Stories that should have ended characters, but didn't

[RomeAt50]

Yeah thats what I was saying.

[Mr. Vixen]

When Nikolas raped Emily on GH. I know that it was realy "Connor" who did it, but the fact that it was the same actor, really just showed they had a lack to do with him. Even though it really WASNT Nik...Something about it just made me feel like it should have been the end of Nik, like nothing else was viable for him.

Also, I agree wtih Todd in 2008.

And on GH, I still feel the character of Lucky should just be written off, since he has been changed into someone who only ever liked the love of his life because she was fragile after being beaten and raped. Pile the fact that her rape is the prize moment in his eyes, onto the fact that he TOO is guilty of cheating with a sibling, but yet called her out and humiliated her repeatedly, causing her a mental breakdown, AND the whole mess with the drugs and Maxie and all of that nonsense...I would definitely say Lucky Spencer needa GO.

[EricMontreal22]

Agnes wrote in to Marlena?? I wish I could read that.

At the time I remember many fretting about how there was no turning back for Erica since then. I think we have seen that this has been proven completely incorrect, so I gotta agree with you. It was a very well writeen story with many great emotional points, and it fit the vulnerable Erica at the time.

[Vee]

Todd on OLTL of course, for Tarty and his Starr baby scheme in 2008. They could've done a murder mystery story and still been running on fumes from that fallout today - then they probably could've even found a way to rebirth the character somehow, after he'd paid. OLTL's ratings shot up in November '08 because people wanted to see Marty (and even John, who was involved) find out the truth and make Todd pay. But after those two or three weeks, Todd got off easy.

So many times GL should've written out Alan and Jeffrey in its last six years, and never did.

[DRW50]

They seemed reluctant to get rid of Alan because they needed him to be the bad guy who would move the plot along, but Jeffrey they seemed to see as some type of hero. I think that is the most disgusting and damaging trend of daytime in the past 10-15 years, that they think viewers desperately want to see leading men who violate women in too many ways to count.

I have that issue somewhere, not sure where. Even Marlena seemed stunned.

[Saving ATWT]

I'm so in the minority but love Gloria. I miss how Latham had her front and center. Show was so much better back then: Well-rounded and felt real.

ATWT: Luke--He should have gone off to boarding school after coming out. I'm gay, love gay stuff, but gay story kills mainsteam appeal. The ratings drops on OLTL and Y&R during their big gay stories prove my point. I've said this before and some people have disagreed but the ratings back this up. The writing did the story no favors but the outcome would have been the same. The show got a shock bump because Nuke was a first but the ratings have never rebounded.

Emily: I love Emily but she raped Tom years back. I get that she was madly in love but it was still way wrong.

B&B: Bridget crushing on her step bro and Rick with his Oedipus complex. I like when a show goes deep into the phyche but these stories were cheap and have ruined the characters for me. When Taylor decribed Rick's 'condition' the jist was him having a hardon for Mama Brooke.

Y&R: Victor after ruining poor Patty. What he did was twisted and he belongs in jail.

Nikki: I have no respect for Nikki after she took Victor back. I'm hoping that Patty pays her a visit. Also, I hate the way she treats Jill like trash all the time. Jill should bitch slap her!

Come to think of it, most soap characters have been ruined past repair.

[Sindacco]

What was the story about and what did they do?

[DRW50]

Was that when Ric kept Carly locked up in a room and then he planned to take her child and raise it with Liz? He also drugged Liz during this time so she wouldn't figure out what was going on or get pregnant.

I can't remember what Alcazar did.

This was also the story where Sonny accidentally shot Carly in the head after she gave birth. No wonder they didn't want to point the finger too heavily at other characters.

[RomeAt50]

The ratings drop for ATWT happened long after Nuke's storyline started. And OLTL has never managed to stay ahead of both GH and AMC for long. I don't think being gay is a story that should ruin a character. But then again I'm not one of those who thinks that most soaps should be desperately striving for ratings when their death is inevitable at this point. Soaps are in their twilight and most of them will be gone soon so they may as well take risks.

[Khan]

Word. Alexandra, too. So many stories on GL during its' last 5-10 years were so "character-ending," it's not even funny.

[DRW50]

They only kept Alan and Alex around so they could have people to do bad/crazy things to keep the plot going. At least their exits were decent, I guess.

[quartermainefan]

Ric Had Carly chained up and was going to kill her after taking her baby. Alcazar was in on it eventually and then "rescued" Carly by kidnapping her himself. RH was great in this story but with the secret room, implications he would rip the baby from her womb if he had to, and chains to walls, it had a definite serial killer in Long Island with a dungeon kind of vibe. You change the tone and direction a little and Carly was basically the woman in Silence Of The Lambs caught in the dungeon.

[Saving ATWT]

I don't think that soaps are in their 'twilight'; however, it is pretty clear that daytime will no longer be home to the serial drama. Soaps may end up online, on a new cable network, or even a weak network like MY hoping to find a niche.

Society has changed a lot over the last 20 years leaving soaps too tame and unrealistic for some viewers and this, in part, is a result of FCC free no limits cable productions. Nuke might serve as a good example because it is way to watered down for gay watchers (no kissing) while to on edge for soccer moms in the midwest. Maybe this means Nuke would thrive on Logo and Carjack would be well-placed on Lifetime? I do get why networks shy away from soaps: No repeats!

With all that said, Nuke gave World Turns a short term bump in 2007 that was gone by the end of 2008. The show got a lot of free press over the story due to it being a first and all of the chatter on CNN, ET and in mags helped to boost ratings for all of six months.

[DeeeDee]

No character should survive wanting to smother their wife in their sleep but Hearst made it work.

[quartermainefan]

I don't think so. I don't think the Ric character worked a single day after that story. He made no sense, the show made no sense, and the characters made no sense all trying to create a situation where he continued to live, let alone found people willing to speak to him.