Pratt on Bianca/Reese from TVGuideMagazine.com

[Carolyn1980]

All My Children's Lesbian Reunion

by Michael Logan April 13, 2009 01:29 PM EST

Eden Riegel returns to All My Children April 24 — though just for a week — so that her character, Bianca, can have a happy ending with her estranged partner, Reese (Tamara Braun). The two were wed on Valentine’s Day but the marriage ended a day later when Bianca found out Reese had kissed Zach (Thorsten Kaye) at the rehearsal dinner. Bianca sought an annulment and fled home to Paris, leaving many fans — especially those who appreciated the gay history being made — pretty damn furious.

AMC head writer Chuck Pratt blames the mess on Riegel’s exit for pilot season. “I was led to believe we had her for longer than we really did — suddenly I got word that Eden is leaving now,” he says. Meanwhile, Braun had agreed to a six-month stay, so that left her neurotic, sexually confused character dangling in the wind.

“We got to play everything we wanted to with Bianca and Reese but not in the time we’d hoped for — in my mind, it was a two-year story,” Pratt continues. “I guess I could have rushed to the wedding earlier so that they’d have had more time together as a married couple and then had them break up, but I think the fans would have been even more unsatisfied with that.”

What if Braun had been willing to stick with AMC? “We discussed that possibility,” Pratt notes. “But if Tamara decided to stay, keeping her on the show as an angry lesbian — with no other lesbian characters on the canvas — would be kind of insane. So we thought about making Reese bisexual — kind of an Anne Heche who bounces back and forth — and maybe make her an opportunistic black widow, a real bad girl. And Tamara would have been really great at that. But, ultimately, we decided to stick with the message.”

And that would be? “That love wins out. Reese and Bianca will go back to France together,” says Pratt. “They will survive as a couple.”

[Sylph]

Good Lord...

[Y&RWorldTurner]

LOL!

Oh dear...

[MarkH]

There seem to be some communication problems at ABC, eh?

I believe Frons said to Pratt "Don't worry...we'll make her an offer...she'll stay....".

I actually hope this is the end of Eden's temporary returns. Until she's ready to return home permanently, Bianca should stay off canvas. That stops this fractured Geary-style storytelling, and it also it frees Erica up to spend more time thinking about herself...about men...about her love life!

[Jonathan]

Amen.

So true. Idiot!

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Pratt had to have known how long Eden was contractually obligated to appear on the show, it doesn't add up. He's obviously trying to cover his ass. From what we've heard, Eden apparently signed a short-term contract, so I don't know how that flew over his head.

[Sylph]

Not only that... But this part for me really stands out:

WHAT?! What kind of brainstorming is this?!?!?

[Jonathan]

Just bad long term planning all around. These people are supposed to be industry professionals. It's like their newbies just starting out on the job. The show is lucky that Eden agreed for this one week return. What if she hadn't?

[Sylph]

I wanted Pratt to write great trash... But that's not gonna happen, it seems. And Pratt writing classic AMC? Never gonna happen...

So kind of I wanted to compromise but in the end the compromise was compromising...

[MarkH]

A phone reunion, and then Reese gets on the plane.

Or an email reunion, where Reese reads Bianca's apology in the email with Reese's voiceover, and she gets on the plane.

Or, Lisa Rinna appears as Bianca for one episode as an announcer says "The role of Bianca is now being played by Lisa Rinna". (Yup, I picked her 'cause she was on Melrose and brunette. I guess I could have picked Daphne Zuniga.)

[NYC123]

I think the story started out with potential but it started to fall apart.

I am behind Pratt but he sounds stupid here.

[NorrthCafe]

That statement is insane! The writers didn't think it would be worth it to cast someone else for the short term... even if it meant that she wasn't moving on right away? The 'other angry lesbian' would be someone who could help Reese realize that she really IS in love with Bianca and the crap with Zach was just that... CRAP! Then 'other angry lesbian' could convince Reese to join her on a trip to Europe... so Reese could reclaim her family... and 'other angry lesbian' (LOL) could move on with her life and leave Pine Valley in tact...

I wish TPTB at ABC wouldn't do interviews, EVER.

[DRW50]

Eden did them a favor by leaving early. The story was stupid and offensive from the start. Most of the key details were told offcamera, and the show never knew exactly who was having the love story.

They need to keep Bianca away. They're never going to write her as a person because they don't want to write lesbian relationships.

The other angry lesbian wouldn't have time to help Reese. She'd be too busy falling in love with Ryan or Zach.

[dragonflies]

So because the story he wrote sucked, it's Eden's fault for leaving early? Nice.

If it's as "high schoolish" behind scenes as you said, I can only imagine why.

I have no doubt he knew how long both actresses were sticking around for, he has a producing credit. So because the story sucked and bombed for and with viewers it's suddenly Eden's fault for leaving early?

We were THINKING of making Reese bisexual? I'm lost, you mean she wasn't? LOL

[YRBB]

He sounds like he's talking about a bunch of monkeys.