by Ryan Clements

Why should soaps be the only ones to trot out familiar names from the past? This week, former Two Scoops columnist Ryan Clements returns with his thoughts on the OLTL finale as well as some top ten lists that cover all of One Life to Live's 43 years of history.

Greetings, old friends! When my buddy Dawn contacted me several months ago to ask whether or not I would consider returning to my old Two Scoops stomping grounds, I didn't even have to hesitate. After all, Two Scoops was my home for probably seven years or so. I remember vividly in 2002 when I first auditioned for one of the vacant Two Scoops positions, I was getting ready to leave for Costa Rica with some students. Upon returning a few weeks later, I was writing bi-weekly columns about the goings-on in Llanview, Pennsylvania, including my rants about the infamous Santi family, or the way Spencer Truman hogged the screen, or even the way former head writer Dena Higley destroyed the integrity of most of my favorite characters during her short tenure. But I also remember raving about the classic "Babes Behind Bars" special episode featuring Catherine Hickland's Lindsay and also creating "My Favorite Nora Moment" in every single column during Hillary B. Smith's contract negotiations when Higley put Nora in a coma for months.

I've been a loyal viewer of this show since 1985, and even though I was as heartbroken as every other viewer, I coped by feeling grateful that I was able to invest 26-27 years (and roughly 7,000 episodes, minus all of the Dena Higley-written episodes that I fast-forwarded through!) in a show that was outrageous, fun, campy, thought-provoking, and riveting. At a time when television shows are cancelled after only a few episodes, I have spent most of my adult life faithfully tuning in to OLTL day after day. I spent many years with Dawn sharing my thoughts about the Cramers, the Mannings, and the Buchanans, so I laughed at my invitation back to this forum. I told Dawn I felt like John Loprieno, Jessica Tuck, or Andrea Evans -- bringing the old-timers back for one last hurrah! There was no way I could pass up an opportunity to say goodbye to this important and influential show.

So, let's get right to it. That ending! In the era of the infamous Internet spoilers, I'm impressed that this shocking ending managed to stay out of the media up until the moment it aired. In the minutes after it aired, I was absolutely elated; I thought it was the brilliant ending to....a Friday episode. And that realization is what ultimately caused me to pause and feel a bit cheated out of a more proper closed-ended finale to a show that entertained millions of viewers for four decades. The thought soon occurred to me that I wasn't going to see Téa's reaction to finding out Victor was alive and that I wasn't going to discover what led psychopath Allison Perkins to be by his bedside. I found it irresponsible and egocentric of Prospect Park to demand that OLTL end on a cliffhanger, knowing that the likelihood of an online version of the show was slim. While that arrogance may have accidentally led to a wonderfully inspired Fraternity Row mini-story arc, it led to an ending that failed to give any closure to viewers who deserved it.

But the ending aside, I was happy that Matthew and Destiny were able to see the birth of their child (not to mention that Matthew apparently came to his senses regarding his responsibilities as a father). I loved that Brody made an appearance and reassured Jessica that he was okay and would always be just a phone call away if she needed anything. Clint's proposal to Viki was the perfect end to her story; I have always been a Viki and Clint fan, so for me this was a full-circle moment! Seeing Blair and Todd reunite was fantastic, but the highlight of the final episode revolved solely around Robert S. Woods.

Bo's reaction to hearing that Matthew and Destiny were going to name their son Drew after Bo's deceased son was more than just acting; it transcended that moment in the Buchanan living room. It was as though Woods himself had a momentary realization that his time with his OLTL family was about to end. And that feeling carried over to his final scenes with Hillary B. Smith. The two of them have always had a chemistry and magic that isn't found too often on any television show, daytime or primetime. So in those final moments, I didn't feel like I was even watching Bo and Nora; I felt like I was watching Bob and Hillary take a moment to say goodbye to their characters. To me, those scenes were the most impactful.

But I would be remiss if I didn't mention the way Ron Carlivati incorporated Fraternity Row into the ending of OLTL. I remember when Frat Row was introduced in the early 1990s and Bo Buchanan was its Executive Producer. It was campy fun. And the Daisy Awards? Don't even get me started on how brilliant that was. So Carlivati's nod to history with the way he brought the show back to the forefront of the action only to have the show itself face cancellation was such a bold and innovative move.

I just loved how everyone in Llanview was watching Brandon and Briana's tumultuous love story every day at 2:00 and how Roxy became the voice of the fans who fought hard in reality against ABC when news broke of the cancellation of both AMC and OLTL. The truth is, Ilene Kristen has been one of the biggest champions behind the efforts of every fan whose mission it was to give OLTL a home after January 13, so to give her this important storyline was perfect. And Erika Slezak's voiceover during Frat Row's last episode? A masterpiece!

The only part of the finale week that left me a bit disappointed was the absence of flashbacks from so many wonderful moments from the show's rich 43-year history. I can remember in the early 1990s when beloved heroine Megan Gordan (played by Jessica Tuck) died of complications from lupus, and the show devoted an entire week to her death. During that emotional four-week time frame, all of the main characters had an opportunity to sit by her bedside and tell her stories in a last-ditch effort to keep Megan alive, even if for just a while longer. The best part about this plot device was that it was the perfect opportunity to highlight clips from the years before.

I thought of this storyline so many times during the final moments of OLTL and just wished that Ron Carlivati had been able to figure out a way to include more memorable scenes from the show's legacy into the final moments. So, in that spirit of remembering the best and worst of Llanview (at least in the 27 years I've been watching), I thought I would say farewell to the show in my own way by taking my own stroll down memory lane.

Most Memorable Storylines

1. Megan's Death - As previously mentioned, one of the reasons I loved this storyline was because of the way it incorporated OLTL's rich history through flashbacks; however, I can't neglect the brilliant and heartbreaking performances by Jessica Tuck, Erika Slezak, Wortham Krimmer, Joe Lando, and essentially anyone who was a part of this special story. I remain bitter to this day about Slezak's winning the Daytime Emmy that year over Tuck and even wrote two full articles for Soap Opera Weekly that year, expressing my dissatisfaction about that; but in the end, Tuck failed to submit the wonderful episodes involving her death.
2. Marty's Gang Rape - Boy, I can remember this storyline almost frame for frame. It was bold and controversial, and way ahead of its time. Michael Malone was one of OLTL's best head writers, and the way he carefully crafted this story around bad girl Marty Saybrooke and then played the "girl who cried wolf" angle made this an extraordinarily compelling storyline. It also gave Hillary B. Smith one of the best courtroom closing arguments in the history of soaps and led to the longevity of one of the most popular OLTL anti-heroes in the form of Todd Manning. When he was bad, he was bad (think about the time he stalked a blind Nora at the beach house); but when he was good, he was great (think about the way Starr humanized him and made him question his motives whenever she was involved).
3. Viki's Multiple Personalities - I always had a soft spot for Niki Smith. She was so outrageous, but she was never nasty. She was just someone who lived on the edge. When Viki realized that her father had molested her at such a young age and she split into multiple personalities, I was riveted to the screen with how Erika Slezak seamlessly shifted from Tommy to Jean to Niki. It defined the character of Viki like never before, and it created a bond between her and Dorian that would ultimately tie them together as family, despite their occasional animosity.
4. Gabrielle Switches the Babies - Man, was this a good one! It goes way back, and I can still remember it well. Michael Grande's wife had died during childbirth, and when Gabrielle went to visit the nursery and check in on her friend's baby, she discovered the baby was dead. So what did she do? She switched the dead infant for the closest one to it -- which happened to be Brenda McGillis' child. As the story unfolded and Gabrielle was about to wed Michael herself, Michael learned of Gabrielle's treachery and choked her on the staircase in her pristine wedding gown. It was one of the most classic examples of the overdone baby switch storyline.
5. Max and Tina's Wedding - Who didn't love the moment when Tina uttered "I, Tina, take thee, Cord...I mean Max!" Whooops!! There Cord stood as Max's best man (convenient), and Tina blurts out the wrong name. Another reason why Tina and weddings don't go well together.
6. Live Week - When this show was on fire, it was on fire. I remember the great buzz that surrounded the live week shows when all of the episodes were filmed live. It was great waiting for a mistake -- there had to be one, right? But, alas, the cast and crew were so well prepared that the hope for even the smallest of glitches was quickly snuffed out. And Kassie DePaiva's performance when she found out that Todd had known Jack was alive despite telling her that he died was Emmy-worthy.
7. Babes Behind Bars - Imagine sitting around the writing table and pitching this idea, "Okay, so Lindsay wakes up in her cell and hears some really funky 70s music. She walks through an empty prison until she gets to the cafeteria, where all of the girls are in pastel-colored prison suits and start bursting into Broadway tunes." Well, that's exactly what happened, and it was camp in its purest form. Lindsay was the perfect character for this special episode, and Catherine Hickland's Broadway background helped her lead a wonderful ensemble cast.
8. Fraternity Row/Daisy Awards - This was the first time that I realized OLTL was the only show in the daytime lineup willing to poke fun at itself and the genre as a whole. Bo as Executive Producer of a soap opera? Megan Gordon as the lead character and up for a Daisy Award (the equivalent of an Emmy award)? And then watching the rivalry between Megan and her costar? I was sad to see the storyline end but even more elated to find that it was going to be revisited in OLTL's final days.
9. Eterna - There are some that would argue this one, but I relished every single moment of the time Viki and her posse were trapped in Eterna with Leo Cromwell, his daughter, Wade Coleman, Gabrielle, Tina, and a handful of others. The gold bars in a massive city underneath the ground? Sure the storyline might have had its origin after a long night of the writers going out drinking (ha ha), but it epitomized everything OLTL was about at the time. Brilliance. Every time I go back and watch scenes from this storyline, I become instantly nostalgic.
10. Viki Goes to Heaven - Viki has been to Heaven more times than anyone should, and her first visit was the most iconic. When Viki "saw the light" during her first stint in Heaven, it was a week-long event when faces from the show's past had the opportunity to make a cameo. Ron Carlivati's second attempt a few years ago was well intentioned, but it was less successful. I felt it was too contrived and didn't include enough of our dearly departed characters. But he made up for it during the show's finale when Megan, Luna, and Gabrielle showed up to lead characters to the light.
11. Buchanan City - Clint's time travel story that took him back to 1888 where he ran into his ancestors (who looked strangely familiar to current Llanview denizens) made me actually like Westerns, because up to that point I'd have rather sat through a cavity-filling than watch any sort of old John Wayne western movie. But I'll be darned that Clint Buchanan transformed me! Nothing can beat the moment when Viki was transported back 100 years herself, only to walk into the saloon where Clint and Ginny (who looked exactly like her) were about to be wed. C-L-A-S-S-I-C!
12. Trading Spaces Episode - This episode was so hysterical, not just in the way it stood alone, but it allowed the loyal viewers to see our favorite actors portray each other's characters. From making fun of each other's acting habits to trying to mimic the mannerisms, it was a hoot from start to finish.

Best Location Scenes

1. Argentina - To this day, Tina going over the Iquazu Falls has to be one of my most favorite scenes in all of OLTL. In the days when money for extravagant location shoots was aplenty, look at the creative way that the show removed über-popular Andrea Evans from the canvas for a while. (Boy, did she ever need a break or what?) To this day, I challenge anyone to point out a more dramatic and visually stunning "send-off" for a character than Tina's plunge over the falls! Unfortunately, the way Ron Carlivati used this as a plot device for young Sarah Roberts a few years back just lacked the same punch as the original 80s version.
2. Loon Lake - While maybe not on the same level as Argentina, Bo and Cassie's romantic getaway to Loon Lake turned terrifying when psychopath Alex Olanov tried to drown Cassie in the middle of the lake. As Bo swam out to save the woman he loved, the vicious attack was scary, visually stunning, and suspenseful. This is how you take a simple location and get your money's worth.
3. Austria - When OLTL sent the crew off to the fictional country of Mendorra, where Dorian was some sort of foreign ambassador, it provided landscape that was just awe-inspiring. The climax to their visit, of course, was Bo and Sarah skiing down the side of the mountain with Sarah in her full wedding attire! Yeah, we could tell the actors clearly had stunt doubles the entire time, but it was great fun watching "Bo" do flips over small hills and hold Sarah's hand...and did I mention she was in a wedding dress?

Most Shocking Moments

1. Tina goes over the Waterfall. Enough said.
2. The reveal in 1988 that Bo was being kept in a dungeon with his wife Didi and ex- wife Delila was shocking to me because it was the Friday cliffhanger when we realized that Bo's odd behavior wasn't the result of some odd disease; instead, we learned that Patrick London had plastic surgery to make himself look like Bo. It led to a suspenseful (and heartbreaking) conclusion when Bo's wife Didi was electrocuted when Faux Bo grabbed her arm after falling into some kind of electrical/wired fence.
3. I could hardly believe my ears when I heard Gabrielle swear to serve God if Max survived his injuries after a warehouse explosion. This led to the failed attempt to make Gabrielle a sympathetic heroine, but all it did was give her a temporary love interest in Father Tony who oversaw the convent. Gabrielle was always at her best when she was bad, so trying to make her into a character she wasn't didn't work.
4. Mary Lou killing her mother, Lee Halpern, was another one of those shocking moments when I questioned if I really just saw what I thought I saw. In the days before spoilers, I remember hoping that Mary Lou didn't just accidentally shoot her mother in the back when Mary Lou walked in on her mother wrestling with some guy on her bed as she realized he was involved with the mob and was going to kill her ex-husband, Tom. But alas, Lee died in her daughter's arms...or so we thought until she returned again almost two years ago as a woman working for Todd/Victor.
5. One of the most outrageous moments ever on the show was when psycho Maria Roberts stole some sort of poison from Patrick London's lab that would kill someone instantly upon contact. Her plan was to kill Viki so that she could have Clint all to herself, but when Tina found the poison in Maria's apartment, Maria threatened Tina with it. With a laugh I can only compare to Cruella DeVille, Maria inched closer to Tina until...BAM! Tina pushed Maria back into a chair, and the poison landed directly onto Maria's chest. After histrionics and soap opera acting at its campy worst, Maria took her last breath, and I played the scene over and over and over and over again!
6. Who can forget Jill Larson as Ursula Blackwell, who put a bomb in a wedding cake? Poor Steve Holden fell victim to that shocking moment.
7. Months after she took the plunge over the waterfall (because who ever thought she would really be dead?), Tina came storming back from the dead and into Llanfair just in time to interrupt Cord and Kate's wedding. Oh, and did I mention she was holding the baby she supposedly gave birth to months after she went over the falls? The looks on everyone's faces made for a classic Friday cliffhanger.
8. This leads to my final shocking moment. The baby Tina was holding when she interrupted Cord's wedding wasn't theirs; turns out it was Al Holden, Gabrielle and Max's son. But don't worry! Tina found out that her miracle baby called "Milagro" was alive and well.

Favorite WhoDunnits

1. Who Killed Carlo Hesser (circa 1990). The stormy night, the creepy music, suspects galore -- all the necessary ingredients for a true whodunit. I have a funny story to share about this particular story. I was so involved with this mystery and thought that I had it completely figured out (turns out I didn't). But months and months had passed from the time he was killed until it was revealed who his killer was. A close friend of mine at the time watched the show intermittently but was tired of my constantly talking about this storyline and watching me try to play Hercule Poirot. So on the day that the show revealed who the killer was, I was working. When I got home, I immediately changed and prepared myself for the moment of truth by rewinding that VHS tape. As I was rewinding the tape, I listened to my answering machine messages. All that I heard was my friend's voice say nothing more than, "It was Stephanie." Well, I was furious! How dare she spoil the surprise of the reveal, I thought! I spent months trying to figure this out, and in two seconds, my anticipation was squashed. I never let her live that down.
2. Who Killed Mitch Lawrence (1986). I don't mean one of the other lame deaths when he came back to life because I am in the minority who felt he should have stayed dead and buried. But I loved the whole "who bashed him over the head with a candlestick" story! It led to a wonderful storyline for Robin Strasser's Dorian as she was imprisoned for the crime because she didn't want her daughter Cassie to potentially face imprisonment for it. The prison storyline with Dorian was the best part of it, and it was a great example of how, in soap writing, one story naturally evolves from another.
3. Who killed Michael Grande
4. Who killed Spencer Truman. First, I was glad he was dead and wouldn't take one more moment of screen time from any other character. Second, it led to a tour de force performance from Catherine Hickland when it was revealed that Lindsay was the murderer. Her "breakdown" in the courtroom was Hickland at her finest. And even though it ultimately led to Hickland's departure from the show, I was glad it showcased her awesome talent.

   Favorite Villains

5. Jamie Sanders - One of my absolute favorites! From the way he sent Tina over the waterfall in Argentina to his shooting Clint and causing him to be blind (albeit temporary) to his escaping from Statesville, Jamie Sanders wreaked havoc for every major character. He was the true definition of a villain.
6. Carlo Hesser - Thom Christopher was always one of my favorite actors, ever. When Carlo first arrived in Llanview, he scared me so much I almost felt compelled to leave the room every time he was on the screen. He was truly scary. But when Mortimer was introduced and Carlo kept reemerging, he lost that edge and became more of a cartoon caricature.
7. Ursula Blackwell - Jill Larson, anyone? I remember she was caring for her father who was in a wheelchair, and when Tina showed up, they battled on top of this lighthouse, and the father accidentally rolled off the ledge and fell to his death.
8. Patrick London
9. Alex Olanov - I loved her on General Hospital as Olivia Jerome, and I loved Tonja Walker just as much as crazy Alex Olanov. Highlights include her becoming mayor, her marrying Asa in a wonderful Cleopatra-inspired remote in Central Park, and her romance with Carlo Hesser. She was always over-the-top, but that's exactly the way I liked her. She may have softened a little bit over the years, but I'll never forget her wedding gift to Bo and Cassie -- the news that Bo's presumed-dead wife Sarah was really alive!
10. Maria Roberts - Absolutely, without a doubt, my favorite villainess. She was the epitome of camp, and her vendetta against Viki was the impetus to a myriad of different diabolical plans. It was a shame that she met her demise so soon.
11. Michael Grande
12. Dorian Lord - Is she a villainess or a heroine? I think a little bit of both, which is why she is a classic character.
13. Austin Buchanan - One of the lesser-known Buchanans, but he sure did have his place in OLTL's history! If you recall, he raped Sarah, who was so damaged that she killed him in self-defense and buried him when he wasn't dead. He later came back to terrorize some Llanview citizens and held Viki and Megan hostage until he was killed by Clint. In another example of one story climax kicking off another fantastic storyline, Viki is shot, which results in Megan's personality splitting into a character called Ruby Bright.
14. Allison Perkins - I have to give her a shout-out because she shared the final scene of the series with Victor. But I think back to the 1980s when she stole Jessica by putting on a Niki-like wig. That little plot device of course came back to haunt the Buchanans a number of years ago. It always seemed like Allison had one additional secret that she never spilled to anyone. It was always said that she was Mitch's minion, but I beg to differ; I think she was the mastermind of that whole cult and Mitch was just a puppet in her plans!

Long-Gone but Not Forgotten
Remember these characters? They may not have been the stars of the show, but they were like warm chicken soup when you were sick; they were the characters that often brought stability to Llanview, and you could smile whenever they were on the screen. They were true supporting characters, but their importance to OLTL's legacy cannot be overlooked.

1. Rafe Garrison
2. Herb Callison
3. Larry Wolek
4. Wanda Wolek
5. Luna Moody
6. Brenda McGillis
7. Andrew Carpenter

Most Memorable Performances

1. Judith Light - Her courtroom confession that she was a prostitute will go down in history.
2. Trevor St. John - He is one of the most electric performers the show has seen, and when Todd was faced with execution, he gave the performance of a lifetime. I always loved his relationship with Renee Goldsberry's Evangeline, and seeing the way she reacted to his goodbye to her was goosebump-worthy. While I never bought the two as a potential romantic pairing (mostly because I preferred her with John McBain), I thought that she was the best friend St. John's version of Todd ever had. He had many brilliant performances, including his layered and soft performance during his "romance" with Marty Saybrooke, but the one that stands out is his execution episode.
3. Erika Slezak - Anything involving a scene with her and Robin Strasser was definitely going to be top-notch, but her D.I.D. storyline was Slezak's career highlight. It showcased every nuance of the acting abilities that she had. OLTL and Erika Slezak are synonymous, and she is to OLTL what Susan Lucci was to All My Children.
4. Hillary B. Smith - I could give you a laundry list of Smith's best performances, including her fun scenes with costar Catherine Hickland, but her best moments were those when she was fighting for her life against Roger Howarth's Todd in the beach house and in the courtroom during Marty Saybrooke's rape trial.
5. Jessica Tuck - Her lupus storyline was A-quality from start to finish.
6. Andrew Trischitta - Okay, let me explain. I wanted to include him on a list because I wanted to find some place in this column to recognize the vast improvement Trischitta made during his tenure in the role of Jack Manning. Most would agree that when he made his debut, some eyebrows were raised at whether or not this recast would last. There is no doubt he was green. But as the weeks and months went on, Trischitta showed tenacity and commitment to his craft, and his hard work and effort paid off for him as the show itself came to a conclusion. His version of Jack went from an irredeemable bully with not a single ounce of likeability to a tormented and guilt-ridden young man who showed vulnerability and depth. If he had been given more time, I don't doubt that he would have been shouldering a bulk of future storylines.
7. Roger Howarth - Can't think of a time he wasn't good. To me, Howarth was always Todd. No offense to the legion of St. John fans because I love his contribution to the show as well, but Howarth's version of Todd was the one that most resonated with me. Everything Howarth did was great, even the scenes with that parrot!
8. Ilene Kristen - Her version of Roxy is one of the most classic and eclectic characters of all-time, but her special episode of Fraternity Row during which she became one of the main characters was Kristen at her best! Roxy waking up in Las Vegas next to her new husband Max Holden and her relationship with Kyle were also among my favorite Roxy moments.
9. Austin Williams - The bullying storyline involving Shane was powerful and true-to-life. His scenes on top of the school roof during which he threatened to jump to his death were chilling and suspenseful. Rumors persisted that this story would come to a tragic end, and I will admit that I thought through the entire episode that Shane would actually commit suicide. My only complaint? I felt the follow-up to his suicide attempt was poorly handled. Williamson would have been brilliant if his character had been faced with a longer coping and recovery time.
10. Susan Haskell - Marty Saybrooke started out as a bad girl, but when she was raped by the guys at the frat party, Haskell became an actress of another kind. She totally transformed her character and made her someone the audience cared about. And Haskell's performance when her character was told that she had sex with the man who raped her (thank goodness we now know that wasn't the case) is the stuff Emmys were made for.

Favorite Couples

1. Tina and Cord - These two will always be my favorite couple. I started watching right around the time they met, and their tempestuous relationship kept me hooked. Their relationship was far from traditional, but they each always understood what made the other one tick. They may have driven one another absolutely crazy, but nobody can question that these two shared a connection unlike any other.
2. Bo and Nora - Bo met his match when he met Nora, and the two took every scene to another level. It was unfortunate that certain writers (or executives) decided to keep the popular couple apart for so many years, but their reunion was worth the wait. Having them last until the finale was befitting.
3. Todd and Blair - These two mismatched misfits were dysfunctional to be sure; however, they complimented one another in a way nobody else could do with them.
4. Viki and Clint - I always thought to myself, how do two people travel back in time together, survive multiple gunshots and hostage situations, weather multiple personalities, and still divorce? And if I recall, their separation began around the time their son Joey befriended Billy Douglas, who later confessed he was gay. Clint became an unlikely bigot, and it was an unrealistic and uncharacteristic way to split up the popular couple. Despite some good chemistry with other husbands, Viki never had as good of a fit as she did with Clint.
5. Max and Gabrielle - Just like Tina and Cord, Max and Gabrielle were always destined to be together. Gabrielle and Bo? Get real! Max and Roxy? Fun, but not as powerful as the one between Max and Gabrielle.
6. Megan and Jake - Megan is one of my absolute favorite characters, and I thought that through all of the pairings Megan had on the show, none was as strong as the one she had with Jake. The episode during which she passed away will always remain one of the most stellar.
7. Starr and Cole - I haven't really addressed Kristen Alderson, but what an asset she has been to OLTL. Watching her grow up on camera was so much like watching Kimberly McCullough grow up on General Hospital. Alderson's Starr Manning became a teen mom and matured into a responsible young woman. Why Alderson never earned an Emmy (much less multiple nominations) is completely beyond me, but Brandon Buddy's Cole Thornhart was definitely her Achilles heel.

And thank goodness for my faithful VCR! There were so many episodes from the 80s and 90s I was able to salvage from the years, so I am thankful that I have those moments in Eterna or Mendorra to look back on at some point in time. And as I mentioned in my title, "saying goodbye only makes the next hello quicker," so that will come sooner than expected when the Mannings make a trip to Port Charles on General Hospital. I know that Frank Valentini and Ron Carlivati's move to GH (in addition to the many OLTL characters who are making appearances) has caused quite an uproar among die-hard GH fans, but I for one couldn't be more ecstatic!

I was a fan of GH before I tuned into OLTL, so I can speak to this move with some level of authority. First of all, giving fans a proper conclusion to the unceremonious cliffhanger from the finale will be completely satisfying. Further, incorporating some of the best characters from OLTL and properly integrating them into the fabric of GH is smart on so many levels. It not only brings the OLTL viewers to ratings-challenged GH but also helps clean house of the extraneous characters roaming around Port Charles. Glory Monty took GH from the brink of cancellation by employing some drastic measures, and I fully expect Valentini to do the same thing with this bold "hybrid" experiment. It's a win-win for all daytime fans as far as I'm concerned. It keeps a little bit of OLTL alive while also giving GH a lifeline to potentially remain on broadcast television.

In closing, I remember hearing this once, and I couldn't think of a more apt way to close out not only this column but also my own viewing experience with my old friend, OLTL -- don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened.


Ryan

Ryan

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Two Scoops is an opinion column. The views expressed are not designed to be indicative of the opinions of Soap Central or its advertisers. The Two Scoops section allows our Scoop staff to discuss what might happen and what has happened, and to share their opinions on all of it. They stand by their opinions and do not expect others to share the same point of view.

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