*luis, the drama king*

Let's face it, fellow television viewers. Soaps are getting better. Gone are the days of the wild plots that made no sense. Instead, soaps are basing storylines on character development around the main families of each show. Returning to the strength of the characters and the psychological warfare around them got me hooked for good.

Passions has sort of regained some of the magic. . I became a fan of the show simply because it was too weird to ignore. Why do I even like Passions? That's a hard answer. There are so many things to like--despite the constant unintentional laughter that I have when I watch the series. However, one thing I find rather interesting is the Lopez-Fitzgerald family. The drama and tragedy that the family goes through makes them stand out as characters. Pilar acts as the much troubled, yet beloved mother figure on the show. She suffers so cinematically. Yet, she has a strength that doesn't make her like the usual suspects of victim mentality. And Miguel, the youngest brother, seems to be the most even-tempered and sane person out of the family members. And Theresa? In my piece, "Twisted Passions", I felt that Theresa needed a reality check and a new lease on life. Unfortunately, not even her father's death (or "disappearance"--because he's not really dead…) could stop her campaign to get the still idiotic Ethan Crane. However, even she does not compare to the melodramatic aspects that Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald goes through as each episode unfolds.

Because of the loss of a father figure, Luis displays passion that would elicit sympathy from the audience. Because he had to choose between saving Sheridan Crane or Martin Fitzgerald in the "New Year's Eve" episode, his decision causes repercussions on the entire family because he felt he was doing the "right thing". And this is despite the fact that Sheridan belonged to the family he despised because his mother had to work for them.

Luis balances machismo with his love for his mother. He tries to be the new head of the family (This is the case in Harmony. In the storyline, there has been an older son who had run away because the father had left the family. But this aspect has not been written into the show. And there's a younger daughter who supposedly stays with an aunt--not written into the plot either. So, there is hope in the family after Theresa's insanity over Ethan Crane. This is according to the January 11, 2000 issue of Soap Opera Digest.) while trying to suffer for the family's sins. In all the scenes that Luis confronts Martin Fitzgerald, there is a hint of this melodramatic fervor--especially when he cries out, "Why did you leave Mama and us?". And didn't you just want to cry when the three Lopez-Fitzgerald siblings embraced and wept over their father especially after Theresa and Miguel tells Luis that they don't blame him for the accident?

Out of all the male characters, he's the one in the place of the tragic hero. He takes guilt upon himself in order to save others. He's probably the most valiant of all the characters because he's trying to do the right thing--even when it blows up catastrophically in his face. He exudes the most passion. In every scene (even in the ones with Sheridan Crane [which is entire another story]), he is always seen brooding. He is moody and tempestuous like a storm. He's like one of those romantic figures like Sidney Carton in A Tale of Two Cities. He would put himself on the line for the people that he loves.