Ethan in a Hole
Ethan-in-a-Hole is that rare soap opera event story told right: a sprawling umbrella story that encompassed most of the show's cast and storylines.
Although I don't watch the show on a regular basis, TheYoung and the Restless apparently struck umbrella story gold with the deaths of David Chow and Sabrina Newman. One Life to Live's 40th anniversary's 1968 time travel story was met with mixed reaction, while viewers and critics almost universally revoked Mendorra's diplomatic immunity. And Days of Our Lives, which was once the master of the umbrella twirl, has become drenched in incomprehensible excess more often than not recently. Only General Hospital does big umbrella stories on a regular basis, but these are more sweeps related stunts that often have limited repercussions after the requisite number of cast members who didn't renew their contracts or were fired have been killed off.
What made Ethan-in-a-Hole so genuinely interesting (at least to me), is that rather being an isolated event existing outside of the continuity of ongoing stories, the week long arc managed to incorporate several disparate storylines under one umbrella without any losing their momentum. Carly found herself on the outside after unselfishly (!) urging ex-husband Jack to give Janet another chance, while later stumbling on current lover Holden getting some rest next to Lily at the rescue site. Mike, who has been sleeping with and developing feelings for Lily, watched helplessly as she and Holden grew closer while he coordinated the rescue effort. Derek (a terrific Benton Greene) was revealed to be a pawn of James Stenbeck. There was a little forced comedy between Vienna and Bonnie (whose sad little catfights I am thoroughly sad to say I thoroughly enjoyed simply because they were so ridiculously campy), and Henry played McGyver...or as it turned out, more like Saturday Night Live's MacGruber by almost blowing himself up in his rescue effort of the two ladies. And James Stenbeck's master plan was finally revealed: all of his efforts were to maneuver Paul into a position where an unwitting Meg would be forced to give up her child to him so that the baby could be the next Stenbeck heir. How very Helena Cassadine-ish of him! And ironic since the only true Stenbeck around is Dusty Donovan...
Great production values really aided the proceedings this entire week. In my opinion, everything really worked from a production standpoint. There weren't OLTL-level crowds of extras and bells and whistles, but executive producer Chris Goutman did an great job with the outdoor construction site set that looked very realistic, as well as what must have been a herculean task of editing the disparate parts of this week's worth of stories together, something that doesn't get enough credit from soap fans. Given the budget crunches faced by the P&G soaps, Goutman deserves a lot of credit for pulling off everything from the resevoir scenes with Derek and Paul to the special effects involved in the two collapses of the hole.
There were lots of hits, like the Snyders coming together in prayer. And there were quite a few misses: at the risk of a very bad joke, why is everyone always trying to put Meg to sleep? Who is she, the Ghost Whisperer? And to hear Faith lament for the 947th time that she was responsible for Ethan's predicament because she was nattering away on the phone made me want to throw her into the hole after the tot. Yet, seeing Colleen Zenk Pinter rush into the mix today being Simply Barbara almost made up for any small trangressions.
BEST ELEMENT: Anything that involved Carly this week. She had her own mini-arc within the larger stories and where she comes out of the developments mentioned above starting next week will be interesting to see play out.
BIGGEST SHAME: The firing of John Prescott as Mike Kasnoff. Though Mike was unfocused during much of his return to Oakdale, for my money, Prescott really came into his own with Mike's fling with Lily and his performance during Ethan-in-a-Hole. Another in a long, long line of talent and potential talent wasted by ATWT.
MOST LAUGHABLE DEVELOPMENT: It made sense that if the gold existed, then James would dig a tunnel to transport it to and from its hiding place, but the way Derek just walked into the hole with Paul was filmed and staged in a way made me giggle. A lot.
While not quite rising to the thrilling level of General Hospital's week long Metro Court hostage crisis or Y&R's crash aftermath, Ethan-in-a-Hole was a strong, solid, family-based drama that used its location work to greatly enhance the story being told.
Ellen Wheeler, I hope you are taking note of your sister soap's efforts. After the Josh-Not-In-Afghanistan debacle on Guiding Light this past week, you need to start paying more attention to what your colleague is doing.
- Login or register to post comments
- Email this page
Comments
8 May 2008
4 days 16 hours
Hey Bernard, I think the show was great, but they should have just let Paul down in the ditch forever and taking Meg with him. I sorry, but this couple and characters are one of the worst to hit Oakdale for years and their s/ls have not making me like or care for even of them except for Barbara and James, but I agree with you, Jamey, they written Stenbeck, lately, like a cartoon villain instead of the complex, well-written villain that he should be written. So, Paul and Meg can go for all I care and lets keep Barbara and James around as complex villains.
siomonstuart2003
12 February 2008
3 weeks 6 days
The story was ATWT at it's best, but Faith whining all the goddamn time gets on my nerves. If you notice, every time that child talks, it's with a whiny tone. Noelle will cement her place as Lily for me if she tells that wimp to STFU!
***///Living In The World Of Soaps Since 1985\\\***
9 September 2008
17 min 5 sec
Hello, Simon!
I agree with both you and Jamey about some elements of the moustache twirling, cartoony aspect of how James Stenbeck is being written but one could argue that such a characterization began in earnest sometime around when James appeared to Barbara in the famous monk's robe.
I remember the very first time I saw James Stenbeck on screen. He was trying to kill Barbara in a bullring in Spain. With a real bull. That was back 1983! James Stenbeck has always teetered between ruthless cunning and complexity and being an absolute mad man.
By my imperfect count, Stenbeck has murdered at least TWENTY characters on ATWT since he came on the scene. He as attemped murder at least TWENTY NINE TIMES. That makes 49 characters -- FORTY NINE -- he has killed or been responsible for killing. And Stenbeck has done this as a con man, jewel thief, art forger, a drug dealer multiple times, and an arms dealer. He tried to kill five people at once by gassing them in an airplane and trying to crash it. He gassed Carly and Hal's first wedding. And most of this was done before 1999.
I know that many fans fell in love with Stenbeck when he was married to Lucinda, because he was written a bit more charming, yet by my recollection he was as ruthless and evil as in prior incarnations. And, yes, James' last stints in Oakdale under Hogan Sheffer were rather unfocused and a bit far afield of who James Stenbeck was historically, going so far to put him in that Hannibal Lechter-style get up.
So I certainly understand why you, Jamey and others feel that James Stenbeck is a cartoony villain. And different times might call for different characterizations. But I would like to point out something that Jamey has often said in podcasts: soap fans want their long term legacy characters to be consistent. They want Jill raising hell and Dorian being impervious and Erica to be, well, Erica. I submit in that spirit that the James Stenbeck we see playing out on screen right now is the historically real James Stenbeck.
But that's my take. Your mileage may vary...
28 March 2008
38 weeks 2 days
I agree! I see the real James Stenbeck standing up and I'm loving every minute of it!
26 June 2008
11 hours 12 min
great piece Bernard...I totally agree with everything you said....while watching Thursday's epi I realized how much I liked the show and how well written it is compared to GH (on a regular basis)....
I have to say I really like your frequent articles on ATWT....It's such a great show that's not discussed nearly enough.....
23 July 2008
7 weeks 4 days
I'm behind on some of this week's episodes but where are the police, the fire department, a special rescue team?
Also, the scenes between Carly and Jack have been just amazing. And when she was talking about Lily and Holden being together you know she was talking about her and Jack just by the way she looked at him. Even her telling Jack to let himself need Janet I believe she was referencing their past and her wanting Jack to need her then.
27 January 2008
29 weeks 5 days
Hmm. I don't think it was that great. Yes, it was great to see so many characters involved in the story. The only characters that were not part of the story were Nancy, Bob, Kim, Susan, Lisa, Tom, Casey, Emily, Parker, JJ, Sage, Liberty, Noah and Brian.
But some of the real emotion was missing. Like why was Luke only there on Wednesday? He was out of town on business with Lucinda, but was back on Wednesday. On Thursday he was seeing a movie with the kids to distract them (okay....) and on Friday (a new day in Oakdale) he was nowhere to be seen and they didn't even bother to explain where he was. The story would have a bigger impact if we saw more emotion from Ethan's family. Now it was like Luke didn't think it was that important and I hate that. Luke is Ethan's Godfather. He should've been there 24/7. I would've loved a scene on Friday of Holden, Lily, Aaron, Luke, Faith, Natalie and Ethan in the hospital. Sort of like a family reunited.
And it was stupid that Holden and Lily didn't call Aaron. I guess they wanted to take the risk of him finding out his little brother had an accident in the newspaper or on TV (Katie and Brad were there to film for WOAK).
I love characters interacting with other characters outside their storyline bubbles, but I hate it that it seems like they have to come up with these big events to do that. Last month it was Rick Decker, this time it's Ethan in a hole.
20 November 2007
16 hours 9 min
Frankly it was the worst story ever, and a slap in the face for the police, the fire department, ans specifically for all special rescue team!
It made ma so mad, and is was so stupid, that I decided to stop watching that freaking show again, the HW is insulting my intelligence repeatedly an this time it was too much.
I have family in that field and seeing their devotion and the way they put their own life in danger to save other minimize that way was plain unconscionable!
For me this HW is as flaky and uncreative as Guza is. THEY are killing that genre, nothing else is!