| "Reflections by Jill" - A Weekly Commentary on OLTL | |
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REFLECTIONS
BY JILL…..
Since bringing back the old seems to be the order of the day on OLTL
these days, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about the fine citizens of
Llanview – who is gone – who I won’t miss – and who I’d like to see come back.
I might even have to throw in a few comments about who I’m ready to get rid
of…LOL! So, let’s just call the following my analysis of….DON’T MISS ‘EM –
NEED ‘EM BACK – AREN’T THEY LEAVING YET????
It has become quite apparent this year that TPTB have a penchant for bringing back characters from yesteryear, but do we like the ones they’re bringing back? Do we need the ones they’re bringing back? And most important of all…who would WE bring back if given the chance?
I think I’ll start with the “DON’T MISS ‘EM” list. We have certainly lost a lot of characters in the past year and this list includes the departed, as well as the ones who are halfway out the door. I guess I should start with the one who drove me crazier than anyone on the list, and that is:
Colin McIver – This guy is definitely at the top of my “Don’t Miss ‘Em” list. In the year or so that he dominated my TV screen, he caused me nothing but annoyance and anger. Everyone I like was dragged into his web and I was not sorry to see him “removed.” Now, I know his brother is joining our daytime drama den this summer, or is Colin, himself, really dead? After his great acting job that made me hate Colin, Mr. Treadway is going to have to do some fancy footwork to make me like someone who owns Colin’s face. Oh, I can hear the voices of the Colin fans now…the ones that will welcome back those well-defined pecs no matter how creepy the character. I guess it’s a matter of taste, but for me, there are other “heavenly anatomical bodies” on the show that I adore…shirt on or off. What…you mean Asa doesn’t turn you on? Colin, R.I.P. babe!
Will Rappaport – OK, I am not going to talk yet again about the whining – been there and done that. Will honey, I bid you a fond farewell. You ruined your relationship with Jessica for the sake of “Mommy Dearest” and that alone earns you a year’s worth of free visits on Dr. Rae’s couch. To bad you won’t be around to take advantage of if. I think Will’s shining hour was back when baby Megan died and he had to deal with donating her eyes to the baby who was born blind in the hospital that same night. I still remember so vividly that scene where Ben tried to convince him of what he and Megan would be giving that baby. Jason Shane Scott’s performance was real and heartfelt and I felt his pain. I don’t think that Will’s consequent devotion to Lindsay, no matter what she did, endeared him to many people…at least not to me. I wish him a good life…away from Llanview.
Roseanne Delgado – I have to say that although I definitely will not miss the character of Roseanne and all of her antics in the name of love, I was shocked and pleasantly surprised by Erika Page’s portrayal of Roseanne’s departure last week. Although I normally cannot stand Roseanne’s tearful excuses for all the terrible things she’s done, her talk with Antonio at the police station last week and her realization of what she had made of her young life touched me more than I was prepared for. I do have respect for someone who has remorse…even if it is too little, too late. When she realized and admitted that she had burned all her bridges and didn’t even know who she was any more, I felt so sad for her. She really has no one and never did anything right to build any kind of support system around her. Her tearful farewell to Antonio brought a few tears to my shocked eyes….shhhh…don’t tell anyone! Roseanne, I wish you luck wherever you wind up, and if you ever come back….BE NICE!
Kelly Cramer – The reason I am not going to miss the character of Kelly is because her character has been ruined for me. The day she got involved with Kevin and he took up with his brother’s wife was the end of it for me. Whatever part Kelly played in the dynamic of Viki’s family was destroyed when that storyline was given life. As sweet and smart as Kelly is, there is nowhere for her to go and I always thought she was a character with great potential. I don’t think anything could change the discomfort that is palpable whenever Kelly is around Viki’s family and that’s a shame. I certainly don’t enjoy Kelly being Blair’s conscience and being the pest that tries to keep Blair and Todd apart. So, I won’t miss the Kelly that we now know…I am sad for the one we lost.
Skye Chandler – Oh Lordy, how I wish I were writing this column during Skye’s rampage through Llanview. If I were, I’d probably give Lindsay more of a break since Skye used to elicit all of my angry energy, leaving little for anyone else. I sure was not too sad to see her shipped off to Port Charles. I hope General Hospital fans enjoy the ride. This woman drove me absolutely crazy in her quest to destroy Ben and Viki, and looking back, although I can laugh at her lame attempts to break up the strongest love in Llanview, she did make me want to pull her hair out on a daily basis. I still lovingly remember the day Blair flushed her head in the toilet at The Palace….that made my day. And I could never forgive her for hurting Viki with every horrible comment about her not being able to give Ben children. I have to admit that Skye being Rae’s daughter would have been a great storyline about a year ago, but after all that Skye had done to Ben and Viki and then her ridiculous involvement with Blair and Max…I just didn’t care enough any more. I understand Skye much more now, and since she gave up on hurting Ben and Viki I was able to tolerate her, but no tears here for her defection to GH.
OK…now to tackle the “NEED ‘EM BACK” list. This is where I have to ask again…whom do we want back and who can stay buried in the past? I would like to say that although I have nothing against bringing back some old characters that have been gone for a while…or longer…I do wonder about the choice of characters that are being brought back. Although I don’t believe that my list looks anything like the list on Mr. Tomlin’s desk (I wish his looked like mine), here is the list of people I think we need back, and maybe…hopefully…one or two might be crossing the minds of TPTB.
Kevin and Joey Buchanan - I know I’ve said this before, but I still cannot understand why these two characters are not at the top of the list for immediate replacement. No one at the top had any trouble replacing Sam Rappaport in a matter of days. I have given up on complaining about the loss of Gibbs and Jeffcoat, but like the character of Sam, I think Kevin and Joey are desperately needed and although replacements are sometimes hard to adjust to, some characters are just vital to the show. Viki’s family now consists of Ben, Jessica, Todd, Blair and Starr. Don’t get me wrong…those scenes last week with Ben, Viki and the Manning clan were priceless and the more the show uses Starr, the better I like it, but the family is not the family without Kevin and Joey, nor is The Banner, which is a part of that family’s dynamic that was always interesting and in my opinion, necessary. Hey, Mr. T….give us a Kevin and a Joey….and soon!!!!
Larry Wolek – Can’t we give this guy a life that involves more than being in the Emergency Room when one of the fine citizens of Llanview gets laid up? I love Larry and he is still so much a part of OLTL in my heart. I terribly miss his relationship with Viki. It was such a great part of the fabric of the show. Larry needs a good woman, a good storyline, a renewed involvement in the lives of the people around him…and a CONTRACT!
Sophia Pellegrino – OK, I know bringing her back is not even a thought for TPTB, however, in case anyone is tuning into this commentary, I still want her back and think that especially now, with Roseanne leaving town, Sophia could have a whole new life. And no, not with Antonio…he’s not good enough for her, especially when he let Roseanne walk all over him so many times.
John Sykes – I know, I know, he’s going and that’s that…but from the responses I got the last time I mentioned John Bolger’s departure, I have one suggestion for TPTB…grab that guy before he gets out the door and let him stay!
Now, if we’re talking about characters that we need back, is there anyone who would dispute the need for:
Dorian and Mel Hayes – Now, Lindsay is a good troublemaker, but when it comes to being the Queen of Torment, no one holds a candle to Dorian. She is sorely missed and I would love nothing better than to see her come back so I can hate her all over again for trying to wreck Viki’s life. I think it would be most interesting since she left town after mending fences with Viki, and even wrote her that lovely letter before her breast cancer surgery. There’s no way she could stay nice if she came back and found Viki happy, right? And I don’t remember them ever finding Mel’s body, do you? I think that if Dorian came back and we had Mel to be her conscience, it would make for some great, old-fashioned soap drama…and who doesn’t crave that? And who could resist a few visits from Madame Delfina?
OK people, I shall preface this next suggestion by telling you that I am now wearing a bullet-proof vest, a Hannibal Lechter mask, combat boots and a suit of armor. I am also carrying an Uzi and a can of pepper spray. I expect the wrath of both camps on this one…the Ben and Viki fans, as well as the Clint devotees…so come and get me…I’m ready. That said, I think it might be very interesting to bring back the character of….
Clint Buchanan – Now hold your horses all of you Ben and Viki fans…LOL! I think it would be very interesting to bring back the character of Clint. Of course, I would bring him back in the body of another actor than the one who previously played Clint (now I’m ducking), but I think it would be great for Jessie to have her father back in her life...even though she knows she can count on Ben for anything. I also think that it would be a hoot to watch the new brothers, Clint and Ben, getting to know each other as brothers, especially as brothers who married the same woman. And Viki’s participation in that relationship could be wonderful. I’d bring Clint back with a significant other…maybe Dallas, maybe someone else. I don’t see him coming between Ben and Viki…that’s ludicrous, nobody could do that…but if Clint came back to deal with Asa and his family, I think I would enjoy that. Oh, did I mention that I also have a round-the clock bodyguard?
Now to the “Aren’t they leaving yet” part. Here we go!
Max Buchanan – Mr. Tomlin, please excuse me in advance for questioning your judgment…LOL…but have you gotten much fan mail from people who love Max? I have been wondering about this because I have never known or spoken to anyone who watches OLTL who gives a hoot about this character. He’s a liar, a cheat, a cheap con-man, and I’d love for you to explain to me what it is that makes you like him so much that you keep him around…and why he’s front and center so much of the time. I mean, people love RJ, some even love Lindsay, but I’ve never heard one person say they love Max. When we can say we love to hate a character, and then we don’t mind them hanging around, even if they’re “bad guys.” I just don’t know who even cares about Max at all. It’s certainly no longer an effective storyline for Max to be blackmailing Asa about putting the hit out on Ben. I adore Ben and I don’t even care about it any more.
Gabby “the pretzel” Medina Buchanan – I know she’s Asa’s revenge against Max, but as I said above…do we care? Asa is just as responsible for allowing Max to defraud him as Max is for making a fool out of Asa. I can’t believe my fingers are saying this, but I liked it better when Max was involved with Skye. At least then we had Blair and Renee living under the same roof with them and it did make for some comical arguments and mud slinging. I know Gabby just got back to Llanview and I know she’s probably going to be around until the next millennium….but WHYYYYY?????? Don’t we have enough women on the show who know how to sport designer clothes and wield the mighty credit card? Sorry Gabby, but if you got lost in Logan’s Department Store for a few years, I wouldn’t miss ya!
The Teens – Is it just me, or do these new young people in Llanview have a serious need for something to do? I have been watching soaps for many years and we all know that summer coming around the bend not only means hot weather, ice cream and barbeques…it also means the onset of the dreaded vacations of our favorite soap stars and the invasion of teens on the screen. Now, I have watched many a soap opera in my young life…well, I feel young anyway…and the thing I’ve noticed is that the key to making the summers successful is to bring on the inevitable younger generation and effectively mesh them into interesting storylines that involve the mature characters also. It doesn’t really work for me when the young storylines stand on their own. We need to find the interest based on what is happening in their lives and how the people around them fit in. Jessica and Viki are the exception, in that they have a wonderful relationship and can talk about anything…Al and Gabrielle surely don’t provide the viewers with a very compelling reason to watch them…not do Jen and Lindsay. Last year’s summer storyline, with Jess, Will and Cristian on the run was far superior to this one. Everyone was tied to what those kids were doing on the run…Ben, Viki, Todd, Lindsay, Sam, Antonio…and all of it went on during Viki’s chemotherapy. While Viki was going through the worst challenge of her own life, they tied in Jess calling from the road…Todd finding the kids and bringing Viki the tape of Jessica singing…Todd taking Viki for that wonderful visit with Jessica…Ben searching, albeit unsuccessfully, for the kids. It also tied Ben and Sam closer than they’d ever been.
We don’t have anything going on with those kids so far this summer that ties them to anything we care about. I’ve been hearing about Jessica possibly being in trouble at the hands of Seth, who is obviously not the most admirable character….so it remains to be seen how much interest can be stirred up in the summer storylines involving the kids. Frankly, I am not impressed so far and need a reason to look forward to seeing them. When it comes to the teens on OLTL, I find myself asking, “When will this summer be over?” I’m hoping for August to really heat up! Well, it does get very hot in New York in August.
To wrap it up, I understand that, like myself, many people have been watching the show for a long time and everyone has old favorites they want to see brought back. I don’t have a problem with that, IF bringing those characters back serves a purpose and doesn’t just push our current favorites to the back burner. While I’m wondering about why we need Gabrielle, I also wonder what the heck Alex came back for. Was that really necessary? And what was that short visit all about? Now we know that Tina is coming back. Hmmmm…I wonder if Lindsay should get out the file and start sharpening her claws. LOL…I wonder if Ben should start sharpening his, too. We know that Viki will be on alert, especially with her recent experiences. At least with Tina coming back, hopefully, most of us will be able to see a good dose of our favorites on the screen with her…Viki, Ben, Todd…I can live with Tina coming back if that’s the case.
I also have to keep asking…why have TPTB decided not to give life to others we love…like Carlotta, Hank and Andrew? They were once such a wonderful addition to the canvas and no matter how seldom they now grace our TV screens, they enrich whatever scenes they’re in.
So…PTB…I’ll make you a deal….you bring back whoever you want, but the deal is that you have to put them in interesting storylines that we care about, and above all, you have to tie in all of our favorite players and not sideline them for an unnecessary trip down Memory Lane. I have faith…I know you can do it!
See ya
next week….
Jill
FAN FEEDBACK
AND QUESTIONS ON LAST WEEK’S COLUMN
_______________
DeDe writes: “I happen to completely agree with you that they should write the romance so that couples we have been force-fed (Bo & Melanie, Ben & Viki) and even those we are fighting for (Todd & Blair, Antonio & Jen) could be happy. Yes, I'd like to see Tina again, even Cord perhaps. Tina could whisk Ben right away from Viki and open the door for Viki to be back with her cowboy, where she belongs. And Starr? Well, Starr, Todd & Blair are what keep me watching OLTL! I just hope if we keep talking and raising possibilities, TPTB will wake up and listen.”
Dear
DeDe: Well, I agree with you about Starr. She is the bright spot in every
episode she’s on. Now, regarding those couples that you mentioned…are people
talking about a pairing between Jen and Antonio? That’s one I haven’t heard
yet. And DeDe, you know I can’t just let that “Viki’s cowboy” comment go by
without a two-part question for you…What can Tina do that the two previous
floozies in Ben’s life couldn’t do, to whisk him away from Viki?….AND…Please
tell me…what does a cowboy have to offer a woman who is blissfully happy with a
younger, handsome, sexy, sweet and devoted man who thinks she hung the moon?
Just curious.
________________
Annmarie writes: “I am very disappointed to hear that Andy is not coming back. Gary Tomlin was quoted as saying a couple months ago in SOD that he hoped to have "Andy back by then." I think it was for the summer, now I read in SOD, that he said that was just a rumor and now that is not happening. What I'm really mad about the most is how the Gary Tomlin said it was all a rumor, when he's the one that said he was gonna bring them back!!!”
Dear
Annmarie: I, as well as every other fan who reads the magazines, agree with you
that Gary Tomlin has given us very mixes messages. I think he likes to toy with
us and throw us off the track, which is fine sometimes, but I do agree that if
he’s going to allow himself to be quoted, he should say what he means and mean
what he says. I would have liked to see Andy come back, too.
________________
Jorge writes: “Jill, I agree 100% with your advice to add HUMOR to OLTL. I for one LOVE it when Todd makes an off the cuff crack about "the weakest link" or a reference to "survivor" or "millionaire". It also demonstrates that TPTB can have a sense of humor (since they could have cut the lines) and realize that people watch "other" networks on occasion but are still loyal as ever to their soap. It's such a great thing when I can come away from an episode with a bit of a chuckle!”
Dear Jorge: I hear ya, Jorge….nothing better than great romance and great laughs and Todd sure handles the humor part well. When he’s being funny without jabbing a knife in someone’s side, I love the guy. He is much better, in my eyes, when he’s annoying someone with his humor, rather than the immature and heartless thing he did last Friday when he told Starr that Max was the baby’s father. Starr is such a better parent to him than he is to her sometimes.
