Carmen Mesta
is the new Damon Porter. She is a character that serves no real purpose,
and played by a performer who was hired for all the wrong reasons. Marisa
Ramirez, who plays Carmen, was formerly featured on General Hospital.
Apparently when she became available, Y&R thought it would be quite a
casting coup to snap her up. Thus the new Damon Porter was born.
Like Ms. Ramirez, Keith Hamilton Cobb was also signed to a contract
without a real need at the time for a new character. Mr. Cobb was viewed
as a commodity with a built-in fan base the show thought would follow him
to daytime. Seems as though they figured just having him on the show would
be enough. A convoluted yet vague character was created for him and thrown
against the canvas in much the same way that Jackson Pollack splattered
his "creations" against a wall. Damon Porter was invariably paired with
every available female character to see "where the chemistry was."
Eventually it was determined that his chemistry was to be found with
Michelle Stafford, who plays Phyllis. Unfortunately this was due more to
the fact that Ms. Stafford is able to ignite sparks with even the dullest
performer rather than Mr. Cobb having any real viable connection to her.
Like Damon Porter, Carmen Mesta is currently flopping around like the
proverbial goldfish that's been spilled from its bowl. One day she's
dining with Jack Abbott, the next she's being leered at inappropriately by
the very married Neil Winters, whose powerhouse wife Drucilla is certain
to mop the floor with Ms. Mesta once she returns to town.
Like Damon
Porter, Carmen seems to work everywhere yet nowhere. Ostensibly hired to
save Jabot from financial ruin (once again), of late she has spent her
waking hours exclusively at Newman Enterprises, jumping between the pools
of acquisitions for Newman and publicity for NVP. Like other Genoa City
residents, however, she still finds plenty of time to spend at Crimson
Lights, the Athletic Club, and Neil's apartment.
What's next for Carmen? God forbid they pair her with Paul Williams. Their
combined lack of charisma could be bottled and sold over the counter as a
sleeping aid. Whatever talents Ms. Ramirez brings to the show utterly
escape me. That her character is inherently dull certainly doesn't help
matters much. I mean, who the heck cares about public relations? Yet fiery
performers with actual talent and appeal can infuse even the weakest
material with interest. Thus far Ramirez has failed to do so in the
generous allotment of time she's been given already.
Ironically, Ramirez was shown up by no less than an off-the-street day
player who showed up a couple weeks ago to give Victor and Nikki salsa
lessons. This fiery Latina lit up the screen with presence and power the
moment she stepped into the room. She was bubbly, she was fun, and she was
a much welcome relief from the tedium of day to day corporate business.
What a shame this wonderful actress was not hired to play Carmen instead
of Marisa Ramirez.
Better still, the hot little salsa instructor could have been organically
woven into the show, making sporadic appearances at first, until a real
need for her became apparent. Certainly audiences are better able to
relate to people who have to hustle for work and take jobs just to pay the
rent, as opposed to corporate executives who land six figure contracts to
do not much more than sip coffee and listen to the troubles of other
executives.
Another new character, Jana, is a fine example of my point. In a sharp
contrast to the creation of Carmen Mesta, Jana has been craftily and
successfully added to the cast. This cute little Brit who seems to know
more than she's telling is made intriguing by the fact that she has been
logically and slowly introduced to the show. A new waitress at the coffee
shop, hired to fill the vacancy left by Mackenzie, Jana has been given
just the right amount of screen time to catch the attention and curiosity
of viewers. In the few scenes she has appeared thus far, she has given
just a hint of mystery about her to leave audiences eager for more.
Carmen, on the other hand, is too much of nothing, too soon, and now too
often. Y&R learned nothing from its fiasco with Damon Porter. You don't
introduce a new character on a show just because you want to hire someone
considered a hot property when there is no real need for that character.
Historically Y&R is loathe to admit such mistakes, so I have no doubt
they'll beat the dead horse that is Carmen Mesta until we can't take it
anymore. Any attempt to breathe new life into this character will be too
little, too late.
The viewers have spoken, and it's a big Thumbs Down to Carmen Mesta.
