Angie @ soapcentral.com

Warning... this blog entry contains Spoilers regarding Jesse Hubbard's story on AMC. If you wish to remain unspoiled, do not read on.

I'm thrilled that Jesse is back on All My Children, problems of multiple "ghost" appearances in the past not withstanding.  I love Jesse and Angie, and I remember watching them when I was a teen.
It's great to see them back, it's great to see them together again after all these years.

However...

Can one really expect a return to the same relationship after twenty years apart? Sure, I can see a wonderful rebuilding of the relationship, as these two, who swore to be together until "Death Do Us Part" find each other again.  Just honoring the vows, the love of the past, despite troubles, can lead to a deeper love.
But we can't discount those twenty years, especially when Jesse had to live a life on the run from those trying to kill him? Especially when Jesse had a nervous breakdown not long into that run? Surely Angie can't believe it can all just be the same?

Can one just "go home again" after a time like that?

Apparently not. Spoilers indicate that Jesse has an ex-wife, and children, from a 'marriage' formed while he was away from Angie.  Some fans are crying out this does horrible damage to Jesse, and to the couple they loved all those years ago. They are angry at AMC and Pratt for even going there.

But I'd argue AMC *had* to go there, or to someplace similar. Why?

When Vincent Irizarry was let go from AMC in 06, and rumor was he would reprise his character Lujack on Guiding Light (a rumor which never came to pass).  I thought about what sort of story a return from the dead of this type would be. How, and in what ways, would a character change after 20 some years, partly on the run, having to give up all they had, but also build a new life?  Very intriguing, and quite frankly I'd be disappointed if the person was the "same ol' guy."  He *cannot* be. If Lujack had returned to Springfield, without some major changes to his character, I'd have been disappointed. Likewise, if Jesse returned to Pine Valley, just as he was when he was a young man, would it make any sense?

Does it damage Jesse's character to show him with this hidden life, formed while he was on the run? No. There would be more damage if he returned the same ol' Jesse. He'd be a cartoon, a fairy tale. Not a 'real' person.

This Jesse is not, and CANNOT BE, the old Jesse. Too much has happened.

 
I posted a couple of blogs back, that I was concerned about how AMC was portraying Taylor and the war/PTSD story. Jake had very 'real' sounding reasons for opposing the war in Iraq. Taylor, when she was yelling hers at him, sounded like an idiot with no ground to stand on. A story this important ought to be able to show both 'sides', with characters being in character. As it began to unfold I felt it was just going to be a one sided sermon.

 I love complex stories with complex characters. But especially when dealing with issues of importance... spare me the sermon and just tell the story. I was very glad... VERY GLAD... to hear Taylor on Friday's show. She finally gave some reasons (to Angie) that I've heard from real soldiers returning willingly to Iraq. Agree or not, she was sounding "real".

 NOW I'm finally interested in Jake/Taylor. Because now both seem more like real people. Of course, it was not just the one set of lines. Taylor has been fleshed out over the past two weeks. She's gone from near cartoon to someone who I can believe 'exists'. Now I care what happens to her, what she is going through, and what she is saying. Now I have some hope for her story.