Characters you once loved but grew to loathe and vice versa

[rhinohide]

A board buddy and I were having a recent discussion about a current favorite character of mine and a former favorite of hers, and I just couldn't grasp how she could switch. She made a very simple point. The characters are fictional and do not have free will and are entirely at the mercy of the writers. So when the writers start writing your favorite character's behavior in a way that you find loathesome, the character becomes loathesome. For a time you can claim that the character is being written "out of character" but at some point whatever that character does becomes a part of his/her history, so that argument cannot be sustained indefinitely. I felt really stupid. Of course she is right and I can find many examples of my favorite characters whom I eventually grew to detest beyond my wildest imagination. And characters I disliked intensely that I came to really like.

Love to Loathe

Phillip Spaulding (GL): I loved Phillip from the Four Musketeers, right up to the point he became so spiteful to Harley after their divorce. I held out hope that he would be redeemed but they made him go insane and put him even more over the top, at which point I couldn't stand to watch him anymore. I will always hate the writers for that, but I still loathed Phillip Spaulding. (BTW. Am I even spelling Spaulding correctly?).

Beth Raines (GL): I always preferred Mindy Lewis to Beth. I am just built that way. I love the Lizzie's, Dinah's, Blake's, Harley's of the world. But part of me always loved Beth, even though she was exactly the kind of Mary Sue character I usually cannot abide. Until she came back chasing after Phillip just as he and Harley were finding happiness. The funny part of that is, Beth was no longer the goody goody Mary Sue character, but when they tried to turn her into one of the scheming bad girls I usually love, it just didn't work for me. She never recovered in my eyes.

Reva Lewis (GL): I honestly don't know when it happened. But one day, I suddenly became aware that this character that I had loved for as long as I can remember was disgusting to me.

John McBain (OLTL): I loved this guy. I ain't ashamed to admit it <blush>. And I wasn't a Caleb fan gurl. I vaguely remembered ME as Tanner Scofield on Days but there was no holdover affection. But when he came on the scene I thought he was dark and mysterious and closed off but sexy. Years later, mysterious and closed off translates to brooding and depressing and it is so not sexy to me anymore.

Loathe to Love

RJ Gannon (OLTL): I remember the day it happened. It was in a scene with Paul Cramer. Up until then I thought RJ was just a thug. I honestly had never paid much attention to him. But in this particular scene he had his granddaughter on his lap and he was talking to her all sweet and gentle, and without changing his tone or his facial expressions in the slightest, he threatened Paul Cramer and it was soooooo menacing I literally felt a chill up and down my spine. It was an instant conversion. I LOVE RJ.

Loathe to Love to Loathe again!

Todd Manning (OLTL): I felt nothing but revulsion for Todd during the Gang Rape, terrorizing Nora, Luna -- all that stuff. He wasn't even someone I loved to hate. He literally made my skin crawl. But sometime, perhaps after he was discovered to be Viki's brother, or maybe after Starr was born and the TnB relationship developed. and the writers began unfolding the layers that have made Todd perhaps the most complex character I've ever seen on daytime, I grew to really enjoy the character and appreciate all the stories the character drove on the show. But the day he told Blair that Jack was dead -- Loathed him! He's never recovered for me.

[Soapsuds]

Holden Snyder is getting up there pretty fast.

Paul Ryan...just hate the actor in the role. I have always loved Paul before Roger Howarth took over. I cant believe he is still on the show. He sucks as Paul.

[rhinohide]

I've never really cared that much for Holden. Neither love nor loathe. He reminds me of Josh Lewis on GL.

Hasn't Paul been recast several time? Did you love him in all his previous incarnations?

That's funny because Roger Howarth played Todd when I loathed him, made me love him, and was still in the role when I grew to loathe him again. I think that takes some skill. Maybe Paul just isn't a good fit for him. It happens.

[SteveFrame]

Charactes I Once Loved But Now Loathe:

Greenlee (AMC)

Kendall (AMC)

Babe (AMC)

Zach (AMC)

Aiden (AMC)

Ryan (AMC)

Krystal (AMC)

Sami (Days)

Lucas (Days)

Nicole (Days)

EJ (Days)

Stephanie (Days)

Kayla (Days)

Katie (ATWT)

Carly (ATWT)

Barbara (ATWT) - Hogan ruined her for me

Katie (B&

[rhinohide]

Wow that's quite the list. And as far as I can tell, they're all current characters. Your soap watching experience must be like having a root canal.

[Soapsuds]

I did love him in all of the previous incarnations. Let's see there was: Danny Pintauro(Who's the Boss fame) then came in CB Barnes.....then Andrew Kavovit(my favorite Paul), then came John Howard(model Paul...called by many on the internet at the time), Scott Holyrod(sp?) and finally awful Roger Howarth as Paul. Those are the Pauls I remember. Dont know if I missed any.

[Cheap21]

I used to love AMC's Greenlee, but now cant stand her

[Quent]

Soapsuds, I agree with you 100% about Paul Ryan. Roger Howarth has ruined this character for me. They should have kept his predecessor, Scott Holroyd, who was great in the role. I have to disagree with you, though, about liking John Howard...ModelPaul was probably the worst actor ever on daytime. He made Ronn Moss and Drake Hogestyn look like Laurence Oliviers.

[Soapsuds]

Well, John Howard was very handsome. He was meant to be "Model Paul". He didnt bother me as much as others. His good looks countered the character. He seemed like a nice guy in person too. I remember Riki Lake had him on. He was so happy to be on the show. The girls LOVED him. And so did I.

[Graciecat]

Love to loathe:

Lulu Spencer (GH): I loved this character. And actually, I kept on loving her much longer than I should have. I mean, I really wanted to love her. She was Luke and Laura's kid! And Julie Berman is a good actress. But lulu is just so, so vile. So vile.

ETA-Elizabeth Webber (GH): She was one of my faves for years, but the instant a character joins in on the "but Jason's never been convicted of murder" refrain, they're pretty much dead to me. Um, the fact that he's never served more than a few months in prison doesn't mean that he's not a contract killer. And the fact that that as a cop, Lucky's life can also be dangerous does not mean that being raised the son of a contract killer and being raised the son of a cop are equivalent. Sometimes I feel like I'm taking crazy pills when I watch GH.

</largely irrelevant anti-Jason rant>

Loathe to love:

Alexis Davis (GH): I began seriously watching GH in 2003. Do you know what Alexis was doing in 2003? She was masquerading as a male butler named Dobson, and avoiding the advances of Big Alice. A plot so heinous that now, thinking about it, I may actually go back and change my "most heinous storyline" answer from "un-abortion" to "Dobson". It was that bad. And so, I spent a good year or so absolutely loathing Alexis, until I was finally won over by the complete wonder of NLG. Now she's my favorite character.

John Black (DOOL): I don't know that I would say I actually hated this character. I mean, I found the eyebrow entertaining as all heck. But I never liked J&M, and was thrilled when they killed him off. But NuJohn is one of my favorite characters on all of daytime. He's my primary motivation for watching DOOL these days.

Spinelli (GH): Putting him with Maxie was excellent character rehabilitation. I used to trully loathe the character. His primary role on the show was to sit around praising Jason, and there are few things I think the soapverse needs less than more Jason praise. In fact, I can't think of any.

But I find Spixie totally adorable. Now he's one of my favorites on GH.

[RobynIsHere]

PSNS: Fancy

Love to Loathe: Gwen and Rebecca--the show wouldn't be the same without them!

[rhinohide]

That's really interesting to me. I find that a recast usually diminishes my love (and loathing now that I consider it) for a character significantly. Of course there are exceptions. I loved Wendy Moniz's Dinah and thought she was irreplaceable. It took awhile, and I won't say my affection is AS strong for Gina Tognoni's Dinah, but it's very close.

[rhinohide]

I don't think you're alone here. I don't watch GH except by accident on Soapnet if I fall asleep during OLTL (which is happening with increasing frequency) and wake up while GH is on. But I hear this refrain alot from my other soapboard friends. As far as hanging on longer than you should have, I am at risk of the same malady at the moment with Blair Cramer. I've loved her for so long, but my love has dwindled to almost tolerance and depending on where things go with her next, I might be on the Good Ship Loathing soon.

[evermore]

Nora Hanon Buchanan. Used to love her but don't like the character at all now

Before I stopped watching GH, I had grown to loathe Liz, Lucky, and Lulu. I loathed Jason after the brain injury. Have always loathed Sonny and Carly, but in the beginning I loathed Carly in the good way

[rhinohide]

LOL! I used to be Nora neutral. The weird thing about that is, if I recall correctly I was on a hiatus from OLTL when HBS came to the show and I tuned in to watch her because I had liked her as Margot on ATWT. I enjoyed her when she was pitted against Todd, because at the time I was at the high point of my Todd loathing and anyone who opposed him was fine by me. But once they introduced the Rappaports? I was launched from the neutral position to the furthest point on the loathing scale immediately.