Whatever Happened to "Writing to a Person's Strengths"?

Poor Aiden Turner, you know? He gets some semblance of a storyline with a romance with one of the writers' (and my!*) favorite characters, which turns out to be the first romance of his that ever has, like, fans (unless there was a vocal contingent of Aidan/Erin fans that I didn't know about, which seems unlikely, but kind of hilarious). And then everything goes straight to hell, like most things AMC-related do, because the writing staff went back to the "Ryan and Greenlee are the best thing in the world, ever, better than rainbows and kittens and $50 bills falling from the sky" well and you know who wins against Ryan? No one. Not even Jesus, probably. So Aidan Devane never really stood a chance.

So it kind of seems like I am pouring salt on the wound by saying this, but...um, it seemed kind of, um...unwise for the writers to give him a big, emotional breakdown scene. He's good at a lot of things, like being foxy, and charming, but he's not as skillful at things like "conveying emotion" or "enunciating".

I'm just saying. It's my job to be honest, so I NEEDED to say it, but I feel bad doing it. I want to give him a hug.

*The Lifetime Movie Network recently aired one of Rebecca Budig's post-AMC works, The Perfect Child, co-starring Lifetime Movie hall of fame member Lochlyn Munro (look at his resume! That's a metric ton of cheese, right there), about a successful young woman who marries a single father and then crazy stuff starts to happen and there are murders and stalkings and the like. It was tremendously, tremendously awful and, you know, the fact that I was even watching the Lifetime Movie Network should tell you that I don't have very high standards. I am thinking that, if the rumors of her skedaddling as soon as her contract is up are true, Ms. Budig should seriously think twice.

Comments

[Gene]

Hey, Mallory, I do feel like she should stay on, but on the other hand, the show is going down the tubes in a way that I don't blame for leaving because the character is being written into a corner and needs to leave for a bit and then if she comes back refresh and renewed, I would love to have her back. But we, the fans, don't have to suffer from the "Rylee" boredom that Pratt is doing for this couple. I did like Aidan and Greenlee and should have kept them together, I don't believe he is the love of her life, but I was rooting for them and like there chemistry and light-hearted togetherness that is missing from AMC. Or I hope another soap picks her up.

[Natalie]

Ugh I can't stand the "Holy Trinity" of Pine Valley (Ryan Greenlee & Kendall)I can't stand tweaky eyed Ryan and bonerack evil witch Kendall...and as for Greenlee....ugh

Poor poor Aiden...

[Mel]

If the New York Times is to be believed, then I think those Rebecca Budig rumors are not actually rumors, but are, as Dwight Schrute would say, "Fact!".

And also...here's a hypothetical question. Ryan Lavery vs. Jason Morgan to determine who rules ABC daytime once and for all. Who wins? (Clearly not the viewing audience but that's another story altogether...)

[buddz]

Aidan had that ill-fated romance with Maria, too. I think that was his Really Big Story, 'cause he got to dance and kiss and rescue his woman from the booby-trapped ice chest on the beach! (Now THAT was some serious drahmah!)

I wanted to hug him, today, too. Sad that he's the hapless pawn in this Rylee fluff, made to look irrational and radical so that Greenlee can be guiltless as she runs back to her caped, clown-nosed douchebag. Gah.

You ARE right about Aidan, though. He's good at being foxy and charming. And shirtless.

[Becky]

It's not a good time for AMC. I have always been a Greenlee fan, but the turn the Aidan/Greenlee story has taken to make Aiden out to be the bad guy has backfired. I'm actually on his side, not hers. They have finally turned me against her. Put her with Ryan - she deserves the misery that will surely bring.

I agree that the gorgeous Aiden Turner can do many things (shirtlessness is at the top of the list) but big, dramatic, emotional scenes are not a skill he has yet acquired. A part of me wonders how it would have played out with Sabine Singh because she and Aiden had so much more chemistry, but then perhaps the destined Ryan/Greenlee reunion would not have been as important. Who knows?

And now that Budig is leaving, what will happen? I don't care. Thanks, AMC.

[becky_jean]

It's not a good time for AMC. I have always been a Greenlee fan, but the turn the Aidan/Greenlee story has taken to make Aiden out to be the bad guy has backfired. I'm actually on his side, not hers. They have finally turned me against her. I could live with the kidnapping attempt, all of it, but this crap to justify the great god Ryan Lavery is unacceptable. So, put her with Ryan - she deserves the misery that will surely bring.

I agree that the gorgeous Aiden Turner can do many things (shirtlessness is at the top of the list) but big, dramatic, emotional scenes are not a skill he has yet acquired. A part of me wonders how it would have played out with Sabine Singh because she and Aiden had so much more chemistry, but then perhaps the destined Ryan/Greenlee reunion would not have been as important. Who knows?

And now that Budig is leaving, what will happen? I don't care. Thanks, AMC.

[becky_jean]

*$!#*$(#@

[Cate]

I really just have never understood the Ryan and Greenlee appeal. I know the universe revolves around the two of them and the sun rises and sets with them but seriously they are so unbelievably, mindnumbingly annoying. I mean they're less annoying than Babe and JR (eternal love...gag me now) but so is nails on a chalkboard. I don't think they could inflate the egos of these two characters anymore if they tried. Also what they're doing to Aidan really makes me so mad. He was never the most interesting character but him being the resident good guy was a pretty constant theme until now. I guess the lesson to the story is don't get between Ryan and "The Real" Greenlee or the writers will turn you into a psychopath.

"And also...here's a hypothetical question. Ryan Lavery vs. Jason Morgan to determine who rules ABC daytime once and for all. Who wins?" - Jason only because he has a gun and Ryan can't look away from the mirror long enough to defend himself.

O and about the Rebecca Budig Lifetime movie, no one watches a lifetime movie for quality but seriously that wasn't even sappy good.

[Mar]

Poor Rebecca Budig... forced to choose between a career of Lifetime movies and the crapfest that is AMC! I suppose it could be worse- she could be on General Hospital.

I'm looking forward to Binks's return (with Tams in tow) and Babe's untimely demise, however, so I still have some hope for this show.

[Sarah]

AMC is fast approaching a profound level of suckage on the grand scale of crap known as GH.

Bianca's got a Zach mystery sperm sample baby on board because she wants her daughter to have a genetic familiar sibling? Uh Bianca, you would be the baby's mother just like you are your first born's! This is another wacko pregnancy a la AMC that makes my skin crawl!

And the only answer to the Ryan Greenlee reunion is to bring Leo back from the grave!!! Let's see how great Rylee love really is when Leo comes back to reclaim his great love. I could give a shit less about these characters but I feel bad for pretty shirtless Aiden and knocking Ryan down is always appealing.

CGI is coming to PV. Following in GH's footsteps in NOT wise people. WAKE UP!

[wick]

You guys are too hard on the guy! He was great yesterday! And he emotes circles around bug eyed Ryass.

When he told Greenlee to never ever come near him again - he rocked it!

[Beth]

"And also...here's a hypothetical question. Ryan Lavery vs. Jason Morgan to determine who rules ABC daytime once and for all. Who wins? (Clearly not the viewing audience but that's another story altogether...)"

OMG Mel, the mind boggles. Can we just put them both in a cage and hope they beat each other to death???

And bless his heart, but I think I can already see Aidan's reaction to the tornado. Somewhere in the vicinity of a "Where's my toothbrush?" look and his "Did I just have bad quacamole?" look.

[HollieM]

Poor Aiden. I love him and Greenlee together I thought the were sweet. I hate Ryan and Kendell and now I can't stand Greenlee. I would love for Aiden to go to General Hospital to visit his cousin Robin and Anna. I know Gh is just as bad as AMC but at least he has his famliy.

Family? On GH? HollieM you make me laugh. There are no families on GH! There's only random strangers!

[Carl]

Sadly I think AMC is worse than GH these days. There's nothing left to destroy on GH, and most of the characters behave the way I expect them too. GH is a long extension of problems they have had for 10 years.

AMC has somehow managed to offend me in ways I wasn't expecting, like making Erica throw out a very racially loaded quip at pathetic Carmen in order to generate pity for the character, like making me loathe Jake so much that I actually pine for the days he was played by apeman Michael Lowry and berating Liza 555555 times an episode, like squandering any potential for Angie and Jessie, like systematically destroying every single thing viewers ever rooted for in Kendall and Zack individually or together, and like writing Greenlee in such a pathetic way that Rebecca Budig is getting the hell out of Dodge less than a year after the "Real Greenlee" nonsense. Prat is actually driving actors away!

He seems to have no clue about these characters. No wonder he loves Annie, who has gone from personality to personality with each new story and headwriter. There's nothing to lose if he wakes up tomorrow and decides to make her hump trees and eat only Fruit Roll-Ups.

[HollieM]

Well aside from mob family. I would rather have him there instead of Rylee/Kendall whipping boy on AMC.

[Trudi]

"No wonder he loves Annie, who has gone from personality to personality with each new story and headwriter. There's nothing to lose if he wakes up tomorrow and decides to make her hump trees and eat only Fruit Roll-Ups."

Hee! You funny.

I wish you guys would come and watch OLTL. It's not any better, but I love your commentary so much it would greatly improve my OLTL enjoyment. It might just be the ONLY thing that could.

[Rebecca]

Rylee is the worst thing to ever happen. Sad day when I can't even look at Greenlee anymore when she used to be far and away my favorite character. Bring back Leo so she can dump Ryan and leave PV with an ounce of dignity.