|
|
Post by Kpatch on Mar 13, 2011 9:51:03 GMT -5
Do you think happy couples are boring? I got the idea for this thread from the thread about Justin and Adrienne (thanks lovinsafe). I don't know if they're staying on the show or going, but with Days, as soon as a couple is happy, they either:
-Become part of a triangle
-Are split up by external circumstances (i.e., Stefano or EJ's evildoings)
-Someone dies
-Ride off into the sunset and go overseas to England, Africa, Switzerland, or elsewhere, possibly never to be seen again
I have my own thoughts on the matter, but I'm going to leave this question open-ended. I'd like to know what everyone thinks.
|
|
|
|
Post by MrsM on Mar 13, 2011 11:05:08 GMT -5
For me, no they are not boring, but that is because we have seen so much turmoil lately that a little happiness is refreshing. I can only take so many triangles, deaths, etc before they get really old. That being said TPTB also have to write well for the happy couple. If they don't give them any kind of a story, then, yes, it can get boring like Abe and Lexie. They don't have a story that focuses on them as a couple and I could really care less about them right now. But when they were learning about Theo's autism I was rooting for them, because Theo needs his parents to be strong together.
|
|
|
|
Post by sportsgirl on Mar 13, 2011 11:36:16 GMT -5
I agree with MrsM... They have to still have a good story... I think Bo & Hope are best when the 2 of them work together, but when they seem to have separate routes it tends to get ho-hum.. Maybe that is why the writers continually have them go through so many turmoils. But really writers, must they always have Bo jumping into bed with old girlfriends (DUH).
They also keep bringing back characters without their mates and then proceed to break them up: ie Chloe & Brady, Jennifer & Jack...That really makes me angry!!!
|
|
|
|
Post by susala on Mar 13, 2011 11:47:14 GMT -5
I remember the couple of Frankie and Cass on Another World. As I recall, they were very happy. They also had great adventures together. Happy does not preclude interesting. Even without great adventures, daily life can be an adventure. It is all in the writing.
|
|
|
|
Post by lovinsafe on Mar 13, 2011 11:49:33 GMT -5
Your welcome jkjpatch…
No I don’t think they are boring…Of all the soaps I’ve watch daytime and nighttime couple act like the majority of couples in the world, they have arguments, pull together in tough times, have joyous times, etc. I agree they have to have a good S/L to pull it off…
Not until Ej came to DAYS and started his yelling, screaming, ranting and ravings have we heard about everyone else being boring! I find his behavior boring and not called for and I put my TV on mute when he is talking! It’s just the same old thing day in and day out! There is NO substance in the words coming out of his mouth. Fighting with the one you love is boring…
|
|
|
|
Post by Tom Horton on Mar 13, 2011 12:21:58 GMT -5
Obviously all soaps have a tendency to keep characters/couples in one type of problem or another because that is sort of what storytelling tends to revolve around in any setting (i.e., novels tend to all have a problem that gets resolved and then the book ends) and I know Days has always done that with its characters/couples. However, it seems like since the spring of 2006 and especially ever since Gary Tomlin was hired as co-producer that Days has gone into overdrive with the angry, revenge, tragedy, triangle type storylines that used to be the anomaly rather than the routine daily life of our characters. TPTB seem to rely so heavily on "shock value" plot points that has become so predictable that viewers have become to numb (IMO) to events that should be shocking .... I find the current regime's storytelling very boring and think that the best way they could now shock their viewers is to actually let the characters have some peace. I think the stories are much more interesting when the characters are written in a somewhat realistic manner dealing with ordinary problems in an ordinary way than all of the irrational responses and extreme circumstances that have become so routine for Days in the past few years. In other words, I think happy couples are very interesting it's just a lot harder on the writers/producers to write them in an interesting way. The easier route for TPTB to take is constantly bringing in new characters, writing existing characters out of character, and relying on cartoon style villians to dominate and drive every storyline ... and the current PTB at Days are all about the easy route IMO. susala, I loved Cass & Frankie's romance .... almost as much as I loved Cass & Felicia's friendship. sportsgirl, yes I hate that too (bringing back 1/2 of a couple & breaking them up). |
|
|
|
Post by Sparkster on Mar 13, 2011 12:58:38 GMT -5
Great observations Kazz! I agree. It is possible to make happy couples interesting but TPTB are just too lazy to face that challenge. They would rather take the easy route. And you know it's not so much that couples need to be happy all the time. It's just that the writers seem to always resort to the triangle/cheating/manipulation when a couple is finally happy together. Why does it always have to be this way? There are things that can cause angst with a couple other than one of them cheating (e.g. child/parenting issues, infertility, work related issues, financial problems, etc.) Even if a couple is supposedly "happy" they could still show them working through everyday issues like that which would add a bit of realism to the show. Oh, that's right, this is a soap so reality is out the window.  |
|
|
|
Post by Pallison on Mar 13, 2011 13:06:49 GMT -5
Seems to me if you can write, you can write an interesting happy couple story just as easy as you can write an unhappy couple story ....writing is writing and you should be able to write interesting stories for a happy couple the same as an unhappy couple I would think...?? Is it harder to imagine and create stories with 2 people working together than it is 2 people working against each other...?? Shouldn't be......I think it's the Jerry Springer/right wing hate radio mentality that has done away with most of our happy/decent/pleasant/exciting/nonviolent stories .......
And frankly my dear ones at Days of our Lives, I don't believe happy is boring, I believe your mind, your creativity, your talent, your attitude, and just you in general are all lacking......
|
|
|
|
Post by Kpatch on Mar 13, 2011 13:33:56 GMT -5
I think Jerry Springer removed the shock value from a lot of situations, like having your brotherinlaw's baby. But which came first, the chicken or the egg? Nowadays, the things that used to be shocking on soaps apparently happen to regular people. I think the more often you hear something, the more acceptable it becomes and the more "normal" it seems.
But, Jerry notwithstanding ....
I agree that it's all in the writing. Days used to be great at creating adventures for couples so that they were working together on something, not at cross-purposes.
What I really enjoy is those relatable moments, and there aren't many of them on the show these days. Like in my kpatch fan fiction story Lucas' Last Stand, when he was shopping in a Kroger store, or in All My Exes, when Brady and Philip were complaining that there's never anything to eat at home. Those are relatable moments, moreso than sleeping with my husband's double or having a villain perpetrate yet another plot against me.
So I think it's definitely possible to make a happy soap couple interesting. And I think the fans would prefer it.
|
|
|
|
Post by susala on Mar 13, 2011 13:36:48 GMT -5
There are several tv shows on regular stations, not cable, that have stories about regular things. Check out Parenthood, or Modern Family. If you go back a bit, remember how Seinfeld was written about "nothing?" The long running hit, Friends, also took everyday situations and made them into story.
Some of the most successful tv programs have had excellent writing and good acting...and the stories have hardly anything to do with the kind of shock value drama that is currently the norm on DOOL. Drama...fine. Non-stop shocking, degrading, disgusting stories...not.
|
|
|
|
Post by Tom Horton on Mar 13, 2011 13:51:13 GMT -5
I do think it's harder to make happy "interesting" than tragedy/contention. It's more subtle. It requires thoughtful dialogue rather than mere insults and screaming. It's similar IMO to the difference between epic storytelling (as required in the soap genre or epic novels) versus situational storytelling (i.e, situation comedies or short stories). It's harder to write complex, flawed characters than one dimensional stock characters that are all good or total evil. I like seeing the development of realistic (flawed but not inhuman) characters over time and how their individual traits lead them into relationships (not just romantic ones), challenges and conflicts with other complex characters where neither side is completely right or completely wrong. I believe that makes for potentially greater entertainment value long term, but it requires a greater writing skill than sticking one dimensional characters into plot driven, purely good hero versus horrifically bad villain storylines that have no real impact on any of the characters long term. This isn't a good analogy but it's the one that comes to mind: "Rambo" versus "Casablanca". They may both be classics in their own way and perhaps there are people who actually prefer "Rambo", but I can't imagine that there is a lot of debate about which one required deeper character development and better dialogue writing. IMO, if you've seen one Rambo style movie you've seen them all and that's basically how I feel about the series of plot points on Days these past few years. I'd like to see more focus on character development and character driven plots and if TPTB did that, I don't think they would have to be concerned about happy characters/couples being boring. JMO. ETA: susala, good point about Seinfeld, "the show about nothing" was very entertaining. |
|
|
|
Post by savejackandjenn on Mar 13, 2011 18:06:23 GMT -5
No happy couples are not boring. There can be plenty of drama and angst for a happy couple. The destruction of Jack and Jennifer and the bashing of Jack is totally uncalled for. Angers me to no end.
|
|
|
|
Post by melly on Mar 13, 2011 19:53:10 GMT -5
I think if you look at Day's history, you can see that couples who (overall) are happy can be interesting and even (gasp) well-written. Best examples--Tom and Alice, Mickey and Maggie, Doug and Julie. Not like their lives were/are rainbows and butterflies...they have had crises, drama, etc. Ultimately, though, they were/are together, happy, strong, stable. What's wrong with that? There are, IMO, couples who have that potential now, if properly written...people who can serve as a foundation or stability for a number of storylines that are dramatic and multidimensional.
|
|
|
|
Post by MrsM on Mar 13, 2011 21:40:11 GMT -5
Exactly. I love Doug and Julie and wish they were on more. I love the way they look at each other. I used watch Days for the romance and that is long gone. What I wouldn't give for Bo and Hope to go sailing, or for Jack to surprise Jennifer at her door. Random acts of love. That is what keeps it interesting.
|
|
|
|
Post by Trey on Mar 14, 2011 10:46:30 GMT -5
Happy couples can be boring, but they can also be interesting. It really depends on the storyline and the writers. For example, Tom and Alice. They were THE Staple Couple, but they had a lot of things happen that they were involved in (Alice's snooping for the greater good/Tom bailing her out). They were always fun to watch and only once that I can remember did Alice suspect he had an affair (which turned out to be his love of poetry at a Beatnik bar).
Anyway, my point, its not the couple, but the story lines that we've been given.
There's always turmoil and strife in every relationship, which is normal, but how a couple deals with it is what makes them strong.
|
|
