OLTL: Discussion for the week December 13

[Vanguardian]

So how is NuJoey doing now? A few of you, and myself, were on the fence about him. I do like him because of his babyish portrayal of Joey. It's really kind of refreshing to see a more warm-hearted guy who is a contrast to his more hell-raising male counterparts. However, I'm concerned about him having longevity on the show for this exact same reason. Will people really notice and become drawn to Joey if he's a 30-35 year-old child-like adult male who isn't a hell-raiser? I don't know! Furthermore, if the intent is for him to reunite with Kelly then it too will flop because they have no chemistry with one another. And it's high-time Joey and Rex had a nice little heated confrontation. I think that will really give us a chance to see the possibilities with NuJoey. I find it rather unrealistic that Joey and Rex haven't gotten in each other's faces several times by now, considering they both live on the same property.

[CouchTomato]

Echo flew out the door. Viki stood there a few seconds wondering WTF? Then, as if on cue, the doorbell rang. It was Aubrey. There was no time for Viki to wonder anything. She had to be overly polite to Joey's 2-week "soulmate." Then she had to drive Kelly home. Viki has to put everyone else first all the time. I really hope they don't do another alcoholic SL using Charlie again. He's been used in four in less than three years. Can't Rex finally start bonding with his bio-mother instead of dumping another alcoholic SL on Rex's fake dad Charlie again?

[SFK]

I agree with your assessment of Joey, he's a little *too* soft at this point. The thing is, Joey has this inherent kindness and gentleness, but he's also a man who's lived some stuff and with that comes an edge. I don't mean a Todd edge, I just mean a little less Mr. Rogers and a little more, I dunno, Bobby Ewing? Think of how the guy who plays Brody plays Brody in his warmer moments, more like that. I feel like with the last three Joeys, the writers/directors/actors have played into this "idea" of who "kind, gentle Joey" is which has oddly de-aged/de-experienced the character and subtracted from the more solid man he became in the NF years through all that Dorian mess. Still early though, he'll find his way. Just seems like this is a story about Kelly and Aubrey, and Joey BUCHANAN! is almost like the inconsequential glue. Plus I can't shake the feeling that I'm used to, that Joey will be hopping on a plane any second to head back to London.

[CouchTomato]

It's an unrealistic as Echo and Rex making no attempt to bond as mother and son despite living so close. It's like Rex's DNA reveal never happened except to fake dad Charlie. Charlie already knew Rex for years. They don't have to get to know each other. I agree with you that Joey and Kelly have no chemistry. It makes me think Aubrey will end up staying in town with a newbie while Joey leaves with Kelly.

[DRW50]

I don't think he has any purpose other than propping Kelly and bringing in Aubrey, who is already shoved into Ford's orbit and already seems like an attempt to replace Stacy, since I think RC really liked her. Probably some attempt to replace Kim too. I am waiting for Aubrey to hook up with Alan Spaulding/Eli/Asa/Clint. If OLTL is still on in a year I will be surprised if Joey is still there.

The soaps have never been the same since they started replacing solid and strong leading men with antiheroes who have to treat women like garbage or have to have mysterious pasts full of random slaughter. Someone on Youtube has been uploading Bo/Nora clips circa 1996 (who can forget Asa and Alex's second wedding where the show teases about what stunts we will see and then in a "we have no money, remember the good times" moment, they just play a tape of the barge wedding). This is after Drew came along with that shameful retcon of Becky Lee as a scheming Clampett cousin, and after Joey/Kelly got together. It's painful to see how little material the show had for Joey or for Cord, who stand around delivering lackluster dialogue and, frankly, struggling to make it work. Watching that stuff I'd never have known Nathan Fillion would go on to a successful primetime career, never really out of work for almost fifteen years.

Mark Lawson and Nathan Fillion are both charismatic and talented actors, but modern-day OLTL has a way of making their type of leading man irrelevant. It's why I kind of feel sorry for Degnan, as I do for all the Joeys. The main way for Joey to survive would be if he starts raping women and calling them whores. If I have to see that then I'd rather see no Joey at all.

Rauch did a lot of damage to OLTL but I often feel that his reign was the last time OLTL had strong leading men who weren't assholes. That and a few of Gottlieb's men, like Andrew.

I wonder if Aubrey will have chemistry with anyone. So far, Terri is about as much of a chemistry magnet as she was with most of her ATWT men. If she has chemistry with a man, it's very strong, but when she doesn't, you get a dead fish flopping on your screen.

[Vee]

Mark Lawson and Nathan Fillion have a forceful presence Degnan lacks. His Joey just comes off to me as another Don Jeffcoat right now; the dim, naive foil for other characters. This is why I suspect the sudden re-recasting was a bit of handicapping on ABC's part, as Frons has never been terribly into Kevin or Joey. Whereas Josh Kelly would seem to have some gravitas in his acting reel, Tom Degnan's range is IMO limited. I can't see him taking command of any storyline. The better to dump Joey in six to eight months and blame the character as one that "doesn't work." But Joey does work. It's the network that doesn't care about him. And the show plays into that because I think it often doesn't know how to write Joey either, other than as "young and stupid."

[DRW50]

Fillion had a forceful presence when Malone was writing the show, especially when Joey was with Dorian, but after that I didn't see that much of one, at least in his first run.

It's hard to say because if you have a forceful presence and you're not Rex or one of the rapists, you are a threat. I don't have any strong opinion of Josh Kelly yet (I don't remember any of his reel other than that MyTV thing), but I remember how much better and stronger I thought Scott Clifton was on OLTL than he was on GH, yet I'm pretty sure that strength got him fired. I think it's also the reason Mark Lawson always seems to be put in stories which make Brody easily disposable -- if they didn't need a boyfriend for Jessica I think he'd be long gone.

[chrishntr]

It's a shame because knowing Echo she is going to USE her so called "drinking" problem to get close to Charlie.

[DeeeDee]

Better she do that than Charlie cheat.

[Cheap21]

Haha, Tea just said that maybe Tad Martin killed Eddie bc he has the sme initials as TM, the cufflinks John found

[Scotty]

Ha! Tea mentioned Tad Martin.

[Antoyne]

Tea just said Tad Martin.

[DeeeDee]

Destiny & Darren talk about their (her) issues for 30 seconds then immediately go on prop duty.

Wow.

[Cheap21]

too bad they never did anythign about her divorcing her parents. I remmebr her talking to Dani about it and dont recall if she ever made any decsion on that. I guess not considering it hasnt been brought up in weeks

[IcyOne]

Brian Kerwin has a lot more chemistry with Kim Zimmer than he does Erika Slezak. If they were smart, they'd divorce Charlie and Viki and put them together. Have Viki get involved with Clint again. Speaking of Viki, I'm not crazy about this "friends" thing she and Dorian have going on with this story. They're always better as adversaries, the angrier the better.