| "Reflections by Jill" - A Weekly Commentary on One Life to Live | |
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REFLECTIONS BY JILL….Awww…my biggest disappointment of last week…my favorite recurring character, Crazy Margaret, is gone. Somehow I was hoping they’d have dragged out the kidnappings of Jack and Ace a bit longer to at least make it seem like the parents had something to worry about. It was all over way too soon and now I don’t get to enjoy watching Margaret terrorize her way through the mess that is Todd and Kevin any more. She was quite the busy little nurse taking first Jack and then Ace. I couldn’t believe she waltzed right into Todd’s penthouse with Jack…and I laughed at how quickly she high-tailed it out of there when Blair threatened to call the police.
And WOW…could they have given Margaret a bigger pair of scissors to carry around two inches from little Ace’s body? Holy Cow…she could have cut through a chain link fence with those scissors, not to mention right through Todd. I guess Todd deserves some credit for the way he successfully rescued Ace from Margaret’s clutches. I think it’s hysterical how he and Kevin have switched roles…Todd comes off now as the hero and Kevin is Llanview’s latest maniac.
Poor Heddy…I suppose she deserved to lose her job for letting not one but two children get kidnapped from right under her nose. I guess she doesn’t realize yet that she’s so much better off not working for those lunatics any more. I still think she deserves a bit, fat bonus for taking care of Starr all those years and not losing her mind…although she did lose Starr enough times. I guess it shouldn’t surprise us that Jack and Ace got away from her.
I have to give credit this week for the performances of Robin Strasser, Kassie DePaiva and Heather Tom (although Kelly on my screen is becoming impossible to watch). These three women did a wonderful job in their scenes where Blair had to deal with being furious at Kelly and battling within herself over whether or not to keep Kelly’s secret…where Kelly, in desperation, humbled herself to Blair when she was threatened with her secret being exposed if she came near Blair, Todd or their family…and where Dorian, in her own slightly devious way was trying to find a solution to keep everyone happy and sane and preserve the unity of the “Cramer Women.” Watching them all together in those scenes was so interesting. There is so much blame on both sides…Kelly’s and Blair’s…Blair for her involvement with Kevin which started this whole mess…and Kelly for the desperate, conniving way she has forced herself to live which is hurting more people than we can count at this point. A great job was done by all. I guess sometimes you don’t have to love the storyline to appreciate the acting.
I thought it was a true example of how far Kelly has gone in her sick deception to keep Ace when she found out he was missing and didn’t even want to call the police for fear that her secret would be revealed. How sick is that? The baby is being held by a crazed maniac and she doesn’t even want to call her husband or the police.
Here’s a question. Has Dorian worked at her job as Chief of Staff of the hospital for more than one day since she got that job? That’s some great set-up where she can take off whenever she wishes, fly out of the country on a whim searching for hidden fortunes, spend countless days keeping her family’s secrets in tact and still fight with Viki about Todd. I wonder how long it will take Viki to regret that she recommended Dorian for that job.
And Kevin…this keeps getting worse and worse. He has spiraled out of control at this point. I’m curious to know how he thinks he’s going to get custody of a baby that he doesn’t even believe carries his blood when the baby’s supposed father is in the picture. I’m confused…are you? Maybe this will be a battle that will be fought in the dirtiest way with Asa as the backbone…I guess we’ll see. It’s going to be interesting very shortly when the truth comes out and Kevin finally knows he’s not the daddy and Kelly is not the mommy. I can’t wait. Oh, and wasn’t that night in jail a humbling experience for Kevin? I think not. Bo was too easy on him.
Do you think Bo is getting tired of going through the same old scenario with Antonio? How many times have we had to watch Antonio lose his badge and then have Bo give it back to him? If it weren’t for Antonio’s changing hairdos, and Bo alternating between a desk full of burgers or Chinese food, they’d be able to just pull one of the old tapes of that scene and just keep replaying it every time Antonio gets into trouble.
Poor Viki…Kevin surely doesn’t have an ounce of care that he’s giving her more stress than she had when she had to decide whether or not to accept her dead husband’s heart. (Well, he’s dead for now…lol.) I guess Kevin figures it’s no big deal to have his mother stand at Asa’s doorway and witness him throwing his wife and child out of the house. Obviously, he also figures it’s just another day in Llanview when his mother has to watch him pummel Todd’s face in Dorian’s beloved parlor at La Boulaie. I think Viki said it best when she looked at Kevin and said, “I don’t even know who you are any more.” Neither do we Viki…neither do we. I can’t wait to see Kevin’s face when he realizes that all Todd really did was keep Kelly’s secret about the baby and pay off that farmer to say she gave birth at his place. I don’t really count all the stuff Todd did to annoy Kevin in The Banner…that’s just good old Todd being Todd.
And speaking of The Banner…how stupid was Kevin to think Todd wrote that article with the childish language. I hear that Starr is going to be shocked out of her designer duds when her dear old dad finds out that she was the one who hacked into The Banner and changed those articles and punishes her…yes, punishes her! Never thought I’d live to see the day.
So, what do you think about the Santis? How silly is it that the police think the whole family has been rounded up and the family has been disbanded? No way that could happen. I hear there are more Santis headed for Llanview…that’s just what I need…more new people to keep track of. And what about Tico? I think he’s a good guy…I hope I’m right. As for Sonia…I’m reserving judgment on her, but I think she’s going to turn out to be trouble.
I was sorry they had to revive that quarry set for yet another summer. It’s kind of redundant, don’t you think. Don’t we remember it as a place where the young folks of Llanview go when they think they’ll have some privacy but always get caught? Wasn’t it just yesterday that Cristian caught Al and Jen there and the fight that ensued put Al in a wheelchair (well, for a while anyway)? Now I suppose Adriana is going to find River and Shannon committing the ultimate sin. How predictable can you get? Isn’t it funny that Adriana called Reverend Andrew and he knew exactly where to find River…his son whom he never even sees? I wish they would really bring Andrew back to deal with his son. That would be a novel concept, don’t you think?
Now for a little bit of levity. I did enjoy Search And Destroy night at Ultra Violet. Although Nick’s rendition of “I’m too sexy” was totally ridiculous, I did thoroughly enjoy watching him make a fool of himself. And it was too funny when Rex was looking for another contestant and didn’t want to let Marcie on the stage because he knew he’d have to pay her the $500.00 prize. Could anyone possibly disagree with me about Kathy Brier’s voice? She was incredible and I could listen to her every day. Her singing is so effortlessly beautiful. I hope they have that fundraiser where we’ll get to hear her sing even more.
Okay, I think it’s time for Natalie to starting turning her life around. I’m getting a little tired of waiting for her to take her life back. I know she thinks she’s done just that and she keeps swearing that she’s learned to live with Cristian’s death and has learned to move on. Sorry Natalie, I don’t believe you. And just thinking about her moving in with Paul gives me the creeps. Does she even stop to think that he cares about her money as much as she doesn’t care about it?
And when it comes to John…I’m more than ready for he and Natalie to start working their way back to each other…if they’re ever going to…which I hope will happen. After last week I’m starting to think that even though I remember what they were like in the beginning and I remember why I wanted to see them together…the longer they keep them apart and have them lead such separate lives, the harder it will be for us to remember why we liked them together so much. It’s time to start moving them toward each other…even if it’s just a little bit. They’re getting too far away from each other at this point.
And once again I have to credit David for making me laugh. His straight faced way of delivering a ridiculous line is wonderful to watch, especially when he refused to be intimidated by John’s questions at the police station and said, “I know my rights. I’ve been arrested all over the world.” That’s it David…strut your accomplishments honey!
See ya next week...
Jill Berry
FAN
FEEDBACK AND QUESTIONS
Jan writes: “Who are the birth parents of Ace?”
Dear Jan: Gee, talk about complicated questions…lol. Okay, here goes. Kelly, who thought she would not be able to have her own child due to a medical condition, became pregnant with Kevin’s child during the time in their marriage when he was openly and shamelessly chasing after Blair. The baby was stillborn and thinking she’d lose Kevin without a child to hold him in the marriage, Kelly convinced her sleazy brother, Paul, to help her “get” a baby. Paul, who was also involved with people in Pine Valley (on All My Children), was involved in a crossover storyline several months ago where he was present on the night that Bianca and Babe both gave birth to their babies. Paul got the bright idea to use the situation to give Kelly her wish and he gave Babe’s little boy to Kelly and gave Bianca’s baby girl to Babe, letting Bianca think her baby died. Whew! Soooo…Ace’s mother is Babe from Pine Valley and we don’t know who his real father is. Some people think it is probably Paul, since he and Babe were involved…but nothing has been revealed yet. Hope that helps you…and if you need to know more about the baby switching, you’ll have to watch All My Children. Sorry, but I don’t.
Donna writes: “I just wanted to say that I started watching OLTL when Michael Easton came on after the end of Port Charles and while I don't understand what they are doing with John and Natalie, at least the story with Evangeline told us a little more about the two of their backgrounds and why they get along. Any story that lets us watch Michael a little more is better than fast forwarding through Paul and Kelly.”
Dear Donna: I agree…I never mind watching John McBain, no matter what he’s up to. I can’t say I want him to wind up with Evangeline, although I do like her a lot and would like to see her find a nice man…but not John. It’s too bad RJ couldn’t help being such a distrustful, smothering boyfriend. I guess he can’t help himself when it comes to trust…he knows better than anyone how to scam people so he thinks everyone is out to do the same to him. As far as Natalie goes…I hope something happens to wake her up soon. It’s hard to watch her not treat herself better…and that means getting rid of Paul.
Norman writes: “I have been a fan of David Fumero ever since his and Jessica's (Erin Torpey) relationship started and I have been a fan of OLTL for the past 5 years (I am 15 now). I was just wondering if there was going to be a recast or anything for his character, because I remember them only finding his wedding ring?”
Dear Norman: Back when David Fumero left the show, everyone speculated about whether or not Cristian was really dead. Of course, I believe that no one on soaps is every really dead and lots of people thought that the role of Cristian was going to be recast and that he would just pop up one day after being held somewhere against his will. Yes, they did find his wedding ring, but if you remember, they also told us that Antonio identified his body…so they’d have to come up with a good way to refute the fact that his own brother confirmed his death. I’m sure they could if they wanted to. They could always come up with some crazy reason why Antonio was in on covering up the fact that Cristian is alive. For the time being, I don’t hear anything about a recast for this role…but you never know.
MARNAV60 writes: “I wanted to respond to your comments on Jen. I have always liked her crazy wild ways but I can’t understand everyone hating her when Jessica has been with every young man even with brothers, Cristian and Antonio. Natalie came in the back door conniving and she did steal Cristian away from Jen. Just to prove a point, I see she is back to how she was originally portrayed as a wench who will do anything for a buck even though her mother is the richest woman in Llanview. And yes I see as usual Jessica going after another family member but you all insist on her being an angel with a halo. I don’t. Where I come from, Jessica has the same morals as a hood rat that goes from homey to homey in and out of love faster then she changes her clothes.”
Dear MARNAV60: Hmmm…I’m not sure we’re watching the same show. Yes, it is true that many fans disliked Jen immensely until recently. I also think that in the past Natalie and Jen shared one thing in common…they both came from backgrounds that did not teach them that they were worthy of being loved and respected. They differed because Jen was a spoiled rich girl, even though having Lindsay for a mother was unhealthy…but Natalie was poor and neglected and never knew her worth. She changed when Viki made her realize she was part of her family and even though she is now trying to find herself after losing Cristian, she doesn’t set out to hurt anyone at this point. I don’t think Natalie cares nearly as much about money as you think she does, because no matter how much Paul stresses the importance of it, she lets him know she doesn’t put it first in her life. Unlike some people in Llanview, Natalie works for a living….unlike Jen who inherited tons of money from her father and blew it on things and on Rex. I can’t figure out why you call Jessica a hood rat. As far back as I can remember, which is pretty far, I’ve never known her to hurt anyone. Cristian was her first love and she hadn’t been with him for years when she got involved with Antonio. Aside from her time with Will Rappaport when she was a teenager, and her innocent involvement with Seth when he came to town with Natalie, I can’t remember her doing anything questionable at all. I’m sure someone will remind me if I’m wrong. Whether or not she gets involved with Tico remains to be seen. Just my opinion….but other than sticking her nose into things that can put her into danger, I think Jess is a very decent, sweet person.
© Copyright by Katherine Thurston, 2004
