Red Room Where the Writers Are

This is a fact that was shared in the fall previews, so I don’t think I’m spoiling anything by mentioning here that it appears Guiding Light is wrapping up Josh’s time as a minister. 

I know this was a very unpopular story. I will go out on a limb here and come out of the closet: I was a very big fan of this idea. In fact, it struck me as a great story idea several years ago. In my pipe dreams of becoming a head writer, I always thought I’d want to write that story for Josh Lewis. 

I think a few things went terribly wrong with the execution, though, when GL did launch into this story.

For one thing, it was so ridiculously rushed. Josh went from depression to divinity in about a month, and that’s way too quick of a progression for something so drastic. I think giving viewers more time to get used to the idea would have been so much better.

After all, HB was clearly a man of faith and that element was always in Josh’s background. Having him go to church for several months and find new direction and inspiration there would have made his decision so much more logical. 

But the biggest mistake was, I think, the fact that it seemed at odds with his relationship with Cassie. To me, one of the major points of even doing such a storyline would have been to have Reva be a minister’s wife. GL did play some of Cassie’s spotty past clashing with Josh’s new career, but it didn’t make as much of an impact for me.

Reva has always doubted that she was good enough for Josh on some level, and I think if the show had done this story during one of their many marriages, it would have made more sense. Reva would have had very natural doubts that would have emerged organically from her checkered past. 

One reason I believed GL took this step and went in this direction was to cement Robert Newman’s status as the new emeritus member of the show. With many older vets gone, and Jerry verDorn at One Life to Live, Newman seems to be the cornerstone of GL now. 

I hope that even if Josh abandons a career in the ministry that he’ll continue to visibly grapple with issues of faith and morality. Although I don’t think most soap fans want to be overwhelmed with prostelyzing, I think we’d appreciate seeing faith and religion as a source for characters to draw from when they make good choices (or regret bad ones).