Post by Dallas on Dec 28, 2015 11:06:42 GMT -5
Good day everyone,
I don't have a blog for ODaaT currently, and I haven't had time to tape a VLOG to wrap up 2015, but I thought it would be a good idea to let everyone know some of the highs and lows I had with the 2015 season of ODaaT.
I can be my own toughest critic when it comes to the year's as a whole for ODaaT. I really liked my 2013 season as a whole; I thought a lot of the stories fit really nicely together and there was a number of shocking moments that kept the ball rolling. While I am proud of my 2014 year and some of the memorable moments (Donovan's near execution, Robin's giving birth to a stillborn child, Cassie toying with Adam/Shane/Natasha/Helen to name a few), I don't think as a whole it lived up to the 2013 season. That could just be me being hard on myself but it is how I am feeling. That being said, I think the 2015 season really got back up to that level that '13 had.
I feel like the '15 season can be broken into two parts: pre-Lake Tahoe and post-Lake Tahoe, because the Lake Tahoe arch really shaped the year. When I was planning this story, I knew that I wanted something really epic to happen while on this location shoot. Leah's death was something that no one saw coming, which added to the shock value. The fact that I killed an original cast member was not an easy decision, but the storylines that have come from this action are so worth the result. I have always believed that no character is "safe" as long as there is story being drawn from his/her death. If you look at Will on Days of Our Lives, I feel like they took a long time, core character, killed him and have moved on. Zero story has been drawn out from his death, in fact the people closest to him are not even on the show anymore (Sonny & Sami have left again; Lucas is seen maybe once a month). I didn't want this kind of thing to happen with Leah's death, so I'm proud that Jeff/Robbie/Victoria/Paige/Felicia/Meggan all have a new storyline because of this. So, to me, this was definitely a high point on the season.
I also think a high point was Reese's passing away. His death was much different than Leah's because it was based in realism. I had released a VLOG right after the 300th episode that explained how one of my co-worker's when through a situation like Reese's; her niece got cancer, she went into remission, the cancer came back twice as strong and she only lived another 3 weeks. When I heard this story from her, I thought that it was absolutely heartbreaking and I thought it would make for amazing soap tale. Deciding to kill Reese was just as tough as it was with Leah, but it gave me the ability to clear some of the canvas that had become a little stale (Will, Madeline) and move Andy into a different direction. I didn't want Andy and Reese to always be cheating on each other and involved in triangles, so I did this storyline. I've proud of how the final episodes turned out and I really love drunk Andy now. That's been a ton fun to write!
The Trenyce/Chris/Savannah storyline is also a favorite of mine from this past year. I loved the custody battle early in the year that brought Chris back into town (Chris coming and giving Daisy & Vinny some drama was good for those characters too) was a good way to reintroduce him back to the series. I love the plot that came post the trial, though, with Chris & Trenyce's plan for Chris to woo Savannah, marry her, and then try to get Andrew away from her. Some where along the way, Chris did fall for Savannah on some level and then, of course, at the last minute before they got married, the truth is revealed. It just felt very classic soapy tale to me. Because I am so far ahead in my writing/planning, I'm able to ensure details are not overlooked, liked Savannah's bond with Frederick, which will continue to play out going forward.
I couldn't not mention the Bob/Kim/Tyler triangle in my highs this year because I absolutely loved the couple of twists I threw into this storyline that made it a bit more unconventional. At the start of the year, Kim learned that she was pregnant and then Bob learned. Bob then remembered that he had a vasectomy (which I actually wrote into an early episode - Bob's trip to the hospital), so he knew that Kim had cheated. The second twist came later in the late summer, early fall when it was revealed that "Johnny" was actually Tyler, Dominick's long lost son! I always planned this reveal from the first time we saw "Johnny", it was just a matter of when to reveal it. The fact that Kim slept - and has a baby with Bob's enemy's son makes everything that much more dramatic. I also love how long the legs are on this triangle. It could go on and on and on! I always feel like that's a sign of a good soap tale as well.
My last high that I will touch on is the storyline with Shane & Natasha. There was a reader at the end of last year who didn't know where Shane & Natasha would go this year because Cassie was off the series, but dramatically speaking, this could have been Shane & Natasha's busiest year yet. They had a wedding, a near abortion, a pre-mature baby, fights over his job promotion and then she cheated on him with Adam! That's a lot considering I only released episodes on a weekly basis! One of my favorite moments this year was Dawn seeing Adam & Natasha having sex at the hospital gala. It now moves the storyline into a whole new direction!
Some of the low's I had with this season would be with some of the characters that didn't always have the biggest or best storylines. I felt like I wrote Robin into a corner with her slowly going mad after her baby died. I enjoyed the climax of Will's character in that storyline though. Cory and Robin is something I'd like to get back on track in 2016 - it's all about getting there though. The lack of real storyline for Daisy and Vinny is also something that bugged me a little; that being said, it is nice to have at least once stable couple on the show! They do get a bit more of a storyline coming up in the new year as well. Lastly, the gay triangle with Lukas/Donovan/Craig didn't move nearly as fast as it should have this year. It became a "B" storyline, which is fine. I'm hoping you all like what's coming up there too.
So, those are my highs & low's of the year. Sorry this is so long! Let me know what you think some of the best and worst moments of this year were!
Dallas
I don't have a blog for ODaaT currently, and I haven't had time to tape a VLOG to wrap up 2015, but I thought it would be a good idea to let everyone know some of the highs and lows I had with the 2015 season of ODaaT.
I can be my own toughest critic when it comes to the year's as a whole for ODaaT. I really liked my 2013 season as a whole; I thought a lot of the stories fit really nicely together and there was a number of shocking moments that kept the ball rolling. While I am proud of my 2014 year and some of the memorable moments (Donovan's near execution, Robin's giving birth to a stillborn child, Cassie toying with Adam/Shane/Natasha/Helen to name a few), I don't think as a whole it lived up to the 2013 season. That could just be me being hard on myself but it is how I am feeling. That being said, I think the 2015 season really got back up to that level that '13 had.
I feel like the '15 season can be broken into two parts: pre-Lake Tahoe and post-Lake Tahoe, because the Lake Tahoe arch really shaped the year. When I was planning this story, I knew that I wanted something really epic to happen while on this location shoot. Leah's death was something that no one saw coming, which added to the shock value. The fact that I killed an original cast member was not an easy decision, but the storylines that have come from this action are so worth the result. I have always believed that no character is "safe" as long as there is story being drawn from his/her death. If you look at Will on Days of Our Lives, I feel like they took a long time, core character, killed him and have moved on. Zero story has been drawn out from his death, in fact the people closest to him are not even on the show anymore (Sonny & Sami have left again; Lucas is seen maybe once a month). I didn't want this kind of thing to happen with Leah's death, so I'm proud that Jeff/Robbie/Victoria/Paige/Felicia/Meggan all have a new storyline because of this. So, to me, this was definitely a high point on the season.
I also think a high point was Reese's passing away. His death was much different than Leah's because it was based in realism. I had released a VLOG right after the 300th episode that explained how one of my co-worker's when through a situation like Reese's; her niece got cancer, she went into remission, the cancer came back twice as strong and she only lived another 3 weeks. When I heard this story from her, I thought that it was absolutely heartbreaking and I thought it would make for amazing soap tale. Deciding to kill Reese was just as tough as it was with Leah, but it gave me the ability to clear some of the canvas that had become a little stale (Will, Madeline) and move Andy into a different direction. I didn't want Andy and Reese to always be cheating on each other and involved in triangles, so I did this storyline. I've proud of how the final episodes turned out and I really love drunk Andy now. That's been a ton fun to write!
The Trenyce/Chris/Savannah storyline is also a favorite of mine from this past year. I loved the custody battle early in the year that brought Chris back into town (Chris coming and giving Daisy & Vinny some drama was good for those characters too) was a good way to reintroduce him back to the series. I love the plot that came post the trial, though, with Chris & Trenyce's plan for Chris to woo Savannah, marry her, and then try to get Andrew away from her. Some where along the way, Chris did fall for Savannah on some level and then, of course, at the last minute before they got married, the truth is revealed. It just felt very classic soapy tale to me. Because I am so far ahead in my writing/planning, I'm able to ensure details are not overlooked, liked Savannah's bond with Frederick, which will continue to play out going forward.
I couldn't not mention the Bob/Kim/Tyler triangle in my highs this year because I absolutely loved the couple of twists I threw into this storyline that made it a bit more unconventional. At the start of the year, Kim learned that she was pregnant and then Bob learned. Bob then remembered that he had a vasectomy (which I actually wrote into an early episode - Bob's trip to the hospital), so he knew that Kim had cheated. The second twist came later in the late summer, early fall when it was revealed that "Johnny" was actually Tyler, Dominick's long lost son! I always planned this reveal from the first time we saw "Johnny", it was just a matter of when to reveal it. The fact that Kim slept - and has a baby with Bob's enemy's son makes everything that much more dramatic. I also love how long the legs are on this triangle. It could go on and on and on! I always feel like that's a sign of a good soap tale as well.
My last high that I will touch on is the storyline with Shane & Natasha. There was a reader at the end of last year who didn't know where Shane & Natasha would go this year because Cassie was off the series, but dramatically speaking, this could have been Shane & Natasha's busiest year yet. They had a wedding, a near abortion, a pre-mature baby, fights over his job promotion and then she cheated on him with Adam! That's a lot considering I only released episodes on a weekly basis! One of my favorite moments this year was Dawn seeing Adam & Natasha having sex at the hospital gala. It now moves the storyline into a whole new direction!
Some of the low's I had with this season would be with some of the characters that didn't always have the biggest or best storylines. I felt like I wrote Robin into a corner with her slowly going mad after her baby died. I enjoyed the climax of Will's character in that storyline though. Cory and Robin is something I'd like to get back on track in 2016 - it's all about getting there though. The lack of real storyline for Daisy and Vinny is also something that bugged me a little; that being said, it is nice to have at least once stable couple on the show! They do get a bit more of a storyline coming up in the new year as well. Lastly, the gay triangle with Lukas/Donovan/Craig didn't move nearly as fast as it should have this year. It became a "B" storyline, which is fine. I'm hoping you all like what's coming up there too.
So, those are my highs & low's of the year. Sorry this is so long! Let me know what you think some of the best and worst moments of this year were!
Dallas
