Yeah, I also get the impression that BAM is not too popular with the audience as a whole as opposed to just shippers. Reading the other boards - and good god, it's hard to because people are such tools - leaves me with very few doubts on just how unpopular BAM is.

I wonder what would happen if TIIC were to go for BAM and then have to retract faster that Erica's hair flips? That would almost be worth the BAM nightmare. And, of course, I'd love to hear Bianca say "thanks, but no, thanks."

I actualy LIKE Maggie with Jaime a lot! I'd bet she'd be good with JR too. The rumor is they are bringing on a new guy for her. Is it Christian Campbell that is the one for her? I hope they are good together. Honestly, I do expect her to be paired with a man after playing speedbump for the inevitable Lianca reunion.

Wow, so many points to agree with. I agree that the general AMC audience isn't to keen on the Magster right now. I think if she were paired with Jaime or Justin some people might come around. Hey, more than a few misguided souls actually *liked* Henry/Maggie. I know, very scary, that. I agree that BAM is mostly Maggie/Liz centric. (Of course, Lianca lovers are mostly Lena/Olga centric, judging from most posters I've read.) Where I disagree with BAM, in so far as saving Liz's job, is that I believe that Liz has a better chance to stay longterm if they keep her het. If BAM were to get together, they'd eventually have to breakup and I don't see TPTB shipping in fresh new lesbians for both of 'em. And I don't care how much of a hard-on Fronzie has for Liz, Maggie would be written off before Bianca. So I fall into the camp of thinking they'll toy with BAM (for reasons known only to them) but will just bring in a new chick (eventually) for Binks if Olga bows out.

About Olga leaving, I think that's a real possibility. TPTB hands out longterm contracts like candy (Why not? It's a win/win for them. It locks the actor to them but they can still dump them whenever they please.) and the fact that they didn't sign Olga longterm is troubling. Either they really have no intention of keeping Lena around (which I waver on because AMC has no problem keeping people around even if they don't particularly write for them. Justin, Boyd, Brooke, Simone, Mia, ect.) or Olga doesn't want to be locked into a longterm contract. Those are the only two reasons I can think of. If it is Olga's decision, I wonder if there's any way to woo her into staying? She's already got major fan support. Hmm, maybe we can bribe her with chocolate?

I'm quite sure Olga could be bribed with airtime and a credible story. I can't believe the POTB haven't capitalized on the "Lena working with Kendall" storyline to have these two become a force to be reckoned with. Then again, with McTavish pimping Ryan constantly, I guess there aren't enough hours in the day for Alicia as it is. Maybe when Ryan is pawned off on poor poor Rebecca, Alicia's airtime can be used for better purposes, like more Kinks and some Kendall/Erica bonding, and maybe if we're all good this year, we'll get some Kaiden sex by Christmas.

I cannot believe we missed this!

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/05/nyregion/05JESU.html
Partial-


BWAH! Give the damn baby back, Bianca! We know you stole it.

Maybe Mona forgot to return it when she pulled the heavenly imaginary baby in the manger switch. Or maybe Babe took it and will give birth to it sometime later. I'm sure it could pass for J.R.'s baby. It's just as wooden as Jacob's acting.

But that's the thing, isn't it? If AMC doesn't have a problem with soap heavy hitters like Marcy Walker, Julia Barr, or the Callahans warming the bench, I don't see them breaking their backs to please Olga. There's a million and one ways to give ALL these people something to do (Not all frontburner at the same time, of course. But involved in the storylines to some degree) but they don't. I'm sticking with chocolate. ;)

Monday's episode might have been the worst in a very long time, and that's quite an accomplishment. Yesterday's wasn't much better.


History has shown that Tad is probably just as "well-traveled" so I don't know why he's the only one who would need to be concerned. And Tad is one of my favorite characters, too.

Y'all may not like FauxGreasy, but at least there is a strong resemblance between him and Tad. Then again, the real Greasy looked just like Brooke.

Going back to the discussion from Sunday, I had completely forgotten about the near hookup between Kendall and Trey! No wonder she has little problem getting intimate with Binky. Trisexual, indeed.

Man, GH actually had a scene yesterday with two sisters making out. Is it wrong that I'm jealous that it wasn't AMC and Kinks that had done that? It's not fair! [pouts]

Olga has reason not to renew even if AMC guaranteed her a frontburner romance and SL, if she's interested in trying to make it in Hollywood. A three-year or four-year contract on AMC and she'll be at a very dangerous age for an actress. She's got to be somewhat mindful of it--the short-term contract she's on now was very likely her call and not AMC's (from a show's viewpoint, since they can fire contract actors every 13 weeks anyway, it's best to get the actors locked down). But the acting profession is more difficult than ever these days, with the advent of reality shows that have seriously cut down on the number of roles available for actors. And she's seen that up close with her husband--the whole reason they came to America is because he couldn't get enough acting jobs in Britain and he thought he'd do better here. Her career had been doing just fine, and actresses in Britain work constantly, as opposed to their American counterparts (but on the flip side, actresses here are paid more). But then consider that a lot of Olga's work has been in stage, and NYC soaps are generally pretty good about accommodating actors who want to do stage. So, who knows--I'd give it 50/50 odds at this point. I think she'd be a little foolish to leave, personally, but it's up to her and I certainly wish her well in her career.

That said, I suspect Maggie's sexual orientation will be left up in the air until Olga's contract status is resolved. AMC brought Lena on because of that December survey in 2002 that showed that people felt it was ok for Bianca to be gay and have a girlfriend, but not Maggie. That indicated how small BAM's fanbase actually was, and hopefully ABC would remember that and bring on someone else for Bianca. But BAM does have a very vocal lobby, and there's a little fear there--it took forever for the soap press to be willing to say anything positive about Lianca without also throwing in BAM mentions and such, essentially treating Lianca as a waystation at best. ABC could well decide that Lianca fans might never accept Bianca with someone else anyway, and so they may as well pacify the BAM fanbase, because if Bianca didn't hook up with Maggie on a Lena-less AMC, I can just imagine the fever pitch the campaigning will hit. The new actress would need to be very, very good, and AMC's casting has been hit-or-miss, that's for sure.

Actually, the other advantage of pairing Bianca with Maggie, were Lena to leave, is that after a couple months of snoozing torture, the general audience might stop being indifferent and start screaming for Bianca to get a different love interest. As long as BAM's the only squeaky wheel (were Lena to depart), that's the one that'll get the grease. Plus then the show can honestly say, "Look, we did it, and the couple simply didn't work. We don't keep bringing in other love interests for Bianca just to be annoying."

ETA:
Not at all wrong--or at least, if it is, don't worry, because we're going to hell together. GH has stolen our Pervy Writer! That explains why no Kinks the last couple of weeks! Aw, damn. Come back here, Pervy Writer, and write that Kinks CPR scene we were deprived of before!

I'm okay with BAM as well. I mean, I got all excited at the prospect of BAM before Lena showed up. I thought Liz and Eden had good chemistry, especially with all the smoldering looks Maggie was throwing Bianca's way during Brooke and Edmund's AlmostButNotQuite!Wedding.

Now, granted, I prefer Lianca, mostly because the writer's insistence on killing the slash because "Liz is going to be too big to waste on this GAY storyline". Still, in the land of soap, all trangressions can be forgiven, any character can be redeemed, and even unlikely couples can start to sizzle.

However, if I had to pick a couple, I'd say Kinks all the way.

Yeah, if it were a choice between Lianca and a non-related Kinks, I'm not sure which pair I would pick. Hee. From a writing perspective, with Lena always taking pains to de-fang herself around Bianca, Kinks is probably the better couple right now. Kendall doesn't hide her ability to scheme and lie from her sister--far from it, she gives lessons and involves Bianca. From a chemistry perspective, it's hard to judge who actually has the most chemistry. It looks like Lianca, but the judging process is a little suspect because they're not subtext and so they have the advantage.

It'd be nice if Lena could get back to being more openly scheming and ruthless around Bianca. I don't think Bianca wants an angel, just someone who doesn't screw her over. She's usually entertained and attracted by the shenanigans as long as it doesn't cross that line.

Eden and Liz do have chemistry, though I came to realize that it's acting chemistry more than sexual chemistry. There were some sexual sparks between Bianca and Liz's Frankie--Bianca's just one of those characters who sparks better with the black and grey hats than nicey-nice types--though nowhere near Lianca's level. They are capable of really nice acting chemistry, though, as many of the BAM scenes in summer and fall 2002 were well-done on both actresses' parts. But Liz seems to be somewhat dependent on what Eden gives her--if Eden isn't giving her anything, then Liz's performance falls pretty darn flat. She kind of reflects Eden's charisma. And whenever Olga is around, Liz's acting usually descends to flat-out awful.

Hee and word! Can you give us the deal on GH's crossing the pervy border? I'm just curious to what this SL is about.



Oh, hell no! Pervy is ours! Does this mean that GH took Pervy and gave us Mobby the mob writer?? That would explain the lodge stuff.

Today's show? I. Hate. Erica. I have other things to say and other observations to make, but they'll have to wait until my homicidal Erica thoughts die down. (fumes)

Oh, it was just your classic "make guy jealous" move. Except Sister #1 (Georgie) apparently had no guy friends to grab for it so she makes her sister Maxie do it. So Georgie kisses Maxie and the latter was incredibly repulsed by it. So I hear. I had to ask for details since I missed it.

I laughed for like 5 mins after Bianca ran past Maggie to hug Lena.

Hee, me too. I sent a cackling message to my AGR group, too. Bad recapper, bad!

A poster there mentioned that she usually roots for the underdog but that she just can't bring herself to root for Maggie - which is exactly how I feel, but then I started thinking that maybe Lena still is the underdog here. And what's this crap about wanting a chance? Last time I looked, Lena was the one giving Bianca a chance after she left her to rot in jail post Photoshop Bob fiasco. I loathe revisionist history.

In any case, Viva Lianca!

Okay. Bye bye Republican registration. Get your Bush out of my Lianca!
Long live Democrats! What? What are you looking at? Is that over the top?

Yeah, bitchy Lena is definitely more entertaining than schmoopy Lena. I still have fond memories of the first time she met Kendall and called her "Miss Tart" and then whatevered Kendall's name correction. Good times. But I think the Magster got off easy today, verbal bitchslap-wise. Maybe Lena doesn't want to waste what little goodwill Maggie might have, so she went easy on the little munchkin.

I got the impression from my monthly fly-by of other boards (in this case Olga’s board) from some luncheon she was at with some fans that Olga seemed to be perfectly happy where she was. Seemed happy just to be working, so I can’t really see her leaving when her contract is up. Yes, she would probably like to work more, but I just didn’t get the impression she wants to leave.

BK as usually I really think you’ve stated the dynamics of Liz/Eden/Olga’s acting very well. I did enjoy BAM in the early days. They where sweet together but after seeing Eden act along with Olga, I would feel very, hm, let down I guess is the best way to describe it, if they ended up with Eden/Liz (Bianca/Maggie). Liz, as you said, seems to just fall very short, acting wise of course, compared to Olga. No matter how much Eden would ‘lift’ Liz if they went back to BAM, I just can’t see myself enjoying it after watching Eden with Olga. That, above everything makes me cringe at the thought of a future BAM.

Bianca rushing past Maggie into Lena’s comforting arms was just funny as hell. Guppy-Maggie… was that reaction suppose to be jealously? Hm…

Does that mean somebody else thinks she looks like a fish when she tries to do reaction shots? I've always thought it was a goldfish more than a guppy though.

I think Lena doesn't want Maggie running to Bianca with complaints about how Lena's being mean, mean, mean! (Sorry, I've been reading old DAYS quotes) She's always really careful to not sound catty or bitchy to Maggie whenever Bianca is there. Of course, as commented previously, lines like "You're too sensitive" and "Sounds like you're speaking from experience" really were. Snerk.


Oh, I understand that fine. Lena's tied to Michael, and Michael raped Bianca. Wait, don't throw rocks. I'm not saying it was Lena's fault, anymore than it was Kendall's fault. Michael's the only one to blame. But Michael targeted Bianca because of Lena. I'm sure Lena already realizes that, and if she knew about how damn often Michael had brought her up that night to Bianca...Bianca has never talked about just how many times Michael did that, to anyone. But the resentment of Bianca taking Lena away, plus the "replacement" vibe, was really strong that night. And frankly, I could understand it if a rape victim wasn't able to get back together with her girlfriend under those kinds of circumstances. I mean, it could really poison things. Michael fucked with Bianca's head so badly. The thoughts of "what if I just hadn't gotten involved with Lena?" would be so easy (so would "if I had a choice, would I choose never having met Lena or not being raped?"). Maggie said it point-blank, and it drove Lena to suicide. Honestly, I'm kind of amazed we haven't heard Bianca express anything like that, ever, just as venting, getting some of the more unfair feelings out of her system, in regards to her relationship with Lena, like she did when she screamed at Kendall before the wedding. And personally, I'm not sure I could ever feel the same way about a relationship again that had opened the door for that kind of pain and anguish, even though it's not the other person's fault. More power to Bianca for being able to, but I guess that's also why she's able to have this baby.

Mystic0, as usual I've just read the PBP right now, but certainly no surprise where Erica was concerned...and did I call the soap cliche of "character interrupts other character by declaring she knows exactly what the other character is about to say" or what? In real life, does anyone ever do this? I can't imagine how aggravating I'd find it to know someone who does. I'd probably end up saying, "Since you know what I'm going to say so well, why don't I just leave and you can have entirely imaginary conversations with me for the rest of your life?"

Lena vs. Maggie. The debate will always rage on. For me, I liked Lianca solely from a storyline standpoint. The way their romance (and the bet with Boyd, hee) was weaved so seamlessly into the FEM storyline made it very natural and interesting. The possibilities as to what direction the storyline could be taken was intriguing; it kept me guessing and excited about what would happen. Lianca had genuine obstacles and drama, which every good soap couple has. Lianca was a mature departure from Bianca's previous romantic interests, just as FEM was a step towards adulthood for her as well.

BAM was, admittedly, a teen (almost)romance. But in part, I think that's why I liked it. Bianca should really only be 19 or 20 on the show and we haven't seen her in love before. We got a glimpse of Sarah when she was 16, but I feel like an almost-first love/young love thing would make sense logically if her birthdate is still 1983. The subtext, which was TPTB trying to avoid a lesbian romance yet not shut the idea out altogether, seemed to have an adverse effect creating an intensity between them. The audience knew there was something deep there and Bianca/Maggie thought so too, but they never said anything directly about it... ever. So we would see them having these vague conversations (filled with concern and admiration for each other) just waiting for everything they were feeling inside to finally be revealed and come to a head. That made their relationship more true to life for me, because I believed these young, scared girls would be ereing on the side of caution with their feelings.

I was 16 when I started watching AMC. Bianca was 16 and she was coming out... and so was I. I totally related to Bianca but now I just don't because she has been morphed into an adult overnight. I really enjoy Lianca but maybe it's just the age difference that gets me. Maggie, the college girl, makes more sense to me with Bianca than the worldly bisexual (not bi-loving) Polish sex-kitten. (Not to mention, I think Maggie's pretty hot, horrible wardrobe and all.) But once the whole "So I do like girls" realization, there won't be much for BAM's relationship. Lianca could have had much more to it, but I feel like TPTB brushed all their issues aside so they seem to hardly exist anymore. I understand those in favor of a more adult, mature relationship will surely favor Lianca. But Bianca is a paradox; I don't think she's a girl but I don't think she's an adult. Each relationship, in my view, fits a facet of her character.

Whoever she ends up with, great; Bianca in a happy, loving relationship for more than 24-hours would be wonderful. No matter who she does end up with, it can't be easy. There's got to be some drama along the way, so at least let's hope the road to her destiny is an interesting one. And what is more interesting than a lesbian love triangle?

Perhaps I was alone in my laughing my ass off at some doctor's command that Edmund need two "large bore" I.V.'s, but that comment alone made the lodge hijinks bearable for me. No, Edmund needs to be less boring. Please, they're not getting rid of his hairy hind. What a joke.

Lesbian love period. That's what.

But I did enjoy the show today. Lena came off much more confrontational on the show than in the PBP. She pinned Maggie with a laser question, declaration, or stare and watched the little midget fashion victim passive/agressive juvenile squirm.

I laughed at the end too. Only not. What asshair director would rather a shot of nonreaction goldfish Maggie rather than the incredible drama of Bianca crying in Lena's arms? I CANNOT believe we didn't get to see all of that just to get another goldfish shot. Maggie has got to go. She's a drama killer.

Yepper, Black Knight, you nailed just how the Binks non-reveal would go. (I'm still floored that my prediction of Lianca comfort snuggles actually happened.) Erica just drives me batty, man. Her 'mothering' always sets my teeth on edge. I realize that Bianca (and her thought processes) are something of an enigma to Erica but damn! Grrr.. I'm gonna shut the hell up before I rant.

Back to Liz needing to muster some energy, what is going on with Liz? I'm afraid she's fallen into the same trap Amelia has. Like today, Maggie was all pissed and growly and I thought Liz just might hold her own. All that faith was brushed aside in this one part where Liz did this 'Hand on one hip to show I'm really pissed' thing that seemed so damn actorly..... It was just laughable. Maybe Eden can get Liz going again but all their shared scenes lately haven't worked so well at conveying even a deep friendship, much less an underlying gray-area romantic one. I did like the scene on NYE that they had in the washroom. But, as you've said, Eden was definitely putting something out there for Liz to glom onto and reflect back.

About the PBPs, I bet they neglected to mention that Greens' tiny tiny muscular arm made an appearance. You see someone off screen pushing a gun into Aidan's back. I yelled,"Hey! I know that arm!!!" Too bad it didn't get in on the Kendall saving. (pouts)

I might be able to enjoy a triangle if there actually was one. Bianca has so much going on right now I just can’t imagine her even wanting to go near any ambiguous feelings Maggie might have for her. She already tortured herself through them last year. I’m really wondering what is going on with Liz. She looks constantly tired and seems to barely muster up some dramatic acting. Maybe she’s doing a lot of outside AMC work or something… she just really seems to have taken a nosedive in her acting.

I've never been into the BAM relationship as a romance, for the simple reason that the thought of Bianca falling in love with her ex-girlfriend's twin sister struck me as really, really gross.

That was and continues to be my main opposition to BAM as well.

I have no problem with a triangle so long as it doesn't involve Naggie. I just don't consider her a viable option.

From OLga's board
SOD Chat was with Mara - a few comments on the Lianca-related stuff.

1. Too soon to talk about Olga's contract.
2. Megan has told her she is "committed" to Lena and Bianca.
3. Megan feels Lianca was rushed the first time around and wants to "show their love for one another unfolding" so that we can believe it when they declare their love for each other.
4) Mara does not know when and how Bianca will find out about Lena's suicide attempt.
5) Ryan's relative will NOT be Braden, but it'll be a guy who might be a love interest for several women, Maggie included.


Oh - and Mara says Megan has not told her how many Lianca kisses she has scripted, but she will ask her.

ETA - 'cause not everything is about Lianca...ahem...apparently that spoiler about Erica finding out about the baby is premature...
...and the Edmund/Brooke/Maria triangle is not meant to be romantinc YET. The writers are trying to see if they can get any wiggle room on that and a lot will hinge on fan reaction, but Mara seems to think it's a more intellectual triangle in the sense that Edmund and Brooke can talk about certain things in a way that he and Maria can't.

I did read something or other about Liz shooting a movie recently, but I think it's been a problem for a while. She sounds like the type who likes to go out and have fun a lot, so that might have more to do with it--it's easy to get carried away in a city like NYC that has so many things going on. I remember the funny joint interview she and Eden gave in which they were talking about the number of people Liz had at her birthday party a couple of years ago, and Eden said she didn't even know that many people.


Yeah. Most of the time right now Eden doesn't seem to do that, and Bianca's often written as telling Maggie to be quiet, or paying attention to Lena instead, and so on. I do remember the scenes in which they moved into the apartment and when they were on the beach, as also being likable scenes. The boathouse ep where they were talking about Henry and Lena showed off their rapport pretty well. But otherwise there isn't much. Bianca was so depressed in the months immediately after Voldemort, and now she's pre-occupied with her baby, the trial, and trying to work things out with Lena. That said, ironically Bianca's made more of an effort in the last couple of weeks than she has in months, but it's coinciding with Maggie being grumpy and jealous, so there's no reflecting back Eden's charisma in those scenes.


Word. When all this comes out, and Erica freaks, I really want Bianca and Kendall to quit apologizing for being who they are and just let Erica have it with both barrels, especially where Kendall is concerned. She's had it coming for years from both daughters. Erica has had every right to feel the way she has about Kendall. There is no obligation to accept a daughter that she gave up for adoption, to perfectly nice people, just because said daughter has turned up wanting a relationship. It isn't her fault that Kendall does remind her of her rape. But where Erica goes below the belt is when she tells Kendall that she's just like her father, that she's going to turn out just like her father, or any variation thereof. Shut UP, Erica. Then there's Bianca, who Erica won't be satisfied with until she becomes a clone of Erica.

I don't blame Bianca in the slightest for not wanting to expose her baby to Grandma Erica. Between her experiences and Kendall's, she knows all too well the damage that results from desperately wanting Erica to love you. Erica's going to find out eventually, of course, and I think Bianca's ultimately going to recognize she's got to keep contact between Erica and the baby to a minimum. Which may well have the opposite effect than intended, if she goes too far--the kid could grow up wondering about this remote, glamorous figure of a grandmother...

So is the lodge mob crap finally over yet, or what? (I mostly skipped that part of the PBP.) Can we please send the mob writer AMC borrowed back over to GH and get our Pervy Writer back now?

I almost felt sorry for Mags today. Okay, not really. That chicka sure has a lot of nerve --especially in light of the schizophrenic crap she heaped upon Lena and Bianca during the last several months. And despite being a shrimp myself, I literally laughed out loud as ToweringInferno!Lena coolly walked over to and cast a shadow across the little gatekeeper. It's just nice to see Lena dust off the old spine. And it looks like it still fits. But I did not like Lena’s “glad we have this settled” remark - because they obviously don’t. Hopefully, Lena’s sudden cease fire was just an extension of Shrewd!Lena choosing her battles wisely. Or maybe it was just the result of Lena’s frustration with trying to have an intelligent, frank conversation with a petulant, evasive backboard.

All cattiness aside, I do feel for Maggie. She has been Bianca’s main confidant and touchstone for months. Taking into consideration Maggie’s unstable and emotionally barren upbringing combined with her unresolved complex feelings for Bianca remaining from the ‘what are we to each other?’ talk last year -- which have apparently been exacerbated by their bonding during the very intense and highly stressful ‘us against the world’ post-Voldermort/Asscicle murder mystery/ hide the pregnancy period with Bianca -- and I can feel a little empathy for what she’s going through (and will go through as she confronts her feelings, such as they are…or whatever they will be whenever McHack herself figures it out). In real life I’d have no tolerance for it. But in the setting of a soap opera, it’s somewhat understandable.

That said, if AMC does go the way of a romantic triangle, I’d like to see them acknowledge in some way exactly when Maggie’s feelings began to “change.” Because the anvils have been dropping for quite some time now and I’ve become more and more squicked. Maggie’s touchy-feely‘ness with Bianca, her 20 too many “I love you’s,” and the progression to Maggie’s inappropriate daydreaming about Bianca while living with her just feels pervy. And that’s not even getting into the whole ‘my twin sister was your almost lover’ thing. If AMC does do the romantic triangle and trace Maggie’s menopause to anvil #1, I wonder if AMC will acknowledge and let Bianca learn that Maggie had the hots for her while they lived in close quarters sharing bathroom and bedroom space, agreed to an overseas getaway, and while the Magster was playing keep away with Lena. Probably not.

You know who's always seemed to know the difference, and has it down to a science? Kenlee. That's who. *Sniff* And yesterday, I totally fanwanked Greenlee's running over to nag Kendall as mobsters threatened their lives close by as Greenlee wanting to be with Kendall were the end to come. *Sigh* *Sniff* And Ryan knows full well that in a threesome he'd have a lot of time on his hands. That's why he tried to send them to the bedroom first. And as much as I despise Shithead McGrabbyhands de la Blankie Spankie, I had to admire that.

Weighing in on the BAM/Lianca/Triangle debate:

First of all, I find LH to be one of those actresses who are only as good as their material. When the writing stinks, she stinks. Without a clear motivation to be gleaned from the writing, she just can't come up with some on her own and bring the drama. I think that's why she seems to glom onto Eden's energy in their scenes together. She isn't sure of what Maggie is supposed to want, so she just stands there and reacts. Secondly, I think that LH is intimidated by OS as an actor and in their scenes alone together, it shows. Today I could have sworn I saw Liz look Olga up and down when they were standing close together, with this look on her face and if she felt she was being overpowered. It seems to me that Liz, judging from her performances with Olga, feels like that despite any acting choice she makes, she will be obliterated by Olga's shadow. Which, is probably true.

But still, I find Liz to be a solid actress hampered by a boring and poorly drawn character, just like AH. Maggie as a character is practically non-existent. The writers either need to figure out who this woman is, or get rid of the character altogether. I wouldn't be adverse to Maggie recieving a nice bump on the head and waking up a completely different person, or, fuck it, having a complete character change in the course of an episode for no good reason. Anything to make this character interesting, if she is to stay on the canvas.

As for a triangle, it's not that I'm not interested, it just that I don't care. How can I when Maggie is nothing other than the BFF? Where are the stakes? Lianca has a mountain of issues to address and surmount. BAM? All they have to deal with is Maggie's sexual confusion. And I don't give a rat's ass about Maggie right now, because all she's been doing is annoying the hell out of me for months. And excuse me, I know I can't speak for everyone in the world, but her confusion, to me, is a crock. If you are gay or bi, you know it. You know it your entire life. You may fight it, you may deny it to yourself or others, but you know. Even at four years old I knew that there was something more to my adoration of Drew Barrymore than an appreciation of her acting ability. Which is why if they make Maggie gay or bi, that "I'm into guys" scene is going to come back to bite BAM and the show in it's proverbial ass. The audience is going to remember that scene and ask itself, as I do everyday now, why why why, if Maggie loves and trusts Bianca so much, couldn't she just tell her that she wasn't prepared to live an "alternative" lifestyle no matter what her feelings for Bianca are/were and leave it at that? And why, now that her "feelings" are becoming stronger, aren't we at least getting some scenes of Maggie alone, dealing with her "confusion"? Maybe, glancing at another woman at the PVU student union or something like that? It's out of left field and not being done convincingly at all. [/rant] I swear, I didn't mean to say that much. Pardon me, I think I'll go spiff up my soapbox with a little Murphy's Oil Soap.

Oh, and if Olga does decide to leave? I say a nice month or two of BAM would be enough before the general audience would be screaming for a end to it all. Then, a new love interest. But, I agree, AMC would have to be careful to hire a really talented actress.

Oh, and, Shut Up, Erica!

Well, I think the, "Glad we have that settled" was more of a warning. Magpie just got done saying, "Well, it is her place" or somesuch thing. I took it as Lena letting her know this hostility was unacceptable and that she'd tell Maggie's BFF on her in a withering PBP if Maggie didn't play nice.

Oh, and boy, did they give Maggie a pile of unlikability building petty lines today!

Is AMC using some different directors than they used to? It seems to me that the weaker actors are really floundering lately while the stronger ones are doing Ok with subpar material. Liz would be my chief example of the former, that peevish expression is really unappealing and makes the already annoying cipher Maggie a chore to watch except when Lena's making her suffer.Then I can't get enough. Outside of that does the show even have one other good story until Kendall goes on trial?I can't think of one.
I have no interest in BAM because the idea of Maggie stepping over the body of her dead twin and exploring her sexuality with her raped pregnant friend who has some serious issues to cope with is disgusting and irresponsible in the extreme. So it will probably happen. It's just my impression but I believe McTrash totally intended to bypass Lianca with Frons blessing but months of flat ratings and the audience clamoring for the couple instead of any McTrash sponsored pairing might affect what's on screen now. AMC is the only ABC soap that hasn't had major cast reductions ,and if they end up losing Olga and I think they probably will , it might cost them some of the only new viewers the show's been able to attract.

Bwah and WORD, Boris! I found myself yelling "Maria and Edmund are right there! Two large bores right in front of you!"

I loved Maria's screaming, collapsing, arm-waving hysterics today. Overacting 101.

gspiggott, soap directors today are very different from primetime or movie directors. Soap directors concern themselves with the technical aspects of the scenes--the blocking and so on. They don't talk to the actors about character motivations and such. It's block the scene, shoot it, and unless there was a truly horrible gaffe, cut, print and move on to the next scene.


Yup. That was always the problem with them. You get the build-up SL of Maggie coming to terms with being gay or bisexual and then coming out, and then getting together with Bianca, and then...nothing. The SL's over. There's nowhere for the couple to go. Meanwhile with Lianca, they already have enough complications to give them story for years after an official reconciliation, and it's pretty easy to drum up even more if AMC were to run out. Just two obvious sources are Lena's past and Bianca's Kane connection. As for Maggie's potential coming-out SL, the other problem is that we already sat through this once with a much better actress. There's nothing new to explore, and with Maggie's lack of family other than David (who would be nothing but understanding), far fewer ramifications than Bianca had to deal with.


I agree Lena was essentially letting Maggie know that she was going to be with Bianca regardless of what Maggie behaved, but I don't think Lena would ever go to Bianca with it. For one thing, she has no desire to tip Bianca off that Maggie might be feeling more than friendship. Meanwhile Bianca is already aware on some level that something is up with Maggie, and doesn't really want to deal with it. She's made an effort several times with Maggie to ask her what's up with her and to reassure her, and has been willing to accept Maggie's surface answers. She doesn't want to dig much more. She doesn't want yet another problem. I think she's hoping that Maggie's mysterious attitude will just go away if she gives Maggie some reassurance and room to work through her issues.

For me, it's the dangling the possibility of love in front of Kendall (Mostly, when Erica wants something from Kendall.) that gets me. I agree that Erica owed Kendall nothing in the beginning. If Erica would have stuck to this, as bad as I would have felt for Kendall, I couldn't fault Erica for it. Some people just *can't* overlook the kinda conception Kendall had. But then Erica started to move Kendall into the fold, showing that she *could* treat Kendall like a daughter (the wedding stuff, giving her Mona's pearls, ect.). All that makes what Erica's doing to Kendall now just cruel. And a royal mindfuck for Kendall to boot.



You know it, man. It actually doesn't make sense, if you think about it. Everything she's so damn proud of Bianca for being, is usually the exact opposite of what Erica is. I guess it's all about reaffirming oneself for Erica. Crazy insane Erica logic...

Yeah, Erica's got quite the comeuppance waiting and I hope like hell *both* of her daughters give it. Hard.



Well, Kendall's off the mountain, so that might lure Pervy Writer back. Plus, you just know Binks wants to run to her girlfr....um, sister and brainstorm some more now that Erica's being a big mean poopy head. Mmmm.......brainstorming...

Re Olga possibly leaving... I think she needs to do just what Josh Duhamel did. When he signed originally, he told TPTB that he was only staying for the 3 years. It didn't matter how popular he was, he was going to use AMC as a learning tool and try his luck in the real world. And look at him now! I think all young actors need to follow this rule. If they are at all serious about their careers, they all have to move on. Liz H *definitely* needs to follow it. Any where she sees daylight she needs to make like Barry Sanders and run. Eden should have done it already (I do not want to see her go,though, as she is the reason to watch this show.) but she is a lifer, it would seem. And that's OK. Everyone needs to do what's right. Damn, even Cam Math left to pursue the dream. A wife and new baby made wanting to go Hollywood a bit more difficult, so he came back. I know Olga's a bit older than Josh but she cannot tie herself down to AMC. If she wants to stay, I say "great". None of these youngsters should stay too long...if the big screen or TV ratings stardom is the goal. Just my opinion. BTW, Rebecca might just be a lifer,too. But Kelly Ripa should also be a role model because she left at the right time. Another good example is Sam Page. I felt bad he was let go, but now it seems he got a huge break and is on American Dreams(the best show nobody's talking about). And even Laura whatshername is in Mona Lisa Smile and I read she's going to be on some show on cable. But I do love Lianca and will savor it for as long as it lasts.

Yep. That's what I was driving at mid-rant, BK, but didn't delve into because I'd said more than enough already. It's not as if Maggie's got some image-conscious sociallite or old-fashioned apron-clad mother somewhere who would lose her shit if she found out her little girl is gay. So, what the fuck are we to believe is holding Maggie back? Is Maggie also a closet fundamentalist Christian?



Word. Which is why I would love to see Corporate!Hijinks!Lendall sometime soon with Bianca, pissed off about Erica's rejection of the Lovechild, coming to work with them. Then, once Bianca sees Corporate!Raider!Lena in action and responds positively, Lena will see that Bianca can accept that side of her and thus, reembrace it.

ETA:



While I do understand there being a potential for confusion, what I find troubling is the fact that Maggie didn't deal with this two years ago, when really she had every reason to work through those issues. In addition, Maggie's has been close to Bianca long enough to have an good idea of what it would be like to be out in PV, so I have a difficult time accepting that she doesn't know what it would mean for her and her life.

There are lots of reasons why people might hold back on coming out. Particuarly if they are confused and don't understand what they are feeling because yes she may not have family who would care but that doesn't mean there won't be people out there who do care. But more importantly, if she has never thought of herself as bi or gay than she has to deal with those issues and come to terms with them and how or if that changes who she is.

And we saw her do exactly that last winter. I think we got the answer in January, and in several other episodes down the road. In fact, here are transcripts, curtesy of Neatturtle at Olga's site:

I completely understand that, biakbiak, having gone through it myself. And the infamous champagne incident smacked very strongly of gay panic. But I think where AMC really kind of poisoned the well was in the Maggie/Henry scenes in which she discussed Bianca. She made it really clear that if she had sexual feelings for Bianca, then she'd be with her. She hated not being what Bianca had hoped she'd be. I mean, it was actually a dynamic where Maggie wished that she was gay. (ETA: And I see MysticksMuse just put up transcripts of the key bits.) So, okay, she had no sexual feelings for Bianca at that time. Am I to believe that suddenly sexual feelings have emerged? Especially with someone as good-looking as Bianca? And what does it say that this occurred after Bianca was raped? I mean, it'd be...odd.


Ah yes, that too. It's both, you're correct. Erica plays a game with those two below-the-belt tactics--she dangles love one moment, she tells Kendall she's just like her evil father the next. Enough.


Bianca generally gets praised and adored by PV for her qualities, which brings glory to Erica for having such a well-regarded daughter (especially since she can then pretend she deserves the credit). So even though those qualities are so different, Erica isn't going to be upset about it. It reflects well on her. But Erica also really wants Bianca to be just like herself. It's kind of...hard to explain. Um, Bianca's so well-regarded generally that Erica feels that if Bianca changes to be like her mother--she doesn't see it as changing, per se, mind you, which is key--then it must mean that Erica is well-regarded too for the same reasons. Sort of a fusion of mother and daughter. She can sort of pretend to herself that it's not a change, really, she and Banca are the same. As long as Bianca doesn't actively argue with her about anything, doesn't refuse to wear the matching mother-daughter gowns, and so on, Erica can float along in the delusion they're very much alike, even if Bianca's qualities are different. Because Erica doesn't necessarily think of herself as being different--she wants those qualities that Bianca has, and she wants to be admired for that. It's not easy to put in words--I'm explaining it poorly. But that dynamic can and does exist and is quite mind-bending. I've long been admiring of AMC for so perfectly scripting the Erica/Bianca relationship, even as watching it onscreen squicks me out, and I'm always happier when Bianca's not speaking to her.

BK I guess we're on the same page.

The funny thing about Erica is that she so wants Bianca to be like her, yet can't accept Kendall who is practiacally Erica's MiniMe, except taller.

Erica's opinion of Kendall is generally so negative that she simply can't accept that Kendall's like her. She sees all Kendall's negative qualities and despises them, and she insists Kendall got those qualities from her evil rapist father. Kendall's despised by most of Pine Valley--so if Kendall is despised, then Erica must be despised also, if she were like Kendall. But oh, she isn't, so problem solved.

It's the exact reverse of what goes on with Erica and Bianca.

BAM is a SHAM!

Nuff Said!

No, it came through perfectly clear. And to prove it, I'll even 'word' ya. Word.

I'm wondering if Bianca will tell Kendall (because we better have some Kinks scenes coming up) about her little convo with Erica.

Word! And thanks to Soapnet, I won't have to stay furious with the President.

One more CovertDig!Lena! Today-
Lena: You never answered my question
Maggie: Does my opinion even matter?
Lena: It does to Bianca.

(but not to me) BWAH!

I swear, this whole smackdown scene was brutal. Lena rocked. Maggie? Came off like a little freak.

She'd better. Because I want some Kinks Comfort!Snuggling! Want? Nay, I need it! Kinks, I miss you. *Sniff*

I wouldn't think that Bianca would tell Kendall about her conversation with Erica mainly because the only thing that would accomplish is hurting Kendall. I mean yes Kendall already knows how Erica feels, but that doesn't mean she wouldn't be hurt by it.

After today, I can't wait for the daughters Kane to both stick it to Erica. It's ironic, that even though Kendall grew up most of her life never knowing about Erica, she's the one who turned out to be the most like her-even down to the protect Bianca at all costs thing.

I couldn't even pay attention to anything Maggie was saying because I couldn't get past that hideous top. WTF is that shit?

Jaime, Boob and JR just need to shut up. What a dumb s/l.

I am so glad that the lodge crap is over with and they are all back in PV. Too bad the baddies didn't cap Ryan though. He is on my shit list.