| "Reflections by Jill" - A Weekly Commentary on One Life to Live | |
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REFLECTIONS BY JILL….Well, here we go…we’re headed for a serial killer storyline on One Life To Live. Now there’s an original way to suck up a few months of airtime. Do we need a serial killer in Llanview right now? Is anyone sick of people dropping dead on the show yet? I am. Not that I’m sorry that some of them are gone, but we have had our share of death lately. There was Colin, Mitch, Claire, Victor (again), Sam, Liz, Keri, Al…I know I’m forgetting plenty, but that’s just off the top of my head. And this new serial killer will be called “The Music Box Killer.” Lock your doors Llanviewites!
And Ty Treadway is coming back. Is Troy going to break out of St. Ann’s? Is he going to come back to Llanview under another name and let us know that the McIver boys were not twins, but triplets? LOL! It’s way too easy that he’d be the serial killer…so that’s not even a possibility to me. I’m interested to see how they work him into the canvas.
Let’s get to Lindsay this week. I haven’t had much to say about her for a while, but since she hasn’t been on the show much until recently, she hasn’t been able to get into any trouble. But obviously, Lindsay has learned nothing from being locked away in prison, killing her ex-husband and watching her daughter becoming a carbon copy of herself. Now she’s involved with David Vickers and despite her knowledge that he’s a big con man and despite the fact that she’s been warned that he’s trouble, she has jumped in with both feet and gone into business with him. It’s going to be fun to watch because although David is a slimy con man, Tuc Watkins brings something to the character of David Vickers that makes it impossible to hate the guy. He’s cute, charming and sometimes seems to have a real heart…but I can never quite tell if that’s true. In any case, Lindsay is in for another wild ride and maybe this time she’ll be smarter and turns the screws on him before he has a chance to do the same to her. That would be novel for Lindsay, wouldn’t it?
I just have a few words to say about Jen…just a few. It was ridiculous how she turned to Rex and made him the first and only one to know about her pregnancy. While some people feel sorry for her and chalk up her behavior to her childhood and the recent horrible loss of her father, I have lost patience with these excuses. I have one question. Jen is a young woman in her 20’s….and she has no life aside from a marriage that she is clearly unsatisfied with. My question is…Why doesn’t this girl go back to college or just get a job? She does nothing with her life except try to keep her husband in bed and when that doesn’t work (because HE HAS a life), she hangs out in Rex’s bar. If she had something constructive to do with her life, she wouldn’t be such a mess. Just my humble opinion.
On to Jessica, who has a life, went back to school (once in a while) and lately is working for The Banner thanks to her brother Kevin. What was she thinking breaking into RJ’s apartment to find that letter? Doesn’t she realize that on soaps you can’t break into someone’s place and snoop around without them coming home unexpectedly and catching you in the act? I don’t even think she figured out whether or not RJ would be at home. Dumb, Dumb, Dumb, Jessica. I am glad that we finally know that Keri left a suicide note…now the trick is how to use it and keep little Jessica out of jail. I can’t wait to see what RJ has to say in his statement at the police station.
Poor Bo…when is that wonderful guy going to get a break? I felt sorry for him when Gabby gave him back the ring, although he does know what she’s going through and can certainly understand how lost she feels.
There’s lots of talk going around about Bo and Nora. I was perfectly willing and satisfied to say that their ship had sailed and I didn’t see them getting back together again. Now I’m not so sure. I am thrilled to see the old Nora back. She’s smart again and in control of her life…not like she was when Troy was around and in my opinion, Bo and Nora have a connection that is impossible to ignore. Aside from the fact that Matthew is now conveniently the son that they share, these two know each other and take care of each other like they still belong together. It wasn’t until Nora broke free of the Troy/Colin horror show that I was able to start liking her the way I used to. I loved the scene last week where Bo was sitting on the docks and Nora came by, knowing just what he needed, bringing him a burger, “red but not bleeding” just the way he likes them. I think if the writers are smart and careful (possible?) they can make Bo and Nora a viable couple again. I wouldn’t mind a bit. They’ve both had a lifetime since they were together to realize what’s important. I think they can make it work, especially with Matthew involved. Can you tell I’m craving a decent, mature, loving couple on this show again?
Now we have two potential drug problems brewing in Llanview. Kelly is well on her way to becoming addicted to those sleeping pills. Hiding them under her pillow is not a good sign. And Kevin can sing about his innocence and his devotion to his marriage until the cows come home, but I’m not buying it. Neither is Viki…and for sure, neither is Kelly. He can’t stay away from Blair, no matter what, and Blair will never help him stay away from her because no matter how happy she is, Blair thrives on men being attracted to her. She loves the thrill of the forbidden and will always be that way.
And then there’s Riley. It doesn’t look like Flash/Sara will be able to keep him from going back to drugs. He seems like he’s not even trying to fight it. Flash and Riley are a couple that needs some of work also. They aren’t cutting it as far as making me want to watch them and care. She should be more involved with her family…and not just with Asa. Now that Paul is in the picture as Kelly’s half brother (unless he’s someone else pulling a scam), maybe we’ll find out what his connection is to CJ and spice things up a bit.
So far I have nothing positive to say about Johnny McBain. I haven’t been able to develop an interest in Natalie’s career as a competitive pool player and Johnny hasn’t gotten me any more interested. Is Walker (the real one) going to somehow force her to throw matches (???) to make himself tons of money? I have no clue. I say to the writers…Make me care! We know that Clint is coming back soon for Natalie and Cristian’s wedding and we know that David Fumero is leaving the show very soon and I hear that the role of Cristian will not be recast…but you never know. Will Cristian be the next one killed off?
I cannot say enough about Fiona Hutchinson and Kathy Brier yet again this week. I would, however, like to send them a bill for all the Kleenex that I have gone through because of Marcie and Gabrielle since Al’s death. The scenes where Gabrielle and Marcie went through Al’s things were beautiful. I wept my eyes out when they went through that photo album that Al had made and they read all the captions on pages where there would never be any pictures. That was beautifully done and so sad. I was happy and very touched when Gabrielle apologized to Marcie for all the derogatory things she had said about her and Marcie graciously, as always, accepted it. I loved it when Gabrielle told Marcie that Al had loved her madly. It was great for Marcie to hear that coming from her.
And I can’t end this week’s commentary without giving my take on Viki’s “big good-bye” to Ben. To my great surprise, it was beautifully done and very well written. I have to say that despite my fears that it would be horrible to watch, I was very, very pleased that it wasn’t really a good-bye at all. I loved the way Viki explained to Ben that if she were in his place and if he met someone who could make him smile and laugh and not be so lonely, she’d want him to spend time with her. It was a very good way to handle the situation, even though I would have been happy to hear Viki tell Ben that she would be chaining herself to his bed for life until he woke up and came back to her…LOL! By her telling him that nothing would change and she’d still come to see him every day, it did keep the hope alive that Ben would not be forgotten as Viki moved on with her life. I am totally against her moving on romantically, but I have to say that the war heating up between Viki and Dorian is going to be a riot to watch. What a perfect scene the other day when Dorian asked Viki what her dear, comatose husband would think about her cavorting all over Llanview with the governor. Viki’s quick reaction was priceless and when she told Dorian that Ben had a message for her, “GET A LIFE”, I just about died laughing. There’s nothing funnier than Dorian being left speechless, is there? I hope this whole “governor thing” turns out to be more about Viki and Dorian…rather than about Viki and the governor. Hey, at least you can always trust me to be consistent in my obsessions!
See ya next week...
Jill Berry
FAN FEEDBACK AND QUESTIONS
Frances writes: “What was the name of the song Marcie sang at Al's memorial service after he appeared to her and said he wanted everyone to be happy? She got up and sang a favorite of Al's.”
Dear Frances: Kathy Brier sure did a beautiful job of keeping Marcie together enough to sing that song. The song was “Iris”…by the Goo Goo Dolls.
Joan writes: “I have been a Bo & Nora fan since the beginning of their relationship. I keep hoping that they will get back together again. They used to be rated as one of the top couples in daytime soap magazines. Hillary B. Smith and Robert Woods are dedicated and talented performers. It would be nice if the producers would be willing to give Nora and Bo Buchanan an opportunity to reunite on OLTL. What is your opinion?”
Dear Joan: This is a subject I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. In the past, I loved Bo and Nora together as did zillions of their fans. I always thought Bo deserved a good and decent woman who would love him and be honest with him and for sure Nora always fit that bill. In addition, they had fun together which was always great to watch. When Nora got involved with Troy, a whole different woman emerged who was definitely not the Nora we knew and loved. The Nora we knew would never have become involved with Troy simply because looking at him was a constant reminder of the torture she went through at the hands of his twin brother. Even though he was not Colin (I’m still not convinced…lol), I don’t think Nora in her right mind would have gotten involved with him, especially when he started doing things she should have run from right away. Lately, since Nora has been involved in being a lawyer again and her true self has emerged again, I enjoy watching her all the time. I enjoy her scenes with Bo and wouldn’t mind seeing them get together again at all.
HippieChild38 writes: “The River/Adriana storyline is a snore. So far it serves no purpose but to annoy me and I fast-forward the scenes. Why doesn't OLTL cater more to the "Older" crowd? I'd like to see more Blair/Viki/Dorian/Bo/Max/and especially RJ. What are the chances of scrapping the storyline and moving on?”
Dear HippieChild38: Obviously at this point, we know that the River/Adriana storyline has been scrapped. At first it was rumored that they were going to recast the role of Adriana, but I hear now that they won’t be doing that. Just as well since I agree with you. Their storyline definitely was a snore. Having an overbearing Carlotta involved to such a great extent was obnoxious. They couple never had a chance. I would like to know what the big pow-wow was between Dorian and Carlotta and why Dorian was involved in getting rid of Adriana…but honestly, I don’t care that much. As far as the “Older” crowd is concerned…I agree with you. I never get enough of seeing Viki on the screen and I think that although I don’t want her romantically involved with the governor, as I said above, the battle brewing between Viki and Dorian is going to be hilarious to watch. I can’t wait.
Susan writes: “I am outraged that they are trying to turn OLTL into another Port Charles. I am sorry they are canceling PC, but the "angels" and other supernatural beings are what did it in, in my opinion. Come on, we old time OLTL fans have already seen Viki in heaven, and we should all be spared "round two." I think maybe they could have Marcie wake up from a bad nightmare and we could all find out that Al is still alive! Anything, even this tired old plot in order to keep our Al human!”
Dear Susan: I never did get involved in watching Port Charles, but I sure have had experience with soaps and the supernatural. As a former devoted fan of Days Of Our Lives, I survived Marlena’s possession by the devil and am horrified to read on the message boards that some fans of that show feel it could happen all over again in their serial killer storyline. I think the only reason I survived that storyline was that I loved John and Marlena so much that anything that threw them together was tolerable for me…even though at the time, John was a priest….lol! The only thing I still admire about DAYS is that they knew a good thing when they saw it. They made John a wonderful leading man and have kept him with the love of his life for 17 years now on the show. I wish OLTL would have done the same for Ben and Viki…in my opinion, they missed the boat…BIG TIME! As far as Al and Marcie are concerned, I hope they do them justice with whatever they are about to come up with.
© Copyright by Katherine Thurston, 2003
