Reflections by Jill - A Weekly Commentary for OLTL for January 30, 2008

FAN FEEDBACK AND QUESTIONS

Kitty writes: “I, too, would love to see Moe and Noelle stay. They should move to Llanview and Moe should run the kitchen at the Palace. He and Noelle could hook up and do some catering for the Buchanan's, Dorian and Viki. And with regard to Todd, do people forget that he gave Jack away when he was a baby because he didn't think the child was his? If Todd had acted like a concerned father and acknowledged Marcie and Michael for all they had done for the child, all this crap wouldn't have taken place. He's his own worst enemy.”

Dear Kitty: Yes, Todd sure is his own worst enemy. He couldn’t wait to get over to Viki’s house and let her have it for not pressing charges against Marcie. Viki is right; he needs to get over his lust for revenge and go home and make sure that little boy get the attention he needs so he can try to adjust to his new family. I am hoping we haven’t seen the last of the crew from The Bonjour Cafe. I’d love to see Viki set up Moe in his own restaurant in Llanview.

Martha writes: “Todd’s horrible background made him what he is. He's a mess. We know it and so does Todd. Marty forgave him at one time, he loves his kids, he loves Blair (let's not go there with her problems) and, more importantly, the actors that have played Todd have done one great job. Viki does love him but knows what he is. Let’s talk about Jared. He makes me want to throw up. Bo has been a real pain lately. Why is he so mad at Nora? Why is he so insulting to her? Clint is such an ass. The way he's treated Viki, throwing Dorian in her face. Let's not get into the macho brothers. Ugh! So, Todd doesn't look so bad.”

Dear Martha: I have to respectfully disagree with you about Todd, but that’s no surprise. I think you can go just so far with that “his childhood made him the man he is today” excuse. Sure, Todd had a horrible childhood but you don’t have to look further than his sister to see that some people can turn their lives around after a horrendous beginning. Knowing why he is a mess is only half the battle. Todd needs to do something about it. You could put Jared, Bo, Clint and anyone else together and the sum total of those personalities wouldn’t be as disturbed and annoying as Todd is. Of course, that’s only my opinion. I still think Bo is jealous of Nora and Clint but he’ll never admit it. I can’t say too many good things about Clint, but he’s still a pretty decent human being (even though he’s an aging horn ball). I guess the macho brothers you mention are Antonio and Cristian. I can’t disagree with you there but none of the men you mentioned make Todd look any better to me. Sorry.

Audrey writes: “I was reading your response to Todd's fans giving you a hard time. I don't know the specifics of why they would do that and don't care. I agree with you 110%. The character of Todd Manning is getting worse and worse and at this point, he seems to be devoid of any human compassion at all. What the attraction is about him is a mystery to me. I think the writers are breaking one of the unwritten laws of soap opera. No matter how evil a character is, you should leave him at least one positive attribute, maybe a weakness for children or animals, or he volunteers at soup kitchens for the homeless; some redeeming quality that will make you think there is hope for his or her redemption. That quality is missing in this character portrayal. I am a loyal fan of OLTL and have been watching for over 35 years. I have recently stopped watching everyday and some weeks I miss three or more episodes, largely due to the character of Todd Manning and the series determination to make the majority of the show focused on the Llanview teen set. Gag me!”

Dear Audrey: It’s obvious to me that the opinions about Todd are split pretty evenly from the mail I get from fans. I don’t think that Todd is totally devoid of any humanity. I just think that the garbage he pulls and the times when he is heartless and cruel so overshadow the good in him that it’s very, very hard to find. As far as the young people on the show are concerned, I can’t say that I dislike them. I especially think the young actresses who play Starr, Langston and Sarah are very good and the storylines are pretty decent compared to some of the stuff the young kids are into on other soaps.