| "Reflections by Jill" - A Weekly Commentary on One Life to Live | |
|
|
A DISAPPOINTING ENDING! |
REFLECTIONS BY JILL….When I thought about writing this article, I had very mixed emotions. Of course, the main focus of last week for me, as well as for so many others, was Viki and her quickly deteriorating heart. I expected quite the tearjerker episode last Wednesday when Viki took her little dream journey through her family’s eyes…and I did get what I expected. Although for me there was hardly a scene that aired in my living room that was not accompanied by a good amount of tears, in retrospect, I have to say that Erika Slezak deserves more credit for that episode than just about any other crisis episode I’ve ever seen her in. I say that because in spite of the fact that she is wonderful to watch and completely immerses herself in every line, the writing, in my opinion, was very mediocre. Of course I understand that it was a dream and some of the material was a bit exaggerated, but most of it was just downright hokey…silly…toss in any synonyms for hokey and silly that you like. From the beginning I felt that it was very unlike Viki to even dream that she would give up on her life and her family. If there’s one thing you can always say about Viki, it is that she never gives up. It wasn’t until much later in the show, in her discussion with Clint during the dream that she was finally able to say that she was just so tired of fighting…tired of being tired. For me, Viki’s current situation and her despair over what is happening to her is the culmination of all that has happened to her in her life and especially all the heartache she has endured for the past two years since Ben has been in the coma and not in her life the way she needs him to be. All the little gimmicks along the way in this episode…the hearts, the key to the package, etc. were not that effective to me, but like I said, Erika did an incredible job with the material she was given. Also, hearing Mark’s voice during that episode was a welcome pleasure…that voice is enough to bring most women to their knees (don’t even try to disagree)…but couldn’t they have written him another couple of lines? I’m sure they could have convinced him to stay in the studio for more than the 30 seconds it must have taken to tape, “Follow your heart” and “Dance with me, Blondie.” I thought it was a lazy way to make him a part of that episode.
For me, without question, the beginning of the show, where they showed the flashbacks of Ben and Viki’s finest moments…and then the end of the show where Viki begged Ben to come back to her, were absolutely heart wrenching. I was so sad for things that just can’t be any more.
And…was there anyone who was not totally nauseated by the scene with Victor Lord? Talk about creepy…he was horrifying – telling her that “on the other side” everyone gets a second chance and that they can finally be together in eternity. Geez, knowing he was on the other side waiting for her should be enough to make her try to live forever. Ugh…the thought of him makes my skin crawl! My idea would have been for Todd to laugh in Victor’s face and say, “Hey, old man, what makes you think she’ll wind up “downstairs” in the same place as you?”
So, the dream ended and then we had Viki collapsing at Ben’s bedside and of course, she needs a transplant. And in spite of all I know in my very rational mind, you can bet I was praying that Ben would pop up out of that darned bed and make himself useful. Hey, it could happen…LOL! I loved all the scenes with her kids, but once again the best scenes were between Viki and Todd. Was there a dry eye in anyone’s house when she told him to go on and make something of his life…to be the person she knows he can be…and to set an example and make her proud of him? I love the relationship between Viki and the current Todd as much as I loved the relationship between Viki and Tim Gibbs’ Kevin. They are amazing together and Trevor St. John has definitely given Todd’s personality so many more facets than it had before. I’m really enjoying watching him…even when he shows that in some ways he’ll always be the old Todd.
I always thought Erika was best at showing the love that Viki has for her children, for her friends, for Ben of course, but after last week I have to say that she does just as good a job of showing Viki’s fear. It’s amazing how she allows herself to be transformed into a woman fighting for her life and she makes you feel Viki’s pain and terror. When she was told about the transplant, I felt like I was there in the room, feeling it with her. On a lighter note…I love that Viki has maintained her sense of humor. I did laugh out loud when Kevin told Viki that she had to hang around to straighten him out and she said, “But Kevin, that will take so long.” And I really had to chuckle at the end of the dream show when she told Ben that she had to go home because if Jessica finds her bed empty she’ll think she was kidnapped. Well, what’s the big deal? Viki sure knows first hand that a little kidnapping is nothing compared to other things she’s been through. Why not toss one in for good measure…see just how much her poor heart can take.
I have to once again mention Michael and Marcie because since last week, their storyline has gotten even sillier…if that’s possible. Are we supposed to take it seriously when Marcie goes to the hospital, sneaks into a lab coat again and in two seconds strolls into a restricted area where transplant paraphernalia is kept with no one around? I have to say that the silliness of Michael and Marcie’s little adventure takes away from what could be a very good storyline about Dr. Long and his dirty dealings. Instead, we have Marcie hearing that Dr. Long is at the police station…so she runs off to solve the crime while Michael chases her down on crutches. Yeah, that’s pretty believable…NOT! It’s more like a slapstick comedy than a storyline that is supposed to be a crime mystery. How ridiculous was it that Marcie came right out when cornered by Dr. Long and told him they knew exactly what he was up to that night with the donor heart and that she was going to the police. She’s lucky she didn’t freeze her nosy little nose off in that freezer room. Enough of these two…they’re hurting my brain and if and when Dr. Long does actually hurt someone (which I’m sure will happen), it won’t have nearly the impact that it should.
Let’s move on…
Ahhh…Lindsay is back in action…can’t say I’ve missed her. I was going to say I was surprised to see her show up at Jen’s house looking for Rex…but why should I be surprised? Silly me…thinking she might be coming to make peace with Jen and realize that she’s been acting like a crazed teenager. Actually, I have to take that back…most teenagers today have more sense than Lindsay does when it comes to relationships. It’s a very strange day when Jen becomes the voice of reason and maturity for her mother. I never thought I’d see the day.
On to a nice surprise for me…Natalie and John. Could he finally be coming around and realizing that he has to move on? It sure looks like it. I was disappointed in Natalie when she ran back to Paul, but I sure was happy that John called her before she could “go too far” with him. I think John was finally taking in what everyone has been telling him about putting his memories of Caitlin in the proper place and moving on…and special thanks to Nora whose voice of reason might just have given him the final push that made him call Natalie and tell her he wants to see her and thinks he’s ready to start moving on…that he’s ready to feel again and is sorry he hurt her. I love it! I hope this couple starts moving in the right direction. John showed a lot of progress last week. Obviously it was hard for him to get over Caitlin even before he came to Llanview, but it sure didn’t help to have Dr. Haver opening all those old wounds he had from Caitlin’s death. Good for John. I love to see him smile…he doesn’t do it nearly enough of it.
Well, how tiny a feather do you think it will take to finally push Kelly over the edge? How did she even wake up, let alone stand up after taking all those sleeping pills? I had to really think about the fact that it made me kind of happy the first time Paul smacked his head in the motel room. I sure didn’t mind him getting a good knock on the head…it’s the least he deserved. Am I mean? Then when David decked him it still didn’t bother me much. Am I getting a hard heart? LOL! Even though he was kind of nice to Natalie when John interrupted them…and even though he wasn’t really trying to smother Kelly with that pillow…I can’t say I’m sorry he “bought it.” And of course, I don’t believe he’s dead…he’s probably just sleeping at the dump with some very cushy bedding to keep him cozy. And I loved David having a conscience about the whole thing and actually telling Dorian what happened. He surprises me all the time.
Kelly, on the other hand, probably wishes she were dead at this point. You know you’re in deep trouble when your only allies are Paul and Todd. And what’s cooking between Todd and Kelly? Can’t say it wouldn’t serve Blair and Kevin right to have the tables turned on them a bit...although Todd would be stupid to carry on with Kelly now that Blair is at least allowing him within 100 feet of her. I had to laugh when Todd asked Kelly, with a big grin on his face, if she had killed Paul. She’s lucky she remembers her name.
And what about Starr? That little girl has sure turned into a lovely young lady all of a sudden. I think I’m going to enjoy watching her work her way through her teens. After her latest fiasco in New York, I wonder if she’s going to be half as treacherous a teenager as she was a young girl. Oh, sure she is!
Just a word about the Daytime Emmys that aired last Friday night. WE WERE ROBBED! I was thrilled to have Kathy Brier and Ilene Kristen nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category. Unfortunately, they were in a tough category with some great actresses and the competition was very tough. It would have been nice to have a winner from One Life To Live…maybe next year if we ever get Erika back in the category that has been missing her name for years.
In closing, I would like to address the many, many fans of the show who wrote to me last week about the cancellation of Life With Bonnie and the possible future career moves of Mark Derwin. I have posted one of the many emails below. I was so pleasantly surprised that more than half of the mail I received was about this very subject and that there are so many fans out there who still believe in the value of the Ben and Viki storyline. To those who asked me if Ben would now be coming out of his coma and heading back to Viki’s arms, I wish with all my heart I could say that the minute Life With Bonnie was cancelled Ben’s eyelashes started to flutter. There is not a lot I wouldn’t give to have that happen short of sacrificing a limb…well, hmmm…let me rethink that…LOL. But for now, obviously, it is not to be. The only thing I can console myself with is the fact that on soap operas, death is such a temporary thing that in many cases, all it takes is a change of power in the control room and a beloved character can spring back to life as if they were just napping or vacationing in the Bahamas. Although it hasn’t happened in a long time, I can only hope that someday soon we’ll have someone in charge who values great acting, warm, loving couples in major storylines and who doesn’t let age or any other insignificant factors determine what we get to watch every day.
See ya next week...
Jill Berry
FAN FEEDBACK AND QUESTIONS
Joan writes: “I know you are a big Viki and Ben fan, as am I. So how do you feel about the fact that ABC has cancelled Life With Bonnie? Does this mean that Mark Derwin is free to come out of his coma as Ben? I certainly hope so.”
Dear Joan: How do I feel? Wow! To be perfectly honest, I’m not thrilled that Life With Bonnie was cancelled but I am not the least bit surprised. I enjoyed the first season tremendously and the second season started with the promise of being even better. Of course, watching Life With Bonnie was a great way to see Mark Derwin every week (what little we got to see), even though we couldn’t see him where we really wanted to see him…but I did originally think the show had real quality. I’ve always like Bonnie Hunt’s sense of humor, but the fact of the matter is that not too far into the second season the show started going downhill for me and many others and since it is common knowledge that Bonnie Hunt always insists on having total control over her shows, unfortunately the blame has to fall in her lap. It became obvious that she felt that the heart of the show was not Bonnie’s home life, but that the heart of the show was David Alan Grier. Although he’s a very funny guy, it didn’t take more than a few weeks for him to annoy me every time his character opened his mouth. Bonnie’s home life relationships were never without David’s obnoxious interference and Mark was portrayed as an overbearing, critical husband who several times was actually emotionally cruel. Bad idea for a sitcom…and Bonnie didn’t see it at all. The funniest and warmest characters never got to strut their stuff enough. In answer to your second question, of course Mark Derwin is free to do whatever he wants…whether or not he’ll head back east is anyone’s guess. I’m not counting on it for the near future. Obviously, for now, it sure doesn’t look like Ben is coming out of his coma. The fact of the matter is that TPTB at One Life To Live needed to address Ben’s situation a long time ago and neglected to take the high road and respect their fans and the value of a great, well-rounded storyline. What Mark Derwin decides to do with his life shouldn’t have held up Viki and Ben’s storyline for so long and now they’re just taking the easy, lazy way out, rather than recasting the role of Ben.
Carolyn writes: “Today was the first time I watched One Life to Live. I have been watching All My Children since it began. One Life to Live mentioned Pine Valley and that got my attention? I cannot remember the couple's names but do they have the baby that really should belong to Bianca Montgomery on All My Children????”
Dear Carolyn: Kevin and Kelly Buchanan on One Life to Live have the baby boy who was born to Babe on All My Children. Paul Cramer, who is Kelly’s brother on OLTL gave Babe’s baby to Kelly and gave Bianca’s baby girl to Babe and when Babe thought she remembered having a boy, he told her she’d had a girl. On OLTL, Kelly is aware that Paul got her the baby under shady circumstances and is starting to figure out where the baby came from. It shouldn’t be long before the truth starts to come out. Kelly is definitely buckling under the stress of lying to her husband and everyone around her about the baby and she’s got the two “naughty boys” of Llanview as her allies…Paul and Todd…so she’s headed for disaster.
Angiestai writes: “Why is it whenever Bo says, "The place is surrounded by police, someone either enters or leaves or escapes unseen? Case in point, The Old Theater, Vicki's house (during the Mitch episode), Natalie and Jessie's hideaway apartment while being pursed by Mitch, and now the Railway Station. Aren't there Police at the end of the train's trip who can board the train and arrest Laser? The problem with OLTL is whenever there is a plot, they try to drag it on by "playing stupid" and then the plot loses credibility…something it can't afford to lose even a little of. Frankly, I'm getting tired of it so I'm recording from now on and fast-forwarding the stupid parts just so I don't have to watch them. It could be a good show.”
Dear Angiestai: Some people think that Bo and the Llanview Police Department are the 21st century’s answer to The Keystone Cops. Sometimes I have to agree. Actually, I think you are quite right. You can always count on something ridiculous happening to thwart the efforts of poor Bo and his boys in blue…but the only answer I have is that if everything went smoothly and according to plan, it wouldn’t be any different than watching the cops on the 6 o’clock news. Obviously the calamities are exaggerated on soaps and you can always count on something going wrong…that’s what the drama is all about…but you’re right, the do carry things a bit far sometimes and I scratch my head wondering how TPTB think we’re supposed to sit back and continue watching the insanity. Good luck with the fast-forwarding…LOL…some days you might not even get to watch one whole scene if you do that trying to find one that makes sense.
© Copyright by Katherine Thurston, 2004
