| "Reflections by Jill" - A Weekly Commentary on One Life to Live | |
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REFLECTIONS BY JILL….Well, I was thinking all week that nothing was sadder than Duke’s funeral and all the emotions surrounding it, but after watching last Thursday and Friday’s shows that dealt with Todd’s execution, it’s hard for me to think about anything else. It was almost too unbearable for me to watch. Setting aside all the wonderful acting performances, I found it very hard to watch even a minute of those scenes. I forced myself to watch it all to see if it would be realistic or soft-pedaled and boy, I was shocked at how harrowing it was to watch.
First, there sat Todd …24 hours away from the needle. It’s creepy to even think about and when they started talking about Todd’s last meal I got the creeps. I never quite understood the concept anyway. How does someone who knows they’re going to die the next day sit and decide…hmmm….prime rib or lobster…beer or wine? It’s too awful for me to even think about.
And speaking of the last meal…how disgusting was it of Spencer to pay that visit to Todd? I couldn’t believe he walked in when the guard was talking to Todd about his last meal and said, “You don’t want to die hungry, Todd, do you?” But Todd was so right. Spencer came to see him because he’s running scared and he wanted to know what Todd knew that could blow him out of the water. It was hard to watch when Todd got in Spencer’s face and Spencer rubbed his nose in the fact that he was “comforting” Blair several times a night…and it brought tears of fury to Todd’s eyes. It had to cost Todd a lot to break down in Spencer’s face like that, but I do pray that Todd gets the last laugh and that his prediction comes true…that he will visit Spencer in prison when he’s deciding on his own last meal. That would make my year!
And how about Blair having second thoughts and taking the kids to see Todd one last time? Oh, I was applauding at the screen when Todd threw Blair out and she begged to get in to see him. The last thing she deserved was an audience with Todd….but watching Blair in action, begging to get in to see Todd, I was forced to remember what a good actress Kassie DePaiva is and I could feel Blair’s pain, too…when she realized that she needed to make things right before Todd dies. I don’t have sympathy for Blair when I think about how stupid she’s been through all this and Todd is so hurt that you can’t blame him for keeping her out…but the horror of this situation has spread to so many people. I felt bad enough for Todd when little Jack would not come to him and give him a hug, but when Jack said, “You’re not my daddy any more, Dr. Spencer is”…wow…I’ll bet Todd thought that was more painful than the thought of his execution.
And then we came to execution day. Oh boy, those scenes with Todd and Starr ripped my heart right out. Trevor and Kristin did an incredible job. Poor Starr, thinking she’s losing the dad she has worshipped all her life…and Todd, openly crying over having to say goodbye to the daughter he adores. It was horribly sad. I thought that Todd’s final goodbye with Evangeline was going to tear my heart out…but Todd and Starr…too sad for words.
Then we have John and Natalie rushing back and we know, of course, that they’re not going to make it in time to stop the execution. And we have the biggest idiot of all, Paige, finally deciding she has a conscience. I can’t even deal with thinking about or talking about her.
So, since next week will be more of the same horror for Todd and company, let’s move on for now.
I don’t know about you, but I shed quite a few tears during the scenes from Duke’s funeral last week. The eulogies were so heartfelt and sad. There was Viki, heartbroken and stoic at the same time, talking about her grandson and what a loving person he was. And Clint, talking about what it means to be a Buchanan man. I think it was more painful in view of the fact that they all got to spend so little time with Duke when he was growing up and now they’ve lost the chance to be with him forever.
I’d just like to say that Kathy Brier leaves me speechless with her singing talent…with her gorgeous and pure voice…and every time she belts out a tune she makes you feel like she feels the song and the situation down to her toes. Her rendition of Beth Neilsen Chapman’s “Sand and Water” from the CD of the same name took my breath away. Every time I hear that song it makes me cry just because I know what a sad place it comes from. (Beth Neilsen Chapman wrote that song as a tribute to her late husband, whom she lost to an illness at a young age.) If you’ve never heard any of Ms. Chapman’s music and were impressed by Kathy’s performance of “Sand and Water”, I recommend that you buy one of her CD’s and listen to the rest. You won’t be disappointed.
It was incredible when Kevin got up to the podium and talked about Duke. What a heartbreaker that was and when he spotted Kelly…boom! You could just feel the explosion before it even happened between those two. That was such an intense moment…when we witnessed Kelly entering the church for Duke’s funeral last week. Wow, that was painful to watch. I have one question. Did you find it at all strange that when Kelly was wheeled into the church and saw Kevin she tried to get the nurse to get her out of there right away and the nurse just ignored her and wheeled her right down the aisle? What was that all about?
In any case, the emotions were so incredibly high…especially since Kevin completely lost sight of the fact that everyone in the church was a witness to his confrontation with Kelly. He was totally blind to everything around him and was consumed with his hatred for Kelly. Actually, I think it had more to do with his hatred for himself and Kelly is a constant reminder of the repercussions of his decision. How is Kevin ever going to get over the fact that he chose to save Kelly first and sacrificed his son because his anger overtook him?
And Kelly...wow. One thing I have to say for Heather Tom…that woman knows how to portray pain and emotional torment. If there was anyone watching who couldn’t feel Kelly’s pain, I don’t know what else could move you. When she asked Kevin why he saved her instead of Duke and why he didn’t just let her die, I couldn’t stop the tears. And when she asked him if he let her live so he could make her feel guilty and pay for Duke’s death…I thought that line was amazing. What she said was so true…that she would pay every day of her life for what she did. Just watching her sitting in that wheelchair crying and saying that she needed to say good-bye to her friend was so sad. I don’t think Kelly will have any easier time dealing with Duke’s death than Kevin will. I give Dan Gauthier another nod this week for an amazing performance, but I give an even bigger round of applause to Heather Tom. I think she was amazing and whether you’re crazy about Kelly or not, Heather’s performance was undeniably great. Next to Erika Slezak, I think Heather Tom does heartache best.
I thought it was dumb enough that Leanne’s reason for not attending her son’s funeral was that she’d try to kill Kevin if she came to Llanview…but I thought it was even stranger that Leanne didn’t insist on Duke being buried in Texas. After all, he spent nearly his entire life there with his mother.
I have to say that the “Annoying Bugger of the Week” Award goes to Hugh Hughes. I just wanted to smack him when Evangeline was trying to get him to agree to exhume Margaret’s body and he didn’t care even one bit. I know it was hard to buy Evangeline’s argument since she had no proof of her claim, but it wouldn’t have hurt Hugh to give an inch or two. He cared enough to get Kelly out of the hospital to go to Duke’s funeral…and it wasn’t even his place to get involved in that situation. Yep, he just annoys the heck out of me. I applauded loudly when Hugh came up to Evangeline at the execution and offered her his good wishes and she blasted him and told him to get away from her. I loved it.
I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about Dorian for a while. She absolutely disgusted me at several points last week, but none more than when she was talking to Blair and said (loud enough for others to hear her) that although it is sad that Duke died, she’s glad that he died instead of Kelly. Now, that may be a completely understandable reaction from one of Kelly’s close relatives, but the fact that she said it out loud and didn’t seem to care who heard her….and it was Viki who did have to hear that crap…was just disgusting.
Did you see Viki’s face when she snuck up quietly behind Dorian and heard every word? I’d have to say that was the moment of the week for me. Wow, talk about the death stare! Talk about Erika’s talent…if Viki didn’t open her mouth at all, we would have known exactly what she thought and felt about what Dorian said….but it was so great to hear her blast Dorian. That was such an insensitive and selfish thing for Dorian to say out loud and honestly, I really wish that just once Viki would forget that she’s a lady and haul off and rearrange Dorian’s face…as herself and not one of her alters, of course. We know that will probably never happen, but I can dream, can’t I? Too bad Natalie wasn’t there…she might just have fulfilled my dream and popped Dorian right there in the church just like she decked that cop in Thailand with her crutch.
And I couldn’t believe the nerve of Dorian when she showed up at Asa’s house after be instructed by Viki not to come. She had some nerve cozying up to Clint and doing whatever she could to annoy Viki. On a day that was so horrible for Viki, Dorian’s insensitivity was worse than it has ever been.
I was disappointed in Clint when he stood by and let Dorian go as far as she did in taunting Viki. He was so polite and grateful to Dorian for her concern. Give me a break. And I don’t think that Clint redeemed himself quite enough at the end when Viki went outside to deal with the reporters and he commented to Dorian about what an amazing woman Viki is. He should have thought more about what Viki was going through….between Duke’s death and Todd’s impending death…and just removed Dorian from the premises at the first sign that Viki was having trouble dealing with her. He shouldn’t have been playing referee between Dorian and Viki….that day was a day for his family’s grief and he let Dorian invade that for too long. I know that Clint was in a lot of pain, too, but he is well aware that Dorian is after him and the fact that it annoys Viki makes Dorian even happier…so knowing that, he should have refused to give Dorian an inch on such a solemn and difficult day.
I loved seeing Viki dealing with all those reporters talking about her feelings about the death penalty and asking them all to come to the vigil. Loyalty is that woman’s middle name. She’ll never give up believing in Todd.
And have we not had enough disasters? I guess plane crashes and tornadoes are not enough…now we have to have a monsoon in Thailand just when John and Natalie have found a way to save Todd’s butt, as well as nail Spencer for the whole Thomas McBain fiasco and more. It figures that John and Natalie would be stuck in that ridiculous downpour and not be able to use any phones or get a flight home right away. I guess it was too much to ask when John finally got through to the prison and couldn’t get the guard to listen to him. At least they finally got on a plane…but too little too late.
Oh, did I give my “Evangeline’s blindness storyline is totally stupid” speech yet this week? Well, again, I have to say that they are doing a terrible disservice and are being totally ridiculous when it comes to Evangeline’s blindness. The writers have her totally trusting Layla and Cristian, which is fine, but even with people she loves and trusts with her life, I would think she’d be a bit more cautious. For example, when she went with Cristian to see the governor about exhuming Margaret’s body, they were in the reception area and Cris told her to “walk over here” and then “stop, here’s the couch.” I don’t care how much she trusts him, the normal reaction would be for Evangeline to at least reach down and feel where the couch was. She just took his word for it and sat down as if she could see everything around her. I hate the way they’re playing this storyline.
I have to say that although I have been enjoying the show for the most part in the past several months, it has once again taken too much of a turn toward the dark side. I mean, come on….a burial and an execution in one week? I hope that after we put Duke’s death behind us and hopefully get Todd back in circulation, we can see some light at the end of the tunnel. Don’t we deserve some happy rewards for enduring so much of the sinister stuff and almost none of the joy? That question doesn’t require an answer…how could anyone possibly disagree?
See ya
next week….
Jill Berry
FAN
FEEDBACK AND QUESTIONS
Standardmtbs writes: “I have missed a few episodes surrounding the tornado and Duke's death. I was wondering if anyone even thought of calling Leanne Demarest, his mother who raised him practically his whole childhood. In fact, Duke held so much resentment for the way Kevin treated him as a child that I find it hard to believe that the show could not bring her back, even as a recast to put some closure to the story.”
Dear Standardmtbs: As you already know if you’ve watched the last few shows, Kevin did call Leanne in Texas and the very ridiculous outcome was that she wasn’t coming to the funeral. When Clint asked Kevin why Leanne wasn’t coming to her own son’s funeral, Kevin told Clint that Leanne said that if she came to Llanview she’d want to kill him for what happened to Duke. I thought it was totally stupid…and very poorly written…and I can think of lots of weddings and funerals where major family members were suspiciously absent but a mother not being there for her child’s funeral is impossible to explain away. That’s soaps for you.
YASQY writes: “As anyone can see from reading your weekly commentaries, you definitely have a preference for Natalie and John. Are you stuck on Michael Easton the man, or John his One Life To Live character? Yes, he is a decent looking man, but a lot of us One Life To Live viewers don’t feel he is the best at acting. Sometimes he appears drunk. Eye candy…maybe…a good actor, I don't think so. I am not a particular fan of Natalie either (they are really bringing the show down and losing viewers), but at least she can act. Why are you always gushing over the McBain boys (especially John)? I really hope that Michael Easton does leave the program and Natalie goes off to wherever so that the writers of One Life to Live can finally develop some realistic storylines, and get back to good daytime drama. Not just my opinion. Why not take a poll on the most declining of soap operas? I bet One Life to Live wins hands down.”
Dear YASQY: Yes, big surprise…I do have a preference for John and Natalie. As far as me being “stuck” on Michael Easton…let me just say that there was only EVER one actor on One Life to Live that I could look at for five episodes a week (if they would have given me that much) and never tire of him…and that, of course, was Mark Derwin as Ben Davidson. Yep, that man I was STUCK ON…still am! It was lucky for me that his portrayal of Ben was as wonderful to me as looking at him was. So, you see, I don’t like John because he is….LOL…eye candy. Sure, I find him very easy to look at, but I like the character and I don’t agree that Michael Easton’s acting is lacking in anything. As far as the McBain boys go…aside from big-time romance on the show (which we never get any more) my favorite scenes to watch are the close family moments and that’s what I love about John and Michael. My question to everyone who is so unhappy with the show is….why watch? Life is too short to be so disappointed every day. I don’t understand why people don’t just take the show for what it is…FICTION…and watch if it gives you the diversion you’re looking for…or take up knitting or bowling if it doesn’t!!!
Andrea writes: “What disease did Marty Saybrook die of?”
Dear Andrea: Marty Saybrook did not die. As a matter of fact, it was just months ago that she visited Todd in jail. At least I think he was in jail at the time. Marty is now a therapist.
Pudsmom52 writes: “I would be so happy if Bo and Nora got back together ....and could sit there and eat chili dogs together like they did years ago…even before Sam.”
Dear Pudsmom52: I couldn’t agree more. I miss those fun old scenes and we surely don’t get enough of them any more. I am looking forward to Nora waking up already. It’s been too long and lots of people don’t ever care any more. I do. In addition to being back with her family, I’d love to see Nora and Viki rekindle that old, wonderful friendship that they’ve always had.
Taras writes: “I am deeply troubled by women who identify with the fictional character Natalie Vega Buchanan. Not because you and others like you aren’t entitled to your own opinion in fact, that’s exactly what it is, an opinion. But because I fear the TIIC at ABC think that this childlike character who is played to be a perpetual victim, who can only have a love scene if she is near death or the poor sap of her choosing is over medicated, is what we’d like to see on our beloved soaps. Gone are the strong balanced super couples such as Jake and Megan….or the tortured bad girl heroines that are made to pay for their mistakes like Tina. Now we are stuck with this character Natalie that sinks every sweeps and entertains the few that expect nothing of the writer but the contrived storylines being force-fed. You state that she is a heroine that goes for what she wants and that is something you applaud. The same argument could be made that she is spoiled, selfish, delusional and hard of hearing. As long as critics such as you demand nothing more, then she will continue to be portrayed this way. It’s a travesty…and you, my dear, perpetuate it.”
Dear
Taras: I am sorry that you are deeply troubled, MY DEAR, by women like me who
you think identify with Natalie. Let me let you in on a little secret. I don’t
identify with anyone on soaps. I can’t think of one character who has anything
resembling a normal life and that’s why I like soaps…they’re fun, silly, once in
a while romantic…and always an hour during which I can kick back and put “normal
life” aside. Honestly, I feel very sorry for the people who take these things so
seriously and who foolishly believe that if I, as a viewer, stand up in defense
of assertive women all over America, the powers that be will alter the way they
portray certain characters on the show. I’ve never seen it proven that the fans
have that much power. I’m sorry you feel that I’m perpetuating a travesty by
liking Natalie. There are several strong women on the show…Viki, Dorian,
Evangeline…and I like and enjoy watching them all for different reasons. Natalie
is just different and I don’t consider that bad. And when did I call her a
heroine? I very simply watch and usually enjoy the show and when I write, I
don’t dwell on the social correctness of the storylines. I do object when I
think something is poorly done, but I’d certainly never lose sleep over it or
have an argument about it in real life. I think the real travesty is what I see
when I go to message boards and read the vile things that opposing fan bases
have to say about each other. What does that say about strong, self-respecting
women today?
© Copyright by Katherine
Thurston, 2006
