Same story, different year
Happy Holidays and welcome to the Best and Worst of what Passions had to offer in 2004.
Best Story: Martin's Reappearance
The Lopez-Fitzgerald family had waited for years to find out the truth about what happened to their father. They all knew the dastardly Crane's had something to do with his disappearance. So imagine their surprise when they found out that he just up and left for another woman. That's right. Martin impregnated Pilar five times, then left her alone to deal with raising the kids. But the story gets better. See Martin didn't just leave Pilar and company for "tia" Wheeler, he left them for Katherine Crane. And that is one of the reasons Alistair has tortured this family so for years. I can not wait for 2005 to see these juicy tidbits unfold.
Reader's Choice: Theresa/Ethan/Gwen
"They are the only reason I watch. I fast forward through everything else." Jenny
Worst Story: Charity and Miguel Leave Town
Charity and Miguel were meant to be; that fact has never been denied. So when Charity made her deal with Death to save little Maria's life, something, somewhere had to give. And that something was Charity leaving town. But instead of being the noble man and taking care of his family, Miguel left in search of her. Sure he is sending money and his good thoughts, but little Maria had to spend the holidays without seeing her father. And what was the payoff for fans that waited patiently for the secret to be revealed that Kay raped Miguel? Where is her punishment? Too many unanswered questions left this story a dud. But on a good front, Jesse Metcalfe hit the jackpot with Desperate Housewives.
Reader's Choice: Mexican Jungle Adventure
Second choice goes to Theresa switching the embryos.
Best Villain: Beth
Thank God for Kelli McCarty. She makes Beth the perfect villain. Her wit, desperation, and bug eyed unbelievability is the perfect combination. She has gone to extraordinary lengths to hang onto Luis, and yet, she can not manage to keep him out of Sheridan's arms, a feat the feeble Antonio was more than able to do. Beth knows Alistair is her key to keeping the duo apart, and the revelation that Kathy is alive and kicking with Martin ought to earn Beth a few brownie points, but she's ultimately going to lose everything to Sheridan. And watching her get there is going to be a blast for the viewers.
Reader's Choice: Alistair
"Alistair Crane since he seems to be responsible for almost everything that has gone wrong in Harmony." Rebecca
Worst Villain: Alistair
All knowing and all powerful were just a few ways to describe Alistair a few years back. He has gone to enormous lengths to protect his family's empire. I mean anyone who will kill his own daughter has got to be a baddie right? But Alistair isn't all that bad. For someone who fought so hard against Julian and Eve's pairing, he has laid his prejudice aside and let them be. He had no idea where Kathy and Marty were hiding out, although Alistair has cameras planted all over town. And the kicker is, he realized someone hated him enough to try to poison his drink, but not his cigar. No offense to David Bailey, who was a wonderful actor, and will be sorely missed, but the writers need to kick up Alistair's evilness a notch or two.
Reader's Choice: Liz (a.k.a The Frog)
"Most good villains you 'love to hate', but you just want to see [Liz] with less and less screen time." Jenny
Most Useful Character: Eve
Let's imagine Harmony without Eve. Julian never would've married Rebecca, Gwen never would've ended up with little Ethan, Ivy never would've been able to split up Sam and Grace, and Whitney may never have known she was sleeping with her half-brother. Over half the storylines in this town have centered around Eve's past with Julian. And now that the secret is out, Ivy is still with Sam (but for how long), Julian is still married to Rebecca (but for how long) and how long until Theresa is given her child back? However long these stories take to play out, let's be thankful Eve has given us this much story so far.
Reader's Choice: Precious
"She is the most talented of the cast. Precious never overacts and is always on cue. And her character is much smarter than most of the others." Bill
Most Useless Character: Liz
She sulked around, trying to sleep with her sister's husband, all the while threatening to take her sister's family from her. And for what? Now that Eve's secret is out, what has Liz really accomplished? She's never really fit in the picture except to threaten Eve every chance she could get. Now that the secret is out, do we really care if she and T.C. live happily ever after? Come to think of it, other than being Eve's husband and cursing the Cranes in every scene, what purpose has T.C. had on this show?
Reader's Choice: Jessica Bennett
"I'm tired of her 'Mark' commercials!!!" Katie
Best Reason To Watch: Gwen vs. Theresa
Not since George W. won by a hair in 2000 has a duel been so hotly debated. And both sides have valid points. Ethan loves Gwen, but is in love with Theresa. Gwen outed Ethan's true paternity, Theresa lied to and manipulated him. Whose side are you on? The loyal readers of this column know whose side I am on, but judging from the amount of emails I receive on this subject (which is about 85% of the total emails I receive), the viewers are split. Which should be a dream for the writers if they would stop ruining both characters.
Reader's Choice: Gwen/Ethan/Theresa
Best Reason To Fast Forward: Sheridan
I know I hammer her and Luis a lot, but really and truly, I love Sheridan. Truth be told, she and Luis are what got me hooked on this show to begin with. And they are truly, not only one of daytime's greatest supercouples, but the only supercouple on this show. So why do the writers keep making her out to be some incompetent wimp? When I first started watching this show, Sheridan was strong and independent. Now it's like she can't function without Luis holding her hand. The old Sheridan would've realized Marty is her kid, Kathy is her mother, kicked Beth's butt, had tea with mom, and enjoyed a nice massage by now. The new Sheridan can only feel "a connection." Let's hope that now that Sheridan is Luis' wife and she knows Kathy is alive, the old Sheridan will come back swinging.
Reader's Choice: Tabitha's long recaps
I don't care for the recaps either, but anything to keep Juliet Mills and the adorable baby (babies) that play Endora on screen work for me.
Best Actor: Justin Hartley
What can I say about Justin Hartley that I haven't already said? He is the main reason I watch, he is the only consistent character, and he can take crappy material and make it seem new and refreshing. While everyone else is repeating themselves, Justin takes Fox's words and mixes it up, so he never seems repetitive. He even makes a scene with Charles Divins come alive, which is a feat in itself. I fear the day when bigger things come calling Justin. And for an actor as great (and great looking) as he, they will come. I just hope it's not soon.
Reader's Choice: Ben Masters
"The best [actor] award should go to Julian. Over the years we have watched him be evil to any and everyone. It's nice to see that he's learning from his mistakes." Jennifer
Best Actress: THREE WAY TIE Liza Huber, Lindsay Hartley, Kelli McCarty
The three hardest working ladies on Passions. Kelli makes Beth and this show worth watching. Working with an orangutan can not be an easy task, but Kelli makes it seem so natural; as if every psycho has one just hanging around the house, waiting on their helpless mother. It is no secret I hate the character of Theresa. But Lindsey I love. She brings such desperation to her character that she can shock and disgust you, yet make you ache for her pain. Liza is my perennial favorite, especially since she knocks every scene she is in out of the park. These three ladies keep Passions worth watching and more importantly, worth talking about.
Reader's Choice: Eva Temargo and Silvana Arias
"I was near tears during the scenes that she [Eva] had after finding out that her husband left her for another woman." Rebecca
I have to totally agree. And Silvana is a great choice too. Passions really has the deck stacked with top notch actresses.
Best Non Passions Moment of 2004: LSU Wins the National Championship
January 4, 2004, at precisely 10:18 CST, the clock wound down to pronounce LSU the NCAA National Football Champions, a gift 45 years in the making. Yes the AP gave USC a co-championship, but the trophy came to Baton Rouge and the $17 million paycheck went to LSU, so in actuality, LSU is the real champion. Yes Nick Saban is leaving to go coach the Miami Dolphins, and yes, we will spend the next few years rebuilding our team. But another championship is in the making, and I can not wait for that day. GEAUX TIGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wishing you all a safe, happy, and blessed 2005,
Brandi
Brandi
Two Scoops is an opinion column. The views expressed are not designed to be indicative of the opinions of Soap Central or its advertisers. The Two Scoops section allows our Scoop staff to discuss what might happen and what has happened, and to share their opinions on all of it. They stand by their opinions and do not expect others to share the same point of view.
