Reflections by Jill - A Weekly Commentary for OLTL for August 11, 2008

Speaking of Layla, Vincent sure dealt her a rotten hand, didn’t he? I guess it was too much to ask to have him remain the decent man that he supposedly turned into since he met her. He gave such a lame excuse when he blamed Layla for not being there for him because of her job and visiting her sister. It didn’t seem to bother him much to have to admit what he did with his other girlfriend standing right there. Too bad for Layla. She definitely gave him more than the benefit of the doubt when everyone tried to tell her that Vincent was nothing but trouble. Hey, let’s hook Layla up with Shawn. He’s a really sweet guy who deserves a nice girl and Layla is a nice girl who deserves a sweet guy who will treat her well. And by the way, Layla should reassess her opinion of Gigi and apologize to her. When Layla walked into Rodi’s she was nasty to Gigi, throwing Adriana in her face like she always does, but Gigi had enough heart and class to refrain from being nasty to Layla after her public breakup with Vincent. Instead of taking the opportunity to take a stab at Layla, Gigi considerately said she was sorry and that she knew how Layla felt.

So, I guess Tess is going to find a way to build a secret room in the basement so she can lock up Natalie and Jared. How kind of Dorian to give her that wonderful idea by reminding everyone that one of Viki’s alters had locked her in a secret room in the basement. I was reading Erika Slezak’s monthly newsletter and she made a very good point. When asked about how long Tess would be a round, she replied that she hoped it wouldn’t be for long because although Bree Williamson is a wonderful actress, it is obvious to everyone around her that Jessica is not behaving normally and that she is Tess, but it is making everyone look stupid by having them all believe it is Jessica. Even when Tina showed up at the front door, Tess answered and said, “Who are you?” I completely agree with Erika’s assessment because everyone in that family has had extensive experience with DID between Viki and Jessica and none of them, especially Viki, would actually believe that Jessica’s behavior is due to her grief over losing Nash. Everyone knows that Viki’s alters have come back in the past from stress and it is ridiculous for the writers to have everyone ignoring the fact that Tess could be out. It wasn’t even believable when the mechanic came to the house to tell Viki or Natalie that the brake line on the car was the cause of the accident and Tess was able to dissuade him from going to the police with a cockamamie story about the police keeping the investigation private. She even made the mechanic look like a fool. Give me a break! And aside from the behavior she is showing everyone, without even opening her mouth, no one would believe that someone who is mourning the terrible loss of a loved one would dress the way Tess is dressing, from her hair, to her make-up, to her very revealing clothes, especially with the added burden of carrying a child.

Starr is devastated over the break-up with Cole, but it didn’t take her five minutes after Cole walked out on her to call Marcie and tell her that she could have the baby because Cole had signed over his parental rights. I’m surprised that this is going forward.

Somehow I can’t get too excited over Jared and Charlie finally having a father and son relationship when so many people were hurt so badly because of the secret they kept. It was nice of Jared to bring Charlie that book that showcased houses he had built in the past and it’s nice that they can now be in the same room without tearing at each other, but it is hard to care much about them moving forward in Llanview after all that has happened. Clint was barely civil to Jared at Viki’s house and I couldn’t blame him.

I’m not a bit unhappy that the mayor has appointed John interim commissioner until Bo comes back to Llanview. I’m anxious to see how John handles being the boss. I hope he’s still in charge when Todd is exposed for his latest escapade, but I’d rather he be able to handle Todd without the threat of police brutality hanging over his head.

I am truly thrilled to hear that A Martinez will be joining the cast of One Life to Live at the end of this month. I think I was the #1 fan of Santa Barbara for the too short eight years it was on the air and A Martinez and Marcy Walker (Cruz and Eden) were the most wonderful, romantic couple on soaps as far as I was concerned. I have two all-time favorite couples on soaps and along with Ben and Viki (big surprise), Cruz and Eden were right up there. Known as the nicest guy on daytime, I have no doubt that A Martinez will bring great energy to the show, as well as a HUGE DOSE of sex appeal. How bad can that be? He’s a really good actor and I think he has been great in anything I’ve seen him in. He will be playing Langston’s uncle and will be involved with the Buchanan, Dorian and the Mannings. This is the kind of guy that if they sign him for a month, you’ll immediately want him around for a long, long time. Even if he starts out as a bad guy, I can see him as a character that will be redeemed and loved. The show sees getting this actor as a major coup and so do I.

See ya next week.

Jill

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