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REFLECTIONS BY JILL….Let’s start with the ridiculous and work our way back. By ridiculous, of course I mean Dorian. Has there ever been a more self-absorbed character on soaps? I can’t think of one….and in spite of all of her lunacy, she makes me laugh no matter what.
Leave it to Dorian, when everyone’s life around her is falling apart, to ask the most pertinent question, that being, “Is there anything more important than my wedding?” The hysterical part is that she actually believes that there couldn’t be anything more important…not Blair’s life falling apart because Todd is being accused of murder…not Kelly’s problems and concern over the possibility of having a baby…not the fact that her daughter, Adriana, hates her guts these days…and especially not the fact that Viki has tons of real problems to face. I mean, come on, how could Viki have the nerve to spend time dealing with her own family’s problems when she is supposed to be Dorian’s maid of honor? I have to say that Dorian went way over the line when she was taunting Blair about Todd, wouldn’t leave the house, and called Todd a baby killer when his kids were right upstairs and could have heard her. And after all that Blair said to her, Dorian still only wanted to know if she was coming to the wedding.
And speaking of Viki…I don’t think I stopped thinking, “Poor Viki” all week long. I’m glad Jess came back…at least now we can start moving toward figuring out this whole storyline. It appears that some people think that the flashbacks we’ve been seeing of Jessica as a little girl at that party were supposed to make us believe that Niki Smith took her to a party somewhere and she was molested by a man. Others say that is not going to happen because the outcome is not supposed to be that it was Viki to blame for what happened to Jessica. I have no idea what’s going to happen. I think it would be horrible for Viki to have to live with the knowledge that as Niki Smith, she could have let that happen to Jessica.
I was glad that Viki got a chance to continue her conversation with Antonio where she told him she understood his reasons for keeping Jessica’ secret from her family, but that he actually left her out in the cold to fend for herself by doing that.
Antonio just doesn’t get it. I can understand that he loves Jessica and he feels threatened by the idea that as Tess she had a real and intimate relationship with another man, but even though he says he wants what is best for her…and I believe that…he has not been able to control his anger when it comes to Nash and that is definitely counterproductive to helping Jessica’s situation.
Nash, on the other hand…well, I can’t say enough good things about that guy this week. He has been thrown into an impossible situation where the odds are totally against him…with everyone being in favor of him disappearing and I think he has conducted himself as a perfect gentleman. He has been polite and respectful to Viki and Clint and has had to justify his presence every minute when actually, he has just as much right as Antonio to be there. I was glad he reminded Antonio that there is a baby involved and it just might be his. Antonio needs to go spend some time with Jamie and cool off. He and Nash can’t be civil to each other and one thing is very true. When Nash pointed out that if everything he has learned is true, Jessica and Tess could integrate and the new “Jessica” just might want to be with him…Antonio should have taken that seriously. Maybe he has and it’s something he just can’t deal with. Antonio needs to have a more open mind. Hmmm….do you see that happening?
And you had to feel sorry for Nash when Jessica asked to see him and said she was sorry, but having him around makes her weaker and he should forget about her and not try to see her any more. That poor guy. I felt so bad for him when he said to her, “How could I forget about the best thing that’s ever happened to me?”
I’d say that Clint and Viki have to be impressed with Nash. He has been honest with them about his feelings for their daughter. He told Clint that he was in love with her and would never maliciously take her away from her family. He told Viki that she has changed his life and he’d give up all his dreams to have one more minute with her. I’d say that’s a serious young man and what parent wouldn’t be impressed with that. Big points go to Nash this week for being what I consider the bigger man in this situation. Antonio, on the other hand, told Clint that he couldn’t deal with what was going on…and Clint had to tell him, “You have to.”
Let’s talk about Clint for a minute. Lots of people think Jerry ver Dorn is a great Clint. I think he’s doing really well in the role, too, but knowing me, you know that I’m not too thrilled with the way they seem to be setting him up for yet another romance with Viki. I read this week that Clint’s lady love, Dallas, will be coming to Llanview for a short stay (she will be played by Bob Woods’ wife Loyita Chapel) and she will be cutting Clint loose…telling him that he belongs in Llanview. Hmmm…isn’t that funny. Clint just got done telling Asa that his home is in London because Dallas loves London and he loves Dallas. AND…Clint has been in Llanview just about five seconds and all of a sudden his long-time girlfriend is going to give him the axe? If you remember, Clint has been with Dallas for at least six years. She came over to the states and joined him at Asa’s….hmmm….50th wedding back in 1999. Call me crazy, but I remember it so well because it was Ben’s first year in Llanview and that’s where Viki met Dallas. Dallas was also a fairly decent Viki look-alike. Now, after all these years, she’s going to come over and break up with Clint. I guess I shouldn’t wonder about the silliness of this…after all, this is a far cry from real life and maybe the writers will try to convince us that Clint and Dallas have not been together for very long. Yeah, right!
And we have to get back to Todd. Boy, he sure got caught quickly, didn’t he? Do you think he really wanted to get caught? Todd surely knows how to pull a better disappearing act than he did. At least he dragged Jessica out of that burning car…and I was wondering how long he’d deliberate before he saved Antonio. He wasn’t too sure he wanted to do that, was he?
The slime award this week goes to…none other than Spencer Truman. I feel like I need a bath after I watch that guy…and when he lays that smirk on the good folks of Llanview…well, I just cringe. Actually, last week, worse than slimy Spencer was stupid Blair. She never learns, does she? Is there any man alive, good or bad, who cannot suck her in simply by laying on the charm and attention? How could she buy into Spencer’s devoted act? I guess since he saved Jack’s life she’s completely blinded to anything else about him that is shady…but I get very tired of her being so taken in like that.
And what kind of deal did Spencer make with Ginger? Obviously, Spencer would like to see Dorian drop dead, or worse, so it surely wouldn’t bother him to find a way to hurt Adriana by helping Ginger get her hooks into Duke…and Adriana is so obviously stuck on Rex that she is going to make it easy for Spencer to get Ginger what she wants.
And there goes Rex, dragging yet another crime solution into the police station and dropping it at Bo’s feet. That guy Denton, Todd’s flunky, was much more fun to watch drunk than he was sober. I loved the line they wrote for him when he was talking about his former job. “I was a tv producer. I was even bigger than Frankie Valentini.” That was too funny. I love when they throw in little jokes like that. I wonder if Bo and John really would have found out that the tape was doctored. It was pretty funny the way John duped him into admitting he did it when they never even got around to checking out the tape.
John is supposed to get involved with Cristian in that prison riot that’s coming up. I hope some truths finally come out about Cristian. I’m tired of waiting for Natalie to find out the truth. And whoa, she told John she loves him…and believe me, I wasn’t waiting for him to answer her back in kind…lol. I hear John is going to undergo some therapy…and I can’t wait to see that.
I’m ready to see what’s going to happen to Nora, too. Enough of watching her with the tube down her throat. It’s been all over the Internet that Hillary B. Smith’s future with the show is up in the air because of a contract dispute….money, of course, so we should know soon whether or not Nora will wake up.
I have a major dilemma with Marcie, Hugh and Michael. It is more than obvious to anyone who sees them glancing at each other across a room or even standing next to each other that Marcie and Michael still have a lot of love for each other. They even admit that they miss each other. BUT…could Marcie and Hugh be any cuter? I honestly don’t know whom to pull for. I love Hugh to pieces. He’s adorable and totally great with Marcie. The other day when she said, “It’s not like we’re dating” and he said, “Oh, yeah, we’re dating” and then kissed her, I just said, “Wow!” Then I saw Michael witness the whole thing and I instantly felt so bad for him. Right now, the chemistry factor is definitely more heavily weighted down on the side of Marcie and Hugh. They are so different, so unique, and so darned sweet together. I think the whole concept that Marcie can’t believe he’d be interested in her after being with a zillion beauty queens…and Hugh wanting to be with her without even thinking about it is terrific. There is something so endearing about a girl who never thought the hunk would go for her…and the guy who for the first time in his life is interesting in a girl filled with substance instead of silicone. It works so well and I love watching it. But….POOR MICHAEL! Like I said…a dilemma!
And now Tess is going to talk to Niki Smith….oh great. It’s going to be an interesting sweeps month…and I think a very good one…starting with Dorian and David’s wedding. Lots of things are ready to explode…but who knows where or when?
See ya next week...
Jill Berry
FAN
FEEDBACK AND QUESTIONS
Bwsunnyside57 writes: “I am sorry, but I really don't like the new Clint. He would be great in any other role. He is handsome and comes across well. I haven't though of Clint Buchanan as being a blond. Maybe my memory is failing me. I started watching OLTL because of Clint Ritchie. He went to my high school in Sunnyside, WA for a couple of years. Of course, I was hoping he would come back to once again play the role of Clint. I think the role should have gone to someone who more physically looked like the original Clint. And of course, I know for sure that you would never accept Clint (or anybody else) to be Vicki's love interest...nobody but Ben!! Right??”
Dear Bwsunnyside57: Clint is one of those characters that I don’t have a lot of feeling about one way or the other, except when it comes to Viki’s romantic life….and yes, for me Ben has ruined Viki for other men. I know that is not the most popular opinion among Slezak fans (of which I am one, big time), but it’s just the way I feel. I totally agree that the role should have gone to someone who more physically resembles the original Clint, but that was obviously not the plan. I try to remain open to anything, but I have to admit that I didn’t much care if Clint returned. Jess, Natalie and Kevin love their dad, so I think in that respect Clint could add something to the canvas….but between you and me…lol…I wouldn’t mind him missing Dallas enough to head back to London when his kids are OK….but wait…that will be never!
Jamie writes: “Secrets? Why not spew some of that anger at Antonio towards Todd? He knew all about Tess first. He had plenty of opportunities to tell Viki about HER daughter.”
Dear Jamie: Since when did giving an opinion constitute “spewing anger?” You kill me. Do you “spew” lovely thoughts and glowing opinions about every character on the show? If you do…how boring! In the first place, I have made my thoughts about Todd known more times than I can count. He is the master at keeping secrets for his own sick reasons and I have mentioned how stupid and hurtful he is when he does this soooo many times. I also believe that Todd loves Viki as much, if not more, than just about anyone and through his skewed way of looking at things, he was trying to protect Viki. I don’t think it was right, but I think Todd kept the secret more for Viki’s sake and although Antonio says they did it for Viki, I think his motives were more arrogant. He thought he could fix everything himself, even after Jess disappeared. As far as Antonio is concerned, if you’ve been reading my articles for any length of time, then you know I have always been a fan of Antonio and Jessica and have always been able to give him a break for his temper and often for his arrogance. This time I don’t agree with him keeping the secret and I stick by that opinion. Nash is going to give him a run for his money and I, for one, am looking forward to it.
ACREEKGIRL writes: “First let me say I agree with you about Ben... He will always be one of my favorites! However, whatever Asa does, I just have to say I love that "good ol'" or "bad ol' boy" LOL. This email is about Natalie though. Wouldn't you agree that she has been a bit rough on Cristian? As far as she knows he is John Doe, but c'mon, he was brainwashed for crying out loud! Couldn't she have a bit more compassion for him seeing he was a victim also? Also I must say, Nash has my vote! I can just see him and Jessica together, sort of like the "New Luke and Laura" of daytime television.”
Dear
ACREEKGIRL: I’ll always love Ben…I’ll always want to smack Asa. I used to get
much more of a laugh out of Asa, but lately I don’t find the things he does so
funny. I hate the way he bullies Renee (when we get to see her) and I really
hated the way he acted when Bo tried to deal with Matthew and Asa tried to make
Bo look like a fool, encouraging Matthew to disrespect his father. As far as
Natalie is concerned, being in the dark the way she is, I don’t really blame her
for the way she’s behaving around John Doe. She doesn’t know who he is and all
she knows is that this man worked his way into her life, messed with her deepest
feelings, slept with her as her husband and is now trying to disrupt her
happiness with John. I’d have trouble seeing past all of that, too, and when she
finds out he’s been keeping his true identity from her (and yes, John has, too),
she’s never going to bother caring about the time he wasn’t in control…she’ll
only focus on how long he’s been keeping the truth from her.
© Copyright by Katherine
Thurston, 2005
