Forums
Hi Mara. I enjoyed this feaure in the new issue and reading the point/counterpoint, and normally I agree with you on almost everything except your feeling on Supercouples. Supercouples have been a staple of soap opera since they began. We all rooted for the Luke/Laura's; the Jack/Jennifer's, etc, etc. A good majority of fans become connected to a show because of a particular couple. Though I do understand that this is soap and couples have to be broken up from time to time and tested with others, I do not believe that the writers have trouble writing for them, I think it's just that they don't want to. That old saying of "Married couples are boring couples" is alive on daytime and that's because no writer wants to change it. There are plenty of storyline ideas I can think of off the top of my head that they can do, but they don't seem to want to make an attempt to create any.
I find it hard to agree that fans need to be open to their favorite couple moving on especially when that particular couple isn't given a fair shot and their fans are continually jerked around. Case in point, Jack and Erica. We Jerica fans have waited a long time for this couple to finally tie the knot. We went through all the engagements, breakups, other partners, etc, etc, etc, for 18 years before we FINALLY got the wedding of our dreams in 2005. Instead of the writers giving us at least a year or two of a somewhat happy and actual marriage, McTavish and others set right out to rip them apart not 10 minutes after the honeymoon. Erica was already living outside of their home and involved with boring blob Jeff Martin before the ink was dry on the marriage license. The divorce was final a year later. I can't be happy about that nor do I want them to move on. IF AMC had given us a year or two of an actual marriage than I would understand if they wanted to shake them up (I wouldn't like it but I would understand it 
) but how are we supposed to be happy when we are continually disappointed by this show? IT's not fair and it's not fair for TPTB to think we would be happy to see them with others. A couple with the history of J/E and the fans that have been loyal to them, deserve a heck of a lot more than that. That's all I wanted to say and thanks for letting me speak my peace 
You have been very kind and attentive to our couple over the years and we are very appreciative of that. You have also been extremely kind to our big guy Walt and that means even more. Thanks.
Georgianne
Co-Founder of The Jackson Posse
email
rss
facebook
twitter
While I understand the problems one can encounter when dealing with super couples, I too feel that they are and have always been the staple of soap operas. If people think of 35 yearts of GH, for example, they don't think of the writing, the exploration of multiple character relationships....they think of LUke and Laura. Supercouples are what keeps a soap alive.While I agree NOT being in a "super couple" relationship leaves the writers and the characters with more obvious choices, a lot of those choices are just superficial and uninteresting and more than anything else..non memorable. Supercouples as a rule..are not created ..they just HAPPEN. Luke and Laura never were supposed to be..they just took off with the audience and their connection has not been lost in all these years even with one of the actors off the show. And not to really compare a newish couple like Zach and Kendall with the longevity of Luke and Laura, they also were not planned and just HAPPENED Only time will tell if they can also remain as a supercouple (both storwise...and the actors have to choose to remain on the show as well). But for the writers NOT to take advantage of MAGIC..the unexpected chemistry of a pairing that is smacking them in the face....is IMO foolish. That does not mean I expect or even want hearts and flowers at all times..or it does not mean that emotions, situations, and/or other people should not threaten the relationship...as long as it logical and makes sense to the characters who they are. But the audiences are a lot more savvy than they were 20 years ago and if the writers don't deal with that, they will continue to see the drop in ratings they are currently seeing. And I don't see the supercouple as the problem..it's how the supercouple (and the audience) are being jerked around that is.If I continue to use Zach and Kendall as examples (because its an AMC thread), you can have Dixie and Zach become friends and become drawn to each other because they have both suffered losses of children..I get that and am ok with it.But then when Kendalls life was threatened and Zach barricaded himself at gunpoint in her hospital room, only to leave to take care of some Dixie business on a whim..or get sucked up in a kiss with Dixie less than a month after Kendall's recovery...it makes NO sense and you lose viewers. Zach and Kendall were not even having problems at that point...you can't just plop characters in situations and expect the audience to follow. Zach telling Kendall she is everything to him and kissing Dixie one week later says little about the limitations of being in a supercouple relationship. It just reeks of bad writing and shows no respect for the viewers or the characters.Same with Greenlee. He is stuck in a hole with Greenlee barely speaking to each other except for maybe 10 minutes..and all of a sudden I am listening to Greenlee give Zach advice about his love life. I hear Greenlee tell Zach it's OK to lean on Kendall once in a while...and Zach listening to her like it's something he has never thought of before..when AMC just spent the previous year with Zach continually leaning on Kendall during the Satin Slayer storyline and having no problem doing so. And the audience is shaking its head in disbelief.If they have to CHANGE facts and twist what they just asked us to previously accept, it just makes their job harder. Why would I even try to accept whatever they throw my way when it can be changed on a whim?And that is a way bigger problem in my mind than being limited because of the concept of the supercouple. If you don't give the audience credit for having a brain and a memory, it's not going to work period. Write a true problem for a super couple, I will be more than willing to listen. Write nonsense and I will fight it, not accept it.JMHO..and sorry for my lengthy post.