Reflections by Jill - A Weekly Commentary for OLTL for May 7, 2007

Is it just me, or has the show become especially dark lately? It’s been a long time since I had trouble finding any lightness in the show but these days, I can’t seem to find any at all. If we’re not watching white supremacists destroying property and lives, we’re watching kids being bullied in school and resorting to violence. I think it’s getting just a bit over the top, even for a soap opera. Sometimes it’s hard to differentiate between watching my soap and watching the evening news. I have never been one to complain outwardly about head writers, but lately I am having trouble not placing blame where it belongs. I am reminded of Erika Slezak’s latest fan club newsletter where she stated that Dena Higley doesn’t write storylines, she writes events. This is so true. Nothing seems to be character driven any more.

This has never been more evident than in the current storyline where we are about to find out that Jessica is very ill. At the end of last Friday’s show we learned that among the tests that Jessica had been given was an HIV test. Of course it started going through my mind that if Jessica had anything that serious, then it would have come from her days as the blatantly promiscuous Tess. I thought this was ridiculous because if Jessica had anything that terrible, it would have shown up when she and Antonio had their pre-wedding blood tests. But now I am told that we are going to find out that Jessica has Hepatitis, probably Hepatitis C, but I’m not sure about that. Someone I know who is rarely if ever wrong about these things, says it’s going to come out that she became ill from IV drug use, which means now we are supposed to believe that in addition to sleeping around with every man she met, Tess also tried IV drugs. I guess it’s not enough that Jessica’s life and everyone’s life around her has been ripped apart by her DID and most recently because of her relationship with Nash. I guess Ms. Higley feels that giving Jessica a horrible disease in addition to all her other problems is a good idea. Personally, I am disgusted by many of the recent storylines, but this one is way over the top as far as I’m concerned.

As if Antonio hasn’t been and won’t be dealing with enough taking care of his daughter and the way Nash and Jessica’s betrayal is affecting his life, now he has to deal with this. I am also told that Jessica will move on with Nash but eventually wind up back with Antonio. I am hoping that with all the rewrites that are going on right now this won’t happen, but at this point nothing will surprise me.

I was wondering how far Antonio was going to bury his head in the sand last week and that was before Jessica collapsed. It is obvious to everyone but him that although Nash is the basic problem in his marriage, everything can’t be blamed on Nash because Jessica is as responsible as Nash is for what is going on. Even Talia has noticed what Antonio is going through and has tried to help him, but he seems too proud to let her in and discuss his problems with her. He just keeps saying that Nash is the reason for all his problems in his marriage and that once he eliminates that problem, things will be okay. It was smart of Talia to bring it to his attention that it sounds like he’s planning something violent to “get rid of Nash” and warn him that if he does something like that he will be proving everyone right who criticizes him for his bad temper.

It’s very obvious that Talia has more than a professional interest in Antonio and I think they could be very good for each other. She understands him pretty well for someone who hasn’t known him very long and I think they relate well to each other. We’ll see. He keeps he at a distance by telling her he can handle his personal problems on his own and doesn’t need her help, but she just might turn out to be his safe place to fall.

I almost wished that Antonio had been in the room when Jessica called for Nash. At least then he would have had to face the fact that Nash is not the only reason for the problems in his marriage. He couldn’t or didn’t want to listen to what Jessica was telling him when she said she couldn’t keep the necklace he gave her and had to give it back along with everything else he gave her. He didn’t want to listen to what she was really saying when she told him she wasn’t alone at the quarry. His denial is a big problem.

Viki and Natalie see the connection between Nash and Jessica and although they don’t like it and don’t want Nash causing more trouble than already exists, they both know that Jessica has real feelings for Nash. Although she realizes that it makes everything very messy, Viki also understands that when it comes to matter of the heart, we don’t always have control over whom we love.

So Evangeline is not pregnant. I think it was very normal that even though she wasn’t ready to have a child and had no plans at this time to think about one, she was disappointed that the test was negative. I guess it gave both she and Cristian a reason to think they might be able to get past all the garbage in their relationship and get back together and make a life together as a family. It also reminded Evangeline that she really does want children in he life. But I don’t think that’s ever going to happen for these two. Evangeline is too independent for a man like Cristian and he is too set in his ways and judgmental to be with a woman who thinks for herself and is independent.