Up to January 14th, 1993
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"A jealous sociopath in Llanview."
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Here we go again. The show is getting slightly better. It's not up to their full potential yet, but that's completely fine. Compared to the soaps of today, it's still masterpiece-hour. Let's get to it step by step.
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We have the reactivation of Marty Saybrooke. That despicable, tortured, broken piece of sh-t that we are supposed to understand... because she doesn't have parents and her aunt is a neglectful witch. Yeah, I was neglected too in my childhood, but I didn't become a raging sociopathic evil... Cathy Ames from East Of Eden... CREATURE. John Steinbeck would have appreciated Marty Saybrooke. So now that she's seeing Andrew and Cassie happy, planning their wedding, the tr-ll is starting to lose it. She is self-destructing, drinking vodka and not taking her lupus meds. I can't predict her next move - perhaps she'll spread a rumor that Viki abuses her kids... or that Cassie is having sex with her mother. ANYTHING vile and repulsive this deceitful creature can concoct. Now... despite (or maybe BECAUSE of) my strong dislike for her... I MUST acknowledge the incredible actress who is EXECUTING HER ROLE perfectly... portraying a complex antagonist. Honestly, Susan Haskell is likely the most talented younger actress on the show at this moment.
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We had these two slightly cringe... but still fun... bachelor/bachelorette parties going on simultaneously. The guys were at the roadhouse dump while the women were at Max's house playing games and smoking cigars. I really liked how they switched things up, making the girls seem like the tough... macho group. I also found the cartoonish twist of the stripper actually being a clown that Joey accidentally booked for the party... hilarious. It was definitely something different, even if it probably read better in the script than it appeared on screen. Sometimes they bite more than they can chew... trying to be overly original, but I give them credit for the effort. I'm not usually into these kinds of Woody Allen-style comedy routines, but I understand the appeal.
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Now, let's dive into Anna Karenina. The Male Brooke Logan (Sloan) managed to make Viki jealous enough that she FINALLY dropped her cold facade. She turned madly bitter, and her usual high-and-mighty attitude was replaced with a more earthy... bitchy vibe. I loved witnessing how, when provoked, she could unleash her wild and dirty side. Her BRUTAL take on Dorian... how pathetic she was, how she was going to get dumped again... made me laugh. These moments in soaps are what I live for. Naturally... they had to escalate things and had Dorian throw her drink in Viki's face. That felt a bit excessive, but it was in line with Dorian's character. I would have preferred to see Viki react differently, though. It seemed a bit anti-climactic after that. She should have delivered a sharper comeback. Or maybe Renee should have had security escort Dorian out like a dog. Still... the Anna Karenina plot keeps on delivering. Now that I think about it, maybe it was for the best that Viki didn't react excessively... it made her appear like a victim in Sloan's eyes, which got his attention. And that was probably her main goal all along.
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Other than that... we had Blair continuing rummaging through Asa's stuff. Seriously - why would he leave his things so accessible to her, knowing what she's capable of? This really irks me. I've lived with millionaires, and I understand how they value their privacy. You don't just leave your cabinet unlocked for your unstable soon-to-be ex to waltz in whenever she wants. You set up cameras, change the locks. You take the necessary precautions. It's just foolish to give Blair so many options to exploit. Honestly, it feels like cheap plot-driven writing. It would have been way more interesting if Blair couldn't just enter that house and had to find someone inside to help her out. Maybe she could have bribed the maid or threatened to report her for theft (like saying she saw her stealing something, anything to make the maid complicit) to gain access to the restricted areas. There are countless smarter ways to handle this instead of going for something so basic and sitcom-like. What a missed opportunity!
Overall - 8/10
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Clip of the day
Dorian throws a drink in Viki's face!
By
Maxim ·
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