Reflections by Jill - A Weekly Commentary for OLTL for October 6, 2008

FAN FEEDBACK AND QUESTIONS

Angie writes: “Maybe these are dumb questions but why wouldn't Tina remove the jewels from the safe and deposit them in another safe place like a vault, bank, etc? Since Tess is known to have DID, why would anyone believe anything she says once Tina exposes her? Especially if Tess claims Todd is keeping a "dead" woman hostage. And, lastly, why don't Todd and Tina release Natalie and throw Tess into the basement room and call her doctor?”

Dear Angie: Maybe you missed a show a while back, but I believe Tess changed the combination on the safe so that Tina couldn’t get the jewels out. Tina is terrified to expose Tess because Tess has threatened to reveal that Tina stole the jewels and she has Tina believing that Carlo, Cain and others would try to hurt Sarah to get back at Tina. As for your idea for Tina and Todd to release Natalie and throw Tess in the basement; I’m all for it. That would be great. I’d like to see her get some help and have Jessica come out once and for all.

RustyAnne writes: “Why does Dorian refer to Blair as her great niece? Isn't she her sister's daughter?”

Dear RustyAnne: I don’t remember hearing Dorian refer to Blair as her great niece. You are correct; Blair is Addie’s daughter, which makes her Dorian’s niece. Starr is Dorian’s great niece. It wouldn’t surprise me if the writers got that wrong. It happens.

Lorraine writes: “Starr must be going to a private school. Public schools would not let a pregnant girl attend for the safety of her and the baby. I thought the way Blair defended Starr was unnecessary. She could have gone into the office to discuss it but she’d rather cause a scene. Teachers cringe when a parent like Blair 'discusses' things.”

Dear Lorraine: Starr attends public school. Llanview High is not, to my knowledge, a private school. Under other circumstances I would agree with you about Blair, but I have to say that I loved watching her defend Starr. The principal didn’t give a good reason why she wanted Starr to stay home until after the baby was born and Blair defended her daughter like a mama bear defending her cub. If the principal could be “persuaded” to keep Starr in school by Cole and Markko threatening to leave the soccer team and Blair threatening to put the story in the papers, she deserved to be treated the way Blair treated her. Just my opinion. I loved it. Maybe if there were real rules that the school had to follow in this situation and the principal dealt with Starr the right way, we would at least try to see both sides.

Drewskny writes: “In terms of looking for character-driven stories (which I also love) on OLTL, I consider some of the best to be Marcie/Michael and Dorian/Clint. Kathy Brier always does an amazing job with Marcie's character and has brought tears to my eyes countless times because she makes you feel what Marcie is feeling, whether she is singing, stammering, or trying to be strong. Chris Stack has filled the role of Michael admirably, and he has brought out the decency of the character, as well as his internal conflict of doing what is right for the long-term vs. the short-term in trying to avoid the hurt and pain again. Regarding Dorian, although I know you can't stand her sometimes, Robin Strasser is brilliant at making us feel that way, and she is extremely true to the character driven by extreme insecurity, putting on airs, and loyalty to her girls.”

Dear Drewsyny: I know a lot of people miss all the character driven storylines we used to have. It is too bad so many have been replaced by the contrived storylines we see now. I completely agree with you about Marcie and Michael. I think it was a big mistake to have Marcie go so far over the edge last year when she ran across the country with Tommy. It destroyed so much of Marcie’s life, as well as taking Michael’s down the drain with it. As heartbreaking as it was, I think it was very true to character to have Michael basically throw in the towel on his marriage when he saw Marcie going down the adoption road with Starr and her baby. I would really love to see a happy resolution for Marcie and Michael. Unlike some fans, I loved the way Chris Stack walked into the role of Michael and made it his own. I like the chemistry between him and Kathy Brier (she is incredible when it comes to making us feel what she feels) even more than I did the chemistry between Kathy and Nathaniel. As far as Dorian and Clint go, I agree that what makes me love and hate Dorian and Clint all at the same time is their incredible acting ability. The one thing I always defend about “villains” like Dorian is that they always have vulnerable spots, which make me want them around, even though they infuriate me about 90% of the time. Now with Clint, what I want most is for people he is messing with to fight back and give him a taste of his own Asa medicine. He’s not really a villain; he’s just a jerk.