| "Reflections by Jill" - A Weekly Commentary on One Life to Live | |
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REFLECTIONS BY JILL….So….who do you think is going to wind up in a padded room at St. Ann’s first…Kevin or Kelly? Lots of you may say it’s going to be Kelly but my money is on Kevin. He is over the edge…out of his mind…and to top it off, he’s become…in words that Asa would use…meaner than a junkyard dog and just plain loco. His anger is making him into a lunatic…I say that because when he looks his mother in the face and says that he wants to get custody of Ace to torture Todd and Kelly and not because he loves the baby…then I know his anger is going to make trouble for lots of people.
I thought Kevin was going to have to perform CPR when he told Kelly he was suing her for full custody…the poor, crazy girl almost choked on the olive from her martini.
I couldn’t believe that Kevin tried to pull the wool over his siblings’ eyes and tried to get their proxies so that he could have voting control and oust Todd from The Banner-Sun. Obviously he had no trouble snowing Joey into signing over his proxy, but I couldn’t believe Natalie’s reaction. I’m sure she didn’t believe that Kevin was doing this to save Viki some stress…yet she didn’t seem to care what Kevin’s agenda was. She only knew that she had her own agenda. Not only could I not believe that she traded her proxy for a job for Paul with Buchanan Enterprises, but I was even more shocked that Kevin went for it. That shows you how obsessed Kevin is…that he would hire someone like Paul…who he knows is a degenerate and has blackmailed his wife…but he hires him on as the new pilot of the Buchanan Enterprises jet. Oh My Lordy Kevin…have you got no active cells left in that thing you call a brain these days? I can’t even imagine it. Hey, show of hands…how many of you would get on a plane with Paul at the controls? I’d be heading for the nearest Amtrak station as fast as my feet could carry me. Too bad old Paul will actually have to work. At least Natalie was smart enough to let him know he wasn’t going to be living off of her.
I was so glad that Jessica didn’t just roll over and die for Kevin when he asked for her proxy. Ahhh…she found the smart stick…I love it. And we know she has a soft spot for Todd. I hope she can at least convince Joey not to go along with Kevin. I found it very interesting that when Jess confronted Natalie and lectured her about moving in with Paul, Natalie showed how she really felt inside when she said, “What’s with you Good People? I have no fear because I have nothing more to lose.” I was actually happy to hear Natalie say that because it shows that she’s doing what she’s doing because she doesn’t see herself having anything good after losing Cristian so why not just have some fun.” I’d rather her think that way for now than believe she actually has true feelings for Paul.
And are Natalie and Paul going to be living at the Angel Square Hotel? Is that the best they can afford? And did Natalie’s choice of dwellings have anything to do with the fact that John lives there? Hmmmm!
And speaking of John…I guess his new non-relationship with Evangeline (a port in the storm I guess) is going to cause some more unnecessary violence. How stupid is it that RJ is back to his old tricks…paying off someone to beat up John? I guess he’s not worried that any number of people can point the finger right at him. Keri would be so proud of RJ…sitting home with his beautiful little granddaughter while his hit man goes after his ex’s non-boyfriend. And it was so convenient to get Rex to do his spying for him. RJ wouldn’t have let Rex back into Ultra Violet if he knew he was starving on the street, but the minute Rex could be useful to RJ, he sucked him right back in.
I had to laugh the other day when Lindsay kept calling Rex “baby.” Was that a term of endearment Lindsay, or a literal description of you little boy toy? Gee, she’s a desperate pushover…it’s totally embarrassing.
Speaking of Keri…and no she’s not coming back to my knowledge…did you get a bit of a flash of déjà vu when Sonia trashed The Hookup and bopped herself in the face to make it look like she was attacked? I’d peg Sonia more as the type to sneak into Antonio’s place and leave her undies in Antonio’s bed rather than play the poor little innocent victim. She doesn’t do it too well. And Antonio…HELLO! This is the second one of “your women” who injured herself to get you back. Do you see a pattern here?
So, Tico wants to buy Lionheart from Jessica. That will be a pleasant place to visit for her…won’t it? Mitch Laurence’s ghost will probably haunt the place. And now, obviously Blair wants to buy it, too.
On to Blair and Todd. Is it just too weird to see them so happy and as far as we can see there are no dead bodies or other atrocities looming to swallow up Todd’s happy new life? I’m sure we won’t have to wait too long for the walls to crumble around him…they always do…but this is an interesting twist. I don’t think it will take much for Todd to beat Kevin at his own game since Kevin is running on hysteria and Todd somehow has his head on his shoulders. Just seeing Todd team up with David to snag Craze from Kevin is comical enough. I wonder if Todd will care if Kevin gets him booted off The Banner-Sun. Maybe Viki will come to her senses and put Kevin over her knee.
And on to Starr. If anyone was more surprised than the fans to see Todd punish her, it had to be Starr herself. It sure didn’t take her long to whittle down that punishment. However, I do think Todd has made a good start in taking some control of his kids. At least Starr knows that some of the time he means business. Before this, their entire father-daughter relationship was a carnival.
So, what do you all think of Tico? I am totally up in the air about him. His alliance with Sonia bothers me. I think for now I see him as basically good…but with something between him and Sonia that has BAD written all over it. I hope we don’t get another one of those storylines where Sonia and Tico pair up to separate Antonio and Jessica so they can have them for themselves. We had to suffer through enough of that kind of storyline when Natalie teamed up with Al to break up Cristian and Jessica. It’s messy and annoying and I don’t want to see it again.
It was nice of Tico to come to Adriana’s defense when she had her little falling out with River and it was nice of him to give back the cross, brooch and bracelet to Adriana, Dorian and Carlotta.
And what a loser River is. Are we supposed to feel sorry that he couldn’t keep his pants zipped for a week just because he didn’t know where Adriana was? He thought she had left him…oh, poor Randy River. I hear that the actor who plays River will be leaving the show. I don’t think we even need to recast the role…do you?
And what about Nora and Bo in the elevator? Do you notice lately that when something interesting happens we don’t even get to enjoy it for very long? I could have left them in that elevator for a longer period of time…I thought the alphabet game was funny…funnier than trying to follow the Santis who are not even interesting. And just how did Bo get himself up to the top of that elevator car after he gave Nora a boost? I mean, I know the guy can dance, but is he that good a jumper, too? LOL! That elevator business could have been much more drawn out and lots of possibilities could have been explored. But no! It was just like getting rid of Crazy Margaret so soon…just when it was getting to be fun it was over. I hate that!
And in closing…is there any contest for the belly laugh of the week. No contest. When Dorian walked in to David’s office, ripped off her coat to expose her black lingerie, had Todd screaming more hysterically than Macauley Culkin in Home Alone and then Dorian screamed right back in shock….oh, I just about died laughing. Again, not nearly enough time was spent on that scene. I would have loved to see Todd really make Dorian squirm. Too bad he didn’t grab a camera out of the desk drawer and memorialize her little show for eternity…and for all of Llanview. Now that would have been a great soap moment!
See ya next week...
Jill Berry
FAN
FEEDBACK AND QUESTIONS
Sheree writes: “Why is everyone blaming Kevin for getting angry, no, furious at Todd for what he's doing? Todd has set out to destroy Kevin and take everything away from him. He's methodically taken his son, his wife, his newspaper, his mother, his home and is now going after Asa's mansion. Why Todd and Blair would want that place I'll never know. I don't like Todd. Never have, never will.”
Dear Sheree: Since out of all the many e-mails I get regarding Kevin and Todd yours is the only one out of all of them that defends Kevin’s actions, I figured I’d give yours some ink, respond for myself and take the liberty of responding for the many fans who write all the time. It is true that Kevin and Todd’s rivalry goes way back. We all know it and acknowledge what Todd is capable of doing. I think the only constant driving force in Todd’s life is his desire to be with his family (no matter how inappropriately he sometimes goes about it), so it makes perfect sense to me that when Kevin so boldly and blatantly went after Blair last year, Todd jumped back into the feud. There was no excuse for Kevin pursuing Blair the way he did…flaunting his obsession with her in front of his wife, his entire family and everyone in Llanview. He let it cost him his political career. Blair was far from blameless and from what we know of Kelly’s prior affair she’s not innocent either, but it’s Todd we’re talking about here. I don’t see where Todd has taken Kevin’s wife…Kevin destroyed Kelly all on his own. Nor did Todd take Kevin’s son. Kelly did that with about 95% help from Paul and 5% from Todd. Kevin didn’t take Todd’s wife…Blair loved Kevin’s attention and ate it up. Kevin still can’t stand that Blair really loves Todd. And as far as the newspaper is concerned, Kevin hasn’t shown interest in it since he came back to Llanview interested in politics. And as for Viki, Kevin has done nothing but disrespect her and that can’t be blamed on Todd. To me that is Kevin’s worst offense. Kevin is a spoiled baby and he’s just getting a taste of his own medicine. I think your last statement says it all…you don’t like Todd and never did…that can color one’s opinion and block us from seeing all sides. We’re all sometimes guilty of that.
Robbie writes: “I read your article every week and although you comment on the acting of a lot of people on One Life to Live, I don't think I've ever seen anything on Trevor St. John. I was (am) a huge fan of Roger Howarth and when he left, I swore I would never watch the show again. But the storyline of Todd and Blair intrigues me so I couldn't help myself. Trevor has amazingly fit into Roger's shoes (almost!!) perfectly. He is touchingly funny and serious and is a wonderful actor. He has taken the role of Todd and definitely made it HIS. I hope he stays!”
Dear Robbie: Thank you for reading my ramblings every week. Actually, during Trevor’s first several months on the show, I did spend a lot of time commenting on him. I have always had glowing things to say about him and his portrayal of Todd. I was never a huge fan of Roger’s. I’m kind of a mush at heart and he was just too weird for me…lol. He made it hard for me to like Todd, but I always admired his talent as an actor. However when Trevor came along, I had a whole new enjoyment of the character of Todd. I’ve always thought he added a vulnerability to Todd that I couldn’t see before. Aside from Roger’s scenes with Erika, which were amazing, I could never really enjoy Todd. I think Trevor is wonderful in the role, especially since now Todd doesn’t cringe when someone touches him. Trevor has brought out Todd’s human side, while still maintaining that edge that makes you want to smack him. You’re right, he has definitely made the role his and I, too, hope he stays for a long time.
Skeller1 writes: “What bugs me is that Jamie is being portrayed by a baby who looks about 4 or 5 months old. She hasn't grown for a year, it seems. Just how old should she be now, anyway? Maybe 1 to 1 1/2 years? And surely she should be walking by now. This is ridiculous!”
Dear Skeller1: You are so right about Jamie. I’ve said before that she never ages and she probably should be at least a year old by now. I remember when she was in that bassinet for so long and I wondered when they’d get her a decent crib. Then she fell out of it one day and they still didn’t get her a crib. LOL…finally, now she has a crib but she’ll probably be in that until she enters high school because she doesn’t age. Isn’t it strange that she stays a baby when others age from 3 years old to 20 in a few years? I think Duke is supposed to be about 10 or 12 years old and when he comes back to Llanview in the very near future, he’ll look like Kevin’s brother, not his son.
Lin writes: “You read my mind last week about Jen and Riley. These were previously 2 characters that really annoyed me. They had one level: Jen - whiney poor me, Riley - angry ex-druggie. But, lo and behold, they have morphed into something worth watching! What do you think of Lindsey and RJ as a couple? Also didn't I hear that Kathy Brier was supposed to join the Broadway cast of "Hairspray"? Did I dream that, or has it come and gone?”
Dear Lin: I’m really looking forward to Jen and Riley heating things up. Hey, we need one happy couple on the show, don’t we? As far as RJ and Lindsay go…I think they just might wind up together. They get along so well as partners in crime and on OLTL a romance would be the next logical step, wouldn’t it? Sorry Lin, you didn’t dream about Kathy Brier on Broadway in Hairspray and yes, it has come and gone. She began her run in the show in August 2003 and finished up a couple of months ago.
© Copyright by Katherine Thurston, 2004
