Destructive Couple Pairings on Soaps

[Spoon]

Guiding Light.  The double whammy of Richard/Cassie and Danny/Michelle.  Also remember that the Island stuff and the mob stuff was taking over simultaneously.  I still remember the forum wars beyween RASSIE/MANNY fans against the "old-timers."  Plus those two couples added on top of Josh/Reva.  

In 2002 Cullitom/McTaggart were celebrated by us longtime fans for ending both couples, and making GL start to feel like GL again.  Unfortunately, Conboy/Weston would cave in to both fanbases in 2003.

Edited March 8, 2023 by Spoon

[Melroser]

AW:

Carl and Rachel. The whole idea of Rachel getting together with Carl after Mac makes no continuity sense. Carl tried to kill both Rachel and Mac before, but yet all was forgiven. 

Jake and Vicky after Jake raped Marley. Even with Jake and Vicky's history, she shouldn't have forgiven him for the brutality of the rape of her sister. Yet, Jake was taken into the family by everyone in Vicky's orbit. (Donna. Michael.)

To a lesser extent: John and Felicia. It tainted Felicia and John had stuck by Sharlene through so much before. Seemed odd that he'd just "give up" and turn to someone else where there had never been the slightest hint of an attraction before. (Having Sharlene hook up with Michael was a bad choice as well.)

 

[Planet Soap]

OLTL- Starr & Cole? Based on reading YouTube comments from that era, many viewers complained that teens were taking over the show.

For the poster that said Victor and Nikki...there were a few charhters who got pummeled to facilitate their union. Namely Jack and Diane. Nikki pretty much wasted Paul's time in 2009 just to pine after Victor. Maybe Ashley in the late 2000s? Would you say the a couple pairing ate the show?

[Paul Raven]

I'd say Paul & Christine on Y&R, only because the decision to have them remarry seriously compromised the character of Paul. Because LLB was unwilling to work more regularly there was little for Paul to do outside of police work. That was limiting to the point where he was dropped from the show.

 

[Kevin Roberson]

1. Hope/Liam and Steffy/Liam

Either one. It doesn't matter. No two couples in the last decade and a half have dominated one soap and dunked on more characters to give these two pairings stories and reunions. Unlike the others listed in this thread, there is never a break from it. Steffy left for a few years. Hope then left for a few years. Liam was always there to keep one or the other going. 

2. Lily and Cane

When three different regimes see it was time for a break from this boring repetitive nightmare, but they are held hostage by a fanbase that forces Sony to keep the characters together to the detriment of creative, you are letting the inmates run the asylum. You might as well had the keys over to them instead having to reverse decisions already set in motion on employment and storylines. Cane should've stayed dead that night he was shot to death. Kudos to whoever it was that drove the nail into a coffin they've been trying to shut for years. 

3. Jason and Sam

See the above. Other characters were sacrificed to keep them going when they ran out of gas. Fans having too much power when a regime is ready to move on for awhile. Other than a short break when there was no SB or BM, I think they overtook the show for 15 years. Worst of all was the Jake Doe is Jason Morgan story for Jasam 2.0. Nik, Liz, and Laura all tossed under the bus to setup the grand reunion by keeping the secret. Lucky was dragged into the deception when he came home for a day. Hayden put on ice for the summer to keep her from spilling the truth. It's still being felt today as Nik's dark turn started right here. 

Edited March 9, 2023 by Vince79

[NothinButAttitude]

 

I can say for me that Jack's pairing with Katie/Janet were destructive as it was two final opportunities to once again make Carly the town pariah, which had grew old after Jack's stint with Julia Larrabee. I grew sick and tired of watching Katie and Janet being propped up while Carly had to sulk and later become a drunk over it. It was also stupid as it caused the writers to toss Carly into orbits with characters she'd never be around (Sam) or outgrew (Craig). I also felt it trickled down to Carly getting into a pairing with Holden, which I wasn't the biggest fan of as it ruined Carly's one friendship in town--the one with Lily.

 

I think the writers thought that on paper a Katie/Carly/Jack triangle would be epic (due to the long history of Katie/Carly), but it didn't give as they thought it would. 

 

And we all know that Janet was only forced on us as Jean Passanante stated she was based on her (in other words, she was living out her fantasy). Janet only proved to be useful in the end when it was apparent that she had chemistry with Dusty. 

I didn't mind Carl/Rachel... I actually grew to love them; however, I can admit that the pairing destroyed all the Cory children minus Paulina. Amanda and Matthew were doing stuff way out of character--digressing and doing sh*t that young characters on soaps would do, which is trying to break up their mother's new marriage. It grew old and took away from Amanda and Matthew's personal stories. And Iris caught it the worst as she was jailed over trying to bust up the union. I always felt that getting rid of Iris was the first step in AW going down the tubes. Iris had too much story left to tell. 

 

I didn't mind John/Felicia either as it provided material to Sharlene/John/Felicia, who it was painfully obvious the writers were waning on them and were borderline about to throw them into the "talk-to" roles. It did provide an EMMY worthy performance from Anna Holbrook. I just hate the outcome which led to John and Sharlene being phased out. 

 

Now Jake/Vicky getting back together grossed me out. Especially, after we saw Vicky do her darnest to decimate Jake for years after he raped Marley. I always felt they should've left them in the friend zone. Jake should've either been put back in Paulina's orbit or they should've trekked ahead with Jake/Amanda. I feel like Vicky (as a character) continuously lost edge year after year once they declawed her and made her the heroine. 

[AMCOLTLLover]

Oltl: Rex & Gigi, John & Natalie

[DRW50]

Rex and Gigi were repulsive. I lost count of how many were sacrificed to make this flop fly. 

[Taoboi]

Oh Lord...yes. Clint, Stacy (the better sis IMHO), Bitchy Bangs...

[Planet Soap]

GH Franco & Liz/Carly. GH dragged down Elizabeth and further lowered Carly trying to redeem Franco. A man that caused Michael to get raped in prison and who insinuated that he raped Sam. 

[I Am A Swede]

B&B: Brooke and Deacon. Yes, SK and KKL may have had sizzling chemistry, but this story came out of nowhere, didn't make sense based on what we had seen up till then, seriously damaged Brooke as a character (not a good thing to do to your leading lady) and it also gave us Hope..... 

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[Planet Soap]

I was tempted to say this, but I do think this was one of B&B's last gold era storylines before it's decline in 2003. 

[Darn]

Brooke and Deacon led to the next two decades of Brooke involved in increasingly stupid sex scandals. Hurting her close family members because why not and being forgiven in a month as they rolled onto the next stupid story. For whatever reason she stopped being a character and just became a blow up doll for Brad Bell's sick quasi-incestuous fantasies. It's a slippery slope before they have her start an affair with a blood relative because why not.

[Planet Soap]

It would be interesting if they said Brooke had a sex addiction to explain the amount of scandals she's been in from "following her heart". 

[Soapfan8]

do u prefer Steffy or Hope? And why?