| "Reflections by Jill" - A Weekly Commentary on One Life to Live | |
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REFLECTIONS BY JILL….I think I’ve figured out the contents of the latest memo that was sent to the casting people at One Life To Live by the powers that be. It must have said, “We’re going to cast aside a bunch of the really valuable actors in our cast so that you can go ahead and hire all the soap opera villains you can find from other shows at any cost.” That explains perfectly to me why beloved cast members like Renee and Roxy have been relegated to outer space while the show makes room for and provides salaries for actors like Andrew Masset from Days of Our Lives to play Governor Brooks…and most recently, Kimberlin Brown, the queen of all villains from The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful to play Asa’s doctor and Bo’s possible love interest. These days I am just shaking my head. It’s not even worth trying to figure out. The mail keeps pouring in over the impending loss of Roxy…questions over what’s going to happen to Nigel with her situation…while we have to sit back and watch newcomers move in to storylines with the veteran actors we love most, like Viki and Bo. If anyone can figure out this situation, I’d like to hear from you. I can think of plenty of good storylines to keep Bo and Viki busy…can’t you?
Well, I guess I should deal with the crazies we currently have before I have to deal with the new ones coming on. And I guess that means the one character on my list who needs to be gone YESTERDAY! Yep, it’s Tico, Augustico, Gus, Mr. Creepy…whatever you want to call him. My current name for him is “Big Brother” and this name has nothing to do with him being anyone’s sibling. I call him Big Brother because this creep is EVERYWHERE and knows EVERTHING! I am shocked at how many lives in Llanview the writers have shoved him into. Is there anyone he hasn’t annoyed yet? He’s bad enough on a regular basis, but I was appalled…that’s right, mouth hanging open, when he waltzed into Dorian’s house last week and announced that he knew that Adriana had taken a pregnancy test at the hospital. This absolutely made my stomach turn and I was sorry that Dorian didn’t do more than sternly assure him that she could take care of Adriana. She should have drop kicked him out the door as David held it open. Then he just strolled up to Duke in The Palace Bar as if he knew him all his life and manipulated Duke’s situation with Adriana. And let’s not forget that he is aware of all the details of Kevin and Kelly’s custody hearing. This guy does his homework…does he ever sleep? When is someone going to say, “Listen buddy, I don’t know you from Adam and stay out of my business.” Instead, everyone hangs around to listen to what he has to say. He’s made just about everyone in Llanview look like an idiot…EXCEPT FOR VIKI! Thank goodness for Viki…I adore her…she’s the one person I can always count on to call a spade a spade and look someone in the eye and politely tell them not to screw with her or her family. I love it! Even though Tico continued to try to charm her about having the ball in her honor, she saw right through him with her ever so Viki-like classy demeanor and told him she knew he was only after Jessica. OK, I’m thinking in Survivor mode now, but wouldn’t it be nice to see Viki, Dorian and Asa get together, form an alliance, and kick Tico off the island known as Llanview? Now there’s a storyline I would be glued to. Shame on me…the other day when that thug brought Tico the bonds and Tico turned his back on the guy to open the briefcase…I was yelling, “Shoot him.”
Oh, and speaking of Viki…this is my take on her reaction to the Love Boys striptease. She’s the only actor on the show who can say more with a little facial expression than a page of dialogue. The look on her face…one of shock and slight amusement…was priceless as she walked into Ultra Violet and caught a pair of shorts as the guys bared it all. And didn’t you just love the way she lit into Todd and Blair when she found out they moved into Asa’s mansion? She’s the only one who can really shut Todd up…for a little while at least. I love that. I just wish Viki could have some influence over Jessica when it comes to figuring out what’s right in front of her nose. You’d think that some of Viki’s smarts would rub off on Jessica, especially since Jess has been duped so many times…by Nat and Seth, by Dr. Haver, by Mitch Laurence…wake up Jess! I hope they keep Erika Slezak around and involved for a very long time…there is never a scene she’s in that I don’t keep my eyes glued to because no matter what Viki is doing or with whom, I just know it’s going to be worth watching.
Okay…let’s talk about Duke Buchanan. I like him already, simply for the fact that he has his dear old dad’s number. I don’t think Duke is someone who will let himself be pushed around. He seems to have his own ideas about things and hopefully he will remain strong and not let Todd and Blair manipulate him. That whole business of them moving into Asa’s house is just ridiculous. I would have loved to see them find out that Lions Heart was on land that Blair owned and then they could move in on Tico. Again, a storyline I would enjoy watching.
I like Duke. I like the way he tried to reason with Kevin, telling him he knows what it’s like to be kept from one of your parents by the other one. Too bad stupid Kevin didn’t listen to a word he said. And I see lots of chemistry between Duke and Adriana. Wouldn’t it be nice if this young couple could have a fighting chance without half brother Tico manipulating the whole situation? Yeah, fat chance.
And Sonia…I can only pray that when Tico finds his way out of Llanview, she’s in his suitcase.
Oh Natalie…I was so hoping she wouldn’t allow herself to even listen to what Paul and Rex were up to…and I so hoped she would blow the whistle on them before this heist fiasco goes too far. If Rex had any brains he’d know that RJ was setting him up, but all Rex sees is green and how to get his hands on some with the least amount of effort. I think Natalie is going to get into a whole mess of trouble before she gets her act together. Will John be hanging around when she does? Somehow I think so. Now, with the return of David Fumero as Cristian, I can’t wait to see how this unfolds. Some people think Cristian will be back only in a “ghostly” context. I don’t think it’s clear yet what his role will be and for how long he’ll be around.
Since he’s on our screens about 90% of the week, I guess we can’t avoid talking about Antonio. Again, someone who needs a good slap. When is Jessica going to realize he’s just not worth it? He not only shuts her out but he does it in front of people all the time. If I were Jessica, I wouldn’t let him embarrass me one more time. I think him telling her the truth, or some of it, was too little, too late. Maybe he should try asking Sonia to be a mom to his baby girl. That guy just machos me to death. And when does he do police work? Bo ought to fire him and this time he should forget where he puts the badge and gun so he can’t give it back to Antonio for the 10th time. Oh, and as for Carlotta…she and her “son” Antonio make a good pair. He shuts out the one person who accepts him for who and what he is…and she won’t give up her secret even with bullets flying all around her. If Antonio is so smart, how come he hasn’t figured out why his palm print is the one that released the Santi fortune and why it didn’t go to anyone else?
I’m glad Evangeline finally knows the truth about Ace…it’s going to be interesting to see how she handles all this in court.
In closing I would like to give kudos to Heather Tom. Although I hate what has been done to the character of Kelly in the past couple of years, and I have little sympathy for a woman who knowingly took someone else’s baby, I have to say that Heather is doing a really fine job of portraying the tortured Kelly. Sometimes she is so good at making me believe how much Kelly loves that baby that I have to remind myself that he’s not really hers. I’d say that’s an acting job more than well done and I applaud Heather for the way she stepped into the role of Kelly and made me feel for a character that I swore I’d never feel sorry for.
See ya next week...
Jill Berry
FAN
FEEDBACK AND QUESTIONS
Angela writes: “I thought your report on the Fan Luncheon was suppose to be unbiased. We all know how you feel about Renee with Easton. With all this negative response that some of you Jolie fans give out to Renee, I applaud her for coming, and don't blame Michael Easton for staying away. You should rename your column Reflections of Jolie! It's clear that you are a critic of the show and only a fan of Nat and John.”
Dear Angela: Who said my luncheon report was supposed to be unbiased? I just called it as I saw it. Just a question…what column have you been reading? You certainly haven’t been reading my column if you think I am only a fan of Natalie and John. The truth is…yes, I am a fan of Natalie and John but I pride myself on being fair, admitting when I’m wrong and allowing for everyone’s opinions. If you have been reading my column as recently as the last few weeks, you would have very obviously seen that I have stated on several occasions that I do like John and Evangeline together. I don’t believe there is any serious depth to their relationship at this point though, and I do hope that if Natalie can get her act together she will eventually be with John, but I like Evangeline and I like seeing her interact with the entire cast. As far as being a “Jolie” fan (and I hate those little nicknames), yes, I have liked John and Natalie together from the beginning…so sue me! By the way, do you really think Michael Easton was a no-show at the luncheon because of the controversy over Natalie/John vs. Evangeline/John? My guess is that one of the boys got box seats to the Yankee game that day and took him along. I’m quite sure that Michael Easton does not spend sleepless nights thinking about his soap opera love life…just my opinion, of course. And if you have been reading my column for any amount of time, you’d know that it would be ridiculous to call my column Reflections of Jolie…if I were ever going to rename it, I would have to call it Reflections on Ben and Viki! LOL…everybody knows that…geesh!”
Susan writes: “I don't know about you, but with just a few minutes airtime in, I think I am already in love with Matthew Metzger as Duke Buchanan! Do you know if he's ever done any acting before he was on American Idol? I think he is a natural…good looks, good "Texas drawl" and quite the Southern Gentleman. I hope he and Adriana will really have a big romance. Also, have you noticed "John Sykes" on the new Viagra commercial? I wonder what Rae would think about him moonlighting? LOL!”
Dear Susan: I do like Matthew as Duke, even though I originally questioned the age factor in relation to Duke’s age vs. Kevin’s age. I don’t think he did any acting before American Idol, but I’m not sure. I hope anyone who knows the answer will write in and I can let you know. I do know, as a big fan of American Idol, the he has a very nice voice and it would be nice to hear him sing on the show. No, I haven’t seen John Bolger doing the Viagra commercial…I’ll keep my ears open. I still wish we could get John and Rae back…I miss them a lot.
INTUITVLDY writes: “When the hell is this baby storyline ever going to end? On AMC, Bianca has now missed 4 months of her baby's life…that's a very long time. Get this over already. It's an insult to any mother who has lost a child. Please say it's going to end soon! As for the Santi family: I think this is a stupid storyline to begin with and it's getting more boring each day...end it already and get back to life in Llanview.”
Dear INTUITVLADY: You said a mouthful and I couldn’t agree with you more. I could exist very happily if the baby storyline and the Santi storyline were just a bad dream that would go away when I wake up tomorrow morning. I did read (no confirmation) that the Santi storyline would be ending sooner rather than later as originally planned. I am hoping with everything crossed that this is true.
Alison writes: “I just love David and Dorian together. They are my favorite couple at this moment. I was surprised to see that the poll indicates that I'm very much in the minority. If Nat finally gets her act together, I would love to see her with John, but not until then. Maybe Viki will help get her back on track - only if Nat will let her!”
Dear Alison: I, too, love David and Dorian together. At the fan club luncheon, Robin Strasser was asked whether or not David and Dorian would have long-term smooth sailing and she replied that they would have some upcoming problems. I guess that is in line with what I’ve been reading about David and Kelly getting closer. I think we need David and Dorian together. With no romance to speak of on the show I do get satisfaction from the comedy and I don’t want that to end.
© Copyright by Katherine Thurston, 2004
