I mind when it's that overt. I mind when I can feel the strings being pulled - or, worse, when I can see them being pulled and they aren't actually pulling me, but I can see how hard they're trying to. It just feels cheap. I like a story where it feels like you just flow with the way the characters feel and develop and everything just unfolds as a natural process, rather than feeling the grinding of the gears shifting, you know? I think that's real writing skill!