How was this Year of Passions?

In the end, I felt more passion-ate than passion-less about the show. I felt that the show turned a real corner in November 2003 Sweeps with more action happening than had occurred on the show in well over two years. And permanent changes on Passions are nothing less than miracles..LOL

Most Surprising Twist: Bump Alistair being Charlie - that will be in another category. No, the show waited until Decmber 30th to give us the most surprising twist: DEATH RE-VISITING CHARITY.

On a show where people make promises to God and break them all the time, Death Re-visiting Charity was interesting indeed. This is a show where a plot point can be left dangling for YEARS....Death coming back in a matter of a MONTHS was stunning.

The Charity/Miguel/Kay storyline had stalled. Even though Kay had given birth to his child, Miggs was acting like a punk - hardly spending anytime with the child without Charity's 'permission'. There had to be movement in this storyline. Movement that couldn't be explained away, or brushed aside.

Charity having to decide Maria's fate, and the fate of her relationship with Miguel was definitely a good twist. I've been involved with a few debates on MB's, as to what Charity's original 'deal' with Death. Some thought that when Charity agreed to save Maria the first time she knew the 'consequences' would be that she wouldn't be with Miguel. Others, like myself, thought that the deal was: Maria lives, Charity gives up Miguel. It's good to definitely know which way is up where this concerned.

Charity promised the trees before that she would give up Miguel, but there were no consequences to her welching on that promise. Death has shown her that it means business, so she must follow through.

And, if this means that we won't have to be tortured with the pairing of Charity and Miguel - Death must be thanked everyday.
 

Best Actor - Ben Masters

How could it be anyone BUT Ben Masters?

It couldn't.

I love Julian Crane. Absolutely adore him, and Ben Masters is fabulous.

This was a year of transition for Julian. He had a lot of evolution , and we got to see all sides of Julian. I disagree wholeheartedly with people who say that Julian has been 'watered' down because of his relationship with Eve. We're just seeing a different side of Julian.

But, the rest of Julian and all his flaws are still there. Julian's basic weaknesses are still there.

Why should Julian be standing up to Rebecca? She has him under her thumb with her blackmail. Rewind the show 2 years, and substitute Alistair for Rebecca. Same result. One of Julian's worst character traits is that he's weak. It was his weakness that cost him his happiness. It's just in this case, his weakness is derived from him loving someone and wanting to protect them. Remember, Rebecca's hold on Julian is two-pronged, and brilliant, character-wise, because it shows the depth of Julian's conflict. She is holding over him his relationship with Eve, which appeals to the best instincts in Julian. But, she's also holding over him his involvement in Sheridan's attempted murder, which can only be counted as Julian's worst moment.

Julian Crane is capable of both these extremes and that's what makes him a fabulous character.

I love watching Ben Masters in any scene because you don't know what you're going to get from the character of Julian. He can be different depending upon who the other acting partner is for the day, and yet all of it watchable.

Julian is so flawed - that's what makes him interesting. You can love him and hate him in the same show and understand where he's coming from both times. For all the purging of veteran actors around the soap dial this year, this show would not be worth watching without Ben Masters as Julian Crane.
 

Best Actress - McKenzie Westmore

McKenzie basically got this due to her work in the hospital after the 'loss' of Sheridan's baby.

Ms. Westmore has played Passions' Pauline well since the beginning of the show. That Sheridan is basically on Cat #3 in terms of lives can get pretty tedious to watch.

I absolutely hated Sheridan in the Pit, and considered the Sheridan/Luis story the rotgut of Passions for well over a year.

But, that all changed in the hospital.

I knew that Westmore could act 'for Passions', but I didn't realize that she could 'ACT'.

Sheridan slipping into madness was the best work she's ever done. This character, who had been through crap upon crap upon crap since the beginning of the show. Who basically had 3 minutes in over 4 years of true happiness, finally snapped. Sheridan had always bounced back from her bad times. She'd always put a shiny face on things, so why was it to be expected that she'd do any differently this time?

Sheridan, though, had had enough.

When she heard her baby cry, and found him in Beth's arms, all pretense with Sheridan evaporated. Like a lioness, she took her child from Beth, and knocked her out when she thought Beth was trying to get her son. She held onto her child, this motherless young woman who had spent her life desperately wanting someone to love, for dear life.

Sheridan, who had spent her life being thoughtful of others, told her husband in a pretty brutal way that not only did she have a relationship with his brother, but that the brother was the father of her child. She thought about it for 1.1 seconds, but couldn't be bothered with protecting Antonio's feelings anymore.

The best part of the entire hospital stay?

When she pulled Luis in  close and told him that they could just run away. She had enough money for them to begin their new life.

That was a WHOAH moment.  Was Sheridan completely insane even though she was living the truth? Westmore didn't flinch in giving us crazed Sheridan. And, that's definitely a good thing.

Totally Underrated But Doing A Very Good Job: Amelia Marshall and Rodney Van Johnson

I absolutely hate Liz. I think she's the ultimate Emotional Cripple and is a bitter, rotten bitch.

In writing one of my anti-Liz posts, I realized just how good a job Amelia Marshall is doing. You have to be good to evoke such a strong reaction. Liz is twisted and warped, but her seduction of TC seemed to be going perfectly. Liz is one of the smartest characters on Passions, and totally used language in order to undermine TC and Eve's marriage and to slink closer to TC.

In a show where dialogue can be absurd and mind-numbingly repetitive, Liz's words ALWAYS had a point with regards to TC. She understood her prey, and was using her dialogue in order to get him. She was doing a good job, until TC caught on to what she was doing.

Which brings me to another unsung actor - Rodney Van Johnson. Rodney isn't given enough of the positive material for TC that he deserves, but the man always infuses TC with his core values. With his truths, and Rodney doesn't sway from that.

I do get bothered by the ridiculousness of TC's temper. It's uncalled with regards to Julian (remember, TC doesn't know about Julian and Eve), but I haven't minded it with regards to the likes of Chad Harris.

TC is 'Old School'. He sees his job as Protector of the Family. And, basically everything comes from that belief. When TC cut Whitney off because of her relationship with Chad, Rodney made me FEEL his pain. Made me feel TC's absolute agony at having to do this to his 'Princess'.

And, when he reconciled with Whitney, you could SEE his relief that she was ok.

It wasn't OK that Chad put Whitney in that situation, and he wasn't having it.

But, TC is also human, which made him vulnerable to Liz's attempts at seduction. Yet, he stood the course, and caught himself before he did something irrevocable - his marriage means the world to him.

I like TC. He's a moral man or principle and truly tries to live his life that way. Rodney brings that truth to TC every chance he gets.
 

The ' They Actually Put the Crack Pipe Down' Because......we have Justin Hartley.

 I cannot gush enough about Justin Hartley. I think he's soap find of the year. Mr. Hartley isn't just good on Passions - you could put him on any soap, and he'd be a success. Not only can he act, but he's engaging. He has chemistry with everyone he's in scenes with, and shows the depth of Fox Crane at every chance he gets.

I believe in Fox. His scenes are very real, and very believable. Fox can be a good friend to Theresa; he can be in love with Whitney; he can tell off Ethan and try to protect Gwen; he can be snarky to his mother; he can show love and disgust with his father. In all of his scenes, we see more and more of the complexity of Fox.

I LOVE Justin's scenes with Ben Masters because there are so many layers there. They portray the perfect estranged and tortured father/son relationship.

I not only appreciate Mr. Hartley for when he speaks, but like with other good actors, he knows that his job does NOT end when he has no dialogue. I specifically look for Fox in scenes where he's 'just standing there', because I know Hartley will express SOMETHING without speaking. You'll know what Fox is thinking in those scenes, just by looking at Hartley.

I can't believe that a casting department that gave us Danica Stewart, Ryan McPartlin and Charles Divins could also give us Justin Hartley. But, I'm so glad they did.
 

They turned the Lemons of Los Angeles into Lemonade: Sarah's Death and Latoya Harris

I think it's safe to say that 'Hot L.A.' was anything BUT. It was pretty disappointing for the most part, but wound up on high notes because of: Sarah's Death and Latoya Harris.

Let's take Latoya first. Chad's ' Ghetto Fabulous' child bride, she was a hoot from the first time we saw her on-screen.

The actress had personality from the Word Go.

I know that there are some who thought this was a re-write where Chad was concerned, but I don't think so. It's a common theme with this show that one's past ALWAYS comes back to haunt you, and why should Chad be any different.

Latoya found out that her HUSBAND was back in town, and she high-tailed it to him, only to be shocked that he had traded her in. He'd gotten a new model that Chad took no time in telling Latoya was light years better than her.

Chad was 'movin' on up', and Whitney was part of that. Miss 'Classy Ass' as Latoya named her, along with 'Uppity Bitch'. Latoya had been good for when Chad was beginning out, but she had to go. Chad had 'Traded up', and Whitney was everything that Latoya was not.

Latoya wasn't taking that mess. She was going to get HER HUSBAND back, whatever it took, even it took the literal elimination of the competition.

She shot Whitney in the back, and that was that. She was going to get her man back - period.

I liked the little details that filled out the story. That Latoya could go back to her home and immediately find all her keepsakes of Chad. That she had the song that he wrote for her. That she had a series of pictures which had been frayed and worn because they had been handled by someone over the years. Latoya was simple - she wanted Chad, and had waited for him all that time. She took her vows, and hoped that since he didn't come back about the divorce she didn't file, that it meant he was coming back to her. Latoya was in essence, a Ghetto Pilar - waiting for her man to come back to her.

She was blind to the fact that Chad had moved on and didn't want her, willing to believe her heart, over what was obvious to her cousin Puff Dog.

I enjoyed Latoya, and thank her for putting Chad and Whitney on the rocks. I also believe that we WILL see  the first Mrs. Chad Harris sooner than later in Harmony.

The second part that made 'Hot L.A.' worth watching was Sarah's death.

I enjoyed, on a soap level, all of Sarah's death, but it was the coming out party for Liza Huber, who was better than she'd ever been.

It was terrific to see Gwen in all her complexity. Gwen was overcome with rage when she saw Ethan and Theresa on television, and who could blame her? Who couldn't understand that she wanted to get out of that hospital room and confront Ethan. In that one instant, all that she had been working for had come crashing down on her head. It was the straw that broke Gwen's back. Sure, a rational woman would have stayed in the hospital. But, how many of us could be rational after seeing the bane of your existence for the past 4 years making out with your husband on tv, while you're in the hospital trying to hang on to your pregnancy. Rage isn't rational; that's why they call it 'blind rage' - you can't see what's best for yourself.

Gwen's confrontation of Theresa and all the mess that ensued which culminated in Sarah's death, was a fitting end to this triangle. And, despite Gwen taking Edumb back, this triangle is over.

I have enjoyed Gwen just letting her hatred of Theresa hang all out, obvious and unrelenting. The bedpan scene is one of my favorites for 2003 and in my Top 5 all-time Passions.

Before, Gwen would have been worried how Ethan thought of her with regards to Theresa. That she had to hold her tongue where Theresa is concerned. The Gwen who went over to the Lopez-Fitzgerald home to get Ebait doesn't give a rat's ass what Ethan thinks. She hates Theresa, and if she can't have her child, neither can Theresa. Is it nice?

Hell no.

But, this isn't nice. Gwen wants her pound of flesh from Theresa, and if Ethan doesn't like it, she doesn't care.

I like that, and can't wait for Gwen to find out that Ethan's gone behind her back after swearing on Sarah's coffin. It's time she extracted her pound of flesh from that loser.

These two stories were progress for Passions. Progress that can't be taken back.
 

Best Triangle: Julian/Eve/TC

I do find it hilarious that on a show that admits that it's target demographic is teen girls, that the best romantic, and only truly triangle in the show comes from the Adult set.

Eve is truly a woman torn. It's been a year of progression, from the moment Julian apologized to Eve, up to the point where she admitted what the audience already knew: That she loves Julian Crane.

I enjoy triangles where the focal point IS torn between the two choices.

Make no mistake - Eve loves TC. She does love him. He means a great deal to her. When she thought she had lost TC to Liz, she was devastated. She told Julian how much he meant to her. TC literally saved her from an emotional death all those years ago. He gave her the love she needed to survive and the family she had always wanted. You can't walk away from that, especially since TC has done nothing 'wrong'. The end of this marriage will not come from Eve. If the marriage ends, it will be because of TC.

I believe Eve wants to do 'the right thing', but her feelings for Julian are getting in the way. She has no defense against him. She has no armor with which to fight her feelings, and I don't even think she really wants to. All these feelings are there. By the time Eve admitted her love for Julian, she was caught in this emotional mess.

Julian wants to do 'the right thing', but he loves her, and it drives him a little crazy to be so close to her, and not be with her. Their stolen kisses for him are slices of  heaven.

I thought a long time ago that Eve would be forced to be 'allies' with Julian because he was the only one in town who knew her secrets. I never thought that the alliance would be so intimate.

I love my Eve, but I know she's wrong. She's wrong because she is having an affair with Julian. It's not physical (yet), but emotionally - it's there.

Her world teeters on the edge of destruction, and the only person she can talk to is Julian. The only person she can share her hopes and fears with is Julian. She's so far down in this hole that the only way out is the destruction of everything she holds dear.

And, that, is fabulous soap.

Worst Triangle: Take your pick.

This is a show cluttered with triangles that are triangles because they had 3 people only. If there is a consistent weakness of this show, it's having 'triangles' in which there is NO emotional attachment from the point of contention. So much screentime has been wasted on dragging out triangles that don't exist.
 

Story That's Turned A Corner: Sheridan/Luis

If there was a story that was a consistent piece of rotting garbage for Passions Since Summer 2001, it's been the Sheridan/Luis story. Sheridan's Second Death, IMO, could be chosen as the 'Jump The Shark' moment for Passions, because it seemed like the show didn't couldn't recover from the Black Hole that this story caused.  I found it more offensive than the eternal Hamster Wheel of Charity/Miguel/Kay, because of the screentime that the Sheridan/Luis story took up, being on several days a week consistently.

But, this story seems to have turned a corner.

It happened once Antonio learned the truth.

Antonio/Sheridan/Luis hasn't been a 'triangle' since 1.1 seconds after Sheridan got her memory back. Sheridan has not been in 'conflict', with regards to Luis and Antonio - her heart belongs to Luis - that is clear.

This 'triangle' is an example of the proliferation of 'triangles', where it's only called one because there are three people involved.

I accept that Beth is a psycho. I held out for a long time, UNTIL Sheridan was thrown into the pit. All sympathy for Beth is gone.

And, the writers trying to perpetrate that Antonio deserved sympathy because he stupid wasn't flying. Now that he knows, and chooses to be stupid, it's good to be able to have hostility towards his position. His open alliance with Beth and Alistair means that he doesn't need sympathy. He's not naive; he's not being duped. He's an active participant, and has as much true romantic relevance to Shuis as Beth does - meaning he has NO relevance.

I could go off about how it shows how useless Antonio is to the Passions Canvas, but I won't go down that road, only to say that I believe Antonio has been a waste of a character, and a mistake for Passions that JER can't soon repair.

I felt no sympathy for Antonio, as he listened to Sheridan moaning Luis' name in bed. Sheridan was where she should be - with Luis. The clarity of that is soothing for this longtime Shuis fan.
 

Best New Character: Endorra Lenox

Not only is the baby who plays Endorra beautiful as a button, but I enjoy the character. Endorra has both her parent's love, and brings out the best in them. On top of it, she's a little 'devil'.

I'm actually looking forward to the SORASing of Endorra. I think she'll be perfect when they can SORAS her to the point where they can find a good child actor, like the young child who plays Starr Manning on OLTL. Tabitha needs a child that age and size, so that we can have Endorra have her own personality.
 

Best Villain: Rebecca Hotchkiss

Rebecca has always been a villain, but in the past three to four months, she's found a new set of fangs. Every action has a purpose - usually, to get Rebecca to the Altar.

I hate Rebecca, but I love watching her in action. She is SO in charge, and you can see that she enjoys every single minute of it. She enjoys torturing Julian, Eve and Theresa. She enjoyed telling Ethan to get with the program ' or else'. She enjoys manipulating ' the little people'.

Rebecca's got ice water in her veins, and doesn't care who she uses in her games of revenge.

Yet, just when you think that Rebecca is nothing but business, Andrea Evans attempts to bring depth to the character by showing that Rebecca can be hurt. That she is upset that Julian loves another woman. I'm not sure that I believe it. After all, Rebecca has been clear in her goal - to become Mrs. Julian Crane. She wants the money and title and all that goes along with being atop the Crane Empire. But, I can't fault Ms. Evans for wanting to bring depth to her villainess character.

It's marvelous having a character that you can love-to-hate.

Worst Character Choice: Grace choosing David

It has been a long hanging pattern. I mean, how much longer could the audience be tortured by Grace's indecision. So, she had to make a choice.

But, she made the wrong one, and then got mad that people just didn't 'understand' it, namely her children. Grace was used to Kay's hostility towards her, but she has been surprised by the open hostility that Jessica has shown her since she chose David. She broke Jessica's heart, and doesn't grasp why Jessica would feel betrayed.

Grace has lost a lot of points due to her inability to take responsibility for her choice. She accuses Ivy of breaking up her and Sam, and it's true - Ivy is behind David, but Grace CHOSE to leave Sam. Sam didn't leave Grace for Ivy - Grace left Sam to be easy pickings for Ivy.

I still believe that Grace chose John over Sam and their family. The tray incident at Thanksgiving; Grace's obvious hurt when she turned over her housekey to Kay - they all showed that Grace's true heart is with Sam. And, they also showed where Sam's true heart is - Grace.

I hope that Grace's Standish Powers will reveal themselves and help Grace to see the truth.

Second Worst Behind-the-Scenes decision: Keeping Charles Divins on Contract

It's inexplicable that the show is going to risk ruining the marvelous story that has been carefully laid out over the past year by having a major player played by someone who simply isn't up to task. I know that soaps have been called training grounds by the rest of the entertainment profession, but how long is the audience supposed to suffer as someone 'learns' their craft. If this was the real world, and someone had over a year plus to 'get the fundamentals' of a job, they would be fired.

I don't get why this is any different. I know that Passions has a reputation for being the dumping ground of bad actors in daytime. I even agreed with those critics. But, up until now, the show had the sense to keep these actors of questionable talent in supporting and periferal roles. Roles of no consequence.

Chad Harris is NOT one of those roles. Chad's story is NOT going to get simpler as time goes on. Just the opposite: it becomes deeper and more complex, and should be played by an actor who gets all the facets of this character.

Charles Divins is NOT that person.

Chad Harris is one of the male LEADS of the future of the show's most powerful family - The Cranes.

It's inexplicable that this part of the show could lose its impact because of the lackluster portrayal by one of its actors. Bottom line: Good actors can make dreck watchable, and Bad Actors can make Shakespeare into drivel.

Passions is NOT Shakespeare, so it needs all the help it can get with its actors. Divins is not adding to the show.

Worst Behind-the-Scenes decision: Bumping Dana Sparks to Recurring

One of the things that makes Passions original is the infusion of the Supernatural into the fundamental fabric of the show. Unlike the rest of daytime, which missteps as they try to add Supernatural elements, it's par for the course for a show like Passions.

And, from the beginning, it's been made plain and clear that the fundamental battle was between Tabitha and The Standish Women.

Grace is the leader of the Standish Women. Tabitha is the one who started the fire that nearly killed Grace, and resulted in her waking up from the fire with amnesia. There was a point to Tabitha being Sam and Grace's neighbor - she wanted to keep an eye on Grace.

They haven't remotely begun to touch on that part of Grace's life, and now they bumped a core character to recurring?

Grace is a leader for the forces of Good in Harmony. She and Sam have also been constants in a family that's seen Two Hanks, Three Jessicas and Four Kays. It's simply ridiculous to bump a constant force to recurring, while keeping far less necessary characters on-contract.
 

Worst Surprising Twist: Charlie is Alistair

I found this the worst twist because of its implications with regards to the Sheridan/Luis story. I absolutely hate that Sheridan is going to be separated from her child - I've never liked these stories in daytime, but I had resigned myself to the fact that Sheridan was going to be without her child from November 2003 until May 2004 Sweeps.

Charlie, who was going to get away, would be the only one who could finger Beth for all of her misdeeds. Beth would think that she's sitting pretty, and we could depend upon the tried and true soap staple of the accomplice coming back to haunt the villain just as the villain believes that he/she has everything they wanted within their grasp.

So, right as Beth got Luis to the Altar, Charlie would return and blow all of Beth's schemes to hell.

But, now, with Charlie being Alistair, that will never happen, so there's no obvious choice as to how Sheridan will get her child returned to her.

There are so many loopholes to Charlie/Alistair, I can't even count. It was a stunt, and a most disappointing one at that.

Best Potential Storyline:  Chad/Whitney/Fox/Theresa, Julian/Eve/TC

This story can anchor a large part of the future of Passions. 2003 has been about developing the background for this story.

At the core are two pairs: Chad/Fox, and Whitney/Theresa.

The first pair are brothers, unaware of their connection and on a course of conflict that will continue for years and years.

The second pair are lifelong friends who have slowly grown apart from one another, and are on different paths.

Chad and Fox are the future of the Crane Empire. They will be competing over everything:
a) Crane Industries
b) Their father's affection
c) The love of Whitney

Both are strong willed, determined guys who are willing to fight for what they want. By the time their familial connection is revealed, they will be enemies.

Whitney and Theresa have been friends who have supported one another, but have never really had a true conflict between them. Neither one has been tested in that arena, and it's interesting to see what could happen if their interests are in conflict.

Fox and Theresa have shared a friendship since the beginning. Fox admires Theresa's dreaminess, and her determination. He truly likes her, and she's been someone that he can count on being a friend. He has no delusions about Theresa, which is a good thing, though I think Theresa might look at Fox through rose-colored glasses.

Chad was Whitney's first love, but their relationship went through difficult times, and, as usual, when the going got tough, Whitney got going. Whitney and Chad's breakup was real. It was about real issues. It was Chad's fault; his responsibility. I love that it wasn't some outside manipulation; it was organic to the problems that Chad and Whitney had, and these issues pointed them out.

I'm also glad that the problems weren't due to some outside influence, because that makes what happened to Chad and Whitney all the more real.

Whitney's reaction to what happened to Chad marked a moment for the character of Whitney. She had her heart broken, but she had decide what path to take. Would she decide to cling cling cling like her best friend, or would she move on? She decided to move on and leave herself open to love. Just that action showed Whitney's maturing. If she could love once, she could love again, and she would be open to finding it. That, in itself, is a miracle on a show that has given us Charity and Miguel.

Whitney realized what she gave up for Chad, which was considerable. And, she's re-thought her position about whether it was worth it.

The Whitney that is slowly falling for Fox is more mature. Her heartache has made her grow up. She's stunned by her feelings for Fox, not knowing how to deal with them.

At the same time, Theresa seems to be ending her Ethan obsession, which could possibly get her to grow up and think that maybe she could love someone else.

Could it be Fox?

Of course, there's the true friendship between Chad and Theresa. Donn and Lindsey had good chemistry, and Chad is one of the few people who knows Theresa and has always liked her, just for who she is. Friends that know one another's history. All that's needed is a re-cast Chad who can act.

All of these possible romantic entanglements can go on for years. All the groundwork has been laid since the beginning of the show. All of these bonds are true and real, which makes for the best basis of lasting soap sagas.

The full depth of this story is the addition of the Adults. With them comes the texture,  and history of the entanglements. Daytime television is the only genre that could give you a multi-generational story of this context that could ebb and flow for years. All the ties here.

Chad is a Crane. Julian is certainly his father, and Eve is probably his mother.
Fox and his father are working through their relationship. Julian knowing about Fox's interest in Whitney has put Father and Son on a collision course, and with every conversation, both men are gaining insight into the other.

Whitney, will she wind up with Fox or Chad? Either way, her romantic future is tied to a CRANE. Her father-in-law will be the one man her father hates most on Earth, and her mother's first love.

TC, who hates the Cranes more than anything, will be tied to them forever because of whatever happened in Julian and Eve's past, and because of his daughter's love life. He and Eve will be tied forever because they share two children, and no matter what happens to them, they will have to find a way to function in one another's lives.

Then, there is the matter of TC's accident. Who really caused it? Was it Julian, as TC believes, or is it his beloved Eve? Is TC capable of deep forgiveness?

All their lives impact on one another. This is the best overall story on Passions, and the one with the most potential. I'm giving JER the benefit of the doubt: I think he knows as such.
 
 

2003 could be known, in retrospect, as the year that Passions turned a corner and moved forward.

I certainly hope this is the case.