| "Reflections by Jill" - A Weekly Commentary on One Life to Live | |
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REFLECTIONS BY JILL….Well, I guess Roxy said it best when the whole town of Llanview was in an uproar over the tornadoes and she casually strolled around Marcie and Michael’s wedding reception with her drink saying, “I’m so glad it’s an open bar.” I can only imagine what she would have said if she had been one of the unfortunates who was buried under the rubble or in a car hanging off a cliff. Thank goodness for Roxy. Someone had to enjoy oblivion in the midst of the tragedy that was happening.
Isn’t it funny…no, not really funny…pretty sad that we have to wait until a major catastrophe hits town before we get to see a little romance and human emotion on One Life to Live? I guess when your life is on the line it’s a perfect time to show how you feel about someone…at least on soaps that’s the way it is.
Take John, for example. Of course, I’ll probably have all gray hair and shrink to three feet tall by the time this man ever actually says “I love you”, but I think he came closer than he ever has last week when he thought Natalie was lost and dead in the rubble of the church. And for all those who swear that I’m crazy when I say John loves Natalie, please think back and remember whose name John was yelling out first…and second…before he called for Cristian and Evangeline. John wouldn’t leave Natalie’s side no matter what…and I had to laugh when he planted that lovely kiss on her lips because it occurred to me that he was about to explode with emotion and had he not sunk his lips onto hers at that moment, he just might have blurted out those three little words. Oh well, I still hold out hope for this boy.
We got more evidence of who loves whom and who is over whom when Cristian went crazy looking for Evangeline and was perfectly content that John was taking care of Natalie. I have to give Cristian credit for deciding to get on with his life and it is obvious how much he cares for Evangeline. And speaking of Evangeline, I think I felt sorriest for her because next to Viki, I think Evangeline is the most independent and self-sufficient person on the show and for her to even temporarily lose her sight and not be in control is so difficult. I thought Renee’s performance was a real stand out. When she was in the church she made me feel the physical pain she was in as well as the emotional upheaval of suddenly losing her sight. Good job!
It made me cringe that Evangeline had to endure dealing with Spencer at the hospital. At least he wasn’t too obnoxious where she was concerned. I was glad he turned her over to an ophthalmologist right away. Who needs to have him hovering around smirking?
And speaking of romance, I guess it had to take a stalker abducting Adriana before she and Rex could admit their feelings for each other. This pair has a real shot at a future together. Let’s see if they can go a week without messing it up. I love what John Paul Lavoisier has done with Rex over the last several months. He and Melissa Gallo have a nice chemistry together.
I was glad that it took some time for news of the tornado to reach the wedding reception because at least it gave us a chance to hear Marcie sing that beautiful song to Michael before he was swept away to the hospital. The montage that ran while Marcie sang to Michael was beautiful. Thank goodness we got a bit of sweetness in the midst of all that horror. I was glad that at least Marcie and Michael got to spend a few minutes together for a dance. I loved that. I am not sure how wise it was for John to keep the truth about David shooting their father from Michael, but I guess John felt that Michael had enough to deal with on his wedding day.
So, Lindsay caught Marcie’s bouquet and RJ caught the garter. A little hint for the future? I wonder.
And my question is…what is going to happen to Kevin? As if he hasn’t been in enough of a mess lately…he has to go looking for Kelly at the rectory and find her buried with Duke, naked in the rubble. I can’t think of a more horrible predicament than the one Kevin was forced into when Spencer told him that it was probable that only one of them would survive. Maybe overhearing the nurses say that Kelly was in much worse shape than Duke helped Kevin to make his decision to have Spencer operate on Kelly first…or maybe somewhere in his soul he couldn’t forgive Duke for betraying him and having sex with Kelly. I would think that since he truly loves Kelly so much, Duke would want Kelly to go into surgery first, but I’m sure Kevin was not thinking along those lines. In any case, it was a horrible situation for him to be in and I agree with Clint….before Clint even spoke the words, I was thinking that Spencer must be enjoying the tragedy that the Buchanans were going through. And of course, you just knew that Spencer was going to say that there was an experimental surgery that only one doctor on the east coast has performed…and wouldn’t you know…he just happens to be that doctor. It was hard to watch Kevin as Duke coded at the end of Friday’s show. How is he going to live with the fallout from all this?
How much did you want to punch that EMT who was sent out in the emergency to get the defibrillator for Kelly and Duke, when he was gossiping in the hallway about how they were found at the church? That was disgusting.
I have to say that the person who shocked me the most last week was Tess. It’s amazing how much like Jessica she has become. She actually has a heart now and it has gotten even bigger since she gave birth. Can we name that baby please? I was shocked at how she behaved with Antonio, especially since she was so furious at him for getting that court order to keep the baby in the hospital. I remember Clint trying to break up the argument between Tess, Nash and Antonio when he tried to calm Tess down by saying, “You’re angry and you’re lashing out…not your best quality.” How true! Clint has some great lines, doesn’t he? I was amazed at how much compassion Tess showed for Antonio when he was lying on the ground after the accident and was calling for Jessica. I was surprised that she actually pretended to be Jessica so that Antonio would have a reason to fight for his life…and I couldn’t believe that she brought the baby to him in the hospital so he could hold her. I also couldn’t believe how far Antonio came in his understanding of the situation. He obviously sees a lot of Jessica coming out of Tess and he realizes that he can’t be the “bad guy” and get what he wants out of this situation. I was glad that he thanked her for saving his life and told her that he doesn’t hate her. Shocking…she doesn’t hate him any more either…she realizes that he wants a life with Jessica as much as she wants a life with Nash. It was a real love fest for Tess, Antonio and Nash…LOL. These three have certainly come a long way. Let’s see how long the peace will last.
Did anyone expect Natalie to stay in the hospital knowing that John was going over to Thailand looking for David Vickers? At least she and John got some truths out in the open…like the fact that she is so worried about him and is afraid to lose him…and the fact that he’s worried about her after she lost so much blood but he is honest about his decision to go after David and doesn’t try to sugar coat what he thinks he’s going to do when he finds him. I guess John made the mistake of telling Natalie that they are partners. He should know by now that she’d take that literally. I loved the fact that when they were in the church John told Natalie that he wanted a second chance with her and this time he promised to come through. Wow, that was growth. I did have to laugh when Natalie told John that he does whatever he wants even if she doesn’t like it. Hmmm….did Natalie really think before she said that? I was surprised that John didn’t turn that one right back around on her and tell her to look in a mirror. Why was John surprised to see Natalie show up on his plane? Silly boy!
And just how far is John really going to go? It didn’t look too good when he called in a favor and made sure there would be a gun waiting for him when he arrived in Thailand. I wonder what Dorian will do when she finds out that in exchange for John getting the cops to look for Kelly, she turned David over to him on a silver platter.
And in closing…once again…David Vickers is the bright, humorous light of the week.
Of course, he’s going to be singing a different tune once John McBain finds him, but for now his interaction with Margaret is hysterical. I laughed so hard when he asked her if he could stay at her place for about a week to ten days and his reasoning was the funniest when he said, “Keep your friends close and your lunatics closer.” But nothing gave me more pleasure than his phone call to Spencer when he knew he had shaken Spencer’s devious little world and said, “Hey Spencer, how’s the view from under my thumb?” Ah David, I hope he comes out of this mess with his hide still attached to his bones. Oh, and here’s to Margaret for another great laugh. I did nearly die laughing when David was telling her about her past with Todd and she said, “Was I not a nice person?” Oh Margaret, my sides were splitting from that one!
See ya
next week….
Jill Berry
FAN
FEEDBACK AND QUESTIONS
Michele writes: “I support the idea of having Spencer publicly humiliated, he deserves nothing less, but I'd love for Blair to be the main audience of that scene. His smugness has become quite infuriating, as well as Blair's continued stupidity and blindness about him. And Natalie is getting on my last nerve as well. This holier than thou mentality that she's "watching John's back" by doing everything he asks her not to do is ridiculous. She is dense and stubborn and when she broke down after he left her at Llanfair this week, it was what she deserved. Yet she still challenged him at the chapel.”
Dear Michele: I sure wouldn’t mind if Blair witnessed Spencer being led off in handcuffs. It would make me totally happy to see him get what’s coming to him and for Blair to finally get what everyone else has figured out ages ago. As far as Natalie goes…she’s gotten on a lot of peoples’ nerves lately…but I have to say that this is a young woman who knows what she wants and doesn’t let anyone tell her she can’t do something when her mind is made up. Sure, she’s done a ton of stupid things in the name of love…but judging from John being stuck to her like glue and realizing his feelings when she was hurt…I’d say she might annoy the heck out of some people, but she’s got John realizing what no one else could make him realize…and by that I mean…HIS TRUE FEELINGS! Natalie may be stubborn, but dense…not so much! It may be ridiculous for her to think so, but she really thinks she can save him.
Missy writes: “I have been a OLTL fan for well over a decade and enjoy the fact that you are a Natalie and John fan. In fact, I decided to write because I feel like Natalie and all of us Natalie & John fans need to be defended. I know a lot of people rail against Natalie for her antics, but her antics are the very things that make her so great! Although Natalie acts before she thinks, and often forges headlong into the most absurd plans, her heart remains the motivation for her actions. And, that is an admirable trait. Moreover, in just one scene, Natalie can make you want to laugh out loud, slap her silly, and give her hug. Together, that makes her a deeply flawed, but utterly lovable and entertaining character! What more could one ask for in a soap personality? As for John and Natalie, I do not understand how anyone can deny John and Natalie's connection. Although John and Evangeline were a good couple, it seems obvious to me that John and Natalie have always been connected in a way that John and Evangeline could never be connected because Natalie and John understand each other. It sounds corny, but they "get" each other. Moreover, despite their fights and disagreements (which are quite entertaining to watch), when push comes to shove, John will always put Natalie first (above his own needs and safety), and Natalie will always do the same for John. That makes them a couple worth rooting for, and I hope May Sweeps does their love story justice.”
Dear Missy: This is going to be a very short answer because I couldn’t have said it any better than you did. I also do not understand how anyone can deny the connection between Natalie and John and it was more than evident when John, Natalie, Cristian and Evangeline were stuck in the church, that just as Cristian’s concern was focused on Evangeline, John called out for Natalie first and wouldn’t leave her side, let alone hide his emotions from her. Enough said…great commentary on your part.
Demetta writes: “Can you tell me who was Max & Gabrielle’s son?”
Dear Demetta: Max and Gabrielle were the parents of Al Holden, who was Marcie’s first love and the man who “morphed” into Michael McBain before our eyes.
Richard writes: “You are completely wrong about John...his behavior and actions ARE NOT in any way abnormal. In fact, it is Michael and Natalie's behavior that is abnormal -- Michael is in denial of his own anguish about their father's death. And Natalie is constantly and completely selfishly putting her own life in jeopardy -- and therefore John's as well, since he feels obligate to protect her. Anyone who loses a father without a clear resolution as to why, and especially someone as stable as John, would want to get to the bottom of it. I am a trained therapist, and you have no idea what you are talking about -- once again John is totally normal, it is his selfish girlfriend Natalie and stupid brother Michael who are behaving inappropriately.”
Dear Richard: Hmmm…did I call John’s behavior abnormal? I don’t think I used
that word. What I do always say is what I still believe…John is haunted by his
past and he does need some help in moving forward. In any case, I’m sorry but I
find it totally amusing to hear anyone call John “stable”…especially someone who
claims to be a therapist. You may think I have no idea what I’m talking about,
but I can tell you this…I’m doing a commentary on a soap opera…which is
fiction…and fun…and has nothing at all to do with my career…and I’d think that a
trained therapist would think something was wrong with calling someone as
emotionally challenged as John “stable” while calling Natalie “selfish” for
trying to live her life and calling Michael “stupid” when he is about the most
stable, compassionate and decent person on the show. How do you refrain from
judging John and jump right in to analyze Natalie and Michael? I think Natalie
was a very selfish girl when she came to Llanview. I don’t see her that way most
of the time now. Calling Michael stupid makes you seem……oh well, I’m no
therapist so I’ll keep that opinion to myself. Thanks for writing.
© Copyright by Katherine
Thurston, 2006
