Do You Root For or Against Them?

By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalacqua Hayman

Hunter King’s Summer Newman: good intentions, bad choices

Soap roles can conform strictly to type: heroes and heroines we root for and villains and villainesses we root against.  Happily, however, most soap casts are big enough to include characters who do not conform to type. These off-beat characters have personalities drawn in various shades of gray, and as such make their soaps immensely more vivid and engaging.

Here’s a quartet of soap characters who defy who defy clear “good guy” and “bad guy” labels. Do you root for or against them?

Summer Newman, The Young and the Restless (played by Hunter King).  Depending on how you look at her, Summer is either a sweet young heroine or a mixed up young girl who is dumber than a box of rocks.  As the biological daughter of Nick (Jack thinks wrongfully he is her father) she always finds herself in lots of trouble. Last summer she came under the influence of con man Ian. Recently she bailed out and married Austin, a young man who mistakenly shot Chief of Police Paul while trying to kidnap Avery.  She means well, but do good intentions always excuse bad choices? Will Summer be left alone while Austin goes to jail?

Hilary Curtis, Y&R, The Young and the Restless (played by Mishael Morgan).     Hilary originally appeared as a villainess who tried to come between Lily and Cain.  Then, Devon fell in love with her as did his father Neil, who managed to marry her.  Recently newlywed Hilary and Devon were caught by Cain as they were about to make love in the laundry closet.   Now, do you root for or against Hilary?

Maya Avant, The Bold and the Beautiful (played by Karla Mosley).    Is Maya a hero or a villainess?.  She came to town and was engaged to Rick but broke that off and he married Caroline. Meanwhile, she became engaged to Carter.  Recently, she unsuccessfully propositioned Rick in the steam room  and tape recorded Oliver’s confession that he initially was attracted to Aly because of her Forrester name.   Is Maya to be trusted?

Maxie Jones, General Hospital (played by Kirsten Storms).  Maxie was born on the show, and we’re supposed to root for her.  However, it’s hard because she has done many stupid things, like pass off her own biological daughter as Lula and Dante’s.  Recently Maxie has gotten herself all involved with muscle bound Aussie Levi, although she clearly is falling in love with Nathan. Isn’t Maxie making it harder and harder to root for her?

 

Comments

  1. Marlena,

    I am a long time reader, first time poster. I find it hard to root for Maxie, because she is clearly being played and she should be smart enough to see that. I wanted to yell at her when she was willing to risk arrest for one of Levi’s causes, which would risk her chances of seeing baby Georgie anytime soon. Today, getting snowed by that slimy Levi made my head hurt. Didn’t it occur to her that if Levi was wanted in Australia, there is no way he could have gotten a visa. I can understand why Summer would make stupid choices – she is young and had her life turned upside down in the last year, so her head is scrambled. Hilary, I have no sympathy for. She should never have married Neil. And it seems like they are just trying to find a place for Maya and throwing everything against the wall and seeing what sticks.

  2. I only watch GH occasionally lately. MAxie is on my last nerve. I did like her away from spin, now dunkledoofus is even worse. Did MAxie go find herself and lose her brain. I can’t even root for her, can’t stand her now. Why did they take a likable character lately and turn her into a dumb ass. Sorry Maxie and that thing make me ff, when I even bother to watch. Y&R I will never watch as long as its run by Kill Farren Phelps.. BB never really cared for it at all. KKL is the show and the story is like a merry go-round with all the men in her bed from what I read.

  3. Maxie would be a little more tolerable if they would feature her in scenes with her mom, Felicia.

    Felicia, although as dumb as Maxie on a good day, is beloved for that wackiness. Most of us have been watching her for 30 years now.

    Putting Maxie in a storyline with mama Felicia (and not just getting 4 minutes’ worth of advice) would really, really help the character and perhaps make us like Maxie more.

    Personally, to me, Robyn Richards, is still the REAL Maxie.

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