| "Reflections by Jill" - A Weekly Commentary on One Life to Live | |
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REFLECTIONS BY JILL….Well, Todd is home and now the fun begins. I was wondering how long it would take him to throw Blair out of the penthouse. Not too long, obviously. I do wish that Blair would just tell him the truth…that she screwed up royally by falling into Spencer's web and now that she knows what a creep he is, she's trying to get the goods on him so his reign of terror can be finally ended. It figures that Blair would refuse to tell Todd the truth…what's one more lie between these two connivers.
If Blair is worried about Todd being a loose cannon, I think she's wasting her time worrying. How much worse can things get? I think if Todd knew what she was up to he would join forces with her. Well, maybe he'd try to fix Spencer on his own and keep Blair out of it, but let's face it…there is no one who can get closer to Spencer than Blair and if she at least joined forces with Todd, maybe they'd have a good shot at Spencer. It appears that Todd wants to be the old Todd again…the Todd that everyone thought was crazy and dangerous…and when it comes to Spencer and the current situation, I think the old Todd is definitely called for.
I loved that intimate little gathering Todd called at the country club. It was pure Todd and just seeing him show up in that light-colored suit made me laugh…you know, the old good vs. evil thing. Todd is the one you'd always assume would be wearing the black, no? And can I just say that Todd looks really good since he was "executed." Nice haircut, nice clothes…he's a babe. Although the serious moments were very nice and Todd enjoyed the opportunity to thank those who stood by him, like Viki and Evangeline, it was the comments he made to the others that had me falling off my chair…like to John, "I'm glad I didn't kill you when I had the chance. You're OK for a cop"…and to Natalie who, when he told her she was an OK niece but he was a rotten uncle to her she said, "Yeah, you tried to sell my heart"…and to Rex, "You aided and abetted like a pro." It was vintage Todd Manning and it was a riot. I loved the part where he spoke of Starr and told her how beautiful she was and that she was the toughest nut in the room…the only person who never questioned his innocence for a minute. I loved the line when Todd said to Starr, "How could someone who is half me be so good?" But I have to say that one of the funniest lines was when David realized what was going on and he stopped the waiter who was walking around with the tray of champagne glasses and said, "Bring me one of these every ten minutes until I pass out." David was full of surprises, especially when he confessed to John that he killed his father. At this point, does anyone really believe that?
I wasn't surprised that Evangeline refused to help Todd get custody of his kids from Blair. Todd was stupid to lash out at Evangeline when he didn't get her to do what he wanted and he was smart to take back the nasty things he said to her. He needs all the friends he can get right now and she is one of his best allies. No one did for him what Evangeline did and he'd better never forget that. It was right for him to say all those wonderful things about her at his party. She was the truest friend to him. And just seeing how upset his kids are should make Todd understand that making another huge change in their lives right now would do more harm than good. Starr loves him no matter what but Jack is so young and he's totally confused and frightened. He needs some normalcy back in his life…and fast.
And who is Todd kidding? I laughed when he kissed Blair at Dorian's house and then said he had no feelings left for her. Sure Todd…if you had no feelings left for her you wouldn't have planted that big one on her in the first place. And it was just annoying watching Spencer falling all over Blair at Todd's party, not to mention how juvenile it was…and it was equally juvenile for Todd to be falling all over Evangeline while keeping both eyes on Blair and Spencer.
Obviously, no one has had enough smarts yet to put a guard on Paige's hospital room. It was one thing for David to visit her, but Spencer was able to walk right in and catch her conspiring with David. I don't think Spencer believed her at first when she told him that she told Bo everything. Does Spencer think she has anything left to lose by telling Bo how he was set up? Spencer is losing his hold over everyone. David is not going along with Spencer's plan and Paige doesn't seem afraid enough any more to keep her mouth shut. Gee, what's a blackmailer to do?
Bo really confused me when he was with Paige the other day. One minute he was telling her they were through…the next he was saying he didn't know what would be in store for them…but it infuriated me that he took any blame at all for their current predicament. No matter how rigid Bo is about having his partners trust and be honest with him (and is that such a bad thing?) there was no excuse for what Paige did to him. Let's remember that she was lying to Bo even before Spencer showed her the evidence that he had set him up. She let him take her into his home and bond with his young son and all the time she lied to protect her own hide. She's not good enough for Bo.
I got a huge laugh out of David when Spencer walked into Paige's room and found them conspiring behind his back and said, "David, I'm truly hurt" and David said, "You're also ugly - next complaint." Actually, it's amazing that David has any sense of humor left after being confronted by some of Llanview's citizens…especially Marcie. Boy, she let him have it with both barrels when he came into the diner and she lost her cool over what David's actions did to Michael all his life. I can't blame her for being furious at David, but I didn't see the need for her to carry on in front of everyone.
I think the only one Spencer has a hold on any more is the morgue attendant who is swearing that Bo was the one who claimed Margaret's and the baby's bodies. Now we know how Spencer got him to lie, but how long will that last with John and Bo on his case. Well, I hope that Bo stays on the case even though he's temporarily off the police force.
I wish Bo had knocked Spencer's block off when they met in the hospital hallway and Spencer had the nerve to tell Bo he was sorry to hear about his legal troubles. The confrontation was bad enough, but I hate the fact that Paul Satterfield is so much taller than Bob Woods and Bo always has to look up to Spencer…literally. It's a good thing that Bo "stands tall" no matter what, even if he does have to physically look up to Spencer.
Oh, I got so annoyed when Spencer asked Blair to move in with him…with her kids…but I really got nauseous when he offered to make an honest woman out of her and proposed marriage. Does this guy ever quit? He's starting to question Blair's loyalty and she's stupid to keep blatantly snooping around in his things. He's probably already got a punishment in mind for her.
I was sorry to see Bo packing up his things and stepping down from his job. And it's great to see Rex working on the case to help Bo. He knows how wrong it is for Bo to be going through this and it was nice when he said to Bo, "You're the best cop I know…and the best man." I want to see Rex and Bo have their old relationship back and I'm sure they're on the right track.
Now we have Adriana's stalker escalating his pursuit of her. I was glad that Adriana finally told Dorian the truth. It was stupid for Adriana to try to keep her family and the police out of the situation. No way can Rex totally protect her. And I'm sorry, but I just about died laughing when Adriana was sitting alone in the diner working at her laptop and the stalker was able to walk into and stab that picture of Rex right in to the seat without her even blinking an eye. If they wanted to be even the least bit realistic, they would have realized that the diner is right on Angel Square and just opening the door would let in tons of noise from the street. There's no way Adriana would have been oblivious to someone coming in.
It was nice to see Asa back on our screens, wasn't it? I've heard that Phil Carey is dealing with his illness and everyone is hoping and saying an extra prayer or two that he'll be all right. I loved his scenes with Matthew where they talked about him being a Buchanan and what a special thing that was…and I really liked the part where Asa told him that even though he made his money in oil and the oil business has been very good to him…no matter what profession Matthew chooses his family would be right behind him. That doesn't sound like old Asa, does it? But the best words of wisdom Asa gave Matthew when they talked about being scared were, "Being brave doesn't mean you don't get scared…it just means you don't let it stop you from doing what you have to do." Well said, Asa.
I found the scenes between Viki and Jessica to be the most amazing last week. It was so hard for Viki to admit to herself that she knew something was wrong back when Jessica was a little girl and that she ignored it…and then when she admitted it to Jessica it was such a huge thing for her to get off her chest. I remember months ago watching those scenes where Viki remembered getting up in the morning to wake Jessica for school and finding her dressed…not understanding why. And now she's admitting that she would wake up with make-up on knowing she had lost time and be exhausted…and she knew Niki was probably back and couldn't face it. It has to be the most awful thing in the world for Viki to have to face the fact that she was aware of doing something (or in this case, doing nothing) which wound up hurting one of her children to such an awful extent. It showed such strength and character on Viki's part to tell Jessica the truth and for her to keep insisting she was at fault until Jessica listened to her. Viki didn't want to be let off the hook and my heart broke for her. And Jessica was the loving and accepting daughter that Viki should be so proud of having raised. When I listened to Jessica telling Viki that what happened was in the past and they had to be strong to get through what was happening now, it was like the words were coming out of Viki's own mouth. I've always thought that Jessica was a very special person and she never disappoints me. I think with a bit of Tess thrown in, she's going to be a joy to watch for a long time.
I was very sorry to hear Niki's voice back in Viki's head. I am so over Niki and I never want to see or hear from her again. Maybe with Viki getting all of the truth out in the open she can finally put Niki to rest.
While we're on the subject of Jessica, I have to say that although Antonio would love to be Brennan's father and have his happy family just the way it is, I was glad to see that he's being a bit more realistic about the fact that Nash is going to be a part of their lives. It was a big deal for Antonio when he was talking to Clint and admitted that he was terrified of how Jessica would feel about Nash when she became integrated. I admire the fact that Clint doesn't pull any punches with Antonio and said he was glad that Antonio was being realistic about everything. I even felt a bit bad for Antonio when he told Clint that he felt like Clint wanted Nash to be with Jessica. I think Clint is trying to remain neutral and fair to everyone, while first and foremost he wants what is best for his daughter. I like Antonio so much better when he's being real and vulnerable and puts away the macho man persona.
How ridiculous was Dorian when she crashed little Brennan's party. Too bad she was able to brush Viki off when Viki told her to leave because it was a family party and Dorian reminded her that it was Asa's house and she had no right to tell her to leave. And there was old Clint…not doing anything to get rid of her either. He's a bit of a jerk where Dorian is concerned….sorry, but it's true. Sometimes he just needs to back Viki up and put Dorian in her place, but it is becoming more and more obvious to me that his ego won't let him do that. And you just knew that Dorian hadn't ordered a gift for the baby. Did she think she was fooling anyone by pretending that her gift just didn't arrive on time?
And I have to get back to Clint being a bit of a jerk. I take it back…he turned into an even bigger jerk later that day when he showed up at Dorian's house for some consolation. Poor Clint. He loves the fact that he "thinks" two women are fighting over him. Maybe he's been drinking too much bourbon lately…that must be what accounts for his belief that he's Don Juan. I was disgusted when he spoke to Dorian about her relationship with Viki and said, "You are like a couple of cats fighting over a can of tuna." He's got a lot of nerve even putting Viki in that category with Dorian, not to mention that using an analogy like that was disgustingly insulting to both women. And I'd also like to say, "Clint, you are the big dumb tuna." What an ego! I also hated the fact that he told Dorian, "You loathe Viki and Viki loathes you." That was a totally stupid statement for him to make. Yes, Dorian definitely does loathe Viki, but Viki doesn't loathe Dorian, or anyone else. Viki responds to Dorian in her own classy way, but she never stoops to her level. Dorian gets under Viki skin just by existing, but Viki never instigates the trouble between them. We got to see much too much of the old bull-headed Clint last week and that is one thing I could totally live without. I died laughing when Clint gave Dorian that kiss at the end of the scene and just walked away like he enjoyed leaving the poor, desperate woman wanting for more. ICK!!!!
And who deserved a shove more than Claudia? And I mean a shove right out of Nash's bed. Was she kidding? Did she think she was going to get away with pretending to be Tess? That little troublemaker is a master manipulator. I was glad she got to hear her dear old daddy threaten Nash's baby. If she didn't already know her father was a maniac, now she knows for sure. But what will she do about it? I trust her about as far as little Brennan can throw her.
It was kind of funny and kind of nice to see John and Natalie having breakfast up on the roof just like a "normal couple." For someone who won't speak his feelings out loud, John sure seems to be getting used to the things couples like to do together. Even when Natalie was being totally silly (in my opinion) when she couldn't figure out how to solve Bo's case, John understood her frustration and tried to make her feel better. After all, she's taken…what…about 5 classes ands she's trying to solve a case that the police commissioner and chief detective can't figure out. But John understands that she just wants to find a way to help her Uncle Bo and even Natalie was shocked when he put his arm around her right in the middle of the police station. It was a really big deal for John when Natalie said, "Hey, what happened to your 'no PDA's' rule?" and John looked around and said, "To hell with it" and pulled her into his arms. It's so funny to me that the things that are so small to the average person are such major steps for John. But he's making those steps and it was very evident when she admitted that she lied to him about Vincent calling her and he forgave her, telling her never to lie to him again. The old John would have used something like that to push Natalie away. And who was he kidding? I laughed when Natalie was worried about having lied to him and he said it was done and told her, "My old man used to say that just because I get mad at you doesn't mean I don't love you." Did you notice how fast John said "NO" when Natalie asked him if he meant that for her? That "NO" was spit out way too fast, as if John realized that he might have inadvertently said those three little words and didn't know how to handle it.
And speaking of Vincent….is he crazy asking Natalie out? You have to believe at this point that he was the one who sent her those flowers. I wonder how long John is going to last before he tries to knock out Vincent's teeth again.
I like Cristian and Evangeline together more every week. I loved the scene where he blindfolded himself so that he could try to see what it was like in her world now. She just has to get used to the fact that he has real feelings for her regardless of the fact that she's blind. Yes, he wants to help her, but not because he feels sorry for her, but because he has deep feelings for her. I could understand her getting scared when he talked about a future with her. She has so much to deal with right now, but it's obvious that she is bolstered by the fact that she has Cristian in her life and he wants her as a man wants a woman and for no other reason. She needs that in her life, more now than before.
And in closing…what about that kiss between Nora and RJ? That was interesting. I read that Lindsay is going to have major feelings about it. Did she witness it? Will RJ tell her about it? RJ and Nora have always had a special relationship. It will be interesting to see how they deal with this latest development. Hey, I'm game for another bout of Lindsay vs. Nora. Maybe it's just what Nora needs to get her fight back and maybe it's just what the show needs….to get back to some of the basics that made it the show we love…and hey, wouldn't you love to see Lindsay back in action and up to her old tricks. She could give Spencer a run for his money when it comes to faking hospital records…that's for sure. Maybe Bo should deputize Lindsay to do what she does best!
See ya next week….
Jill Berry
FAN FEEDBACK AND QUESTIONS
Margo writes: "Why do the brothers Spencer Truman and David Vickers have different last names?"
Dear Margo: I believe that both brothers were born Trumans. Their father was a major con man that taught them everything he knew and I believe David explained once that he didn't want to be known as a Truman as an adult so he took the name Vickers. If I'm not mistaken, Vickers was their mother's maiden name.
Crystal writes: "On Friday's show, June 16, 2006, who gave Natalie's those flowers? When she asked John he did not confirm or deny but it didn't seem like he was the one who sent the flowers. Also, what is the status of Michael Easton's contract? Is he going to stay? Do you know how he really feels about his current storyline and being hooked up with Natalie? I'm not trying to be mean but I am just not feeling them as a couple nor do I see any chemistry with these two. Is their any chance if he stays that he will get back together with Evangeline?"
Dear Crystal: We have not been told yet who sent Natalie the flowers. I'm sure it wasn't John. He was too curious about where they came from, even though he didn't say so. He just kept glancing at them and Natalie thinks they were from him. My guess is that they were from Vincent Jones. As far as Michael Easton's contract goes, most people think that when his contract expires this summer he will announce that he's leaving the show. No one knows for sure. I always wait until I hear it officially…so I just sit tight and hope he decides to stay…even if it doesn't look too optimistic for those of us who want him around for a long time. I also have no idea how he feels about working with Melissa Archer or anyone else on the show. All we know are rumors that we hear and frankly, I don't really pay attention to the behind the scenes rumors. I think they are mostly made up by the fans to create something juicy to chat about. Just my humble opinion!
Connie writes: "The romance between Cristian and Evangeline is about the most ridiculous storyline ever. She is so sophisticated and he is a dirty haired so-called fighter. If he would just get a hair cut and a shampoo, maybe just maybe, I could make some sense of the storyline."
Dear Connie: Sorry, I can't agree that Cristian and Evangeline's storyline is ridiculous. Yes, she is sophisticated, but to me that does not preclude her from being with anyone she is attracted to, no matter what he looks like or what he does in life. And although I do know that lots of people cannot stand Cristian's hair, I don't see how that takes away from the person that he is. Cristian is a caring and sweet man (who does need a haircut…lol)…and…oh yeah…I find him pretty darned sexy when he gets up close and personal with Evangeline. I didn't see that connection with Natalie (even when they were married), but I definitely see it with Evangeline. I guess this is another one of those love it/hate it storylines. No one seems to be on the fence about Cristian and Evangeline. The only problem I have is that I don't like the boxing storyline. I don't think it's a good fit for Cris and Evangeline and I don't want to watch guys pummeling each other on my soap opera. I'd love to see Cris and Evangeline involved in anything else but that smelly gym.
Mary Lou writes: "I do not want David to leave the show. Is he going to stay? He needs to hook up with Kelly or someone. He is too good to leave. Why can't Adriana and Rex stay together and become something good for the show. He needs to find out what Dorian did to him with the drugs. This is wrong and she should pay for it."
Dear Mary Lou: We don't know anything for sure, but the word on Tuc Watkins is the same as the word on Michael Easton…that they will both be leaving at the end of the summer. I haven't seen anything written in stone. All I have heard is the rumor that even though the pilot that Tuc did for the fall was not picked up, he still intends to leave One Life To Live. I don't know if the decision is final. Like I said above, when it happens and we get official word, that's when I'll believe it for sure. As far as Adriana and Rex are concerned, they are going to be together. They are supposed to be on the run from the stalker this summer (which I can live without). And Rex does know that Dorian set him up with those drugs, or at least that she set him up to get into trouble when he was in New York with Adriana …he just can't prove it. He has already confronted her and she dared him to prove it. That was confession enough for Rex but he let it drop because of his love for Adriana. He doesn't want to make any more waves with her mother than already exist.
Mark writes: "I have a feeling that Spencer is going to come after Evangeline eventually - - - in a "Wait Until Dark" kind of way - - - what do you think of that prediction? Also, it's about time Nora got back on the canvas - - - her contract was renewed on January 1 and it's almost July - - - I think it's a shame that such a beloved character was handled this way."
Dear Mark: I think your prediction is a good one. I can definitely see Spencer as the villain tormenting a blind Evangeline and I'm sure he could be as terrifying as the creep in that movie was. He'd probably hire someone really horrible to do the job for him though. He's so good at that sort of thing. And about Nora…I totally agree. I think that originally the goal was to put Bo and Nora back together but now I think it is all up in the air. I'd still like to see that happen. I think Nora is being wasted in that hospital all this time. I think some people feel like she hasn't been missed from the canvas after all this time…but I'm with you…I miss Nora…there is too much evil and there is too much darkness on the show. Along with her being one of the "good guys", I always thought Nora was a pretty funny character and I miss that. I'd love to see her interacting with Evangeline and Viki again as girlfriends. I miss all of her relationships on the show.
© Copyright by Katherine Thurston, 2006
