OLTL week of August 18, 2008

[MTSRocks]

I'll watch when Slezak gets back from vacation, that should be enough time for the show to regain its sanity.

[brimike]

That's why I've decided I love it, Ryan. I can't remember the last time a soap storyline both intrigued me AND revolted me. It's causing reactions, and they're ALL over the map in my head alone, never mind every other viewer's head. I think it's fascinating, and it's what ground-breaking story is all about. I honestly can't remember the last time a soap storyline evoked this kind of visceral response in me in one scene... and then swept me to the other side of the spectrum in the next scene. It's inspiring.

ETA: Which is in sharp opposition to the 1968 story, which I just want done and over and never referenced again.

[Dale]

You noticed that, eh? Yeah, she is HOT in that 60's garb....hair, makeup, wardrobe......

[Dale]

I hear ya Mike! I was prepared to HATE this, and I find myself creepily being drawn in more and more....there is some very subtle psychology being played out. It is revolting and compelling at the same time. I am not one of those who is disappointed in OLTL these days now that Mendorra is over. I like what I am seeing, especially 1968....which is another story that seems to polarize us!

[brimike]

And in Carlivati's defense, I am *CONVINCED* that the 1968 story (much as I don't like it) is what's kept OLTL #1 in the 12-17 demographic four weeks in a row. So I want to make it very clear that as much as I bitch about it? It's clearly doing good, and my opinion means diddly.

[Toups]

7 weeks in a row. It's also beating GH in 18-34 and tieing GH in 18-49.

[brimike]

Sorry for the quick double-post, but I'm watching the show now. And after all of Brier's histrionics last year, I'm loving how calm and mature these Michael/Marcie scenes are today.

I stand corrected. Seven weeks in a row.

I have to wonder what made OLTL jump to #1 in that teen demo (excluding the fact that school is out in the summer). And I really think it's the time travel story. It's fun and mindless and entertaining and (at the risk of sounding offensive, which is not my intention), it's an "easy" story to grasp and follow. Between Mendorra and 1968... even though we all are cringing, I think it's pulling in the youth.

Throw in Todd/Marty as the "thinking" story for us "old folks", and it's a pretty well-rounded show.

[brimike]

RE: John/Blair - I've never seen Easton "goof" around so much (or at least Easton's idea of goofing) in the four years he's been on this show. It's definitely refreshing. I didn't know he had teeth. (Probably sick of baring his fangs from PC)

[Dale]

Do you think that Andrea Evans may be a factor?

[brimike]

Absolutely. And the whole "cheese" factor of Mendorra, much as we all mock it, and the soap press criticizes it, clearly did SOMETHING right, for the demos to be so CONSISTENTLY high.

Is it my kind of soap story? God no. But fourteen year old girls? I can see them eating it up. The handsome Latinos rescuing one damsel from marrying the evil prince, and the other one from a waterfall (shot on location, natch?). It makes sense in my book, even if I thought it was crap.

[Dale]

You make many excellent points and observations, Mike! Mendorra was not my kind of story either! LOL! But the location shoot was a beaut! I was a viewer when Tina originally went over the falls. Were you? In those days spoilers were not what they are now, and I could not believe my eyes when Tina took the plunge! It was EXCELLENT soap! Lordy! The redux with Sarah was a nice homage, but that character's presence is no where near that of what Tina's was at the time, so the impact this time around was extremely diluted.

[brimike]

I did watch it the first time around, and without all the spoilers or the Internet, it was JAW-DROPPING. And I agree, Sarah doesn't have the same weight Tina did back then (and that's coming from a Justus fan, so take everything I say with a grain of salt, since I know I'm in the minority there).

I really think we're all harping on it now, but YEARS from now, we'll look back on this summer as a success. I always think hindsight is NOT 20/20 when it comes to soaps. People talk about the great eras on, say, GH during Maxie/BJ, or Days during The Secret Room, but what we're really talking about are time periods, and not so much specific stories. Truth is, we all complained a lot AT THAT TIME about things in those episodes too (I have my old posts from the newsgroups to prove it! LOL!) So five years from now, people will look back on the Carlivati summer and its ratings, and view it as a success, even though we all have a lot of negativity surrounding the anniversary stuff in the moment.

Does that make sense?

[Dale]

Ok, we agree on too many things! Will you marry me? LOL!!!

I am also a Justus fan....I really think that if they gave that girl some meaty material, she'd shine. I am disappointed in the writing for the character and she just doesn't belong with Chris! How many Lord girls can he bed down with, anyway?

And yes, you make sense! I do think in time we will reflect fondly on the summer of 68...er I mean 08!!!

[brimike]

I'm not blind. Justus had an AWFUL beginning period. BUt it wasn't until I heard her interview on ITZ (THANK YOU RYAN AND SOAPQUEEN!!!!!!) and she explained that she lived in LA, got the role on a Friday night, and had to move her WHOLE LIFE and FIND AN APARTMENT IN NYC over the weekend to tape THIRTEEN EPISODES OF SARAH that Monday morning, and had NO time to research her character, just had to learn hundreds of pages of dialogue, that I felt sympathy for her in terms of her first few weeks on the show.

I mean, really. I don't know if MALKOVICH could pull that off. That's asking an awful lot, especially from a young girl.

Overall, I feel like she has LOADS of potential, and grows every day as an actress, as opposed to other amateur actors on ALL the shows who go months and never really grow or evolve.

[Vee]

I'm one of the few online it seems who doesn't think the summer is a total failure. I enjoy the 1968 story; I think it's gone on a bit too long (even though I think it'll only be about over a month or so in all) but I like it, I think it's been well-done and treated as seriously as a time travel story could be. Certainly the best of those I've seen on soaps, excluding Dark Shadows (which had much worse continuity). And I liked Mendorra though it was totally OTT, but that was Tina's MO. That said, I think so many other important characters and stories have fallen by the wayside, and I think Tina is best at home in Llanview, and I think Gigi and Rex, who I really like a lot, are becoming a bit overexposed.

I do think that for all the flaws, and it's definitely not been as good as OLTL pre-July, this summer is still a better summer than most in recent memory.