ALL: Storylines That Didn't End How You Wanted

[P.J.]

If I could only chose one. I guess the most blatant one from this past year is the fallout from Brad's death on ATWT. Yeah, Jack and Janet broke up---and TBRO even went and slept with Dusty while still married to Jack. But then TIIC made Libby sick and obligated Jack to sleep with TBRO. EEEEEwwwww....just Eeeeewwwww. In my world, Jack and Carly would have been free of the spectre of Janet two seconds after Carly found out about the Dustnet ONS. And everyone would have spit on Janet---but that's another story.

Not to mention---Craig skated after embezzling Parker's trust fund.

[Sindacco]

JER wrote that, not Sheffer.

[Darcy]

AMC

Dixie ate the poisoned ancakes instead of reuniting with Tad and their daughter Kate (who had arrived in town a month earlier). I only had waited 18 years for the soap story I most wanted to see - Tad and Dixie have a child (preferably a daughter) together. Thanks a lot AMC - who I still have not forgiven.

[dm.]

Y&R

1) Mary Jane - started out strong, but turned into bull****.

2) Adam - started out okay, but a month before Engen got fired it all turned to bull****.

3) Cane revealed as a conman - ended up just being a way to prop him even more.

4) Lily's cancer - it didn't kill her; not the ending I was hoping for.

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9999999) Okay, pretty much everything these days.

[Mitch]

LOL...Zimmer and Collins didn't have one scene together. The first one was with Marj back and they were still writing for Collins, so Alex totally blew Reva off like a fly. I did love the confrontation after it was revealed that Alex was the stalker (well, actually Alex made use of an opportunity, that day player was the first stalker and Alex just too advantage to distract Reva) Alex totally laughed it off like it was ridiculous. Gossip was that someone was bitching that Collins was making the show a circus with all the publicity, but I somehow think it was more Wright!

I never understood why they didnt have Collins and Zimmer have a big scene..they could bill it as "When Diva's collide!"

The original plan was for Alex to have Alan Michael come to town and join forces with Gus to over throw Alan and Phillip, thus setting up A-M/Gus vs. Alan and Phillip..which would have made the reason for Gus to be a Spaulding to make a little more sense. However, they turned Alex into Myra Clegg the Revenge as Marj huffed and puffed her way as an ineffectual Lady Dragon.

[quartermainefan]

Oh you are correct and I knew that too. My brain lapsed.

[Gray Bunny]

:::sigh::: Oh what could've been.... I remember back in late 2002 GL had such a revived energy. It was the first time in years that I genuinely would be disappointed that the end of the hour came so soon because I wanted to see more!

And yes, an Alex[is] vs. Reva scene would've been amazing!

[Mitch]

GL at that time was truly the first time it had been must see TV since the Demorest era. It was the only time that I wished Rauch had stayed around. However, the ratings actually fell during that time, leading into the dreaded Conboy/Weston and even more lethal Wheeler/Kreizman era. Can you believe that ratings fell, I guess soap viewers do get what they deserve.

Would love to have seen Joan Collins cool customer Alex handle Zimmer's raw nerve Reva!

[DRW50]

I don't think that ratings deserved to fall, I think a lot of that was down to the CBS lineup faltering through Y&R's decline, but at the time I was not enjoying GL all that much. I thought a lot of the major stories were kind of unpleasant and plot-driven, like Reva being put on trial for pulling Richard's plug, with Edmund suddenly running around swearing vengeance. The whole thing was so melodramatic and pointless because obviously Reva wasn't going to be convicted. I thought it would have been more dramatic if she hadn't been put on trial and had just had to face Cassie's anger and pain. Then you had Cassie refusing money from anyone - a story which she had done several times by that point - so she would work for Danny, which didn't bother me, as I thought Danny and Cassie had good chemistry, but which I think could have been done better. You didn't necessarily need scenes like "Cassie strips for Danny." I thought Michelle was just horribly cold and unpleasant at this time, although I was already not a big fan so that might be bias. The Phillip/Harley custody battle stuff also bothered me, as Harley became a big moron, trying to break into the Spaulding mansion and run away with Zach. Before that Gus and Harley were becoming a fun couple, something Harley had not been in many years, and then we were right back to the barking Harley. Then there was the stuff with Marah ripping off her clothes and daring Tony to go through with raping her, which was actually sold as "independence."

I think the show was getting better by the time Taggart and Rauch left and it was a hell of a lot better than what Conboy/Weston did but at the time I wasn't overly surprised at the low ratings. For me the only stuff to enjoy was Ben/Marina and Ed/Holly, and then the drama with Alex's return, which was wonderful.

[Mitch]

I guess I am just focusing on Alex's return and the First Wives Club. I always thought Harley, post bad girl Harley, was a barking dog of a nag, a man's worst nightmare so I never understood how they made so many men fall for her, and this was even before Kreizman made her Reva' successor as the "Ultimate Woman for anyman. Harley and Gus could have been a fun quirky couple but they would never have had the screen time they eventually got and then they got their own crazed fans and that started the whole supercouple nonsnese which fit neither character.

Reva killing Richard, hey it got rid of BC off my screen (at least for a while) and made sense in another long string of Reva goes off and does something foolish by herself meaning well but screwing it all up. What I did like at that time was that Taggert wrote Jeva as finally growing up, as Reva immediatley told Josh and he stood by her.

I just couldnt believe Tagger actually married Rick and Mel. They had no chemistry at all. I never understood why they didnt bring back Mindy at this point or at least Abby, the actress I thought O'leary had a cute, kind of sexy chemisty with.

[Mr. Vixen]

GH: Kristina's abuse storyline.

It started about a year before the climax, and seemed like it had such potential. The occasional slap, punch, etc. from Keifer seemed like over the months it could turn into a tragic abuse storyline. And it did, or it started to. The first time Kristina was beaten, my heart broke for her, and I felt like it was my daughter or sister laying there on the floor, as it was so emotional for me. However, Guza chose to make it about anything BUT Kristina.

The first misstep in the storyline was Kristina pointing the finger at Ethan. I could have understood her not saying anything, and saying she didn't know who it was, because she was afraid of Keifer. But blaming someone else really ruined it for me. And maybe it bothered me even more because it was such an obvious attempt to make us pity Ethan.

Instead of having a heartbreaking, groundbreaking story about teenage abuse, we had a writer who did everything in his power to make us hate Kristina, and have no sympathy. And sure you felt bad for Ethan, since he was innocent, but I had serious contempt for the whole storyline, because of the way they made Kristina so unlikeable.

And then, having Alexis kill Keifer. That was GREAT. I was behind that. NLG knocked it out of the park. But what I was looking forward to MOST about that part of the storyline was Alexis standing trial. A heartbreaking testimony by her and Kristina. Sam and Molly talking about finding Keifer's body. Really seeing the PAIN in Keifer's parents, instead of just having them screaming at Alexis. Seeing Alexis fall into Mac's arms with guilt, having Diane defend her. Sonny stepping up to the plate for his daughter and forming a bond with her, Sonny supporting Alexis. Alexis thinks of her sister's murder and how much it hurt her, and making a heartbreaking apology to the Bauer's....THAT'S how the storyline should have progressed. SKIP the Krissy blaming Ethan stuff. SHOW THE TRIAL, don't brush it off...

I was perfectly OK with the shootout and Warren's death....But it should have come AFTER we saw the whole process of the trial...I would have rather seen Alexi's trial play out than Sonny's. We all know Sonny's never going to jail. We would have had to wonder about Alexis. And it would have been far more emotional.

[Jay]

One isn't going to end the way I'd like, sometime between now and mid-September. It will be my final soap opera.

[YRBB]

OK, so obviously anything LML and Queen MAB on Y&R has been one huge disappointment after another (with a side-order of puke) so I figured I'll talk about the Alden years... which I by and largely loved. However, I wanted some storylines to end differently:

1) Tricia running over and killing Tony: Was it by accident or was it on purpose? The writing brilliantly left it open to interpretation and, while you could believe that Tricia would never do such a thing, in the back of your mind you always wondered. For a while, they were gearing towards this coming to light, with Sharon accusing Tricia of killing Tony. Nina even overheard during the funeral and it smelled like a trial was going to come up from miles away. It seemed like it could be exquisite and could have pushed Tricia even further down the road to insanity. However, Tricia's involvement in the Matt Clark Return storyline was already underway I believe and the story was dropped in order to focus exclusively on that. I suppose that the continuation of Tony's storyline would have taken months and months and therefore it might have dragged the Matt Clark storyline even more, causing problems in its pacing. But I don't really see why those could not have been handled concurrently and even fed into each other; Matt supporting Tricia through this ordeal, for example, bringing them closer. In any case, I just wanted something, and end to the Megan/Tony/Tricia thing, which was going on since... what? 1998? instead of them just dropping it as if Sharon forgot she was suspicious. lol

2) The end to the Spermgate storyline. Oh, I loved the whole thing, I freely admit it. God, did AD REALLY hit it out of the park or what? Such a fierce, uncompromising, but also vulnerable portrayal of an "insane" woman. Another storyline that lasted for years (anyone remember what month/year it started and ended exactly?) only to be quickly wrapped up because someone thought AD was too old or something. I realize that is not the writing's fault, but her exit was so abrupt and confusing (watching the episodes COMPLETELY spoiler free, with absolutely no idea of any future storylines/characters, can have its downfalls) I always thought that, it cannot be, this can't be over, Diane is leaving temporarily. Of course, she never really did come back, did she? After so long, there should have been more--it wasn't just about the climax, but also about the reprecussions. A Victor/Diane fight, something.

3) Nina/Thomas: Another storyline I really loved exactly because nothing really happened. It was just about Nina's writing and Thomas' writing. Thomas' ego and insecurities. How they dealt with things. Granted, Tricia "Divine" Cast probably should have been given a much more exciting storyline but damn if she didn't work it. So, what happens? She leaves, something regarding her book? That's it? I don't even remember it. Perhaps the memories of her first baby should have led to her finding it, but then again some things might be better left alone. (You hear, Queen MAB?)

4) Ryan dying. OK, it was great. Heartbreaking. And the writing really saved it. But, was it really necessary? There was still so much to be explored with Ryan, it felt like a waste of potential for a shocking, vet death. I've been bitching about Ryan and Jill for years, I wanted it to at least happen so badly. Just seeing Nina and Victoria implode would have been epic. Phillip dealing with grandma and daddy having sex. Nina and Victoria forming an unholly alliance to break them up. And Jill/Ryan having lots of steamy, hot sex.

That's all I can think of for now lol

[DeeeDee]

Actually it didn't.

Nope.

It wasn't quickly wrapped up & even with Alex gone it lasted for YEARS.

Blame Ed Scott.

Diane has been thrown under the bus so many times it's ridiculous.

It did.

It just wasn't plot dependent.

Blame Tricia.

[YRBB]

You have to keep in mind that my recollection of events is often bad--don't have the greatest of memories and a lot of this stuff I have never been able to rewatch. But, anyway:

It definitely toyed with it. I felt that, if one wanted to believe Tricia had heard the bike and yet still backed out (like she herself questioned), they could. But I'm not sure: Do you think she def did or did not do it on purpose?

No? So they just saw the opportunity and went for it?

Hmmm... I dunno. I was more talking about how quickly AD's Diane was out of there, as if they couldn't wait for the climax in order to get rid of her. Or that's how it felt.

Didn't Victor remain mostly out of Diane's way when she returned? You'd think he'd want some revenge.

Oh, I do!

For some reason, everyone likes to dump on that character.

But that's what I said as well. I loved it for that. The "nothing happened" is that stupid phrase people often use for character-driven stories and it creeped up in my post as well, dammit!

It was her choice to leave?

Scott as in Reeves or Edward? lol