It's hard to believe, but One Life to Live has about three months left on ABC, and some of the stories are starting to reflect the limited time. However, others are dragging along, causing me to care less about them. I've seen glimpses of the show I know and love, and hope that those moments start to be a regular occurrence, instead of the exception to the rule. This show needs to leave it all out on the field as it says farewell to network television!
The main story that is dragging is the issue Liam's paternity. I am tired of seeing the test results and watching Jessica ponder what she should do with them, especially since she doesn't do anything. I actually liked her conversation with John, as he held Ryder, but I also wanted her to tell him the truth. Of course, she didn't. It seems like everyone in Llanview will know the truth before Natalie and John ever will, and that doesn't bother anyone. It's a shame that Liam and David Vickers can't actually talk; they could move this story forward without a problem. I hope this story ends soon; it's gone on for way too long already.
There aren't words to describe this ridiculous story with Stacy and Gigi. We are expected to believe that Stacy (who now looks like a blonde Gigi) was in the same basement at the same time when Gigi died. What?! This story has officially gone off the rails. I have a feeling that it will be revealed that Gigi is the one in the hospital bed, even if there isn't a logical explanation. Bringing Stacy back is pointless, so Gigi has to be alive instead.
If the writers wanted to bring Gigi back, there were other ways. Her spirit could have taken over the body of a new character, like Al did with Michael McBain. That story stretched the limits of believability, but it ended up working in the end. Instead, however we are being forced to think about one of the most ill-conceived characters in recent history, Stacy Morasco. They may as well resurrect Tico Santi while they are at it! If it is Stacy in the hospital bed, and she will wake up and pursue Rex again, that will simply be unwatchable. Her obsession with Rex never made sense, and I have no desire to see Stacy pursue Rex again while pretending to be Gigi. I liked the nod to Erica Kane's look-alike on All My Children, though!
I am relieved that Shane didn't kill Victor. I simply couldn't handle having another teenager turn out to be a murderer. Shane has been through a lot and obviously needs help, but making him a killer would have been too much. I am also glad that Shane's family has finally realized that he has issues, since he has been mostly ignored since Gigi died. It's a shame that it took Shane pointing a gun at Jack for Rex to see that Shane was having issues, but at least he had the realization at all.
As for who actually killed Victor, we are now being led to believe that the killer is Brody. I still think his motive for killing Victor is lame, so I am hoping it turns out to be someone else. Brody worked hard to turn his life around after he came to Llanview. He is a far cry from the drunken creep we first saw when Adriana found him in Michigan. I just can't see him murdering someone so he could keep a baby that isn't his, especially since the truth about Liam's paternity could have come out another way. I hope Brody's character isn't going to be further damaged than he already is because of the paternity story. Surely someone else had a better motive to kill Victor than Brody.
Jack got a taste of his own medicine when Shane shot the gun, and Jack had an "accident." Now he knows what he put Shane through when he was bullying him for all of those months. Sadly, nothing seems to have a lasting impact on Jack, but at least he knows what humiliation is like now. I don't want to see Shane bully Jack repeatedly because that wouldn't be right, but Jack needed to see what it was like for Shane.
I am glad that Jack tripped up and exposed his lie about Todd. I doubt that he will face any real consequences for lying to the police, since few people in Llanview do, but at least people know they can't believe anything he says. It doesn't look like he will drop his vendetta against Todd any time soon, which is sad because it is getting old. He doesn't know if Todd killed Victor; he just wants it to be true. It will be interesting to see if he feels any guilt at all when the real murderer is revealed!
I couldn't care less that Aubrey and Cutter broke up. As far as I am concerned, they can both leave the show at any time. These characters are pointless, unless Aubrey (a.k.a. Christine) actually does have historical ties to Llanview. I actually like Cutter in a way, but I don't want to see characters we don't know that well taking up precious airtime in the show's last few months on ABC.
I feel the same way about Rama's vendetta against Kim. This might have been a decent story when the show had unlimited time, but now, I would rather see the focus shift to the main characters we know and love/hate. There might be more to the story to make me care about Rama and her quest to get her money back from Kim, but I don't see a way for that to happen.
Nate and Dani win the prize for the most boring story, though. Why am I supposed to care that they were supposed to watch The Manchurian Candidate together? As an aside, that is a disturbing movie to watch, and I can't imagine it will lift Dani's spirits! I don't care if Nate and Dani get back together. They were dull and pointless the first time, so a reunion simply isn't necessary.
On a positive note, I loved the discussion between Clint and Viki last week. It's clear that they are headed for a reunion, and despite my reservations about this in the past, I like the idea now. Clint has stopped being a vindictive, bitter person, and they clearly enjoy each other's company, so why not? It would also be a good way to launch the new version of One Life to Live when it moves online.
I also love the connection between Todd and Blair. I never thought I'd root for them as a couple ever again. After so many rounds of breaking up and getting back together, I wanted them to stay as far away from each other as possible. So much bad stuff happened between them, but now, some of that bad stuff was actually between Blair and Victor. Todd still did horrible things, like giving Jack away, which they discussed recently. However, they seem to have reached an understanding about their past, and I can see them reuniting again. I guess that proves that anything can happen on a soap opera!
Finally, I am ready to file a missing person's report on Nora. She is Llanview's district attorney, and while many crimes have been committed in the last few weeks, she's been missing in action. I know we are expected to believe that she is with Matthew in Philadelphia, but Llanview isn't that far. Cutter and Kim go from Llanview to Kentucky in a commercial break, so it should be easy for Nora to return to Llanview and help Bo sort through all of the wrongdoings of Llanview's citizens. Nora has strong, historical ties to Llanview; she shouldn't be minimized in the show's last few months. Someone needs to gather an entourage or round up a posse and track her down now!
Until next time,
Dawn
