I was reading the wiki on Fox Crane during lunch and I came to a realization; Passions was a show with very interesting characters, but horrible plots.

 

Certainly, a lot happened in Harmony during the years Passions was on air.  But, the pace was bizarre.  A single day would last for weeks, a single discussion could last for days, and plots, characters, and sets would just disappear without explanation.

 

However, the characters were unique and well rounded.  Fox as a young, rich, playboy also discussed how his issues with being neglected by his mother caused him to obsess over the love of women who were kind to him.  Other soaps have had boarding school raised rich guys, (Nick Newman), but few allowed them to realize the impact of their childhood on their current relationships.  Theresa was not just a social climbing vixen trying to get what she envied in others, but she was more interested in creating a stable family for her children that was missing when her father abandoned her family.  Rachel Cory and Erica Kane had similar backgrounds but they were so much less self-aware in their 20s.  Dr. Eve Russel discussed prejudice both in her own relationship with Julian, as well as in her expectations for her daughters love lives, that are rarely talked about in daytime.

 

I would also note the racial, cultural, and sexual diversity in Harmony was different from most soaps.  There was humor in the surname Lopez-Fitzgerald given how each character was forced to use the full hyphenate.  However, think of how rare it is for latinx characters to actually maintain their cultural heritage in daytime.  Chad's foray in bisexuality was particularly unique.  He was not using men for schemes or underhanded plans, he was actually tormented by his desires in ways that most men in daytime are not allowed to discuss.  The gays of DAYS experience difficulties with coming out, but their struggles are all with external acceptance, not self acceptance. 

 

So, while it's easy to write off Passions as a failed experiment in paranormal plotting, I am beginning to understand how truly revolutionary it was.  

That was a great review, J Swift! I wish it had translated better onscreen though or they had put the same effort into later characters.  

 

 

Cast members from NBC's Passions will join me live in The Locher Room on Friday, July 9th at 3 p.m. EST / 12 p.m. PST for a reunion. Joining me to reminisce about their time spent in Harmony are Charles Divins (Chad-Harris Crane), Galen Gering (Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald), Lindsay Korman-Hartley (Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald), Brook Kerr (Whitney Russell), Eric Martsolf (Ethan Winthrop) and McKenzie Westmore (Sheridan Crane).

On 7/30/2020 at 5:22 PM, Manny said:

I think the reason why I liked Passions in the beginning was simply because I was excited to see a soap opera from its beginning. Yes, I have seen Sunset Beach before that and that was also an excited time in my life (lol), but by the time SuBe premiered in my country and I started watching , it was pretty much known it would get cancelled, so I did not hold out too much hope. With Passions, they were doing well in that demo and I just thought that this would be the soap that I watch from the start and it would last and last forever. Stupid kid I was. lol

 

Despite the witch and the living doll (I did love Timmy), I liked it up until the hell in the closet story. I don't know. That was just the worst thing I have ever seen... anywhere... ever. Was that in 2001?

 

Also, am I wrong in saying that the first year (or at least first couple of months) the pace was better/faster than later?

 

But the dialogue was horrible (and it got worse with time) and the stories just went to hell.. literally. So I could not bare to watch literally same scenes repeat for days. You could miss a week and there would Theresa be, still convincing Whitney that Ethan is her destiny and she will get him from Gwen. They'd be wearing same cloths and they would be at the same spot they were a week ago. No movement whatsoever. Horrible. lol

 

 

 

THIS.

 

I guess I was just a stupid teen  

On 7/1/2021 at 1:42 PM, Liberty City said:

 

Cast members from NBC's Passions will join me live in The Locher Room on Friday, July 9th at 3 p.m. EST / 12 p.m. PST for a reunion. Joining me to reminisce about their time spent in Harmony are Charles Divins (Chad-Harris Crane), Galen Gering (Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald), Lindsay Korman-Hartley (Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald), Brook Kerr (Whitney Russell), Eric Martsolf (Ethan Winthrop) and McKenzie Westmore (Sheridan Crane).

This is going to be interesting

The best part of passions was the two Ethans

 

 

 

 

On 7/1/2021 at 1:42 PM, Liberty City said:

 

Cast members from NBC's Passions will join me live in The Locher Room on Friday, July 9th at 3 p.m. EST / 12 p.m. PST for a reunion. Joining me to reminisce about their time spent in Harmony are Charles Divins (Chad-Harris Crane), Galen Gering (Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald), Lindsay Korman-Hartley (Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald), Brook Kerr (Whitney Russell), Eric Martsolf (Ethan Winthrop) and McKenzie Westmore (Sheridan Crane).

 

I can't wait to see this. 

 

On 6/20/2021 at 1:54 PM, Faulkner said:

 

That had to be the highest low point in the show's entire run!!!!

Here's today's chat:

 

Edited July 9, 20214 yr by amybrickwallace

It wasn't that bad. Eric Martsolf mic wasn't working well and he couldn't be heard that good.

I haven't watched it yet, but Alan put a good group together. It should be fun!!

Same here. Can't wait to see it!