Malicious Monday: Gwen Hotchkiss Winthrop

YAAAASSSS It's another Malicious Monday!!! It's about fucking time!!! Yeah, The Foundation took a break, but we're back! Let's do this.

Today we're paying homage to the good-girl-gone-bad of the TV soap Passions, Gwen Hotchkiss Winthrop, played by the lovely Liza Huber. Disclaimer time, this post might be a little biased, because Gwen was ALWAYS my favorite character from Passions. I watched Passions from the VERY beginning up until the bitter-sweet end (1999 - 2008)

I've always had a hard time seeing Gwen as a villain. Sorry not sorry! When we first meet Gwen, she's this beautiful, wealthy socialite who's madly in-love with Ethan Crane, an heir to the Crane fortune and empire. After Ethan graduates from law school, Gwen convinces him to move back to his hometown of Harmony so they can start laying down roots and start a life together. Gwen constantly hints at her readiness to get married, but Ethan isn't quite ready.

Gwen encourages Ethan to get to know the people of Harmony, make friends and be nice. The Crane name has always been nefarious with snobbery, as a future Mrs. Crane, Gwen wanted to clean up the reputation of the family. She was bound and determined to have the people of Harmony see them as one of their own. She was sweet and caring, always willing to go the extra mile for Ethan and do whatever he needed.

It's Gwen and the original Ethan! He was a TERRIBLE actor.

When Ethan finally proposed to Gwen, she refused, she felt like his heart wasn't in it and he was only proposing due to the pressures of his family. The second time he proposed, Gwen said yes, all the while Gwen was becoming fast friends with Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald, Ethan's Mother's assistant. Gwen stumbles upon several sketches and plans for a wedding that Theresa had been planning and naturally assumed Theresa had been planning her and Ethan's wedding. She was delighted, and insisted that Theresa plan the wedding as it would be a huge opportunity for her. Theresa was reluctant to do so, but agreed.

In the beginning.

After a while, Gwen began to fear that Theresa was trying to steal Ethan away. Gwen's mother, Rebecca, fires Theresa, but it's too late. Ethan tells Gwen on the night before their wedding that he has fallen in-love with Theresa. Gwen is furious and flies into a mad rage. Feeling betrayed by her once best friend, Gwen grabs a baseball bat and attempts to kill Theresa. It's then she discovers that Theresa has been obsessed with Ethan, and the wedding plans she has been making, were not for Gwen's wedding, but her's with Ethan. Ethan stops Gwen before she can do any harm. And so begins the debacle that is infamously called ETG, short for the Ethan, Theresa and Gwen love triangle.

Blonde girl gone crazy!

The writers stretched this out until the very end of the show. Gwen eventually discovers that Theresa has evidence that Ethan is not really a Crane. Thinking that Theresa is only marrying Ethan for his money, Gwen makes an anonymous call to a tabloid and emails the tabloid the evidence from Theresa's own computer. Ethan is heartbroken that Theresa has ruined his life. Theresa tries to convince Julian Crane to take Ethan back as a son and rightful heir to the Crane empire, but Julian and Theresa get drunk and marry instead. Theresa finds out she's pregnant with Julian's son and an even more heartbroken Ethan gets Gwen pregnant and they soon marry. Really, Gwen had to do very little to get Ethan back, she only had to let Theresa self-destruct.

I would like to say "Poor Ethan"... but he kinda sucks soooo. 

Gwen's life is far from easy after her marriage to Ethan. She constantly has to fight off Theresa, most of the time LITERALLY. That's right, Gwen literally has gotten into many physical altercations with Theresa. Gwen usually bests Theresa, but along the way Gwen has lost two children due to Theresa's lies and interference with her life. All the while fighting to keep her husband away from her.

Wake up bitches!

Gwen gives Ethan many opportunites to walk away from their marriage so he can be with Theresa, however, each time he insists he loves Gwen and not Theresa. After years of fighting, Gwen finally reaches her limit when she catches Ethan in bed with Theresa again. She legally separates from Ethan, eventually divorcing him.

Good God, Gwen... GET A NEW MAN!

Theresa and Ethan begin seeing each other, and Gwen comes back finalize their divorce only to find them in each other's arms. She still loves Ethan but refuses to chase after a man who wants another woman. It's during this time that the writers of Passions change. They completely throw out Gwen's character and make her become a total, evil bitch.

The dress Gwen is wearing is actually limited edition Chloe and retailed at Neiman Marcus for $2,000.  

Gwen finds out that Theresa's son she had with Julian is actually Ethan's and that Theresa has known about it for a year. Gwen plans on revealing this information to Ethan at his wedding, but is stopped by Theresa's stupid friends. Gwen then reveals that she, too has a baby with Ethan that she had while she was away. She wanted to be away from the stress of Theresa and Ethan together. Ethan welcomes Gwen and her their son, and Theresa tries to tell Ethan the truth about their son together. Gwen stops her every time.

Gwen eventually finds out that the mafia is after Theresa's family. She blackmails Theresa's mother into keeping Theresa away from Ethan so she can get him back. If Gwen reveals where Theresa and her mother are, the mafia will massacre them. Theresa backs off from Ethan, but of course, Passions ends with Theresa and Ethan together and Gwen and her mother are thrown to the side like they never mattered.

I always hated that Gwen was considered the villain of the show, when all she was doing, like Theresa, was fighting for what she wanted. She wanted Ethan, and for all she knew Ethan wanted her. Ethan strung her along, continued to make her believe there was actually something there between them, but there wasn't. She was in-love with someone who didn't deserve or appreciate it. It's unfortunate that Gwen was never given a better story line.

Liza Huber, the actress who played Gwen for most of the run of the show, is actually soap opera royalty. Her mother is Susan Lucci from All My Children. Liza Huber had all the makings of a great soap opera diva, unfortunately the writers of Passions didn't use her to her full potential. They kept her character pining for Ethan.That's not to say they didn't give her some pretty epic scenes.

Yeah, this actually happened. God I miss Passions!

If Gwen is remembered for anything on Passions, it's her epic, melodramatic fights with Theresa. Over Passions' 10 years of airing, she's slapped her, punched her, choked her, threw her out a window, beat her with a bedpan and stabbed her. Gwen was a total bad-ass. She was this classy, charming, socialite with both brains and beauty, She had style, taste and a knack for kicking major ass. She was never intimidated by anyone or anything.

Gwen didn't take shit from anyone! And God help those who crossed her or those she loved!

She was villain-ized by fans of Passions, which is why she goes into the Malicious Monday Hall of Fame. You want her to be a villain? FINE! She's a villain! A damn good one too! Most of all, Gwen was a character that never got to reach half of her potential due to poor writing. Despite everything, she is still and always will be my one of my all time favorite daytime soap characters. This one's for you Gwennie!

Villain Score: BASEBALL BAT

And just for fun: