Lord knows I LOVE me some One Life to Live and I'm one of the biggest Carlivati fanboys there is, but I can't ignore the current issues I'm having with the show lately. It's not that the stories are boring; they're actually quite suspenseful. It's not that the acting is bad - in fact, most of them are highly talented. I am giving OLTL thumbs down right now because there's something MISSING from my beloved show.
Here's what's making me annoyed --
1. Stacy Morasco - I can already see SOD giving her worst new character/most annoying character in their Best/Worst of 2009 feature. It's like she was ripped out of the Days of our Lives handbook of annoying blonde schemers. Whereas characters like Gigi and Charlie were introduced beautifully and carefully, Stacy burst in Llanview with all cylinders firing, exhibiting cliche after cliche and batting her bitchy little eyes. Are we really supposed to believe that Rex and Gigi would fall for her crap? If this was 2003, Rex and Stacy would be scheming TOGETHER. Just because Rex is a daddy now doesn't mean he has to lose his smarts. The nail in the coffin for the character was holding Shane's life over Gigi's head. Thanks to that move, I - and probably the audience - will never accept her as a root-worthy character.
2. Natalie and Jared - Last year, Natalie and Jared almost lost everything they loved because of a lie that affected everyone around them. Now they have the information about Chloe/Hope that could changed everything and they're hiding it. AGAIN. When Jessica and the Buchanans find out that Natalie lied to them it's going to be Summer of '08 all over again. The baby switch story is doing everything else right, but this piece of the puzzle doesn't fit.
3. Viki and Charlie - Where the hell are my signature couple? We spent so much time getting to know Charlie and watching Viki find love again in 2007 and 2008 and now that they're finally happy, we never see them. One of Carlivati's main goals upon starting his tenure at the show was to give Viki a great story. He succeeded in doing that for so long and now the network allegedly doesn't want him to continue. Let's see more of the Thanksgiving 2008-caliber stuff and less of Viki pouring coffee.
4. Starr and Cole - I will always love Starr, having watched her grow up on screen. I was so incredibly impressed with Kristen Alderson during the pregnancy story and had nothing but praise for the young actress. But lately she's been shrill and whiney, lamenting her messed up life in every scene. Cole, meanwhile, has become a hot-tempered, anrgy jerk. Brandon Buddy's come such a long way as an actor but the material is not working. Forget the pills and hottie teachers - bring back the Romeo and Juliet that you worked so hard to make us love.
5. The Back Burner - I enjoyed watching Talia, Antonio, Christian, Leyla, and Sarah being friends in 2008. Mendorra aside, there was nothing wrong with these supporting characters. While Justis Bolding wasn't a huge hit with fans the character of Sarah is an important one that should be a Llanview fixture. As soon as Sarah left town and Christian proved what an idiot he was, the group became non-existent. Antonio's gone and soon Talia will be too; Christian and Leyla are going to hook up, if for no other reason than nobody knows what to do with the two characters. In the past year, Llanview's had more than its fair share of sadness and sorrow; give us some friends having fun together and being happy.
Lord knows I LOVE me some One Life to Live and I'm one of the biggest Carlivati fanboys there is, but I can't ignore the current issues I'm having with the show lately. It's not that the stories are boring; they're actually quite suspenseful. It's not that the acting is bad - in fact, most of them are highly talented. I am giving OLTL thumbs down right now because there's something MISSING from my beloved show.
Here's what's making me annoyed --
1. Stacy Morasco - I can already see SOD giving her worst new character/most annoying character in their Best/Worst of 2009 feature. It's like she was ripped out of the Days of our Lives handbook of annoying blonde schemers. Whereas characters like Gigi and Charlie were introduced beautifully and carefully, Stacy burst in Llanview with all cylinders firing, exhibiting cliche after cliche and batting her bitchy little eyes. Are we really supposed to believe that Rex and Gigi would fall for her crap? If this was 2003, Rex and Stacy would be scheming TOGETHER. Just because Rex is a daddy now doesn't mean he has to lose his smarts. The nail in the coffin for the character was holding Shane's life over Gigi's head. Thanks to that move, I - and probably the audience - will never accept her as a root-worthy character.
2. Natalie and Jared - Last year, Natalie and Jared almost lost everything they loved because of a lie that affected everyone around them. Now they have the information about Chloe/Hope that could changed everything and they're hiding it. AGAIN. When Jessica and the Buchanans find out that Natalie lied to them it's going to be Summer of '08 all over again. The baby switch story is doing everything else right, but this piece of the puzzle doesn't fit.
3. Viki and Charlie - Where the hell are my signature couple? We spent so much time getting to know Charlie and watching Viki find love again in 2007 and 2008 and now that they're finally happy, we never see them. One of Carlivati's main goals upon starting his tenure at the show was to give Viki a great story. He succeeded in doing that for so long and now the network allegedly doesn't want him to continue. Let's see more of the Thanksgiving 2008-caliber stuff and less of Viki pouring coffee.
4. Starr and Cole - I will always love Starr, having watched her grow up on screen. I was so incredibly impressed with Kristen Alderson during the pregnancy story and had nothing but praise for the young actress. But lately she's been shrill and whiney, lamenting her messed up life in every scene. Cole, meanwhile, has become a hot-tempered, anrgy jerk. Brandon Buddy's come such a long way as an actor but the material is not working. Forget the pills and hottie teachers - bring back the Romeo and Juliet that you worked so hard to make us love.
5. The Back Burner - I enjoyed watching Talia, Antonio, Christian, Leyla, and Sarah being friends in 2008. Mendorra aside, there was nothing wrong with these supporting characters. While Justis Bolding wasn't a huge hit with fans the character of Sarah is an important one that should be a Llanview fixture. As soon as Sarah left town and Christian proved what an idiot he was, the group became non-existent. Antonio's gone and soon Talia will be too; Christian and Leyla are going to hook up, if for no other reason than nobody knows what to do with the two characters. In the past year, Llanview's had more than its fair share of sadness and sorrow; give us some friends having fun together and being happy.