All My Children: Difference between revisions

 

More information is available at [http://lavender.fortunecity.com/indemnity/439/amc.html David R. Jackson's soap opera site].

* [[AB Negative]]: Greenlee/Jack, among others.

* [[Absentee Actor]]: Ruth Warrick (Phoebe), Eileen Herlie (Myrtle), and James Mitchell (Palmer) were kept on contract long after their age and ill health made it impossible for them to work.

* [[The Alcoholic]]: Phoebe and Erica both develop serious drinking problems. Skye, Hayley and JR also became alcoholics.

* [[Antagonist in Mourning]]: Adam's shocked response to Palmer's death. Brooke gets him to concede that Palmer was a [[Worthy Opponent]].

{{quote| '''David''': I'm a villain?<br />

'''Liza''': Well you're certainly not a hero. }}

* [[Betty and Veronica]]: Jack(Veronica) and Caleb(Betty) for Erica, JR(Veronica) and Scott(Betty) for Annie.

* [[Big Fancy House]]: Wildwind, the Chandler Mansion, <s>Cortlandt Manor</s> not anymore, it burned down. And Tad's house must be awfully big to fit the amazing amount of people living there.

* [[Bolivian Army Cliffhanger]]: {{spoiler|Just who did J.R. shoot? Was it Erica? Marissa? Someone else? Himself?}}

* [[But I Can't Be Pregnant]]: Opal

* [[The Cameo]]: Warren Buffett, of all people, who ''asked'' to appear on his favorite show.

* [[Creepy Housekeeper]]: Myra, initially a very obvious [[Shout Out]] to [[Rebecca|Mrs. Danvers]]; eventually subverted.

* [[Crossover]]: with sister soaps ''[[One Life to Live]]'' and ''Loving''

* [[Dead Person Impersonation]]: Di Cooney standing in for Dixie.

* [[Defictionalization]]: Enchantment products, jewelry tie-ins, books "written" by Erica and Kendall.

* [[Infant Immortality]]: Massively averted by Palmer John Cortlandt, Leora Hayward, Anna Clair Chandler, and Madison's daughter.

* [[Inspirationally Disadvantaged]]: Once [[Retcon|retconned]], Stuart turned into this: moral paragon, terrific lover, brilliant artist, and so on, and so on, and so on.

* [[Large Ham]]: Phoebe, Langley, Billy Clyde, Palmer (in the 1980s) and, of course, Erica.

** Adam Chandler lived this trope.

* [[Long Runners]]: 41 years, 10,712 episodes, 1/5/70-9/23/11.

* [[Love Hurts]]: Let me count the ways. Zach's and Kendall's relationship is the most obvious recent example, but Tad's and Dixie's marriage-go-round also embodied this trope.

* [[Magic Plastic Surgery]]: Janet. Also a woman who was jealous of Erica, and planned on taking over her life.

** Phoebe and Wade Matthews.

** Most recently, Erica and Ryan.

** David Canary's brother, John Canary, cropped up as the evil Dr. Voigt.

** Real-life lovers Eva [[La Rue]] and John Callahan married shortly after their characters Maria and Edmund did. . .and their real-life marriage fell apart shortly after their onscreen one did.

** Janet did the same thing in 1995 when she got fed up with the way the townspeople were treating her after her release from prison. Starting by outright calling them a "sanctimonious, self-righteous bunch of HYPOCRITES!", she proceeded to quite truthfully point out that nearly ''everyone'' present had done despicable things, yet they were all piously condemning her for ''her'' crimes and refusing to give her a second chance, despite the fact that ''they'' had all either given or received forgiveness for ''their'' sins and in many cases, were now viewed as pillars of the community.

* [[Sadistic Choice]]: Angela has been taking medical drugs to treat her oncoming blindness, and they're working. But now that she's pregnant the drugs could harm the baby, and she has to choose: her sight or her unborn child. She chose the baby.

* [[Secret Other Family]]: Seabone Hunkle's two families.

* [[Smug Snake]]: J.R, oh so much. Reverend Ricky Torres, too.

* [[Too Soon]]: Janet's plan to bomb Trevor's wedding was aborted due to the Oklahoma City bombing.

* [[Transsexual]]: Lesbian Bianca falls for "lesbian trapped in man's body" Zarf (hence, [[Portmanteau Couple Name|"Barf"]]).

* [[Wacky Marriage Proposal]]: Tad. Dixie. A chicken suit.

* [[Will]]: Phoebe's will attempted to throw a monkey wrench into Jamie's relationship with Babe.

** Palmer, despite multiple living children, grandchildren, and other relatives, left his company to a previously unknown nephew.

* [[Written in Infirmity]]: Several times, most famously with Frances Heflin's lung cancer.

** When Jill Larson injured her hand during a fight scene, the writers turned it into an automobile accident. Coincidentally...