Through Your Eyes!

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Dorothy delivers a wonderful blend of humor while giving her point of view on the happenings of "One Life to Live" – and, she has an uncanny ability of being able to see things “Through Your Eyes!”

**Besides writing for the Llanview Banner, Dorothy has created and copyrighted a manual or “kit” which includes everything you need to start a book discussion club in your school or community.  Click here for more information on that.

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August 22, 2008  

That somewhere, somebody actually thought that this 1968 fiasco was a good idea, is beyond my comprehension.  Besides the obviously ridiculous idea of introducing time travel on a daytime drama, having new actors portray old parts is confusing and just plain wrong.  Does anyone actually think this is working?  I can think of far better vehicles for shoving Rex and Gigi together (oh, yeah, I’m even yearning for the old lock-them-in-a-meat-locker-ala-Bo-and-Nora) and for changing David Vickers’ supposed parentage than this hot mess.

First off, I have to say that Natalie has no clue what a Mexican person sounds like.  One more day of her would have killed me.  I was thrilled that she got on the bus and got the heck out of Texas .  Jared is no Clint, regardless of sideburns, and Nigel with a Texas twang is grating.  And did you notice how easily Gigi and Emma moved past the fact that they are doppelgangers?  And Gigi just took in the idea that Rex  hit the sheets with Emma pretty much the way she accepted time travel as a romantic option.  What’s wrong with this picture?

My prediction that Bo will now be David Vickers’ father seems to be playing out.  But… how the hell to explain all the BE ridiculousness in the present?  Hello?  If Jared used David’s DNA, he would not be shown to be Asa’s heir – a Buchanan, yes.  Asa’s son?  No.  In fact, Asa’s will would all be different.  No missing son, no option to look for him.  Bo wouldn’t have a clue that he fathered a child back in ’68.  Therefore, Jared wouldn’t have been tempted to pose as Asa’s kid, he wouldn’t have been taken into the Buchanan fold, given a position in the company, and rendered all decisions null and void, allowing Dorian to take over.  So how the hell is Ron Carlivati going to fix that?  This is exactly why you can’t tamper with the past, folks.

As for the other completely science fiction storyline, Todd and Marty, I am flummoxed.  It is beyond creepy.  Marty dreams of her rape, with carefully chosen scenes excluding Todd’s face, since he looked like himself rather than Walker Lawrence.  Yet when she describes her dream she says that Todd was there.  Okay, it’s a dream, I suppose she would take new Todd and dream him there, but it’s a little strange.  Her memories would include old Todd’s visage, thereby confusing her even more.  Todd holding her hand, sleeping in her bed, and generally acting solicitous is disturbing.  There is no way this can work.  What is Todd thinking?  Eventually Marty will reenter the world and find that the man who has been nurturing her is the man who instigated her gang rape.  Then what?

Also residing in the Twilight Zone:  Marcie McBain.  There is no way in hell Todd Manning will ever let her live in peace with his grandchild.  I know she wants a kid, and Carlivati wants to tie up the loose end of the heaven-can-wait tale where Michael saw his future child, but this is more than over the top.  Starr used to be an edgy kid.  I really think she would have aborted.  But as she has elected to have the baby, I would think the last person she would invite into her life would be Marcie.  Marcie, the fugitive, who endangered Starr’s half brother by dragging him all over the country and keeping him hostage in a diner.  Oh, did I forget to mention the gun?  Give me a break.  This is utter nonsense.

Let’s not forget John and Blair, resident ‘friends with benefits’.  I get the connection.  She goes for the brooding types and he goes for… well… anyone who will have sex with him.  I was warming up to the idea until he dreamt of Marty.  I could go for John finally connecting and committing to Blair.  It would extract Todd from her life and the ghosts of women lost from his.  Of course, when Marty returns from the dead, albeit with a screwed up head courtesy of Todd, John will once more find himself torn between women.  What else is new?  More brooding.  Surprise, surprise.

The pregnant Llanviewites are not faring much better.  Starr is finally facing her peers, alone and belly first.  Tess is experiencing poor impulse control and the only one who noticed is Todd.  I am amazed that nobody has caught on before this.  Looks like Todd and Tess are about to become allies, reminiscent of the days he schemed with Niki Smith.

It is astounding that OLTL has plummeted so quickly.  Everything was on the upswing and then… Well, here we are.

Let’s see what another longtime fan thinks.  If you read the Llanview Banner forum, you have read post from OTWB, with the RH signature that says, “Todd not Podd”.  Let’s take a few minutes to get to know her better.

1.  Tell us a little about yourself. (A short bio, please) 
I'm 49 years old and I live in Mesa , Arizona .  I've been here for going on four years, originally, I'm from Indiana .  I'm single and I have two grown children.  My son is in Iraq and my daughter is still in Indiana finding herself. 

2.  How long have you been watching OLTL?
Since 1978 or so.

3.  Who is/was your favorite character?
I've had several, I guess it depends on which era.  I started watching because I love Robin Strasser, I remembered her playing Rachel on AW.  She's still one of my favorites.  I also loved Marco Dane and Karen Woleck.  I was very sad when they left Llanview.  I loved Todd Manning for a long time, but not so sure about the recast.  I've been a Blair fan for a lot of years and she's still one of my favorites. I'm thrilled that Andrea Evans is back as Tina, she was also one of my favorites. I guess I like characters with shades of gray and I think a sense of humor is important, but I like the humor a little to the darkside, I suppose.

4.  Who is/was your least favorite character? 
I've had a few, it depends again, on which era.  I pretty much hated Katrina Carr, glad she left town.   I couldn't stand either incarnation of Sam Rappaport, Tea Delgado pretty much put me over the edge.  Right now, Marcy is putting me over the edge with her nattering and chattering.  Girlfriend makes my ears bleed and she bores me.

5.  What was your favorite storyline?
Todd and Blair vs the Buchannans.  There was nothing any sweeter to me than the  Asa/Blair back and forth. While I'm at it, I enjoyed the Todd/Asa back and forth almost as much.  I'll never forget Blair dressing up in red and Todd in his tuxedo crashing the Buchie's little soiree back in the day.  Loved Todd firing Luna, loved Blair acting like he'd given her the Hope diamond when he did it.  I love Todd and Blair's "screw'm attitude" towards the Llanview's establishment. I really wish they'd built on that, instead of destroying it.

6.  What do you love about OLTL right now?
I love Starr Manning, even if it is an unpopular opinion.  I feel for a 16 year old girl, who is pregnant.  Having unprotected sex at age 16 is wrong for every possible reason, but she's paying the price.  Add to that, a father who only seems to care about controlling what he feels is his.  HIS daughter, HIS grandchild, HIS kids...  As long as they remain his, I suppose he thinks they can rot.  After hearing Cole screeching at Mach 10 about HIS kid, I'm thinking she's hooked up with a boy who is only a few years from turning into her father.  I feel for her.

7.  What do you hate about OLTL right now?
Marty, Marty, Marty....  She's incredibly stupid.  I'm not talking about the amnesia, she doesn't seem to have lost any intelligence until I realize that she has no idea how she came into Ramsay's care and doesn't seem to give it much thought.  Ramsey gets shot, Todd steps in and she doesn't seem to mind that he's taking care of her.  If she's so into finding out who she is, perhaps she should have her nurse call the authorities.  I'm sure they'd put it all together real quick.  Helpless and stupid really doesn't work for me, but I suppose it works for big bad Todd who is currently boring the bejesus out of me and John the hero.  He's got to have someone to save, I suppose.   You know, we don't need an Internet connection to call the authorities.  No, never mind!!!! I can't wait until he ties her to the railroad tracks, then twirls his mustache.  so original... NOT.

Todd, Todd, Todd who has lost his soul.  He no longer gives a damn about the kids, other than they are HIS.  His connection with Jessica and Viki is now non-existent and if I did still care about him, the only thing I'd get to see him doing is torturing Marty.  Its contrived, it’s stupid and its an insult to my intelligence.  I guess, I should be grateful to be spared him calling Blair bitch and whore?  Whatever, I'm sure we'll get some of that somewhere on down the road.  I don't watch what I don't like, so I probably will miss those scenes.  Yay for me.

8.  If you could get rid of one character who would it be?
Only one?  Marcy McBain, I've never liked not even one of her storylines.  Her chattering makes my ears bleed.  She's looney, she's loud, she's obnoixous, she's self-righteous, over strident and with all that noise and angst... she's BORING.  I like the new Michael, maybe he could become a widower?

9.  If you could bring one character back from the past who would it be?
Well I would normally answer Carlo Hesser, but he's back and I'm loving him.  I loathe the Buchannan's sans Asa.  They seem really lame these days.  Clint's never been really much about the family business, Bo hasn't either.  Cut throat Clint is really not working for me.  A return of DG's Kevin would be great, he is a Lord, a Riley and only a Buchannan by adoption.  All the interesting Buchannan's are really Lords, anyway.  If TPTB are determined not to acknowledge that the Lords are the truest anchor family in Llanview, then I'd be cool if they'd bring back Cord Roberts, he was getting an Asa Jr. vibe before he left so unceremoniously.  I prefer John Loprieno, but I'd be okay with a solid recast and some writing that respected the history of the character.  The Buchanans may be a core family now, but they really lack an anchor after Phil Carey's departure.

10.  If you could request one thing from head writer Ron Carlivati, what would you ask of him?
A good Todd and Blair story.  At this point, something with a slow burn that exploits the vibe that's been so destroyed by the needs of TPTB to use them as plot devices for other people's stories without regard to their history to the detriment of the once interesting and fierce characters they once were.  

If they can't go there, then fine, Todd seems to always have story, but Blair seems to languish on the backburner unless they need her to be a love interest in someone else's story or to make Todd's newest bimbo look righteous. I'd like to see her get a story about her father.  I'd like to see her helping Dorian at Cramer Enterprises.  I have a real hard time getting why Blair was not happy dancing with Dorian took over Buchannan Enterprises.  She should have shown up on Asa's grave to gloat over the prospect of her and Dorian running what was once his business.  I love Dorian/Blair, they're my second favorite couple in Llanview.

11.  Is there anything else you would like to share with OLTL TYE readers?
For the most part, I think Carlivatti is doing a bang up job at bringing Llanview back to its former glory.  The show is much better than it was a year ago, but the last several creative teams have left him with little to work with but some ashes.  They  have a long way to go and I'm really rooting for him.  I want character based storylines, not plot based.  I don't want to see the pen, I want to see the story, I hope he can pull it off.  More so, I hope ABC Daytime allows him to do it.

Banner posters:  Check your private messages!  I have sent out several requests for interviews and you may be one of them!!!

August 5, 2008

  An Open Letter to Ron Carlivati, Head Writer of OLTL

Dear Ron,

Are you out of your freakin’ mind?  You had fans right where you wanted us.  We were happy that the Higley reign of terror was over.  You have had nearly a year to dazzle us.  You started out well enough, but your recent efforts have been less than stellar.

Your 10,000th episode brought back some favorite faces.  You accelerated the Todd’s son mess.  Spencer’s murderer was revealed.  Viki found a new lease on life.  Addie was cured and hit Llanview with her wonderful list of things to do.  All roads did NOT lead to John McBain.

But now, Ron, you have gone too far.  Everything is great in moderation.  OLTL fans have shown a willingness to suspend belief with previous storylines about underground cities, exotic locations, and visits to heaven.  Um, Ron, we may have been alright with those arcs, but not all at once.  You hit us with Mendorra, 1968, and Viki visits Heaven all at once. 

The returns of Tina, Cain and Carlo cannot save the Mendorra Mess.  Talia’s sudden revelation as a Hesser was an interesting, but obviously last minute scheme.  Her Middle Eastern heritage, which featured into other story arcs, was unceremoniously discarded in favor of shoving her front and center as Carlo’s reluctant daughter.  Yes, her mother still figures in as the origin of her heritage, but there was no groundwork laid for this shocker.  Now we sit and exercise our FF fingers through the Vega boys as they struggle to save the day – and the bride – from Carlo’s evil plot.  How many times will Antonio cheat death?  Kill him and be done with it.  Oh, and by the way, by having Cristian fail to even mention his true love’s fate as he miraculously arrives to save his brother?  A little lame, don’t you think?

Viki’s foray into Heaven could have been a lovely way to celebrate OLTL’s anniversary.  It would have been so much more appealing if more clips from the past had been interspersed with visits from obviously aging ghosts.  I would have loved for Viki to have been Agnes’ guest for a little “life review” with clips of Joe Riley and Larry Woleck, among others.  To intimate that Ben was the biggest love of Viki’s life and the others don’t even warrant a mention was more than a little insulting.

On to 1968.  I’m assuming that this is a means to an end.  Will we find that Bo is David’s father, rather than Asa?  Are we expected to embrace some bizarre sci fi crap that David simply will cease to exist?  It had better be the former… As a whole, this is dragging on way too long.  Tie it up, already.

Independently, fans might have tolerated these diversions.  All at once, it’s too much.  We could have reveled in the enjoyment of seeing old favorites, but by flooding us with three flights of fancy simultaneously, you lost our support.

Along with these ridiculous stories, we have been subjected to a bizarre turn of events between Marty and Todd.  I admit they have certain chemistry, but it is a little sick, considering their past.  I don’t know how Todd is supposed to continue to live this fiction when Marty finally recovers, and I’m not sure I care.

Oh, and FYI, Starr would not grovel to Cole.  She’s a fighter.  She would cut him loose and cry in private.  Get to know her, would you?

A last Manning note:  Blair’s pairing with John initially made me a little nauseous.  Truly, if this is simply the route to more angst for both of them when Todd reveals Marty is alive, then it is sickening.  The only way to salvage this “relationship” is to make Blair and John a real couple.  In other words, Blair is the woman who finally breaks John out of his brooding shell.  She keeps him in her bed, but out of her heart long enough to make him realize that he can finally fall in love – and admit it.  Blair reluctantly discovers that John is the man who can make her leave Todd behind.  They could save each other and develop new facets to the characters in the process.  I could actually buy into this pairing if you make it real.

This week, I would like to present another OLTL Fan Interview.  Sdog7 has posted frequently on the Llanview Banner Message Board over the last several years and offers great opinions and insights.

1. Tell us a little about yourself. (A short bio, please)
Let's see.....female, 53 years old, divorced, mother of 2 - 23 yr. old son and 19 yr old daughter.  I am a food service manager for the school system....about my 4th (and hopefully last) career.  I love animals (I have a dog and a rabbit....and as of last weekend, a fish) and sports, especially baseball (Boston Red Sox) and football (many favorite teams).

2.  How long have you been watching OLTL?  
I began watching in college - in 1976.....so 32 years. 

3.  Who is/was your favorite character?  
This is a tough one....I have had many over the years....but I guess my favorite of all time would be Marco Dane 

4.  Who is/was your least favorite character?   
Easy....John McBain

5.  What was your favorite storyline?  
The Victor Lord murder redux and trial.....where it came out that Viki's alter murdered Victor Lord....it gave us David Vickers and made Todd the Lord heir.....I also thought the writing was especially good. 

6.  What do you love about OLTL right now?  
I love Nat and Jared, Viki and Charlie the best.  I still like Bo and Lindsay.....together or separately.  I love Dorian.  I like Addie, David, Tina, Cain, Carlo.  Rex and Gigi are OK, Clint is OK, Talia is OK, Sarah and Cris are OK.  Langston and Markko are OK.

7.  What do you hate about OLTL right now?  
Anything to do with the teen pregnancy story, Marty Saybrooke and John McBain. 

8.  If you could get rid of one character who would it be?  
John McBain

9.  If you could bring one character back from the past who would it be?
Kevin (if played by Dan Gauthier) or Gabrielle (Fiona Hutchinson)

10. If you could request one thing from head writer Ron Carlivati, what would you ask of him?  
Please keep John McBain away from any of the characters that I like and keep his screen time to a minimum! 

11.  Is there anything else you would like to share with OLTL TYE readers?
I just want to thank you Dorothy for all of your hard work.  I don't always agree with you, but I appreciate the time and effort you put into your column.  I also want all my board buddies at the LB to know how much fun I have reading the posts.....I don't post as much as I used to but I still check the board daily.

Banner posters:  Check your private messages!  I have sent out several requests for interviews and you may be one of them!!!

July 21, 2008

Spoiler Free!
I wonder if someone at abc reads the Banner.   Have you noticed the absence of previews at the end of OLTL?  I wonder if someone there is helping me out with my spoiler free summer pledge!  All I can tell you is that it is CHALLENGING to keep the blinders on.  I see Soap Gal’s teaser on the front page; cover stories in the supermarket (I don’t open them up, but the headlines are tough to avoid); overly descriptive topic descriptions on forums.  So far, other than some inadvertent glimpses, I remain in the dark as to what is coming… and I kind of like it.

The Latest Fads
I am noticing a couple of disturbing trends in Llanview.  Why are so many citizens seeing dead people?  Is this The Sixth Sense?  Tess is chatting up Nash, dancing with him and sharing her dirty deeds while reveling in her badness.  Bo is engaged in verbal sparring with Asa.  And Dorian is getting a dose of conscience from Mel.  In the 40^th anniversary episodes in heaven, Viki has visited with granddaughter Megan, Asa, Niki Smith (can she really qualify as dead?), and Ben.  I like seeing characters from the past as much as the next fan, but does anyone else feel like it would have been nice to have these folks trickle in?  Between appearances of the dead, we have Tina, Cain, and Carlo back front and center.  Feast or famine in Llanview?  By the way, is Agnes Nixon supposed to God?  I suppose we could do worse…

I am also a little bothered by the prevalence of alcoholism in Llanview.  Charlie, Brody, and even Bo are either professed, recovering, denying, or on the road to drinking problems.  Even Rex got hammered before his wedding.  Is AA the show’s new sponsor?  I hate to say it, but Marty better get her memory back and get these people some psychological help.

Love It/Hate It
I am completely enamored of David Vickers’ exploits.  Marrying Addie and deserting Dorian in the middle of nowhere were pure David.  I am so glad he didn’t succumb to Langston and Markko’s ill-conceived seduction.  That would have been beyond creepy.

Despite my early misgivings, I like Gigi.  She’s perky and cute.  I would like her to ‘fess up to Shane’s parentage, but I suppose it is a necessary complication in the triangle between Gigi, Rex, and Brody.

Tess’ revenge plans seem impulsive and poorly planned.  This is, of course, very much in character for her.  She is damn creepy with a knife in her hand.  My gripe is that Jared and Natalie are completely clueless.  How gullible can they be?  I suppose guilt motivates them to believe anything Tess tells them, but once upon a time Natalie was street-wise.  Jared served time thanks to Tess.  Don’t they see anything amiss?

I also take issue with Viki getting back behind the wheel without calling Nat to ask if her brakes are always so mushy.  It’s nighttime, she’s on back roads, Dorian insisted.  Hello?  What’s up with throwing all caution to the wind?  And on the subject of Viki, why would the Megans be going to bat for Charlie?  What about Ben?  That didn’t quite jive for me.  Are we supposed to buy that she loved Ben more than Joe Riley? 

Even though I am not crazy about the whole Mendorra escapade, I actually kind of like the wrench that Carlo has thrown in the works between Talia and Antonio. 
An arranged marriage is at least a new twist in the whole love triangle scheme.

Tina and Cain are charmingly shallow as expected.  I would prefer it if they were to focus and the Vegas were deported. Oh and why the hell didn’t Sarah jump out of the damn boat?

The 1968 thing is just plain strange.  It’s a heavy handed review of the Buchanan’s tangled pasts.  I would have preferred flashbacks done in the manner of “A Christmas Carol” with Bo on the sidelines rather than the confusing mess I’m watching today.  And Natalie’s Mexican accent was downright horrible. 

Maybe the problem is that Mendorra, Viki Goes to Heaven, and Bo and Rex’s Excellent Adventure are all going on at once.  It’s overkill.  Give us one at a time and move along other storylines in Llanview via regular means.

I still have no clue about Todd’s long term plans in his manipulations of Marty and Cole.  Eventually Marty will learn all the truths.  Then what? I get the Cole thing – a means to an end.  Why is Todd being handled so clumsily by the writers?  He is becoming a one-note bad guy instead of the complicated Todd I once loved to watch.

Now I would like to introduce you to my oldest son, Sam.  He is 16 and has watched soaps with me on and off over the years.  In fact, at 3, he asked if we could watch “the sad lady show”, a pretty accurate description of any soap!  This year he won first place for prose for his High School Literary Magazine.  He has been watching OLTL with me and is going to give us a teen’s view of the Starr/Cole/Langston/Markko storylines this summer.

As a teenager, I thought understanding Starr and Cole would be easy.  But then I remembered that Starr and Cole lived in soap-opera-land and acted like polar opposites of normal teenagers.

Get this.  Any normal 16 year-old boy wouldn’t want to raise a baby alone or with their girlfriend’s psychotic father.  I think Starr punched Cole in the face with reality in the courtroom when she talked about Cole raising the baby with Todd.  This and the fact that she knows she can’t raise the baby alone proves her to be the more accurate of the two.  If Todd really wants the baby and to have Cole on his side, GIVE COLE HIS MOM BACK.

I’d like more Langston and Markko, please.  Or just a more realistic Cole.  On another note, this week seriously lacked teen storyline.  At least Tess is back.  We all know that deep, deep, DEEP down, we missed her.  I’d personally shake her hand if she killed Natalie and Jared.  They’re getting annoying!

Just one more thing or 4:

-          Mendorra is the lamest thing ever.

-          How many times has Viki been “clinically dead” already?

-          I WANT A “FREE LINDSAY” T-SHIRT!

-          David Vickers rules.

July 11, 2008

I am still hoping some of you are joining me in going Spoiler Free for the summer!!!  It is a unique experience to watch OLTL with no clue what actors might be coming or going and thus what stories will be affected.  I miss reading Ravenbeauty’s spoilers and preparing for the good and the bad… and the ugly.

Anyway, so far I have found that some things were completely surprising and some completely predictable.

What I saw coming a mile off….

As soon as Nash took a header through the skylight, the writing was on the wall.  Tess was going to stampede through whatever wall Jess had erected and steamroll anyone connected to Nash’s death.  Note to producers:  We didn’t need to see that horrific flowered dress again – ever.

Ramped up references to Todd and Marty’s past.  With Marty back on the scene, with retrograde amnesia, reminders are dropping like rain about her troubled past with Todd.  What I don’t know is what Todd is going to do with her and to what purpose he is filling her with lies.

Nora finally got her mitts on RJ’s damning letter.  We all knew it was coming.  Frankly I was sick of the corner of it sticking out of that damn folder.  My question is this:  Where the hell is RJ?  He should be there for Lindsay… Especially since his letter has led to her downfall.

Wedding Interruptus for Bo and Lindsay was inevitable.  I never for a moment believed it would happen.

What blindsided me:

Cole telling Todd about Starr’s pregnancy.  Todd is a loose cannon and nearly killed Cole, but that’s who he goes running to?  That kid is an idiot.

Bo must have a brain tumor. Isn’t that the all purpose explanation for erratic soap behavior?  Did I miss the romance between him and Lindsay?  It seemed like a fondness, not love.  Then boom!  A proposal… at a funeral?  A wedding… the next day after the burial?  That is so wrong on so many levels.

I had no clue that Cain Rogan was coming back as the Prince of Mendorra.  Seeing him return is nearly as fun as seeing David Vickers back on canvas.

Welcome back, Carlo Hesser!  Okay, I admit that I had heard he was coming back, but I had no clue that he would be Talia’s father.  That was a stunner.  I needed a refresher, though, as far as her siblings, Johnny and Charlotte.  If you need to revisit Hesser’s past, I suggest visiting http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlo_Hesser  for the scoop.

I certainly could not see into the future to brace myself for the ridiculous plot device of Psychic intervention.  This smacks of writers who just don’t know how to push the storylines forward.

TYE News

I want to share two new TYE features that will be appearing occasionally throughout the summer.  The first is OLTL Fan Interviews.  Many of you have been watching for years.  We want to know more about you.  If you are interested in being interviewed, contact me at oltl_tye@hotmail.com.  Some of you who post regularly on the forum, check your message folders – I may have already contacted you!   *Note:  Your comments may be edited for length.

The second addition to TYE is a very special guest columnist.  As you know, summers often push teen storylines front and center.  This summer, with Starr’s pregnancy drama, we are sure to see quite a bit of Llanview’s youth.  I thought it would be interesting to hear what a sixteen year old thinks about this story arc.  With that in mind, I have asked my son to view OLTL with me (I had to verbally catch him up to where we are… he has watched intermittently with me over the last few years) and to write his comments for TYE.  Starting next week, Sam will be giving us his take on Llanview’s teen scene.

To kick off our interviews, our own JustinHasArrived from the Llanview Banner message board has agreed to answer a few questions…

Thank you, Justin, for agreeing to be our first featured fan. Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m Justin Murphy, a 22 year old writer originally from Dothan , Alabama , now living in the Orlando , Florida area. I’ve been published by both the now defunct Epstein Publishing and the still running Aspen Mountain Press, both of which are small presses which have released two novellas of mine entitled Everyone Loves A Scandal and Dothan in addition to a collection of short stories entitled The Young South. I also have written a full length novel entitled The Truth About Murder which remains unpublished yet won the 2007 National Novel Writing Month Competition.

I’ve also been a development prospect for Fastlane Entertainment based out of Santa Monica , California writing dozens of Film and TV scripts. One of which, entitled The Human Condition, got a few good reviews from Francis Ford Coppola’s production company Zoetrope Studios, and I’m writing a five part miniseries entitled The Gray Area based on my novel The Truth About Murder which I hope to have completed and submitted within the next few months.

How long have you been watching OLTL?

Since I was an infant during the years Paul Rauch was Executive Producer in the mid-late 1980's. I also had family members and relatives who had been watching the show on and off since the early years. In a way, I was pretty much raised on One Life To Live.

Who is/was your favorite character?

Viki Lord, who else? She’s the only remaining character from Agnes Nixon’s original vision of the show ‘’Between Heaven And Hell’‘. And all the twist and turns the character has been through over the years. No character in the history of daytime can measure up to how unique and complex she is, and I think the six Daytime Emmys Erika Slezak (who’s played Viki since 1971) has won over the years speak for themselves.

 Who is/was your least favorite character?

John McBain, why on earth is he still on there after five years? It had already been proven Michael Easton couldn’t act when he was on that miserable General Hospital spinoff Port Charles when he played Caleb The Vampire. ABC wanted to retain him to please teenage girls and twenty something females who tuned into Passions, and it has never worked. I hope Easton either has the common sense to quit or ABC wakes up and fires him.

What was your favorite storyline?

Wow, there are so many! The Karen Wolek storyline which was before my time, but caught up on it through old clips on The Internet. The storyline where Viki’s daughter Megan died of lupus was also unique in the way they presented it. The gang rape storyline which introduced Todd Manning and Marty Saybrooke. A storyline which I have mixed feelings about, the revelation where Viki was molested by her father Victor Lord which many felt was a disgusting rewrite of history. In spite of this, it featured a great deal of Emmy award winning writing from Michael Malone and Josh Griffith in addition to garnering Erika Slezak another one of her Emmys.

What do you love about OLTL right now?

A good chunk of The Lord family is on the canvas, Viki, Dorian, Tina, and Todd, and all of the actors are giving great performances. And each is being given a chance to shine in their own storylines. Viki comforting her daughter Jessica after the death of her husband Nash, and relating her experiences from when her first husband Joe Riley died, Dorian taking over Buchanan Enterprises, Tina posing as The Crowned Princess of Mendorra, and Todd revisiting his dark past with Marty.

What do you hate about OLTL right now?

The Lords are not functioning as a core family, and there’s too much focus on the Buchanans. The Lords are the last remnants of the early years, and are getting the shaft. ABC is now trying for a more balanced approach to One Life To Live by putting forth storylines for both older and younger viewers in addition to a pending balance between storylines focusing on real life social issues with Starr Manning’s teen pregnancy and the upcoming fantasy storylines for the 40^th Anniversary, and the storyline in Mendorra involving Tina Lord, Cain Rogan, and Carlo Hesser.

Another balance they need is one between Michael Malone’s enthusiasm and affection for The Lords when he wrote the show in 1991-1996 in spite of their plot driven and heavy handed nature and the enthusiasm and affection Ron Carlivati currently has for The Buchanans and his attempt at a return to more character driven storytelling. The show is now doing the best job it’s done in ten years, but One Life To Live could be doing so much better.

If you could get rid of one character who would it be?

John McBain, need I say more? This miserable character has been through three head writers already, none of which so far have been able to make him connect with fans. The character just needs to go, plain and simple, and hopes he disappears from our television sets once and for all. John McBain is not worth it, and should’ve never been on the show in the first place.

If you could bring one character back from the past who would it be?

Tony Lord. He was written out 25 years ago going missing after a helicopter crash in Lebanon while doing a story on a terrorist group. Everyone in Llanview then got a telegram ‘’saying’‘ he was dead without ever finding his body.

If you could request one thing from head writer Ron Carlivati, what would you ask of him?

You’re doing great job, but you could be doing so much better. I know you’re a big fan of The Buchanans, but The Lords have always been and always will be the heart and soul of this show.

Is there anything else you would like to share with OLTL TYE readers?

I want the fans of One Life To Live to know I was raised to be passionate about this show at a very young age, and may have influenced me as a writer in some way or another, in ways I can’t even begin to fathom. The ratings for daytime television may be in decline, but we should never stop believing in the power of what soap operas can do for their audience. It’s influenced in serialized storytelling and story and character arcs have spread to prime time and cable in the last 25 years.  The immediate future for soaps looks dim, but it doesn’t mean we should give up hope.

July 5, 2008

The  Great Spoiler Free Summer Challenge

  Some of you know from the message board that I was debating whether or not to try to go spoiler free.  The decision I have come to?  Yes.  That’s right – me – spoiler free for the entire summer!  Some of you spoiler addicts may be dumbfounded by this pronouncement, but I am prepared to defend my position.

During the last month I was working like crazy.  I had no time for my recorded episodes, let alone internet spoiler time. One day I found a couple of hours and decided to treat myself to a bowl of popcorn and OLTL.  I was shocked when Ramsey was killed.  Stunned by David and Addie’s announcement of marriage.  Astonished that Todd took Marty from Ramsey’s.  I haven’t felt those things while watching OLTL in ages.  It was pretty amazing.  I actually found that I liked it.

Slowly I came to the conclusion that it was lack of time for spoilers that was responsible for this little gift.  When I finally had time to visit the Banner, the spoiler headlines were calling to me.  I hesitated; admittedly tempted.  I recalled the wonder I felt as Tina revealed her dog’s name:  David Vickers. 

So here I sit, with the Banner window open on my laptop, cursor hovering over the headline about Bo and Lindsay’s wedding.  I am a spoiler addict.  I love Ravenbeauty’s column.  Can I do it?  Can I make it from now until September without spoilers?  Is the surprise worth it?  Does it make my viewing experience that much better?  I asked what you thought on the forum… Some of you like to be warned, and some yearn for the days of surprise and wonder.  After careful consideration, I am issuing a challenge.

Go spoiler free with me!  Let’s give it a shot.  Resist the temptation of SID.  Avoid that link to spoilers.  This will be an experiment.  I want to know your experiences, whether you join me or not.  If something surprised you, I want to know.  If you wish you had known something beforehand, tell me.  If you keep up with spoilers, do you wish you hadn’t or are you glad you did?

For this experiment, I will have to ask that you clearly mark spoilers on the forum, so we addicts don’t fall into them.  I will start a thread for the Spoiler Free Summer Challenge.  Sign up, so we know who is game.  I know this will be tough for some of us, but it might just be fun as well.  And if we trip up and give in to temptation… well it isn’t really going to hurt, is it? 

And a note to Ravenbeauty:  I love your column.  I really do.  And come September I will be back, count on it.  Don’t take this personally… please.  I just have to give this a try.

Tallk suggested a twelve step program.  In other words, we need all the support we can get!!!  Step One is admitting you have a problem.  I’ll start.  Hi, my name is Dorothy and I’m a spoiler addict….