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Click Here for This Week's (June 17) Commentary by Jill!
REFLECTIONS BY JILL….
Lately there have been so many rumors flying around the Internet that it’s been hard to keep up with all of them. There have also been some major scoops that I tend to believe will truly happen, even though Mr. Tomlin tries to throw us off the track most of the time. Except for one, I’m not really that thrilled with any of them. And because, of course, my favorite thing about watching One Life to Live is this guy, and because this would not be “Reflections by Jill” if I did not address the announcement which scorched its way across my computer screen last week, I have to discuss the upcoming new career opportunity for Mark Derwin, my beloved Ben Davidson. To those who love the character of Ben…you know how I feel…and to those of you who are glad he might be gone, well, this is just a testament to the talent he’s never given credit for.
I arrived at work one morning last week, early as usual, so that I could hop on line for a few minutes, touch base with my Internet buddies and “get the dirt” so to speak, on whatever might be new. A very good friend whose word I trust as gospel, popped up on my screen and asked if I had heard the news about Mark. I hadn’t heard anything since I was too busy to even get on line the night before and to be perfectly honest, we Ben and Viki fans have become so used to…shall we say…people who don’t like Ben…or Mark…planting posts on the message boards that he had quit or has been fired, that my first impression was to say, “OK, what junk are they spreading around now?” Well, it was no junk. In case there is anyone out there who hasn’t heard the news, Mark Derwin has been cast in Bonnie Hunt’s new fall sitcom on ABC, “Life With Bonnie.” Funny as it sounds, Derwin is replacing Brian Kerwin as Bonnie’s on-screen husband. For anyone who didn’t watch it back in the 90’s, Mark played Bonnie’s boss in one of her former sitcoms.
So, I’m sure you think I probably started pulling out my hair…strand by strand…that is, of course, after I stopped screaming “NOOOOO!!!!”. After all, I was alone in the office and no one would have had me hauled away for it…LOL. But I decided to remain calm and nobody can prove I didn’t. OK…so I wasn’t. My friend was trying to reassure me that it doesn’t necessarily mean that Mark will leave One Life to Live since they are now taping five or six weeks in advance and there is enough down time so that Mark would have the time to tape enough shows of the sitcom while still doing OLTL…until the sitcom was picked up to go on…or cancelled. We also don’t know where the show will be taped and of course Ty Treadway is supposedly staying with the show while he tapes his new SoapNet show in California. So no departures are set in stone.
I have to be honest here and say that I am human and my first thought was that Mark wouldn’t leave OLTL because so many sitcoms fail in the first few weeks that we have nothing to worry about. I know…that’s not a nice way to think and it’s very, very selfish…so I decided to do the mature thing, wish him the best of luck with the new show, and just enjoy Ben for as long as I can. Geez, being mature sucks!!!!
Oh well, since there’s not a thing I can do about the possible loss of Ben, I will tackle some of the rumors going around. Hey, I need something to keep my mind occupied, don’t I?
Here’s one that doesn’t hurt too much….
Allison is murdered – Rumor has it that many people will be accused of this murder. One theory is that since Natalie and Ben will put their heads together and Natalie will be the one to figure out that Viki is Niki, she will become a suspect in Allison’s demise. Niki is supposed to catch on to the fact that Natalie is figuring her out and then…watch out Natalie! There is also a rumor that Niki is the culprit who ends Allison’s reign of terror. This one doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me because Viki’s alters have been accused of killing so many people, so how many more times can she get away with this without going to jail? Of course, if Lindsay gets sent back to jail (you know she’s going to escape), then she’ll need another cellmate. What a candidate….Viki!
The rumors keep saying that a major character will be responsible for Allison’s death, so your guess is as good as mine…probably better.
This one, sadly, makes the most sense. The big rumor flying around, and this is definitely not confirmed, is that….
Ben will be in a coma and will be the main murder suspect - This, of course, would fit in perfectly with everything else that’s going on, since several weeks in a coma would give Mark Derwin the time to tape those nighttime shows for the fall. I have not read anything that explains how he would wind up in this coma, except that it would probably be something that lovely Niki set him up for. Since we know from last Friday’s show that she feels the only way out is to kill Ben, she will be plotting something sinister which can easily turn sour and put Ben out of commission. Let’s face it, after all the ridiculous things Niki has been filling Bo’s head with about Ben’s terrible violent temper, it’s easy to see Ben being the prime suspect…who can’t even defend himself from that hospital bed. Natalie will know that Viki has gone over the edge, but who will believe her. She won’t even have Ben to help her. And I do love Bo, but let’s face it, he’s not a rocket scientist when it comes to solving criminal cases, so if it’s handed to him on a silver platter that Ben was angry enough to do Allison in, why wouldn’t he believe it?
The only good thing I can see in all of this is that Allison will finally be gone. I have been waiting too many months to get rid of her and no matter how it happens, I’ll be glad to bid her fare well. She’s to blame for everything bad that’s happened in Viki’s life for over a year and I’ve had enough of her.
Here’s another rumor that could very well be true….
Erin Torpey will leave the show when her contract expires – I hate this one. Lots of people lately have felt that Jessica has changed for the worse and that she’s just a spoiled brat now. I don’t see that. I still see the Jessie that I’ve always loved and I want her to stay on the show. I want it discovered that she’s really Viki’s biological daughter. Of course, I certainly couldn’t blame Erin, after all these years of growing up on the show, for wanting to spread her wings and branch out as an actress. I just hate the fact that Viki’s family is falling apart piece by piece….Joey and Kevin are gone…Ben might be gone…and she might even lose her precious Jessica. I can’t stand it. Some people also think it would be easy to recast the role of Jessica…I’m sure they could, but not so easily.
There are some rumors that even have Jessica involved in Allison’s murder, which would give Erin an “out.” That sounds far fetched to me…but Jessie sure has had enough reasons to snap lately and I am reminded of the time when her baby Megan died and she almost took Dorian’s life for it…without even being aware of what she was doing.
The following rumor has been popping up and then dying for months and recently several people have written to me asking if…
Tina is coming back – I have read in many places that she’s coming back in July…and I have read in just as many places that she’s not slated to come back at all. The magazines even went so far as to say that the part would go to Sara Buxton (Sunset Beach) if they did recast Tina. If anyone knows for sure…I’d like to know, too.
OK…here’s the one I want so much to be true….
Dorian is returning – Now wouldn’t this be great? I would love it. Rumors abound again that GT is in negotiations with Robin Strasser to bring Dorian back to Llanview. Other rumors say she hasn’t heard a word from GT. A lot of people think that bringing her back would fill a big, empty space left when Roger Howarth leaves and that could very well be true. I hope this one is for real. I didn’t really care much when Dorian left, but I didn’t realize how much she’d be missed on the canvas. We need her back.
There is speculation all around about several characters on OLTL. What will be Rae’s secret that is uncovered by Antonio and Keri? What is Troy’s big secret that he left in Africa and how does it involve his old love, Joanna? How is Rex going to fit into the canvas? What is Max’s plan for getting rid of Roxy? All of these questions come with dozens of answers…many of which are silly enough to be true on a soap opera. I guess we’ll have to just wait and see how the summer unfolds? And let’s not forget…Lindsay is about to start being her old self again…Llanview sure has been quiet without her…look out everyone!
See ya next week......
Jill Berry
FAN FEEDBACK AND QUESTIONS
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Sheree writes: “I really like Sam & Blair. I think they can be great friends and hopefully lovers down the road. Right now though it's to soon. Blair needs to fight free from Todd's controlling ways. I hope the writer's put her back in control of the SUN and once again we can have the newspaper wars. I just don't see Blair sitting back and letting Gabrielle enjoying her new found "job". Do you?”
Dear Sheree:
I don’t really like Sam and Blair as a romantic couple. I see them as great
friends. Blair needs Sam’s level head because she is in an emotional mess right
now. Yes, she does need to fight to be free from Todd’s control and I hope she
does. As nutty as Blair can sometimes be, she belongs with someone “normal”
with a level head…especially so that her children grow up to be decent people.
I would love to see The Banner back in action with Viki back at the helm and for
some crazy reason, I am getting a kick out of Gabby in that job and hope to see
her trying to live under Viki’s thumb.
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Angel writes: “I read your column every week, and enjoy it every week, and not just because you're a "hopeless" BnB fan, like myself, but because no matter how much you dislike a character, you have something nice to say. I have to agree once again this week. Jen and Cris have no business being together (and being a teen myself and knowing how awful another girl hanging on your man is, I have to say, if she's this insecure, she's more like her mama then anyone realized!) and he and Natalie have so much chemistry! Like everyone else, I dread summer soaps because of the teens and how stupid they make all of us sound. I would give anything to see Bo and Gabby have a meaningful relationship, to watch Max and Roxy duke it out, to watch Sam push Troy off and cliff and out of our lives forever, to see Ben finally get that it's not his wife he's being living with and have something good come out of this sham with Niki! Am I too hopeful? Oh well... I just wanted to thank you for giving me a little laugh this week, Jill. That Roxy, what a character!!”
Dear Angel:
Yes, when it comes to B&B I am hopeless…and I hope I get to remain that way for
a long time. I thank you for the kind words. I, too, enjoy the humor that we
get so much, because it somehow helps to balance out the sham, as you so aptly
put it, that they’ve made of Viki’s and Ben’s life together, as well as the time
we have to endure with the younger characters who don’t add to the show.
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Collin & Suzy write: “Dear Jill - I've just discovered your column and I'm enjoying it very much. I have been a long time fan of OLTL. I am also one of the crazy people who enjoy Todd's character. I TiVo OLTL everyday and never fast forward through any scene with Roger Howarth. What do you think is going to happen to Todd's character? Thank you.”
Dear Collin & Suzy: You may enjoy Todd’s character, but that doesn’t make you crazy. I tape every day and if Ben is just sitting at Crossroads paying bills, I can rewind at least five times. There…now you know what crazy is. I can’t imagine what’s going to happen with Todd’s character but I do believe one thing…whatever happens and wherever he goes…my bet is that he’ll be back to terrorize Llanview again…so don’t worry. There’s always a storyline for Todd in the head of some wacky writer, so I don’t think you’ll ever be without him for long.
© Copyright by Katherine Thurston, 2002
