Reflections by Jill - A Weekly Commentary for OLTL for November 19, 2007

I suppose old Asa got the last laugh on his family when he left everyone wondering who his “other son” is and left the mystery tied up in an envelope left to Nigel. So, Buchanan Enterprises is left in equal shares to everyone in the family and it is their collective responsibility to make the company pay off or go bust. That should be enough to cause a few explosive board meetings, don’t you think? Nora got the mansion in Llanview, Nigel got Asa’s yacht and the deed to his beloved St. Blazes Island (didn’t you love Nigel in the bolo tie) and the rest of the clan got the chance to kill each other across a conference table while all of Asa’s money sits in trust until his conditions are met. Leave it to Asa to stir things up even from the grave. And just so everyone didn’t walk away wanting to strangle him, Asa left some sweet parting words by saying, “I do love you, every last one of you. Good-bye.” Gee, I didn’t even shed a tear.

I did enjoy everyone’s reactions to hearing that there was yet another Buchanan son. Clint said it all when Asa mentioned his other son whom he found out about too late and he blurted out to the video screen, “Another one, Pa?” Nora’s question to Clint was hysterical when she heard that there was another son and said, “Do you think someone should have counseled Asa about birth control?” I’m sure David isn’t the end of the line when it comes to Asa’s kids and I felt sorry for Renee when she found out that there was yet another Buchanan child that was not hers.

How hysterical was it seeing Dorian, David and Alex show up at the Bonjour Café in Paris, Texas? It’s a good thing Viki has a new, strong heart these days because otherwise I think she would have keeled over from the shock when she saw them walk in. I think this storyline is a riot. I died laughing watching the ever-classy, prim and proper Victoria Davidson crawling around on the floor and hiding behind the counter so that she wouldn’t be discovered. Poor Viki. It was even funnier when she hid out in the kitchen and told Mo that he could dock her pay or fire her, but she was not serving that table their food. She looked truly upset and terrified that she’d be found out. After all, what could be worse than having Dorian find her waiting tables in a small town in Texas when she thought she was living the high life in Paris, France and wearing a polyester waitress’s uniform to boot?

Leave it to Dorian to scare the heck out of Viki when she made such a big deal out of recognizing that familiar scent. I died laughing when it turned out that the wonderful scent she recognized was Moe’s wonderful bouillabaisse. It’s just like Dorian to flirt with the man because she’s smitten with his gourmet cooking skills. And Mo is too cute. I hope he comes back to Llanview. Maybe Renee will have a meal at the Bonjour Café and hire him away to The Palace.

So, let’s talk about Viki’s date. How cute was it? I had to laugh when they went to a drive-in movie and the speaker didn’t work. It was so cliché but so funny I didn’t even mind. It gave them a chance to talk and for us to at least find out a little bit about Charlie. So, he’s looking for his son. You know it will be just one more ridiculous connection that would never happen in real life. And Charlie is still the man of mystery when Viki asks his last name and he won’t give it to her. He tells her his friends call him Charlie B. and when he wants another date he admits to her that he’s a recovering alcoholic with ten months of sobriety. That wouldn’t throw Viki. I remember it being quite a while before Viki knew Ben’s whole name. They didn’t formally introduce themselves to each other until he was recovering from a mob-related gunshot wound in her attic. Ah, memories!

And speaking of real life, I found it to be yet another throwback to Viki’s early days with Ben when she and Charlie were talking about their lives and he figured out that she didn’t quite fit into the small town Texas lifestyle. When she admitted to him that her “real life” was very different from her life in Paris and that she was totally enjoying the freedom and carefree life she had now, it was a direct parallel to the beginning of her relationship with Ben and her time at Crossroads. Viki and Ben had the same conversation about her “real life” and Viki made the same comments about feeling free when she was there with him and liking who she is when she’s there, away from the unhappiness and responsibility of her “real life.” I was sorry that Viki and Charlie’s good night kiss was interrupted by Gigi, but hopefully the next date will be even more, um, thorough. LOL!

I’m sure most people feel the same way I do, but I still have to say how silly and contrived I think it is that everyone in Llanview has ended up in the same tiny town in Texas at the same time. It just so happens that Asa’s ranch is right outside of Paris, Texas; Viki just wound up there after she bought a one-way ticket to Oklahoma; Charlie just happens to be looking for his son who we know is going to wind up being someone from Llanview and to top it all off, Paris, Texas just happens to be the town that Marcie wound up in while she’s on the run and Todd and Blair have found their way to Paris as well. Do you think there were at least one too many coincidences? I heard that Gigi is somehow connected to Charlie (not sure about that yet), but I was thinking that Jared could be Gigi’s long lost man and father of her son, Shane, and maybe that is how they are connected. Just a thought. Oh, and of course there is only one motel in town so not only are Viki and Charlie across the hall neighbors, but Marcie and Viki are rooming so close to each other that they almost tripped over each other in the hallway. It’s just too ridiculous.