Where will JER go next?

[JER Soaps Fan]

But he doesn't have to do that. He has a TON of money from his time writing the NBC shows (and his whole career). Really, he doesn't NEED to work ever again. He's set.

[Roman]

I could care less about his finances. He should have enough money in his pocket, with as badly as he butchered his own show.

[JER Soaps Fan]

All I meant was that I don't see why some people, in jest, tell him to go flip burgers or that he deserves to never work again, etc etc. If the rumors are true, and he did sabotage NBC daytime, then he could afford to, and that would make him (forgive me), SMART, because he already has GOBS AND GOBS AND GOBS of money from his time at both soaps, and not to mention his savings from his career as a soap writer (which, remember, is where we've heard 'the real' money is at, in soaps). So being filthy rich, he got the last laugh. He comes out of the whole thing unscathed.

[Roman]

Oh, I know that, but, what I'm saying, is that whatever his motives, or whatever he did or didn't do, his writing and the fact that NBC gave him so much power for both shows, is the reason why I can't and won't have any use for him once he's gone. He just may have ruined his station in daytime television, and I for one couldn't be happier.

He may have got the last luagh, but there are may who work for Passions who are not laughing. And for them, I grieve.

[JER Soaps Fan]

Oh, I grieve for the unemployed cast and crew too, Roman. I just think it's amazing that JER allegedly sabotaged the network, if not all of soaps due to the obvious domino effect that every predicted would happen, and HE is the only one who all of this won't hurt. He comes out unscathed. It's really not fair, and it makes him sort of evil. It's like he masterminded this whole thing like...omg! ALISTAIR.

[Roman]

That's one thing I've always had a problem with. I can't stand JER, and do feel that his writing nearly destroyed, with Ken Corday's help, DOOL, but, everyone else who writes for daytime soaps can't blame him for what they did to their shows. And, the execs can't either. It's not like someone put a gun to their heads, you know. They felt that since he had turned Days into something very hot his first time around, they would try and copy his style. For the most part, it didn't work, and fans left in droves, because their particualr show was not gothic or didn't take 2 years to conclude a story, wasn't burying people alive, didn't have any of their heroines being possesed by the devil, or didn't, unitl recently, kill off most of the cast just to bring them back because of fan backlash.

There are alot of people to blame for why the american daytime drama is leaving us, not the least of whitch is JER. But, for Passions, he and the execs take full blame. At one point, that was a great show, full of so much promise. It could have been the 21st Century version of Dark Shadows. Instead, it will now cease to exist, and that's a shame.

I just hope he's honest with himself, if not any of the fans of his show. Then maybe one day, he will learn from this and come back. Hopefully he'll remember that great writing will always overshadow shock and awe, plot driven storytelling.

Or then again.....maybe not.

[JER Soaps Fan]

Oh, I disagree. He will be responsible for the death of daytime (again like Alistair), if the death is sped up and results from this. Already we're hearing "GL" rumors. See what I mean?

[Roman]

If GL gets cancelled, it will be because of what they did over at GL, not because of him, IMO. He f'ed up Days and has destroyed Passions, but he doesn't work for CBS or ABC. They have people there who have ruined their soaps, so I will not blame him for what happened on those two networks, no matter how much he screwed up Passions.

[JER Soaps Fan]

I still disagree. I honestly believe JER's alter ego IS Alistair Crane. He masterminded the whole thing.

[bellcurve]

This was almost in my post in the "Can You Let Go" Thread until I realised there was too much PASSIONS in all of these posts, so I decided to put the PASSIONS where it belonged...I think of this as a compiment to Jimmy Reilly's work, personally...

"As much as I [!@#$%^&*] about soaps, I still watch them. I judge them, I critique them, look for social messages and themes. I especially look for allusions and social commentary where PASSIONS is concerned...Man, for a show many think is total garbage(myself included depending on the mood), Jimmy Reilly, when examined closely, could be called the Trey Parker & Matt Stone of daytime. This guy addressed issues of racism, homosexuality, religion, gender issues, politics, television(often forcing what I believe are his own opinions on these topics). If PASSIONS were ever reran again, I think I would force myself to watch JUST to see where these themes existed. I'm not sure if I complimented Reilly or not in my last paragraph."

[aMLCproduction]

oh i kan find employment for etha. miguel, and Sam and Noah they dont hav to work i would take care of them as llong as thosepapi's take care of me

[JER Soaps Fan]

I'm with you on that one, aML!

Need work, guys? It'll COST YA!!

*sex slaves for life*

[JER Soaps Fan]

bellcuve, I totally agree about "Passions" and JER as the soaps' answer to "South Park." BRILLIANT post. You really can see strange connections if you examine the show closely. (Or if it's just wishful thinking and you WANT to find those messages, lol). I have to believe there's something he's trying to say with the ambush of lesbians fighting Alistair in Rome. I can't figure it out since Alistair is evil and yet they're trying to TRUMP evil -- which makes them good? And the clowns who kidnapped Sheridan -- surely there's something to that. Why clowns? It was entertaining, and a nice juxtaposition that takes generally nice, fun people and turns them into villains, while at the same time, playing on people's fears of clowns, and making those fears justified. Then there's Precious. On the surface, it's ludicrous that she should be Edna's nurse, but then I remember JER's interview where he said it linked to how people can't afford good health care. There really is something to "Passions" that some people don't 'get' and never will, but it's a lot more socially relevant than some people think.

[bellcurve]

WOW. And please, don't think I am being sarcastic for saying this, but Precious on PASSIONS TOTALLY makes sense now. Maybe someone else saw it before I did, but I never quite understood why Precious was Edna's nurse until now.

I'm not sure if I could call PASSIONS socially relevant or if I could necessarily call it brilliant, but I do think it is foolish of people to not see that there may have been underlying messages in some of Reilly's storytelling.

If PASSIONS was all a "big inside joke" that nobody got, then that is pretty clever. But I hate that he wasted 8 years doing that when another traditional soap could have easily taken that spot.

Someone please shoot me. I think I am complimenting Jimmy Reilly's work on PASSIONS. Even if it does sound backhanded.

[KLN]

I'm sorry, but that's all a big bowl of steaming bullshit.

You mean to tell me that Precious the orangutan as Edna's nurse was JER's way of opening people's eyes to health care for the poor? Please. That's pretty close to being the stupidest thing I've ever heard, and if Reilly actually said that in an interview, he's delusional. If that was his intention, he failed miserably. Because, me personally, I tend to think that casting an animal in the role of a nurse was nothing more than Reilly's way of getting people's attention as they flipped through channels. It had nothing to do with healthcare and it certainly wasn't socially relevant. God, what a load!

The ambush of angry lesbians had nothing to do with Alistair = evil, lesbians = good. If anything, it was his way of making fun of big bull dykes and equating them to the bull runs of Pamplona. Think about it... angry mob of bull dykes... angry bulls running through the streets of Pamplona. That's the 'socially relevant underlying message' that I got from it. LESBIANS = SCARY... you'd better run!

Anyone can dissect a bad writer's material and make it seem like the deepest, most wonderfully intepretive material ever written. But the fact is, if it's not on the page, it's not on the page.