Episode #600 + new features

[Michael]

Uploaded: Episode #600!

In this landmark episode: Three mothers... three surprises... and one unexpected delivery that will change lives forever.

In other news, the 2009 Recap has been added to the site. If you missed some episodes or have only recently jumped into the story, this is a great chance to get caught up on the past, especially the major Jason/Courtney/"Sabrina" story that played out last year.

I've also added a new feature article to the Step Inside section. Titled Sins of the Fathers, it's a recap of the entire James Robbins/Nick Moriani/Loretta Ragan saga that has been unfolding since the beginning of the series 12 and a half years ago. If you've ever been sketchy on the specifics of that long-running tale, or if you could just use a refresher, this is a convenient way to understand it all as we move into a new phase of this story.

Thanks so much to all of you for your support! I could not have kept this project going for so long without your backing. I hope you enjoy the episode and that we're around for many, many more of them.

Please note: The above episode link will take you to our Current Episode page. For a permanent link to Episode #600, go here. All previous episodes can be found in our Archives.

[kira]

Congratulations, Michael! Another milestone zooms past as you continue to produce the most consistent episodes of tightly-knit drama and romantic intrigue in websoapdom. I love that you used this episode to highlight some of FP's greatest strengths -- intimate, realistic character moments combined with humorous touches and a few surprising twists (New characters! Mysterious documents!) to shake up the canvas.

I'm sure it's no surprise that my favorite scenes involved Diane and Tim. I'm enjoying the reprecussions of Samantha's kidnapping, both on poor Sam and on her justifiably concerned parents. Trust Diane to react in her own heightened way (and the dig against Travis was both trenchant and a hoot). And she gets a new relative -- or has Natalie been mentioned before? I don't recall Diane referring to her family much, if at all. (But after 600 episodes and nearly 13 years, I'm sure there's a lot of history I'm spacing on.) I'd be worried about another character named "Bree" (isn't that a nickname for "Sabrina"?)! I'm guessing she's gonna be part of the younger teen set, e.g. Sam/Tori/Tempestt, rather than the Travis/Elly/Langdon crowd, since she's following her mom around rather than heading off to college. Natalie gives me a Real Housewives vibe ... your love of trash TV is showing! I guess King's Bay needs a new bitchy character around, since Sarah and Diane have mellowed. But I prefer Diane to be on top of things, so I hope she'll stave off whatever machinations Natalie has for her. And who's Nat's paramour? My first thought was Graham, but I guess that doesn't make sense (unless he's two-timing Sarah -- in which case, God have mercy on his soul!).

How nice that Danielle/Elly seem to have reached a rapprochement at last! Good for Elly, who continues to show more maturity than many adult counterparts. And I appreciate that you're not letting Elly's real parents (the ones who raised her) fall by the wayside. Elly's obviously turned out well thanks to them, and it'd be a real shame for her to put all her energy and love into Danielle's basket just 'cause of biology. It'll be interesting to learn more about Elly's dad.

My guess on the certificate -- could James or Loretta have switched babies when they kidnapped wee Travis? Or is that just what you want us to think? The tease in Claire's comments ("Travis is a Fisher") could be either a clue or a red herring. Clever and intriguing! OTOH, there've already been quite a lot of parent-related dramas (though thankfully you're nowhere near Days of Our Lives territory yet!) so I suspect there's more involved than just another who's-my-dady / who's-my-baby tale.

Speaking of, the Sins of the Fathers was terrifically helpful in refreshing our minds of all the wild 'n' winding paths your stories have taken. I'm happy to see I remembered everything! Senility hasn't hit yet.

Congratulations again, Michael, and thank you for continually strutting your stuff and providing us with such depth of storytelling and heights of entertainment. I have no doubt your professional accomplishments will take you to huge successes in the outside world, but I hope (and am pretty sure) that Footprints will remain part of our lives for a long, long time to come.

[Andy Eckles]

What an exciting episode to mark your 600th! Congratulations on that, first and foremost. A true accomplishment.

I'm dying to get more info on some new developments this episode! First about Diane's sister Natalie, who seems like she's going to be a riot. I'm also curious as to who her beau is that is currently residing in Kings Bay. Someone we already know, I hope, but I guess not necessarily. (I'm assuming there are other people in town - lol). Plus anything that gives us more Diane scenes is a huge benefit in my opinion, so I hope whatever Natalie brings to the table involves a lot of her!

I have no idea what the birth certificate is that Claire received. I wonder if it is something involving Travis. And what date is she referring to? It is no doubt a checkmate from Loretta, working behind the scenes since her release from custody. Now that I have time to process it, I see the possibilities of things to come involving that old bat. She could be manipulating dramas for some time to come. I also liked the scene with Claire and Tempest. It gave us a little glimpse into Tempest's life even though we really didn't learn anything new. Funny how that can happen as a result of your description of her facial expressions and overall mood. Love it.

Glad that Elly is giving Danielle another chance. I forget if we know who Elly's father is? I don't believe it's been discussed. At any rate, by Danielle's reaction to Elly's request to know about her father, I have to assume he's bad news. Which always makes things more fun, of course.

Great episode Michael (and the 599 before it!)

[Dallas]

Wow Michael, I'm in awe of you. 600 episodes. Not just episodes. 600 episodes of quality writing that everyone else in the community should look too if ever they need inspiration of how to write and webseries or produce a webseries. You're talent and ability to continue the story for this time period is just amazing. Job well done.

The episode itself was lovely. I loved the Elly/Danielle scenes, and like I commented about the previous episode, it makes sense because Elly has always been a very mature character, so for her to hold a grudge didn't seem very natural. Yes she's hurt, but she's more than that. I'm very curious to see how her relationship with Travis plays out now and also who her father is! Is it some one we know? Is it someone new to the series? Someone from the past? So many questions, so many wonderful possibilities.

I love Nathalie already and hope to God she gives Diane something to do. I know you put her in the Danielle/Elly storyline last year, but I really hope she gets something of her own to chew on. Together they should be a riot.

Claire ... is the birth certificate regarding herself, Travis, or Tempest? so many question marks with this one. I'm dying to know really. I'm loving that Claire is seemingly back in the front burner after some time away from the lime light. Really, she has a lot going on now: the reveal of her birth father and Loretta, the Tempest thing, her growing attraction to Brent and her feelings (we all know that they're there) with Tim. They are like Nikki/Victor of Footprints ... meant to be (or as I tell Colton with Nicholas and Sharon MTB ... he was a Phyllis/Nick fan, and I'm always like "MTB will prevail" haha).

Once again Michael, HUGE congrats on your remarkable milestone. I hope one day I can say the same and I wish you another 600 episodes (1200 ... eek, that seems so far off, huh?)

d

[Michael]

Originally Posted by kira

Congratulations, Michael! Another milestone zooms past as you continue to produce the most consistent episodes of tightly-knit drama and romantic intrigue in websoapdom. I love that you used this episode to highlight some of FP's greatest strengths -- intimate, realistic character moments combined with humorous touches and a few surprising twists (New characters! Mysterious documents!) to shake up the canvas.

Originally Posted by Andy Eckles

What an exciting episode to mark your 600th! Congratulations on that, first and foremost. A true accomplishment.

Originally Posted by Dallas

Wow Michael, I'm in awe of you. 600 episodes. Not just episodes. 600 episodes of quality writing that everyone else in the community should look too if ever they need inspiration of how to write and webseries or produce a webseries. You're talent and ability to continue the story for this time period is just amazing. Job well done.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! You three have been some of my most consistent supporters, and I hope you know how grateful I am for that.

Originally Posted by kira

Congratulations again, Michael, and thank you for continually strutting your stuff and providing us with such depth of storytelling and heights of entertainment. I have no doubt your professional accomplishments will take you to huge successes in the outside world, but I hope (and am pretty sure) that Footprints will remain part of our lives for a long, long time to come.

Again, Kira, thanks for your support over the years, and I’m also fairly certain that FP will be around for some time to come. The more the daytime soaps fall off, the more important FP becomes to me. Sometimes I’ll just get lost clicking through the site, marveling at the fact that I’ve managed to accumulate this much history. If you’d shown 14-year-old me, while he was writing the original FP bible, that this is what it’d turn into... At any rate, no matter where my professional writing takes me (and I hope that’s, um, somewhere!), I’ve also come to value FP as a great training ground. I can try out ideas, figure out pacing, and more than anything, keep myself writing at all times. It’s invaluable.

Originally Posted by kira

Trust Diane to react in her own heightened way (and the dig against Travis was both trenchant and a hoot). And she gets a new relative -- or has Natalie been mentioned before? I don't recall Diane referring to her family much, if at all. (But after 600 episodes and nearly 13 years, I'm sure there's a lot of history I'm spacing on.) I'd be worried about another character named "Bree" (isn't that a nickname for "Sabrina"?)! I'm guessing she's gonna be part of the younger teen set, e.g. Sam/Tori/Tempestt, rather than the Travis/Elly/Langdon crowd, since she's following her mom around rather than heading off to college. Natalie gives me a Real Housewives vibe ... your love of trash TV is showing! I guess King's Bay needs a new bitchy character around, since Sarah and Diane have mellowed. But I prefer Diane to be on top of things, so I hope she'll stave off whatever machinations Natalie has for her.

Diane has always had a sister, as far back as her original scheming to get Tim. There was a vague “sister who was a gymnast and the parents’ favorite” backstory, and I’ve mentioned her on rare occasion over the years. Diane isn’t exactly close with her family--as we’ll see in greater detail with Natalie in town--but there have been a few times it’s merited a mention. I don’t know that I’ve ever used her name, even though I’ve “known” it was Natalie for probably 4-5 years. You’re right-on with the Real Housewives comparison for Nat, though. She’s a different kind of bitchy than Sarah or Diane have ever been; the difference is very clear in my head, and I hope I convey it properly in the writing. At any rate, this definitely puts Diane more in the center of things, which is long overdue.

I actually hadn’t made the Bree/Sabrina connection, but don’t worry: Bree isn’t a psycho! Well, yet. She’s actually not going to be mixed up with the teen crowd at all. She’s going to be Caleb and Christian’s age. I think we have enough teens for the time being!

Originally Posted by Andy Eckles

I'm dying to get more info on some new developments this episode! First about Diane's sister Natalie, who seems like she's going to be a riot. I'm also curious as to who her beau is that is currently residing in Kings Bay. Someone we already know, I hope, but I guess not necessarily. (I'm assuming there are other people in town - lol). Plus anything that gives us more Diane scenes is a huge benefit in my opinion, so I hope whatever Natalie brings to the table involves a lot of her!

Natalie’s fiancé will definitely be a familiar face, though perhaps not in the way anyone’s expecting. There are other people floating around this town, I swear!

Originally Posted by Dallas

I love Nathalie already and hope to God she gives Diane something to do. I know you put her in the Danielle/Elly storyline last year, but I really hope she gets something of her own to chew on. Together they should be a riot.

I’ve had Natalie ready to come in for a while now, but I needed to wait until a few things cleared out first. The idea of introducing her absolutely came from a desire to give Diane more to do. It’s sort of pitiful how I’ve dropped the ball on really giving her story the past few years, though her presence is so strong that I often feel like she’s been more involved than she has been!

Originally Posted by kira

How nice that Danielle/Elly seem to have reached a rapprochement at last! Good for Elly, who continues to show more maturity than many adult counterparts. And I appreciate that you're not letting Elly's real parents (the ones who raised her) fall by the wayside. Elly's obviously turned out well thanks to them, and it'd be a real shame for her to put all her energy and love into Danielle's basket just 'cause of biology. It'll be interesting to learn more about Elly's dad.

Originally Posted by Andy Eckles

Glad that Elly is giving Danielle another chance. I forget if we know who Elly's father is? I don't believe it's been discussed. At any rate, by Danielle's reaction to Elly's request to know about her father, I have to assume he's bad news. Which always makes things more fun, of course.

Originally Posted by Dallas

I loved the Elly/Danielle scenes, and like I commented about the previous episode, it makes sense because Elly has always been a very mature character, so for her to hold a grudge didn't seem very natural. Yes she's hurt, but she's more than that. I'm very curious to see how her relationship with Travis plays out now and also who her father is! Is it some one we know? Is it someone new to the series? Someone from the past? So many questions, so many wonderful possibilities.

I loathe the weird daytime TV convention of “Oh, you’re my biological parent? I shall now disregard the people who raised me for the past 18-30 years.” It’s bizarre and offensive. There’s room in Elly’s life for another adult figure, but Danielle isn’t going to take Melanie’s place in her life. I want to be clear about that. At any rate, I kind of bungled the fallout from the reveal of Elly’s parentage, at least in terms of timing, so I really wanted to get to this point where they’re beginning to forge a relationship. It won’t be easy going at all times, but it’s a nice switch from the “I refuse to speak to you!” bit.

As for Elly’s father, all we know is that he was a musician Danielle once knew. I’m actually going to go full-out and state, for the record, that he is not someone we’ve met in the story before. When we get to him, it’ll be a great opportunity to bring in a fresh character who isn’t related to 75% of the cast.

Originally Posted by kira

My guess on the certificate -- could James or Loretta have switched babies when they kidnapped wee Travis? Or is that just what you want us to think? The tease in Claire's comments ("Travis is a Fisher") could be either a clue or a red herring. Clever and intriguing! OTOH, there've already been quite a lot of parent-related dramas (though thankfully you're nowhere near Days of Our Lives territory yet!) so I suspect there's more involved than just another who's-my-dady / who's-my-baby tale.

Originally Posted by Andy Eckles

I have no idea what the birth certificate is that Claire received. I wonder if it is something involving Travis. And what date is she referring to? It is no doubt a checkmate from Loretta, working behind the scenes since her release from custody. Now that I have time to process it, I see the possibilities of things to come involving that old bat. She could be manipulating dramas for some time to come.

Originally Posted by Dallas

Claire ... is the birth certificate regarding herself, Travis, or Tempest? so many question marks with this one. I'm dying to know really.

I don’t want to respond too specifically to any aspect of this, because the thread has just been introduced and I fear tipping my hand without intending to do so. I will say two things: 1) the 600th episode felt like the perfect time to introduce this beat, because it’ll be very relevant as we move into the series’s new phase; 2) this is not going to be one of those things where the mystery element is drawn out for 50 or 100 episodes. We’ll have (some) answers pretty soon.

Originally Posted by kira

Speaking of, the Sins of the Fathers was terrifically helpful in refreshing our minds of all the wild 'n' winding paths your stories have taken. I'm happy to see I remembered everything! Senility hasn't hit yet.

Awesome! A bit of credit for that actually goes to Andy, who last year was working on his Writers’ Swap episode and asked if I could give him a condensed write-up of that entire saga. It got me thinking that it’d make a useful ‘extra’ for the site, because it’s been such a long and twisty story. I also had fun writing it and realizing, “Oh crap, I actually have done one of those ever-evolving, long-term soap stories!”

Thanks again for taking the time to post your thoughts and for all your support and encouragement and help over the years. I’m so appreciative, and honestly, in awe!

[Ira]

How did I not leave comments on this yet? Anyway, congrats congrats congrats on such a wonderful series that has always been a joy to read. You've always been someone I've looked up to in terms of webseries writing, and our professional careers, and you've been a great friend and "mentor" of sorts. But enough about you.

I loved the episode a lot. It was definitely one of those "in with the new" episodes, while still feeling steeped in what's been going on. It's a lot less abrupt than, say, a crazy fashion show and bashing two leads over the head with a steel pipe.

You'd told me about Diane's sister, but I'd forgotten she would be coming up soon. Can't wait to see how she mixes it up with everyone. She's going to be hanging around the Jason age group, I presume?

I'm also glad that Elly and Danielle have entered a new phase of their relationship and that Claire seems to have a new story all of her own coming up. Great stuff Michael, and congrats again!

[Michael]

Originally Posted by Ira

How did I not leave comments on this yet? Anyway, congrats congrats congrats on such a wonderful series that has always been a joy to read. You've always been someone I've looked up to in terms of webseries writing, and our professional careers, and you've been a great friend and "mentor" of sorts. But enough about you.

Heh. Thanks for your post, Ira, and for being such a consistent reader and support over the years.

Originally Posted by Ira

You'd told me about Diane's sister, but I'd forgotten she would be coming up soon. Can't wait to see how she mixes it up with everyone. She's going to be hanging around the Jason age group, I presume?

She's definitely younger than Diane, but I'm sort of trying to mash the Jason crowd in with the other adults now. We have a separate teen scene, and I don't want to be servicing three separate groups of characters. There's already been some movement toward that, with Philip being mixed up with both Molly and Lauren, and Natalie will be another useful character in that regard.

Thanks again!