It all starts here: Why is the Origins storyline the best arc in the series?
In the past few days, the “Origins” plot in “Here Begins” has turned every map in the series upside down from the very beginning. The central theme is the identity of Axel’s parents.
« origins is the name of the ark that is about to enter It all starts here. A story based on hidden children, revealed identities and cascading surprises. The writers began by fooling their world into believing that this story was about Ethan. Classic magician-style distraction to better surprise by actually focusing on Axel. We spare ourselves the various reversals of a prodigal Axel discovering that his parents are not his parents, who at first thinks he is the Teyssiers’ “dead” son… failed (allowing this twist to be saved for a future plot why not ) to take it in a new direction. And that’s why it’s very smart, because it gives the show what it has done best in soap shops since the beginning.
For as long as the soap opera has existed, family stories have been the best sources of drama. You can give the impression of an “old trick”, the effect on the audience is always the same and the surprise is always total. As in Loves glory and beauty when Bridget is mistaken for Ridge and Brooke’s daughter before it is discovered that she is the fruit of Brooke’s love for Ridge, Ridge’s father. Or when he finds out more that he is not the son of Eric, but of Massimo Marone, his mother’s lover. The best storylines in a soap opera aren’t the ones that keep you in the starting arena, they’re the ones that get you out.
In the USA, General Hospital started hitting (and even becoming an institution) as its producer Gloria Monty crazy intrigues, twists and turns, unlikely love stories, … in short, when the authors smash the original project to better take the viewer out of his comfort zone. It doesn’t mean that in General Hospital There is no more hospitable intrigue like in the beginning, nor an arc like ” origins marks the end of cooking stories. But It all starts here is not a cooking documentary, but a great soap opera, a pure soap. And the best soap opera intrigues aren’t the ones made up of “procedural series” arcs, but the ones that keep the intrigue jumping from one twist to the next, exploring the consequences of plots, revelations to cause news . And also because these are plots where all the characters can be touched, and not necessarily at the same time.
Yes, by exploring strong social themes, by intelligently managing its characters, Here It All Started has offered great intrigue in the past. But by going back to the pure DNA of the genre, the writers/producers show they enjoy weaving the web of their intrigues. But plots like Origins show that series producer Sarah Farahmand knows, masters and takes on an entire genre that has long been despised, and that a series like ITC helps…
