Unplayable characters

[Gray Bunny]

Agreed. Nicole changed so much for the better once she got involved with the Kate/Lucas story and away from being a waitress-turned-model with a shady past and no chemistry with Eric. Being a loud-mouth boozer did wonders for the role!

It was when she recently returned that she was finally given a *frontburner* role and really drove story. But she definitely hit her stride as an actress and as a character with worth to the canvas a good decade or so ago.

Word. It's amazing how many characters just don't work out long-term on this show.

[Michael]

Totally. Nicole worked very well from the Lucas marriage through the Colin Murphy stuff and her marriage to Victor. The character got really weak when Reilly took over and isolated her in that mansion with Brady for months on end, and then she was mixed up with Jan and Crystal Galore and the Victor "murder," and then they just sort of let her fade into the background and snipe at Sami until she slept with Roman on her last episode. I was actually shocked that they brought her back in 2008, because it seemed like the show had totally lost interest in her.

I think Arianna Hernandez comes as close to an "unplayable character" as I can think of. Neither of the actresses was bad, and I think a lot of things about Lindsay Hartley worked for the role -- she was energetic, she's cute, she had chemistry with EJ for sure and a sort of sweet, bland chemistry with EM's Brady -- but the character's backstory just did not go with what was onscreen. I could never make that leap to buy that Arianna had been running with gangs and selling drugs and whatnot.

[lovely_m]

Rhianna from Y&R.

I'm tempted to put Mac here, but it seems she's not the easiest character to write for especially now.

Willow from Days.

[DRW50]

Would it be wrong to say EJ Dimera, even though he's so popular?

I guess Alex North too.

[Bright Eyes]

No. Personally, he's never worked on this show. The only thing that was remotely interesting about him was the hopeful return of Kristen and Carrie feeling like she "knew" him under JER. When those possibilities went to hell, EJ was completely useless to me.

[All My Shadows]

One of the biggest qualifiers would have to be ATWT's Noah. He was brought on for one set reason, and they never bothered to develop him beyond just being Luke's boyfriend.

I loved the initial concept of AMC's Krystal and Babe. The show needed some less-than-wealthy characters who couldn't afford to live at the Valley Inn. I liked all of the little quirks they had at first (BAbe's love for cow knick-knacks, both of them being obsessed with Dynasty, etc) and hearing about Krystal's past jobs and adventures. The baby switch and their increased involvement with the Chandlers pretty much sucked out all of the uniqueness. Insert "suck" joke here.

[R Sinclair]

Yes you did. And may I mention Liz Hendrickson's former AMC character, Maggie Stone? There was no character. It was an excuse to bring back Liz after killing off her initial character, Frankie Stone. There was nothing to Maggie. Not only did none of the writers (Culltion - who created her, Rayfield/Cascio, McTavish) have a firm grasp on who she was, the costume designers didn't either. She wore some of the most hideous clothes and there was no real reason why. Opal's gaudy outfits, you immediately say "yeah, that's Opal." Erica's over the top, sleeveless designer wear in January, you immediately say "Oh, that's definitely Erica." Maggie, on the other hand, wore some really unappealing things which looked like the wardrobe people just said, "we don't really get her, but, just throw something together, see if it works!" Then, after three years of "I'm straight, I'm straight, I'm straight," Maggie's suddenly a lesbian and runs off to Paris with Bianca. I just don't think anybody knew who that character was, and it showed.

[quartermainefan]

No character is unplayable. It is the actor who becomes cringe worthy.

GH's Ric Lansing is a perfect example. He started out with a great story and that should have been the end of it. Rick Hearst, for all his fans talk about how much talent he has, is invisible on screen, and of course he fell flat. I imagine his fans on B&B are at this moment saying things like "B&B just doesn't know how to use his talent. He is being wasted!" And undoubtedly that is what they will say about Rick Hearst on every show he appears on from now til the end of time. His talent is worthless because he is as uninteresting as it gets.

[All My Shadows]

Oh GOD yes. And she was one of David's kin! I can't believe they couldn't find better things for her to do. The only time I really enjoyed Maggie was when she was with Jamie before he was drawn into the baby switch drama. i believe that was before she got into an abusive relationship with Jonathan, which was right before she and Bianca loaded up the truck and moved to Gay Paree.

[Sylph]

Yep.

Please change that avatar already, if possible.

[DRW50]

Good point about Maggie. I think she just stayed because they liked the actress, and someone kept hoping ABC would let them do a lesbian romance.

quartermainefan I really wonder if any actor could do much with most of Ric's stories. They were usually either ridiculous, or ridiculously boring. He was also part of a dumb, and ultimately pointless, retcon, about being Sonny's brother. I never knew the reason for that. It's not like Sonny didn't already have a bunch of enemies who hated him without contrived ties.

[quartermainefan]

mmm hmmm

and how is he doing on B&B? Is he being "wasted" there too?

Palmer was my all time favorite daytime character, I just figured I would leave it. I guess I can see if I can find something else, you don't like it?

[R Sinclair]

That's a matter of personal taste which is completely subjective. For example, there are people who find Rick Hearst interesting which immediately disproves your theory that he's uninteresting.

As for this idea that there's no unplayable characters, I believe that to be false. I don't know how someone can expect an actor to play a character that has no clear vision.

[Sylph]

Then again, the fact that quatermainfan finds him uninteresting disproves of your theory that he is interesting. 1:1.

Someone can expect it because an actor can, if skilled enough, point in which direction to go.

It's just so sad and funèbre. But don't mind me, who cares if I find it depressing or not. If you like it, it can stay.

[DRW50]

B&B is a strange show. They waste anyone and everyone, aside from about four or five people. It doesn't matter how talented you are.