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REFLECTIONS BY JILL….
Well, we learned this week that some of our beloved Llanviewites might possibly have some secrets we don’t know about….that’s interesting….while some are barely hanging on to their secrets.
Let’s start with the lady (and I use that term loosely) who miraculously hasn’t been found out yet. I am at the point now where I can’t wait any longer to find out when we will be rid of Niki Smith. For a while she was funny…for a while she was entertaining…for a while she seemed harmless. Now, none of these things apply to Niki. She is now mean, cruel, devious and is plotting murder. When did this alter of Viki’s turn into this kind of a maniac? This was never the character of Niki Smith and I wonder if the writers did any research at all before they made her into the Niki we’re seeing this time around.
I am amazed that her secret is not out yet and for sure I thought Natalie would get through to Ben the other day before Niki came into the room dripping honey all over both of them. How is it that Niki’s secret is still safe? She’s barely hanging onto it and she knows it. And for all of the people who think Viki still has control…I say NOPE…especially since we know that Ben is going to be seriously hurt. Viki wouldn’t let that happen if she had control. Niki may be weakening, but it will be too little, too late.
What she did to Natalie last week was downright cruel…trying to make the girl believe that she could inherit DID. One thing about Natalie though, that Niki didn’t bargain on is that she’s a fighter and doesn’t take garbage from anybody…even her own “mother.” The one benefit of Natalie’s childhood has finally surfaced and that is that she learned a long time ago that since no one would take care of her, she’d better do it herself and that’s just what she’s doing. Although it has put her on Niki’s murder list, Natalie is wise to keep her dukes up and keep trying to figure out whom this insane creature is who has taken over her mother’s body.
And by the way, I didn’t happen to see that book Niki was toting around the other day on the bestseller list….hmmmm, “How To Commit Murder and Get Away With It.” Sounds like good summer reading material….NOT!
Does the following guy think it’s a secret that he’s still obsessed?
Al – Poor, stupid Al. I just knew it was too good to be true when he got over Jen so quickly and decided to leave she and Cris alone. His obsession is more annoying than ever. He’s working overtime to break them up again. Not that I care much about Jen and Cris, but with Al messing with them, it almost makes me want to root for them. He just wasn’t satisfied that he couldn’t get Jen to stay at Sam’s instead of going home to Cris…and he couldn’t stand that Cris told him they had no secrets between them…so he just had to tell Cris that Jen knew about what Lindsay did to Nora. Al is behaving like another reptilian character on OLTL and that’s whom he belongs with…Shawna! The two of them should just slither off into the sunset….NOW!
Asa and Rae – Boy, it sure gets explosive when these two get together, doesn’t it? Has Asa got some deep, dark secrets that we don’t know about yet? I didn’t realize there was room in his life for more dirty work than he’s already done. I laughed when Rae said he belongs behind bars…Duh Rae…we all know that…he never even got a wrist slapping for anything we know he’s done. I guess the court calendar is still booked up so he can’t be tried yet for what he did to Will…LOL…so if he has more secrets, I say bring them on. Maybe we can get him a condo next to Lindsay’s at Statesville.
And what about our dear Dr. Rae? What the heck is she hiding? The spoilers say that neither Sam nor Nora will be able to defend her in court for various reasons. What has she done that is going to take her to court? There are spoilers all over the Net saying she’s a fraud and not whom she claims to be. And who is Mark? Will Antonio and Keri find him? I like having all these new puzzles to figure out. I hope it leads to a good storyline for Rae and at least keeps her a decent person. I love her character, even if she isn’t the best shrink in the world.
And Troy – Are we going to find out soon what your secret is…even the part your sister Emily doesn’t know? And what’s Nora going to think? My guess is that somehow Lindsay is going to find out the secret and use it to destroy you.
What about our newest young character????
Rex – OK…so far, this kid is nothing but a freeloader and an opportunist. He knows both of his sisters are rolling in dough and figures he deserves some of it….and he’s got his two lovely sisters wanting nothing more than to take care of him. Not a bad deal for a teenager boy, huh? You’d think he’d at least care about Natalie and where she’s been all these years. He’s never tried to look for her before…not until the smell of money put him onto her scent. And Jessie…what can I say? She doesn’t really have a bad bone in her body and she’s been raised in that rich dream world where she sees no reason not to support her brother for the summer. Hey, what’s a pile of money and a table full of expensive fresh seafood that no one eats?
In comes Seth to burst Rex’s balloon. The funniest thing is that Seth is probably the last person who should criticize Rex when after all, he and Natalie planned the grandest scheme against Jessie to get her millions. I will say that Seth certainly did find the right path when he actually fell in love with Jessie, so maybe he is the person to stop Rex in his tracks and make him responsible. I think Rex has a lot more in store for his sisters…and for us.
Going in a slightly different direction on last week’s shows, can someone explain to me why OLTL is bothering to do a shoot in Hawaii? I’m hoping there are going to be some better outdoor shots coming up because it seems to me that everything we saw last week could have been shot in the studio and at a beach on Long Island, right here in New York. Ok, so we don’t have palm trees…LOL…but we can buy them. Most of the scenes were indoors…so why do a location shoot? And so far I haven’t figured out why we needed Tea to come back. Maybe we’ll be getting more of the beauty of Hawaii this week, and maybe Tea will figure into the story more, but it just doesn’t seem worth it to me. Now if something like Todd falling off the boat and getting lost at sea happens, maybe that would make it interesting. Was that a spoiler I read somewhere? LOL!
I know, I know…I am mean and never say anything good about Todd. First of all that’s just not true, but I did take some exception last week to a bunch of posts by what appeared to be Todd fans on a website that strangely enough has the same initials as my favorite Llanviewite. That’s all I’ll reveal about the name of the site…figure it out. These fans were upset because they can’t figure out how Mark Derwin got a nighttime series and Roger Howarth just can’t get one. Some even went so far as to wonder why ABC doesn’t help Howarth get a series. Is that their responsibility?
The fans in question here implied that Mark got this series for a variety of reasons, none of which has anything to do with talent. And the really nasty posters told the Ben fans not to worry because none of Bonnie Hunt’s shows ever last anyway…so Ben will be back.
You know, I don’t know what it would take for some people to just accept the fact that on many levels, Mark Derwin has talent as a serious actor and especially as a comedic one. Bonnie Hunt has a resume of successes, as well as other endeavors, which didn’t do so well and in case you have any doubts about what she can do, rent yourself a copy of the recent movie “Return to Me.” It’s a feather in Mark’s cap that he was asked to step into this role after a nighttime actor who is much more recognizable was removed.
As far as Roger Howarth goes, there obviously hasn’t been a nighttime vehicle yet that he’s been considered right for…so he hasn’t gotten one. Does that mean no one else deserves a shot? Can you see Roger as Bonnie Hunt’s husband on a sitcom? I have to laugh. Badmouthing Mark Derwin is really bad form folks. He has proven his dramatic talent, which he never gets enough chance to use…and he surely has proven his comedic talent. Whether he succeeds this time or not, it has nothing to do with what Roger deserves or doesn’t deserve. I wish Mark the very best…now if I could just cut him in half and have him do both shows full time…ah, my dream.
On a lighter note…I just want to give my weekly kudos to my favorite little spitfire…Ilene Kristen. Is there anyone out there who didn’t die laughing, as I did, at her rendition of “These Boots Are Made For Walking?” She just puts it all out there and she is fabulous. Great job Ilene! Maybe Nancy Sinatra could take some lessons from Ilene and do a remake of the song.
See ya next week......
Jill Berry
FAN FEEDBACK AND
QUESTIONS
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Gabbie 26 writes: “Don't forget that all the old characters on the show started out as the young "teeny-boppers" you seem to think are ruining the show. Someone has to inherit the world of the show. How old was Erika Slezak when she first started?”
Dear Gabbie 26: First of all, let me say
that all of the characters that are not “teeny-boppers” as you call them, are
not “the old characters.” Gabbie, I never personally criticize any of the young
actors on the show, but if you do think that their storylines are interesting
and hold the majority of the audience’s interest, I’m sorry, but you are
mistaken. There are young actors on other shows that do a marvelous job. They
have good writing behind them and believable storylines. I never blamed the
young actors personally, even though some would benefit from more training…I
spend much more time blaming the writers for giving them horrible material to
work with. Oh, and just FYI…Erika Slezak started on OLTL when she was in
her early twenties, and she had classical acting training.
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Vera writes: “Hi. I don't have a question for you but I just read your column and I am really sad to hear that Erin is rumored to be leaving. We have watched her grow from a child to a lovely young lady. I can understand her wanting to spread her wings, she is very talented and a wonderful singer. If this rumor is in fact true then color me blue.”
Dear Vera: I’m sorry that Erin is rumored
to be leaving, too, and the more I hear, the more I believe it to be true. I
adore the relationship between Viki and Jessica and would love to see them get
that back once Niki is gone (please, soon!). I think I could live with a recast
of Jessica if I had to, although it would have to be a very special young
lady. What do you think?
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Scheroi writes: “For the past two weeks, I have read your Reflections about Cris and Natalie. Now I agree that Cris and Jen do not really belong together. No offense to the actress, but Jen is the biggest numbskull on the show—wait, she and Ben are at a tie. What about Al and Natalie? I think they have more chemistry than Nat and Cris. Plus, I like Nathaniel Marston. Shame they’ve reduced Al to this.”
Dear Scheroi: Girl, you were doing ok until you called my Ben a numbskull. Natalie is a smart, potentially decent, beautiful girl. Why would you want to pair her with a guy like Al, who doesn’t have enough self esteem to know when he’s not wanted and move on….a guy who has to tear someone else down to make himself feel better? Excuse me…did you call BEN a numbskull??????
© Copyright by Katherine Thurston, 2002
