Post by mutter on May 4, 2008 4:02:10 GMT -5
To me, Philip reuniting with Chloe represents a win/win situation for both Philip and JKJ.
(1)Philip gets the girl who was his first love and finally WINS romantically. Not any girl, but THE girl.
Philip gets Chloe, but importantly WINS over Brady who was represented as the better man, sanctified and promoted by TPTB.
It's retribution for Philip after the destruction of his character in favor of Brady during his teen years.
It's an acknowledgement of Philip's prominence on the current show - that he wins over their designated future 'hero'.
It's VINDICATION for Philip whose instincts and observations regarding Brady were always belittled. Philip is proved RIGHT.
(2)JKJ finally gets just recognition from TPTB.
It's an admission that Phloe were a great success, and JKJ was fundamental to that.
It's a reward after the 'disappointment' of JKJ's treatment then and throughout early 2007.
It says he's arrived, if he/they were rubbish it wouldn't even be contemplated. It's big kudos. It also acknowledges Philip's past, present and future position as a major player on the Salem canvas because it ties into prominent families and therefore cements JKJ's role as a primary/leading man. Also, it's his favourite storyline.
(3)I don't think all this can be achieved with another pairing.
Philip winning Morgan, a sorority girl/intern says nothing for his character, not in the greater scheme of things.
She is not attached to any prominent Salemite, she just happens to be available. Her character and family have no history on the show. This requires work and TIME which the show may not have. To make this happen is relatively easy (just throw them together), but to make it work well all around is not so easy. It would impact on Philip's potential with other characters and histories. Ask what do they have to give up to achieve this? More importantly, is it worth it when they have other characters on the canvas that could deliver better, in depth, stories with Philip? It's fine, you say. I say: Think About It.
We constantly complain about the writers developing storylines and plots where our favourites are written out of character. This is exactly the sort of situation that propels those decisions. Quick fix, short term, not thought out. I don't want that for Philip or JKJ.
For me this is all about history, chemistry, legacy and character. Phloe fits the bill in all areas. If I were the head writer I would look at how to move the show forward, away from plot-driven decisions which ultimately lead to frustration and dead end storylines - see Shelle. Character driven storylines always have more depth and sustainability because we can understand the WHY even if we don't like the result.
The history of Phloe attests to their present situation. Philip loved her to distraction. The fact that he initially joined the marines because of losing her shows that she was a pivotal figure in his life and growth. Already we have potential for many plots and much angst based solely on Phloe history.
The chemistry is undeniable. It's just there - no work needed. With Jay and Nadia in the roles they have this as an added bonus. Also their comfort levels and ease of body language is a result of time and familiarity, not easy to create instantly. I'll throw Nicole (AZ) in here too, if she is in the mix she has chemistry with both actors, the past emotional/physical liaison with Brady and histories with Victor, Philip and Chloe. It just gets better.
The legacy is not only their historical relationship but the involvement of Brady too. This has played out over years past and can play into the future legacies of the Kiriakis/Black-Dimera family wars which are currently developing. When Brady returns we have not just emotional rivalries (if Chloe is with Philip ), but also family rivalries (he is a Kiriakis AND a Black-Dimera) and business rivalries. There are a multitude of plots that can be derived from there alone. These storylines can be re-shaped and evolved over time and allow for characters to appear and disappear with plenty of scope still.
Finally, character. Philip is harder, more mature, ruthless in business, loyal in family. He has become more layered and yet the tiniest, softest core that reaches into his idealistic romantic teen past has Chloe at the heart of it. It creates balance, depth and also weakness of character depending on your perspective. I find this very interesting, this is the stuff that good characters are made of and continuing story is born from.
Character driven writing creates better story. We need to ask ourselves How does Philip feel? What would Philip do? Who would Philip choose? Who does he care about the most? I submit the BURNING BUILDING TEST: take all the eligible females in Salem and put them in a burning building with Chloe. Now put Philip outside. Who would Philip rescue first?
I rest my case.
(1)Philip gets the girl who was his first love and finally WINS romantically. Not any girl, but THE girl.
Philip gets Chloe, but importantly WINS over Brady who was represented as the better man, sanctified and promoted by TPTB.
It's retribution for Philip after the destruction of his character in favor of Brady during his teen years.
It's an acknowledgement of Philip's prominence on the current show - that he wins over their designated future 'hero'.
It's VINDICATION for Philip whose instincts and observations regarding Brady were always belittled. Philip is proved RIGHT.
(2)JKJ finally gets just recognition from TPTB.
It's an admission that Phloe were a great success, and JKJ was fundamental to that.
It's a reward after the 'disappointment' of JKJ's treatment then and throughout early 2007.
It says he's arrived, if he/they were rubbish it wouldn't even be contemplated. It's big kudos. It also acknowledges Philip's past, present and future position as a major player on the Salem canvas because it ties into prominent families and therefore cements JKJ's role as a primary/leading man. Also, it's his favourite storyline.
(3)I don't think all this can be achieved with another pairing.
Philip winning Morgan, a sorority girl/intern says nothing for his character, not in the greater scheme of things.
She is not attached to any prominent Salemite, she just happens to be available. Her character and family have no history on the show. This requires work and TIME which the show may not have. To make this happen is relatively easy (just throw them together), but to make it work well all around is not so easy. It would impact on Philip's potential with other characters and histories. Ask what do they have to give up to achieve this? More importantly, is it worth it when they have other characters on the canvas that could deliver better, in depth, stories with Philip? It's fine, you say. I say: Think About It.
We constantly complain about the writers developing storylines and plots where our favourites are written out of character. This is exactly the sort of situation that propels those decisions. Quick fix, short term, not thought out. I don't want that for Philip or JKJ.
For me this is all about history, chemistry, legacy and character. Phloe fits the bill in all areas. If I were the head writer I would look at how to move the show forward, away from plot-driven decisions which ultimately lead to frustration and dead end storylines - see Shelle. Character driven storylines always have more depth and sustainability because we can understand the WHY even if we don't like the result.
The history of Phloe attests to their present situation. Philip loved her to distraction. The fact that he initially joined the marines because of losing her shows that she was a pivotal figure in his life and growth. Already we have potential for many plots and much angst based solely on Phloe history.
The chemistry is undeniable. It's just there - no work needed. With Jay and Nadia in the roles they have this as an added bonus. Also their comfort levels and ease of body language is a result of time and familiarity, not easy to create instantly. I'll throw Nicole (AZ) in here too, if she is in the mix she has chemistry with both actors, the past emotional/physical liaison with Brady and histories with Victor, Philip and Chloe. It just gets better.
The legacy is not only their historical relationship but the involvement of Brady too. This has played out over years past and can play into the future legacies of the Kiriakis/Black-Dimera family wars which are currently developing. When Brady returns we have not just emotional rivalries (if Chloe is with Philip ), but also family rivalries (he is a Kiriakis AND a Black-Dimera) and business rivalries. There are a multitude of plots that can be derived from there alone. These storylines can be re-shaped and evolved over time and allow for characters to appear and disappear with plenty of scope still.
Finally, character. Philip is harder, more mature, ruthless in business, loyal in family. He has become more layered and yet the tiniest, softest core that reaches into his idealistic romantic teen past has Chloe at the heart of it. It creates balance, depth and also weakness of character depending on your perspective. I find this very interesting, this is the stuff that good characters are made of and continuing story is born from.
Character driven writing creates better story. We need to ask ourselves How does Philip feel? What would Philip do? Who would Philip choose? Who does he care about the most? I submit the BURNING BUILDING TEST: take all the eligible females in Salem and put them in a burning building with Chloe. Now put Philip outside. Who would Philip rescue first?
I rest my case.