JR Chandler and Babe Carey

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Babe (Alexa Havins) and J.R. (Jacob Young).

J.R. Chandler and Babe Carey are fictional characters of the J.R. and Babe or Jabe couple from the American daytime drama All My Children. J.R. Chandler is portrayed by Jacob Young. Babe Carey was portrayed by actress Alexa Havins, and is now portrayed by Amanda Baker. Written as volatile and yet loving, the up-and-down romance tells of a young star-crossed couple who meet on a captivating night on a ship's dock, and from there are faced with much interference, significantly but unintentionally caused by each other, on their road to true happiness.

The love story was originally scripted by former All My Children head writer Megan McTavish, and first played out on television screens in October 2003. The pairing's love-hate relationship soon gained a large and loyal following, despite either character going through periods where they were not individually thought of fondly by viewers. In what is a rare feat for a fictional daytime pairing, the couple's popularity extended beyond the soap opera medium in early 2006, when the two were prominently featured in a celebrity magazine recognizing the couple's impact.

Background

Original couple concept

Jamie was around at one of the lowest points of my life, and I thought that he was the one. But I was wrong. As great as Jamie was, he could never take J.R.’s place in my heart, because J.R. never left.

— Babe Carey, declaration on the romantic love of her life, episode 5/24/06

In 1992, after ABC executives decided that the show needed new blood, and promoted Agnes Nixon's protégé, Megan McTavish, to the position of head writer, McTavish began adding new dimensions to the show. Some time at the start of her third stint as All My Children head writer, she created the character of Babe Carey, who first appeared in the fictional town of Pine Valley on October 13 2003. The character was introduced as a vixen latched onto the arm of the wealthy heir to the Chandler fortune J.R. Chandler, having had a one-night stand with J.R.'s stepbrother, Jamie Martin, her first night there.

When Megan McTavish and Brian Frons, president of ABC Daytime, collaborated on the storyline, their inspiration for the pairing was that of the story from two decades earlier, the Adam Chandler/Dixie Cooney/Tad Martin love triangle of the late 1980s, where Adam was set up as the roadblock antagonizing Tad and Dixie's union. McTavish and Frons originally saw Babe and Jamie as the true love couple with J.R. as the antagonist.

Actor Jacob Young, portrayer of J.R., wanted to focus more on widening his acting range, just as they began turning J.R. in a different direction, deepening the story by having J.R. act more and more like his father, when originally he'd had many of the elements of his mother in him.

Storyline

Following a complicated year together for characters J.R. Chandler and Babe Carey, an unusual storyline is launched in 2004, which involves characters from two different shows, All My Children and One Life to Live, in a "baby switch" storyline. One of the babies involved is the son of J.R. and Babe — Adam Chandler III. Adam, usually referred to as "Little Adam" or "Little A", is confirmed as the biological son of J.R., and J.R. and Babe divorce as a result of Babe's betrayal. In 2005, Babe then schemes to steal their child away from J.R., but she and J.R. grow close again when Babe takes the blame for J.R.'s drunken hit-and-run of Amanda Dillon.

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J.R. and Babe in a shack making love during their back-together status.

Soon after the couple reunites in early 2006, Babe and Little Adam are kidnapped by Janet Dillon (mother of Amanda), who makes it appear as if Babe has run off with her son. J.R., betrayed again, begins drinking and becomes violent, even resorting to holding Krystal, Babe's mother, at gunpoint in order to find Babe.

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J.R. holds Krystal hostage, gun in hand.

Babe is shown fantasizing that J.R. will rescue her. Her innocence is proven, though, when she is finally rescued from Janet. She then forgives J.R. for his doubts toward her.

The two remarry. They enjoy a blissful getaway to the south of France for their honeymoon. J.R. wishes upon a shooting star that their romantic love for each other will never die. Babe wishes the same. But their happiness after France is short-lived. When J.R. discovers his long estranged mother, Dixie Cooney, is still very much alive and has purposely stayed "dead", J.R. shuts himself off from everyone, and begins drinking again. His suspicions of Babe lead him to plot to kill her, in what he believes is the only way to save his son from her havoc, not wanting her to do to Little Adam what was done to him by Dixie. However, his longtime best friend, Kendall Hart, is caught in his trap instead and falls into a coma while pregnant. Babe, while eavesdropping on a one-sided conversation J.R. is having with a comatose Kendall, soon discovers that J.R. has tried to murder her. She then confronts him about it.

J.R. is arrested and put in jail. But his uncle Stuart Chandler helps them reconcile. J.R. decides to take responsibility for his crime, but ultimately Babe's testimony sets J.R. free. She lies in court to keep him from jail, and the two set out to start fresh.

Babe grows close to a man named Josh Madden. Some time after she has sex with Josh, Josh tells J.R., and when Babe admits the truth, J.R. again goes on a drunken rampage. He angrily goes in search of Josh, but after being cornered by Bianca Montgomery and Erica Kane, he jumps through a window and slams into the patio below, nearly killing himself.

Josh finds J.R. on the ground bleeding to death, and though initially torn about whether to save his enemy or having Babe to himself, he opts to save J.R.'s life. A recovering J.R. expresses that he hates Babe, but Tad's words help him to again rekindle his love for Babe. Things between J.R. and Babe slowly improve, until Babe's bodyguard tells J.R. that he spotted Babe and Josh kissing on New Year's Eve. J.R. then calls his lawyer to find out how to get full custody of Little Adam.

With the start of 2007, a serial killer is on the loose in Pine Valley, killing the women of Fusion Cosmetics. Once Babe passes on eating a stack of pancakes secretly meant for her by the Satin Slayer, and Dixie eats them instead, Tad and J.R. rush to Dixie's bedside at P.V. Hospital where she dies. J.R. says an emotional goodbye to his mother, returns to her a necklace in which she adored, and cries in his wife's arms.

J.R. is beyond crushed, but rather than drinking his sorrows away, he talks about his feelings in great detail to Babe, something which Babe has always wanted from him. Babe blames herself for Dixie's death. J.R. assures her that he'd never wish her dead in his mother's place, but when he catches Babe and Josh kissing in a shed, he forces her to choose between her mother's secret of being pregnant with Tad's baby or custody of Little Adam. Babe pleads with J.R. that the kiss he witnessed was just a goodbye kiss, and that she is still very much in love with him, but J.R. does not believe her. Babe is devastated when J.R. verbally lashes out that she should have died instead of Dixie.

My mother died in your place! She's dead because of you... All because you couldn't eat your favorite pancake breakfast. Your stupid favorite breakfast. No, 'ruin lives'? You should be in the ground, not her! And I wish to hell you were.

His words stick painfully on Babe's mind. In the parking garage of Chandler Enterprises, Babe's bodyguard is killed and Babe is attacked by the Satin Slayer. J.R. does not believe that Babe has been attacked at first, thinking that it is just a ploy. When Tad, however, relays to him that it is the truth, he quickly rushes to P.V. Hospital, just as Babe, at that very moment, flatlines, experiencing her life flash before her eyes; the images are of her mother, her son, and J.R., noticeably ending on a final flash where Babe is in France with J.R. looking over the balcony in what she describes as the happiest day of her life. J.R. makes it to the hospital a little after Krystal and Adam do, but soon after that, Babe is declared dead in the operating room. She "dies" loving J.R.

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J.R. heartbroken, as he believes Babe to be dead.

It is later revealed that although Babe was attacked by the Satin Slayer, she did not die. Josh has saved her, with the help of Zach Slater, Kendall, Jackson Montgomery, Joe Martin (grandfather of Josh) and Jeff Martin (father of Josh). Zach's idea to fake Babe's death, and Jeff and Joe who save her life by implanting a pacemaker within her heart to regulate it, but Josh gets most of the credit due to his constant vigil at her bedside. To fake Babe's death, they slowed down her heart-rate, causing her to go into a coma and then they moved her to Zach's casino. Josh pretends to skip town out of his "heart-breaking loss" of Babe. J.R. mourns, and the serial killer is soon discovered to be Alexander Cambias, Sr., Zach's biological father. Babe stays at Zach's casino where, through Josh's lies, she is led to believe that she is in a real hospital and that J.R. does not care about her.

J.R. is eventually reunited with Babe and apologizes to her for how he treated her before her "death", but Babe expresses that although she will always be in love with J.R., being separated as lovers is the only way to ensure no more severe pain between them. She also reasons that it will give their son a better shot at a stable life not brought up in a war-zone between two bickering parents. Joint custody of Little Adam is what both agree to.

They lead separate lives for a while. However, on November 2 2007, as they later bond over old times while talking at the bar The Comeback, their connection draws them together once more. Babe sees a more mature side to J.R., and after she offers him a ride home, the two cannot stop the pull that is apparent between them. With the sexual tension intensifying, and J.R. saying that he misses kissing her, the two make love for the first time since their divorce. Despite this reunion of sorts, Babe tells J.R. that it was just a one-time deal and says that she is not in love with him anymore. J.R. is left devastated, and even after Babe apologizes for hurting him in this way, he sulks in despair and begins drinking again.

He goes through a brief time of having lost himself and legal trouble. Months later, he is back on track with his life and has reconciled with Babe, though the two still do not continue their romance. On January 10 2008, they go out for a snowday with Little Adam and have fun building a snowman, throwing snowballs and enjoying each other's company. The two express that they like being a family, just them and Little Adam. When J.R. talks of being a better man, one that Babe can possibly like again, the two nearly kiss. Babe stops the intimate encounter before it can happen and reminds J.R. that when they become romantic with each other, it never lasts and ends in destruction. J.R. tells Babe that he loves her and asks her to give them another chance, but as friends first and see where it leads. Babe, hesitant at first, accepts his request.

When it is discovered that Richie Novak, recent but former love interest of Babe, needs a bone marrow transplant, she goes on a mission to save his life. She secretly discovers that J.R. is the perfect bone marrow match for him. Aware that the two are enemies, she makes a deal with J.R. on February 19 2008 after informing him that he is a bone marrow match for Richie. The deal comes in the form of strip poker. If Babe wins, J.R. will save Richie's life. If J.R. wins, Babe will give J.R. anything he wants in concerns to her. The two play the game at Babe's place, where Babe loses. Babe naked, and J.R. half naked. Babe grabs a robe just as J.R. surprises her by revealing that he already knew of his bone marrow status before she told him, and that he already planned to donate to Richie. He says he cannot let a man die without reason. Babe is touched by J.R.'s words, and the two flirt. They soon embrace and make love, unaware that Richie has also just discovered that J.R. is a bone marrow match and has sent thugs to capture J.R. in order to take J.R's bone marrow any way viable.

Recurring themes

Four themes are included often within the J.R. and Babe romance: pier in San Diego, star-crossed lovers, Tad and Dixie comparison, and inner demons of J.R. Chandler. Pier in San Diego is mentioned more so than the others, but the emphasis on star-crossed lovers, Tad and Dixie comparison, and inner demons of J.R. Chandler appear to be saved for more special occasions within the show.

Pier in San Diego

The pier in San Diego became symbolic for J.R. and Babe's first meeting to demonstrate J.R. and Babe's love at first sight:

On December 23 2003, Babe referred to meeting J.R. on a foggy dock as the answer to each others' prayers. In episode 3/16/06, J.R. and Babe described their pier-in-San-Diego meeting as being lost until they saw each other.

Star-crossed lovers

The phrase star-crossed lovers having first been recorded by William Shakespeare in his play Romeo and Juliet, the J.R. and Babe romance has taken on certain facets of this, such as J.R.'s father, Adam, trying to separate the two at first knowledge of their union, but more notably the tragedy aspect has followed:

During J.R. and Babe's time in France together, when J.R. sketches a picture of Babe, Babe states, "This is so Leo DiCaprio, but you are way hotter"...referring to the 1997 James Cameron film Titanic. The two star-crossed lovers in that film, Jack and Rose, of course, were separated by tragedy, and tragedy is foreshadowed when J.R.'s sketch of Babe blows over in the wind, slow motion, after he's assured her that they have nothing to worry about. Trust is often a missing element in reassuring each other of security.

During this same episode, J.R.'s family predicts that J.R. will fall into a place so deep and dark after Dixie reveals herself to have purposely stayed "dead", that "even Babe won't be able to reach him."

Tad and Dixie comparison

In line with J.R and Babe's love story is the notion that their love is undying, all furthered in reference to legendary supercouple Tad and Dixie's love:

At one of their reconciliation points, J.R. gives Babe Dixie's necklace. He tells her that Tad gave the necklace to his mother, and she gave it to him the last day that he saw her (her first "death"). J.R. says that she told him it was filled with more love than he could ever imagine. And that is what he wants for he and Babe, for their family — more love than they can ever imagine.

When J.R. is recovering from his jump out of a window, enraged at Babe for her one-night stand with Josh, Tad tells J.R. that J.R. loves Babe the same way that he himself loves Dixie.

Inner demons of J.R. Chandler

J.R.'s inner demons have been alluded to in the fashion of either the combination of his troubled childhood and the tragedies he has had to live through, temporary insanity, or a dangerous alter ego in which he desperately strives to overcome:

The moment J.R. lost his daughter, Bess, due to the lies of the baby switch, and finding out that Bess was not really his biological daughter, he felt that it was payback for all of his sins. He painfully whispered, "I'm evil."

Author Carol P. from Total TV Online, when describing J.R. as one such tortured soul, commented, "In the annals of literary history, there are many examples of the tortured soul anti-hero; i.e. Prince Hamlet, Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre, etc. We are drawn to them specifically because they are not your run-of–the mill male protagonists who win the day. Rather, they are flawed to such a degree that we, as the reader or the viewer are often afraid, that they may never find the peace and joy we desire for them."

Further notes were taken of J.R.'s unstable childhood and how it intertwines with his romantic relationship with Babe: "How can a young man, who has been raised with mixed messages about love, truth, and self worth, find a suitable life mate? For J.R. it wasn’t as simple as it appeared to have happened. There is so very much about Arabella 'Babe' Carey that was reminiscent to J.R. of his 'lost' mother; her size, her build, her coloring, her accent, her love of life, people, and experiences. J.R. was a goner the moment he spent any amount of time with her. What J.R. neglected to realize was that one person cannot and should not replace anyone in our lives; and that no two people will ever be exactly alike."

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J.R. feeling that Babe is the key to his well-being, telling her that from the moment he saw her, he knew what kind of man he wanted to be — a better man.

Other similarities drawn between Dixie and Babe were stated to be how Babe also possesses some of Dixie's worst qualities — the lying, manipulation, unfaithfulness, a conclusion being drawn that this was yet another reason why J.R. married Babe, as pain was all he had mostly ever known.

Of their rocky relationship, on two separate occasions J.R. expressed to Babe that he felt that he was insane when he tried to kill her. One of the most daunting conversations he had with Babe about his mental turmoil suggests a deep-seated inner battle that he has lost more than once:

The pain. I can't feel the pain, Babe. If I do, it'll kill me. I don't know how to explain it. It's this feeling that I've had inside me ever since I can remember. In here. The only way that I can describe it to you is — it's as if something is living inside of me, waiting to choke me. Making me drown. Always there, ready to pull me under. And sometimes I'm able to get rid of it, numb it. Why do you think that I became an alcoholic? Why do you think I started using drugs, long before my voice ever changed? I would get high every minute of every day if I could, if I could stop from feeling it. And sometimes I feel like it's just going to take over. And a few times it has. When I feel it, I can't talk about it. I can't even acknowledge it. I'm afraid it's just too much. I'm — I'm afraid that it's going to destroy everyone and everything that I care about. How many times have I almost lost you? But I'm going to fight it.

Cultural impact

The J.R. and Babe romantic pairing has attracted notable interest, usually absent of most popular soap opera couples, specifically ones still fairly young in union.

A celebrity magazine

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A photo of J.R. and Babe's Celebrity Exclusive.

J.R. and Babe's second wedding was so anticipated among viewers that the fictional couple was featured in the magazine Celebrity Living, previously known for articles on celebrities such as Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson, Denise Richards, etc. Bannered as exclusive coverage, even such detail as "Babe's Beauty Bridal Shower" was included.

Debate

When J.R. tried to murder his declared true love, Babe, it furthered an older debate about female characters remaining romantically linked to men who have tried to physically hurt them in the past. This was not the first time that a character in daytime drama had tried to murder the love of his life. General Hospital's Alan Quartermaine of the couple Alan and Monica had tried the same thing with his true love (several times). Journalist and Blogger Ben Bryant noted, "ABC in particular, has seen the unpredictable rise of 'anti-leading' men, including two wildly popular characters with rapist pasts: Anthony Geary's 'Luke Spencer' on General Hospital, and Roger Howarth (later Trevor St. John)'s 'Todd Manning' on One Life to Live. Is it the appeal (or at least promise) of 'redemption via a good woman's love' or the age-old affinity for the 'bad boy,' that draws..."

In early 2007, J.R. and Babe's tempestuous romance received notice by TV Guide's Daniel R. Coleridge, who published an exclusive interview with Babe's former portrayer, Alexa Havins, and queried her about the matter. Coleridge cited the marriage as dysfunctional and seemed perplexed as to why Babe would stay with a man that tried to kill her, and as he put it, "verbally abuses her all the time." Havins addressed deeper issues about the coupling: "I know. I asked if we could do a PSA (Public service announcement) for women in abusive relationships to get help, but that didn't happen. I was concerned about how viewers might be influenced by Babe saying, 'Oh, it's OK, J.R., you only tried to kill me because you were drinking.' What if a woman decided to ignore the warning signs of abuse and stay in a bad relationship, and then a true tragedy happened?"

Fans of the romance, however, continued loving the pairing. Havins, cautious but appreciative in concerns to the couple's popularity, expressed thanks for the support.

Even though the network produced an alternative coupling for Babe in Babe and Josh, as a healthier love story, it had the opposite effect on viewers, who saw Josh's need and "love" for Babe as an obsession bordering the line of stalker." Coleridge, on the other hand, saw Josh as a great choice for Babe and felt that it was difficult to blame Babe for her one-night stand and later emotional affair with him. To that, Havins disagreed with the cheating, but touched on the importance of needing a change for the love story: "Babe's affair was wrong. But her marriage to J.R. is just a really volatile, unhealthy relationship at this point. Some extreme changes need to be made. It can't just be J.R. saying 'I'm sorry' until the next thing happens. We've heard that before."

Magazine Soaps In Depth provided a deeper insight into J.R.'s murder attempt on Babe, citing J.R.'s true motivation for the crime and why viewers were able to still embrace the character:

J.R.'s darkest hour proved to be Young's shining moment. The scene where he confessed his crime to a comatose Kendall — his best friend and the unintentioned victim of the trap he'd set for Babe — was a marvel. Oozing agony, he explained what motivated the perversely well-intentioned stunt. Babe's love 'was just a con,' he said, his voice breaking. He had to eliminate her before she made Little Adam a target. 'It's a lot better for him,' J.R. continued, struggling to remain even but losing the bid to shield himself from the hurt that was swallowing him whole, 'to love a perfect mother that's gone than to believe a mother who's just gonna break his heart... She would be gone, but we would still have the memories. All that love, all good. I could raise my son on that.' It's a tough logic to sell, but Young's impactful exposure of J.R.'s internal ruin enabled us to understand (though not condone) his actions. And that we still root for him to heal, perhaps more than ever, is compelling proof of Young's artistry.

NIDA

Jacob Young's portrayal of an alcoholic battling his inner demons (most prevailing one, his revenge plots against Babe), noted as realistic and compelling, resulted in notice by the NIH's National Institute on Drug Abuse (also known as NIDA), which supports productions and performances featuring the accurate depiction of drug, alcohol and tobacco use, addiction, and mental health. NIDA noted that Young was nominated for the 11th Annual PRISM Awards under the title of "All My Children: JR's Alcoholism."

Specific popularity

Despite J.R.'s murder attempt on Babe and Babe's tough road with fans, the J.R. and Babe romance still remained a popular pairing in polls such as the About.com polls and polls conducted by Soap Opera Digest. Fans were known to send in balloons "and cute things at the studio" to show their support for the pairing." In mid 2007, supporters of the couple, self-declared as Jabeaholics, ordered a cake for the characters' portrayers praising J.R. and Babe as best couple of the year.

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J.R. and Babe fan cake honoring them as couple of the year: 2006/2007.

The romance was at the center of bitterness from viewers as well. The storyline of Babe's "death" at one of the most animosity-filled breakups between J.R. and Babe was one of the biggest upsets in daytime history, but not necessarily because Babe was killed off. Dixie Cooney Martin's death by the Satin Slayer serial killer is what had most viewers in a rage. The producers of All My Children decided to kill off the character of Dixie in place of Babe, then toyed with the audience in the notion that "One's not dead" in their ABC promos after Babe "died" as well. Many fans clamored in trying to find a way to save Dixie, but it was too late, and the audience's rage toward Babe was magnified, as witnessed in such articles as Creatvity anyone? Others simply said a peaceful goodbye to the Dixie character.

See also

• List of supercouples

External links

• SoapCentral
• J.R. Chandler Quotes and Transcripts
• Babe bio at abc.com

• J.R. bio at abc.com