, to be seen no longer. However, I have noticed that once in a looonnnggg blue while, his name is mentioned when one of the Crane�s calls the security office. They always seem to either speak to Frank or leave a message for him. How funny is that? No sooner was Jason gone, then the sexy and street-wise Chad Harris introduced. Now Donn Swaby was not the �replacement� for Jason Olive, but the show needed to fill that void that was left, in order to give Whitney Russell a possible love interest.
Next we have sweet and wonderful Jessica Bennett, played originally by Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Mary decided to not renew her contract (or cancelled early) because she wanted to get into prime time television, and landed a role on an upcoming series with Scott Bakula, from Quantum Leap fame. To date, this show has still not hit the airwaves. Right behind her by a few months was Kay Bennett, her older sister, played by Taylor Anne Mountz. She apparently decided to go to college full time and could not fulfill her obligation to the show. Personally, I think she was pressured into it by her parents to quit the show. She had stated in an interview published a few months earlier that she had hoped to stay with the show for a long time and learn everything she could. She also stated that she was looking forward to going to college in the fall, and was looking at taking some classes part-time. Whatever the case may be, obviously we wish her nothing but the best.
Late last year, we were all stunned to find out that Liza Huber was leaving the show, and show business altogether. She had decided that acting (and show business in general) was not her cup of tea and would be quitting for good. I find this a little weird, because of the interviews she had given to the press about her role on Passions. She talked about how much she had worked toward achieving her dreams and how she loved being on the show. All of a sudden, she does a 180-degree turn-around and he gone within 3 weeks of the news hitting the wires. I personally have my own opinions about this situation, but I�ll keep them to myself for a while longer. So they bring in Natalie Zea as her replacement, and as it turns out, Natalie had tested back in 1999 to play Gwen originally, when Liza beat her out of the role. (read more about it in her upcoming interview with Soap Opera Digest).
So, that�s 4 down � 2 more to go. Next is Dalton James, who played Hank Bennett, the younger brother of Sam Bennett, Chief of Police. Hank spent his days not working and his nights chasing after Sheridan Crane, only to lose out to his best friend Luis in the end. The show claims that they want to take Hank in a totally different direction and wanted a new actor to portray that. I think that line is a bunch of bull $%#@. Why not given the actor a chance to pull off what it is you want him to portray, and then if he/she can�t do it, by all means � replace them. Things seemed a little fishy when we didn�t see Dalton for so long after Sheridan was rescued from her coffin. Let�s see how this new guy Ryan McPartlin works out (he is kinda cute though!)
And finally, Lena Cardwell is gone. She portrayed Simone Russell since the show began, and I personally thought she did a pretty good job, considering she really had no real acting experience. She grew into her character and played the younger-sister-who-is-always-outshined by-her-older-sister-routine very well. She too will be missed, and now comes her replacement. Chrystee Pharris, who has some acting experience in prime-time. Let�s see how she portrays Simone in the coming months.
The latest rumor is that Galen Gering and Ben Masters may not renew their contracts with Passions. I for one really don't believe this rumor, and neither should you. There is so much going on with both of these characters, and the fans of the show would really protest if either one of them were to leave. I don�t think it would be a smart move on Passions part if they were to get rid or let go of anyone else. For a show that has only been around barely 2 years, their turn-over rate is extremely high. One of the reason that people may not want to get invested into a new soap is that actors and characters don�t stay long enough for people to want to watch each day. But you know how the biz-ness goes, so let�s just keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best.
ISSUE #29: Saying Goodbye To A Legend!
April 16, 2001
The time has finally come when we have to (unfortunately) say goodbye to one of daytime's most beloved and talented actresses. Robin Strasser's role on Passions for the past 6 months has been not only memorable, but it gave the show a shot in the arm (which it needed in the witchcraft department).
Up until now, Tabitha and Timmy tried one thing after another to destroy Charity, and failed each and every time. I'm not saying that Hecuba succeeded in their place, but she brought to the table a unique approach in trying to terminate the sweet young Standish. For months and months, I have been fast-forwarding thru all of the witchery happenings in Harmony, because frankly, it was just boring me. When Robin Strasser came on, I actually stopped to watch and see what she would do, and how the show would somehow make this storyline entertaining once again. And am I glad that I did, or I would have missed out on some of the funniest scenes ever on daytime.
Passions is known for it's over-the-top campiness, and Robin Strasser portraying a 300-year-old witch named Hecuba was as over-the-top as you could get (one would think), but it was soon made clear that she would not be your ordinary evil witch (like Tabitha). This one had a real mean streak in her and would stop at nothing to destroying everyone in her path (ie, the entire town of Harmony). The writers of the show were able to make Hecuba interact with each of the main characters of the show (although they may not have had any dialogue together. Hecuba caused Grace to have a miscarriage (along with Ivy Crane too), she tried to destroy the romances between Luis and Sheridan, and Whitney and Chad. She tried to kill not only Charity, but Miguel, Kay, Reese, Simone and Jessica at least 2 times. She brought much pain and heartache to both the Bennett and Russell families, and for good measure, she tried to kill Tabitha and Timmy. Hecuba caused so much trouble in this quiet little seaside town, its a wonder that there aren't more priests and scientists running to their shores to investigate the strange happenings?
Her interactions with Juliet Mills and Josh Ryan Evans were outstanding, as well as those with Deanna Wright. Remember, it was Kay who unleashed the evil Hecuba from her cave and set her loose on Harmony (unknowingly at first). She was able to bring a lot of levity to the show, and at the same time, flex her acting muscles. How often does it happen that a veteran performer get to play a part that he/she has never played before, even with all of their experience?
Robin will be missed terribly, not for her character's evil ways, but simply because she is a one-of-a-kind performer who can incorporate any style of acting into a show and make it work. Thankfully, the door as been left open for her to make a return visit to Harmony some day, and that is the best news their is. Thank You Robin! for making your stay in Harmony a memorable one.
ISSUE #30: The Final Fury!
May 10, 2001
Well, all hell FINALLY did break lose these past few weeks, as the demons in Charity�s closet took over the Bennett house, and subsequently took Charity, Miguel and Kay into the depths of hell. Now, you know me, I am the first one to stand up and say that something is corny, or stupid, or what-have-you, but I must admit that on a whole, I enjoyed this storyline these past 2 weeks.
It was suspenseful, it was tragic, it was sometimes funny, and portions of it were believable (but not many). Having evil demons literally take over someone�s closet and turn it into a portal to hell is a little farfetched for me, but it was a good way to bring this entire Dark Side storyline to a boiling point. For 2 years that is all we heard about was the Dark Side and the Side of Goodness, with not much to show for it (once Tabby lost her powers). Having the crux of the Harmony citizens gather at the site of the biggest evil battle since the Salem Witch Trials was pretty interesting. And throughout all of the evil going on inside the house, evil was trying to work its way outside the house also. Take Ivy Crane for example, this woman has no heart or conscience at all, for her to stand at the site of a house burning to the ground with 3 people trapped inside, and all she can think about is being next to Sam Bennett! How disgusting can one person be � but what I really can�t get over is the fact that out of all the times the various women of Harmony (Eve, Pilar) went up to Ivy to tell her to stay away from Sam, none of them gave her a good slap in the face. I was hoping that someone would just right out and crack her one, maybe then would she realize what she was doing. But noooooo! They just continued to preach about Sam and Grace�s love and how Ivy would never break them up. Yeah, ok � if I believe that one.
But this storyline also brought together some people who in ordinary times, would never be seen together. I�m referring to Sam and Ethan, two men who have hated each other these past 2 years, just now learning that they are father and son. I found it specially touching that when Sam saved Ethan�s life not once (from the demons in the closet), but twice (preventing him from entering the burning house), that Sam told Ethan �I may have lost a daughter and a niece tonight, I�m not about to lose a Son too!�. Those words were very powerful, and finally, Ethan understood that no matter what happened in the past between his mother and him, Sam would never turn his back on Ethan. I�m sure there is going to be some more heartfelt scenes between these two characters. Some of them rocky, and some of them smooth � but through it all � well worth the while.
I especially have to give big congratulations to the special effects team (once again) for pulling off a remarkable job on the burning house scenes, as well as all of the actors involved. It truly was believable and by far, the best special storyline to date (until now, we all thought the Prom Boat Disaster was the best). I just wish that they didn�t drag it out so damn much, and have these people repeating themselves over and over and over again. That is what gets me, they have this wonderful script, great actors and technicians to pull it over, and we have to hear Eve telling Ivy to stay away from Sam about 20 times in 4 days. Enough with the repetitiveness! But still, all in all, it was a great couple of weeks, and its unfortunate that Hecuba herself didn�t get to see the outcome of all her wickedness.
ISSUE #30: The Final Fury!
May 10, 2001
Well, all hell FINALLY did break lose these past few weeks, as the demons in Charity�s closet took over the Bennett house, and subsequently took Charity, Miguel and Kay into the depths of hell. Now, you know me, I am the first one to stand up and say that something is corny, or stupid, or what-have-you, but I must admit that on a whole, I enjoyed this storyline these past 2 weeks.
It was suspenseful, it was tragic, it was sometimes funny, and portions of it were believable (but not many). Having evil demons literally take over someone�s closet and turn it into a portal to hell is a little farfetched for me, but it was a good way to bring this entire Dark Side storyline to a boiling point. For 2 years that is all we heard about was the Dark Side and the Side of Goodness, with not much to show for it (once Tabby lost her powers). Having the crux of the Harmony citizens gather at the site of the biggest evil battle since the Salem Witch Trials was pretty interesting. And throughout all of the evil going on inside the house, evil was trying to work its way outside the house also. Take Ivy Crane for example, this woman has no heart or conscience at all, for her to stand at the site of a house burning to the ground with 3 people trapped inside, and all she can think about is being next to Sam Bennett! How disgusting can one person be � but what I really can�t get over is the fact that out of all the times the various women of Harmony (Eve, Pilar) went up to Ivy to tell her to stay away from Sam, none of them gave her a good slap in the face. I was hoping that someone would just right out and crack her one, maybe then would she realize what she was doing. But noooooo! They just continued to preach about Sam and Grace�s love and how Ivy would never break them up. Yeah, ok � if I believe that one.
But this storyline also brought together some people who in ordinary times, would never be seen together. I�m referring to Sam and Ethan, two men who have hated each other these past 2 years, just now learning that they are father and son. I found it specially touching that when Sam saved Ethan�s life not once (from the demons in the closet), but twice (preventing him from entering the burning house), that Sam told Ethan �I may have lost a daughter and a niece tonight, I�m not about to lose a Son too!�. Those words were very powerful, and finally, Ethan understood that no matter what happened in the past between his mother and him, Sam would never turn his back on Ethan. I�m sure there is going to be some more heartfelt scenes between these two characters. Some of them rocky, and some of them smooth � but through it all � well worth the while.
I especially have to give big congratulations to the special effects team (once again) for pulling off a remarkable job on the burning house scenes, as well as all of the actors involved. It truly was believable and by far, the best special storyline to date (until now, we all thought the Prom Boat Disaster was the best). I just wish that they didn�t drag it out so damn much, and have these people repeating themselves over and over and over again. That is what gets me, they have this wonderful script, great actors and technicians to pull it over, and we have to hear Eve telling Ivy to stay away from Sam about 20 times in 4 days. Enough with the repetitiveness! But still, all in all, it was a great couple of weeks, and its unfortunate that Hecuba herself didn�t get to see the outcome of all her wickedness.
Wow, I hadn't realized until now that it has been one month since I wrote something for The View. Well, there have been some developments since the last entry, so let's take a look at what's happened recently.
When last we gathered, everyone was fighting for their lives (and the Bennett house) during the Final Fury. Obviously, everyone survived, and proceeded to Sheridan and Luis' engagement party. Which by the way, Luis and Sheridan's "engagement episodes" were absolutely wonderful and romantic. The writers did not let us down for that. And as usual, Tabitha and Timmy caused more mayhem with the mysterious fog that surrounded the Crane mansion during the party. This fog caused most of Harmony's residents to believe that their worst fears were coming true.
Ethan suspected Theresa of knowing about his true paternity and not telling him. Boy, can that girl lie with the best of them! She looked Ethan straight in the face and told him that she did NOT know. The you-know-what is really gonna hit the fan when he does find out (probably after they get married). And thanks to Gwen being the usual bitch that she is, she just had to prod Ethan into thinking like that.
Sheridan witnesses Luis making love to another woman and called off her engagement. Although this incident had nothing to do with the fog, rather Julian and Rebecca being their usual conniving selves. It almost worked, but thanks to Luis (for whatever reason) going to DeeDee's house and catching the imposter in the act � all is going to be wonderful again between these two lovebirds. It might have worked, had Julian not been involved, because we all know that he has no luck at all. Whatever he does, it backfires on him (poor schmuck). Looks like daddy dearest Alistair is going to really flip his wig over this one.
Chad and Whitney hit a minor stumbling block, thanks to Whitney catching him playing tonsil hockey with her sister in the love maze. But it was because of that pesky fog, he had no clue what he was doing. Unfortunately, it just made Simone believe that Chad really does love her. Right up to the point where she spots her "man" and her sister kissing in her room. This obviously causes Simone to go into shock, and as luck would have it --- tragedy hits! Literally, she gets run over by a speeding car. We'll have to see what happens with her as the weeks progress.
Ivy the slut has put her lust-drive into super high gear to try and win back Sam the Man. And clueless Grace is finally starting to realize the error of her ways, by making Sam have closure with his past. This "closure" has given Ivy more and more opportunities to get in Sam's pants and every time she finagles her way to be with him, or put herself in a compromising position with Sam, Grace just happens to walk in on them. This particular storyline just doesn't sit right with me for various reasons, but then again, the writers of the show are probably trying to build up to this new mystery man who will be coming to Harmony next week. Maybe then things will start to get exciting.
The one storyline that I had hoped would really pick up by now is the Julian and Eve saga. I would love to see these two pick up where they left off all those years ago, and struggle with their conflicting feelings towards each other and their respective families. It's obvious that Julian had truly loved Eve (but we don't know why), and that Eve herself admitted that she had fallen in love with Julian at such a young age. But I want to see the reaction of TC and the girls when they find out that their mother has been lying to them all these years. Also, I think there is more to TC hating Julian then just that car accident he had. Whether Julian was driving the car or not (which we know he was from the Hidden Passions book), one man could not possibly have that much rage in him over this incident, and it's aftermath.
I hope that this summer is not a let down, we were told back in the beginning of the year that a wedding would take place in March � and it never happened. We were told that someone would die during the spring months, and what we were given was Grace loosing her unborn child. Now we are being told that a wedding will definitely take place this summer, as well as someone else might die. I don't know about you, but these empty promises are falling flat. That's not a way to keep your audience month after month, you don't lie to them like that. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed this summer, how about you?
ISSUE #32: Making Some Progress!
July 06, 2001
So far, things have been going pretty well this summer. The storylines are finally moving along nicely and we are about to witness (hopefully) the long awaited wedding between Ethan and Theresa.
I, for one, am glad that Sam and Grace resolved their situation. Not because I think that Grace and Sam belong together, but because I was sick and tired of watching Grace tell her husband to "go resolve your past with Ivy". Ugh, how annoying was that? I can understand to a certain degree that she wanted her husband to put to rest whatever feelings or issues he had with Ivy, however, this ding-dong of a housewife would not leave well enough alone. She never believed Sam had put his past behind him and wanted to move forward with her. She continued, time and time again, to throw Sam and Ivy together. And she got burned for it, temporarily at least. Now that this mystery man David Hastings has arrived in town, things are definitely going to get interesting with Grace. I, for one, feel that this guy is her husband! That's right, husband. Remember, she doesn't remember anything from before Sam rescued her in that fire. I'll bet that either Grace was married to this guy, or at least living with him and in love. Only time will tell.
Now, about Ethan and Theresa. I had hoped that Theresa would have confessed to Ethan about knowing he was a Bennett but not the person to tell the tabloids about it. Because of this, Rebecca and Gwen have Teresita right where they want her, and I'm afraid that things are definitely going to crumble around her. Hopefully Chad can find the information at the tabloid office and either destroys it or start snooping around so that it leads him right back to Gwen. She deserves to get her butt beat for what she did. And she claims that she loves Ethan? I don't think so. Also, I would love for Rebecca to get burned too. If Julian thinks for one minute that Rebecca only has the best intentions in wanting to be his wife, he's dumber than I've given him credit for. Now I'm not saying that Julian and Ivy should reconcile, (but then again �.), I think Julian needs to take a long, hard look around him and figure out what it is he really wants � besides being the heir to the Crane fortune.
The marriage between Sheridan and Luis should be exciting also. Let's just hope that Alistair does not go through with his plan to kill his daughter. I hope something happens that sparks Luis' interest in finding the truth about his dad. This is one storyline that I am dying to know more about. Is he really dead and the Cranes are covering it up? He is alive and still working for the Cranes in some fashion? Or did Martin Fitzgerald get caught doing something dirty and illegal and was banished from Harmony forever? I'm not quite sure as to what it could be, but I hope they speed this one along and start delving into it more.
Let's hope that the show sticks to their promise to keep us glued to our seats. With the show being given the cover of TV Guide, they need to take advantage of this and really push forward with their storylines and characters.
So, was I right or what? I said in my last column that I thought David Hastings was Grace's husband. Boy, is this going to get ugly because as soon as Ivy finds out that Grace is still married to David, she is going to jump on Sam like a dog on a bone (who hasn't eaten in 20 years!) So folks, hold onto your seats, because we are not going to see a resolution to this storyline anytime soon.
So Ethan finally knows the truth about Theresa and her little secret. I do feel bad for Theresa because she truly loves Ethan and she only kept the documents about his paternity because she wanted to expose Gwen as the scheming slut she is. She doesn't care about his money or lack there of, she just wants to be with him and love him no matter what. But I also felt that she was wrong in not telling him from the start about his past � but then again, this is a soap opera, and what would it be without drama and secrets? I have a feeling (according to rumors that I'm hearing) as well as the old prediction that Tabitha gave Theresa back at the school carnival years ago, that she would become "Mrs. Crane", however me thinks she will be Mrs. JULIAN Crane, not Ethan Crane (or Winthrop). So these next 3 weeks or so will have me watching with anticipation. Poor Theresa, if she does marry Julian (because Julian tricks her), I guarantee that she will never get back with Ethan. He will view her as the gold-digging tramp that Rebecca has always said she was.
Is it just me, or did the writers on the show completely drop the Ivy and Julian storyline? I, for one, am really interested to see that pick up again, and have Eve start digging into her own past to find out what happened to her son. She believes now that he did not die at birth, but rather than someone stole him out of the nursery. Wouldn't it be wonderful if Julian and Eve teamed up together to find out where there son is? Will it be Chad, or is another hunky guy on his way to Harmony? Hey, maybe it's this new "Brian" character that is being introduced in September. OK kiddies, mark my words on this one. Brian could turn out to be Julian's son with Eve.
Lastly, I'm really getting tired of this "teen scene" that is going on with Charity and Miguel and the rest of the brat pack. It's no longer interesting to see Kay fawn over Miguel and try to wiggle her way into his heart. Lord only knows what's going to happen on Warlock Island, but I'm sure it's not going to be what Kay wants. Maybe they will finally turn it into a real triangle, whereas Miguel admits his feelings for Kay to Charity, and he has trouble deciding who is really loves. I say nay to the kids and concentrate more on the adults on the show. Even though the majority of the show's viewers are teens and probably love this particular storyline, they need to do something that will keep us older folk interested (did I just call myself "older")? Ugh.
Boy oh boy! Theresa sure got herself into a real jam this time. She couldn't leave well enough alone and she is really paying the price now.
It's bad enough that she didn't tell Ethan the truth about knowing his true paternity and the whole scanning of Ivy's letter, but now she had to run off and convince Julian Crane to adopt Ethan and make him a Crane again. Doesn't this girl stop and think even for the smallest of seconds that she is out of her pretty little lead?
She flies off to Bermuda (I would really like to know how she paid for this trip), and tracks Julian down to persuade him to take Ethan back. Julian, in his most deplorable but slick way, turns the tables on her and proceeds to get her drunk on champagne. (Also, how is it that Alistair has shown up yet to ream Julian a new butt-hole? Doesn't he see and know everything that Julian does?) In her drunk-state, she dreams that she is marrying Ethan and then making love to him in her hotel room. Instead, she wakes up to find that she is in bed � NAKED � next to Julian Crane! Oh brother!
How could she have let things get so out of hand? And now that she has proof of the marriage to Julian, and Ethan is in Bermuda to marry her � why doesn't she just tell him the truth, for once in her life? Pull Ethan aside, and explain to him what happened and take the blows and they may come. By trying to hide the fact that she has never been married before, is just going to come back and bite her in the ass, again and again. Does she really want Rebecca and Gwen on her tail again and destroy her life?
And I'm starting to get really annoyed with this storyline. It's been a full year that we have been waiting for someone on this show to get married, either Theresa and Ethan or Luis and Sheridan. And yet the writers of the show continue to put us through this nonsense whereas something always comes up at the last minute to ruin their happiness. Next week it is going to be a hurricane that hits Bermuda and stops Ethan and Theresa from marrying. Lord only knows what they've done with Sheridan now that the fishing boat has exploded into a gazillion pieces (and how stupid was Sheridan for just standing there screaming out Luis' name when she found the bomb? If that were me, I would have run my butt off that boat and flung myself into the water after Luis.) Now she is going to either be dead (unlikely) or missing, and when she is found (probably next month or so), I'll bet you that she will have amnesia or something stupid like that.
I'm starting to crave for the storylines of yester-year, like the whereabouts of Martin Fitzgerald, Chad's real parents, and stuff like that. This romance on the rocks is making me mad. Hopefully, the new characters that will be joining the show next month will spice things up again and put some of my interest back into this soap.
ISSUE #35: Will The Real Mrs. Crane Please Stand Up?
November 1, 2001
I know it's been a long time since I last wrote a column for The View, and I apologize for that. But I'm back now, and will try to post here as often as I can. It may not be every week, but I will get back on the job to the best of my ability.
Well, it seems that Theresa is going to get busted big time for her lies now. You would think that she had learned her lesson with keeping Ethan's paternity from him and causing so much trouble over the past year. Now that she mistakenly married Julian you would think she would have come clean to Ethan about it and worked things out the way they should have been. Nope, not Theresa.
She continues to lie to the people she claims to love and insists that things will work themselves out in her favor. Pa-lease, when is this girl going to wake up and realize that all she ever does in the name of love is hurtful? Part of me can understand that if she were to tell Ethan the truth about her marriage to Julian, he would flip out and kill Julian. But why not take that chance, at least she would still be truthful to Ethan and not jeopardize loosing him � which I'm sure will happen now. How many times can we hear this girl claim that "fate" is on her side and that things will be O.K.?
I know that without these twists and turns, and all of its craziness, we wouldn't have soap opera. However, with this particular situation that Theresa is in, I feel that it is just a bit too much. Why couldn't Theresa and Ethan have gotten married and be happy for more than 2 days without something terrible happen to them, or some sort of rift take place within their marriage? The same holds true for Sheridan and Luis. Can these 2 couples ever find happiness together for any length of time without having some major outside influence tear them apart? What makes a super-couple great (in my mind) is the fact that they have been together for a very long time and they overcome many obstacles while still being able to be in love with each other, or at least work at being together.
This is not happening with Theresa and Ethan, or Sheridan and Luis. The only couple who has ever been truly happy and in love on the show was Sam and Grace, and that relationship was so sugary-sweet that it made me sick to watch after a while. I'm kind of glad that David has come into the picture to cause some disturbance. Anyway, this whole marriage to Julian Crane could have been handled a little differently in my opinion, and possible taken place further down the road, with someone other than Theresa. Only time will tell what will happen by the end of the year, but I'm sure that things will only get more frustrating for us, the viewers, before they get better.
ISSUE #36: How Ridiculous!
December 7, 2001
I don't know about the rest of you, but I am really getting sick of watching the same old storylines being retold over and over again. Can't the writers of this show (James E. Reilly) come up with something new for a change?
We've got gullible Grace, a woman who has amnesia. She can't remember a thing about her life from the time Sam saved her in a fire back in Boston. You would think that after all this time, some things would have come back to her already. Now we have Sheridan with amnesia living on an island in the Caribbean who can't seem to remember who she really is. The only good thing about her is that she is having flashes of memories from her live. But don't you find it funny that out of all the times she remembers her love Luis, she doesn't remember his name?
Then there is Ivy, she got pregnant by her first love Sam and passed their son of as if he were the son of Julian, her husband. Never telling him the truth about the pregnancy, her son grew up believing he was somebody he wasn't. Now that Ethan and Sam and Julian all know the truth, it has caused unspeakable harm to those involved. Along comes Theresa and her stupidity, and gets pregnant by Julian (while on a drunken binge in Bermuda). She plans on telling Ethan that the baby is his and they will raise it as their own, never to inform Julian that he is the real father. Sound familiar? The worst part of this is that Theresa still has not learned that her lies have caused terrible pain for everyone around her and yet she continues to lie, all in the name of love. This girl needs some serious counseling and a good hard smack in the head.
And what the hell ever happened to TC and Chad? They have been non-existent for weeks and weeks. TC never really had anything of a storyline to speak of, and that's not fair. We know he has some secrets hidden in his shed in the backyard, but the last we ever saw or heard of that shed was last year sometime. Chad has been window dressing for a while now and that too, is not fair. His relationship with Whitney needs to pick up, and more importantly, he needs to straighten out the situation with Simone. She thinks he is her boyfriend, but we all know that's ridiculous. Speaking of Simone, if Chad is her "boyfriend", how come they haven't been seen together in months? Ooh, if she only knew that he was with Whitney down in Bermuda (find it funny how that wasn't mentioned?)
About our newest characters on the show, am I the only person to think that Brian is really the long lost son of Pilar, the missing Antonio Lopez-Fitzgerald? Seems kind of strange how all of a sudden he knows of Beth and Luis, and doesn't want to sail the boat back to Harmony. And what about Liz, what's her story and why is she hiding out on the island? Could she be Chad's biological mother? I think it's rather funny how Liz looks the same way that Eve did when she was singing in the jazz clubs all those years ago. And now we've got a new kid coming to town in a few weeks by the name of John. He is supposed to surprise and shock some Harmony residents. The show needs to stop adding so many new characters all at once and start picking up the pace on its current storylines first. I like new characters, but not this many all in the span of 4 months. Let's hope the New Year brings some new happenings to Harmony.
ISSUE #37: Enough Already!
December 28, 2001
OK, granted, this latest storyline with Theresa wanting to get an abortion is a sticky situation. Everyone has his or her own personal views and opinions on the subject. However, I'm getting really tired of hearing Miss Whitney moan and groan and preach to Theresa about NOT having an abortion.
Let me just say that this is a personal decision for anyone to make, and I know that this is soap opera land, but Whitney is truly stepping over the line with her constant harping to Theresa about it. It's not her baby, and she's not the one in this awful mess (when I say awful, I mean being pregnant by another man and lying about it to people). Whitney needs to take a big step or two down from that pedestal she has placed herself on.
It's one thing to give someone your opinion about the subject and ask him or her to seriously consider the consequences, it is another thing when she is constantly getting into her face and practically yelling at her to not go through with it. Whether it is religious reasons or moral reasons, she needs to keep her mouth shut about it. She has spoken her piece and Theresa has chosen to not listen to her friends' advice.
Whitney, you've made it perfectly clear that because you are such a good girl, you would never allow yourself to get into this predicament, however, you need to be a true friend and give Theresa your support. If you can't do that, then maybe you should distance yourself from her for a while. It's obvious that you have been against all of her decisions in the past and each and every time, your advice was the correct advice to give. But if Theresa won't listen to you, then just leave her alone and go about your own life. Will Theresa ever see the light of day when it comes to her lies? Who knows, but the one thing you can't afford to do is alienate your friend because I'm sure down the road, you are going to need her friendship, more than you will ever know. You don't want to walk away from someone because of a "personal" decision they have made, which has absolutely nothing to do with you and your life. Stop being so preachy and start being a friend.