A lot happened on One Life to Live last week, as Marcie and Michael decided to leave Llanview, Starr decided to raise Hope, Jessica said goodbye to Chloe, Todd and Blair learned their fate, Gigi finally got the news she wanted, and Bo tried to make Rex see the light. I can't say I was completely interested in everything that happened, but I think the show is going in some interesting directions as the summer officially begins!
Marcie and Michael's exit was abrupt, but I still liked it. Marcie made things right with Starr, Michael had a new job offer in Seattle, and Marcie ended up getting what she's wanted for so long. I loved how the last thing we saw was Michael and Marcie discovering that Marcie was pregnant. Michael and Marcie ended up getting what they wanted and a new beginning, and it is rare for characters to leave Llanview on such a positive note. I am sad to see Kathy Brier and Chris Stack leave, though. They are both such talented actors, and Marcie and Michael were good characters. They were regular people in Llanview, without the mountains of money or huge mansions that just about everyone else in Llanview has. They had regular jobs and were genuinely nice people. It's sad that Llanview is losing characters like this, and I don't really understand why the powers that be decided to let them go, but I am glad their story was wrapped up in a nice way. I wish Marcie had gone to visit Lindsay before she left Llanview, but other than that, I think their last scenes were great. I wish both actors well and know that they will be very successful with whatever they do next!
Before Marcie could leave, she had to make things right for Starr. I like that Marcie wanted to do this, especially since it was so awkward when she and Michael took Hope. However, I found the moment when Starr got Hope back from Marcie to be anti-climactic. This story surrounding Hope has been so drawn out, that I think I was experiencing viewer's fatigue with it, but I also didn't like that Marcie had to be the one to come to Starr. In my opinion, it should have been the other way around, and Starr shouldn't have needed so much coaxing to decide to raise her daughter. I realize that Starr is a kid herself, and she's been under stress with this situation. I also realize that she still has a lot of growing up to do, as she should. I just feel that since Starr did nothing but talk about Hope and then mope around before and after signing the adoption papers, she should have been the one to take action to get Hope back. If it weren't for Marcie and her insight, Starr still wouldn't have her daughter. It just doesn't seem right that Starr was so passive about the whole situation. It is nice to see Starr smile again, now that she has her baby, but the way it happened didn't do much for me!
I think part of the issue is I am tired of Starr in general and of this whole situation. It seems like the writers are working overtime to make Starr one of the most important characters on the show, and I simply don't agree with that. I think that Starr belongs on the show, and I want to see her continue to grow up. She is also a legacy character that will carry the Manning family forward. I just don't see the point or the need to see her on the show almost every day. I was hoping that getting Hope back would wrap up Cole and Starr's story, but now we are faced with this marriage proposal, which came out of left field. Why are these two characters being put in this position? It doesn't make sense. Cole proposed to Starr as a seemingly kneejerk reaction to his prison sentence, and it all feels forced. Why can't Starr and Cole focus on Hope and on Cole's issues without trying to advance their relationship to the level of marriage? Starr and Cole haven't even been a couple for a long time, which makes the marriage proposal look even more out of place. I hope their story slows down a little so that the focus can be placed on other characters for a while!
Dorian's scenes also didn't really work for me. They were certainly entertaining, as Robin Strasser is wonderful at playing a drunken, angry, bitter Dorian (or any kind of Dorian), and she did an excellent job portraying her hangover. I just wish Dorian would be taken down a different path for once. She reacts in roughly the same way every time her heart is broken, and I just want her to go in a new direction. I am glad she realized she was wrong for firing and kicking everyone out of the house, but I wish she hadn't done it in the first place. I know that Dorian is over the top, and that's why she is Dorian, but her reaction to Ray's departure has been WAY over the top. Dorian, of all people, should be able to understand why Ray felt like he had to leave. She is always saying that she cares about "her girls" more than anything, and Ray was putting his daughter first. I was, however, amazed at how well she reacted to being pushed into the pool by Langston. She seems determined to make her relationship with Langston work, and while she has been overreacting to things since Ray left, she certainly took Langston's anger in stride. I hope she fixes things with Langston and that she gets over her heartbreak soon because I don't want to watch her lose everyone around her because of it!
In a more somber moment of the show last week, Jessica and her family buried Chloe. I like that it wasn't a long, drawn out event. The funeral was over in one episode, and it was just enough time for us to see how Jessica is struggling. Funerals on soap operas tend to be drawn out events, and after all of the sadness and heartache Jessica has endured, I didn't want to see Chloe's funeral be too long. I am glad we got to see the Buchanans gather to say goodbye to Chloe, but now, I hope the focus will be on helping Jessica rebuild her life after her losses. I am glad Brody attended the funeral. He is turning out to be a loyal friend, as he tries to help Jessica deal with her grief. I hope we get to see them more often in the coming weeks! I also hope that Jessica is given a break from all of the bad stuff. I think Jessica has met her soap opera character quota of bad events, and I would love to see her find some happiness, at least for a little while!
Todd and Blair returned to court AGAIN to fight for custody of their children. While I think the judge's ruling was a contrived way of getting Todd, Blair, and Téa to live together, I liked his reasoning. Todd and Blair use their children as pawns in their relationship, and it's gotten old. I don't understand why Blair thinks that Todd should agree that she should have custody of the children at all times. She rarely even gives him an actual reason, but she is so assertive about it. At the same time, Todd likes to blindside Blair with trials and with surprise witnesses, and I don't blame the judge for trying to stop all of the madness. Now, they have to find a way to live together without killing each other and without putting the kids in the middle. As if that weren't enough, Téa decided to live with Todd, even after he revealed what she did to the court. For someone who is so mad at Todd, she certainly didn't take much coaxing to take his offer to let him help her. Téa's addiction to Todd continues to fester, and now that Blair is thrown in the mix, I am sure things will get very interesting. I am sure we are in for a summer of catfights and awkward situations. It could end up being fun, especially now that Todd knows that he is love of Téa and Blair's lives. Téa and Blair need to revisit the rules about revealing secrets right before you think you are going to die. They got themselves into quite a predicament with revealing each other's secrets in court, and Todd is going to use that information as much as he can. Even though it's not what the judge intended, he probably set the stage for a volatile living arrangement, and I hope the Manning children take cover!
The stage is also being set for Stacy's comeuppance. Now that Gigi has accurate DNA results, she can finally form a plan to expose Stacy for what she really is, without risking Shane's life. This has taken way too long to happen, but I am glad the end is in sight. I hope Gigi can salvage her relationship with Rex and also save Rex from himself. Rex looked absolutely ridiculous with Stacy at the country club, returning to his former scam artist ways. I wish Rex had listened to what Bo said about not believing everything he sees a little more carefully. I am not impressed with Rex's investigation skills, since he has been so utterly clueless since this story began. I hope he doesn't do something stupid with Stacy in the cabana, and I hope he believes the truth when Gigi finally reveals it. Rex needs to get his brain back quickly, because I can't watch him worship Stacy for being Shane's donor and also for being anyone but Gigi. I want to him to see Stacy for the lying, manipulative, cheap person that she really is, and I can't wait for the day when he throws her out on her rear end. Enough is enough!
In spite of Rex's sheer stupidity, I love the parallel that was drawn between Bo and Nora's relationship and Rex and Gigi's relationship last week. It was GREAT to hear Bo say that he forgave Nora for what she did, and that he finally realized why she did it. Nora made a bad choice by cheating on Bo, but she never set out to hurt Bo and ultimately lose him. While Gigi didn't actually cheat on Rex, she lied and dumped him to help Shane, and I hope that Rex remembers Bo's words of wisdom when Gigi tells him what she did and why. She had a good reason for breaking up with him, even if there were better options.
I also really enjoyed the concert that Rex, Bo, and Nora attended. A children's concert isn't a typical dramatic soap moment, but it was a nice moment. I loved Bo and Nora's excitement at seeing Matthew play the keyboard. Yes, it marked the beginning of Matthew returning to his life before the accident, but it also felt like a genuine moment of parental pride. We don't see a lot of these little, sentimental moments on soaps, but I like them. Soaps don't have to be all about a baby switch or a plane crash or a character returning from the dead. I hope we get to see more of these smaller moments. They make the show and the characters seem more real.
Finally, I wanted to mention the One Life to Live Fan Club party, which will take place on Saturday, August 15, 2009. If you have never attended this event before, it's a good opportunity to meet several members of the cast and also to meet fellow fans of the show from around the country. This year, the event will be a day cruise around Manhattan. For more information about the event and about purchasing tickets, please visit www.oltlfanclub.com. Tickets are selling very fast, so if you are interested in attending, the time to act is now!
Until next time,
Dawn
