| "Reflections by Jill" - A Weekly Commentary on One Life to Live | |
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REFLECTIONS BY JILL….I have only one good thing to say about Blair this week…I probably lost a couple of pounds last week because watching her fall all over Spencer acting like the poor, helpless little woman made me totally lose my appetite. So, thank you Blair!!! I nearly lost it all when she asked Spencer to help her let Todd go. You’d think that with all the scamming and conniving Blair has done in her life that she’d be able to look at Spencer and listen to his fake charm at this point and kick him and his phony concern to the curb. Has she gotten to the point where she’s had so much heartache from Todd that she can’t see straight any more? That must be it!
It certainly looks like Todd will be convicted…but of course he’ll spend maybe ten minutes in Statesville before the real killer is found out. Why do we always have to go through the hassle of seeing the innocent person convicted, only to have the bad guy found out shortly after?
Sure, it’s hard to feel sorry for Todd. He’s made such a mess of things and has been his own worst enemy during this whole “Margaret mess.” HOWEVER…let me just say that my hat is off to Trevor St. John this week for his outstanding performance in showing how defeated and terrified Todd really feels. When he was brought into the courtroom for the closing arguments and told Evangeline that maybe he should plead guilty, I could feel his pain over hurting and losing his family and believed that it was a lot more important to him than the fear of losing his freedom and going to prison. Seeing Todd cry is a rare thing. Have we ever seen that before? Bravo to Trevor…he did a great job of making me feel something for Todd, which is not an easy thing to do.
And big surprise, Denton is on Spencer’s payroll. I was waiting for Spencer to kill Denton and take his wad of money back, weren’t you? I still expect to see Denton found dead in that motel room.
I was glad that Evangeline busted Kevin on the stand when his hatred for Todd took over and it looked like he wanted to bury Todd at any cost. Good for Evangeline when she pointed out the things that Kevin conveniently forgot to mention in his testimony. Kevin looked pretty stupid when he had to admit that MAYBE Margaret had a gun in that motel hallway when he caught Todd choking her. And the fact that he didn’t report what he saw to the police made him look like a fool. I think Kevin had a lot of nerve making Evangeline feel bad for what she did to him on the stand when he said, “I thought we were friends.” Hey Kevie, the next time, tell the whole truth and you won’t look like an idiot.
Well, we saw a little chink in Evangeline’s dedication to her client when she hesitated to bring up in court that John was ordered to see a psychiatrist. Todd had to remind her that she didn’t hesitate to humiliate Viki on the stand when it came to her mental heath and viability as a witness…so why should John be any different. Evangeline had to use that to try and discredit John’s testimony and I was disappointed that she had to be pushed into it by Todd.
I was sorry to see that John’s second session with the psychiatrist didn’t go any better than the first…and actually was worse. What is it going to take for this guy to calm down and open up? It was a sneaky thing the shrink did by calling Natalie in under the pretense of seeing how she was doing after the Statesville ordeal when he really wanted to grill her about John. Too bad he didn’t know Natalie would see right through him. I liked the way she defended John and told the shrink that John McBain is a hero. I’m sure John wasn’t expecting that, especially after all the times Natalie has been telling him she hates him lately. The spark is definitely still there between these two and it was evident after the session with the shrink when John said to Natalie, “You could have hung me out to dry”…and she replied, “I’d never to that to you.” It felt like she was saying, “like you did to me.”
The spark is also alive between Cristian and Natalie and even I am surprised at how tough Natalie remains where Cris is concerned. He has been trying very hard to win her over and although she gives in a half an inch once in a while, she is always able to walk away with her head held high leaving him wondering. I wonder how long her shell is going to hold up. Cristian is not playing games with her. He wants he back very badly and if he gets his mother to lie for him, what’s next? Natalie is fighting very hard to keep up her defenses against John and Cristian. I can’t wait to see what happens.
On to Michael and Marcie. I’m thrilled that these two are back together. I loved it when Hugh caught them kissing at The Palace. Of course he had to congratulate them, but then he had to throw in that he saw it coming all along. Sour grapes, Mr. Hughes?
OK, you can easily tell that Blair has lost at least some of her marbles when she asked Dorian and Adriana to take over Craze while she deals with her life. Well, at least Adriana has some sense of what to do, but Dorian could probably take that company down in a single afternoon. At least David came by and helped…and Dorian was certainly nasty to him for his efforts.
And I love the chemistry between Adriana and Rex. There is a real spark between these two and it is very smart of Rex (did I say that?) to hang back as much as he can and let her come to the realization that they belong together. She’s fighting it every step of the way and I like that he’s trying not to push her. Not that he thinks he’s good enough for her anyway, but we know he is, don’t we? That modeling session was cute, especially the way they couldn’t take their eyes off each other. Go figure…Rex saved the day again…even if he did have to use his old sneaky methods to get rid of the model that was supposed to pose for the cover of Craze…and then put Adriana in her place.
It was fun to see Natalie finally meeting Tess. I couldn’t believe it when Tess looked Natalie over and said, “Gee, it’s obvious which twin got the good looks!” Whoa…that’s certainly a good way to win over Natalie. It also didn’t help for Natalie to find Tess in her wedding dress.
But the best meeting was Tess and Claudia’s. Wow, so much for poor little Claudia. That girl has all he ducks in a row and knows exactly what she’s doing. Nash really did hurt her badly and she didn’t hesitate to let Tess know every nasty little detail. Tess has a very devious mind, but it took another mind at least as devious as hers to put so much doubt in her mind about Nash that Jessica was able to pop out right there. It’s obvious that Claudia was instrumental in sending her father and his goons after Nash. There was Tess begging Claudia to influence her father not to try to kill Nash again…and Claudia was having the last laugh. I wonder if she’s going to tell her daddy that Nash disobeyed the restraining order by coming to see her. It wouldn’t surprise me.
I guess Tess got paid back for her comment about Natalie being the less attractive twin when Claudia told her she had one name and no taste. That was pretty funny…I have to say.
Antonio didn’t seem very receptive to the idea that Cristian was defending Nash. Cristina was just being fair in considering Nash’s situation, but Antonio surely didn’t see it that way.
And what a hoot…Clint inviting Nash to stay at Asa’s mansion. Is Clint just a bit over the top in his support of Nash? I like that he’s being fair to Nash because he’s important to Tess and thereby, important to his daughter, but Asa’s mansion? Hmmm…I wonder what Asa will do when he finds out (and you know he will) that Nash has a past that involves bilking rich people out of their money. It made me a bit uncomfortable when Nash admitted to Clint that he had no money and nowhere to go. A tiny part of me wondered if Nash was playing Clint…but I hope Nash is now the man I think he is. Asa will probably do a lot more than refuse to shake Nash’s hand when he finds out about Nash’s past, don’t you think?
See ya
next week….
Jill Berry
FAN
FEEDBACK AND QUESTIONS
Gail writes: "I am begging you, please, please, please get rid of Tessssssssssssssssss! I find myself surfing the channels every time the story line turns to Tess. With the exception of Tess, I love the show."
Dear Gail: Oh, sorry! Even if I had an ounce of influence over what we see on the show (and I surely don’t), I'd never totally get rid of Tess. Even though I was one of the most outspoken people against bringing back the DID storyline because it had been done so much and so well, I think Bree Williamson is doing a magnificent job as Jessica and Tess and my hope is that one day Jessica is integrated with Tess remaining a healthy part of her personality. In the beginning when Tess was nothing but a pain in the butt, I was ready to write her off quickly, but in the past several months, Bree has done such a wonderful job of giving Tess a heart and soul that I never get tired of seeing her. I'm sure you won't be seeing Tess forever, but I hope we get a nice combination of Jessica and Tess in one.
Cathryn writes: "Why does OLTL slide off the Buchanan plot and go into these Spanish storylines? There are upcoming photos of Antonio and another guy in a band. This is not a Spanish soap opera and yet they have Spanish storylines that always seem boring and senseless and the characters really elaborate on the diction to speak the Spanish language! It seems at times to be "anybody's soap". I don't have anything against any culture but the writers of OLTL veer off the main track. This is a soap opera about a Texas oil man and his billionaire family that have many issues unrelated to extra folks who come into the town. Not enough is centered around Asa and his family but to others who will eventually come and go in the next few years. Granted, it's all exciting to watch but the main characters (Asa, Vicky, Clint, Bo) have been on the soap many, many years and at times they get pushed aside for these idiotic storylines that don't make any sense. Everything should be centered around the Texas oil man and his family."
Dear Cathryn: I debated whether or not to post your e-mail and decided that all fans would benefit from reading it. Let me just say that since you've obviously been watching the show for a while now, you must know that usually we get a little bit of everything as far as storylines go. You may be one of the exceptions because most fans who have been watching soaps for many years tend to like the diversity since it provides something for everyone and most fans enjoy the family oriented storylines believing that they are the core of the show, no matter what culture they may represent. I can't agree with you at all about the Vega family and the "Spanish storyline." Do you object to the fact that the show has storylines involving black characters…or that Nora is Jewish and teaches her son, Matthew, the Jewish traditions? Each of the families on the show brings richness to the canvas and the show would not be the same with even one of them missing. As far as the Buchanans go…this is definitely not a show about a Texas oilman and his billionaire family who deal with "extras" who come to town. Where the heck did you get that idea? Are you aware that the Buchanans were just another family added to the canvas like the Vegas, the Rappaports, the McBains? The Buchanans were in no way an original core family on One Life To Live…and when they came on plenty of the fans wondered what the heck we would do with a family full of cowboys. Also, Viki's family, The Lords, was one of the original core families in Llanview…along with the Siegels, The Craigs, The Woleks….and later Viki married into the Buchanan family. Maybe you will remember a soap opera several years back called "Texas." Maybe you are confusing it with One Life to Live.
Christina writes: "I have to agree that was a unusual New Year's Eve in Llanview this year. Though it had its good points...Clint kissing Niki and getting Viki back. Oh, yeah, they don't have feelings for each other. Whatever! I loved it, and this coming from a fan that never liked Clint, but I am loving JvD as Clint and I cannot wait to see these two fall back in love. Hey, third times the charm, as they say. And I'm with you…WHY must they do this to my man Kevin. I mean he has more brains than this, thinking his son is after his girlfriend, or whatever she is at the moment. All I say is that if things don't work out with Kelly, Kevin, hon, I'll comfort you. I am really enjoying the show these days and can't wait to see what the New Year has in store for this fan."
Dear Christina: Isn't it nice how friends can disagree and still remain friends? LOL. I agree that Jerry ver Dorn is doing a great job as Clint. The only thing that annoys me is that I think he's a redone version of Clint, made to be a lot more appealing than the former incarnation of Clint. I just think they gave us a very appealing Clint so it would be easier to see Viki falling for him again where I don't think that would happen with the old Clint. I know, Clint fans are going to flame me…so be it. I think the former Clint had a much more abrasive personality that Viki could never get into again. The new Clint makes it easier to take for Viki as well as the fans. I'm sure you can't wait for Clint and Viki to fall back in love…unlike me, who can wait forever. And as far as your Kevie goes, I never worry about him because I am well aware that he'll always have you to comfort him. And while you're at it, can you do something really wicked to Spencer for me?
Debbie writes: What is the story with Nora?"
Dear
Debbie: The story with Nora is...Hillary B. Smith has recently signed a new
contract. I believe it is for a year. Dena Higley, the head writer, says that we
will see Nora wake up by the end of February or the beginning of March and we
will see her go through the difficult recovery of a patient who has been in a
coma for months. This was all prompted by the fact that it wasn't a done deal
that Hillary's contract would be renewed at all, so the Nora storyline has
dragged on. Hopefully, we'll get a good storyline and something interesting will
be in store for Nora and all those related to her.
© Copyright by Katherine
Thurston, 2006
