WTF!!!!!

EXCLUSIVE: Here is a great holiday gift for soap fans: I’ve learned that Prospect Park has revived its plan to continue cancelled ABC daytime dramas All My Children and One Life To Live online. I hear the company behind USA hit Royal Pains has inked deals with SAG-AFTRA and DGA for the soaps’ production, eyed to begin in the first quarter of 2013.

http://www.deadline....ine-web-series/

I thought those concepts were dynamite, and so was Evil Gay Will, the E.J./Sami ONS and the E.J. and Will thing. I thought it was clear they were taking a slow, long road to a more functional romance with Will and Sonny and I thought the build was healthy. I also loved seeing the bullshit perfect lives of Sami, Rafe (who I despise), Austin and Carrie blown up. And I thought what they did with John and Marlena as the elders, counseling in stories like Will's, was the best and most organic use of them since the mid-'90s.

I mostly remember Sonny vanishing for long periods of time and Will treating him like a distant acquaintance.

My problem with their writing was that they had concepts, not stories. WILL IS THE NEW SAMI BECAUSE...SAMI BETRAYED THE TRUE FATHER WILL FORGOT ABOUT FIVE MINUTES LATER! and WILL HAS EYESEX WITH EJ AND HE SURE LIKES IT!!! may have been fascinating on a drawing board, but in the soap format, 3-4 days a week, it never made sense to me. The supposed basis of the story, Will's struggle over being gay, got a big shrug from MarDar.

The same was true for Carrie/Rafe, whom I thought had good chemistry, and then had the worst pacing I can remember on a soap, and the entire story happened before Rafe found out about Sami/EJ, which meant that revelation was, again, a big shrug.

Unless someone teaches McPherson pacing and how to write big soap moments I think AMC will need a much stronger co-writer.

Edited January 14, 201312 yr by CarlD2

The EJ/Will relationship was the only worthwhile thing she did on Days and even that amounted to nothing more than fans salivating over something that would never be

Susan Bedsow Horgan told a different story on her podcast interview a while back. She said when they went to Agnes for advice and her blessing on the 1995 DID story, she was enthusiastic and very positive about it, agreed to consult, agreed with the abuse angle and did consult on story points at least early on.

I guess Agnes was just cashing the check. But I happen to think they were right to do it. That's where DID comes from.

I was just gonna say. Susan (and I don't think she would lie) said they wanted Agnes' approval and were very nervous--and very surprised when she thought it was a good idea.

I'm not sure Agnes was just cashing the checks--she doesn't exactly need the money--some of it could be perspective, I'd also like to know what the full question asked of her was, etc. As Vee says, we since 1968 that DID nearly almost always stems from sexual abuse, particularly incest, so i think it was a natural growth to the story. (Victor's come back during the Heart of a Lord storyline on the other hand was an utter mistake).

I was just gonna say. Susan (and I don't think she would lie) said they wanted Agnes' approval and were very nervous--and very surprised when she thought it was a good idea.

I'm not sure Agnes was just cashing the checks--she doesn't exactly need the money--some of it could be perspective, I'd also like to know what the full question asked of her was, etc. As Vee says, we since 1968 that DID nearly almost always stems from sexual abuse, particularly incest, so i think it was a natural growth to the story. (Victor's come back during the Heart of a Lord storyline on the other hand was an utter mistake).

Sorry if I missed something but could have Susan only asked Agnes if they could have it were Victor was abusive instead of Sexual.

I was just gonna say. Susan (and I don't think she would lie) said they wanted Agnes' approval and were very nervous--and very surprised when she thought it was a good idea.

I'm not sure Agnes was just cashing the checks--she doesn't exactly need the money--some of it could be perspective, I'd also like to know what the full question asked of her was, etc. As Vee says, we since 1968 that DID nearly almost always stems from sexual abuse, particularly incest, so i think it was a natural growth to the story. (Victor's come back during the Heart of a Lord storyline on the other hand was an utter mistake).

I remember Khan having an idea that it wasn't Victor who abused Viki but Victor's brother, an uncle, and Viki confused the memories. Pretty interesting when you think about how Todd and Victor Jr. would end up being twins, that perhaps their dad had been a twin too with a deranged brother hanging out in the attic or in another wing a la Stuart Chandler. In that case, Tori really did smother and kill "innocent" Victor in the '70s and that was the abusing uncle in 2003.

Sorry if I missed something but could have Susan only asked Agnes if they could have it were Victor was abusive instead of Sexual.

I don't think so--since Victor was always (emotionally) abusive, at least to some extent. Susan seems to make i quite clear, and as Vee mentioned Agnes even helped consult, etc.

I might have suggested Viki suffered from False Memory Syndrome -- although, wouldn't that make her therapist (and Nora's sister) seem kind of shady? I don't know. Viki was/is always easily suggestible, no doubt about that. I wish there was a way to undo Victor as her abuser, but doing so would just make everything even more convoluted.

The way I see it, Agnes Nixon, in her heart of hearts, might not have wanted Michael Malone and Susan Bedsow Horgan to "go there" with Viki's DID. However, because the two probably appeared to be very passionate about telling it, she chose to set aside her reservations and support them, much like Bridget Dobson supported Charles Pratt, Jr. and Anne Howard Bailey's pick for who would portray Pamela Capwell Conrad (it was Samantha Eggar, right?) on SANTA BARBARA, despite her own misgivings. And if Agnes offered consultation on story points and such, it might have been with the purpose of keeping the story as true to the histories of Viki and Victor as possible.

As I've said, I didn't agree with every story decision that Malone and Horgan made while at OLTL. For what it was, Viki's DID and the resolution of Victor Sr.'s murder was a pretty strong story, expertly paced and performed. I just felt it wasn't fair to fans who'd followed Victor BITD to say he was a pedophile. (Please, it was bad enough to suggest he was a Nazi sympathizer who hoarded gold, bedded young women and brainwashed his own daughter, among other crimes.) More importantly, I felt the father/daughter dynamic between Victor and Viki was way more tantalizing without the admission of sexual abuse. Really, it's like saying out-right that Palmer Cortlandt on ALL MY CHILDREN did the same to poor Nina.

I remember Khan having an idea that it wasn't Victor who abused Viki but Victor's brother, an uncle, and Viki confused the memories. Pretty interesting when you think about how Todd and Victor Jr. would end up being twins, that perhaps their dad had been a twin too with a deranged brother hanging out in the attic or in another wing a la Stuart Chandler. In that case, Tori really did smother and kill "innocent" Victor in the '70s and that was the abusing uncle in 2003.

Ha that at least makes more sense. I know many people don't like the idea of Victor having been sexually abusive, but to me it makes sense. I've known survivors of parental incest, and no one on the outside would have seen anything strange in their interactions with their abuser--so i think this is an example where when people say "Well I saw him on our screens for years and never saw any signs of the abuse sothis is retcon", it kinda misses the very strength of the story.

I might have suggested Viki suffered from False Memory Syndrome -- although, wouldn't that make her therapist (and Nora's sister) seem kind of shady? I don't know. Viki was/is always easily suggestible, no doubt about that. I wish there was a way to undo Victor as her abuser, but doing so would just make everything even more convoluted.

We're gonna have to disagree on this (well I do agree that at this point it's far more trouble to go back and try to rewrite it again...)

False memory syndrome could make an interesting soap story, but I'd have a hard time trust ing a soap to do it. It's a pretty dangerous thing to play with, IMHO, just because it does deal with a subject in this case that a lot of people have gone through and then beenaccused of false memory syndrome, etc, so it can easily be irresponsibly written (which is why it sounds like something RC might write! )

The way I see it, Agnes Nixon, in her heart of hearts, might not have wanted Michael Malone and Susan Bedsow Horgan to "go there" with Viki's DID. However, because the two probably appeared to be very passionate about telling it, she chose to set aside her reservations and support them, much like Bridget Dobson supported Charles Pratt, Jr. and Anne Howard Bailey's pick for who would portray Pamela Capwell Conrad (it was Samantha Eggar, right?) on SANTA BARBARA, despite her own misgivings. And if Agnes offered consultation on story points and such, it might have been with the purpose of keeping the story as true to the histories of Viki and Victor as possible.

.

I could buy that. For the most part, I get the sense that Nixon is supportive of people telling the stories they want to tell, etc. It is too bad we'll probably never know for certain what she thought of certain stories (I mean apparently she was nearly always in the writer's room during McTavish's infamous late 90s return--but due to her position people wouldn't have to listen to her ideas or suggestions since she wasn't the HW and didn't own the show).

No, I contend to this day that "Victor" in the 2003 story was an actor Mitch Laurence had hired to mess once again with poor Viki. Yes, Viki recognized him as her own father; however, you could say that Mitch also went to the trouble of paying for cosmetic surgery so the actor would resemble the real Victor Lord.

In fact, one story suggestion I'd might make to the new team is have Clint and Viki go to London to check in on Kevin and have them run into the very same man. Viki might get him to admit the truth about the whole scam; however, the actor confesses Mitch told him something later (after FauxVictor had "died") that Viki might not be prepared for. Viki demands him to reveal it. Instead, "Victor" gives Viki an address to a residence in Chicago (or someplace), where Viki (once she goes there) comes face-to-face with her own twin sister.

Really, it's like saying out-right that Palmer Cortlandt on ALL MY CHILDREN did the same to poor Nina.

Years before OLTL's DID story, James Mitchell said in an interview that he remembered thinking that there was the hint and potential for an incest story early in his run as Palmer. He specifically mentions the scene where Palmer deeply smells Nina's scarf. Something about that creeped him out and he wondered if the show might go there.

No, I contend to this day that "Victor" in the 2003 story was an actor Mitch Laurence had hired to mess once again with poor Viki. Yes, Viki recognized him as her own father; however, you could say that Mitch also went to the trouble of paying for cosmetic surgery so the actor would resemble the real Victor Lord.

In fact, one story suggestion I'd might make to the new team is have Clint and Viki go to London to check in on Kevin and have them run into the very same man. Viki might get him to admit the truth about the whole scam; however, the actor confesses Mitch told him something later (after FauxVictor had "died") that Viki might not be prepared for. Viki demands him to reveal it. Instead, "Victor" gives Viki an address to a residence in Chicago (or someplace), where Viki (once she goes there) comes face-to-face with her own twin sister.

Oh Lawd mama no at Viki having a twin, but I like the idea of an actor as Victor, sort of like the fake Will s/l on AMC.

Didn't Mitchell deal with an almost incest plot on Where the Heart is?

The actor theory makes more sense to me, Khan. It did seem RC was going to do something with the story--when Dorian told Vicki some secret at Asa's funeral that led her to Paris, TX, but we never found out

It's been do long that I don't really think that Victor needs to be touched. Lets file that under best kept ignored

The actor theory makes more sense to me, Khan. It did seem RC was going to do something with the story--when Dorian told Vicki some secret at Asa's funeral that led her to Paris, TX, but we never found out

See, I don't know what RS may have shared with FV/RC, but I know that she's adamant about Dorian having been Victor's murderer (even if she and Joe Stuart had their "It didn't happen."/"I SAW it happen!"/"I say it didn't happen." convo before she started playing the part). Dorian's guilt is major factor that RS built her characteriztion around. So taking that away from her was something she wasn't thrilled about. She had sort of a

moment because it was she who pitched the sexual abuse angle to begin with.