The release of Footprints’s landmark 1,000th episode marked the end of 2019, but the long-running soap shows no signs of slowing down as it kicks off 2020. The new decade begins with a few shocking twists, which kick off new dynamics while simultaneously digging into the series’ history…
Here Comes the Rain Again: The surprise arrival of Loretta Ragan in King’s Bay promises to shake things up for many characters. While Spencer has reservations about accepting the woman who raised him back into his life after her prison stint, Loretta immediately lets Natalie know that she has serious leverage over her — and she wastes no time using it to her advantage. Natalie once again finds herself desperate not to lose custody of her son, while Spencer and Elly’s tentative bond continues to grow. Loretta also has a bone to pick with Paula Fisher over Philip’s death, and the Fishers will rally around their matriarch to protect her. Then there is the matter of nurse Sonja Kahele — only Loretta knows the truth about her hasty exit from King’s Bay, as Tim continues to want to understand how his romance with Sonja went downhill so quickly
Gray Days Ahead: The cliffhanger centering on Jake Gray in Episode 1,001 represents a turn in the story arc of the entire Gray family. Tori is unable to resist the pull back toward her family in a time of crisis, which kicks Zane’s possessiveness into overdrive. Landon begins to recognize the unhealthy dynamic between Tori and Zane, and he can’t help but intervene. Meanwhile, Zane and Tori both embark upon new career opportunities that will entangle them in the affairs of other King’s Bay residents.
Stormy Weather: Claire is left reeling after the truth about Brent and Molly’s one-night stand and resulting pregnancy is revealed. Although Brent is racked with guilt over his infidelity, he has to support Molly as she copes with the realities of a later-in-life pregnancy. The Fishers once again find themselves divided over their reactions to the news, as Molly and Brent are forced to be accountable for their actions. Meanwhile, Claire attempts to distract herself from her heartbreak by focusing on Loretta’s return and a nagging mystery that she feels compelled to solve…
Lightning Crashes: Diane has let Samantha in on the strange puzzle surrounding Therese DeLuca and her locket. Mother and daughter work together to get to the bottom of the matter, which leads to the reveal of a long-held family secret early in the year. At the same time, Diane finds herself threatened when Samantha and Tempest begin to reconnect — which also gives Sam’s new partner, Jaq, reason to panic.
Stand Under My Umbrella: Jason does his best to put the sadness of losing custody of Peter behind himself and work on his budding relationship with Sabrina, whose past becomes a stumbling block in more ways than one. Travis is determined to help Rosie mend fences with her family as they attempt to move forward in their relationship. Alex and Trevor seem to be back on solid ground, but surprising career responsibilities threaten to divide them. And a slew of mismatched crushes kick off a (long-delayed!) big story for the teen grouping of Christian, Caleb, Bree, Marcus, and Jasmine.
I think this will be one of your more rounded out years yet, Michael. It seems you’ve got the entire cast involved in one or two storylines. Which is definitely going to be a fun and bumpy rollercoaster ride.
I have to say, I was a tad bit worried having Loretta back on canvas full time. I’ve always hated how series would create these huge super villains and then have them turn into day players or redemption storylines and I’m just like… that’s not plausible. They just went on a murderous rampage and now they’re helping Susie Shoemaker pick out wedding decorations? No! But I think what you have in-store for Loretta and the rest of the gang is more organic. Plus, one can argue. She didn’t exactly kill anyone… everyone else did it for her.
Nice to see the teen scene getting some air time in the future. Like I said, this maybe be the better set-up you’ve had in awhile. Reminiscing of the early Jason/Courtney/Alex/Lauren years.
Can’t wait for this! You’re really inspiring me to delve back into writing!!!
Thank you!!
I’m very excited for what’s to come in 2020. My biggest concern is that there is too much going on, or two many characters/groups of characters to service, but I think I have a good sense of how to rotate people and stories on and off the frontburner so that everyone gets their shot in the spotlight. Things like Loretta’s arrival and Molly’s pregnancy are great because they have the potential to include a ton of characters and sub-stories, rather than trying to tell a separate story for every couple.
I hear you on the thing about villains being awkwardly integrated into soap towns. Loretta is here to be an antagonist, not to be absurdly redeemed and put into a romance with Tim or something. It’ll be an opportunity to understand her better as a person while also exploring what she’s really capable of and what lengths she’ll go to to get what she wants. And, again, she’s a catalyst for story for a lot of the central characters.
I probably aged up this teen group too soon. I thought I’d have more room to tell the stories that I have planned for them, but I was mistaken. That said, it’s been nice having them around and involved in a few things so that we can get to know them as people before they’re suddenly leading story. Everything that happens with them should grow pretty organically out of the characters that have been established for them and the events they’ve gotten mixed up in so far. The teen group of the late 2000s never quite felt the same as Jason/Courtney/Lauren/Alex/Trevor did, probably because they’re all related and therefore kind of needed separate stories. This is a much more compact crew in terms of romantic entanglements, which is great.
I really hope you enjoy the coming year, and I always love getting your feedback!
When I initially commented I clicked the “Notify me when new comments are added” checkbox and now each time a comment is added I get several emails with the same comment. Is there any way you can remove people from that service? Thanks!