OLTL: Week of September 15, 2008

[Gordon24]

I like their friendship but ick as a couple. I can't wait to see Roxxy Shane scenes and did she say Googied instead of googled today?

Tess is becoming as whacked out as Brody. I could see Brody and Tess at the mental institution together when all is said and done.

[oltl1]

I could not agree with you more on your thoughts regarding RC's writing. He does write long storylines. Look at the Clint Dorian BE stuff. It started last November and it's coming to a head now. That's what I like about OLTL. RC fills his stories with so much psycholohy and karma that if you stick around for all the beats you can't help but be hooked.

[Toups]

Wow!! Those Ray/Dorian scenes were very good!! Some of their best scenes today were when they weren't even looking at each other. The first one was when Dorian had her back to Ray and Ray officially claims Langston......and Dorian's eyes just filled up with tears. Then their last scene when Ray tells Dorian that maybe under different circumstances, they could've gotten a drink together. Kudos to A. and Robin today. Talk about watching two veterans going toe-to-toe.

I couldn't have said it better. RC is long term writer and it's one of the reasons why I think he's a great writer.

Nice catch on the parallel! I love RC's paralells.

[EricMontreal22]

I was just gonna say this. It's JER-style plotting (some call this classic soap opera style plotting--as someone who's obsessively watched days of old Agnes Nixon scripted soap operas I simply refuse to agree with that--you can make them wait, as she said, without insulting their own or the character's intelligence) and I have no patiance for it--Carlivati even at his campiest usually knows better. If Jared had just gone to Bo--who it would make sense he WOULD go to--Bo woulda been concerned, maybe woulda put two and two together with Jess acting weird and we'd have progression. Not just a holding pattern

[EricMontreal22]

Oh that said I really enjoyed today's episode. I was worried when Starr grabbed the microphone that she'd start singing Prom Night part 2--and I didn't like her speech--would she have gone on and on and on about wearing condoms? But I liked how all the other high school stuff was handled.

Loves Dorian and R. Great. Cute stuff with Banks and Roxy, etc etc...

I still find the Jared stuff weird--would he always go on "READ THIS LETTER" when trying to get people worried abotu Natalie missing when the letter--weird as it is--explains it all in her own handwriting?

As for Brody--I would smash the place up too. Frankly--it makes sense. he was covering up for his war memories and crappy life by drinking all the time and gettign in fights, he quit drinking, and focused obsessively on his "son" instead, and now that's been taken all away from him. And frankly Gigi and Rex are NOT being understanding about it--maybe they don't have to be--but Gigi has been using him for *ages*. She's as in the wrong as he is and all she does is roll her eyes and get impatient when he saysanything.

Oh and we got a scene of him in his underwear

[SFK]

Brody tossing aroud a sofabed gave me the LOLZ.

[rhinohide]

The first time Tess licked the glass was at least kind of shocking. It made an impression anyway. The second time? It is just silly and stupid, which I suppose is still an impression of sorts, that needs to stop!

[All My Shadows]

So the bumper now shows up immediately after the act that precedes it now? I like that.

Whoever decided to do this to Brody needs to be, to quote a certain person who learned English while watching NBC soaps, "strung up by his balls." WHY did they work so hard to make Brody a likeable, sympathetic character if they were just going to go cartoonish villain with him?

Oh great...and now we get to see Gigi and Rex have sex in the same bed we've seen Rex do it with Adriana numerous times.

[MichaelGL]

One thing I've noticed, and unlike other soaps, karma plays a major part in RC's storytelling.

The fact that RC is a long term writer is also something that sets him apart from the writers of today. Basically each and every story we're seeing right now will have long term ramifications.

[Gordon24]

New characters come and go as the interlopers between couples. Although I do like Brody but I can take him or leave him.

Yeah but where didn't Rex and Adriana have sex?

[EricMontreal22]

My prob with it is two fold. I don't think Carlivati and crew know that this story, in the past few weeks, has made Rex and Gigi look way more unsympathetic to audiences than Brody--I honestly don't think they realize this has happened (but it has, at least for me).

The other is... I mean you have on AMC Taylor the war vet "snapping" and *killing* a man, yet, from the little I know of PTStress syndrome and all that that was relatively realistic. Having Brody basically revert into some armymultiple personality--as it seems he has--doesn't work for me (though I suppose the fact he's drunk does help). We also didn't have any foreshadowing of this except a few nightmares, his drinking (but, since he's been in Llanview he's been a nice drunk anyway--nto a violent one) and that scene *one* day ago where he attacked Shane. Carlivati used ot be so careful to set up stories--this one was--again so far--bpoorly handled.

I enjoyed today otherwise--nothing really amazing but it was a pleasant OLTL watching experience for me Not too many "WTF" moments otherwise (haha i laughed out loud at Roxy's, I presume, adlib about thinning out Jared's hair--I was thinking it's looked oh so early 80s soap star lately)

[EricMontreal22]

I can think of a number of dropped story plots in the past year... I'm kinda confused by this statement. I do think Carlivati is a good and sometimes VERY good writer--don't get me wrong, but...

[miajere]

Brody was never intended to be that rootable guy. I think the actor has a great handle on the role and has a way of conveying a three dimensional character. Unlike farah Fath/Gigi- he knows how to focus his acting and make it about the kid- where he could've made the story about getting the woman he loves, getting revenge on Rex, etc...the actor has channeled all his emotions, and has thereby made his character appear like a good guy.

Meanwhile Farah continues to play Gigi's scenes as if Rex is her one true love, and it falls flat because- she forgets about the most important man in her life-Shane. I think the writer's were penning this in hopes that Farah Fath would pull some emotional bravery out of her scenes, and make her vulnerability more apparent. It hasn't worked, or she needs more time.

Meanwhile JPL lost alot of sympathy when he let the woman he supposedly loved for ages go without a fight. There was no integrity in their breakup and it seemed misogynistic. She lied- she's not worthy of marriage.

[EricMontreal22]

"Brody was never intended to be that rootable guy."

Well then writers, directors and actors have all failed in their job. I 100% agree with everything else you said though.

[Vee]

Why would he go to the commissioner first? I hate John, but he is Chief of Detectives, active on the street (unlike Bo), and knows Natalie well.

As for Brody, it was only RC who made him sympathetic at all. During the strike, Brody was written as a hard-drinking sex machine who didn't give a [!@#$%^&*] about the kid or Gigi, only the money. RC humanized him, but Brody's edge and instability were always there, and were always going to come into play. I don't find that sudden. He's always been deluded about his future with Gigi and Shane, and desperate to find some equilibrium.