As the trend of not going a week without big news continues, we learned that casting changes are afoot for One Life to Live. First, we learned that Gina Tognoni will return as Kelly, and then we were hit with the news that John Brotherton has been fired. Before I discuss what happened on the show last week, I want to address each of these developments.
I've said many times that there are way too many characters on this show, and it seems like the cast gets bigger all of the time. However, I like the idea of Kelly returning to Llanview. She is an already established character and has ties to many who are already on the canvas. I have to wonder what the purpose of Kelly's return might be. Her story was tied up pretty neatly when she left Llanview, so it will be interesting to see why she returns. It will also be interesting to see how old Zane is in soap opera years. I have let go of the idea that any soap characters will be the age they should be in real time, but Zane had better not be a teenager or even older. There are already too many teenagers on this show, and Zane was an infant when Kelly left, so that would stretch the imagination beyond all limits. Kelly comes back at an eventful time for the "Cramer women," as Dorian is running for mayor and Blair is taking her obsession with Todd to new levels. I am happy that we will get to see Kelly and Blair interact again. They have always had a complicated relationship, but I would love if Kelly could help Blair see that she needs to move on with her life. I doubt that will happen, but it would be good to see! As for Kelly herself, I would prefer that she would return with Kevin, but if it's just Kelly, I can live with that too. All I ask is that Kelly's return has an interesting purpose and that it doesn't become a wasted return of a character. I don't want to see Kelly fall victim to bad storylines like Carlo Hesser and Tina Lord have!
As for John Brotherton, I am torn about his being fired. I never like to see an actor lose a job, so I am only torn in terms of his character on the show. I think the character of Jared Banks had a lot of potential when he first arrived in Llanview. He even had an interesting story, as he idolized Asa Buchanan and had a serious axe to grind with Tess. However, once he pretended to be a Buchanan and pursued Natalie at the same time, I started to dislike the character. Once the truth was revealed, and there was hardly any backlash directed at Jared for his role in the deception, I liked Jared even less than before. Finally, he and Natalie kept the secret about Chloe's identity without consequence, and it was too much to accept. Jared skated through every situation in which he was placed, which made him kind of unlikeable. He and Natalie are well suited for each other, but I didn't like them because of all the secrets they kept. The one thing I liked about Jared was his relationship with Charlie, but that was hardly ever shown. It seems like the writers didn't know what to do with Jared, and that is a shame. John Brotherton has done a good job with the material given, and he did an especially good job when he portrayed a young Clint Buchanan in the 1968 story. It is sad for One Life to Live to lose another talented actor, but since Jared has bounced from story to story without much character growth, his exit might be for the best. It looks like we will learn the identity of the stalker through Jared's exit, so at least his exit is moving a story forward.
The story of Jessica's stalker gets stranger by the day. Many suspect that Mitch Laurence is behind the stalking and the cryptic messages that have been sent to Jared and Natalie. However, it looks like Jared is in cahoots with the stalker or is the stalker himself. I am not sure what Jared's motivation would be to stalk Natalie or to help the stalker. Jared has it made right now. He is married to Natalie and to the Buchanan money and has nothing to worry about these days. Why would he decide to stalk himself and his wife? Why would he hire someone to beat him up to make it look like the stalker attacked him? It is obvious that Jared is up to something, given his recent facial expressions and the way he questioned Brody about the investigation, but I am not sure why he would do any of this. I hope Mitch Laurence is behind the stalking because it would make more sense that Mitch got to Jared than Jared deciding to stalk him and his wife! I hope that this development isn't a plot device to reunite John and Natalie down the road. I might not be a big fan of Jared, but he is still better with Natalie than John ever was! It will be interesting to see what happens with this story, as it has taken a strange turn in the last week!
In other news, Bo and Nora lost the court case to Matthew, even with the new evidence of the outcome of Shaun's surgery. Their reaction was heartbreaking. Nora crumbled, and Bo looked resigned to the verdict. I can see why they are so devastated by the ruling. Matthew looks at the surgery as a way to resume his former life, but Nora and Bo can't get past the risks of the surgery. Nora used every ounce of motherly guilt she could use to get Matthew to decide not to have the surgery, and Bo tried to reason with Matthew in his way. While Matthew appears to be affected by Bo and Nora's emotional pleas, it looks like he is still going forward with the surgery. As I said when this story began, the most interesting aspect of this story has been the fact that I could understand both arguments, and I still can. I understand Bo and Nora's fear, but I also can't blame Matthew for wanting to walk again. His family can't understand his pain, and he feels like they are holding him back. If Matthew has surgery, I am sure it will be successful, so I don't think there are any plans to kill him off. That being said, I think Bo, Nora, and Matthew will fix their relationship after the surgery. It will take time, but I think that Bo and Nora can get over Matthew suing them, and since Matthew will probably walk again, he can let go of his anger. I am glad that Matthew won because I just want Matthew to have the surgery because he has been such an angry person since the accident. I know some people think that Matthew was too much of a goody two-shoes before the accident, but I would rather see that version of Matthew than this angry, manipulative one. He has had every right to be upset about his situation, but he has gone in a dark direction that is disconcerting. There are enough parents and children that have strained relationships. Bo, Nora, and Matthew's relationship doesn't have to stay that way!
Speaking of strained relationships, I am glad that Bo decided to make an attempt to let David into his life last week. Bo was dumbfounded when he found out that David was his son, not only because he didn't know he had yet another long lost son but also because David doesn't have the best reputation. Bo hasn't wanted to acknowledge that David is his son. However, it seems like all of the discussion of Drew hit a chord with Bo, and he didn't push David away for the first time. I would like to see David and Bo get to know each other better and form some type of bond. David has said that he respects Bo more than once, so Bo hopefully Bo can meet him in the middle. Making David Bo's son was a strange twist, but now that it has been established, I hope the writers do something with this new relationship,
As for Rex and Gigi, they were absolutely painful to watch last week. I swear that they are trying to ruin their own relationship in as many ways as possible. They are both letting Stacy get to them, and I have almost stopped caring about them. They let every complication come between them, and neither one is truly trying to make the situation work. There was a good moment last week, as Stacy had one of her fleeting moments of clarity where she realized that Rex wasn't worth enduring a pregnancy and having a child. She was very close to accepting Kim's offer to move to Los Angeles, and then they saw Gigi and Rex arguing. Stacy's clarity disappeared, and she decided that Gigi wasn't good enough for Rex so she was going to stay. Stacy was right the first time. Rex isn't worth all of this effort, AND he will find out that she isn't carrying his baby at some point. She needs to move on with her life, so the viewers can move on too! This story has been a disaster since the beginning, and it is making just about everyone who is involved unlikeable. I don't understand why the powers that be insist on making this story last forever because it isn't doing the show any favors. I actually prefer the days when Gigi, Rex, Stacy, and Kim aren't featured. I say this just about every week, and I will say it again: Just make it stop!
Then there is Todd and Téa's wedding. A soap opera wedding wouldn't be complete without a big secret looming over either the bride or the groom's head, and Todd and Téa are no exception. I like Téa and have mostly enjoyed her return to Llanview. However, she has had a long time to be honest with Todd and has chosen not to do so. Blair is overstepping her bounds by trying to break up Todd and Téa, but Téa is letting it happen. If she had told Todd about her secret, she would have rendered Blair powerless, and Todd might have accepted the truth eventually. Now, her secret is going to be exposed, and the whole situation will explode. As much as I like Téa, she deserves what she gets. Todd has hardly ever been an honest person and has done some bad things to Téa, but the tables have turned, and Téa is lying to Todd. Téa has even known that Blair has been investigating her, and she still chose to keep the truth from Todd. She halfheartedly tried to tell Todd last week, but didn't try again after Todd blew off their discussion. Téa is determined to keep this secret in spite of the consequences and Blair being on her trail. I wish I could understand Téa's motivation here, but she is making some bad decisions. The wedding scenes will be interesting, as Ross lurks in the background!
Even though Blair has rejected Ross, I like the idea of them being together. They have a strong chemistry together, and Ross isn't Todd. That is usually a positive thing when it comes to Blair! I don't think that Blair will ever stop obsessing over Todd, but I would like to see her pursue Ross and leave Todd in the rearview mirror. It would also continue her feud with Téa, since Ross and Téa have been involved before. Since the writers seem intent on continuing the dance with Blair, Todd, and Téa, I think Ross should be added to the mix to keep the triangle interesting. It would be great to see Blair decide that Todd isn't worth all of her meddling and move on with Ross, even if it is partially to spite Téa!
It will be interesting to see if Ross ultimately accepts Dorian's offer. Trying to keep Blair away from Todd is nothing new when it comes to Dorian, but she seemed especially determined to make it happen this time. I wonder how many zeros she added to the number to get Ross to accept her offer. Ross was torn at the end of Friday's episode but seemed to be warming up to the idea of taking Dorian's money. It amazes me that Dorian doesn't see that Blair is meddling in Todd's life in the same way that Dorian meddles in Blair's! Blair has learned a lot from Dorian over the years, and that was proven as Ross couldn't decide whose offer to accept. Maybe Ross can't handle a "Cramer woman" after all!
Until next time,
Dawn
