Since Passions is pre empted for two weeks, I thought I'd take this opportunity to write about what I feel is wrong with the show. I'm going to split the column by commenting on half the show this week, and the other half next week. I'll start with the Cranes since everyone on the show is connected to them anyhow.
Is it just me or does it seem as though the writers are trying make Alistair resemble another daytime villain? Alistair's only purpose in life to make everyone's life miserable. Just as a certain villain on the other NBC show is to make everyone's life miserable. News flash, Alistair Crane IS NOT, Stefano DiMera. Stefano was kept interesting by his children (the sane and wacko alike) and the mystery of why he hates everyone.
Alistair hates the Lo-Fitz's because of Marty. He hates his family because of Kathy. He hates the Russell's because T.C. was better than Julian at tennis and Eve had Julian's love child. He hates the Bennett's because of Ethan's parentage. Alistair was far more interesting when he seemed all knowing and all powerful, much like Tabitha. But once Luis got his hands on all Alistair's secrets (kept on a disk mind you), his all powerful image went out the window and so did any interest in him.
Sheridan does not interest me whatsoever. She's always in some kind of trouble and that is BORING. We know she isn't going to die, and even if she does, she will come back to Luis in another life. The problem is the writers have written Sheridan and Luis into a corner, and now the only way to keep the interesting is to keep "killing" them. Only problem is, they never truly kill them and they ARE NOT interesting. I found them far more interesting when Luis' main interest was to bring the Crane's down and Sheridan was defending her family. I am hoping against hope Marty and Kathy will make for a more interesting split between the two. Sheridan grateful to Marty for saving her mother while Luis hates them both for destroying his family. Sounds far more interesting to watch something tangible come between the lovers than car bombs.
I miss Julian. I miss the snaky comments and the devil may care attitude. Julian has been reduced to standing around in Eve's shadow, waiting for her marriage to fall apart. The Julian I loved would have never let the frog (Liz) walk around threatening both he and Eve for two years. No, no. The Julian I loved would have laughed at her and called a hit man all while pouring his next glass of brandy. What made him so delicious was the fact that Eve was his one saving grace.
Now Julian is free to pick up with his love where they left off. Only problem is, I'm not convinced Eve wants the same thing. On the other hand, while Julian was with Ivy, I was captivated by them. They do have three other children together, and both of them love Ethan. Julian and Ivy are more compatible for each other than they realize. This fascination with Eve will wane once Julian realizes that what he and Eve had was in the past.
It is too gross to think that Chad is Julian and Eve's son. It is even more gross to think Whitney is pregnant with her own niece or nephew. I think the writers are going to be bold enough to go here for a while and have us all thinking it's true. But ultimately I don't think Chad is going to turn out to be the Crane heir apparent. Let me just predict how this will turn out.
Everyone will find out that Chad is Julian and Eve's son. Whitney will flip, and have a miscarriage. (Abortion is too taboo a subject, so a nice more moralistic miscarriage will have to do.) Of course the miscarriage will leave her barren simply because that fate seems to befall every reproducing female in Harmony. She can't marry her half-brother, so she will slap her mother a couple dozen times and call off her engagement. Fox will be there for her and she will fall into bed with him. By that time, Simone will be in love with Fox too so the writers can keep giving Simone these absurd lines like, "you stole my man." Just as Fox and Whitney are on the verge of saying "I do", it will be revealed that Chad is not Julian's son with Eve, but rather an Eve look a like he hired in a drunken stupor. (The blood types, the Tabasco on hotdogs, it all has to add up somewhere.) Whitney will learn Fox knew this and kept it from her and run out the church. She will hitchhike and be picked up by a handsome stranger, whom she is strangely drawn too. She will fall in love with him and he will turn out to be her real half-brother. Fox will try to tell her, but she thinks he is lying and refuses to believe him. Whitney will marry the stranger (Chad has hooked up with Simone by now) and learn on her wedding night that she married her half-brother. Wow, that's like four years of story for Passions.
As far as Kathy goes, I hope Pilar lays the smack down on her when she gets back. It is one thing to steal a woman's husband, but it is quite another to steal him and be the reason your own husband killed her son. I never much cared for Antonio, but I would like to see Pilar exact some revenge for his death. Plus Eva is in desperate need of some quality air time outside of a hospital bed.
Until next week friends,
Brandi
