| "Reflections by Jill" - A Weekly Commentary on OLTL | |
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REFLECTIONS
BY JILL…..
What do you get when you run a soap opera, toss in some new storylines, bring back or replace some old characters and introduce some new ones? What you get is a lot of mixed feelings and opinions from the fans and a mouthful from people like myself, who are lucky enough to have their thoughts published. Although I have a lot to say about things I don’t like, there are also things I am happy about recently on the show and so this week, taking the bad with the good, I am going to sound off on…..RECENT ADDITIONS TO OLTL!!!!!
I’m going to be kind and start off with someone I really like…a new addition to the cast who makes me smile every time that he’s on my screen:
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Larry Lau as Sam Rappaport – I am very well away that there are a lot of people who are not crazy about “NuSam.” I, for one, think he’s wonderful. I am accepting Larry Lau as Sam Rappaport…not as a replacement for a departed actor whom I love, but as the actor who plays this character. Although it is a bit of a stretch to see him as Sam sometimes with Todd, or with his kids, I am even starting to accept him in those relationships.
What has completely won me over is Lau in the Sam/Nora relationship. In addition to Lau being a very handsome and sexy guy, he portrays a sensitivity that I find irresistible. I am vaguely reminded here of Sam’s brother, who very much fits the same description…LOL. It must be that lovable boyish charm that, even though they are not blood relatives, they both share. Lau’s chemistry with Hillary Smith is wonderful. They play off each other very well and they seem to connect on a very deep level, even at this early stage of their revitalized relationship.
I know that a lot of Ben and Viki fans don’t see him as Ben’s older brother. I don’t really see him as older than Ben either, but it doesn’t really matter to me. I think Larry can hold his own with Mark Derwin and as long as they can portray loving brothers, I really don’t care who is older. I’ve had to accept lots of things in “Soapland” that were a lot sillier than Sam now looking younger than Ben. The few scenes that they’ve had together have been good and I hope they get to work together a lot more. I hope we get a lot of interaction between Ben, Viki, Nora and Sam. I can see a lot of fun coming out of scenes with these four people. There is a lot of talent here and potential for great drama, as well as great comedy.
By the way, Lau’s Sam seems to have Lindsay’s number, which I love. He’ll need to hold onto the “smart stick” with her around.
OK…now I feel the need to take the gloves off!!!! The following addition to our “fun summer viewing” infuriates me and I am not going to sugarcoat this. I DETEST…..
HottieBaresAll.com – If TPTB were looking for a storyline that would be offensive and insulting to men as well as women…they have succeed in a BIG WAY! Is this the kind of compelling television they think young people are sitting home all summer to watch? Which audience is this storyline supposed to appeal to? I hate the fact that they took a character like Cristian, who was moving in such a positive direction and did this to him. Couldn’t they have had Lindsay, with her extensive repertoire of evil ideas, come up with something more worthwhile to do to keep Cristian away from Jen other than watch Cristian’s body and personal life on a web cam? And how degrading is it to have young women loitering in a bar, ogling, panting and howling over a guy on a computer screen. Geez…did those girls have to audition for those roles? Unbelievable! Don’t even get me started on the girl who crawled in Cristian’s window last week. This whole storyline is degrading to women AND men and in addition to that, it’s just plain boring. All I can say is that I hope Lindsay pays for this fiasco…and I think the one who is going to pay is her sweet daughter Jen, who will no doubt be caught on that web cam in a compromising position before summer’s end. This storyline, if you can even dignify it by calling it a storyline, cannot end soon enough for me. I think it would be really fun if someone set up a camera in Lindsay’s gallery and watched her sordid little life on camera.
Speaking of the young folks on the show…let’s hit upon a couple of them. How about….
Natalie and Seth – OK…here’s some of the scuttlebutt I’m hearing and reading:
Natalie is really the daughter of Clint and Viki, switched at birth with Jessica….Seth is a stalker out to harm Jessica….Seth is the long lost son of Gina and Ben (Heaven Forbid!)…and Seth and Natalie are somehow VERY CONNECTED! I have to say that although some of these are pretty funny, and some might even be true, the most hysterical scuttlebutt that I’ve been seeing on message boards is that Ben and Natalie will have a “thing.” Come on people…get serious…Skye couldn’t do it and Gina couldn’t do it…do you think that a kid in distressed jeans carrying a bus pass can do it? I laughed so hard at those comments I almost needed oxygen.
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Personally, I don’t care for either of these new characters. Seth is creepy. That’s about the most intelligent comment I can think to make about him…LOL. I didn’t care for his attitude when he first came on the show when it was revealed that he was an old friend of Cristian’s. His attitude towards women was cavalier and demeaning and he seems to think he’s a prize…hmmmm! I had clenched fists when he tried to make Jessica believe that Will was the one who trapped her in that elevator. Yep, he’s a creep. A word of advice to the hair designers on the show…this is a handsome young man…give him a decent hairstyle, will ya????? I haven’t figured out what Seth’s agenda is yet (as if I’m ever right) but I do like the fact that there is going to be what appears to be an interesting storyline for Viki’s family in all of this craziness. It’s been far too long since we have seen Viki’s family deeply involved in a good storyline. The last time they were involved in such a storyline was when Viki had cancer and even then they were all over the place…Ben looking for Will, Jess on the run with Will and Cristian…maybe this time whoever is left of Viki’s family can stick together. Wouldn’t this be a good time to have Joey and Kevin around???? HINT, HINT!!! I guess that won’t happen any time soon since Kelly just left to be with Kevin. Oh, and a word about Kelly’s goodbyes…I cried my own little river over that scene with Jessica. No doubt those were real tears cried by Erin and Gina, as well as by Gina and Cassie. Those were priceless scenes…well done by all!
Natalie…what can I say about this young lady? She is way too obsessed with what Jessie’s family has. And did her city bus just happen to be driving by Llanfair last week when she was strategically splashed with that mud? Why is it that she feels comfortable enough to knock on Jessie’s door, drool all over her house and take her clothes, but she will never take a ride from Jessie? I know…she secretly owns the bus company and rides every day to maintain quality control.
Natalie is obviously up to no good…or she’s determined to get “what’s hers.” Her connection with Seth still eludes me, but wouldn’t it be funny if he turned out to be a good guy in all of this? Ah, the age-old question…what is really a rumor?…what is really the truth?…when will Jessie get her pen back from Will???? LOL…I just had to throw that one in…how lame was that of Will to call Jessie about her pen? Am I mistaken, or wasn’t Will the one who decided that because Jessie didn’t trust him in the whole Colin murder debacle, they could not continue their relationship? Why was he acting like SHE doesn’t want HIM? He was the one who said he couldn’t try again. As soon as he saw her with another guy, it completely flew out of his brain that he didn’t want to try again with her. I’ll bet she remembers that conversation…I sure do…why doesn’t he? Too bad Will is realizing too late where he went wrong. Time to go, Will…and take the pen with you to send us a postcard.
This next one is for my reader last week who asked why I hate Colin….I am about to shock you….I think I just might like….
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Troy McIver – I know, I know….you’re laughing at me now, but there is a method to my madness. If this guy really is not Colin, and is, in fact, his twin brother, then the fact that he will be a nice guy makes me like him automatically. I know it sounds weird, but just the fact that he might be a “good guy” makes him more attractive to me. I’m crazy, right? I know I’m crazy because Troy, to me, is very attractive, where Colin did nothing for me. OK…so I need Dr. Rae’s couch since we all know that they are one in the same physical person. Just thinking it and writing it makes me a little unsure of my sanity…LOL. I don’t know what it is…but knowing he’s the “good twin” makes me like him. I’ll be waiting outside my door for the men in the white coats once this is published. And hey, that brings up another question for me….If Ben had come onto the show in the beginning as a “bad guy”, would I still adore him????? Hmmmmm! I think…YES…but we all know that in my book, Ben is the exception to every rule.
Oh, and one question about Ty Treadway….does his new contract demand that he be without his shirt in every episode he’s in. I know he has a nice body, but why does he walk around half naked when Ben is dressed in long sleeves and a jacket? LOL…and if anyone dares to tell me that the reason is that Ben’s body doesn’t need to be revealed…believe me…I will hunt you down!
Now, you know I can’t write this article without touching on the newest thorn in my side…..
Gabrielle – Wow, talk about degrading women. What won’t Gabby do to live in the lap of luxury? She lives under the threat from Asa to be put back on the street….she throws herself at Max every chance she gets…and she lets Asa “buy” her son. Now there’s a Millennium Woman for you. And all this to get back at Max? Ridiculous! And what’s the deal with her clothes? Was it necessary for her to walk around the living room with that red sweater hanging off her body, showing us her latest purchase from Frederick’s of Hollywood the entire time she was talking to Asa? Did she not realize that she could just pull up the sweater and be DRESSED???? And how about her lovely ensemble the day she went to “rescue” Blair at Dorian’s house? Am I crazy, or does every woman with money walk around in the middle of the day wearing a white, chiffon cocktail dress? That was a real wardrobe masterpiece. I don’t know about you, but it sure was hard this week to watch her literally latch onto Max as he tried to escape up the stairs to check on Blair. I have to wonder if Fiona Hutchison is enamored of the idea of prancing around on camera with her “cheeks” hanging out so much of the time. That day that she wouldn’t let go of Max was embarrassing to watch. You’d think that with the tons of designers and megabucks at her fingertips, Gabby could find some nice, expensive, chic “daywear.” Well, wouldn’t you? I shudder to say this, but compared to what we’ve had to endure of Gabby, Max might even start to look good. Did I just say that?????
And now, for the girl who keeps me laughing and shaking my head in disbelief at the same time……
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Lindsay’s downhill journey – Yes, I know that I talk about her a lot, but Lindsay’s recent “career move” has forced me to include her in the list of recent happenings. We all know that Lindsay has done a lot of horrible things. The list is too long to rake up yet again…but am I the only one who was shocked at how easy it was for her to try and smother the life out of Troy? On her journey into the pits of criminality, I think Lindsay has hit an all-time low here. How many seconds did it take her to decide to go to that room, grab the pillow, ask God for forgiveness (bahahahaha…he’s still working on the other 200 crimes she’s committed) and easily bring that pillow down over his face? Five seconds? Ten seconds? Linz…I didn’t think you had it in you….and if anyone would believe you could kill someone, it would be me! Just another example of Lindsay getting away with the things she really does and getting in trouble for things she’s innocent of. Will no one ever understand that poor thing? I thought it was pretty low when she had Chad, that lovely guy from the Break Bar, create Cristian’s Web Site, especially knowing that Jen could get caught on it…I thought it was pretty low that she taunted Nora after it was revealed that she killed Colin…but MURDER…gee Linz…this is a new one and a step up…or a step down, depending on how you look at it…even for you! I say, “Hey Troy, break the mold, press charges against Lindsay for trying to snuff the life out of you.” You can have a joint lawsuit with Renee, since she can press charges against Lindsay for trying to break into one of her hotel room.
Here’s another one I’m very happy about. Was someone actually listening to me when I kept saying that I want to see more of this “old timer?”
Dr. Larry Wolek - I would like to think that someone in charge took my advice, but I’m certainly not that cocky. I have been wanting Larry to come back for a long time and I figure as long as TPTB are dragging back what they feel was good about the old OLTL, then Dr. Larry certainly qualifies to be on the top of that list. I would love to see him interact more with his old, dear friend Viki and have a friendship with Ben…but most of all I would like to see him have a nice relationship with a good woman and since I also hear that another one of my wishes is being answered with Carlotta coming back (I hope on a permanent basis), don’t you think Dr. Larry and Carlotta would be great together? I know a lot of people would like to see Carlotta with Hank and I think that’s a good idea, too…but I’m saving Hank for Rae (and by no means does this lessen my desire to keep John Bolger around…I’m just being realistic.)
So, there you have it…the good and the bad of the summer additions. I think I would have done things differently…I might have found a nice guy for Jessica to help her get over Will. I think I would have given Ben something to do instead of having him off camera for…what was it 6 weeks?…it felt like a year….way too long for me. I would have gotten Sam and Nora a lot closer by now. I am hoping for a very lovely romance for these two…AND SOON! I sure would have blown up the web cam…that’s for sure!
See
ya next week!
Jill
FAN FEEDBACK AND
QUESTIONS
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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! Rae's dream was great on July 4th but where was John? Thanks.”
Dear Jorge: I couldn’t agree with you more…someone on the OLTL staff certainly
does know how to write humor and I love it when Todd comes up with those
off-the-wall references to other shows that most of us can’t help watching. I
even get a laugh when he calls Ben names that I wouldn’t let anyone else get
away with…like “The Beefy Guy” and “Dagwood.” I also love it when he and Viki
tell each other to “shut up.” That brother/sister thing is sometimes a riot. I
also wonder where John was on the July 4th episode. Couldn’t you
have seen him playing a priest to Ben’s Flying Nun?
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Robert writes: “Hi Jill..I have always wanted to see Todd's alters come out to play with Viki's alters. Can you imagine the fun of Miss Perkins and Niki Smith plotting together? Or Princess and Tommy put together to defend the host personalities. The combination and the storylines are endless. The sight of Todd and Viki trying to put themselves back together on Rae's couch would be a scream. Hey, I can dream can't I?
Dear
Robert: LOL…your ideas might be…um, “interesting”…but I’m not sure I’m ready
for Viki to split like that again…EVER!!! I would probably very much enjoy
watching Rae’s facial expressions as she saw the whole thing unfold on her
couch, but right now, I think it would be really nice if TPTB concentrated on
finally doing something positive for Todd and Blair…like having them be in the
same room for once without having them cross their signals 20 times.
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Lisa writes:
“I just wanted to
say that I TOTALLY AGREE with your comments
on what TPTB need to do to keep the viewers they have and maybe even get some of
the ones who have left back!!! This is 2001 and people want to see smart, funny
FAST-PACED storylines!!!! The old days of having things drag on and on are
OVER!!! If TPTB want to keep people interested they need to give us romance and
humor and keep things moving for God's sake!!!!! My question is do you think we
will EVER see T&B together and happy???”
Dear Lisa: Ah, smart, fast-paced storylines…we sure need them
desperately…and in answer to your question about Todd and Blair, I was never
much of a fan of either of them, but at this point, even I am tired of all the
crossed signals and I would love to see how Todd handles a little happiness.
That’s a world he knows nothing about and I would love to see him having to deal
with love and trust. Wouldn’t that be something? I love the way he shows his
vulnerability to Viki. We need to see a lot more of that. A lot of Todd fans
write me saying that they adore the “Evil Todd”, but Roger Howarth is a very
talented actor and he can handle more than being a thorn in everyone’s side.
I’d like to see them give him that chance.
