| "Reflections by Jill" - A Weekly Commentary on One Life to Live | |
|
REFLECTIONS BY JILL….Well, it wasn't one of the better Valentine's Days on One Life To Live, but at least we got a tiny bit of romance and one marriage proposal out of it.
I thought Marcie and Michael were totally adorable. Actually, he's even funnier than she is. He's so cute in a totally awkward kind of way but he sure says what's on his mind. I like that about Michael, whether he's talking to Marcie, to his brother, John, or even to Spencer Truman. Oh, strike Spencer's name from that nice thought about Michael and Marcie! No need to tarnish a beautiful thing.
Anyway, it's a good thing that Valentine's Day lasted for days and days on the show because it took Marcie all that time to finally shut up long enough to hear what Michael had to say. Even dumping an ice cream sundae on her didn't slow down her flow of words. but I thought that the way Michael finally got her attention by putting his proposal up in lights was really cute. Then I wanted to smack her a little for not saying yes right away. Jeez, poor Michael has been through the ringer in the past year between all the Killing Club garbage and worrying about Marcie and having to watch Marcie with Hugh. I felt so bad for him when she first said no, but obviously she was scared and in no way expected a proposal. I was happy when she finally said yes...whew…at least one couple is happy and moving in the right direction. I hear we won't have to wait long for the wedding.
Speaking of couples, weren't Roxy and David a riot together in the park? I laughed at the way she wouldn't let him have the chocolates filled with booze from her box. Leave it to Roxy…but I died laughing when David pulled out the Godiva truffles (notice I totally and immediately recognized that lovely little gold box) and taught her how to eat them, savoring the candy like a precious diamond…and she sure did, didn't she? It was like a religious experience. It was funny when David told Roxy that he thought she and Nigel were an item and she told him that Nigel and Asa were an item. Boy, is that ever true!
Not such a great Valentine's Day for the Antonio/Jess/Nash crowd, was it? I guess it was worse for poor Antonio than for anyone else when he was out looking for Jessica in the woods and got his foot nearly bitten off by a bear trap. OUCH! I could feel that one. And what a macho man he is. When the stick didn't work to release the trap from his leg I thought I would jump out of my skin when he banged that rock against the trap. Couldn't you just feel those teeth digging into his flesh? Good thing he's such a tough guy. Wait until he finds out that Nash and Tess have decided to enjoy the evening alone together before they let anyone know that she's been found. I'll bet Antonio's foot won't be the only thing hurting when that little tidbit comes to light.
And gee...no surprise that Asa didn't remember that it was his and Renee's wedding anniversary. I was surprised he remembered Valentine's Day, but I'm sure Nigel helped him with that one. Too bad he didn't remember the anniversary, but who could blame him…there are so many anniversaries to remember. I hear that old Asa is going to have himself yet ANOTHER heart attack. How many has the old coot had anyway? This one is sure going to make Spencer happy, isn't it?
OK. I guess we have to talk about that slug, Spencer. I think the hardest thing for me in writing this column is that I vowed long ago to never use foul language, which is why I have such a hard time thinking of words to describe Spencer. Somehow, words like scum, slug, worm, slime, pig and vermin hardly do the man justice. However, the words I'd like to use are not printable so you'll have to fill in your own blanks. It makes me more than happy that Blair felt so guilty about having slept with Spencer and continues to tell him that it was a mistake and will never happen again. She was more than a fool. Notice that you don't see a smirk on Spencer's face after he gets put in his place by Blair. I'm sure no woman has ever gotten out of his bed and vowed never to get back in it, so this is foreign territory to him. Live with it Spence! Too bad for Paige…it looks like the more things don't work out for Spencer and Blair, the more he draws Paige in to his dirty little schemes.
And when is Bo going to just confront Paige, back her into a corner and keep her there until she tells him what the heck is going on? Bo must really have serous feelings for Paige because he's letting her get away with keeping secrets all this time and we all know how he hates secrets and lies. I'm getting a bit tired of the bad guys always having these multi-layered schemes that make it impossible for the poor, vulnerable, good guys to have a fighting chance. I guess it wasn't enough that Spencer had Paige by the "you know whats" over being under the influence and killing John's father on the operating table years ago...then he had to set up Bo in connection with Margaret's murder…but then he goes and makes it look like he's killed Margaret (you know she's not dead) just to draw Paige to Margaret's hiding place, knowing that she'll get her fingerprints all over the bloody bat. (Paige was so stupefied she wouldn't even have realized it if Spencer smeared the bed and the bat with ketchup.) This whole Spencer thing is getting a bit too contrived for my liking. It's only believable to a point and that point passed us many weeks ago. Let's get on with letting out some of the truth and moving on so that Spencer starts to get what's coming to him…and I don't mean Blair! I'd like Bo to start up a task force which would include himself, David, Dorian, Paige, Kevin and oh heck, even Margaret. Wouldn't you love to see that group put their collective minds and resentfulness together to bring down Spencer? Oh, that sounds just too delicious!
My heart was breaking for Starr this week. I find it totally amazing that she hasn't become every parent's worst nightmare as a teenager. She's sure been through enough in her young life to warrant a little rebellion. I guess with Starr we saw so much rebellion when she was younger that she's mellowed out…well, for now anyway. It's obvious that Blair is in a terrible amount of pain. She can't reconcile the fact that she still loves Todd and that she believes he really did kill Margaret and her baby. It had to be as hard for her to admit to Starr that she doesn't think Todd is innocent as it was for Starr to hear it. I wasn't prepared for Blair to slap Starr across the face the way she did, but I wasn't really surprised that Starr called her a bitch. Starr is at that age where she hates things being kept from her but doesn't really know how to deal with them. I have to say that Kristen Alderson has grown so beautifully into a teenage Starr Manning and the relationships between Starr and Blair and Starr and Todd are a tribute to all three actors. That young woman can certainly hold her own with anyone on the show. I only wish she had her Aunt Viki to turn to at this point. That would probably be a great help to her. Too bad!
Speaking of acting, a few people reminded me that last week I did not give proper credit to Trevor St. John for his work in the scenes where Todd was headed for death row and asked Bo to look out for his children…maybe take Jack fishing once in a while. Sorry, I try to remember to comment on everything I find important every week and certainly those scenes moved me to tears but hey, I just forgot...so let me now say, like I always do, that Trevor is doing an incredible job. We've never seen Todd so vulnerable and this side of him is much easier to watch than some of the others. This week was no exception. Todd's reaction to Blair's visit was heart wrenching. It had to be terrible for him to see her knowing that she couldn't tell him she believed he was innocent. When he turned away, called for the guard and left her sitting there it said more than any screaming match could have said.
And what about John and Todd? Gee, what’s a winter on One Life To Live without a plane crash, a train crash, or a car crash???? You knew there had to be a way for Todd to get another chance to prove his innocence, didn’t you? At least he and John won’t be mortally wounded and John is going to have some tough questions for Paige back in Llanview so hopefully, he will start digging in the right places and get the goods on Spencer. After all, Paige doesn’t seem like the type to keep her cool that well. John will probably get her in a position where her nerves will get the better of her sooner or later and we’ll just see how far Bo will let John go in finding out what Paige really knows.
And can we get real for a minute…are we to believe that the stupid cop with John and Todd on the plane just fell asleep two seconds after John walked up to the cockpit and Todd was able to get his gun? Oh Please!!
It’s certainly getting sticky watching Natalie juggle her feelings for John and Cristian. She definitely was right in her feeling that something was going to happen if John took that flight with Todd. And I can’t blame Cristian for being angry that she came to him and had to mention that she was frustrated after not being able to stop John from going on the plane. She’s definitely giving Cristian mixed messages and I don’t blame him for getting upset, but he is getting quite an attitude and is quite cocky about being sure that Natalie can’t stay away from him. Even though he’s right, I was glad that she straightened him out by telling him that she’s trying her best not to hate him and John for what they did to her and she’s trying to get on with her life. I cheered her on when she asked him, “When did you become such a pompous jerk?” I hope Cristian never forget what he did to Natalie and his whole family when he decided to kept the fact that he was alive a secret. And I guess it was a nice thought Natalie had to buy Cristian’s paintings so he’d have some money and give up the idea of boxing…but she got busted BIG TIME didn’t she? Did she really think she’d get away with that scheme?
No surprise that Evangeline just about admitted to Cristian that she’s still in love with John…and no surprise that Cris keeps pushing her not to give up on John. Hmmm…wonder why he’s doing that?
And how cute are Rex and Matthew as brothers? I never would have thought it was safe for Matthew to go to Rex for advice about girls, but Rex did a great job and I love the fact that he feels like he’s a part of Bo’s family and like he’s Matthew’s big brother.
And let me just say that one thing was missing from this year's Valentine's Day episode that really made me upset and that was the fact that yet again, Viki was not herself, just like she wasn't herself to be in court when Todd was sentenced to death. I have to again say that I feel it was very poor planning to have Niki Smith "out" so much of the time these days. Viki has not been able to be there for anyone, including Jessica for a while now and whether we like it or not, Viki is the voice of reason and sanity for her kids and everyone around her. I think the writers have given all of Viki's kids terrible problems at the same time and it's just too much. BUT...worst of all for me…and so very important to Viki…is the fact that every year on Valentine's day…even when Ben was in a coma in the hospital and even last year even when Ben was already "gone" (notice I didn't say dead, lol).Viki would dress up and go to be with him wherever he was because Valentine's Day was such an important day for them. This year, the only mention of Ben, which I appreciated, was when Asa was telling Matthew about how much he and Renee loved and missed their son. Now, I know Ben has not been around in the past few years...and I know there is a lot of other stuff going on, but it's a tremendously important day to Viki and somehow, a way to help her spend a few minutes out of her crazy life with Ben would have been wonderful to see. Oh well, I'll just have to wait until he comes back for real!
See ya
next week….
Jill Berry
FAN
FEEDBACK AND QUESTIONS
Jamie writes: "Why is Clint so concerned about Nash's feelings? Why is it that Clint does NOT show the same concern towards Antonio? It seems to me that Clint's past situation with Viki/Niki more closely resembles Antonio's than Nash's. And why is it that all the romantic scenes lately have been with Tess & Nash? It seems to me that TPTB have already made their decision as to who is going to win this battle? IMO, it seems that TPTB are NOT giving Antonio a fair shake."
Dear Jamie: I understand Clint's feelings about Nash. It's like he told Viki…he knows what it's like and how difficult it is to love and deal with someone who has DID and he can totally sympathize with Nash's frustration. As far as Antonio is concerned, Clint does feel for the situation Antonio is in, but I think he just relates more to Nash. Obviously, you don't prefer Nash and Jess/Tess together but a whole lot of people love this couple. I think they have great chemistry and even though I used to be a big fan of Antonio and Jessica, I find something irresistible about Nash and Forbes March and Bree Williamson have wonderful chemistry. Also, I am a bit tired of Antonio's macho attitude. He just looks silly when he lays it on Nash as if he's posing a threat.
Kristin writes: "Any idea what happened to the 'real' Paige?"
Dear Kristin: There are a few conflicting opinions on what happened with Cady Huffman. Some say she didn't fit well with Bob Woods…some say she didn't want to be on a contract and the show wanted her on one. I'm not really sure but I wish her well. Lots of people liked her but I think her replacement is going to do fine. She seems to have walked easily into the role and that comes from yours truly, who never liked Paige. I don't mind this one, especially if the writers finally give Paige the guts to bring down Spencer.
Nancy writes: "When it comes to my two favorite characters, John and Natalie I couldn't agree with you more. It blows me away when I read all these message boards and the tons of fans that want John with Evangeline. These two are so blah it's pathetic. You can tell the great chemistry between Michael Easton and Melissa Archer, because to me, their scenes are electric and jump off the screen. Hard to believe I'm watching the same thing when I see people write in that Natalie and John are boring. Like John said in a show this week "we were never just friends," I believe in his heart and hers that is the truth. I sure hope ABC gets this couple together."
Dear Nancy: Although it's no secret that I'm a John/Natalie fan, I never thought John and Evangeline were blah or pathetic. I just thought that on some very important level they weren't connecting. There were things in the relationship that Evangeline could never be happy with and after all they had been through, John could not give her what she wanted and needed. I think that Natalie "gets him" on a whole different level and he is just drawn to her. Who knows…maybe if John had to go through what he's going through now back when he was with Evangeline, they might have had a better shot…but she wasn't about to wait around for him to figure himself out. As far as the John/Evangeline fans finding them boring, well, been there done that with the McBain wars. I say like whom you like and let others do the same. Sounds easy right? I'm sure that the crisis in the Middle East will probably be resolved before the fans agree on which woman should be with John.
Dereka writes: "Just out of curiosity, how long have you been a fan of or watching OLTL?"
Dear Dereka: Ooohhh...now I might have to tell you my age. Well, I started watching as a kid back in the late '60's when OLTL first came on the air. I stopped watching years later for a few years during a very weird storyline involving a town called Eterna (too weird and boring for me). So, except for a few years, I've been watching forever…or nearly forever.
Anthony writes: "The BIG issue I have is that we are expected to believe that Margaret was pregnant for an entire year. I know it is daytime, and we are used to seeing children age years overnight. However, on today's episode, it was again pointed out that at the time of Margaret's death, she was 36 weeks pregnant. That was almost 5 months ago. Either the writers think they can just take dramatic license, or the baby is not really Todd's."
Dear Anthony: Well, let's
assume that the baby is Todd's, although who knows? We could find out next week
that Asa is the father. And hey, don't you know any women who were pregnant for
13 months? Sounds pretty normal to me in Soapland. LOL!
© Copyright by Katherine
Thurston, 2006
