Episode #592

Michael · #1 04-30-2010, 09:27 PM

Episode #592 is now available!

In this episode: As the masked ball at Loretta's is about to begin, she receives news about some unexpected guests... Philip has to explain his relationship with Molly... Ryan questions Danielle about their future... and Claire has second thoughts about her and Brent's plan.

Thanks for reading!

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al90 · #2 05-02-2010, 01:03 PM

It has been forever since I posted! I have been reading every episode though so I have been keeping up on everything!

Hmmmm, this Loretta character makes me picture Vivian from DAYS every time I read her. I went and checked her bio to make sure you didn't use her and must say the actress you chose does slightly resemble her. Anyway, I have no clue what Loretta has planned and am looking forward to seeing what it is. She isn't someone I would want to cross because it appears she doesn't care about anyone but herself.

I must say I enjoy the Brent and Claire interactions. I never cared for them each individually as characters but they surprisingly make each other more interesting. It seems to be them versus the world and with Brent's marital strife, it makes sense he is turning to her.

I am intrigued that Jason is taking pills now and enjoyed how you wrote the moment Alex saw the pills. It came off as a realistic reaction to a friend being suspicious of his friend who is grieving. Of course Alex doesn't want to jump to negative conclusions but he can't help himself because he knows how difficult Jason is taking Courtney's death. I love the Jason and Alex friendship and hope Alex continues to take on a major role in this story.

The Samantha and Tempest car scenes were a great way to let us know who exactly they are as characters. I think the two girls will end up being total besties and their opposite personalities should keep them as an interesting duo once the high school drama or whatever you have planned comes their way.

Those are all the random thoughts about recent episodes I can think of now. I will try to make it a habit to comment more!

Dallas · #3 05-02-2010, 10:51 PM

Michael,

Finally, the ball is moving forward! Such excitment surrounds this storyline, I can't wait to keep reading. I love Loretta barking orders as people set up the party, and even the way she handled Philip was great. Such presence, and you could tell that Philip respects her for her directness. I'm almost rooting for a Philip/Molly affair to happen; I get the chemistry with them. The party will be awesome though, I'm looking forward to it.

So refreshing was the talk with Danielle and Ryan. Instead of two people just jumping into a relationship, they actually talk about where thigns are going and where they want them to go. How ... grown up of them.

Fanastic read. Keep up the good work,

d

Michael · #4 05-03-2010, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by al90

It has been forever since I posted! I have been reading every episode though so I have been keeping up on everything!

Thanks for letting me know, Alan! It's good to see your "face" around here again. I'm glad the series is holding your interest.

Quote:

Originally Posted by al90

Hmmmm, this Loretta character makes me picture Vivian from DAYS every time I read her. I went and checked her bio to make sure you didn't use her and must say the actress you chose does slightly resemble her. Anyway, I have no clue what Loretta has planned and am looking forward to seeing what it is. She isn't someone I would want to cross because it appears she doesn't care about anyone but herself.

Oh, that's interesting. I can totally see it, now that you mention Louise Sorel. I'm definitely just having fun with Loretta -- she's a very over-the-top 'type' and it's a nice change to play with something so broad and out-there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by al90

I must say I enjoy the Brent and Claire interactions. I never cared for them each individually as characters but they surprisingly make each other more interesting. It seems to be them versus the world and with Brent's marital strife, it makes sense he is turning to her.

I've really been trying to develop that "Us against the world" dynamic, so I'm thrilled you noticed and mentioned it! They've slowly isolated themselves from the Fishers (ironically, through a mission that should help the Fishers in the long run, if it succeeds), and even though they know they should probably back off, they're in too deep with this thing now. And no one else seems to understand. Both of the characters have been clicking for me throughout this story, so I'm pleased that's coming across for you, too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by al90

The Samantha and Tempest car scenes were a great way to let us know who exactly they are as characters. I think the two girls will end up being total besties and their opposite personalities should keep them as an interesting duo once the high school drama or whatever you have planned comes their way.

Awesome! Their dynamic is exciting to me as I move forward with the next wave of stories. After you've gone through something like the JD debacle, there's no way you can't be bonded, even if you don't necessarily want to be.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dallas

Finally, the ball is moving forward! Such excitment surrounds this storyline, I can't wait to keep reading.

That's a great compliment, so thank you. And I am more than ready to get this show on the road! It's been coming forever.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dallas

I'm almost rooting for a Philip/Molly affair to happen; I get the chemistry with them.

It seems that Molly/Philip and Brent/Claire are slowly developing fanbases of their own. This whole thing is gonna be messy!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dallas

So refreshing was the talk with Danielle and Ryan. Instead of two people just jumping into a relationship, they actually talk about where thigns are going and where they want them to go. How ... grown up of them.

For all their issues, I think the two of them genuinely care about each other, and at least for the time being, that love is outweighing a lot of the insanity that swirls around each of them. It's sort of refreshing to write a couple where they never really doubted their feelings for each other, just the circumstances.

Thanks so much for your comments, guys!

Andy Eckles · #5 05-03-2010, 02:17 PM

My gut hurts over the impending doom of THE MASKED BALL. That, or I did too many crunches yesterday. Either way, Michael, you have spent the time and attention to set up a very exciting event. The sense of foreboding surrouding the Ragan estate is fantastic. Loretta - I love how proper her speech is - refined on the outside but with all this mystery bubbling around underneath. She's really a character that gives you an unsettled feeling. It was eerie that her henchman already knew of Brent and Claire's arrival - which only adds to the effect of this all-powerful woman. The difference with her character is, yes she's over the top and mega dramatic, but it doesn't come across as funny or cartoonish to me. Nice touch adding the dogs - I fear what may happen later with them. lol

Total natural and expected for Claire to have doubts now that Tempest is back and in the wake of her and Samantha's experience. But glad that you incorporated it or else it would not have felt realistic.

Ryan and Danielle's talk about their future and marriage surprised me. But I can see where it would be something they would eventually talk about. Nice to have them both reflecting on their pasts as well because it uses your expansive history well.

Michael · #6 05-05-2010, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy Eckles

The sense of foreboding surrouding the Ragan estate is fantastic. Loretta - I love how proper her speech is - refined on the outside but with all this mystery bubbling around underneath. She's really a character that gives you an unsettled feeling. It was eerie that her henchman already knew of Brent and Claire's arrival - which only adds to the effect of this all-powerful woman. The difference with her character is, yes she's over the top and mega dramatic, but it doesn't come across as funny or cartoonish to me. Nice touch adding the dogs - I fear what may happen later with them. lol

Cool! That's terrific to hear. Loretta definitely provides a shift in tone from some of the recent stuff (Courtney's death, JD's plots), and I haven't been 100% certain of how it would go over, but it feels like what I've envisioned for this story. Something about those big, gothic soap stories has always been very attractive to me -- some of Marland's more out-there stuff on ATWT in the 80s, and Reilly's better-executed Days stuff in the 90s -- so it's exciting to have my chance to play something similarly over-the-top. That said, it's still very grounded in this journey we've been on with Claire, Brent, Tim, Ryan, and everyone else for the past 12+ years.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy Eckles

Ryan and Danielle's talk about their future and marriage surprised me. But I can see where it would be something they would eventually talk about. Nice to have them both reflecting on their pasts as well because it uses your expansive history well.

Ryan's never been good at not talking about things, often to a fault. When he was with Claire, he always had to know how she was feeling, what she was thinking, where they were headed, etc. Given his chaotic upbringing, bouncing between Nick and Stan, I can see why he's so desperate for stability! So it seemed natural for him to force the topic on Danielle.

Thanks for your post, Andy -- and for your enthusiasm about THE MASKED BALL!