| "Reflections by Jill" - A Weekly Commentary on One Life to Live | |
|
REFLECTIONS BY JILL….As a fan that hasn’t really been wild about Cristian since the days when he and Jessica were together, I have to say that last week was a very emotional one where he was concerned, even for me. Even though I never really loved the combination of Cristian and Natalie, I think it’s a tribute to all the actors involved that the scenes were so moving, especially once we found out that Cristian was really himself.
I found myself glued to the screen when Cristian finally gave his big confession and I was only distracted by Jessica’s annoying insistence that Antonio killed Tico. I thought the writing was great and Melissa Archer really sank her teeth into it. She did a great job portraying Natalie’s realization that Cristian was once again going to be ripped from her life.
There was so much emotion…from Natalie’s pain…to Viki’s despair over not being able to help her children with their pain…to Carlotta who lost her beloved son all over again…to Antonio, who lost the brother that he just accepted again.
It was a very bittersweet touch of nostalgia when Cristian finally regained his memories and we were treated to all the flashbacks of his life with his family and Natalie. How sad that he’s facing a life sentence and has to give up everything he just got back. It was very hard to watch that final scene when Natalie came to see him in jail and he had to face all of her hatred when he had just realized that he was really Cristian and realized what he was losing for the rest of his life.
I don’t now how this is all going to work out, but now that John has agreed to keep the secret of Cristian’s identity, it’s going to color every relationship Natalie has as far as I’m concerned…whether she winds up with John…or whether she moves on and finds someone new to spend her life with. It’s always going to be there that Cristian is alive and I guess that’s the way TPTB wanted it so they could leave the door open for David Fumero to come back, but at this point, I don’t like moving on knowing he’s a reality that Natalie doesn’t even know about.
And is John making a mistake keeping the secret? You just know that it’s going to come back and bite him in the butt one day. No question about it. And if Evangeline ever finds out he’s kept the secret, she’ll think he did it with the thought in the back of his mind that if Natalie doesn’t know Cris is alive, she will be free if John chooses to pursue her.
Speaking of Evangeline…she really laid her cards on the table, didn’t she? I wasn’t surprised that John couldn’t tell her he loved her. How many times has he asked for more time…and for her to be patient? She’s deeply in love with him and honestly, I would like to know how many years he’s going to use Kaitlyn’s loss as an excuse not to face his feelings, especially when he’s so sure he knows what’s best for everyone else…like telling Michael to be honest about his feelings for Marcie…like insinuating to Bo that he’s avoiding his feelings for Nora. John needs to stop looking at everyone else’s life and look at his own for a change. Even after just a few short months, Cristian knows that his feelings for Natalie are serious. Evangeline sure sees it…and who can blame her for wanting him to “poop or get off the pot?”
I sure do wish that Antonio and Jessica could get it right for once. First he wanted her back and wanted to put the past behind them and she couldn’t do it…now she admits that she’s still in love with him and he can’t be with her because she believes he’s capable of murder. I can’t blame him…but both of them have been through enough of the ringer by now and I’m so ready for them to be together. Maybe the fight for custody of Jamie will bring them back together. Figuring out just what’s going on with Jessica’s psyche is going to be a trip in itself. I hope they make it through and are happy on the other end of this journey.
OK…on to my girl Margaret. She’s getting much more hateful these days, isn’t she? I’m not surprised that she has no qualms about locking Blair in the trunk of her car and leaving her to freeze and die…but when she just ran over Marcie and took off…that was horrible…and she can sit in that cabin chattering away and knitting baby booties knowing what she did. The thing that amazes me…and is a tribute to the actress…is that I can want to strangle Margaret and at the same time I die laughing at some of the stuff that comes out of her mouth. And we all know how I detest villains. I can’t help it…I died laughing when she told Todd that she was making a special dinner of oysters for him and then when he enraged her by harping on the fact that he wanted to talk to Blair, she got crazy and said, “Why do you always want to talk about Blair? I slaved over our dinner, chopping spinach and shucking oysters? I don’t even think you’re worth shucking for.” And how did Trevor keep a straight face when he answered, “You’re right, I’m not worth a shuck.” Kudos to whomever is writing this stuff…it’s hysterical. And dear Peggy sure isn’t a shrinking violet, is she? I was hysterical when she actually checked him for scars when he told her he’d had a vasectomy. Leave it to her to seek out the proof. You can’t put anything by her, crazy or not.
One thing you cannot deny…Margaret is absolutely right…this is all Todd’s fault. He started the whole fiasco when he came on to Margaret to get dirt on Kevin and Buchanan Enterprises. Even Margaret is sane enough to realize that and Todd can’t deny it.
I see that Marcie’s accident has brought her family out of the woodwork again. Can’t say I was sorry to see Ron Walsh again, but I could have lived without her father and his attitude. And don’t even get me started on Paige. I thought she had a lot of nerve when Michael was taking care of Marcie and Paige told him that there must have been a lot of other doctors at Rodi’s who could have taken care of her. Of course we all know that Michael was on probation, but we’re talking about a matter of hours before his probation was over and Paige tossed him out of Marcie’s room when he made the right diagnosis that she later claimed as her own, as if she’d just come up with it. I’ll say it over and over…I don’t like Paige…and no way do I think she’s on the up and up…and for sure I don’t think she’s good enough for Bo.
Hmmm…Lindsay and RJ…now there’s an interesting pair. I wouldn’t mind seeing them pursue a relationship, but hey, if the romance doesn’t work out, what will they do? Neither one of them has one other person on this earth that they can call a friend, especially one who would commit criminal acts for them…LOL! I think RJ has real feelings for her…and Lindsay, I don’t know if she still knows what real feelings for a man are.
How funny was it to see David come to the rescue of Dorian and Viki and be able to act the hero when he did nothing but pull a twig out from under Viki’s car? Dorian sure did love throwing how wonderful David is in Viki’s face. I think it gave Viki more pain than the heart surgery to have to thank David for “fixing” her car.
And as I close for the week, I cannot forget to pay tribute to my dear Roxy, who never disappoints me when she graces my screen. How funny was she when she went to the garage to claim her car and heard Blair screaming from the trunk of Margaret’s car? It figures that Roxy had a few drinks and thought she was hearing things. And when she dragged the security guard up to the garage and he asked if she’d been drinking she swore that she only h ad a couple of beers and she was “cohesive.” LOL…that guard doesn’t know how cohesive she really is…or how coherent. She had me laughing so hard when she told him that someone yelled at her, calling her a “crazy bitch”…then she told him, “That’s inflammation of character.” Yes it is, Roxy! The only time I quit laughing was when she ran after the guard onto the elevator, leaving poor Blair freezing to death in the trunk. Poor Blair!
See ya next week...
Jill Berry
FAN
FEEDBACK AND QUESTIONS
Alison writes: “You wrote that you have not watched AMC in a very
long time and therefore do not have much interest in the story of who gets Ace.
I've been watching both AMC and OLTL for years and years so I am able to follow
the 'whole' story, but did realize after reading your comments that those fans
who only watch one show really would have a lot less vested in this outcome (and
actually most of it is on the AMC side). Watching only the OLTL part of it could
create apathy about the whole story. On the other hand, I would be interested to
know if the story brought many fans in for a 'crossover', which I'm sure was the
intention. Have you heard any stats about that? Just wondering.”
Dear Alison: Of course I can’t speak for all
the fans, but I do have several friends who, like you, watch both shows. They do
seem to have more of a vested interest in the outcome of the story since it does
center more on the characters of Pine Valley. Of the people like myself, who
watched the initial crossover when the storyline began and were not viewers of
both shows at the time, I don’t know of any who started watching both shows
religiously after the come-on of the initial crossover. That’s not to say that
there weren’t some converts, but for the most part I don’t think it was
successful in its goal, which was to get people to watch both shows on a
permanent basis. I also think that like many storylines, this one has just
dragged on for too long and fans of both shows are very anxious to see it come
to an end. It brought out the worst in characters we love or loved on OLTL
(Kevin and Kelly) and subjected us to having to deal with the likes of Paul
Cramer for way too long for most people to keep caring.
Laural writes: “If they do not kill off Margaret soon I will be tempted to come to NY and kill her myself. As a long time OLTL fan, it drives me nuts when the writers let the cast nuts linger on and on. She might be the most annoying character since Billy Clyde Tuggle on All My Children. This may put me in the minority, but I like Todd very much and think he and Blair need break. Thanks for letting me vent. Oh by the way, I do like the way the rest of the show is developing.”
Dear Laural: Whoa…tell us how you really feel about Margaret…LOL! Listen Laural, my fine home town of NYC has just shot way up near the top of the list of the safest big cities in the country (believe it or not)….so don’t go getting any ideas! Besides, I figure that if Blair ever gets out of that trunk, she’ll be more than happy to take care of Margaret for you…if Starr doesn’t beat her to it.
Judy writes: “There has been a definite change in the writing since Dena Higley took over….mostly for the better. Some things I'm still not too crazy about but Rome wasn't built in a day. I think the Margaret saga is getting a little too far out & wacky. I mean, no one is that good!! They actually keep dynamite out in the open for anybody to steal? And how would one even know where to get it? As far as I know, we don't have very many dynamite stores in my area! I don't think we've seen the end of Mrs. Bigelow. And I don't even want to think about it if Daniel & Adam really get together. I don’t enjoy all the crossover scenes.”
Dear Judy: I totally agree…the writing has been much better lately with our new Head Writer and I, for one, am perfectly willing to give her the time to make it even better. What do you mean they don’t have dynamite stores where you live? Are you sure? I figure that if there’s dynamite to find, the crazies like Margaret would be the ones to get their hands on it…just like she’s getting away with everything else so far…but we all know that nothing lasts forever. Yes, Margaret is far out and wacky…and that’s why I love her…she makes me want to wring her neck and laugh hysterically at the same time…and that takes real talent.
© Copyright by Katherine Thurston, 2005
