Russell family (Passions)

A promotional image of the primary members of the Russell family. Left to right: Eve Russell, Simone Russell, Whitney Russell, and Thornton Chandler "T.C." Russell.

The Russell Family is a fictional family on the American soap opera Passions, a long-running serial drama which aired on NBC (1999–2007) and later on DirecTV (2007–08). It followed the romantic and supernatural adventures in the fictional coastal New England town of Harmony. Created by the soap's founder and head writer James E. Reilly, the family originally consisted of four characters—the married couple Eve Russell (Tracey Ross) and T.C. Russell (Rodney Van Johnson) and their two children Whitney Russell (Brook Kerr) and Simone Russell. The Russells are one of the four core families and are characterized by their friendship with the Bennetts and Lopez-Fitzgeralds and feud with the Cranes.

As the series progressed, more characters were added to the family, like Liz Sanbourne (Amelia Marshall) as Eve's vengeful adoptive sister and Vincent Clarkson (Phillip Jeanmarie) as Eve's child with Julian Crane. Despite their importance in majority of the storylines, a majority of the characters left during the show's transition from NBC to DirecTV, leaving Eve and Vincent as the only two representatives of the Russell family present in the series finale.

The cast received critical acclaim for their representation of a middle-class African American family on television as represented by their frequent NAACP Image Award nominations; the characters received mixed feedback from the cast members. The Russell family garnered further media and critical attention for its representations of various LGBT topics: Chad Harris-Crane's relationship with Vincent and subsequent confusion of his sexual orientation as either gay or bisexual, Simone coming out to her family as a lesbian, and the reveal of Vincent as intersex.

Background

Sheraton Kalouria, senior vice president of NBC’s daytime programming,[1] explained the decision to create and cast two minority families—the African-American Russells and the Hispanic Lopez-Fitzgeralds—as a conscious effort to simulate the diversity of the United States. Kalouria described the cast as reflecting the show's "truly color-blind storytelling." Rodney Van Johnson, who played T. C. Russell, expressed an appreciation for the show’s representation of "a full African-American family" on daytime television that tell serious storylines rather than being "just a flash in the pan." Johnson said the Russell family have received a large response from the African-American viewers. An article in Jet described each member of the Russell family as having an "integral part of the show" instead of making them token characters.[2]

Other Passions' cast members have also commented on the representation of each family member as going against racial stereotypes; Tracey Ross said her character Eve is "just a person" and not purely defined by her race and Charles Divins viewed the show's treatment of the Russells as "a strong African American family" as "refreshing."[3] Amelia Marshall identified the creation of seven African-American roles as allowing each character to be unique:

"It's an awful lot of fun to be going to all these dark and extreme places. I finally realized that there are seven African-Americans on this show and I don't have to be the flag-bearer for African-Americans. I can just be an actress given a crazy bitch to play and play it to the best of my ability. I don't have to say, 'I don't want to represent my people like that.' We'll let the Eve character be upstanding, even though she's got shades. It's so much fun to just deal with acting the part and not deal with the politics of it."[4]

During the soap opera's final years, Johnson expressed disappointment when the show began "taking out the people of color[,]" like Amelia Marshall, Brook Kerr, and himself, and commented that it was an obvious sign that "this thing is going down." He identified the racial diversity as one of the biggest draws to the show, but also added the African-American actors were not used to their full potential.[5]

Core family members

Eve Russell (Tracey Ross 1999-2008)

Main article: Eve Russell

Eve Russell is the matriarch of the Russell family and a respected doctor at Harmony Hospital. Her early storylines focus on her attempts to keep her past alcohol and drug abuse and relationship and child with Julian Crane a secret from her family and the rest of Harmony. Following the reveal of her past, she is primarily characterized through her rekindling romance with Julian and tense relationship with their son Vincent Clarkson.

Ross identified Eve as "a contradiction inside an enigma"[6] and based her performance on Catherine Halsey from Ayn Rand's 1943 novel The Fountainhead[7] and Eve White from the 1957 film The Three Faces of Eve.[8] She also compared the relationship between Julian and Eve to that of Romeo and Juliet.[9]

T.C. Russell (Rodney Van Johnson 1999-2007)

Main article: T.C. Russell

Thornton Chandler "T.C." Russell is the patriarch of the Russell family. He is characterized by his violent temper and hatred of Julian Crane for supposedly injuring him in a hit and run and destroying his chances of being a professional tennis player. He is initially portrayed as a harsh and unforgiving parent; he pushes Whitney to train to be a tennis champion like he once wanted to be and disapproves of her relationship with Chad Harris-Crane as a distraction and he beats Simone when she came out of the closet as a lesbian. T.C. files for divorce from Eve after finding out about her past relationship with Julian and responsibility for the car crash ending his tennis career and has a brief romance and engagement with her adoptive sister Liz Sanbourne.

The show humanizes T.C. and softens his temper during his recovery from a stroke; his final storylines focus on his attempts to rebuild his relationship with his ex-wife and children. In 2007, he movess to New Orleans to help Whitney with her pregnancy and reconnect with Simone. He does not physically appear on the show again after its transition to DirecTV. He is not seen or mentioned in the series finale.

Simone Russell (Lena Cardwell 1999-2001, Chrystee Pharris 2001-04, and Cathy Janeén Doe 2004-07[10])

Main article: Simone Russell
Cathy Jenéen Doe's (pictured above) performance and the show's writing was criticized for having "reduced Simone to a one-dimensional character who happened to sleep with a girl."[11]

Simone Russell is the youngest daughter of Eve and T.C. Russell and is initially always seen in her older sister's shadow. She is first introduced as a part of a love triangle with Whitney and Chad and accomplice to Kay's schemes to seduce Miguel Lopez-Fitzgerald, but she receives more prominence after she comes out as a lesbian and begins a relationship with Rae Thomas. Her family eventually supported her sexual identity after much resistance, such as T.C. physically beating her after hearing about her relationship with Rae. Following Rae's murder, Simone attempts to protect her close friend Jessica Bennett from the abusive Spike Lester. After learning that Vincent killed Rae, Simone decides to leave Harmony with her sister to help her settle in New Orleans and with her pregnancy. Simone does not physically appear on screen after the show transitions from NBC to DirecTV, but she is referenced through her letter to Kay before her wedding to Miguel.

Simone's storyline on her identity as lesbian received mixed feedback from critics and media outlets. The character made daytime history by being the first serial to show two women in bed making love.[12] Passions won the award for Outstanding Daily Drama in the 17th GLAAD Media Awards for its portrayal of Simone's sexuality and her relationship with Rae.[13] Sarah Warn, former editor of entertainment website AfterEllen.com, gave the show a negative review by pointing out that the viewers "haven't had the chance to see this woman through her eyes."[11]

Vincent Clarkson (Phillip Jeanmarie 2006-08)

Main article: Vincent Clarkson
Jamey Giddens of Daytime Confidential praised Phillip Jeanmarie as deserving an Emmy for making Vincent's (pictured above as the half-man, half-woman, masked "Blackmailer") outlandish situations believable.[14]

Vincent Clarkson is Eve and Julian's child and later revealed to be the "Blackmailer" and serial rapist of the show's 2007 summertime extravaganza. His actions are later clarified as being a result of Alistair Crane's orders In the show's final episode on NBC, Vincent is revealed to be intersex and Valerie Davis is shown to be his alter ego. His storylines on DirecTV focuses on his plan to torment Eve out of revenge for failing to prevent his abduction at birth and his sexual relationship with Julia and pregnancy with his father's child.[15] He teams up with Viki Chatsworth to kill everyone in Harmony at the rehearsal for the mass wedding between Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald and Fancy Crane, Noah Bennett and Paloma Lopez-Fitzgerald, Miguel Lopez-Fitzgerald and Kay Bennett, and Edna Wallace and Norma Bates. After Tabitha Lenox sacrifices her magic to revive everyone, Vincent and Viki are arrested.

The character received mixed reactions from the show's cast members. Jeanmarie praised James E. Reilly for "being bold but at the same time having a tongue in cheek approach to his story telling"[16] and stated the character represented how Passions "pushed the boundaries and limits of what other soap operas didn’t dare to do."[17] Tracey Ross said the storyline of Vincent giving birth to his father's child made her "physically nauseous" and she could only complete the delivery scenes after the show's acting coach Maria O'Brien convinced her of "the comedic possibilities."[18]

Whitney Russell (Brook Kerr 1999-2007)

Main article: Whitney Russell

Whitney Russell is the eldest daughter of Eve and T.C. Russell. She is introduced as the close friend of Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald Crane (Lindsay Hartley), but she received a more prominent role on the show as the love interest of Chad Harris-Crane. Chad is incorrectly identified as Eve and Julian's son and his relationship with Whitney is judged as incestuous. Whitney's confusion about her relationship with Chad and shame from possibly committing incest escalates after she becomes pregnant and gives birth to their son, Miles Harris-Crane. Whitney briefly cuts herself away from Chad and Harmony to become a nun in order to absolve herself of the sins of incest. The discovery of Chad's birth certificate proves the couple are not related by blood and they resume their relationship and eventually get married.

She leaves Chad after discovering his affair with Vincent Clarkson. Their later reconciliation is cut short when he is murdered by Alistair Crane. Following Chad's death, Whitney moves to New Orleans to raise Miles and her unborn child with the help of Simone. Whitney does not physically appear on screen after the show transitions from NBC to DirecTV, but she is referenced through a telephone call to police chief Sam Bennett and Simone's letter to her best friend Kay Bennett.

Miles Harris-Crane

Main article: Miles Harris-Crane

Miles Davis Harris-Crane is the eldest child of Chad Harris-Crane and Whitney Russell. Miles is named after Miles Davis. Since everyone in Harmony believed Whitney's relationship with Chad was incestuous during the time of Miles's conception, she forms a relationship with Fox Crane to pass of the child as his. Chad adopts their son in an attempt to reconcile with Whitney. Following Chad's death, Whitney takes Miles to New Orleans to rebuild her life away from Harmony. As a baby Miles was portrayed by unknown babies and as a young child, he was portrayed by multiple child actors: Julard Roddy (2005), Lauren Bieber (2005–06), Mekhai Wilson (2006), and Sinqua Wells (2006-2007).[19]

unnamed Harris-Crane

Main article: Children of Passions

In May 2007, Whitney finds out that she is expecting her second child with Chad. After Chad's murder on August 28, 2007, Whitney moves to New Orleans to start a new life with her family. Whitney is confirmed to have given birth to her child sometime before the series finale through Simone's letter to Kay, but the exact date of birth and the child's gender and name are never revealed.

Extended family

Chad Harris-Crane (Donn Swaby 1999-2002 and Charles Divins 2002-06[20])

Main article: Chad Harris-Crane

Chad Harris-Crane is the primary love interest and later husband of Whitney Russell and father of Miles Davis Harris-Crane and unnamed Harris-Crane. His early appearances focus on his search for his biological parents and love triangle with sisters Whitney and Simone. Chad is initially believed to be Eve and Julian's child, which would make his relationship with Whitney incestuous. Chad's birth certificate later proves that he was conceived from Alistair Crane's rape of Eve's adoptive sister Liz Sanbourne and he reunites with Whitney without the stigma of incest.

Chad initiates a sexual relationship with Vincent Clarkson during his separation from Whitney and continues it after his marriage; he is unaware that he is committing incest since he is Vincent's half-uncle, adoptive half-cousin, and half-brother-in-law. After catching Chad having sex with Vincent at a gay bar, Whitney files from divorce. They later begin to reconcile through helping Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald and Ethan Winthrop reunite as a couple before Chad is murdered by Alistair.

Charles Divins credited the over-the-top qualities of his character's storylines as inspiration for his performance:

People watch soaps as an escape. People need drama. Whether you love it or hate it, people will talk about it.[21]

Liz Sanbourne (Amelia Marshall 2001-06)

Main article: Liz Sanbourne

Liz Sanbourne is the antagonist and foil to her adoptive sister Eve Russell. Initially identified only be her first name, Liz is first seen as the owner of an unnamed resort on the fictional St. Lisa’s Island, located near Bermuda and the Bermuda Triangle, who is still in love with her former boyfriend Brian O’Leary. Her early appearances center on her attempts to reunite an amnesiac Sheridan Crane (McKenzie Westmore) with Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald (Galen Gering) despite Brian's interest in her.

On her arrival to Harmony, the show first reveals that Liz is Eve's half-sister, which is later retconned to her adoptive sister. Liz is notable to the show for exposing Eve's past with Julian Crane (Ben Masters), inadvertently leading them to reunite as a couple, and proving Chad Harris-Crane and Whitney Russell were not committing incest by her identification as Chad's mother. Liz harbors a deep desire for revenge against Eve for unknowingly abandoning her in an abusive household and against the Crane family after she was raped by Alistair and was later forced to undergo a surgery that made her barren. Liz's exit in February 2006 to abandon her vengeance against Eve, Julian, and Alistair to find a new life for herself was described as "abrupt" by media outlets and the cast.

Amelia Marshall was hired for the role based on her past work with James E. Reilly on Guiding Light. In an interview with Soap Talk, Marshall commented "I just love the fact that he saw me and realized that I could be such a witch."[22] In 2003, Arreale Davis and Taquel Graves played the character in flashbacks.[23]

Irma Johnson

Marla Gibbs' (pictured in 2014) character received positive reception from critics.

Irma Johnson is the sister of the late Warren Johnson and aunt of Eve Russell. When she was young, Eve had a close relationship with her aunt due to their love for gospel music. Irma was portrayed as very proud of Eve's singing in the church's choir and discouraged her from singing jazz and blues music, calling them sinful. Their relationship became strained when Irma saw a drugged and intoxicated Eve singing in a seedy jazz club in Boston and cavorting with several men. Irma disowned Eve when she discovered her relationship with the white Julian and pregnancy with his child. Eve and Irma did not speak for nearly twenty years. Eve paid for Irma to live in a retirement home, but told everyone that she had no living relatives in an attempt to keep past a secret.

In 2004, Eve's vengeful adoptive sister Liz Sanbourne discovers Irma's existence and brings her to Harmony to destroy Eve's life by revealing her past to her family. Irma tells Eve's family that she was once a a prostitute and drug addict while living in Boston and involved in a relationship with Julian, who is T.C.'s sworn enemy. The revelations destroy Eve and T.C.'s marriage. Despite her Christian upbringing, Irma is often foul-mouthed; she frequently calls Eve a whore or slut. When Eve's daughter Simone told Irma that she was a lesbian, Irma, who had previously been very kind to her great-niece, told Simone that homosexuality was vile and disgusting and ordered her to leave and never come back.

Irma was portrayed by Marla Gibbs on a recurring basis in 2004 and again in 2005. Gibbs called Irma "real mean" and "terrible" and expressed surprise at the positive feedback to the character by fans.[24]

Gibbs received positive feedback for her performance as Irma; she earned two nominations for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series in the 37th NAACP Image Awards and 38th NAACP Image Awards.[25]

Eve Johnson

Eve Johnson was the mother of Irma and Warren Johnson and the paternal grandmother of Eve Russell; Johnson is her granddaughter's namesake.

Warren Johnson

Warren Johnson is the late father of Eve Russell. The 2001 book Hidden Passions established Warren Johnson as a very wealthy Harvard University history professor in Boston, Massachusetts.[26] The show changes Warren to be a poor man from the American South. Warren divorced his wife and Eve's mother Ruby Lincoln after Eve ran away from home to pursue a career in music in Boston. It is unknown what happens to him during the time period between the divorce and his death.

Ruby Lincoln

Ruby Lincoln is the late mother of Eve Russell. The novel Hidden Passions established Eve's mother as Tanya Lincoln, a wealthy woman from Boston,[26] but she is later renamed to Ruby and is represented on the show as a poor woman from the American South. She reprimands Eve for listening and singing music other than gospel music and her spirit was described by Liz Sanbourne as dying the day Eve left home to pursue a career in singing in Boston. Following her divorce from Warren, Ruby remarried another man, whose surname was Sanbourne, and they adopted a daughter Liz Sanbourne

Ruby was played by Inger Tudor for two appearances in 2003.[27]

Mr. Sanbourne

unnamed Sanbourne was the second husband of Ruby Lincoln and the adoptive father of Liz Sanbourne. After his stepdaughter Eve Russell moved to Boston, he began sexually abusing his young daughter, which deeply traumatized her.

Reggie Russell

Reggie Russell is the late father of T.C. Russell. Reggie had high hopes for his son's promising tennis career and was crushed when T.C. was in a car accident that ended those dreams. Reggie was said to have died of a broken heart as a result.

Reggie was played by Dwight Hicks in flashbacks for four episodes during 2001-2002.[28]

Other appearances and reception

The Russell family received further attention for the actors' participation in public service announcements to celebrate the achievements of African Americans like Sidney Poitier, Marian Anderson, Alex Haley, Thurgood Marshall, Condoleezza Rice, and Bill Cosby in commemoration of Black History Month. The PSAs ran on NBC stations throughout February. Sheraton Kalouria identified the PSA campaign as "another example of Passions ' commitment to diversity and inclusion" alongside its featuring of a racial diverse cast.[29] Tracey Ross and Rodney Van Johnson also made cameo appearances as Eve Russell and T.C. Russell in the series finale of the NBC primetime drama Providence, marking one of the first daytime/primetime crossovers.[30]

The actors' performances received positive feedback among critics. Ross received eight nominations for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series and won the award in the 38th NAACP Image Awards for her portrayal of Eve.[31] For her performance as Whitney, Kerr was nominated the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series for the 39th NAACP Image Awards.[32] She was also nominated or Outstanding Younger Lead Actress and Favorite Triangle, along with co-stars Lindsay Hartley and Justin Hartley, for the 2005 Soap Opera Digest Awards.[33]

Despite the focus on an African-American family, Lynette Rice of Entertainment Weekly wrote the show has failed to attract the "hard-to-reach audience [of] African-American women." Sheraton Kalouria commented "quite frankly, many of them aren't aware Passions is even on."[34]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "NBCS days ABC’s Kalouria". Variety. 2000-05-09. Retrieved 2016-01-16.
  2. ↑ "Soap Opera ‘Passions’ Keeps Igniting Fervor Among Daytime Viewers". Jet. 2003-01-13. Retrieved 2016-01-16.
  3. ↑ "INTERVIEW: 'Passions' Superstars Chad and Eve". The GW Hatchet. 2002-10-24. Retrieved 2016-01-18.
  4. ↑ "Crazy For You". Soap Opera Digest. 2005-08-30. Retrieved 2016-01-18.
  5. ↑ "Van Johnson (TC) Interview". Soap Opera Digest. 2007-02-14. Retrieved 2016-01-19.
  6. ↑ "Ben Masters and Tracey Ross "Passions"". NBC Passions Online. 2000-04-11. Retrieved 2016-01-21.
  7. ↑ "Tracey Ross: TV". Atlas Society. 2011-04-29. Retrieved 2016-01-21.
  8. ↑ "interview102.html". Soap Opera Weekly. Retrieved 2016-01-21.
  9. ↑ "Tracey Ross Looks Back at Her Time on Passions". Soaps.com. 2008-07-14. Retrieved 2016-01-21.
  10. ↑ "Who's Who in Harmony | Simone Russell - soapcentral.com". soapcentral.com. Retrieved 2016-01-31.
  11. 1 2 ""Passions" Goes Boldly, and Badly, Where No Soap Has Gone Before". AfterEllen.com. 2005-09-22. Retrieved 2016-01-21.
  12. ↑ "GLAAD Media Awards Communities of African Descent Nominations". Archived from the original on February 16, 2006. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
  13. ↑ "Industry Insider". Soap Opera Weekly. 2007-02-13. p. 4.
  14. ↑ "DC Exclusive: Passions Villain Phillip Jeanmarie Talks "Workshop", Gay Firsts and Reilly". Daytime Confidential. 2009-07-30. Retrieved 2016-01-21.
  15. ↑ "TV: ‘Passions’ features pregnant man". Express Gay News. 2007-11-29. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
  16. ↑ "Exclusive Interview with Wild Force’s Phillip Jeanmarie!". Morphin' Legacy. Retrieved 2016-02-02.
  17. ↑ "Magazine". www.manofthehourmag.com. Retrieved 2016-02-02.
  18. ↑ "Tracey Ross Looks Back at Her Time on Passions". soaps.sheknows.com. Retrieved 2016-02-02.
  19. ↑ "Who's Who in Harmony | Miles Harris - soapcentral.com". soapcentral.com. Retrieved 2016-01-31.
  20. ↑ "Who's Who in Harmony | Chad Harris-Crane - soapcentral.com". soapcentral.com. Retrieved 2016-01-31.
  21. ↑ "Interview: ‘Passions’: Looking Back". Tulsa World. Retrieved 2016-01-31.
  22. ↑ "Passions: Amelia Marshall (Liz Sanbourn) on soap talk". Soap Talk. 2010-12-31. Retrieved 2016-01-16.
  23. ↑ "Who's Who In Harmony". Soapcentral. Retrieved 2016-01-16.
  24. ↑ "Marla Gibbs". Archive of American Television. Retrieved 2016-01-31.
  25. ↑ "Marla Gibbs: Awards". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2016-01-21.
  26. 1 2 Lenox, Tabitha (2001). Hidden Passions: Secrets from the Diaries of Tabitha Lenox. New York: HarperEntertainment. ISBN 0-06-107605-8.
  27. ↑ "Inger Tudor". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2016-01-31.
  28. ↑ "Dwight Hicks". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2016-01-31.
  29. ↑ "NBC's "Passions" Actors Celebrate Black History Month". Hoosier State Chronicles. 2003-02-20. Retrieved 2016-01-16.
  30. ↑ "Providence Full Cast & Crew". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
  31. ↑ "38th annual NAACP Image Awards winners". USA Today. Retrieved 2016-01-21.
  32. ↑ "LIST OF NAACP IMAGE AWARDS WINNERS". NAACP. Retrieved 2016-01-21.
  33. ↑ "Brook Kerr Awards". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2016-01-21.
  34. ↑ "Passions tries to attract a new type of audience". Entertainment Weekly. 2003-01-07. Retrieved 2016-01-19.

External links

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