I might have said this before, but I've always believed that Reva (and KZ) were at their best when TPTB kept the stories small and relatable and focused on Reva's larger-than-life reactions instead. People always talk about the (in)famous "Slut of Springfield" scene (and rightly so, I guess), but they don't understand that it was a climax in a very raw storyline about how wheelchair-bound Josh, in tandem with Billy, systemically dehumanized his new mother-in-law, despite Reva's efforts to facilitate his recovery. Similarly, look at sequences like her suicide attempt, her confrontation with Pharoah at that bar in Tulsa, her discovery that Kyle was Ben's father, her miscarrying her and H.B.'s baby (IMHO, KZ's best-ever work in daytime) and even her drive off that bridge in Florida - all very powerful scenes, but all part of storylines that could be otherwise run-of-the-mill soap.
Similarly, I've always said that the greatest mistake GL made in telling stories like Clone Reva, Princess Reva, Psychic Reva, etc., was not that they told the stories in the first place, but that no one on the show ever told KZ to "rein it in," so that her naturally OTT performances wouldn't always compete with the OTT stories, thereby creating an unpleasant viewing experience for everyone. I mean, the only way you can really sell [!@#$%^&*] like Ghost Reva or Time Travel Reva is to play it as natural and understated as possible, but it's like no one at GL ever thought to pass along that note to KZ. (If you don't believe me, just look at how Erika Slezak was able to play some of the crap Paul Rauch asked her to play in the '80's and still retained her dignity, lol.)
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Khan ·
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