Imagine trying to pull off a Marty Saybrooke gang-rape story today. You'd have the North-American Interfraternity Conference pissed off about the portrayal of frat boys as rapists, every women's organization on earth angry about "Marty the Party Girl" and her misidentification of Kevin as one of her rapists. Various churches commenting on Andrew's role, etc...

Then, you'd have me, pissed that newbies - including Andrew, Marty, Nora, and Todd - are hogging all the drama; and that I'm being asked to care about some pathetic rich girl I hardly even know.

Oh, wait ....

Then, you'd have me, pissed that newbies - including Andrew, Marty, Nora, and Todd - are hogging all the drama; and that I'm being asked to care about some pathetic rich girl I hardly even know.

Oh, wait ....

EXCELLENT POINT! All those "legacy," "core," "vet" characters were once airtime hogging newbies. So what makes one character turn into Marty Saybrooke (Bring her back! Bring her back!) and another into John McBain (Kill him now! Kill him now!)?

The actor? The writing? The interference or lack thereof of management?

I think the reason people were willing to respond to Andrew, Marty, etc then and are sometimes more reluctant to respond to Gigi, Jared, Charlie now - aside from the fact that, obviously, Bob Krimmer and Susan Haskell were brilliant actors - is because of the atmosphere of daytime today. Back then people hadn't been fucked with for years with bad stories, overpropped pets, newbies, etc. In the intervening years, fans have been jerked around, are often downtrodden and angry, waiting to see how the new character will cost someone else they love a place on the canvas. Any new character out of the gate now has to fight to make it a mile with any fan goodwill - and that's even if, like the new characters I mentioned (at least IMO), they have good actors in the roles.

I think we often have a right to be angry nowadays, but I think sometimes we're too trigger-happy. I think Carlivati's newbies have been introduced almost perfectly, and maybe with less of a heavy hand than some of Malone's introductions - but that was 1991-1996. This is 2008. People change, the atmosphere has changed.

As for Todd, the question is how many times can you tell the same story. Almost all his storylines feature him as an antagonist, with romance as a sidestory. I think that's totally appropriate for his nasty character, and that he should always be the antihero and not the Romeo, but Todd has revisited the rape over and over and over. I thought his material last week was brilliant, and did unveil another facet of his neuroses, but there's only so many places that can go that Todd hasn't gone to before. He can be a continuing antihero, but not every story should be about his psychosexual hang-ups. He's quite frankly starting to run out of them.

I think the reason people were willing to respond to Andrew, Marty, etc then and are sometimes more reluctant to respond to Gigi, Jared, Charlie now - aside from the fact that, obviously, Bob Krimmer and Susan Haskell were brilliant actors - is because of the atmosphere of daytime today. Back then people hadn't been fucked with for years with bad stories, overpropped pets, newbies, etc. In the intervening years, fans have been jerked around, are often downtrodden and angry, waiting to see how the new character will cost someone else they love a place on the canvas. Any new character out of the gate now has to fight to make it a mile with any fan goodwill - and that's even if, like the new characters I mentioned (at least IMO), they have good actors in the roles.

I think we often have a right to be angry nowadays, but I think sometimes we're too trigger-happy. I think Carlivati's newbies have been introduced almost perfectly, and maybe with less of a heavy hand than some of Malone's introductions - but that was 1991-1996. This is 2008. People change, the atmosphere has changed.

As for Todd, the question is how many times can you tell the same story. Almost all his storylines feature him as an antagonist, with romance as a sidestory. I think that's totally appropriate for his nasty character, and that he should always be the antihero and not the Romeo, but Todd has revisited the rape over and over and over. I thought his material last week was brilliant, and did unveil another facet of his neuroses, but there's only so many places that can go that Todd hasn't gone to before. He can be a continuing antihero, but not every story should be about his psychosexual hang-ups. He's quite frankly starting to run out of them.

Co-Sign!!

Vee is love

What isn't love w/ you, Ryan, lol?

The Real Greenlee is back!! Are people tuning in???

Edited March 14, 200817 yr by Soapsuds

What isn't love w/ you, Ryan, lol?

Dena Higley, B&E...Brian Frons....and clowns. Yeah, clowns are DEFINITELY not love.

Certainly a lot of posts in regards to the state of OLTL. Keep in mind, just because writing is brilliant and the balanced usage of the cast members of all ages it does NOT translate into higher ratings.

Look at "Santa Barbara" when it was on air from 1984-1993 for an example, it was a critic-loved soap, multiple-Emmy winning, fine actors, great writing, etc, etc and got lousy ratings year in and year out.

Often times when I watch OLTL on SoapNet, I fall asleep through the show but there are some good things here and there. However, I find Todd's endless behavior quite predictable, Dorian/Viki's fueding quite exhausting, Jerry verDorn miscasted in Clint (I'd prefer seeing Clint Ritchie instead), Starr/Cole pairing is cheesy, why can't Nora & Bo be together, Roxie is nothing more than a prop, Gigi & Jared characters are overrated, John & Nash characters are extremely overrated, Blair is a wimp, don't get me started on the annoying Natalie, so on and so on.

Perhaps Asa should never been killed off, maybe it's time to give a full-time contact to Tonja Walker's Alex, also bring back Tina with Andrea Evans, god forbid write out the boring Vega family off the canvas, transplant a backbone to the character of Lindsay, and immediately put Erin Torpey back in the character of Jessica which would really "spark" the show with some huge excitement and naughtiness.

A couple of things here . . .

Don't the soaps always experience a little post sweeps drop. I always remember that in March and June the soaps dip a little bit. It doesn't seem like its that much different than normal . . . except . . . last year GH experienced such a huge boost from February sweeps and it didn't happen this year. The only soap that really seemed to get any boost from sweeps was Days . . . and that wasn't huge.

On a positive note, 5 soaps have shown modest to quite decent increases in total viewers from last year. That has to be seen as a positive things. ABC soaps not so much, but, at least all 4 CBS soaps and DAYS are up from this time last year. I'm trying to pull something positive. Just call me polyanna.

GL #1 in girls 12-17 for the 2rd week in a row , what's their teen scene like?

I've watched a few times never really scene any teens to speak of.

The Real Greenlee is back!! Are people tuning in???

Is that a trick question

Let's just say ratings were higher when Sabine was Greenlee

Is that a trick question

Let's just say ratings were higher when Sabine was Greenlee

Ratings were also higher when Zendall wasn't together...I'm just saying....

LOL Ryan I agree with ya about the clowns

Ratings were also higher when Zendall wasn't together...I'm just saying....

Actually they weren't

LOL Ryan I agree with ya about the clowns

Actually they weren't

Lol, ok

...immediately put Erin Torpey back in the character of Jessica which would really "spark" the show with some huge excitement and naughtiness.

Oh what I wouldn't give for Erin Torpey to come back as Jessica! Unfortunately, she just recently told another columnist that she has no interest in returning to the East Coast, OLTL or the role of Jessica. She's enjoying her music and her life in LA.