You mean like that Josh/Reva movie story on GL.

I guess I do. Except not shot on home video on desolate farmland. And not, you know, terrible.

Edited May 16, 201015 yr by Vee

You also have to share each day that follows with [Peabo] too, cause, like...you kinda only have one life to live (unless you have DID, then you have an indefinite amount).

Or, if you're like Mitch Laurence, and you can't die because the HW('s) keep digging you up in order to boost ratings.

While I like aspects of this tacky mess, what I find really up-its-own-ass about the whole thing is the continuous mythologizing of Starr and Cole as the ultimate couple, something I'm sure Brian Frons is all over since he started all that. Let's be real here. You have one young actress dragged down to the level of one mediocre young quasi-hunk who was never that great, and together they're pushed to the frontburner in a series of contrived stories they can't really carry, and apparently that's all you need to claim they are the next Lily and Holden. The show clearly knows Brandon Buddy can only handle so much, so they have never bothered fleshing his character out or making him nearly as unique, idiosyncratic or visceral a personality as Marty or heck, even Patrick. Instead he is just a bland "hunk" who is not actually that much of a major-league hunk, really. He's average in every way, but they act like he is God's gift and the second coming of Lucky Spencer.

But if that was all, that'd be one thing - in the last decade, I've seen a dozen sham teen couples claiming to be the next summer superstars. At this point, no big thing, same old [!@#$%^&*]. The problem, then, is that OLTL has, over the years and especially now, taken great pains to explain to us in detail how Starr and Cole are the most incredible, passionate, exciting young couple ever, an example to all in Llanview before or after; in fact, they are so important and amazing that on the show, characters must devote a three-day musical to their epic love (one which would never get past the PTA or the school administration, but never mind). For OLTL to fix an entire stage show around Starr and Cole's "epic story" that only started a couple years ago is so self-congratulatory and delusional. Meanwhile, everyone else on the show is encouraged to go back to their first/"greatest" loves just like Starr and Cole. Natalie is shoved back towards old-ass John while Jared is still cooling in the ground, Jessica's antics are meant to be seen as delightful and fun, and who knows whether Crayla will really make it though I sure hope so. You know what, though, OLTL, Starr and Cole are not all that. They do not bring the ratings, they are not terribly interesting, and they do not deserve two whole musicals.

This year's musical could have been instantly improved if they'd done something far more realistic - have Langston instead base her tale off one of OLTL's classic couples from years past, be it Viki and Joe, or Jake and Megan, even Marty and Patrick, or perhaps several of these couples at once - you could toss in Cord and Tina, or Max and Luna. And then let the youngsters assume those roles. That would be a celebration of all the eras OLTL has to offer, and would draw our vets into the story organically, and that wouldn't be a story where we're expected to believe the Llanview High staff has signed off on a big show all about several current students, their out-of-wedlock baby, and their rapist/rape victim parents.

Come to think of it, has OLTL ever had a successful teen/young adult love story? I didn't think so.

Great work, Vee! :-)

Come to think of it, has OLTL ever had a successful teen/young adult love story? I didn't think so.

Great work, Vee! :-)

Didn't Cassie have some somewhat successful romances in the 80s, like with Rob? I'm not versed on OLTL history much at all, so I don't know if that was the only one or if they were even popular (popular in OLTL terms, at least).

Someone has posted them on Youtube.

So they did! I got 'em! Thanks Scotty!

I remember years ago when I watched OLTL my mother would lament "how did I raise such a moron???" and she only wanted to know "so what I am supposed to do when I don't find the rainbow's end? He says 'Here's what to do' and then he doesn't tell you what to do. What kind of shmuck song is this??? Then again, everyone on this show is a shmuck so this song fits right in!"

OMG! I had that exact thought when I heard the song! I had never heard it before and I was like wait...What do I do when I don't find it. You skipped a step there Kassie.

While I like aspects of this tacky mess, what I find really up-its-own-ass about the whole thing is the continuous mythologizing of Starr and Cole as the ultimate couple, something I'm sure Brian Frons is all over since he started all that. Let's be real here. You have one young actress dragged down to the level of one mediocre young quasi-hunk who was never that great, and together they're pushed to the frontburner in a series of contrived stories they can't really carry, and apparently that's all you need to claim they are the next Lily and Holden. The show clearly knows Brandon Buddy can only handle so much, so they have never bothered fleshing his character out or making him nearly as unique, idiosyncratic or visceral a personality as Marty or heck, even Patrick. Instead he is just a bland "hunk" who is not actually that much of a major-league hunk, really. He's average in every way, but they act like he is God's gift and the second coming of Lucky Spencer.

But if that was all, that'd be one thing - in the last decade, I've seen a dozen sham teen couples claiming to be the next summer superstars. At this point, no big thing, same old [!@#$%^&*]. The problem, then, is that OLTL has, over the years and especially now, taken great pains to explain to us in detail how Starr and Cole are the most incredible, passionate, exciting young couple ever, an example to all in Llanview before or after; in fact, they are so important and amazing that on the show, characters must devote a three-day musical to their epic love (one which would never get past the PTA or the school administration, but never mind). For OLTL to fix an entire stage show around Starr and Cole's "epic story" that only started a couple years ago is so self-congratulatory and delusional. Meanwhile, everyone else on the show is encouraged to go back to their first/"greatest" loves just like Starr and Cole. Natalie is shoved back towards old-ass John while Jared is still cooling in the ground, Jessica's antics are meant to be seen as delightful and fun, and who knows whether Crayla will really make it though I sure hope so. You know what, though, OLTL, Starr and Cole are not all that. They do not bring the ratings, they are not terribly interesting, and they do not deserve two whole musicals.

This year's musical could have been instantly improved if they'd done something far more realistic - have Langston instead base her tale off one of OLTL's classic couples from years past, be it Viki and Joe, or Jake and Megan, even Marty and Patrick, or perhaps several of these couples at once - you could toss in Cord and Tina, or Max and Luna. And then let the youngsters assume those roles. That would be a celebration of all the eras OLTL has to offer, and would draw our vets into the story organically, and that wouldn't be a story where we're expected to believe the Llanview High staff has signed off on a big show all about several current students, their out-of-wedlock baby, and their rapist/rape victim parents.

I love this post so much I want to marry it. I'm a pretty liberal person and even I was thinking this. I mean, come on! No school is going to glamorize teen pregnancy and if they do TIIC deserve to be fired. The last thing any kid needs is some sugar coated notion of what it's like to be a mother before you are old enough to vote or drive alone at night. OLTL was too eager to show another baby switch and feature Todd then they were to show a good, realistic teen pregnancy story. That type of story would have been a lot more dramatic than watching Todd try to steal a baby for him and the woman he was currently victimizing. Starr and Cole are an awful couple and there is no way in hell they should have survived Starr's pregnancy.

So they did! I got 'em! Thanks Scotty!

You're welcome. Glad you able to view them.

Come to think of it, has OLTL ever had a successful teen/young adult love story? I didn't think so.

Oh, I think Tina, Samantha Vernon, Tim and Jenny, Marty and co., Kelly and Joey, etc. were all pretty popular in their heyday. Before Tina was Tina, she was a consistently popular teen ingenue a la the current Starr who they kept bringing back. And young Cassie and others worked out. The original Cristian and Jessica were fan favorites, as opposed to, uh, this. So was Marcie and Al.

Great work, Vee! :-)

Thank you.

Edited May 16, 201015 yr by Vee

I love this post so much I want to marry it. I'm a pretty liberal person and even I was thinking this. I mean, come on! No school is going to glamorize teen pregnancy and if they do TIIC deserve to be fired. The last thing any kid needs is some sugar coated notion of what it's like to be a mother before you are old enough to vote or drive alone at night. OLTL was too eager to show another baby switch and feature Todd then they were to show a good, realistic teen pregnancy story. That type of story would have been a lot more dramatic than watching Todd try to steal a baby for him and the woman he was currently victimizing. Starr and Cole are an awful couple and there is no way in hell they should have survived Starr's pregnancy.

The problem with Starr is similar to what happened with Jessica as Erin Torpey got older -- I don't think either actress is suited for romantic relationships onscreen. It's even more true for Starr. She just seems awkward. I still cringe at the memory of her instalove/obsession with Sky, which helped put that character into a damaging place he never got out of.

I don't mind Starr and Cole together, if their relationship is on the backburner. It's Starr's endless need for her father which bothers me the most.

I thought Erin Torpey did fine in young adult romance. She didn't have a chance to do much more. Today in retrospect, I think she came off far more mature and adult than Bree's Jessica.

I thought Erin Torpey did fine in young adult romance. She didn't have a chance to do much more. Today in retrospect, I think she came off far more mature and adult than Bree's Jessica.

I think Erin was very good at the young and innocent romance with Cris but once they started getting into the story with Will and she became more sexual it didn't work for me.

Bree's Jessica has been written as a victim and a brat for almost all of her run, so I don't know whether Erin would have done any more with the writing, but generally as written at the time I think Erin's Jessica was more mature, at least when she wasn't crazy or on the run. I just think she was more suited for family drama.

Oh, I think Tina, Samantha Vernon, Tim and Jenny, Marty and co., Kelly and Joey, etc. were all pretty popular in their heyday. Before Tina was Tina, she was a consistently popular teen ingenue a la the current Starr who they kept bringing back. And young Cassie and others worked out. The original Cristian and Jessica were fan favorites, as opposed to, uh, this. So was Marcie and Al.

That's all true. However, in terms of capturing the attention of fans and non-fans alike, none approached the level of, say, AMC's Greg and Jenny, or DAYS' Bo and Hope, or GL's Phillip and Beth. To me, OLTL's signature couples - Joe and Viki, Larry and Meredith, Bo and Delila, etc. - have tended to be a little older.

Then again, maybe Kevin and Stephanie were just so bad that I developed Buchanan's Syndrome* as a result.

* It's a rare disease that affects the parts of the brain that hold long-term memory, named after the mother and daughter who were the first reported cases. It's in all the medical journals. Look it up.

Edited May 17, 201015 yr by Khan