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

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REFLECTIONS BY JILL….Gee, is it any wonder that Blair is losing faith in Todd and thinks for once that he just might be guilty? Too bad for Todd…I don’t remember a time when more damaging evidence has piled up against an innocent defendant…and of course, it doesn’t help Todd a bit that he has such a horrible criminal past.

It figures that Blair would walk into the jail just in time to hear Denton blackmailing Todd. Does anyone thing that Denton is on Spencer’s payroll? And what is Blair to think when she hears all the testimony against Todd, especially that of her beloved Spencer. Didn’t you just want to pop that creep when he headed for the stand and told Dorian that testifying after Viki would be a tough act to follow but he’d do his best?

I’m sure Blair is not done with Spencer yet…he’ll surely be able to suck her in as things look worse and worse for Todd, but I have to say that the highlight of my week was watching Blair march up to Spencer and punch him in the face. Ooohhh, I was applauding like a wild woman. Now I’d like it even more if a few more people in Llanview would do the same thing…Dorian, David, Paige, Bo…I think it would give Spencer some character in his face to have a few bruises, don’t you?

I can’t say enough about how bad I felt for Viki when she had to testify that she wondered whether or not Todd really killed Margaret…and I know all the Viki fans died a little inside like I did when she had to suffer that humiliation of her DID being discussed on the stand. I’m with Evangeline on this one. Anything she can do so save Todd’s sinking ship is necessary.

And while we’re talking about the trial, may I say that sweet little Hugh Hughes is getting me angrier by the minute? What a jerk! I couldn’t believe his behavior when he went to see John to make sure that John’s relationship with Evangeline wouldn’t affect his testimony in Todd’s trial. Obviously, Hugh is not as secure in his victory as he wants everyone to believe. He did tell John that Evangeline was tearing down all his witnesses…but I was appalled at what he said to John when John assured him that he would do what he had to do on the stand and Hugh said, “I’m glad to hear it because I want you to be on your toes when I pull the rug out from under Evangeline and knock her on her cute little behind.” Who does this guy think he is? That was a disgusting and sexist thing to say. He’s yet another guy who needs a punch…too bad Evangeline has too much class to give him one. As much as Nora hates Todd, I think even she would slap him down for his behavior. John’s response in defense of Evangeline was great and it was nice that she heard most of it.

I thought it was very nice the way John consoled Evangeline when she needed a shoulder to cry on. I see these two as being good friends for a very long time. I’m glad Evangeline had someone to lean on….she was falling apart and we’ve never seen her that way. It surely didn’t help that Natalie tore into her about what she did to Viki on the stand. I can’t blame Natalie….she was acting in defense of her family, but when Natalie gets steamed up she does tend to lose sight of the big picture.

And the scenes between John and Natalie last week were highly charged, weren’t they? It sure didn’t help that Natalie walked in on John and Evangeline in a hug, but at this point John doesn’t really need to explain. Actually, I defend Natalie’s right to be furious with John and Cristian, but even I am getting a bit tired of her ranting about it. And obviously, so is John. It seems like he’s just frustrated and at the end of his rope with the situation and really needs to know where Natalie stands where he and Cris are concerned.

It’s obvious that John is looking for some answers and as much as Natalie likes to keep saying she hates him, it’s as plain as the nose on her face that she can’t keep away from him and can’t stop caring about him. He knows it and she knows it so it’s understandable that he’d want to know what’s what, like when he told her that Cris thinks she divorced him so she could be with him and he asked if that was true. John wants it to be true.

I loved Natalie’s question when she asked John what he would do if she knew all along that Caitlin was still alive and didn’t tell him. John saying that had nothing to do with what was going on now was just a cop out. He’d feel the same way Natalie feels…and who knows if or when he’d ever get over the betrayal.

I loved it when John read Natalie the riot act, she tried to leave his office, and he blocked her way and she said, “Aren’t you done with me yet?”…and he said, “Is that what you want?” At least we got some truth out of Natalie when she told John she doesn’t know what she wants. I think it was great that he told her he was “done with this.” I’m glad he finally went back at her instead of backing off and trying to be nice and understanding. It shocked Natalie and maybe it was just what she needed to start moving forward. But her parting shot to John as she left his office left quite a sting when she said, “I don’t feel safe with you any more.” That was big and probably made John feel very small.

Cristian is very far from giving up and it appears that he’s going to make some headway in getting Natalie back…but I think it’s going to be quite a while before we have a resolution to this dilemma and of course, someone will be badly hurt…unless other things come into play…like…how about Cris and Evangeline getting together. I think that’s an interesting pairing and wouldn’t all the mixed feelings be interesting to watch?

Paige sure went after Bo for his feelings about her child and Spencer being the father. You can’t blame Bo for feeling that the father has the right to know about the child since he went through such a mess before he found out that Matthew was his son…but come on Bo, what child deserves to have Spencer for a daddy? I don’t blame Paige for panicking and getting mad at Bo, but she obviously knows that he won’t tell her secret even though he might not agree with her.

I am thrilled that Michael and Marcie are getting back together. Oh, some sanity in the midst of so much insanity in Llanview. I thought it was adorable when Michael told Marcie that he still loves her and nothing has ever changed for him. I wonder what the formerly nice Hugh Hughes will have to say about this reunion. Who cares?

What about Clint’s “date” with Dorian? They’re pretty funny together. Despite his annoyance with her, I think he likes her…or gets a kick out of her at least…and she knows it. Hey, she’s got a good-looking man to date and she gets to stick it to Viki at the same time. That’s Dorian’s dream!

I’m glad Nash finally decided to tell everyone about Claudia Reston. It couldn’t have been easy for him to tell…especially in front of the ever-understanding Antonio…but it had to be hard for him to try to make everyone understand that he’s not that man any more. It had to be even harder to explain that to a family that probably has as much or more money than the Restons. I thought it was funny how Viki wanted no part of believing Nash and Clint kept defending him and trying to give him a chance. I have to appreciate Clint for that. And Tess finally accepted the explanation and took Nash back. I believed him when he said he wanted to be a good man and a good dad. Oh, Tess taking Nash back had to have Antonio jumping for joy inside. We’re going to meet Claudia this week. Tess is going to seek her out. That should be interesting.

In closing, I have to say that my biggest laughs of the week came from Rex, Adriana, Michael and Marci. How funny were they when Adriana brought Rex into the hospital for stitches after Cris decked him and Rex wouldn’t let anyone treat him but Michael? I laughed so hard when Marcie told Michael he should stitch Rex up and he asked her if she would wait for him to go out for dinner. Marcie’s response of, “Wait for you, I’m going to watch” was hysterical, but even funnier than that was Rex’s response to Marcie being happy to watch when he said, “You are one sick cookie, Walsh”, and she said, “I try.” Too cute, too funny. I love Rex and Adriana together. I hope it works out for them. He’s matured so much and maybe Adriana is just about ready to catch up and be a grown up, too. I hope so.

See ya next week….

Jill Berry

FAN FEEDBACK AND QUESTIONS

Valerie writes: "Yes, Hugh is becoming a little more snide in his demeanor and I think if it is found out that he is Spencer and Paige's son, that will explain a lot. I kept thinking that there was a little (emphasis on a little because no one on the show is as creepy as Spencer) resemblance to Spencer when I watched Hugh in the courtroom. As for the whole John/Nat/Evangeline triangle, for me, the jury is still out. I truly thought John belonged with Evangeline, but I'm not so sure anymore. I do think Natalie should go back to Cris, but not before some issues are dealt with, and that may take some time. I'm starting to think that John shouldn't be paired up with anyone, at least not for a while. I'm glad to hear Nora will be back and fingers crossed; I hope she and Bo end up together where they belong; same goes for Michael and Marcie. It's time to have some nice truly romantic couples on the show. I miss David and Dorian together so hopefully they'll find their way back too. An observation I just had today - it would be hysterical if somehow Todd's blackmailer (Denton? I'm drawing a blank on his name) could somehow end up with Roxy."

Dear Valerie: I couldn't agree more about Hugh. I talked about how adorable he was for weeks and now it always feels like I want someone to kick him in the butt as he walks out of each scene. It disappoints me that the show would make him obnoxious just as everyone thinks he's about to become Spencer's long lost son. But is he Spencer's son? We'll see. The other favorite for that role is Rex and I think Rex has had enough junk in his life. He doesn't need Spencer for a dad just when he's getting his life together. I'm with you. I'd like to see Nora with Bo and Marcie with Michael. We are going to get Marcie and Michael together…not so sure about Bo and Nora. And. NOOOO…I would not like to see Roxy paired up with Denton. Somehow, even though Roxy is nuts and sometimes appears not to have made it through the third grade, she has a lovable and somewhat honorable streak. Denton is just an opportunistic con man that doesn't deserve a woman like Roxy. What I would love to see is the return of Harry the Hook. He and Roxy would be dynamite together. They could write a new dictionary that would have jaws dropping across the planet.

Genea writes: "Ok here is my OLTL situation. I love Tess and Nash but my mind is working over time after I saw Spencer drug Asa for New Year's Eve and flash a picture of what I can only imagine is his mother. I remember in the mid to late 90s (I think that was the time) there was a story line where Max Holden and Todd Manning were trying to be the "lost Buchanan son." Both didn't match. So now fast-forward to present day. If I am right and Spencer is the "forgotten" Buchanan and I also am assuming that Nash is Paige's and Spencer's son, that makes Nash a Buchanan too. So if Jess/Tess is a Buchanan and Nash has some blood running thru his veins, are these half siblings going to have a baby, not to mention they have sex! I just can't think like that."

Dear Genea: Whoa…you need to get your hands on that big old One Life to Live history book that was published several years back. Let's see. We don't know yet who the woman in the picture was that Spencer gave Asa on New Year's Eve. You would think it's his mother, but who knows? Also, we have no proof at this point that Spencer is a lost Buchanan. The period you refer to in the late '90's did give us the real lost Buchanan. No, it wasn't Max and it surely wasn't Todd. It was Ben Davidson and all I can tell you is that if you missed the years that Mark Derwin played Ben on the show (1999-2002) then you missed my favorite years. Ben was the son of Renee and Asa that Renee gave away during her days as a madam. It's a long, convolute story and I'm sorry if you missed it. I still long for those days. We also have no information that Nash is Paige and Spencer's son. Most people think their son is either Hugh or Rex. I'm counting on Nash and Jess/Tess not being related. They make too good a romantic couple.

Connie writes: "I have to say that I agree completely with your view on John and Natalie. I think John has a very strong connection to Natalie, and Michael Easton has completely sold me on the fact that John loves Natalie. Everything he has been putting into his acting lately, like the way he stumbled when he asked Natalie if she got the divorce so they could be together, tells me John misses and is in love with Natalie. Hopefully we will get to see them back together soon, because while Natalie may love Cris, she is clearly still in love with John as he is with her. At least that is the story I see Michael Easton and Melissa Archer telling me on my screen. Thanks for your column."

Dear Connie: I feel the same way you do when I see John constantly wanting to know if Natalie is at work, why she's out and what her intentions are now that she is divorcing Cris. It's obvious to me that John still has feelings for Evangeline, but they don't seem like romantic feelings any more. He cares deeply for Evangeline and is protective of her and I think they can be and are true friends, but when Natalie claims she hates John to his face and John still isn't totally buying it, it's clear to me that he has no intention of giving up on her.

Sharon writes: "When Viki was testifying at Todd's trial, I thought what Evangeline did to her was nauseating and degrading to Viki. She humiliated her and made Viki look weak and vulnerable and she stripped her of her pride and self respect. Even Hugh had enough respect to not continue."

Dear Sharon: Boy, it was very hard to watch Viki being publicly humiliated and demoralized in court the other day, but I don't really think Evangeline had any choice. When Hugh got Viki to admit that even though Todd is her brother and she loves him, she still wondered if he had killed Margaret and his child, that testimony was too damaging to Todd for Evangeline to let it rest that way. Even though she was humiliated and would have liked some advance warning, Viki understood that Evangeline had to do what she did to defend Todd. I don't think it was the case that Hugh had enough respect not to question Viki again…it was that he knew that Evangeline tore apart the testimony Viki gave on behalf of the prosecution and there wasn't a thing he could ask Viki to make her look like a viable witness for his side. That's why when he went to see John to make sure John would be able to testify neutrally, he told John that Evangeline was tearing down all his witnesses (meaning Viki) and he didn't want John to be influenced by his former relationship with her when he was on the stand. 

© Copyright by Katherine Thurston, 2006