Writers and hate vs. indifference towards a character

[DRW50]

Sometimes when you see awful material for a character, and this material generally does a hatchet job on their character and isn't supposed to, you wonder if the writer hates the character. When have you sensed that a writer hates a character and when do you start to realize that the writer just doesn't care?

For instance, I feel like Guza hated AJ Quartermaine, but generally, in spite of the awful stories like Dobson or Alexis/Jerry, he is probably just indifferent to Alexis.

And when does an issue with the actor trump any feeling for the character? There are the old stories like Irna Phillips, whose contempt for Jane House carried over to the character Liz even after the role was recast. And there was the whole thing mentioned again recently about AMC Dixie and the pancakes.

[MichaelGL]

On Guiding Light, it was apparent that Head Writer, Ellen Weston despised characters like Alexandra Spaulding, Ben Reade, and perhaps even felt indifferent towards Ed Bauer (slapping Michelle?), and the absent Fletcher Reade. Sometimes I feel as if Conboy/Weston played to Marj Dusay's capabilities as an actress, and ignored staying true to the character of Alexandra.

I think David Kreizman felt indifferent towards Alan-Michael, that's saying plenty considering they dogged the character for his entire run. I can't make heads or tails if he simply hated Rick Bauer or felt indifferent to the character.

[DRW50]

I wondered if they hated Ben or just wanted to prop Marty West. I could never tell.

When did Ed slap Michelle? I hated NSA's Michelle, I want to see that. I agree it isn't in character though.

I could never tell whether Kriezman hated Beth. She had some shockingly bad material in his run. Yet she was constantly frontburner.

There were also Sheffer's issues with Jack Snyder, which seem to translate to any true blue type leading man. He hated Tom too, trashing him in the press.

[jfung79]

I agree that Kreizman seemed indifferent toward Alan-Michael and Rick. However, the show hadn't known what to do with Rick for a long, long time. What bad material are you thinking that Beth had? The affairs with Rick and especially with Coop were interesting enough to me, and came from history in different ways. She also had lots of good mother-daughter scenes with Lizzie and with Lillian. It was much better than the material she was given under Paul Rauch and Claire Labine, where she walked around mute and compliant to Edmund in skimpy clothing on San Cristobel. And then after that was the Lorelei nonsense, I think that was Lloyd Gold or maybe Weston.

[DRW50]

Her marrying Alan.

Lorelei was Gold.

[jfung79]

I don't remember the circumstances of Beth marrying Alan. I may not have been watching GL at the time.

Oh, one instance of a writer not liking a character -- I think Leah Laiman didn't like Donna on AW. She had Donna be speechless and paralyzed, and then nothing but a silly grandmother. Richard Culliton (who I nonetheless love) was indifferent to the Burrells on AW, they had little material.

[DRW50]

I think Anna Stuart also said she felt Donna Swajeski didn't like Donna very much.

[jfung79]

It seems many writers hated Donna! Supposedly she was almost going to be the one murdered instead of Frankie during the JFP/DePriest regime. I don't know why, she is such a complex, interesting character. I am lucky to have had my first exposure to her when Richard Culliton was writing in 1998 and gave her so much material with Vicky after Michael and Shane died.

[SFK]

Carl, what (if anything) has NLG said about the whole Dobson thing. I'm wondering where she stands in terms of the JFP/Bridget Dobson thng given her own soap-star making tenure on SB.

Not a writer but speaking of JFP, I know there was the feeling that her personal feelings (real or imagined) for RS had a lot to do with the character damage done to Dorian.

[Mitch]

Kriezman and Wheeler HATED the Bauers, Rick was just the unfortunate character left for them to screw with. It was almost as if they felt that the mere existence of the Bauers stood in the way of their Super Dooper Coopers as being THE core family. (What is with GL's writers and their love of the goofy Coopers?) They even had Lillian make fun of Rick and his memories of the Four Muskateers..

The writing for Beth was just bad, I don't he hated her. Kreizman was lazy so Beth became a victim a heroine or a bitch whenever he needed it no explanation for it. She went from being disgusted with Alan killing Tams one episode to screwing Rick as a surogate to pass off as Alan's kid to keep him (something even Bitch Beth wouldn't even consider.)

[P.J.]

IA, Kriezman simply didn't know what to do with Beth. After Phillip died, she really had no purpose in Springfield. The affair with Rick while married to Alan was just ICKY.

I don't think Sheffer hated Jack, I think Sheffer hated the fact he couldn't duplicate the Carjack chemistry with his bitch Craig. I think he would have gladly torched and BURIED Carjack if he could have.

I do think Hogan had no use for any character with an ounce of integrity. Look at his track record---Andy became a liar, Ben became a liar, Jessica turned into a cheater. Paul went from a devoted son to a trainwreck. It wasn't only cops or Snyders Hogan decimated.

[bellcurve]

JFP showed her who was boss.

http://llanview.home.comcast.net/~llanview/dumbduo.html

IIRC, this was post-MaryAnne Carruthers reveal.

[shadow]

I never understood the fascination with the Coopers ob GL, they were BORING. Is DK the fool that had Harley become CEO of Spaulding

That Alan/Beth stuff was nasty

[MichaelGL]

Here's a scene Carl, a second or two after the 7:57 mark.

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After that scene, I never quite viewed Michelle and Ed's relationship the same way as I had years ago.

The first sign that DK hated Rick was this inclination that some how he had helped Phillip sabotage Ross's plane. Did they also try to pin Ross's death on Alan-Michael as well?

On Y&R Sheffer and Co. either hate or feel indifferently towards Ashley and Nikki. It's pretty obvious they hate Jill and Jack.

[shadow]

That was a damn backhanded slap to boot