I love JER's writing and I loved the fake-out cliffhangers. I like the idea that he did it to press people's buttons, lol

While I much prefer Dena this go around compared to her last (and that's really not saying much), she doesn't do cliffhangers.

JER was the master of them, even the fake-outs. Why did he have to become so outlandish and ridiculous? Ugh. He showed in the 90s he could write pretty darn good (although it wasn't everyone's cup of tea) and then the beginning of Passions was actually pretty decent and had a totally different feel compared to today. Why oh why did he start writing soaps like they're cartoons? Sigh Passions could of been such a gothic type of soap opera but it turned into a laughing stock. Again ...

Edited July 8, 200817 yr by KMan101

i'm enjoying the show, but i agree that the lack of cliffhangers is stupid..I was sure today would end with a shocked Sami seeing EJ and Nicole half-dressed as the door opened....that would have been a great cliffhanger..But no, we get Bo, Hope and Ciara watching fireworks..

Well I for one actually enjoy the fake cliffhangers...lol. and in JER's defense, they weren't all fake. But I just think cliffhangers give soaps that "soapy" feeling. Cliffhangers, catfights, triangles, and good villains/vixens...that's what makes a soap a soap!

No one said that it wasn't. But if you're gonna make a cliffhanger, do real ones. I really don't get the point with making so many fake ones. It's just annoying to tune in and almost every time realizing it was another fake one.

Repeatedly pissing off your fans with deception is not good soap opera.

Repeatedly pissing off your fans with deception is not good soap opera.

Smarter viewers wouldn't have gotten fooled.

I'm enjoying the show right now.

I thought JER's cliffhangers were stunts and poorly done stunts.

I would also like to see Dena include more cliffhangers. Lucas walking in on Sami and EJ is something that would have made an excellent cliffhanger. I still enjoy the show a great deal right now though.

They may be seen as stunts by the modern jaded audience, but JER's story-telling techniques are classic old-school. Watch any soap from the 50s and you'll see what I mean.

They may be seen as stunts by the modern jaded audience, but JER's story-telling techniques are classic old-school. Watch any soap from the 50s and you'll see what I mean.

So, 3 or 4 false reveals an episode is classic storytelling?

So, 3 or 4 false reveals an episode is classic storytelling?

Yup. It also adds to the drama because it keeps you on your toes.

I think we're going to have to see that VERY differently.

Having a character talk to themselves and say in an episode how many times they are about to tell someone something......only to drag it out and never tell them, day after day for weeks on end.......

We just see that differently. LOL!

Reilly was good at giving good cliffhangers. He's one of those writers that knows how to get the audience invested and build up (usually VERY slowly) to a point where he has them and gives them a cliffhanger that makes the audience want to know what happens next. Unfortunately, Reilly's cliffhangers are usually false and/or fantasies and they never really follow through the way the audience thinks and wants them to.

Higley, on the other hand, doesn't seem to be able to grasp the aspect of suspense. It may be her team of writers that don't know how to space the outline she gives them. I don't know. If it is, then she needs to re-think her team. The story ideas that she has in the long run would be good. However, the pacing is incredibly off and inconsistent.

While I'm enjoying the show lately, I have to agree that there have been many times that something happened in the middly of the show and left me scratching my head wondering why on earth they wouldn't put that scene at the end of the eppisode because it would have been an excellent cliffhanger.

As far as spoilers go. I've stopped reading them for weeks and now with the ABC shows no longer doing previews, I'm much more interested in what is going to happen the next day. I have no idea and the show is so much better for it. I will check them out once in a while but I really try to stay away because being spoiled mostly ruins the show for me.

Smarter viewers wouldn't have gotten fooled.

Doesn't mean it still wouldn't piss them off. "Oh, come on that's not even really going to happen! See?! OH HELL!" Though, most smarter viewers wouldn't and didn't watch.

I'm pretty smart, and I quite like JER's style of writing. It's like he's winking at the audience to let us in on the joke. He's not afraid to let us know what a cliche this genre is. I think that's cool.

Edited July 9, 200817 yr by RobynIsHere