| "Reflections by Jill" - A Weekly Commentary on One Life to Live | |
|
REFLECTIONS BY JILL….OK….Here’s my major complaint about last week. It wasn’t bad enough that we had that awful transit strike here in New York, which would wreak havoc on the city during a normal week, let alone the week before Christmas…but even worse than that, it seemed that our Mayor deemed it of the utmost importance to make his speeches and have his press conferences between 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. every day, interrupting a good portion of several episodes of One Life To Life! What nerve!!! Those of us who do not have the luxury of having Soapnet missed a lot…but I did get just about enough to know what’s going on. Of course, you don’t ever have to watch that much to know what’s going on, but I do hate excessive interruptions.
I was especially dismayed to miss a lot of the Angel Square Christmas festivities which I always enjoy watching. I did see Cristian’s return and I will say that the boy cleaned up well. It was nice to see him back with his family and I liked the scene where he spoke to Jamie and asked her if he could give her a hug. Very cute.
I did think it was kind of tacky for Hugh to imply to Evangeline that she got Cristian released in time to make a big splash on Christmas Eve so that she could get publicity and look good in the eyes of jurors who might participate in Todd’s trial. That is something I don’t think Evangeline would every think of doing.
I have to say that I am sure Natalie will never need therapy to get over what John and Cris have put her through. She’s doing too good a job all on her own of blasting them and venting her feelings every chance she gets. No ulcers in this girl’s future. You can’t blame the girl. She took some hard shots at both of those guys and both of them looked like they wanted to cower in a corner somewhere and lick their wounds.
As much as I think they deserved what Natalie spewed at them for how they manipulated her life, I couldn’t help feeling a bit sorry for both of them. Even though John knows he deserves whatever she throws at him, he really does feel terrible because in addition to everything else, he ruined their friendship and obviously, that was something he was hoping to hold onto. I really felt for him when she got hold of him at the police station and told him, “You were my best friend…the one I could talk to about anything…the one I could turn to when I needed a friend. And now, thanks to you, I have nothing. You killed the love between us and the friendship.” OUCH!!! John seemed very desperate to make things right when he told her that it doesn’t have to be like that and that in spite of how she feels about him now, he’ll be there for her if she ever needs anything. He should have known that at this point she’d pass on the offer of friendship.
And she blasted Cristian just as badly when she called him to come over to Llanfair and tried to give him back that box of ornaments and keepsakes that were a part of his history. I did feel bad when he told her that when they got married he considered all those things “their things” that would be shared throughout their life together with their own family. It was a cold shot when she told him if he didn’t take them back they’d just wind up in the trash. And the coldest shot of all was when she said, “You played the martyr and you handed me over to another man. Too true. I feel bad for Natalie…she comes from a background where it’s very easy for her to revert back to the hard protective shell she’s always had to use in the past. It probably wasn’t the smartest thing for John to remind her not to turn to another creep like she did with Paul Cramer. I’m sure he wasn’t expecting her to imply that he and Cristian did her just as much damage as creepy Paul did. It’s obvious how much feeling she still has for both men…obviously for John since she decided not to quit her job…and obviously for Cristian when she again asked him to sign the divorce papers and his answer was to kiss her under the mistletoe. That sure took her off guard…and poor John, saw the whole thing through the library doors and walked away dejected with a gift he obviously brought for Natalie. Boy, those two brilliant guys sure caused a lot of heartache with their decision to keep Cristian’s secret.
And what about poor David? This guy is walking around like a lost soul and to top it all off, his wretch of a brother writes that article that prompts Blair to fire him. What else are we going to have to endure with that creep?
I’m glad to see Bo recovering…poor little Matthew has been through enough with his parents this year. After what he went through with his mother’s sham of a marriage to Daniel, to Nora’s coma, to Bo getting shot…Matthew deserved a great Christmas.
And what a hoot…Bo’s first official order since his shooting is to insist that John goes for therapy. That has to be the best idea anyone has had in a very long time. Of course, John didn’t think so, but that boy must love his job a lot since he’d rather succumb to therapy than lose his badge. I can’t wait to see John in therapy. It will probably take a year for him to open up and give his name.
Blair and Todd continue to frustrate me. Has Todd gotten stupid lately, or what? He’s committed enough crimes and planned enough scams to know that just because he learned Margaret was a good swimmer doesn’t mean they should open the doors of the jail and throw him a party. For a while everyone thought that Spencer killed Margaret when she swam to shore…now people are saying that someone else killed her and he just came upon her and refused to save her life. Hmmm…I can’t wait to find out the truth so we can get on with it…do something with Todd…and for goodness sake, could someone please hit Blair over the head with the smart stick!!! I couldn’t believe her when she was at the hospital party with Spencer…he was being his usual solicitous self to her and her kids…an she asked him, “Spencer, why are you doing all this for me?” That was a stupid thing to say, even for Blair. Honey, if you don’t know why he’s falling all over you at this point, maybe you need to join John on the shrink’s couch.
You know that Blair has really lost it when Asa starts to make sense. I died laughing when Asa saw Blair spending time with Spencer and he told her that Spencer was an even bigger snake than Todd. This doesn’t happen often, but I sure do have to agree with old Asa this time. I had to applaud him when he said to Blair, “I know you like an old paperback, Blair. Before long, you’ll be jumping into the hay with Truman.” Honestly, I don’t doubt that one little bit.
Can we talk for a minute about the arrival in Llanview of Dallas Smith? This is a woman who has been with Clint for years. She gets annoyed because he’s been away from home for a while tending to a major family crisis???? Give me a break…she carried on like a spoiled little child and just like that she ended the relationship because Clint feels a need to be with his family right now? And even though she apologized to Viki for overreacting, she still was ridiculous and those scenes were embarrassing.
What was even more ridiculous was when Viki found out that Clint had gone to the Palace Bar and ran into Dorian and they were laughing together…and Viki all of a sudden started acting like the jealous wife. Oh My God….who wrote that junk? I thought it was totally inane for her to be going on an on about Clint “cozying up” with Dorian at the bar. Who cares? To tell you the truth, I think it would be a whole lot more fun to watch Clint get involved with Dorian than to see him go a third round romantically with Viki. Viki told Clint that he and Dorian together are a train wreck. I could stand to watch that crash. I know, I know, some people think I feel that way because I have “Ben blindness” (well, I do, lol) but I think that any romantic implications for Clint and Viki would be out of character, at least for Viki….and I hate when things are written into the script to move along a story but don’t stay true to history and continuity. At this point in the story, Viki being jealous of Clint and Dorian having a drink together is more than silly.
I was surprised at Dorian’s reaction when Kelly told he she was officially engaged to Kevin. I thought she’d kick and scream, but she seems resigned to the fact that her girls are going to continue to make disastrous decisions when it comes to men and I can’t decide what Dorian is more worried about…Kelly marrying a Buchanan again, or the danger in Kelly becoming pregnant. I’m sure that Dorian’s concern for Kelly’s heath is major, but Dorian’s hatred for the Buchanans overshadows almost everything in her life.
And what about the Jess/Tess Mess? Poor Nash…that boy is in bad shape. Obviously he’s a changed man compared to what he used to be because he sounded very humble when the police wanted him to turn over the name of the man who beat him up and he refused, saying that he wouldn’t press charges because he hurt the man’s daughter and he got what he deserved. I guess that says a lot about the man he has become since we’ve known him.
And how interesting…I think Jessica is developing some real feelings for Nash. It sure didn’t please Antonio when she was worried that Nash hadn’t called after Tess was so desperately waiting for him to return to Llanview. Now Antonio doesn’t only have to worry about Tess wanting Nash, he has to worry about Jessica giving a darn about the guy, too. It’s obvious how much Antonio wants to be with Jessica no matter what. He did tell her that he wanted to raise the baby with her even if it wasn’t his child. I just wonder how long he’s going to be able to stand by without totally losing his cool…especially when Nash is back on the scene. But hey, Nash is on the scene even when he’s not present…neither Jess no Tess can forget about him. Antonio better watch out!
I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays…I wish you all a WONDERFUL, HEALTHY AND HAPPY NEW YEAR! Here’s to another year of One Life To Live. Hey, we might not always agree…and we might sometimes teeter on the verge of pulling each other’s hair out (LOL)…but we’re all still here.
See ya next year…
Jill Berry
FAN
FEEDBACK AND QUESTIONS
Sharon writes: "I just need to vent a little. Blair deserves everything she gets at this point. She has David, Dorian and Todd telling her Spencer can't be trusted and he's up to no good. Ginger tried to warn her but I guess she's too dense to put 2 and 2 together. I love Blair, but come on. Nobody can be that stupid! As for Natalie, I never did care for Melissa Archer's acting much but it seems to get worse and worse. Her acting is so poor in my opinion that I just can't get into her character anymore. Sure, once in a while she pulls through but too little too late for me. I do like Evangeline but I can't close this email without pointing out that in every conversation she's engaged in, she nods her head from side to side as if gesturing "NO". She can be talking about something positive or responding to someone with a "yes" but her head is nodding "no". Is it just me, or does anybody else notice it? Now for the grand finale. I hope Nora returns. She's a breath of fresh air. I agree that Erika Slezak looks like she's having a great deal of fun playing Niki again... but I have to tell you...let's get on with it already. Integrate Jess/Tess and move on to something else. Last (and this is probably the weirdest comment of all), I hope David and Dorian reunite. I miss them together."
Dear Sharon: Glad I could give you a place to vent. Now, deep breath…ahhh. Feel better? I will agree with you about Blair. They have made her character even dumber than ever. You'd think she'd figure out when someone is trying to snow her by now, but I think she craves the attention of men too much to see Spencer for what he really is. As everyone knows, I adore Erika Slezak and her portrayal of Viki and all the others and although I am not a fan of the alters, I think this storyline is going along very well. I think the addition of Nash has given it a spice and interest it wouldn't have had without him. I miss David and Dorian together, too. I hope to see them reunited one day. And I can't wait for Nora to wake up. It makes me sleepy just to watch her. I can't really agree with you about Natalie and Evangeline because I don't comment on the actors' talent or possible lack of it…so since Melissa rolling her eyes and Renee shaking her head are actually comments about the ladies' acting, I will refrain from comment. But since you weren't nasty about it like some people can be, I'll include it in your venting…lol. Thanks for writing.
Mercedes writes: "I just cannot "get into" the new Clint! I'm sorry...but with each word uttered out of his facial hole I keep thinking Clint Ritchie and how HE would've delivered it! Thank you for the "more Dios Mios" out of Carlotta line...guffawed 'till my eyes bugged out!"
Dear Mercedes: Hmmm…the new Clint. Everyone knows I have mixed emotions about him, but it's not because I miss the old Clint. I like Jerry ver Dorn. I haven't been a Clint fan in quite a while, so his return didn't thrill me one way or the other. Clint has missed so much of his children’s lives and problems that I'm sure they could have done without him this time, but Jerry is doing a good job and I think he relates well to the kids as Clint. The whole thing with his girlfriend was ridiculous and I don't think this go-round for Clint needs to involve romance although many people disagree with me. Now, hook him up with Dorian and watch me laugh until I split my sides.
Donna writes: "I thought I saw Renee Goldsberry on the Oprah show when they showed portions
of the Broadway version of "The Color Purple." Is she in the Color Purple and if so, what does that mean for her role on OLTL?"
Dear Donna: Yes, Renee has been appearing on Broadway in The Color Purple.
Unfortunately, in real life, Renee recently suffered a miscarriage so I don't know how that affects her work schedule, but I read that she is schedule to continue in the show for several more weeks. Being in a Broadway show doesn't have to affect her soap schedule. Kathy Brier was in Hairspray on Broadway for several months while she played Marcie full time on One Life To Live…and lots of other actors do the same thing. It's got to be exhausting, but they say nothing is like the live stage for an actor, so I'm sure they all love it.
Olivia writes: "Soon after our first glimpse of Nash it was obvious to me that the most awesome couple since Jake and Megan would be Nash and Jessica. I had little hope then but it looks like it might be heading that way now. Here's to the demise of Tess and Antonio!"
Dear Olivia: I have to
say I feel the same way about Nash and Jessica. They were an intriguing couple
from the moment they stepped on screen together and I'd love to see them explore
a future together. I also loved Jake and Megan. Of course my favorite couple was
Ben and Viki, but that's no surprise, right? Ooohhh, the demise of Tess and
Antonio…somehow I think Tess might be easier to get rid of than Antonio. He
seems to be in this for the long haul, no matter what gets thrown at him…or at
least until his temper can’t take the heat any more.
© Copyright by Katherine
Thurston, 2005
