It seems like almost every character in Llanview is being forced to face some type of truth. Gigi finally confessed that Shane is Rex's son, she interrupted Rex and Adriana's wedding to reveal another truth, Lindsay finally got caught for helping Clint with his dubious activities, Blair finally found out that her little girl isn't so little anymore, and Viki learned one the first of the many lies that Charlie has been telling her. After months of people keeping secrets, I was happy to see so many of them come out, even if the timing was the worst for the characters (and the most fun for the viewers!).
I love a good soap wedding. I don't mean a wedding that takes place without any complications. Those are good in real life, but when a soap wedding has all kinds of twists and turns, I love watching! As you probably know, I am not a fan of Rex and Adriana as a couple. They were marginally interesting when they first got together, but Adriana somehow took the life and personality out of Rex. This couple quickly became one of the most boring aspects of One Life to Live. If their wedding had gone through without a hitch, I probably would have wanted to skip right over it. However, their wedding was "soapy" in every way. The priest asked that ominous question that only works in the soap world about whether anyone had any objections to their union, and things went awry from there! Gigi finally got up the nerve to say she is still in love with Rex, and she did it in grand form with all of Llanview watching. She had been letting Adriana bully her for so long that I am surprised she even went to the wedding, so Gigi stopping the ceremony was amazing! Rex looked absolutely stunned by the revelation, and Adriana took quickly took action by punching Gigi in front of everyone. There's a great picture for the wedding album! That would be enough to make any wedding memorable, but the excitement didn't stop there! Right after Adriana and Rex made the questionable decision to go through with the wedding, Brody Lovett appeared, interrupting Gigi's second confession. Gigi looked as if she'd been hit a second time when she saw Brody standing before her. She couldn't finish telling Rex the truth, since Shane thought his father was there. Even after all of that chaos Rex and Adriana exchanged vows. Everyone seemed surprised by that, especially Adriana and Rex. I am glad that the reception was portrayed as subdued event. It wouldn't make sense for the reception to be an overly joyous occasion after everything that happened during the ceremony. Rex and Adriana looked like the most depressed newlyweds I've ever seen during their first dance, and we all know this isn't the end of their story!
Meanwhile, Gigi had to accept that the man who she had been passing off as her son's father for so many years was alive and in her living room consuming large amounts of alcohol. Shane was thrilled to have his "father" at home, but it's only a matter of time before he learns the truth. It was good to see Gigi and Brody interact because it made their connection more real. They obviously still care about each other, but it seems as if both of them have changed over the year. I don't think Gigi and Brody are going to become a couple, but having him around now helps us understand Gigi's history. Of course, Gigi will have to tell everyone the truth since Brody probably will not want to continue the charade of posing as Shane's father. I am not sure if Brody is meant to be a long term character, but it might be a good idea for Gigi to keep Brody around. It was hilarious when he told Adriana she was leaving and scooped her over his shoulder and carried her out. Gigi has been looking for a good "Adriana repellent," and Brody is great at getting rid of her! Even if Brody stays, I still want Gigi to tell Shane and everyone else the truth about Shane's paternity. This ruse has been going on long enough, and since Shane is already starting to get attached to the Brody, she can't let it go on any longer. I am not opposed to Brody sticking around, but I don't want to see him pretend to be Shane's father for months. It is time for the WHOLE truth to be revealed!
Lindsay also had to face the truth about one of the secrets she's been keeping. It feels like forever since she's been on the show, and because of her, we also got to see another long lost character, R.J.! She and R.J. get along so well because they are both schemers, but as Lindsay found out, that can backfire. When R.J. found out Lindsay wanted to be with Bo instead of him, he made a point of telling Nora about Lindsay's role in Clint's shady business practices. Nora wasn't surprised, and she couldn't wait to tell Bo the truth. Bo isn't sure about his future with Lindsay now that he knows she hasn't changed as much as we thought. Nora and Lindsay's feud is now renewed, as Lindsay blames Nora for ruining her new relationship with Bo. While it could be true that Nora took pleasure in revealing Lindsay's secret, Lindsay is the one who did the bad deed, but Lindsay doesn't see it that way! I am sure she will be plotting against Nora to ruin her relationship with Clint, and Nora and Lindsay will continue to meddle in each other's lives. Since R.J. knows another one of Lindsay's big secrets, Lindsay is in quite a predicament. R.J. can tell Nora that he knows Lindsay faked her breakdown at any time, so Lindsay will have to either do what R.J. asks or face the consequences for her actions. It is great to see Lindsay and Nora back and moving into a new chapter of their feud. It's always fun to watch them fight, but for a while, it seemed like they didn't have a real reason to fight. Now that Lindsay's lies are starting to come out, their fights won't seem like filler scenes anymore. I hope that R.J. remains a big a part of their story. He has a long history with both women, so including him in the latest chapter of their feud is appropriate. R.J. disappears for long periods of time, which is a shame. He is a great character, and he's at his best when dealing with Nora and Lindsay. I can't wait to see where this story goes! All three characters have been languishing in the background for months, so I hope the events that transpired last week lead to a lasting story for all of them. They are more entertaining than the teen scene any day of the week, so I hope they get at least as much air time as Starr, Cole, Langston, and Markko do!
Speaking of the teen scene, I am glad that Starr and Cole were found and brought back home. I didn't want to be subjected to constant montages of Starr and Cole playing arcade games and acting like life is wonderful all summer. I am very thankful that Todd, Blair, and John were able to track them down quickly. Of course, they didn't just put Starr and Cole in the car and drive home. That would be too easy. Instead, Todd went on a rampage, Blair got angry at Todd, and Starr and Cole ended up in the hospital. I am not going to discuss whether I think Todd threw Starr down the stairs or if he is being wrongly blamed. Honestly, I am tired of all things pertaining to Todd and Blair. Every few months, we have to watch Todd and Blair blame each other for things, and that is one of the many reasons I am not a fan of this couple anymore. Instead, I think it is better to focus on Blair finding out that Starr is pregnant. Blair and Starr reaffirmed their bond as mother and daughter, and Starr realized how much she has needed Blair since she found out she was pregnant. Blair didn't judge Starr or berate her for getting pregnant; she offered nothing but support and unconditional love. Those were moving scenes, even though I was surprised by how well Blair took the news. I think Dorian had a more realistic reaction to the situation, but I think Blair was so relieved to find Starr alive that she didn't focus on anything else. I am glad that Blair knows because now we can watch Starr and Blair work through the situation together. I hope that is the focus. One of the problems with this entire story is that the writers can't seem to decide what this story is actually supposed to be about week after week. Sometimes, the focus is on Todd and his issues. Other times, it's about Starr realizing she is 16 and pregnant. It's hard to be invested in the story because it doesn't have a clear direction. I have a feeling that this story was one of the main victims of the writers' strike, I hope the writers retool this story to give it a firm direction because it's hard to watch.
Finally, Charlie was forced to tell Viki the truth about his son after telling her lies for several months. As I've said before, I almost don't want this to happen. All of these lies started because Jared wanted to be a Buchanan, and Charlie couldn't say no to his son. Now that Jared wants to be with Natalie, Charlie has to forsake his relationship with Viki. I realize Charlie understood the consequences of lying when he agreed to do it, but I can't help but resent Jared for creating this mess. Charlie and Viki are a great couple, and Viki looks so happy with him. I hate to see Viki and Charlie break up as Natalie and Jared grow closer. It's not fair for the characters or fair to me as a viewer! I had to brace myself as Charlie started to tell Viki everything. I am surprised that he started with the lie about Rex first. The truth about Jared being his real son is the lie that affects her and her family the most, but maybe Charlie wanted to prepare Viki for the worst of it. As expected, Viki was very upset with how Charlie led Rex to believe he was his father. Being one to put other people first, she demanded that Charlie tell Rex the truth about his identity immediately. If Viki got this upset over the truth about Rex, she will be absolutely livid when she learns that Jared is Charlie's son. I am sure that those scenes will be even harder to watch than the first ones were. My heart broke for Viki as she realized the man that she has trusted so much has been lying to her and to many other people in Llanview. Viki thought she found an honest man who was hurting because his son cut him out of his life. Viki met Charlie at an especially vulnerable time in her life, and now she feels duped. Erika Slezak did a wonderful job of portraying Viki's pain and shock after hearing Charlie's confession. I hope that once Viki has learned the whole truth and has had time to deal with it she can find a way to forgive Charlie. He hasn't been honest with her, but he lied because Jared gave him an ultimatum. Viki knows that Charlie has been longing for a relationship with his real son, so maybe she can move past this. Viki has extended understanding and compassion to many people who have done bad things to her over the years, and while she hasn't loved all of them as she loves Charlie, I hope she decides to keep Charlie in her life.
Until next time,
Dawn
