| "Reflections by Jill" - A Weekly Commentary on One Life to Live | |
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REFLECTIONS BY JILL….I don’t like to sound redundant, but once again, I have to say that the best part of last week on One Life To Live was the Jess/Tess storyline. I remain in amazement at the depth of talent coming out of Bree Williamson. Her portrayal of Tess, every step of the way…her fear…her courage…her defiance…the range of emotions she went through was incredible to watch and the spill-over from Tess’s ordeal onto the other characters involved is just as interesting to watch.
More than once my heart was just ripped out of my chest watching what Tess went through. From the beginning I was amazed that she has come so far to the point where she realizes that she has no other choice but to go ahead with the integration of her personality with Jessica’s. Her scenes with Nash before the session with Dr. Crosby were so heartfelt and so poignant. It’s been a long time on this show since I’ve seen more love and devotion between a couple than there is between Tess and Nash and no others on the canvas today do it better. From the scene where he convinced her that he would be there with her every step of the way and told her how much he loved her and that whatever happened she’d always be with him…to the scene that made me cry when she told him that if she and Jessica were integrated and she “disappeared” it wasn’t because she didn’t love him enough. It was like watching someone saying good-bye to the love of their life on their deathbed…so sad. This is a truly deep love story and I don’t think it will ever be all right for Tess to disappear…which I can’t see happening since Tess has changed so much since she first appeared on the scene as a party girl and Nash changed his old ways and changed his and her life when he fell so deeply in love with her.
Which leads us to the return last week of Antonio. Well, as everyone knows, I used to be a big fan of the Antonio/Jessica relationship, but I can’t help but say that the longer I watch Nash and Tess together…and the more I see that Antonio hasn’t changed one iota during this whole, terrible situation, I find myself trying to remember that Antonio has a stake in this and that his feelings count, too.
It only took one line out of Antonio’s mouth to convince me. The first thing he said after seeing Tess and realizing that Jess was even further from his reach than before, he said, “If I weren’t away so long this wouldn’t have happened.” My goodness…it’s all about him, isn’t it…as if Jessica’s family being there every step of the way couldn’t fix things…but if he were there Tess wouldn’t have taken over to this extent. Not only did I think it was ridiculously overwhelming for the whole family and Dr. Crosby to be waiting with baited breath in the library for Tess to come down…but Antonio being there with his impatience and determination to totally discount Nash’s existence was a detriment to the entire situation.
I was thrilled when Antonio and Clint were talking and Antonio kept saying that Tess and Nash were a fantasy and Clint told him that he keeps failing to see the big picture. Of course Antonio had to insist that he loves Jess and that’s all he needs to see. Clint was talking to deaf ears when he told Antonio that he needs to grow and that when the integration is finished, Jessica may never be the same and Nash understands that. I liked Clint’s final word when he told Antonio that if he were going to be a hindrance to the process he’d throw him out of the house…GO CLINT! Even when Antonio went to vent his feelings to Cristian, he was angry with Cris for not backing him up and for seeing both sides of the story. One thing is for sure….the lack of Antonio’s presence recently was a reprieve…he is absolutely no help to Jessica since he can’t allow himself to see beyond his own anger and frustration.
And now to the heart of the storyline…once again, Bree Williamson was extraordinary as Jessica when Tess went under hypnosis and took her back to that awful time when she was a little girl. Bree’s portrayal of the young Jessica was so real…it was frightening and uncomfortable to watch…which is the highest compliment I can give to this actress.
How did you like Clint going to Dorian for some solace and a shoulder to cry on? I was surprised that he told Dorian the whole story about Jessica’s experiences as a child. I wonder what Viki would think about that. Wow! And wasn’t it convenient that at that hour of the night Dorian just happened to have a full hot mean cooked and ready to come out of the oven? When did she learn to cook anything without the aid of a fire extinguisher? I must say that Dorian and Clint together make a very interesting pair. I wonder where this could go.
Moving on…Bree wasn’t the only one who pulled a few tears out of me last week. I’m talking about Kathy Brier and Catherine Hickland as Marcie and Lindsay talking about Marcie’s wedding with the big void left by Jen’s murder last year. I loved the scene where Marcie told Lindsay about her trip to the bridal shop where the saleswoman talked to her about foundation garments (girdles) and Marcie didn’t know what to say but she and Lindsay both knew that Jen would have had plenty to say to that woman. I thought it was great that Marcie asked Lindsay to be her maid of honor because Lindsay will now at least have the joy of doing for Jen’s best friend what she won’t be able to do for Jen…and Marcie will have the closest thing to a loving mom she can get to help plan her wedding.
And how adorable was Michael when he asked Marcie to marry him on her mother’s birthday? We need a little bit of sweetness on an otherwise dark canvas and this couple provides a bit of that lightness that we need.
And while we’re talking about McBains….I’m crazy about those McBain brothers. I think it’s great that they’re both working together now on their father’s case and that John is allowing someone else in. It was good that they were together to confront that doctor in the bar who operated on their father…and now they’ve both seen first hand that there was something else going on that day and that there is more to the story than meets the eye.
John and Michael’s conversations about their dad are terrific. It was a nice thought that Michael had when he said that if they could only solve the case before his wedding to Marcie, it would be like their dad was there with them. And John, of course, realizes that when this is over, he may finally be able to get on with his life. Boy, would I love to see that happen! And wasn’t it hysterical when Michael was telling John about wedding details and asking him questions and John said, “What the hell are you, Emily Post?”
But it was a beautiful thing when Michael told John that he was honored to have him for a brother and John said, “Knock it off before I kick your ass!” Oh, I love these guys together so much.
I am amazed that Starr Manning hasn’t yet permanently wound up on an analyst’s couch. It wasn’t bad enough that she had to deal with those idiot kids in the park…and it wasn’t bad enough that she had to almost catch her mom and Spencer in a clinch at her house…but then…OH BROTHER…when she walked in on Spencer and her mother half dressed in his hotel room, I just wanted to take Blair and Spencer and knock their two heads together. Actually, Starr can thank David for rigging the door to just open when she touched it…but what is wrong with Blair? She’s an amazing woman, isn’t she? In the course of her day…worrying about her almost husband on the run from the police…worrying about her daughter being tormented at school because of their father AND mother’s behavior…and worrying about her young son not having his father around…and this amazing woman has time to fit in a little afternoon delight. Wow…she sure has her priorities straight, doesn’t she? She’s nothing but a fool and Spencer, that pig, is nothing but a big old baby. He’s smiling when he gets what he wants and he throws a hissy fit when things don’t go his way. The way he flew off the handle when he found out that David was snooping in his suite was ridiculous. Of course, he has plenty to hide, but right away he was going off on Blair, thinking she believed what David told her about him. Spencer, Blair is too stupid to listen to David! Quit worrying! Blair didn’t even blink an eye when she overheard Spencer nearly threatening Asa and believed every lying word of explanation he gave her.
And Margaret is in Thailand and Spencer put her there. I can feel Spencer’s world crumbling…but not at all fast enough for me.
And let’s talk about Natalie for a minute. She’s up to her old tricks again. Why didn’t she just go and shove that nasty guy’s name in John’s face so he could investigate the creep himself? No, she has to go up against a big mob guy on her own. We can only hope that John bails her out once again…how many lives do you think she has?
And wasn’t it nice to see John go voluntarily for his session with Dr. Crosby? And wasn’t it interesting that John admitted that he had saved Natalie’s life too many times and he doesn’t want to think she could be pushing her luck this time…and that he’s worried she’ll get hurt. I think Dr. Crosby hit the nail on the head when he said to John, “Losing Natalie would be the one loss you’d never be able to get over.” Sharp doctor…he’s got John’s number.
And now the police have Todd cornered…what’s next? Todd has had a pretty good run as a fugitive who couldn’t be found in a town where everyone knows when everyone else brushes their teeth.
Did it make you as uncomfortable as it made me when Cristian physically kept Evangeline from going to Todd? I can certainly understand that he’s worried that she will get hurt and at the least ruin her career by helping Todd…but when he kept physically restraining her from leaving the hospital then carted her off over his shoulder I kept thinking that he had a lot of nerve. I hated that he did that to her for any reason and it gave me the creeps that he would do that. He should have shut up and let her go when she reminded him that he’s not the only one who deserved a second chance. Cristian really disappointed me there.
And thanks to Roxy, we had our usual language-smashing laugh when she was bugging Natalie yet again about Cristian and John and when they discussed Cristian’s art Roxy told Nat that she was Cristian’s “schmooze.” Yeah Roxy, that was close…but yes, Natalie is his “MUSE.” I don’t know if I’d ever be able to keep a straight face in a scene with Ilene Kristen…I’ll bet few actors can pull it off..
See ya
next week….
Jill Berry
FAN
FEEDBACK AND QUESTIONS
RayovLight writes: “In regard to the question posted last week about Asa's sons, I think you got them all, but who's Cord? I thought he was a son as well. The Jessica/Tess situation has been devastating to me and I have to say I cried every time that story line was on. What a horrible, dark thing to put on a show that is supposed to be a form of entertainment.”
Dear RayofLight: Cord is Asa’s grandson…Clint’s son. And I agree about the Jess/Tess storyline being so very dark that it’s hard to watch, but I have to say that as much as I hate the subject matter and find it hard to take, I think the writers have done a wonderful job of telling the story without too many visuals (although what we’ve seen is quite enough to upset anyone)…and I can’t possibly say enough about the way the actors are handling the scripts. I’m in awe of all of them.
Lorraine writes: “I'm confused. If Paige's son is suppose to be 20, doesn't that put Nash and Hugh out of the running? Hugh is an assistant D.A. at 20 and Nash with the street smarts of a 30 year old? Isn't Jess/Tess around 30 now? Natalie needs a lobotomy. She is absolutely sickening. With her choice of men and her past love life, she needs to find someone new instead of destroying Chris' life and getting on John's nerves. Chris and John both need to move on. Natalie is so immature.”
Dear Lorraine: First of all, we all know that ages are completely irrelevant in some of the storylines we see. Children age in very strange ways and some people never age at all. We’ve already been told on the show that Rex is 26 years old…and at least one of the others (Nash or Hugh) has stated that he is also 26. Paige has said that her son would be 26, so we’ve been led to believe that all three men are that age. I don’t think we’re supposed to believe that Jessica is more than about 25…but who knows? Kevin should be at least in his 40’s to have a son Duke’s age, even though he had Duke at a very young age…but I don’t think we’re supposed to assume Kevin is that old. That would make Viki close to 70…lol…and no way are we supposed to think that! Sorry, I can’t agree that Natalie is sickening….yeah, sometimes she needs a little smack…lol…but I don’t think either John or Cris thinks she’s ruining their lives. Cris still wants her desperately and even John’s shrink can see that John’s attachment for her is very serious.
LuAnn writes: “I have to say I lost all sympathy for Nash on Tuesday when he accused Antonio of dismissing his relationship with Tess. My first thought was, "Whoa, this is the pot calling the kettle black." Not only have Nash and Tess dismissed the relationship between Jessica & Antonio, they've actively tried to sabotage it. I don't think the writers were on their best game when they wrote this. I'm sure they were trying to make Nash the more sympathetic character, but in my estimation they did the opposite. Nash came across as a hypocrite. It seems it's okay for Nash and Tess to do whatever it takes to stay together, but it's not okay for Antonio to fight equally hard for he and Jess. I'm now rooting 100% for Antonio.”
Dear LuAnn: I guess you can tell from the above column that I don’t agree about Nash and Antonio. I think it’s been very obvious over all these months that Nash has been the more understanding one. He has even walked away from her when he thought it was best for her, even though she tracked him down. I think that if Antonio had shown a bit of kindness and understanding towards Tess the way Nash showed his concern for Jessica, there wouldn’t be so much animosity. Antonio has let his temper get in the way 100% of the time and refuses to acknowledge that Tess and Nash are “real.” He keeps calling them a fantasy and he won’t listen to a word anyone says to him, even when Clint tries to reason with him. I used to be a huge Jess and Antonio fan but honestly, I think the tides have turned and Nash has won the fans over hands down. He’s loving, caring, and respectful of Jessica’s family and although he knows he could lose everything, he refused to take Tess and run away where no one could find them. I understand Antonio’s feelings, but his tunnel vision has become nothing but annoying to me.
Kayla writes: “I heard rumors that RJ, David and Kevin all may be leaving OLTL in the near future. Is that true? I knew there had been speculation about David leaving for quite sometime now and also RJ but Kevin? This is the first I've heard if it. Also this storyline involving Kelly, Duke and Kevin is so stupid. I don’t understand why they’re even doing that considering we both now that Kelly is going to end up with Hugh! Also the other thing I heard was that Evangeline will be going blind in May is this supposed to a temporary or permanent thing?”
Dear Kayla: The rumors have been flying for quite a while about the future
of Tim Stickney, Tuc Watkins and Dan Gauthier on the show. I don’t know for
sure about any of the rumors, but a lot has been written about the lack of
screen time for Kevin lately and tons of fans have been angry for a long time
over the lack of airtime for RJ. Lots of people think that Tuc will be
leaving…we’ll have to wait and see…but one thing that I believe is true…and I
did read it in a couple of magazines, is that Matthew Metzger (Duke) will be
leaving the show…so the Kelly/Duke thing won’t be happening as far as I
know…thank goodness. I did read in last week’s TV Guide that Evangeline will go
blind in May from a natural disaster that will hit Llanview. I’ll bet it won’t
be permanent, but it will be so interesting to see how that affects everyone
around her.
© Copyright by Katherine
Thurston, 2006
