AMC: Friday, February 20, 2009

[R Sinclair]

The funny thing is... in that ^ scene, I totally related to RPG's portrayal of that character.

Maybe he's just miscast in the role of Jake. Sorry to say, but RPG's qualities don't fit a "Martin" character -- nevermind that I dislike the Martins as a whole, but still. His choices combined with an already lame character don't make me enjoy him one bit. Seriously, Tad and his double standards were enough. At least I enjoy MEK.

[Lone Palm]

Obviously, I am an RPG fan...but I can also be objective about my favorites, and think that Ricky is doing a great job at AMC, and if overall fan reaction is any judge, he is a big hit on the show. IMO, the only bad thing his stint as Jake, thus far, is that his introduction storyline was literally snatched away and retooled by Pratt and then handed to Ehlers on silver platter...and since that point he's basically been used to prop other characters or storylines, but I think that is about to change...at least I hope so. JMVHO.

[Cheap21]

I say they drop Jake. He is pretty useless

[Pavarti31]

Well, gingerly stepping into the fray, I'd like to just say that I really like RPG's Jake, especially with Tad and Amanda-although I was really ticked when he called her names.

I also think Zach is just starting to realize what trouble he's really in with his wife, and that "I'm sorry" isn't cutting it. I love the guy with the heat of a thousand suns. But he's a man, and men are really stupid when it comes to certain things (No offense to the men on the board). To be honest, I don't care if the BOB dies. I don't care if Zach loses everything to the monkey. You know why? I think Zach and Kendall need to build something themselves, make something good come out of the ashes. All by themselves, without a bunch of stupid plot points that nobody likes to muddy the waters.

And I'll put this out in the universe, and maybe get my head handed back to me. But I don't care that Zach killed Josh. I know why he did it, and I know what he was thinking. But you don't go into a casino and take hostages and wave a gun around and shoot people up and expect to walk away. Zach didn't go looking for Josh. Josh came back to make trouble and hurt people. He paid with his life.

Ryan can go off the cliff with Greens too, as far as I'm concerned. He's a tool and a fool.

[DRW50]

When RPG started at Guiding Light, his character Gus was very abrasive, but he was supposed to be abrasive. Over time viewers got to see the more vulnerable side, and his sense of humor and tenderness outweighed some of the smugness and the bad mannerisms.

They haven't made an effort with Jake to make him more vulnerable. He was very abrasive and arrogance was his default mode. The way he treated Amanda was terrible and I wonder if they have some regrets about how much they trashed Jake's relationship with Amanda because they thought Jake and Taylor were going to be the big couple.

I'd like to know what happened backstage to push these changes because AMC has never let initial fan negativity stop them in the past.

[Angela]

I disagree in that I think it's much more than just one kiss that's driving Bianca's actions. She feels Reese has been lying to her all along, she feels Reese has had something going on with Zach for months. The kiss (really, making out) was simply the punch in the gut that throwed the blinders off her face. Bianca didn't think she was getting another confused girlfriend, for some dumb reason she thought Reese knew who she was (straight, gay, bisexual) and was the one after a mere few months and the promise of no sharing.

The Jake debate. RPG is not my favorite Jake and I thought he would be easily. ML is. RPG's Jake has been neither here or there in this role, they haven't found Jake's footing and I am not sure the actor has either. I do think he had chemsitry with BE but Jake being so in love with her was just out of nowhere. I think he had chemistry with Greenlee and Aidan, that was a huge missed boat for the character to gain footing (that Rylee engine).

For all the things I dislike about his writing, in Pratt I see a head writer that will easily change path even on his own babies. Not every time, but often. I don't know if it's an attention issue (I miss Adam/Erica) or he just realizes something isn't working and changes his mind (Jake/Taylor).

[alwaysAMC]

Loves it!

[RomeAt50]

I agree. It's not just kissing that is bothering Bianca. Bianca is bothered by Reese's feelings for Zach and the fact that she's not sure she really knows Reese. I don't agree with how Bianca is handling the situation with the kids but I don't blame her for for breaking up with Reese. Reese may really love Bianca but from what we've seen she doesn't know what her sexuality is and she doesn't really know herself. I think Bianca, much like many viewers, is tired of all the confused girlfriends. She wants someone who knows who and what they are and doesn't want to feel uncertain about their love. And Reese really shouldn't be in a relationship with anyone until she figures herself out.

[Jonathan]

I've been thinking about this whole Bianca/Reese storyline and this is the problem with it:

Tamara Braun is playing Reese as a gay woman. However, Pratt is writing her as a bisexual. So basically the acting and the writing are fighting each other and this is where the audience gets confused. Rather than write a truly platonic friendship between Zach and Reese, we instead are witnessing scenes where Reese drops her towel in front of Zach, Zach gives her a little peck during New Year's, etc. So no, the audience is not "rewriting" this as JHC has said that we are. Instead, Pratt isn't committed to his own writing.

And I think this is the overarching problem with Pratt on All My Children. He's not fully commit to the Jake/Taylor story. He's not fully committed to Erica/Adam. He was not fully committed to the Angie/Jesse/Rebecca. The bottom line is that Pratt has some really great ideas but he's not executing them to the fullest.

[SteveFrame]

I have thought about that too, but at the same time I have thought about what Susan Lucci said about Thorsten Kaye with the Josh shooting scenes. She said that Thorsten Kaye played them as if Zach really meant to kill Josh. She didn't say that Pratt wrote it that way but that Kaye played it that way.

As you said Pratt is not committed to a Reese/Bianca relationship in the same way that the audience is. Braun was committed to that too and that is maybe why she is playing it that way but it isn't written that way.

I know that writers are often not on the set except a few times a year, but it sounds like Pratt needs to be there or send directions to the set one. But if he is also being credited in the production department he needs to be on set more often.

In this day and time there just seems to be a lack of communication between the production members. And what comes off onscreen so often now comes off uneven due to that.

[R Sinclair]

^^ I was just about to ask, isn't Pratt writing from L.A.? I think that does provide a certain disconnect. Conference calls and emails are great -- but there is something lacking when the person writing the show isn't there.

[SteveFrame]

I think it can work if they stay in contact. Irna Phillips wrote every one of her series from Chicago. She made it work. But she stayed in contact. I'm just not sure how much Pratt and others do that these days.

[Money]

I don't think Pratt is committed to Jake. Period. And the only reason he still gets airtime is because he's RPG and he's semi useful in the David/Martin rivalry. I'm also not seeing the chemistry between RPG and Elhers this go around and this also poses a problem. With good writing they may over come it but Pratt really isn't interested when his main focus is Zach/Kendall/Ryan with a mix of Erica, JR and David. No one really has a front burner storyline outside of that circle.

[SteveFrame]

Amanda has been pretty much front burner - at least more than others. Hers is the story I enjoy most right now.

I think the Rebecca/Angie/Jesse story would have been bigger if it not been panned so bad. I thought it was good and it was a nice break from Kendall/Zach/Ryan and gang. But no one seemed to want to see Jesse and Angie go through that angst. The spoilers and previews played up the story as bigger than it turned out and I fully think that is due to the backlash.

I am afraid we will end up losing Jesse and Angie because they are going to get boring just being happy. But no one wants to see them broken up. But if they are not allowed to have some angst in the relationship and deal with the last 20 years then they will go the way of Patch and Kayla on Days - either that or just forever be backburnered and involved in everyone else's story and not one of their own.

[R Sinclair]

When it comes to Angie and Jesse, the writers are stuck between a rock and a hard place. You bring characters who have been separated for twenty years back together -- only to watch them in angst? Yes, it's a daytime drama, and drama is necessary -- but at the same time, why would fans want to watch a couple they wanted to reunite go at each other?

I think it was an interesting move to have Jesse arrest Angie. It provided non-threatening conflict. Angie was mad but I doubt she would've left Jesse over the fact that he arrested her for breaking the law. That would've been too audacious. Yet it did provide tension and drama in the relationship.

Then all that went to hell once Jesse basically became a corrupt police chief and participated in framing David.

REBECCA!

That storyline reeked of behind the scenes drama. It started out interesting, but then it just seemed to disappear. Next thing you know, the cancer's back, Rebecca's wearing a head wrap and goes off to die alone. WTF was she? A wolf?

Frons seems to think that Kendall(Alicia), Ryan(Cameron), Greenlee(Rebecca), Annie(Melissa) and Aidan(Aiden) are the future of Pine Valley/AMC. I can safely say that starting with 'the writer' all the way through Pratt, these characters have stolen the front burner. In my opinion, I think the only reason Zach is involved is due to the fact that JHC probably champions for Thorsten. Because look at how much Zach is on -- yet how totally unlikeable the character is.

Anyway, I am still on Pratt's side, because I've enjoyed AMC immensely under his writing considering the fact that this time last year I wasn't even watching the show due to B&E's horridly boring writing. His ideas are good. His intent, to me, is good. I love how Pine Valley has become a community again. There are friendships, which has been sorely lacking for YEARS! Under 'the writer,' especially -- people only became friends so they can betray their newfound friend 2 weeks later under 'the writer.' But I have to agree there have been too many start and stops. I've said it before and I will reiterate, January was the worst month since Pratt started writing. There was just a weird, choppy feeling to the stories the latter half of the month. So, maybe there's more going on behind the scenes that we don't know.