Pretty Crane
Encyclopedia
Pretty Crane is a fictional character
on the NBC
/DirecTV
soap opera
Passions
. She is portrayed by Melinda Sward
on a recurring basis from July 30, 2007 on NBC and became a contract cast when NBC continued the series on DirecTV on September 17, 2007.
and Ivy Winthrop
, and the granddaughter of the Crane
patriarch
Alistair Crane
and his first wife Katherine Crane. She was born sometime in the early 1980s, and conceived in Sri Lanka
as her parents desperately sought to find a way to love one another. Julian chose to name their daughter Pretty, feeling the name to be fitting, since she was such a beautiful baby. She was the youngest of four children: Ethan
, Fancy
, and Fox
are her older siblings. Pretty, like her siblings, spent much of her youth away from home attending boarding schools.
Throughout the 2005 and 2006 seasons, Passions gave the impression that Fancy and Pretty had a good relationship; when Fancy returned home to Harmony on June 16, 2005, she mentioned that she and her sister had been traveling together in Italy, where Pretty had fallen in love with an Italian count or prince, and Fancy was seen talking with an off-screen Pretty on December 1, 2005, when Ethan was set to be taken off of life support
.
However, beginning on January 8, 2007, Pretty's history was retconned such that Fancy and Pretty were said to have had a very competitive relationship. Sheridan commented that Fancy once stole one of Pretty's dates one Labor Day
simply because she could, dumping the boy a week later. Even though Fancy protested that events had not unfolded as her aunt had claimed, she did not give her own viewpoint of the event.
" on her face; Fancy claimed that Pretty had been choking her, and, desperate to escape, she had grabbed something with which to defend herself, unaware that the bottle contained acid.
After the accident, Pretty left Harmony and cut herself off from her family. Though she saw many plastic surgeons, none were able to fix her scars; they were only able to minimize it to its current state. As a result, Pretty harbors deep resentment against her sister, believing that Fancy intentionally scarred her, thus eliminating Pretty's chances of ever having a normal life, marrying, and having children. She also blames her parents for wanting her gone, to protect the Crane family's image.
's request, Pretty returned to Harmony on July 30, 2007, with the intent of preventing her sister's impending nuptials to the soon-to-be-executed Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald
. Eager to destroy her sister's happiness, Pretty told her sister that she would reveal her version of their fight to Luis if Fancy didn't cancel the wedding; Fancy eventually complied. Ivy bumped into Pretty, and even though Ivy was happy to see her, Pretty only showed anger and resentment towards her. When Pretty tried to tell Luis what had happened all those years ago as he was walking to the execution chamber, Pilar Lopez-Fitzgerald
punched her in the face, knocking her unconscious; Ivy, Pilar and Fancy left her unconscious on the floor of a jail cell, with Ivy stating that she'll have someone come and check on her later. Father Lonigan brought out a softer side of Pretty, even convincing her to let Luis die in peace.
Pretty's mercy was short-lived, however, because, soon after Luis was cleared of all charges, she told him of the accident involving herself and her sister, and was incensed when Luis did not leave Fancy. Eager for revenge, Pretty joined forces with her grandfather, Alistair
, despite his earlier cruelty to her (he'd spurned her and called her "Ugly Crane"), and drugged her sister so that Alistair could have a special mind-control device implanted into Fancy's brain.
When the device backfired multiple times Alistair chose a more conniving plan and he and Pretty took Luis captive in order to impregnate her. When the plan was foiled, Alistair ordered Spike Lester
, a Crane lackey to kill Luis and, if she got in the way, Pretty as well. During the melee Pretty was shot in the side, but it was only a flesh wound. Pretty had fallen in love with Luis, and she tormented her aunt and sister with the possibility that she may be pregnant with his child.
After months of Pretty faking a pregnancy, on June 17, 2008, Juanita Vasquez "accidentally" tripped over Pretty, causing her fake pregnant stomach to fall off. Luis and Fancy furiously yelled at Pretty. Pretty cried and even tried to apologize to Fancy but Luis was much devastated and betrayed, while her sister Fancy said that her accident in the pool-side causing Pretty's face to scar was nothing compared to what she had just done to Fancy. In tears, Fancy said, "I hate you!" and that she never wanted to see Pretty again.
After an attempt to throw acid in Fancy's face failed on June 26, 2008, Pretty's dark secret was finally revealed - she had been suffering from a mental illness for many years, and in addition her facial scar was actually fake. Luis proceeded to contact a mental institution, and men in white jackets arrived to take Pretty away. According to Sheridan and Eve, Crane women suffer a hereditary case of mental illness going down to Alistair's grandmother who went insane because of losing a loved one. Pretty went crazy because of prolonged anger and, according to Eve, would be in the mental institution for a long time.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
/DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Passions
Passions
Passions is an American television soap opera which aired on NBC from July 5, 1999 to September 7, 2007 and on The 101 Network from September 17, 2007 to August 7, 2008....
. She is portrayed by Melinda Sward
Melinda Sward
Melinda Ann Sward is an American actress. She known for her role as Pretty Crane on Passions .-Filmography:* 2001: The Bold and the Beautiful as Jennifer Doheny* 2002: Do Over as Holly Kent...
on a recurring basis from July 30, 2007 on NBC and became a contract cast when NBC continued the series on DirecTV on September 17, 2007.
Early life
Pretty Crane is the youngest daughter of Julian CraneJulian Crane
Julian Linus Crane is a fictional character on the American soap opera Passions. Throughout the show's nine-year run, Julian is portrayed by original cast member Ben Masters, and the character debuted on July 8, 1999....
and Ivy Winthrop
Ivy Winthrop
Ivy Winthrop is a fictional character on the NBC/DirecTV soap opera Passions. Ivy has been portrayed by original cast member Kim Johnston Ulrich since the soap's premiere episode in July 1999...
, and the granddaughter of the Crane
Crane family
The Crane family is a fictional family on the NBC/DirecTV soap opera Passions. Seated at 14 Raven Hill Road atop Raven Hill in Harmony, New England, the wealthy Crane family amassed its fortune during the eighteenth century via the slave trade, amongst other things...
patriarch
Patriarch
Originally a patriarch was a man who exercised autocratic authority as a pater familias over an extended family. The system of such rule of families by senior males is called patriarchy. This is a Greek word, a compound of πατριά , "lineage, descent", esp...
Alistair Crane
Alistair Crane
Alistair Ephraim Crane is a fictional character on the NBC/DirecTV soap opera Passions. Alistair is portrayed by John Reilly on a recurring basis from August 20, 2007 to May 20, 2008; before Reilly's contract run from January 21, 2005 to July 17, 2006, Alistair was also portrayed by David Bailey...
and his first wife Katherine Crane. She was born sometime in the early 1980s, and conceived in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
as her parents desperately sought to find a way to love one another. Julian chose to name their daughter Pretty, feeling the name to be fitting, since she was such a beautiful baby. She was the youngest of four children: Ethan
Ethan Winthrop
Ethan Winthrop is a fictional character on the NBC/DirecTV daytime drama Passions. Ethan is played by both Travis Schuldt and Eric Martsolf...
, Fancy
Fancy Crane
Fancy Lopez-Fitzgerald is a fictional character on the NBC/DirecTV soap opera Passions and is portrayed by actress Emily Harper from the May 13, 2005 episode through the series finale...
, and Fox
Fox Crane
Nicholas Foxworth "Fox" Crane is a fictional character on the NBC/DirecTV soap opera Passions and was portrayed by Justin Hartley from December 17, 2002—February 10, 2006, and Mark Cameron Wystrach from February 14, 2006—September 7, 2007...
are her older siblings. Pretty, like her siblings, spent much of her youth away from home attending boarding schools.
Throughout the 2005 and 2006 seasons, Passions gave the impression that Fancy and Pretty had a good relationship; when Fancy returned home to Harmony on June 16, 2005, she mentioned that she and her sister had been traveling together in Italy, where Pretty had fallen in love with an Italian count or prince, and Fancy was seen talking with an off-screen Pretty on December 1, 2005, when Ethan was set to be taken off of life support
Life support
Life support, in medicine is a broad term that applies to any therapy used to sustain a patient's life while they are critically ill or injured. There are many therapies and techniques that may be used by clinicians to achieve the goal of sustaining life...
.
However, beginning on January 8, 2007, Pretty's history was retconned such that Fancy and Pretty were said to have had a very competitive relationship. Sheridan commented that Fancy once stole one of Pretty's dates one Labor Day
Labor Day
Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.-History:...
simply because she could, dumping the boy a week later. Even though Fancy protested that events had not unfolded as her aunt had claimed, she did not give her own viewpoint of the event.
Pool-side accident
As teenagers, a fight between the two sisters left Pretty badly scarred on the right side of her face. In the aftermath, the two sisters provided contradicting stories: Pretty claimed that Fancy, jealous that a new boy in town, Harrison, had eyes only for Pretty, intentionally scarred her younger sister by pouring a bottle labeled "Pool Clear Cyanuric AcidCyanuric acid
Cyanuric acid or 1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-triol is a chemical compound with the formula 3. Like many industrially useful chemicals, this triazine has many synonyms. This white, odorless solid finds use as a precursor or a component of bleaches, disinfectants, and herbicides...
" on her face; Fancy claimed that Pretty had been choking her, and, desperate to escape, she had grabbed something with which to defend herself, unaware that the bottle contained acid.
After the accident, Pretty left Harmony and cut herself off from her family. Though she saw many plastic surgeons, none were able to fix her scars; they were only able to minimize it to its current state. As a result, Pretty harbors deep resentment against her sister, believing that Fancy intentionally scarred her, thus eliminating Pretty's chances of ever having a normal life, marrying, and having children. She also blames her parents for wanting her gone, to protect the Crane family's image.
Return to Harmony
At her half-brother Vincent ClarksonVincent Clarkson
Vincent Clarkson is a fictional character on the NBC/DirecTV soap opera Passions. The role has been portrayed by Phillip Jeanmarie from December 26, 2006—July 18, 2008...
's request, Pretty returned to Harmony on July 30, 2007, with the intent of preventing her sister's impending nuptials to the soon-to-be-executed Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald
Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald
Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald is a fictional character on the NBC/DirecTV soap opera Passions, portrayed from 1999 to 2008 by original cast member Galen Gering. Debuting in the series' premiere episode, Luis is introduced as an honest, hard-working Irish-Mexican police officer who bitterly blames the...
. Eager to destroy her sister's happiness, Pretty told her sister that she would reveal her version of their fight to Luis if Fancy didn't cancel the wedding; Fancy eventually complied. Ivy bumped into Pretty, and even though Ivy was happy to see her, Pretty only showed anger and resentment towards her. When Pretty tried to tell Luis what had happened all those years ago as he was walking to the execution chamber, Pilar Lopez-Fitzgerald
Pilar Lopez-Fitzgerald
Pilar Lopez-Fitzgerald is a fictional character on the NBC/DirecTV soap opera Passions. Pilar was played by Eva Tamargo during the entire run of the show.-Pre-show:...
punched her in the face, knocking her unconscious; Ivy, Pilar and Fancy left her unconscious on the floor of a jail cell, with Ivy stating that she'll have someone come and check on her later. Father Lonigan brought out a softer side of Pretty, even convincing her to let Luis die in peace.
Pretty's mercy was short-lived, however, because, soon after Luis was cleared of all charges, she told him of the accident involving herself and her sister, and was incensed when Luis did not leave Fancy. Eager for revenge, Pretty joined forces with her grandfather, Alistair
Alistair Crane
Alistair Ephraim Crane is a fictional character on the NBC/DirecTV soap opera Passions. Alistair is portrayed by John Reilly on a recurring basis from August 20, 2007 to May 20, 2008; before Reilly's contract run from January 21, 2005 to July 17, 2006, Alistair was also portrayed by David Bailey...
, despite his earlier cruelty to her (he'd spurned her and called her "Ugly Crane"), and drugged her sister so that Alistair could have a special mind-control device implanted into Fancy's brain.
When the device backfired multiple times Alistair chose a more conniving plan and he and Pretty took Luis captive in order to impregnate her. When the plan was foiled, Alistair ordered Spike Lester
Spike Lester
Herbert "Spike" Lester is a fictional character on the NBC/DirecTV soap opera Passions. He was played by Christopher Maleki from March 10, 2005 to January 7, 2008.-Character history:...
, a Crane lackey to kill Luis and, if she got in the way, Pretty as well. During the melee Pretty was shot in the side, but it was only a flesh wound. Pretty had fallen in love with Luis, and she tormented her aunt and sister with the possibility that she may be pregnant with his child.
After months of Pretty faking a pregnancy, on June 17, 2008, Juanita Vasquez "accidentally" tripped over Pretty, causing her fake pregnant stomach to fall off. Luis and Fancy furiously yelled at Pretty. Pretty cried and even tried to apologize to Fancy but Luis was much devastated and betrayed, while her sister Fancy said that her accident in the pool-side causing Pretty's face to scar was nothing compared to what she had just done to Fancy. In tears, Fancy said, "I hate you!" and that she never wanted to see Pretty again.
After an attempt to throw acid in Fancy's face failed on June 26, 2008, Pretty's dark secret was finally revealed - she had been suffering from a mental illness for many years, and in addition her facial scar was actually fake. Luis proceeded to contact a mental institution, and men in white jackets arrived to take Pretty away. According to Sheridan and Eve, Crane women suffer a hereditary case of mental illness going down to Alistair's grandmother who went insane because of losing a loved one. Pretty went crazy because of prolonged anger and, according to Eve, would be in the mental institution for a long time.
External links
- Meet PASSIONS's Newcomer: Melinda Sward (Pretty Crane) at Soap Opera Digest
- Passions Sneak Peek: Meet Pretty Crane at TV Guide Soaps News
- PASSIONS CAST - PRETTY CRANE at Soaps.com