| "Reflections by Jill" - A Weekly Commentary on One Life to Live | |
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REFLECTIONS BY JILL….Is there anyone left in Llanview who doesn’t know that Walker is really Todd? Think about it…after this week I don’t think there will be a soul left in that crazy little town that doesn’t know Todd’s wicked little secret. And look out when Blair finds out. I figure she’ll toss him on his butt for a while and then, in true Blair fashion, she’ll welcome him back into her life and her bed. I love Blair, but she sure doesn’t spend much time looking at a situation before she jumps. She’s perfect for Todd.
I thought the scenes between Viki and Todd when he finally admitted his identity to her were wonderful. It was so nice to see Viki have something to be happy about for a change. I loved her expressions as she replayed all of her encounters with Walker in her mind…and her quiet tears when the realization hit her that he was her brother whom everyone gave up for dead. Viki never gives up on the people she loves…and to be kind to you all, I won’t go any further (for now) on that subject…LOL! I sure would have loved to see a nice hug between Viki and Todd. The old Todd surely wouldn’t have leaned in for a hug, but the new Todd who knows how much he needs his family, should have thrown caution to the wind and given his sister a big old bear hug. Viki needs one and I felt like she wanted to just grab him. I mean, the old Todd used to get nauseous at the thought of kissing someone…even Blair…but all of a sudden he’s found his affectionate side…not to mention his sex drive. What’s up with that? Some of the changes in Todd don’t make sense, but I like them anyway.
And how about that “half ceremony – half circus” wedding? One thing you can never forget is a Blair/Todd wedding. Of course it was doomed when Todd vowed to Blair that he would never hurt her…LOL…famous last words. It certainly started off with an air of royalty with Queen Dorian welcoming everyone to her home…La Boulee! OK…if anyone knows how to spell it, just let me know. I can never stop laughing at how pretentious Dorian is. She kills me. Hey, who wouldn’t believe that the governor would drop Viki and her little shack called Llanfair for a visit to Dorian’s newly christened La Boulee? She is just a madwoman…and I can’t wait for her to get stranded with Viki after the governor’s plane crashes. I hear they are going to show lots of memories of all the battles between Viki and Dorian before these two get rescued some time in December. I cannot wait! Is there any better reason to watch One Life to Live in the upcoming weeks? I think not. On another note, there goes the destruction of yet another family Thanksgiving for Viki’s family. Between Cristian’s death and Viki missing in a plane crash, this year’s holiday should go down as another one for the books…just like the one where Nora and Lindsay destroyed Viki’s kitchen and then Kevin destroyed their attempt to have a peaceful meal at the country club after Grace’s death…and let’s not forget the Thanksgiving a couple of years ago when Viki and Ben were forced to go on the run after that dead fish was delivered to the front door of Llanfair.
You have to love that Aunt Betsy, don’t you? I think she’s hysterical. She sure fits in as one of the wacky Cramer women, except for the fact that she hates men with a passion while the other Cramer women as a rule go from one man to another. She sure stole the show at the wedding when she dropped that bomb about her $30 million inheritance. And how funny was Starr after she found out she was the heir and said, “So when are you going to croak?” I figured Aunt Betsy would appreciate the kid’s chutzpah. I can’t wait for Starr to find out she’s not getting the money. How will she pay for all the trouble she gets into? I feel sorry for Paul when Starr finds out…he will probably regret the moment he opened his mouth and crossed that little girl and I can’t wait to see her in action.
And we certainly saw an unexpected side of Paul’s personality, didn’t we? I can’t quite figure him out yet, but he sure didn’t hesitate to expose Todd’s lurid past in front of everyone. How funny was it when Aunt Betsy decided she admired his honesty and took him under her wing, as Dorian said to Cassie, “Wait until she finds out he’s a male.”
The Al/Marcie storyline is still not working for me. I thought it was pretty silly how Al refused to understand that Marcie would not be receptive to him right away as Michael. I also thought it was ridiculous for him to kiss her and tell her he’s in love with her. This storyline is becoming more and more of a bomb every week. The only good thing about it has been Luna’s presence in the whole thing. She is wonderful to watch and I’ve always thought she was the most adorable character….funny and so refreshing. I love watching her.
I’m also curious to find out what the history is between John and Michael McBain and why they’re not close brothers. I like John McBain a lot more than I did when he first arrived on the scene and I like his scenes with Natalie. It’s interesting to watch her deal with her grief, having to run into John at every turn knowing that had she never laid eyes on him she’d still have Cristian.
In closing, I have to say that the best of Natalie’s scenes are those that involve Roxy. I know I’m always in for a good laugh when Roxy is around and last week she didn’t disappoint me when she showed up at Rodi’s and told Natalie she was going to give her “oral support.” Then when Natalie reminded her about her hypoglycemia and gave her a club soda instead of a “real drink”, I almost fell off my chair when Roxy said, “Gee, it sure bites to be a virgin again.” You’ve got to love that woman!
See ya next week...
Jill Berry
FAN FEEDBACK AND QUESTIONS
Dawn writes: “To dispute another who wrote to you recently, please don't accept the end of Ben and Viki. I don't and I won't! For one thing, poor Ben in his comatose body still has more personality than Governor Harrison Brooks. (Sorry Kevin Dobson...it's painfully true!) Hey...was it just my overactive imagination, or did Ben say, "Ohhh, Blondie" in that recent hospital scene with Viki. And even if TPTB had Ben pushing up daisies, they have shown through various examples that even death is not a permanent condition. Keep up the faith, Girl. Ben has way too much life to live!”
Dear Dawn: LOL! You know, Dawn…it’s funny you should mention that scene when Viki was in the hospital with Ben. Not only could I have sworn I heard him say, ‘Ohhh, Blondie’, but I could also have sworn that I saw him run his hand through her beautiful blonde hair that he always loved so much. For the life of me I can’t understand why more people don’t admit that they saw and heard what we did. Go figure! I hesitate to say it, because I never bash actors (only characters) but as much as I have always loved Kevin Dobson…and many years ago if Knots Landing was on at the same time as OLTL I know I would have watched Knots (hey, no VCR…what was my choice?) I fear that soapdom is just not Kevin’s genre. It’s hard enough to convince people that Viki would move on with Ben alive…so to me, the actor for that role would be an impossible find.
Dale writes: “OK. TPTB wonder why viewer ship is down. Here's a reason or two. They push and push for "US" (the audience) to fall for a character or couple, and we usually do just what TPTB want, and then they pull the rug out from under us-kill off someone (Al), fire someone (Max) or bring back a character who makes no sense (Joey-don't care for the actor, he seems too young and a MINISTER!!! no way believable). The actor who plays Walker/Todd is so-so. Wonderful as Flynn, good as Walker, but Todd--NO ONE will ever be Todd except Roger Howarth.”
Dear Dale: I agree that we have had the rug pulled out from under us way too many times. TPTB had to admit they made a mistake killing Al, and their solution is not satisfactory to many people as far as I can tell. I think Joey is a great character. I don’t know if Bruce Michael Hall is going to continue in the role…rumors abound about his departure but nothing is decided to my knowledge, but I am very happy that Viki has her kids back. I think Bree Williamson is very good as Jessica…I think that although Dan Gauthier is a good actor, they have ruined the Kevin we all know – and I think that with Jen in Joey’s life, his character will continue to look like a wimp and a fool…she’s not worth a minute of his time. He could shine with someone else…even with Marcie. As far as Todd is concerned…I can’t agree with you. I think Trevor St. John is a very good actor and he has given a human quality to Todd that Roger almost never did. Trevor has made a lot of fans that couldn’t stand Todd’s wicked ways find the humanity in him and like him. I am one of those fans. I was really only able to watch Roger’s version of Todd comfortably when he was showing that hint of vulnerability…which was very seldom.
Mary writes: “I love receiving your online articles but I have a question. I am changing my email address and want to receive your web page at my new email address. How do I go about doing this? I didn't see a link on the web page that had anything to do with this.”
Dear Mary: I checked with Katherine, who is the Queen Mother of this great site and she suggested that you use the following link and you can submit your new email address. http://onelifetolive.about.com/gi/pages/mmail.htm. Thanks for reading my babble.
Heather writes: “Now that Al's ghost is around, wouldn't it be nice for him to tie up some loose ends…such as Deke throwing Marcie into the dumpster. I know this is the land of make believe but the last time we saw Deke, he was slamming the door in Marcie's face the day Al died. The way it was left, Deke got away with everything he and his girlfriend did to make Marcie's life a living hell. Let’s see the punk get his just rewards!”
Dear Heather: What a wonderful idea…wish I had thought of that. Michael could go around haunting Deke and Madison and they’d never know what, or who, hit them.
Rowan231 writes: “I read on a General Hospital site that the role of Nora Buchanan will be recast…that the woman that plays Alexis on GH will be taking over the role. Is this true?”
Dear Rowan231: There have been so many rumors about Hillary B. Smith leaving the role of Nora on OLTL. She says it’s not true and I’m pretty sure she’s hanging around. Although Nancy Lee Grahn from GH is a wonderful actress (I loved her on Santa Barbara before she was on GH) – and she would make a wonderful Nora if the situation ever came up – I don’t think this rumor will turn out to be true.
© Copyright by Katherine Thurston, 2003
