the dialogue has become absolute crap and cliche...

Stories likewise, forgot to add.

And someone please fire Mandy Bleak (Amanda Beall-sh!t).

Edited July 9, 200718 yr by Sylph

This is one of the reasons the soap operas are dying (correction, they're dead already), the dialogue has become absolute crap and cliche all over the place, not a single one genuine line, and most of the time it's ironic if not sarcastic, which is funny for awhile, then it just becomes painful and boring.

Catfights, camp and so on... That's what certain soap operas do well, but some should do it once ina blue moon. Where are the emotional truths and engrossing stories? Gone. Like the snows of yesteryear.

And someone please fire Mandy Bleak (Amanda Beall-sh!t).

Not to intentionally keep the Friday thread going at 8pm on Monday, but I have to agree. That's why I enjoy Joanna Cohen, because the dialog she writes is a little more earnest. This is the scene that got my attention seven months ago:

Jonathan:

It's -- it's just that every day --

Ryan:

You wake up, and for the first few seconds everything's okay, and then it hits you. She’s gone. Erin’s gone, and she’s not coming back... It happens to me every day. I’ll be walking down the street, and I’ll see a flash of red hair or I’ll hear a familiar laugh or something, and I'll turn around fully expecting to see her, but I don’t, because she’s gone. She’s gone, and I’m never going to see her again... I see her in my dreams. I do. I see her in my dreams, and she’s so full of life, and I just -- I try to hang on to it for a few moments, just a little more time. But it doesn't work. Because I wake up, and when I do, she's still gone.

Jonathan:

Stop it. Stop it, Ryan. I don't -- I can't -- I --

Ryan:

Jonathan -- I just want you to remember her. I just want you to remember her here, you know, with me, where her clothes are still hung in the closet and -- and her coffee mug is still in the kitchen.

Jonathan:

I can't. Ok?

Ryan:

Jonathan, I know how much it hurts.

Now, keep in mind, I loathe all things Lavery, and this was smack dab in the middle of the McTavish era (January), so there was nothing I liked about Ryan and Jonathan... but I connected with this scene, and for a moment, I understood the pain of these two characters I strongly disliked. As you said, emotional truth. It wasn't trying to paint Ryan as this Golden Messiah or Erin as this wonderfully fabulous character (I hate to say it, but she was incredibly useless) -- it was just about how two brothers feel the pain of losing their sister.

In my novice opinion, Joanna Cohen tends to write from an empathetic point of view. She's always having characters "understand" each other, which shows me that she is able to get inside of the character, look at things through their eyes, from their prospective, and then tries to express those feelings in the dialog.

Just getting caught up - but wanted to comment on some things:

SKIN! You've been MIA lately, nice to see you back - and the current avatar is hot!

LMFAO at your Kendall line, All My Shadows. That was hysterical, and soooo true. "Bitch, four years ago you was camped out....so sit your ass down." LOL

R - That Brenda/Skye exchange is PRICELESS! I would love to see the actual scene of that.

Also, that Lavery scene totally stood out to me the same way it did to you. I didn't like Ryan/Jon/OR Erin back then - but that scene totally sucked me in and I all of a sudden felt bad for the boys. It was weird....and yes, that day I recognized Cohen's name too.

Just getting caught up - but wanted to comment on some things:

Oh, okay! I was thrown for a quick minute, like: "Wait -- what day is this?! "

Also, that Lavery scene totally stood out to me the same way it did to you. I didn't like Ryan/Jon/OR Erin back then - but that scene totally sucked me in and I all of a sudden felt bad for the boys. It was weird....and yes, that day I recognized Cohen's name too.

Exactly.