OLTL: Discussion for the week April 27

[DeeeDee]

Amen!

[Doyen]

Todd may have douced him in gasoline, but Powell was destined to explode and go nuts sooner or later. Zach was jaded and hollow. Powell was neurotic/nuts. Of the three, Todd was actually the most rationale/sanest...even if he was a domineering bully and instigator.

[Ann_SS]

Which makes that Todd orchestrating the rape and being a rapist even worse.

[DeeeDee]

Marcie = Worst. Teacher. Ever.

[MichaelGL]

By God I think I've given up on this show.

Brandon Buddy/Withdrawl scenes? Really? As if the scripting wasn't laughable enough.

I just don't know where to start, there's been so much that I haven't liked this week, and not the kind of stuff you can just ignore and gloss over. I mean some serious sh!t.

[Khan]

Just for that? 3000 words on tolerance on my desk by tomorrow, or it's an F!

Meanwhile, is there a pill we can give Powell to de-crazy him? Perhaps, he caught Jana's (Y&R) brain tumor! I don't want him to go!

[MichaelGL]

Powell's kinda cute for a crazy guy

Let me get this straight, they sacrificed Powell and Zack, just to keep and redeem Todd? They traded one Lord for an illegitimate one? I would have loved to be in the writers room when Malone and Co. came up with this idea, all to make Todd a viable character.

[oltl1]

I totally agree. Powell was always very meek and timid and always the follower. Zach to some extent was as well, just with more ego. Powell didn't have to pal around with Todd and Zach, he chose too. He had other options, the most glaring being his cousin Kevin but again, even upon warning from Kevin that Todd and Zach were not the best choices for friends, he chose to be with Todd and Zach anyways. A lot can be said about someone by the company they keep. IMO, the show has always shown all 3 of them to be a little crazy and mentally unhealthy and other than Higley’s weak attempt to redeem Todd by having him raped; the show has always been true to their dark side and has never forgotten that they are rapists.

Also, my personal belief is that Todd did not force the others to gang rape Marty. How does one do that? That has to be the poorest excuse for hurting someone I've ever heard. So if Todd hadn’t said “Hey lets teach Marty the Party girl a lesson” they never would have done a criminal act in their lives. Those men knew exactly what they were doing. No one forces you to do something like that you wouldn't eventually do on your own. I defend none of them for their actions nor do I excuse them. Outside of the emotional investment that we as long time viewers have, I think psychologically this storyline is quite gripping. What makes bad things happen to people and why do their paths continue to cross? Are there chapters in our lives that never come to an end? I hope RC is given the same freedom to tell this part of the story the same way he did the later part of the "rapemance". I’d also like to see some episodes of Todd, Zach, Powell and Marty in therapy (not together) facing there demons.

[Khan]

Like Zack, the years have been kind to him.

IIRC, though, Sean Moynihan (Powell) said years ago when he was on the show that he didn't know if he could enjoy being a regular, contract player on a soap opera; therefore, I don't know if it was TPTB's decision ultimately to "sacrifice" Powell the way they did.

But, you know, people, like times, change. And maybe now that he's a little older, SM wouldn't mind it so much? (Pretty please?)

[Vee]

I don't believe Powell was "sacrificed for Todd." When I started watching, he creeped me out, period, and this was when they were still trying to sell him as an OK guy. At least with Todd you knew where you stood - after the rape, despite their attempt to redeem him, Powell struck me as the guy who was Mr. Suburbanite up front but strangled cats in his basement. And of course, that vibe was borne out by the hospital rapist story. He was very American Psycho, in his way.

He looks amazing still and was incredibly creepy. Powell appearing is not the problem with this story, IMO. The problem is it seems to revolve around John.

[DRW50]

Ron even said that this was about "reminding" people three men raped Marty, so I see this as part of the problem. They almost seem to be saying we should think less of what Todd did to Marty because others were involved.

It doesn't help that Todd is currently more sociopathic than ever and yet he's winning, winning, winning. He has his kids. He's a millionaire. He's lost his sexual hangups. Instead of being about the consequence of a gang rape, the story comes across to me as saying Powell and Zach are bad people, so let's put the rape on them, and Todd is a good person, so let's root for him.

[Vee]

It's one thing to utilize Powell and

That story was a major step towards Todd's original redemption arc. This one doesn't seem to have a purpose right now, other than to distract us. As you say, Todd right now is basically either bedhopping and bantering with Tea, or bullying his children; compared to Powell, he comes off as a lightweight, snidely whiplash character, not the Todd of olden days. Putting him next to his old buddy is going to make him look weaker by comparison, and I think having Todd possibly suddenly turn solemn again in the face of his old foe won't work. I hope this will turn out better than I expect, but right now the attention to how they're presenting Powell and how they're just tossing off light scenes with Todd couldn't be more different, and that's a huge part of the problem with how Todd has gone downhill since the Todd/Marty redux began - they're not sure what to do with him to fix him, so they have him do everything and yet nothing.

[oltl1]

Ok, I see your point Vee, my only problem is why does Todd have to be fixed. Why can't he just be broken trying to fit in where he can when he can. Isn't that who Todd always was, a "loser" in life trying to make himself feel better? IMO, the only reason this story is not working now is becuse the psychological part of it has been dropped. If this story had progressed from January, when it started with the same beats focusing on Todd's demented and Marty's broken minds and spirits I think our opinions would be a lot different now.

[DRW50]

Todd's not very broken now. People got tired of the asexual RH Todd, I could see why, but now Todd has everything he wants. They try to tell us he will never be completely happy because he can't have Marty, but they do this in a way which seems sympathetic. Am I supposed to feel sorry for him because he can't be with the woman he raped twice and tried to kill?

[oltl1]

See, I think it's more the TPTB showing us that this guy is not right and he never will be and that's why he'll never be completely happy. A reminder that he always reacts without thinking of the ramifications of his actions.