REFLECTIONS BY JILL for November 27, 2006

Jessica is really into her honeymoon, isn’t she? NOT! She can tell herself 100 times a day how much she wants to be married to Antonio, but when she looks at a stranger in Puerto and thinks she’s seeing Nash, I think she has some doubts, don’t you? And on a lighter note, I think Kamar is a great dancer, but I don’t think Antonio and Jessica should count on making it to Dancing with the Stars any time soon.

And how cute is Nash with little Bree? I loved his talk with Roxy at Rodi’s. I had to laugh at Roxy when she commented on Brennan’s name and said, “Hmmm, Brennan Brennan, Hugh Hughes, maybe I should change my name to Balsam Balsam.” But drunk or sober, Roxy didn’t need to be a rocket scientist to plainly see that Nash is in love with Jessica. He can’t even strongly deny it any more and Roxy’s advice that he should move on has definitely fallen on deaf ears. Nash is just biding his time. He knows Jessica is confused and what it can mean for him when she sorts out her feelings.

Roxy certainly made the rounds last week. She was her usually funny, language-butchering self when she ran into Rex and Adriana and wanted to have a drink with them. They wanted to get going rather than hang around with Roxy and she figured they wanted to go somewhere and be alone. She certainly butchered the words to that old song, “Afternoon Delight” when she said, “Oh, I get it, Afternoon Delight, Hot pockets at night.” For those of us who remember the song, I think it goes, “Sky rockets in flight” not “Hot pockets at night.” Too bad she didn’t actually sing it. I would have enjoyed the laugh.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I’m ready for the rest of November sweeps; ready for John to wake up and for everyone to finally find out that he’s alive. I have missed John and I hope we get a good storyline that gets him out of that bed soon. I also expect some tears when Marcie and Michael find out about Tommy being Todd’s son. Kathy Brier can do two things very well. She can sing like an angel and she can bring you to tears with Marcie’s big heart. I look forward to it all.

See ya next week.

Jill

FAN FEEDBACK AND QUESTIONS

Linda writes: “I usually agree with you, however, I really like Vincent. I was iffy at first, but he's grown on me. I like his interaction with Natalie. There's a lot more chemistry there than with John. I like that he is multidimensional...he's good a good side that wants to creep through the bad. He's loyal to his friend, Hugh. He's got a foot in the underworld, but is also legit. He's a good actor as well as a handsome young man. More than a "substitute" RJ, he almost reminds me of a Luke Spenser type from GH.”

Dear Linda: I will admit that Vincent has been showing signs of having a decent streak somewhere inside him, but he really hasn’t shown enough of anything for me to want to keep him around yet. And I don’t think he has romantic chemistry with Natalie at all. I think if Vincent continues to show that he can be a decent guy, he and Natalie can be great friends because they relate to each other on a certain level. But in my opinion, his “chemistry” with Natalie is non-existent compared to what she has with John. I don’t see Vincent as a substitute for RJ at all. I think that Timothy Stickney is a wonderful actor and his contribution to the Llanview canvas is sorely missed. I don’t think there’s any reason for anyone to worry that Vincent could ever take the place of RJ. Stickney should be the one with the contract, in my humble opinion.

Lorraine writes: “I hate to see David go. His delivery of lines is wonderful and the body ain't bad either! I would love to hear more conversations between him and Roxy. Hilarious. I will truly miss him. He added something, even if it was nothing, to the show. Could he be Asa's son?”

Dear Lorraine: You, me and millions of other fans hate to see David go. We can only hope that TPTB get him to come back at least on a recurring basis. The lightness and humor that Tuc Watkins brings to the show cannot be duplicated by any other actor and we need him around. I know we’ve seen the last of David for a while, but I hope it’s not forever.

Laura writes: “I am a great fan of OLTL and your column. However twice in this week’s commentary I read a reference to Ben and the hopes of him coming back. Let's not forget that not only did he die, but he gave his heart to Viki, so I think we need to stop hoping for this. I would however love for Mark Derwin to come back as a new character who resembles Ben quite a lot, maybe even with the same name.”

Dear Laura: You are absolutely right. I did mention Ben at least a couple of times last week and if you’ve been reading my column for the last few years you know that I take every opportunity I get to throw his name around in the hopes that we can get Ben, or a reasonable facsimile back on the show. Of course I know that he “supposedly” died and that Viki “supposedly” has his heart. But as a soap fan, my belief is that getting Ben to walk back through the door of Llanfair with his heart in his own chest is no more ridiculous than him “supposedly” dying at the precise moment that Viki needed his heart and that it was miraculously a perfect match. See what I mean? We’re talking soaps and if I had a few hours and a lot more space on this page, I could list the countless number of “rebirths” on this show and other soaps. And while we’re remembering things we shouldn’t forget, let’s also not forget that at the same time Viki needed her transplant, the biggest story on the show was Dr. Long and his big business venture in illegally selling body parts to the highest bidder. Now, rest assured, I am not totally insane. I just loved Ben and Ben and Viki together and I never give up hope that we can get Ben back. Of course, if Mark Derwin decided to come back as a Ben look alike, I’d have no problem with that at all. I’d also have no problem if a suitable and believable replacement Ben could be found. Oh, and as far as the need to stop hoping for his return, sorry, that’s a harmless wish I’m not giving up.