Theresa is written as the Heroine in the T-E-G triangle
by Articman on 8/24/2000:
 

This post was orginally posted on 8/16/2000, on the main discussion board. Please feel free to comment on it, even if you have done so before. Thank You.
There has be a lot of discussion today about whether or not Theresa is being written as a
hero/heroine in the show. Well, I thought that, I would toss in my two cents on this.

From the start of the Passions, from the very first episode, Theresa has been advanced as the
romantic dreamer heroine of the Theresa-Ethan-Gwen triangle. We were made privy to her every
thought, hope and dream. She was presented to us as the underdog struggling to overcome
prejudice, class distinction and her brother's overprotective nature to be with the man she loves.
We were supposed to cheer for her as she overcame the poorly done Stalker plotline, to become
Ethan's friend. Then we were supposed to cheer as Ethan started to return her affections and
admit his attraction to her.

We were supposed to weep with her as Ethan broke her heart, time and again. Proclaiming his
love for Gwen, asking Gwen to marry him, asking Theresa to help him pick out Gwen's
engagement ring, encouraging Theresa not give up on Chuck (Her nonexsistant boyfriend) and
when she mistook the Romantic mood that Ethan established at the cabin for him and Gwen to
be for her. Our hearts went out to her when she thought that Martin had died and that is was her
fault, because she had asked for "Fate" to protect her lies.

From the very begining, our sympathy, our hearts, our support and our cheers were supposed to
go for Theresa. Theresa was written to garner our support for her. Gwen on the other hand, has
always been written poorly. My biggest complaint was how bland Gwen's character was. Her
best scenes were with Sheridan and with Ivy, not with Ethan. She was never written as a
sympathetic character. We were never meant to cheer for Gwen or support her. Because she is
the villian, she is the one standing between Theresa and her Dream of marrying Ethan.

When was the last time that we saw a Gwen fantasy or one of Gwen's dreams? When was the
last time Gwen was in a sitaution where we were supposed to be sad with her? Where she
cried? Where, we were cheering her on? When was the last time that Gwen was given any depth
of character without being turned into a Bitch?

Some of the posters say that Theresa isn't being written as a heroine because of her flaws. Well,
I suggest that they read about; Finn MacCool, Arthur Pendragon, Heracles, Siegfried, Theseus,
Lancelot, Horatio Hornblower, Scarlet O'Hara and others. All of the classic heros had plenty of
flaws which get glossed over in the telling of their tales. These flaws were what made them
human and were often the keys to their downfall. We cheered them on and supported them as
they faced their weaknesses and overcame the obstacles to their success. We support them
despite their weaknesses, despite they are human, because we are supposed to see ourselves
within them.

That is how Theresa is being written as a Heroine. We are supposed to see ourselves in her. The
romantic dreamer in each of us is supposed to sympathize with Theresa as she draws closer to
optaining her Dream of Marrying Ethan. We are supposed to overlook all of the lies, decptions,
manipulations and repeated use of the word "Fate" in her quest to win Ethan's heart. We are
supposed to ignore her increasingly disrespectful behavior towards her mother. The manic mood
swings which make some of us wonder if Theresa may attempt to take her own life if she can't
be with Ethan. (Afterall, that's what romantic heros and heroines sometimes do when they lose
the great loves of their lives. They take their own lives.) We are to ignore her steadily weaking
grasp on reality and delusional statements concerning Gwen and the wedding. The increasingly
glaring fact that Theresa does not care who gets hurt, just so long as she ends up with Ethan.

Make no mistake. If there is anyone that is being written as a hero / heroine in the
Theresa-Ethan-Gwen storyline and triangle, it is Theresa. For Theresa is the one that we are
supposed to be cheering for. She is the one that we should want to obtain her dreams by
overcoming all obstacles. She is the one that we are supposed to want to succeed against all
odds. This is why she is the heroine of this story.

This is what I think.

What do you think?