Which soap psycho/criminal had the most ridiculous path to “redemption”?

[Faulkner]

Soaps have been overrun with murderers, rapists, psychopaths, and criminals who’ve seen their misdeeds whitewashed on their journey to virtual sainthood. (Mostly because the soap doesn’t want to lose a charismatic/talented/sexy actor.) Sometimes their crimes are explained away by a convenient medical/psychological condition (Franco, GH) or a traumatic past (Kevin, Y&R). Or they might receive some karmic or legal punishment or the redemptive love of a good man/woman.

 

But which character’s path from villain to untouchable hero(ine) has been most ridiculous? Todd on OLTL? Sonny or Franco on GH? Phyllis on Y&R? Ben on DAYS?

[Antoyne]

Sonny on GH went to prison for murdering AJ in cold blood. Sonny was involved in a prison escape if I recall and ended up on some boat that a bomb was set to blow up on. Sonny threw it overboard before it was exploded and the mayor or somebody considered him a hero for I guess saving his daughter and got him out of prison. And then everyone forgave him for killing AJ in cold blood. 

 

It was bullish.it.

[katie_9918]

EJ Dimera.

[Faulkner]

That’s a good one. He’s done pretty heinous things yet he’s treated as this wonderful loving guy now that Sami’s found him.

[Taoboi]

Franco immediately came to mind. 

[SteelCity]

EJ DiMera. A damn rapist had the show built around him for years!

[titan1978]

Franco for sure.  Wasn’t he responsible for Michael being raped (a retcon at the time it was revealed if I am remembering correctly), and did he rape Sam as well?  I know it was implied a couple of times since but my viewing was spotty.

 

Todd had a pretty standard soap opera two year path from rapist (and he stalked blind Nora) to misunderstood anti-hero.  He even got the long lost member of a prominent family storyline.  Eventually he settled into loveable oddball which was insulting to the show and truthfully to Todd.

[Cruising Soaps]

Michael Baldwin

 

[Faulkner]

I know rapists becoming heroes are “classic soap”

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(Luke Spencer, Jake McKinnon, Jack Deveraux, the list goes on), but Todd’s level of disturbing brutality made his redemption that much harder to swallow for me. And then he punched Tea unconscious. It was a bridge too far.

[YRBB]

 

Um...?

[titan1978]

I didn’t even like Cricket, and I was still so put off by the show redeeming him.

[NothinButAttitude]

Love both of these character dearly, but their actions were totally whitewashed--Jake McKinnon and Carl Hutchins on Another World. In the case of Carl, he did serve prison sentences numerous times. With Jake, I do feel like Jack (on DAYS), we saw him struggle with his actions of raping Marley; however, I did NOT like how he demonized Marley in the final years of the show when she went bonkers (a story I hated) too. Jake should've been the last one to cast a stone against her.

[slick jones]

Franko, Nina, and Julian all should have been put out to pasture around 2014.

Franko: made Sam believe she was raped

              had Michael"accidentally" raped in prison

              kidnapped Aiden (a child he is now friggin' helping to raise).

              tied Sam and Lulu to bombs and made Jason choose which one to save.

               pretended to be a Quartermaine and even took up residence in the family house

              became the center of the story of Elizabeth's rapist's return

There was never supposed to be one redeeming quality about the character until ReRon, and ValenVarni took over and turned the show into their personal boytoy casting couch and ATM to their friends.

[P.J.]

Michael Baldwin---yeah, as someone who didn't like Cricket, Michael going from depraved lunatic to Cricket's law partner (in a few years even) was redonkulous

 

Roger Thorpe---there was a point when some assigning HW tried revisiting Roger/Holly and they had sex. 

 

Josh, ATWT---even though Marland scrupulously explained away teenage Josh raping Iva because a) he was abused  b) gave him plenty of therapy  c) erased the incest angle by having them both not be biological Snyders ....the way Iva was forced to accept him and his relationships with Lily and Meg was disgusting. Iva was a bridesmaid at the Josh/Meg wedding, FCOL.

[DeeeDee]

No one is worse than Kevin Fisher.

 

A serial raping pedophile gets away with everything & is constantly rewarded.