Kudos!

“Passions” usually isn’t singled out for stellar acting, and I don’t think it’s the fault of the actors themselves. Yes, some of them are a little green, but because the writing can be so silly, it doesn’t really give them an opportunity to show some serious dramatic skills like most other soaps. And remember, soap actors tape a new episode everyday (sometimes doubling up and doing two shows in one day), and don’t have a week to rehearse like primetime-TV actors, so it’s remarkable that many of them are as good as they are.

However, I’d like to single out a great performance this week by “Passions” actress Emily Harper, who plays Fancy Crane. I was a little shocked and disgusted when yet another female character on the soap was raped, but so far the scenes of Fancy realizing and reacting to what happened to her have been so heartbreakingly good. Harper is doing a great job with this. She already proved she had a flair for romantic comedy in her scenes with Galen Gering (also doing a great job as Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald), but her most recent scenes where she cried her eyes out to Luis are worthy a daytime Emmy nomination.

Lately, “Passions” has been must-see TV. Yes, a lot of it is unbelievable (like JT’s body being stuffed into a humongous wedding cake meant to feed only 20 people), but if you’re looking for a more lighthearted soap (minus the rapes), this is a great way to spend an hour of your day.

So a round of applause to “Passions,” and especially Emily Harper. Hopefully, Fancy won’t be tormented for much longer, but if she has to be, at least Harper is getting a chance to show us how good she really is.

-- Dana