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GH50: Discussion for the month of July...


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I thought I was taking crazy pills when I heard Sabrina's "sage advice" to Emma - 'don't worry, I hate Britt too' and so on. What the !@#$%^&*] was that?

I love how Jason Thompson's facial hair and general disheveledness seems to get more and more out of control as this "romance" goes on. That coupled with the quiet desperation in his eyes makes him looks ready to go tearing off on some sort of Ernest Hemingway-esque drunk.

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The worst part is that since the baby likely isn't Patrick's, we're supposed to root for this toxic, ugly view.

Kids are always annoying on Ron Carlivati shows. They're usually used as some type of truthtellers, and the more unpleasant they are, the more entertaining it's supposed to be (like Jack before they recast him).

They've just done a terrible, terrible job with Sabrina. There's no reason to root for her.

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One of Doug Marland's rules was "Build new characters slowly. Everyone knows that it takes six months to a year for an audience to care about a new character. Tie them in to existing characters. Don't shove them down the viewers' throats."

RC has broken this rule by introducing too many newbies in a short period of time.


Another Doug Marland rule was "Be objective. When I came in to ATWT, the first thing I said was, what is pleasing the audience? You have to put your own personal likes and dislikes aside and develop the characters that the audience wants to see."

RC violates this by focusing on his pets.

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They have to be overexposed because he has no confidence in them otherwise.

Beyond the unlikeability factor, the lack of any coaching becomes painful. Every one of the new hires just trips over their lines or spits them out like they're happy to get them out of their mouth. Entire scenes have this awful stilted nature.

As much as I am amused by Britt blatantly taunting Sabrina and Felix, it's a little amazing how childishly she behaves. I think they rewrote some of this to suit Thiebauld's...talents, because early on she was more of the straightforward bitch.

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Yeah, the childish, singsong taunting Britt is frankly embarrassing. It's all just so childish and sad and a waste of talented actors, including both her and Teresa Castillo IMO. (I liked Sabrina and Felix early on, and I still think Felix is tolerable away from her and this storyline, which is about 0.1% of his screentime.)

I've said in the previous week's thread that I'd begun to believe Thiebaud might actually be able to do more than just be a boring cardboard bitch, and might work as a neurotic, damaged career woman in the mold of some of what I saw of GL and ATWT in the early-mid '80s if they worked at it, sort of make her into a second or third-tier character who could start to build her way back up as a human being at a free clinic or something after this whole Robin mess comes down.

I'd like to see that because while I previously totally dismissed her, I don't think we see enough characters like that anymore, and the returns of AMC and OLTL have caused me to reexamine any number of talented actors on those shows who were previously wasted on ABC by broad, cartoonish writing and direction but are now doing well. I think KT could be the same, and I'd try her with Nikolas - they have the same dry wit, the same sort of droll take on life, and TC is actually watchable now with GF, Jane Elliott, Lynn Herring, NLG, etc. when he's not stalking mooning over Liz. But who knows. Days like yesterday where they have her literally singing taunts because all they know how to give these people is broad comedy make me wonder what's the point - even when it's not their fault.

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I think it's the whole "team" mentality that encourages such smug and one-note portrayals for Sabrina and Britt. I can see someone thinking, "It's like Real Housewives!" There's no one to root for in the story. I mostly see people root for Britt because they hate Sabrina and Felix.

I watched part of today's episode and Milo with his Thinner face and tongue heavy on every line continues to make me wince. If they want to get into his pants that badly could they at least be nice enough to take him to an acting class and give him better makeup?

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I'm gonna have to agree with all of this!

And yes, Sabrina did say she too wished the baby wasn't here and that she hates Britt as well, but... That smug bitch validated everything Emma was feeling. Sabrina could have gotten her point across with grown up words. I didn't care for her before the makeover, but I absolutey can't stand the sight of her now. Patty is pathetic!

Felix had a bit of potential, but I saw this going nowhere when he developed a crush on a man he knew to be straight and decided to fight with his best friend over said man. That was complete and utter crap and showed Felix for the nothing that he is. He's becomes more painful with each passing eppy. And the actor is such a don't! A straight up Daytime Don't!

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I always enjoy your commentary.

Not that it would be any better but if they need to have Felix obsessed with straight men, I'd find it more believable if he fell for Patrick and tried to get both women out of the way. And hell, at this point Patrick would probably go for it.

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While I think that there is something to be said for not pandering to audience interests too much (something that is much easier to do in the post Marland, internet age where there's the danger of going with obsessed couple fans or people who are impatient with a story before it even starts really going or they know where it's going) Ron seems often to actively work completely AGAINST this, as his tweets prove. I guess he thinks there's no bad publicity, but...

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She's meant to be a VERY good doctor, who has lived under the guidance of an incredibly strict and cold psychopath--why would she be saying things like "Na Na, I won" or whatever she said yesterday like a little girl. Honestly I find it all at least vaguely misogynistic. Yes, women, particularly bitches, going after a man they can't have is a soap staple and I don't expect or even really want that to change, but you CAN write it differently. It's all so under and badly written--her mom apparently has spent all her life trying to get Faison's interest including tricking him into a pregnancy with no luck--so why is she pushing her daughter to do this? (OK, it prob has to do with Robin and all that, but since we haven't seen Robin in like 6 months this is not good storytelling.)

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Ron prefers controversy to appreciation. I think his ideal would be for every story, character, or pairing to create division. He wants half the audience to love it, and the other half to hate it with equal passion. So anything that is generally loved by the majority of the audience will be dismantled.

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