I still think Zach looks like the old Brawny Paper Towel man.

For me, it's not about what Miranda "should" be doing ...I think it just seems really one-dimensional and simplified, at least so far. Miranda has the whole school bullying her as some "freak" and her only friend is AJ? Okaaay.

She could also be irrationally mad at Bianca and blaming Bianca without bringing up stuff from several years before Miranda was even born like she was there and saw it intimately.

Teen/youth rebellion on soaps is time-tested storytelling but is usually written better than this IMO.

Which examples were written better? I get your point, though I think it's too soon to feel that way, IMHO. She was angry and speaking without thinking, I didn't think her impression was that she knew everything about Bianca's coming out.

The whole school is bullying Miranda? I missed that. What I've seen is one or two people sent mean facebook messages, and now Hunter a popular guy she likes basically set her up--or at least completely didn't see her for who she was, and his friends were with him on it. IMHO that's vastly different, and pretty realistic for that age range.

For me, it's not about what Miranda "should" be doing ...I think it just seems really one-dimensional and simplified, at least so far. Miranda has the whole school bullying her as some "freak" and her only friend is AJ? Okaaay.

She could also be irrationally mad at Bianca and blaming Bianca without bringing up stuff from several years before Miranda was even born like she was there and saw it intimately.

Teen/youth rebellion on soaps is time-tested storytelling but is usually written better than this IMO.

Which examples were written better? I get your point, though I think it's too soon to feel that way, IMHO. She was angry and speaking without thinking, I didn't think her impression was that she knew everything about Bianca's coming out.

The whole school is bullying Miranda? I missed that. What I've seen is one or two people sent mean facebook messages, and now Hunter a popular guy she likes basically set her up--or at least completely didn't see her for who she was, and his friends were with him on it. IMHO that's vastly different, and pretty realistic for that age range.

Everyone was focused on Janet, but was I the only one that thought of this when the mirror scene happened?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPCCF6nOmk4

I wonder if her mirror man is going to urge her to kill people

Ha I remember how much that story freaked me out as a kid. I think people popping up in mirrors always freaks me out... *Starts talking to Janet in the mirror*

I'm a guy, Eric! LOL.

You're right, "dire" is too exaggerated, as is my saying the whole school is against Miranda ... I think Miranda's style of making everything seem so horrible for her was rubbing off on me, not that that's an excuse. Also, yes, it's still early days for the story.

I do still think David/Angie was the only good story in the episode though, and perhaps in the show overall so far right now. I also continue to have concerns about the young actors.

Some of the youth rebellion stories on other soaps I'm thinking of that I felt were written fairly well, with layers, were

- Parker on ATWT when he was sure he and Liberty knew what they were doing even though they were too young, lashing out at Carly's mistakes but also feeling bad for her as a kind of single mother too;

- Ben Jorgensen's Chris Hughes on ATWT when he was aimless and not sure what he wanted to do with his life but not written or portrayed as overboard "bad boy" like his successor Paul Korver (although I will add Ben Jorgensen was not well-received by more established ATWT fans);

- Lucky attacking Nikolas on GH when Nik first came on and being pissed at/talking back to his mom in 1996, but also realizing when he had gone too far;

- Rafe on GL being upset about his mother and Olivia being a couple, feeling lied to by his mom, with subtle scenes with Father Ray, Ashlee (who had also recently found out her mom was a lesbian), and Daisy;

- Marah on GL seeing mobster Tony Santos, to the chagrin of her parents, and torn between well-developed, three-dimensional Clare Labine characters Sam Spencer and Tony;

- stuff on OLTL so far with Dani, Jack, and Matthew.

All of these stories were enacted by better actors than I feel the new AMC twentysomethings playing teens have been so far. There was also more intersection with the established, core characters. A lot of this is stuff that is brought to the story by dialogue too and not necessarily the stories themselves or the acting, though. I'm glad AMC kept many of the same dialogue writers, but for some reason, as I believe Darn stated, the dialogue they are writing for the younger characters seems "stilted." Celia's from another country/from another planet-style, blunt dialogue about rules and wanting to live her life is perhaps the most egregious example.

Edited May 7, 201312 yr by jfung79

Heather Roop is fine as Jane so far. I just have yet to understand why she is there.

cause show's need supporting character's. The same could be said for alot of character's on soaps lol

cause show's need supporting character's. The same could be said for alot of character's on soaps lol

she could have easily been an old character and be utilized with actual ties to the canvas/characters. I don't mind her but she does seem very random at this point. She's like serving the Krystal role but without the added benefit of having any core connections to friends/families.

Edited May 7, 201312 yr by Cheap21

she could have easily been an old character and be utilized with actual ties to the canvas/characters. I don't mind her but she does seem very random at this point. She's like serving the Krystal role but without the added benefit of having any core connections to friends/families.

Agreed! Why introduce a heavily supporting character if they serve no other purpose but to pour coffee? Krystal was not just another barista. Rose Kelly on GH, was not just a waiter. These characters who run the local hang-out have the opportunity to be in a lot of scenes, and act as a listening ear/ sound board for characters. I would rater her screen time be given to another existing character with connections, a history, and relationships.

Who says she won't get a bigger purpose later and for all we know she could have ties to people in town that we don't know of YET.

The show needs new characters. Not everyone on the canvas needs to be tied to everyone else. Jane is serving a purpose very similar to the one Myrtle used to serve with the boutique and/or boarding house. She's the show's bartender and I'm glad she's not everybody's ex-wife, long lost mother, babystealing skank, murderer of so-and-so evil twin. The point of introducing new characters is so we can watch them develop relationships.

Edited May 7, 201312 yr by marceline

The show needs new characters. Not everyone on the canvas needs to be tied to everyone else. Jane is serving a purpose very similar to the one Myrtle used to serve with the boutique and/or boarding house. She's the show's bartender and I'm glad she's not everybody's ex-wife, long lost mother, babystealing skank, murderer of so-and-so evil twin. The point of introducing new characters is so we can watch them develop relationships.

+1

Yes.

I like the fact we have a character like this.

I like the fact that Jane has a clean slate, too. I still suspect she might end up as a love interest for Bianca, but even if she isn't, she must have a past that we'll eventually get to learn more about.

The show needs new characters. Not everyone on the canvas needs to be tied to everyone else. Jane is serving a purpose very similar to the one Myrtle used to serve with the boutique and/or boarding house. She's the show's bartender and I'm glad she's not everybody's ex-wife, long lost mother, babystealing skank, murderer of so-and-so evil twin. The point of introducing new characters is so we can watch them develop relationships.

+1

The show needs new characters. Not everyone on the canvas needs to be tied to everyone else. Jane is serving a purpose very similar to the one Myrtle used to serve with the boutique and/or boarding house. She's the show's bartender and I'm glad she's not everybody's ex-wife, long lost mother, babystealing skank, murderer of so-and-so evil twin. The point of introducing new characters is so we can watch them develop relationships.

old characters can serve that purpose also. I suggested before that it could have been a good idea had they brought back Lanie and fit her into Jane's role. Considering she's been gone over 20 years, she'd be close to a blank slate and there are plenty of new relationships to watch develop. She however has the benefit of being Dixie's sister so that's one strong angle to fit her into her corner as a supporting player and confidante. Plus she has a tie to AJ as his grand-aunt.

Unbelievably dire episode. Really has me worried about the show. After one week, the cast and the writing are not coming together at all.

Denyse Tontz's one-note, dramatic pity-me acting (all that rolling of the eyes), and Miranda's story about how Bianca is "Pine Valley's most famous lesbian," Bianca is in-your-face about being a lesbian, and Bianca made it all about her when she came out -- whaaa? How does Miranda even know what Bianca's coming out experience was allegedly like?

AJ (played by older-than-his-age Eric Nelsen) talking about how he "liked" hitting Hunter so the show's promoting violence as a way to solve disputes, calling him and Miranda "the good guys" (insufferably smug ... rule of thumb, when you call yourself the good guy and the other people the bad guys, you probably aren't that good but the show wants viewers to see you as good is all), calling Hunter a "p*ssy" (very problematic word the show should not be having the "good guy" use) -- ugh.

Jane with her dramatic speech to the coffee shop -- it seemed like a Saturday Night Live skit, it was so unbelievable. I will say though, I got a nice little kick out of Sally saying "Are you for real?" because it reminded me of when AMC had people saying "Are you for real?" a lot in the dialogue around 2001 or 2002. Frankie Stone's first episode, for one, she said that, and I remember Leo saying that at one point too.

Dixie's dramatic shrieking to Jesse and bug-eyed reaction to David ... Please.

Zach and Bianca talking about Kendall was really confusing because it made it seem like Kendall and Zach divorced in Pine Valley and Kendall left, but then last week I thought Zach told Jesse that Kendall left him outside Pine Valley.

Now Cara is super anti-David ... Why? She didn't seem like that even last week.

Celia and Petey were okay but nothing to get excited over ... Shockingly given my initial bias, Robert Scott Wilson is the only newbie I haven't had any problems with the acting of so far.

The kid who owed money to Zach's casino was also played by a very unconvincing actor. Can't they find anyone better than these people?

The only good parts of the episode were with David and Angie. Glad Angie gives David hope for redemption. I liked Angie pointing out to Jesse we've all done things we regret (as others mentioned, probably about substituting Lucy for her dead baby). I like that we'll probably never know for sure if David was trying to strangle JR or not. And JR's eyes just opened ...

Very well-written critique of the show, though I don't agree with all that you've written. I know you love DAYS, and AMC is the complete opposite of DAYS. Perhaps AMC is not your soap.

Nothing wrong with preferring one soap over another, it's been like that for soap viewers since soap operas were created so no biggie.

I think Jane will have some secret(s) that will eventually make their way out. It always happens.

old characters can serve that purpose also. I suggested before that it could have been a good idea had they brought back Lanie and fit her into Jane's role. Considering she's been gone over 20 years, she'd be close to a blank slate and there are plenty of new relationships to watch develop. She however has the benefit of being Dixie's sister so that's one strong angle to fit her into her corner as a supporting player and confidante. Plus she has a tie to AJ as his grand-aunt.

Everything you've cited is exactly what I think these shows need to avoid. This soap fetish (I'm referring to the genre, not you) that every character on the canvas has to be tied by blood to the almighty core makes these shows closed off and incestuous. It also kills the possibility for diversity and I'm not referring just to racial diversity, I mean the diversity of the types of stories that can be told. When all of your characters come from the same primordial sea of two or three families with all those shared experiences you kill off the drama that comes from different kinds of people with different experiences bouncing off of each other and end up with a canvas full of people who all remember summers in Pigeon Hollow.