Adam showed up Pine Valley as a spoiler for the one love interest of Erica's I actually found appealing, Mike Roy. Like all the men who showed up in town, Adam had to find Erica fascinating and needed to possess her. I never understood that as I never found Erica even a little fascinating and although she was attractive, she was short and not very bright. But, hey, I'm a heterosexual woman and not fictional, so what do I know? At any rate, he showed up in town and was pulling the typical soap games to keep Erica and Mike apart. But it was interesting as I saw no chemistry between him and Erica but he made her so much more interesting. I realized even then that Adam was a special kind of character. He actually brought other characters and actors up to his level, if it were possible.
Adam was smart, wily, a bit evil, funny, manipulative, controlling, and all those "good" soap things. He was never dull, to say the least, and when his twin appeared, I knew he was also kind and caring. His love for Stewart, his protective nature, his understanding, made him even more special. He was the first truly complex character I remember, not because they didn't exist, but because I had always been too young to get it. I didn't see beyond the surface in grade school. So, sue me!
Adam was the first of a long line of grey characters that held me fascinated and still would, if they still existed. Daytime melodrama needs this character as they offer almost limitless storyline potential. They're always doing something wrong, maybe even for the right reason, but there's always another story as they can't be controlled or even defined really. They are constant contradictions. They're smart but do stupid things. They're strong but have intense weaknesses. They're loving but often hurtful. They're afraid, maybe that's it. They fear losing everything and everyone, so they act out and try to control the universe, just making it worse. Adam is one of the first characters I knew like this. He'd be followed by others but Adam is the quintessential one to me as he's so damn smooth about it. He's just perfect in all his imperfections. He was the smoothest of all smooth operators.
I was always a Brooke English fan but I found her really interesting when she was screwing around with Mark Dalton and causing Aunt Phoebe trouble. When she was whitewashed into the "nicer" version of Erica, I found her drab. Her relationship with Tom Cudahy was so ungodly dull, I couldn't stay awake for it. Yet when she met Adam Chandler, that was it for me. She was interesting again. She was smart and not letting him take control of her life. She gave as good as she got and it was truly a pleasure to watch. Julia Barr didn't have to come up to Canary's level, as Lucci did. I don't care how famous she is, I think Lucci's a lousy actress and always have. I'm sure she's a lovely person with a kind and giving heart, but I think she sucks. That's my opinion and this is my blog, so I'm saying it!! Barr, on the other hand, did not suck and she could shine with Canary.
Besides Todd and Blair, they were my favorite soap couple ever. It's because they were smart. You see, often women are "dumbed down" when they're put into a love relationship. They're shown to be bowing down to the male counterpart and hold onto him for dear life. See Phyllis Newman on Y&R. Or they make the woman lose all her spunk and become a hand-wringer. Brooke never became any of those things with Adam. She couldn't as Adam wouldn't have it. He wanted her to be tough and ambitious and all those things teenage girls like to see. And, I admit, I was one of them. I wanted a relationship like that.
Adam made the world seem exciting and that's what made him interesting. He was excited about everything and when he was angry, he didn't get crazy, he got even. Unlike Palmer, who I loved more for his longevity than the character, he was not pompous although he was wildly successful. He could get down in the dirt and play with the best of them but he didn't have to do so. Yet he could. He made me think anything was possible for him and he'd be punished but he'd find a way through it. Unlike Todd who was interesting when he was completely insane, Adam was never crazy. He was very deliberate and acted in a very metered fashion. Unlike David who would flaunt his brilliance, Adam would allow others to think they'd put one over on him and then show them who was boss. He was master of his own destiny, and many others, as well. See how great this scene is:
I can't take having all those fabulous characters together in one scene. It's an AMC cornucopia of fabulosity! And Adam never backs down, not once. He's the smoothest dude in town!
I was always disappointed that they made his one son a weakling. I suppose it makes sense, but I found JR to be as disappointing as Adam did. I would have liked to have seen an heir worthy of being the namesake, but instead he was a whiney, spineless weasel. I wonder if that had anything to do with his being Dixie's son and raised by a Martin. That's a really fucked up background if you think about it. I would have loved to see a mini-me, but that was not to be.
And, as the show came to a close, they attempted to neuter Adam and make him into a hand-wringer himself. That was the real travesty. The quality of AMC had gone down so low, even Canary couldn't carry it. The day when Adam left with Brooke was the day I left, as well. There was very little left after that, except clips of David on Youtube.
How fitting that Adam and Brooke came back to take the show out. There was something that left AMC when Adam walked away. But, in some ways, they got something back. I mean that, for once, they gave him peace. And, although some wouldn't think so, I always wanted that for him. I wanted to think about him fighting Brooke forever...and loving every minute of it. If I had to lose Adam to get that, I think it was worth it. I owed it to him. He entertained me for thirty some odd years. It's the least I could do.
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