"Reflections by Jill" - A Weekly Commentary on One Life to Live

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REFLECTIONS BY JILL….I’m trying to remember if there was ever a holiday season in Llanview, or in any other soap opera town that didn’t leave half the population stranded in a snowstorm. I can’t remember one and this year is no different on One Life To Live. Of course we have to have Renee stranded at The Palace because of course, since we only get to see her a couple of times a year she has to be stuck in the kitchen with restaurant problems.

Then we have a couple of interesting stranded pairs. Hmmm…Rex and Adriana…who’d have thought that would happen? Right, all of us! I hear things are going to steam up pretty well in that car this week for this young couple…but will Adriana finally admit that maybe Duke is the right kind of guy for her to be with but Rex is the guy she wants to be with? I think she’s old enough to start figuring these things out and Rex doesn’t deserve to be hanging by his thumbnails much longer.

Hmmm…then we have Duke and Kelly. Is Kevin wrong to have that strange look on his face every time he falls upon his grown son and his fiancé in a clinch? You know, the look that says, “I know I shouldn’t worry about what I’m worrying about, but still, I am worried…what’s wrong with this picture?” I think there is probably more of a chance of Duke having romantic feelings for Kelly than Kelly having those kinds of feelings for Duke, but hey, strange circumstances make room for strange things to happen.

And poor Kevin is lying out in the snow knocked out from whatever Spencer shot into his neck. It’s too bad Todd is locked up in jail. This would be a fine time for him to return the favor and rescue Kevin from dying in the snow on the side of the road.

OK…I have just one very obvious question. I know you’ve asked the same questions. WHY, OH WHY is it that with all the expensive cars that all the rich people in Llanview drive, Spencer is the only one who has a car that can get him all the way up to Asa’s lodge on New Year’s Eve? Someone please, help me figure this one out. Of course, we know that Asa either went up there before the snow started or he had his pilot fly him up there…but how the heck are we supposed to believe that everyone gets stuck on the road except for the evil Doctor Truman? And so much for Asa and his wonderful security…I guess no one saw Spencer sneak that tainted bottle of booze into the lodge either. Asa must use the same security company that allows everyone to walk in and out of Llanfair when Viki least wants to see them. I don’t think it’s very fair that everyone is allowed to march into Viki’s house and blame Lois, the poor dedicated housekeeper, for letting them in. Give me a break…Viki would have fired her long ago for letting Dorian march in unannounced so many times.

I have no idea what Spencer has up his sleeve but I cringe every time I see his smirking face and when he laughs at David, I just want to grab him by the tie and strangle him until he stops smirking.

I never thought it would happen this way, but I do believe that the whole Cris/John lying to Natalie mess has forced everyone to take a good hard look at themselves…and that’s a very good thing.

I think Cristian has a lot to learn about walking back into his old life, which really no longer exists. He has a lot to deal with and after what he’s been though it’s hard for him to take up his life again. His first impulse is to wonder why Natalie doesn’t want to pick up where they left off, but I think his learning process has to be centered around what it did to her to lose him and how she had to cope with the loss all this time…then having to deal with him lying to her about being dead. The scene where she gave him the check for the sale of his paintings was a very emotional scene to watch. It showed how much water has gone under the bridge when he immediately assumed she couldn’t wait to sell his paintings so she could write him out of her life. Cristian’s time away has hardened him understandably and some of his reactions seem too much like Antonio’s these days….he loses his temper without knowing all that’s involved. Every day Cristian is learning more and more about how deeply Natalie was hurt and how things are not the same for her now and he has to find a way to deal with that. If he ever gets her back, it won’t be on his terms…it will be on hers.

As far as Evangeline goes…it’s good that she is admitting that she still wants John. She has to deal with those feelings and it’s hard…like she said, wanting to be with someone who wants to be with someone else.

And Natalie…I think she’s handling herself extremely well for someone who has gone through what she has gone through in the past year. I think she’s grown and I think it’s obvious in the way she is dealing with everyone. She’s not going out and doing anything stupid…she wants a new start to the New Year. However, no matter what she says and does, it seems very obvious to me that no matter how mad she may be at John for keeping Cristian’s secret from her, she can’t help being drawn to him and caring and worrying about him.

I liked the scene where Natalie gave John the St. Jude’s medal for Christmas. Interesting, the patron saint of lost causes….making the impossible possible. I see so much between Natalie and John that just cannot be ignored. I thought it was very cute when she was worried about John going to see a psychiatrist and he asked her, “Can you flunk therapy?” There’s a huge connection between these two…Natalie knew instantly that John was down because his father had died during the holiday season and she automatically wanted to find a way to comfort him.  I thought it was very mature and smart of her to tell John that she didn’t want to start the New Year off with anger, but that she wanted to be alone. I don’t think that will last very long, but I think Natalie is going to be smart about her next move.

I don’t think anyone has been changed more than John. I loved the flashbacks he had of being with his father in church and his father telling him that God’s greatest gift is spending time with your family….and the way his memory of being in church with his dad and Michael sent him right to the hospital to ask Michael to go to church with him. It was kind of funny…Michael looked at John as if he thought maybe he was drunk. I guess anything can happen in this world if John wants to be with his family…and in church.

I love watching the McBain brothers. It was interesting when Michael asked John what he was looking for…absolution or salvation….and John told him that he was keeping a promise he made to his dad to spend holidays with his family. It was nice when John told Michael, “Dad told me I was lucky to have you for a brother…he was right.” Well, I’ll be darned…there just might be hope for John yet.

And I love the fact that John let Cristian know that he wasn’t backing off from the situation…meaning Natalie. He was right to say that it meant too much to him to walk away from the situation. I do think these two men are even now….as John said…he always felt he owned Cris for what happened in Las Vegas and Cris said that he paid that debt at Statesville. I agree. Now it’s every man for himself.

So, now Bo knows that Paige had a son by Spencer and gave him away without Spencer knowing he had that son. That’s one more thing Paige neglected to tell Bo from the start of their relationship and Bo is still along for the ride. Interesting…but Bo better hang on because he hasn’t heard the best of Paige’s secrets yet and I think she’s got to be insane to think he’ll never find out, especially with Spencer hovering around like a vulture everywhere she turns. It’s going to be a bit weird…in the middle of all that’s going on, we are going to have a new Paige in a few weeks. Cady Huffman is being replaced by an actress named Alexandra Neil. What will happen next?

Let’s talk about Christmas for a minute. Did you notice that Clint, Viki and Jessica were all decked out totally in black? Not their happiest Christmas outfits in my book. Was their wardrobe supposed to reflect the mood of the holiday season this year?

I’m starting to lose track of how many times in a week we see Jess turn into Tess and Viki turn into Niki. But I have to admit…I’m enjoying the storyline a lot more than I ever thought I would. But before I go any further, you know I have to mention the most ridiculous oops of the week. Okay, we all saw how desperate Tess was to get to Nash when he called her from the hospital…and we know she conned Asa into giving her his jet…BUT COME ON…even the Concorde, which no longer runs, could not have gotten Tess from Pennsylvania to California in the two minutes it took for a commercial break. I couldn’t believe my eyes when in one scene we saw Tess leaving Llanfair and right after the commercial we saw her climbing into Nash’s hospital bed. GIVE ME A BREAK!!! Oh, wait a minute? Was that supposed to be one of those Christmas Miracles? It must have been…but it turned into a Christmas nightmare when two seconds later, Antonio marched into Nash’s room demanding that Jess get off the bed. Maybe Antonio got there on the space shuttle.

In any case, I wonder how long it’s going to be before Antonio and Nash just rip each other apart. Did Antonio think Nash would just sit back and take it when he nastily informed him that he was out of the picture because even if the baby wasn’t his he and Jess were going to raise it? Does Antonio think Nash has been in this game for the fun of it all this time?  And there’s Jessica again, telling Antonio that he can’t treat Nash that way. This gets better and better.

And while we’re talking about Christmas and New Year’s…I have to feel sorry for David….who all but begged Dorian to take him back…well, he did beg on bended knee…and she kicked him to the curb. David has dug himself a very deep grave where Dorian is concerned and even thought she wants him as much as he wants her, she’ll tough this out for as long as she can. Her pride is worth more than anything.

A pat on the back goes to Clint for pegging Spencer as the creep that he is. I loved it when he told Spencer that he had his eye on him because someone who had no family ties and no one to care about him had nothing to lose. Clint hit it right on the head with that observation about Spencer. Clint knows that Spencer is dangerous to his family and I’m glad about that.

And it was a very touching moment when Bo gave Rex Drew’s compass, explaining to Rex that it belonged to his son Drew and would help him find his way and what direction to take. Rex was so touched by the gift and it must have meant a lot to Bo to give it to him…Rex means a lot to Bo.

In closing, I have to say my chuckle of the week came from Viki when Dorian brought her a Christmas gift and wanted her to open it saying, “Viki, I just love seeing people’s faces when they open my gifts”…and Viki said, “Trust me Dorian, you don’t want to see mine.” Go Viki…she never disappoints.

Happy New Year everyone!

See ya next week….

Jill Berry

FAN FEEDBACK AND QUESTIONS

Normapj writes: "Is it just me or is anyone else sick and tired of Antonio? We know from the past that he likes to be in control but this is too much. He has become the "Puppet Master". When "Tess" was on the phone with Nash and said, "Antonio is here", he's always here she wasn't kidding. He never goes away. He is all over Jess/Tess like a fungus. How Jessica can put up with him is something I cannot understand. It's enough to make Tess come out. I used to love him, but now he makes my skin crawl."

Dear Normapj: In many ways I am very tired of Antonio. I still try to understand where he's coming from. You have to admit that this situation is ridiculous for anyone to deal with, let alone someone with as much macho attitude and as short a fuse as Antonio has. I think he'd do a lot better if he'd just hang back a little and see where things go, but we know he can't do that. It's not in him. It's quite obvious that Jessica has been showing signs of getting annoyed with Antonio for the way he treats Nash and that is not helping Antonio at all.

Cathy writes: "I agree it is great acting on Erika Slezak's part to play the alter Niki Smith. But after watching OLTL from the beginning I think the DID thing is really boring and much overdone. I rather enjoy the "bitchy" Viki that turned up in the jail to intimidate Hayes Barber. She may be the good one but at times she beats Dorian in mean department. I just keep wondering when Natalie is going to turn in to Matalie. There seems to be no imagination in the writers. Just a lot of been there done that."

Dear Cathy: As everyone knows, I was very much against bringing back Niki Smith, but I have been enjoying the storyline and I think the reason is because in addition to Erika's fine acting, Bree Williamson has been doing an unbelievable job as Jess/Tess, so the interaction is always exciting. Throw in a cutie like Nash and I think it's a winner. Matalie? Oh please, not that! And as far as Viki being mean….I love that side of her personality. She can remain a lady, look someone straight in the eye and with a calm and frighteningly controlled voice, hammer them into the ground.

Regdelvont writes: "John never confessed his love for Natalie. Can you explain to me how you can say that John has deep feelings for Natalie when it was never confessed? Evangeline is the love of John's life but you would not agree because you like Melissa. In so many ways John has shown Evangeline that he loves her, but what has he done for Natalie but save her, which is a guilt trip on his behalf. That's not love. Don't get me wrong, he cares about Natalie but love, I disagree on this one."

Dear Regdelvont: Absolutely true. John never confessed his love for Natalie. Correct me if I'm wrong, but when, exactly, did he confess his love for Evangeline and tell her she was the love of his life? Was it when she broke up with him and he didn't beg her to come back to him? Was it when he saved Natalie's life and had the chance to be with either woman and still chose Natalie? Was it just the other day when Natalie kick John and Cris to the curb and John still didn't rekindle his relationship with Evangeline or even try? Please tell me! John just told Cristian that he's not backing off…that he can't do that and that was after Evangeline told him she still cares about him. Sure, he told her he still cares about her. Of course he does, but he's not giving up the fight for Natalie. Yes, John has a lot of guilt over what Natalie has been through, but if you think that's why he can't step aside and just let Cristian have a free path, then you're not watching the same show I am. The simple fact that John tried to at least hang on to his friendship with Natalie when she walked away from him shows that he wants to be there for her...not that he feels he has to be. I don't think you have to be a fan of either relationship to see where John wants to be.

© Copyright by Katherine Thurston, 2006