Episode #581

[Michael]

Episode #581 has been posted.

In this episode: Claire seeks Travis's blessing before she moves ahead with her plans for runaway Tempest... Molly is served with separation papers, and Philip is there to support her... Brent has bad news about the Loretta investigation.

Thanks for reading!

[Nate2008]

First off, sorry I haven't commented in awhile Michael. I've been busy over here on the other side of the pond. I have been reading though and as always it’s a great pleasure to read FP! Looking forward to the great writing and storytelling I know we're going to get in 2010 (Can't believe I've been reading FP for 2 whole years now :O).

I honestly loved this episode, so much was going on with various storylines and you could feel many things moving along, which is always a good thing, especially with the investigation!

I loved Travis in this episode, the way he was in the Landon and Tori scene was fun. I also love the Landon and Tori interaction, they defo have chemistry! Looking forward to seeing what you do with these two together. Back to Travis, I felt his initial reaction to Tempest moving in was true to his character, however, after his conversation with Elly, I liked how he did the mature and thoughtful thing for his mother and even Tempest herself. Love this more insightful, mature and less bratty Travis. Elly is a very good influence on him.

Wow, so Molly and Brent are officially separated? Scary how this investigation has effected their marriage, but great for drama sake! As I've said last year, this storyline is one of my favorites and I love the pace and realism to it. I do like Phillip and Molly's friendship but I just have a kinda bad feeling Phil maybe up to something concerning Molly, he is Loretta's son after all.

Your playing a dangerous but fun game with Brent and Claire Michael! Clearly there's a close connection between the two of them and they are really dancing wildly on that thin line between friendship and affair. Really looking forward to seeing what comes of this if anything.

My boy Jason seemed almost normal today. Normal in the sense that he's slowly finding his way back to a 'normal life'. Obvious Courtney's death has and will affect him forever but it was nice to see him have a non-depressing conversation with Lauren. Speaking of which, I can't wait to see what happens with her and Josh because we all know something is going to happen soon and we all, well I, really want it too!

Excellent, well paced, well flowing and storyline moving episode Michael. Love getting my FP fix and you as always never disappoint!

[Nate2008]

I forgot to mention something else I really loved in this episode, and that was the subtle comedy in it! Travis, Landon, Jason, and Tori all had some great and funny lines! It was nice having a little giggle in-between the great drama.

[Michael]

Originally Posted by Nate2008

First off, sorry I haven't commented in awhile Michael. I've been busy over here on the other side of the pond. I have been reading though and as always it’s a great pleasure to read FP! Looking forward to the great writing and storytelling I know we're going to get in 2010 (Can't believe I've been reading FP for 2 whole years now :O).

I appreciate whatever feedback you're able to and want to give, no matter how often! It's all very welcome; you're certainly not obligated to give it. Thanks for sticking with FP!

Originally Posted by Nate2008

Wow, so Molly and Brent are officially separated? Scary how this investigation has effected their marriage, but great for drama sake! As I've said last year, this storyline is one of my favorites and I love the pace and realism to it. I do like Phillip and Molly's friendship but I just have a kinda bad feeling Phil maybe up to something concerning Molly, he is Loretta's son after all.

Your playing a dangerous but fun game with Brent and Claire Michael! Clearly there's a close connection between the two of them and they are really dancing wildly on that thin line between friendship and affair. Really looking forward to seeing what comes of this if anything.

I'm sure it's fairly apparent by now, but Claire/Brent/Molly/Philip is going to emerge as a pretty clear quadrangle over the next few episodes. It remains to be seen how far either of the new pairings will go -- I'm open to adjusting based on how things play, although I know what I'd like to get out of the story in the end -- but I'm glad that the connections between Molly/Philip and Brent/Claire seem strong enough to you now that they'd be interesting to pursue.

Originally Posted by Nate2008

My boy Jason seemed almost normal today. Normal in the sense that he's slowly finding his way back to a 'normal life'. Obvious Courtney's death has and will affect him forever but it was nice to see him have a non-depressing conversation with Lauren. Speaking of which, I can't wait to see what happens with her and Josh because we all know something is going to happen soon and we all, well I, really want it too!

Jason's doing a decent job of being outwardly normal, but we're going to delve back into his story shortly and see how he's really doing. For certain people, grieving is easiest when they can shut off their emotions by acting as if everything is normal. I felt like we needed a break from the sheer gloom of grief, and the story I want to tell with Jason wouldn't have worked immediately after he lost Court, because it's more a long-range story about adjusting to something to which you never, ever want to adjust.

As for Lauren and Josh, we'll be accompanying them on that trip (big surprise!), and yes, it definitely has a purpose. I will say that I regret having dropped the ball as far as focusing on them, so I'm thrilled that people still seem interested in their connection.

Originally Posted by Nate2008

I forgot to mention something else I really loved in this episode, and that was the subtle comedy in it! Travis, Landon, Jason, and Tori all had some great and funny lines! It was nice having a little giggle in-between the great drama.

Oh, great! It's important to me to inject levity wherever I can, because everyone always has such big, dramatic issues going on. The series would be such a downer if there wasn't some balance (and it's something I can always improve at).

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts, Nate!

[Dallas]

Michael,

Seperation papers? I know they spoke about it, but it still seems like such a harsh reality. Poor Molly, she seemed just devastated by actual process of seperating from her husband. I am glad Philip was there, even though I think he is hiding something still. FINALLY something is happening with this Loretta thing and the ball. I'm already looking forward to that.

Lauren -- How nice! We hadn't seen Jason in awhile, it's nice to see him still coping with the death. There scenes are always so touching. I love how immediately he wanted to question her about Josh ... it's clear to more people that there is a spark there. Will we see this business trip of theres?

Elly -- Oh how wise she is at such a young age. I like how she brings out the best in Travis. I'm still scratching my head as to why Claire wants to help out so much, but I'm trusting your story abilities with it!

Nice episode Michael!

cheers,
d

[Andy Eckles]

I am loving the Claire/Tempest storyline these past few episodes. Right from the start I appreciated Claire's inner struggles, not wanting to leave her at the shelter or a group home, taking Travis's considerations to heart before committing to letting her stay with them, etc. It's all been very well played out. Also, the way you've portrayed Tempest is very believable. I imagine it would be hard to create a believable runaway/troubled youth character and not have it seem corny or forced, but you've done a great job with her. Kudos for that. I'm definetely invested in this new storyline, and it's nice to see Claire doing something again.

I'm excited about the ball at Philip's mother's castle. Inviting Molly is a nice twist. I hope that something occurs at the ball which leads Molly to finally appreciate Brent's investigation instead of chastising him for it. Also - was very surprised when he served her separation papers! I'm glad he did it actually.

Lots of great stuff going on. Looking forward to more.

[Michael]

Originally Posted by Dallas

Seperation papers? I know they spoke about it, but it still seems like such a harsh reality. Poor Molly, she seemed just devastated by actual process of seperating from her husband. I am glad Philip was there, even though I think he is hiding something still. FINALLY something is happening with this Loretta thing and the ball. I'm already looking forward to that.

Believe me, I'm excited, too. I apologize for the crappy pacing with this. I tend to write like it's daytime, which would be fine if FP, y'know, had a new episode every day. I'm trying to push things forward hard now, without skipping important beats or contriving events. The ball should be a lot of fun. I've had it planned for a long while.

Originally Posted by Andy Eckles

I'm excited about the ball at Philip's mother's castle. Inviting Molly is a nice twist. I hope that something occurs at the ball which leads Molly to finally appreciate Brent's investigation instead of chastising him for it. Also - was very surprised when he served her separation papers! I'm glad he did it actually.

The ball is going to serve as a climax of sorts for this storyline. You know me, there's always something more coming, but it'll definitely be a spike and a big turning point in the story. Lots of questions will be answered. And I am excited to write a big, fancy, out-of-control party!

Originally Posted by Dallas

Lauren -- How nice! We hadn't seen Jason in awhile, it's nice to see him still coping with the death. There scenes are always so touching. I love how immediately he wanted to question her about Josh ... it's clear to more people that there is a spark there. Will we see this business trip of theres?

Absolutely. Their trip is going to take place simultaneously with Molly and Philip's.

Originally Posted by Dallas

Elly -- Oh how wise she is at such a young age. I like how she brings out the best in Travis. I'm still scratching my head as to why Claire wants to help out so much, but I'm trusting your story abilities with it!

Elly is definitely a good influence on Travis. He tends to be pretty impulsive and hot-headed, so she's a good counterpoint. There were some pretty big "hints" in this ep about what's motivating Claire regarding Tempest -- it's not going to be some shocking reveal, like she was actually a street urchin in her teens -- but we'll continue to delve into it. There's a lot of overlap between her motivation for helping Tempest and her continued fixation upon this Loretta/Clayton investigation.

Originally Posted by Andy Eckles

I am loving the Claire/Tempest storyline these past few episodes. Right from the start I appreciated Claire's inner struggles, not wanting to leave her at the shelter or a group home, taking Travis's considerations to heart before committing to letting her stay with them, etc. It's all been very well played out. Also, the way you've portrayed Tempest is very believable. I imagine it would be hard to create a believable runaway/troubled youth character and not have it seem corny or forced, but you've done a great job with her. Kudos for that. I'm definetely invested in this new storyline, and it's nice to see Claire doing something again.

I'm really thrilled to hear this is working for you. As I've said in prior posts, I know I'm walking a fine line, but this is an important story for me to tell, both in terms of Claire's development and positioning this new character on the canvas. I actually have enjoyed writing Tempest very much just because she's not so polite or polished, where the Fishers tend to be more reserved.

Thank you both for taking the time to read and stop in to share your thoughts! It's greatly appreciated.