Maxim

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-08-28-ca-6184-story.html Strong Dose of Reality for ABC’s ‘One Life to Live’ : Television: The soap shows eight sections of the Names Project AIDS Quilt to conclude a summer-long plot examining homophobia and a gay teen character. P.S From what I gather this is the same author that recently did the "reappraisal" of BTG.

3 hours later I'm still feeling sorry I did it. Thank God I work home office. 😂

I never believed the idea that they were waiting for the current actor. Never. Judging by how Maurice was acting on social media... there was something way different going on. It felt like there was some real issue there and bitterness that was coming through in actions. Wasn't he even sending fans a petition to keep him on the show or something like this?

That's my thinking too.

Here she is after the press conference.

Never eat green grapes on an empty stomach... NEVER. 😂

Up to August 31st, 1992. "There is no fear in love." 🔷 Today's commentary will be brief. The climax of the homophobia storyline has left me emotionally shattered. It forced me to face memories of my own childhood that I had locked... deep inside. Therefore, discussing this is extremely hard for me. Having been raised in a country that is still very hostile towards the LGBTQ+ community... all of this hit me to my core. 🔷 The AIDS Quilt Memorial stands as a powerful reminder that "soap operas" are not only junk food entertainment for bored housewives fantasizing about forbidden romances while cleaning the dishes. It opened my eyes to the potential significance this genre could hold AGAIN if its creators approached it with seriousness and sincerity. This is precisely what Gottlieb, Malone, and their team accomplished here. They executed the storyline in an incredibly groundbreaking way, opening the door for others to tell similar stories. Yes, it was not perfect, and some moments didn't land as well as others, but the attempt was all that mattered. The amount of symbols and metaphors hidden in the characters was breathtaking. We had Andrew, a Christ-like figure - a man full of compassion, love and forgiveness. We had the entire town mob that... in the end almost merged into a single evil entity - representing the darkness, the Devil lurking nearby, manipulating people through fear. The bold social commentary, the shocking use of homophobic slurs and horrific images of hate crime violence rarely heard or seen in soap operas... felt like a slap, a wake-up call to those who choose to ignore this reality. The reality that we, as gay people, face daily. And last, but not least... the character of Billy IMO was always intended to symbolize hope and the possibility of light breaking through if given the opportunity. We lost William Carpenter... but there is still a chance to save Billy. We also had characters like Cassie and Victoria, who were symbols of change and new ways of thinking. The new ways that condemn hate and violence. The new paths. 🔷 I could talk endlessly about the last 2-3 episodes, you could give me 3 days and 3 nights and I'll still be talking. And it still won't be enough. Every soap opera fan should experience this period of the show, I genuinely believe this. The image of the fallen Bible with its pages flipping will stay with me forever, as will the moment when Sloan traveled back in time to face the roots of hatred and homophobia - 'fear... and shame.' This is where soap operas meet Dostoevsky. To finish this off - I'm grateful to have experienced it, yet I know I could never watch it again. Not soon at least. The sheer amount of tears... is simply too much for me to endure again. For that reason, I am thankful that this storyline seems to be over. I feel the need to finally breathe freely again and I also need more time to process all the emotions and the catharsis I went through. 🔷 The only two different storylines that the show was balancing through the Quilt showcase... were Leanne and Jason continuing their journey to nowhere... and Victoria and Sloan's emerging emotional (for now) affair. I will deliberately not upload scenes from the Quilt, because it's unfair to clip and cut anything from it. It should be seen in its entirety and 2 minutes will just seem out of context. 🔷 I have decided to talk and focus more about Sloan and Victoria finally giving in to temptation. While I was crying from one scene... to another... I gasped when Victoria FINALLY admitted her feelings for Sloan and exclaimed "YES." This single affirmative word may cost her... her entire family. By the end of the day... Sloan returned to his apartment transformed - a father who had just reconnected with both his sons. And in that precious moment, he felt immense gratitude towards the woman that made this transformation possible, the woman who stood by him, always there to open his eyes and encourage him to change. Victoria. The kiss that had been building for MONTHS... affected Viki so profoundly that she nearly became physically ill. I plan to edit these scenes into a video-collage, as they are truly remarkable. Erika Slezak has given us material that I can only equal to Meryl Streep's performance in Bridges of Madison. Overall - 100/10. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Clip of the day Victoria and Sloan kiss.

I agree that it was not needed to pile that on him. It could have worked perfectly without making him a blatant homophobe. The jealousy and the corroding trust was enough to drive them apart. But it seemed like the writers wanted something really nasty to add on, so we won't be blaming Victoria as much if she does give in to temptation.

I didn't know they were not nominated for this storyline and this is laughable to me. I've seen soaps win for stupid generic storylines through the years... But this didn't get nominated? They were so ahead of time. And yeah some of the elements of the storyline are a bit corny and preachy, but you can't escape that when the main character is a reverend. Other than that it's incredibly meaningful, bold and politically relevant.

Indeed. P.S I think I may be finished with this show. This is beyond offensive to me. The first male gay couple should have been RJ with someone else. It should have been a leading character that has connection to the core of the show. This is the show's mentally ill stalker. And now also... the show's first gay male couple. When you put two and two together... You get what they are trying to say. Thanks Bradley for nothing.

Thank you. I've been looking at the Italian dubbed episodes from time to time and finding lots of things to like. I just struggle with the automated italian subtitles... So any episode in English is perfect.

Anything for 15 minutes of fame. Anything.

I want to hear the unrestrained version. ❤️ 😂

Up to August 27th, 1992. 🌹 "I love you." "Do you?" I don't know where to begin. So much to talk about. And cry about. 💙 Leanne and Jason's world changed in 3 days. 3 days ago they were happy, in love, engaged, they had everything they ever wanted or dreamed of. But just like that, life can suddenly change on a dime. The shocking decision that left Demerest in Kevin's custody triggered a chain of unfortunate events. Now I'm starting to feel torn, because on one hand I dislike Leanne immensely. On the other - seeing both of them struggle like this - sleeping on a park bench and not having money to eat, makes me feel empathy. Leanne is not an evil person, but she is irresponsible and stupid. That is often times WORSE than being evil. Her child is once again put in shockingly dangerous conditions - outside in the cold... in a public park where anything can happen to him. This woman can't be a mother to anyone in this point of her life. In the future, maybe... but not now. 💙 The homophobia storyline is close to culmination. The AIDS quilt has just arrived and the town of Llanview is adjusting to the news. Some people are supporting the idea, but the majority are incredibly triggered. The hateful conservative mob is planning to get "rid of" Andrew... any way they can. Even Luna Moody's radio show got a wave of harassment after he visited to announce the quilt. At the end of the episode... I witnessed the disturbing, blood-chilling moment when the reverend was attacked and beaten by a raging homophobe. The Bible fell on the grass and the wind started flipping the pages. My heart sank... and I started sobbing. I am deliberately not going to go into more detail or upload a clip from this moment, because it's incredibly triggering. Still... this is so bold of the show to go into this kind of territory that even primetime rarely visits. OLTL is close to creating a true masterpiece. A very dark and somewhat disturbing masterpiece, but still a masterpiece. A mirror to society. HATS OFF to production and the writers. 💙 The tension between Clint and Victoria escalated to a point where Clint made an ultimatum. Victoria either packs her bags and goes away on a trip with him or she stays and picks Sloan and his family. After a night of clashes and fights... and a cold and distant morning, Victoria made a decision - she was not going to desert the Carpenters. Just as she way saying goodbye to Clint, she told him "I love you" to which he replied "Do you?". We were left feeling uncertain if the marriage is even in one piece at this point. Later in the day Victoria once again met with Sloan. This time though, they had hidden audience - Kevin was eavesdropping. This is going to get really ugly. 💙 Blair made her decision. She picked money and power and to hell with love! Asa's offer to open a new company in her name and make her a CEO of a brand new jewelry business... was enough to change her mind. Not before she saw Max in the jacuzzi with Luna - that was the last straw. Later in the evening... Blair was looking at herself in the mirror and the message was very clear - she was changing and she didn't know what into. Overall - TEN OUT OF TEN! No question about it. Perfect balance of drama and suspense. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Clip of the day Clint vs Victoria - the slow and painful unraveling of a marriage. P.S - Clint's homophobia is now completely out in the open. It's no longer hinted or vaguely stated. He is calling Billy - some SICK kid. ddddddddddddddddddddddd.mp4

I love it too. So sad that I can't find the masters anywhere on youtube. Some of them I can, but not all. The show has the best background music ever. I especially adore Alex Olanov's theme, but can't find the source. The more dramatic piece, not the comedy-mob one. The one when she was trying to drown Cassie, that still persists to this day. Sometimes this tune will come and visit my mind while I'm doing chores and every day stuff.