So now Nick is leaving Phyllis for Sharon because he feels guilty? Talk about spin. Guilt would mean that Nick has a conscience that is deeper than a kiddie pool. Nick is a 2 year old who wants what he wants when he wants it. Whatever it takes to get you through the Phyllis/Nick break up, I guess.

Honestly I've been hearing the 'it's mostly guilt' argument as to Nick's continuing draw to Sharon, I don't see it but I'm not going to pretend to be the most insightful into the character at this point. What I believe is if it is written as guilt more than it is love then the character is an arse who in the end should wind up with nunca. Whilst now I believe Nick should end up with nunca for a bit whilst on some sort of journey to redemption I think once redeemed he can reap with rewards. But how at this point would this man ever be seen in any good light if he chooses to replace one family with the next only to realize he did it out of guilt in the end? That sounds like a journey to COMPLETE character assassination if I ever heard it

Edited June 3, 200916 yr by classicmoment

Actually, JM offered that reason (guilt) in his interview with Michael Fairman. So that seems to be the beat the actor is playing. Apparently, it's not "reading well" on screen for you.

Michelle has given this as a reason as well. Not to mention the character spent two days talking to his wife about how guilty he feels about Sharon. So, even if you don't really buy the spin regarding the last few months, our beloved writers seemed to hit us over the head with the "guilt" right before he found out Sharon was pregnant. I'm not saying it's a good story but it's the one they are telling. Or at least, "trying" to tell.

Guilt for Sharon and not so much for Phyllis hmmm .I would like to think the character's feelings are more layered at this point

Guilt for Sharon and not so much for Phyllis hmmm .I would like to think the character's feelings are more layered at this point

I think he feels guilt for both women and he should. He's wronged them both repeatedly.

Okay, let's go to the instant replay.

Rather than us all guess, why don't we look at what Joshua said about this? We may not see it on screen, but at least we understand his motivation and backstory. This is just an excerpt, and I strongly encourage you to go back and read the much longer whole thing at Michael Fairman's website (linked above)

MICHAEL:

Is he feeling that Sharon is just falling apart and he has to save her? Or, does he really love her and knows it, and is conflicted?

JOSHUA:

I think there is story that was not finished with Sharon. Nick feels very responsible for the death of Cassie that led to the break-up of their marriage. Nick feels it’s entirely his fault. Then he helped break up the marriage by being with Phyllis, and he is really putting it all on his shoulders. It’s hard for him to let her go because he feels, “I am the one who messed this up.” Sharon has revealed to him that she is still in love with him and can’t really move on, and Nick can’t seem to let her go. With that said, he is very much in love with Phyllis. He is not like, “I have to get rid of this one to be with this one.” No, this is a sucker who is in love with two hot women, and I do not envy him.

MICHAEL:

He really is in love with two women at this point?

JOSHUA:

He is genuinely in love with two women and he can’t make a decision. That is causing problems for both women and it’s hurting everybody. Nick is not going into this with malicious intent to hurt these women. He does not know what to do. He can’t let go of Sharon, but he started this beautiful new family with Phyllis and he is crazy about her. He feels an allegiance to Phyllis. Nick was in a bad place and Phyllis helped him find his smile again, and let him know that life was great and you can have a good time again. He can’t just let her go. Of course, there is his child, Summer, and if he leaves Phyllis then Summer pays for it.

MICHAEL:

Um, Sharon’s a clepto!

JOSHUA:

She is crazy! Nick is genuinely concerned about Sharon’s well being. Yes, he is still attracted to her, but a lot of this stems from Nicks’ need to protect her, because he sees her unraveling.

MICHAEL:

When you are faced with this as an actor, how do you not make Nick look like a complete jerk?

JOSHUA:

It’s almost darn near impossible. Michelle told me, “You have the toughest job in this one, because it’s hard to get any sympathy from the viewers if you are going about it in this way.” It’s not very believable to have people seeing him saying, “I am committed to you Phyllis,” and on the other hand he is with Sharon. It’s not easy to do.

MICHAEL:

Are you concerned about viewer’s backlash towards Nick because of the predicament he finds himself in?

JOSHUA:

I am not concerned, because my job is not to be palatable to the audience. I want to tell a convincing story. I have never been a man in love with two women. I can only imagine what that must be like.

MICHAEL:

It’s difficult enough being in love with one woman!

JOSHUA:

I agree. But if I need to look like an ass and a bad guy, so be it. If that’s what it takes to keep people interested and to tell a good story, then I will do it. I’ve got big shoulders.

MICHAEL:

I don’t think its coming off that way. I think it’s coming off as he is confused.

JOSHUA: Michelle said, “It’s impossible for people to hate you. All you have to do is smile.” So now I smile a lot and I am going with Michelle on this one. I am going to keep smiling, even in non-smiling situations. (He laughs)

MICHAEL:

I see! Speaking of something special… let’s talk about sex! Nick and Phyllis are sex-personified. That is what I always see from Nick and Phyllis. Isn’t that the main basis of their relationship?

JOSHUA:

It is, and it’s probably not the best basis to have. Michelle and I constantly say, “These two people cannot keep their hands off of each other and at the end of the day they go back to that.” We play back-story all the time, where they just come into a scene where they’ve finished having sex or they are getting ready to have sex. That’s what these characters do. It’s all about sex with these two. I think the audience responds to that, and I think it’s a great story. I don’t think they show it enough.

MICHAEL:

So, you think they have should have more sex scenes?

JOSHUA:

I do. I think they should have more sex scenes. I think it’s a cool quality that these characters have; that they are so totally turned on by each other.

MICHAEL:

What do you think is the basis of Sharon and Nick’s relationship?

JOSHUA:

Sharon and Nick are each other’s first loves. It’s Romeo and Juliet. They are star-crossed lovers who literally were meant to be together. Their story was interrupted by a tragic event and that led to other events with Phyllis, and it’s just an unfinished story. They were kids when they met and they fell in love. No one wanted them together, and no one thought they should be together. They beat all the odds, and then it fell apart. So they will never get each other out of their systems.

MICHAEL:

Phyllis told Nick that Sharon slept with Billy. You kind of did not react in the scene to that. Is Nick not jealous of that fact?

JOSHUA:

As an actor, I wanted it to kind of wash over me. I did not want it to become a big deal, because that wasn’t what that scene was about. That hurt him, and I think they should have gone into it, and never addressed it with any other character. I think that would have been cool to tell, but I just wanted to color him for a second and then move on. Right now, Nick’s purpose is to keep Sharon out of trouble and to help get her healthy. What she did on her own time, even though I pretend it’s none of my business, it is. But, I am not going to let anybody else see that.

MICHAEL:

Michelle told me that you are not over-rehearsed and you are very real, and that is what is so unique about your performances.

JOSHUA:

I don’t want to run lines with people and have the material so perfect that I am delivering each line and being too locked in. People who have their lines down forward and back, and spot on, tend to give a similar performance. So, I really want to know my material when I go out there and hit the set, because nowadays you get one take, maybe two, and it’s not like the old days. I want it to be real, where in normal relationships maybe you don’t always know what the right thing to say is at the moment. It’s the way I approach it, and it’s free and easy and relaxed, which is how I live my life.

MICHAEL:

What about working with Sharon Case (Sharon)? Were you happy about this turn of events, possibly reuniting with Sharon from a story perspective? Or, do you prefer Nick with one woman or the other?

JOSHUA:

It’s kind of difficult for me to do. I had ten years with Sharon. They were ten solid great years, but I felt I was ready for a change, or I am going to fall into a pit here. I need some movement. So they broke us up at a great time and did it in a good way. Now, I am kind of ambivalent about it because I love working with Michelle Stafford. I laugh with her all the time, and laughing is one of my favorite things in the world. Look, they are going to break us up. It’s going to happen, so I feel very sad about that. The alternative is I am going to go back with Sharon. I have said this many times, and unfortunately Sharon Case has taken this the wrong way, “I don’t want to get rushed back into another ten year romance with someone, whether it be Sharon or Farah Fawcett. It doesn’t matter who it is.” That being said, I look forward to working with Sharon again. We have told some great stories. Sharon has taken this the wrong way because I had said that in the press, so to clarify: “I am absolutely looking forward to working with Sharon. I just did not want to go to a happy marriage in the tack house where we are talking about what we are going to have for dinner and some cute things the baby did.” Happy sucks! I don’t want to go back and be happy now. Now, I will go back with Sharon in a heartbeat, where there is a messy, drawn out story where there are problems. That I will look forward to.

MICHAEL:

We talked about working with Michelle; now for equal time, tell me about working with Sharon?

JOSHUA:

I have invested a large part of my real life with Sharon. The thing I take from Sharon is she gives me the most honest performance of anyone. It’s everyday, and it’s honest, and it’s from her heart. It’s totally believable, and I want to protect her and care for her in real life, and watch out for her. She is just that honest. I never see her on-screen and go “that’s acting”. For me, I see this beautiful person saying beautiful things.

I think he feels guilt for both women and he should. He's wronged them both repeatedly.

I agree guilt is definitly one fo the emotions the character is going through, I think it's the primary emotion the character has been allowed to reveal. I see it like this: This man had an affair with his now wife she got pregnant they formed a dynamic and this all lead to him divorcing his first wife. Ok, so what is it Nick's conscience take 4 years to realize how guilty he is? I don't buy that and as much issues we can have with the current writers I'd like to think of a much more intelligent approach. I think what we have here are many suppressed emotions now coming to the surface guilt just happens to be one of them. Because things have spiralled so out of control of course Nick feels guilty because he's hurting the ones he love, I don't think it is the primary factor in driving him in the direction he is headed. It is certainly one of them. It makes no sense that he's sacrificing more of hte same that caused his guilt, to absolve himself or to make things right with some of who or what he feels guilty about

Okay, let's go to the instant replay.

Rather than us all guess, why don't we look at what Joshua said about this? We may not see it on screen, but at least we understand his motivation and backstory. This is just an excerpt, and I strongly encourage you to go back and read the much longer whole thing at Michael Fairman's website (linked above)

I'd read the whole interview as it was posted, it's great to hear from the actors sometimes but I don't necessarily need them to tell me how to see it. I'll watch for myself and make my own assessment in accordance to what I see.

I'd read the whole interview as it was posted, it's great to hear from the actors sometimes but I don't necessarily need them to tell me how to see it. I'll watch for myself and make my own assessment in accordance to what I see.

Yes, I think that is generally true. But since there has been so much debate about what Joshua is bringing to the part (his internal backstory) and his preparatory process, I think this excerpt was useful in showing us what he brings to it.

The fact that he admits not really rehearsing, for example, I think is evidence in favor of the "laziness" hypothesis.

And the fact that he feels guilty about both women...whether it reads on screen or not...at least shows us what beat he is trying to play internally. As viewers...whether we think we see it or not...is the measure of whether he is a good actor who conveys what he means to convey. There, I think, we have some heterogeneity of opinion here on SON.

I don't give a flying flip what Josh Morrow says about guilt. Like every soap actor, he is desperate to find motivation for his character being an @sshole. I don't see guilt on the screen and it isn't in the dialogue. If Josh Morrow is trying to portray guilt, I recommend that he take some acting lessons. Like I said, whatever it takes to get through the quad from hell.

Yes, I think that is generally true. But since there has been so much debate about what Joshua is bringing to the part (his internal backstory) and his preparatory process, I think this excerpt was useful in showing us what he brings to it.

The fact that he admits not really rehearsing, for example, I think is evidence in favor of the "laziness" hypothesis.

And the fact that he feels guilty about both women...whether it reads on screen or not...at least shows us what beat he is trying to play internally. As viewers...whether we think we see it or not...is the measure of whether he is a good actor who conveys what he means to convey. There, I think, we have some heterogeneity of opinion here on SON.

Ok but Mark that is an interview done about a month and a half ago at least, all that tells me is he saw Nick somewhere into May and he didn't say much about his character maybe he's directed as such to only show guilt or maybe by his own admission he sees or feels the character feels guilty and that is leading him to playwith the intention of that as the primary beat. It really doesn't say much to me about Nick and what he's expressing. Nick should be expressing more layered emotion the point is what-ever JM is seeing in his character is lost on me and a whole lot of people. It's fine to be ok with it as a viewer but from the show I have been watching I can't help but notice the missing beats

Edited June 3, 200916 yr by classicmoment

I don't give a flying flip what Josh Morrow says about guilt. Like every soap actor, he is desperate to find motivation for his character being an @sshole. I don't see guilt on the screen and it isn't in the dialogue. If Josh Morrow is trying to portray guilt, I recommend that he take some acting lessons. Like I said, whatever it takes to get through the quad from hell.

Ok but Mark that is an interview done about a month and a half ago at least, all that tells me is he saw Nick somewhere into May and he didn't say much about his character maybe he's directed as such to only show guilt or maybe by his own admission he sees or feels the character feels guilty and that is leading him to playwith the intention of that as the primary beat. It really doesn't say much to me about Nick and what he's expressing. Nick should be expressing more layered emotion the point is what-ever JM is seeing in his character is lost on me and a whole lot of people. It's fine to be ok with it as a viewer but from the show I have been watching I can't help but notice the missing beats

Okay, okay I give up!

Anyway moving on, I'm kinda not into today's epi but the ONE thing I'm liking is EH's scenes with BM. I like how they seem to be developing Chloe from a different standpoint though they never need to forget she's as much a b*tch as she is naiive

Okay, okay smile.gif I give up!

I definitely see the guilt in Nick's behavior. Not to mention why else is he drawn to Sharon so strongly after all this time. It's pretty obvious to me that it's guilt for the part he's played in her downfall. Most people would be pretty disgusted with a woman who has slept with 3 guys in the course of a week and blamed their son's teenage GF for her crime.

On the other side of it, why has it taken Nick all this time to make a decision. Maybe I'm supposed to believe it's love for Phyllis, but I don't think so. I believe he does love both woman, but I also see the guilt as the reason he hasn't left Phyllis. Phyllis has been playing on that guilt like a master. Notice how she has brought Summer up over and over again in a very manipulative way. I think it's understandable, but I also think it's very clear she's playing on Nick's guilt.

I see the guilt too, but it doesn't explain why Nick feels he should intercept what Jack is offering Sharon. whilst also sacrificing his place with his own daughter and wife. There is more than guilt. Guilt is A primary drive for the character's current action, it doesn't make sense that it be the only primary drive. If Nick allows himself to think that there is a chance for him and SHaron, he has to feel guilty because he knows what truly ruined them. So guilt makes perfect sense but it isn't the sole reason for reconnection. There's guilt, there's faith (what Nick believes to be faith and destiny) among so many other aspects....

Thos EH/BM scenes today were great. Love Chloe's development love her intrspective take on Billy/Jill dynamic I love how Jill/Chloe seem to sympathize and understand each other than not. Love Chloe/Billy's breakdown of Cane vs Billy.

Edited June 3, 200916 yr by classicmoment

I see the guilt too, but it doesn't explain why Nick feels should replace what Jack is offering Sharon. It doesn't explain why he feels guilt overrides his daughter's and wife's security. There is mroe than guilt. Guilt is A primary drive for the character's current action, it doesn't make sense that it be the only drive. If Nick allows himself to think that there is a chance for him and SHaron, he has to feel guilty because he knows what truly ruined them. So guilt makes perfect sense but it isn't the sole reason for reconnection. There's guilt, there's faith (what Nick believes to be faith and destiny) among so many other aspects....

Thos EH/BM scenes today were great. Love Chloe's development love her intrspective take on Billy/Jill dynamic I love how Jill/Chloe seem to sympathize and understand each other than not. Love Chloe/Billy's breakdown of Cane vs Billy.

I haven't seen anyone say it is the only drive.

Edited June 3, 200916 yr by Juliajms