Thanks @Maxim

I guess the lack of focus for Andrew and Cassie on their wedding day tells you how the show felt about them as a couple...

All those extras, cast members, and the big cathedral reminds you of just how much budget soaps have lost.

Susan Haskell was always an interesting actress. She could be very showy, very false (like some of the first half of this clip) and other times extremely visceral (the second half of the clip). They were doing too much with her to the point of self-parody (although I liked the bit where she kissed Cassie as a gift for Andrew), but the scenes of an equally devastated Viki staggering out with her are powerful.

I also like that accepting, lost smirk from Clint during the vows. Very good work from Clint Ritchie.

Eda sounds fascinating. I need to watch some of that show.

Edited December 10Dec 10 by DRW50

29 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

I also like that accepting, lost smirk from Clint during the vows. Very good work from Clint Ritchie.

That little smirk was everything. I love details like this and I'm glad you also noticed it.

30 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

Eda sounds fascinating. I need to watch some of that show.

She was. I think the most iconic Turkish soap opera villain of all time. Legendary. There was not a single person in Bulgaria when the show was airing that didn't hate her. The show's most successful season ended with the protagonist collapsing and losing her baby... in the middle of the fireworks on her wedding ceremony... Just an hour ago Eda poisoned her by making her a nice little tea. She acted like her best friend for months and months and the protagonist had NO IDEA what was happening behind the scenes. That made it work. I remember reading on the Bulgarian forums years ago that the actress who played Eda was scared for her life after these scenes aired in Turkey. People were so outraged by how evil Eda was... she received threats! Later when I finish work I'll find the appropriate topic... in the forum and tag you with a few clips with Eda, just a little sample. I am not sure if the show is available with English subtitles, but I bet it is.

Edited December 10Dec 10 by Maxim

My husband just asked "When are we going to watch One Life To Live?" 🙊I've done my job!

Up to January 21st, 1993

🦩

"College guys from HELL."

🔷

After Cassie's wedding, Marty Saybrooke decided to drown her sorrows in cheap alcohol. She stumbled into the group of worthless college guys hanging around the roadhouse dump. One thing led to another, and she ended up in bed with Todd. After having sex, he had the audacity to say, "you delivered," as if she were some sort of hooker. Marty wanted his company, her longing for human connection and warmth was palpable. But he was as warm as Ted Bundy on a Friday night. He responded with something condescending like, "Go... comb your hair..." and just walked out. What a narcissist! Marty lost it again, angrily combing her hair and smashing her reflection in the mirror! Oh boy, this is not going to end well, I can already tell.

🔷

Talking about those college jerks... they put drugs in Jason's pocket!!!!!! Up until now, Marty was the only troublemaker engaging in these petty, disgusting, sociopathic acts, but I think these idiots have taken it a step further. And this happens just as Leanne is getting a second chance with her baby. With Jason getting busted for drugs... Leanne's life is about to spiral into chaos again. But let's backtrack a bit - how did Leanne even get that second chance? Well, Rachel made Kevin do it. She'll regret this, I'm sure, because you should never help people like Leanne - they'll always bite the hand that feeds them.

🔷

Talking about Rachel... she's more and more center stage each day... and her story... becoming increasingly interesting. The moment with Nora, when she shared about sleeping with Kevin and how she was a virgin before that... made me tear up for some freaking reason. I believe it was Nora who got to me. The actress is truly exceptional. If I had to list the characters I care about most in this show - Rachel takes the top spot. I see her as a blank canvas, and the writers can shape her however they please - the possibilities are endless. I HOPE TO GOD they don't ruin her or forget about her with time.

🔷

The drama between Blair and Asa continued with Asa flipping the script on Blair. He discovered the spy-maid and paid her off. Then, he trapped Blair and essentially abused her. I really dislike how they're portraying Asa as a monster. Sure, Blair did leave him to die... and she's far from a Saint... that's a fact... but we don't need to witness him choking her repeatedly. It makes me root for Blair, which is likely the intention of the writing. Still... this monster vs monster storyline is becoming a bit over the top and makes both character look like idiots. I am still sticking to my opinion that Asa would have long changed the locks and refused to even let her in. He should not be even speaking to her after what she did... instead they have them yell at each other and him choking her. Is this some kind of telenovela? I don't like it.

🔷

But even more important detail... connected with Blair now being portrayed as a victim... is how Max is behaving around her. Three weeks after New Year's, when he dismissed her like a dog... now he's having second thoughts. He's even resting his hand on her waist and avoiding Luna, who is increasingly disturbed by it. The worst part is... Luna... noticed that Max is getting soft for Blair again, and she did the most ABSURD, pathetic and disappointing thing I've ever witnessed from her - she decided to finally give him SEX without waiting like they planned, just to keep him from going to Blair. They got interrupted, but it was still such a letdown. WHAT ARE YOU DOING, LUNA? WHO HAVE YOU BECOME? Have you turned into Tina?!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS.

Overall -  6.5/10 - There was a tone of extreme nastiness in these two episodes. Everyone with few exceptions was wretched. I was overwhelmed.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Clip of the day

Asa vs Blair

Edited Thursday at 10:15 AM5 days by Maxim

@Maxim I love Rachel, too. I'm sorry to say once the original actress leaves, the character is ruined ugh.

2 hours ago, mar4331 said:

@Maxim I love Rachel, too. I'm sorry to say once the original actress leaves, the character is ruined ugh.

Oh... 😢 I hope it's in the far future.

Thanks @Maxim

That Todd and Marty scene is one I remember being mentioned quite a bit.

I forgot Leanne is still there. A character who was surplus to requirements by this point.

Ellen Bethea is a treasure.

That scene with Asa and Blair is a great example of melodrama for the sake of melodrama. I shouldn't laugh, but Phil Carey sounds just like Macho Man Randy Savage. I kept expecting him to yell for Blair to "snap into a Slim Jim."

54 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

Thanks @Maxim

That Todd and Marty scene is one I remember being mentioned quite a bit.

I forgot Leanne is still there. A character who was surplus to requirements by this point.

Ellen Bethea is a treasure.

That scene with Asa and Blair is a great example of melodrama for the sake of melodrama. I shouldn't laugh, but Phil Carey sounds just like Macho Man Randy Savage. I kept expecting him to yell for Blair to "snap into a Slim Jim."

Absolute melodrama for the sake of the melodrama. 🤭

1 hour ago, Maxim said:

Absolute melodrama for the sake of the melodrama. 🤭

Not always a bad thing - it is a soap after all - but I'm not too sure about that scene.

Sorry if the earlier reference didn't make any sense, but here's Randy:

Slim Jim ad with Randy "Macho Man" Savage

8 hours ago, DRW50 said:

Not always a bad thing - it is a soap after all - but I'm not too sure about that scene.

Sorry if the earlier reference didn't make any sense, but here's Randy:

Slim Jim ad with Randy "Macho Man" Savage

I just opened my eyes and this was the first thing I saw. Thanks for the early morning giggles! Now I can't shake the image of Asa exploding into Blair's room with a Slim Jim in his hand! It would have been better than what we got. 🤭

Well... this morning... inspired by OLTL's Anna Karenina storyline (Viki and Sloan), I decided that I'm craving a re-read of the book. The last time I read it... I must have been 13 or 14... so 16 years have passed, and I don't remember much of it. Then I find out there are 11 different translations in English. Here I was, spending a whole hour sampling different translations of the book before I settled on the... David Magarshack version, which felt more fitting for the melodramatic... soap opera nature of the novel. Some of the most popular versions felt a bit too stiff and artificial for my taste. I need to feel the pathos and the drama dripping from every page! I don't want to see commas where they don't belong. So... thank you, Malone and team, for inspiring me to return to one of my favorite novels. The edition is already ordered and should arrive sometime before Christmas. It cost me 1.50 euros for a 1000-page book in pristine condition. This is what good soap operas do... they draw inspiration from many sources, great works that have stood the test of time... and they also INSPIRE people to watch more, read more... Great art is often... if not always, in conversation with other great art.

Edited yesterday at 02:10 PM1 day by Maxim

Up to January 27th, 1993

🦩

"The Saint Slut Of Llanview."

🔷

Hello, guys! I've finally watched 4 new episodes and I need to update y'all before it's too late and I forget all the details. Let's dive in!

🔷

Blair lost everything. She lost it because of a corrupt trial where paid witnesses lied about her... including that awful maid who was initially on her side. That piece of sh-t falsely claimed to have seen Blair and Max in bed together. Then there was Luna, being her usual too honest self, telling the judge that she saw Max getting ready for Blair in the hot tub at Serenity Springs. We watched Max struggle to hide his feelings for Blair, and in the end, even defending her from the aggressive reporters. Meanwhile, Luna was left standing in the corner like a dog. WELL. WELL. WELL. @DRW50 - we were right all along. Luna is humiliating herself for a guy... who isn’t even worth it. I would have dumped him just for that alone - standing next to Blair like he’s her knight in shining armor. Luna's only luck is that Mia Korf decided to leave the show. Back to Blair - after losing the trial, she had to think fast about her next move. And surprise, not surprise... she broke into Dorian's safe (the fact that it was so easy was ridiculous) and stole 100 000 dollars. Just. Like. That.

P.S. I forgot to mention EXACTLY how Blair ended up losing the trial - besides everything being corrupt and bought off by Asa, we saw one of most absurd scenes ever. The usually composed, smart, and strategic Blair suddenly lost her cool and admitted in front of EVERYONE in court that she actually hated that "old man" and wanted nothing to do with him all along. Provoked till she lost it-type of thing that I hate. Such a ridiculous twist that made Blair look like an idiot. That's not the Blair I love. They were going for high drama, but what we got was just cheap lazy writing. And with this, Mia Korf's version of Blair is officially done. THE END. I'm preparing myself for the blonde white woman version, I'll probably need to visit my therapist before I adjust to her. MIA was a T.R.E.A.S.U.R.E! I'll miss her!

🔷

Viki Buchanan is working hard to change her title of "The Saint" of Llanview to maybe... "The Slut". Her "chance" meetings with Sloan are beginning to get more and more daring and sexual. They are making out like young lovers, and are practically one more trip to the library before more scandalous body fluids are exchanged. The fact that they were eating their faces so passionately IN THE LIBRARY where anyone could have seen them... (In fact, the Devil Saybrooke did) was shocking to me. Viki is beginning to act foolish at this point... and the level of disrespect towards Clint is unmeasurable. She LIES through her teeth every single day. I've never even seen Brooke Logan lie so fast, without even blinking. But here is the twist. There is a new B in town - SHARLENE FROM ANOTHER WORLD!!!!! But here she is not Sharlene... she's called Elizabeth - a very interesting woman indeed. She is just the troublemaker Viki needed - a dose of her own medicine. Seeing a beautiful, clever blonde try to spin her web around Clint... was sooo good. It's time Viki realize that the General is not the only one with testicles in this town. Two can play at this game.

🔷

The nasty college guys that put drugs in Jason's pocket... opened Pandora's box. Just as Leanne was about to get her second chance with Demerest, Kevin found out about Jason's newest run-in with the police... and decided to pull the rug once more under her feet. It's obvious what is happening. They are going to break up Leanne and Jason. I know it. And it makes me sad. This show breaks everyone up too soon. It reminds me of how they broke Bo and Cassie up just when they got married. I don't like it. But I also think that Leanne has been slowly fading into the background and maybe the actress's days are numbered. Jason is backburned too, sadly. They haven't been given anything but scraps of airtime... minutes here and there for months.

🔷

For a final thought, Marty Saybrooke is now taking on the role that Dorian played in Viki's life. It looks like after Elaine Princi was written out (before RS comes back)... they decided to have Marty fixate on Viki's personal life. I really enjoy their scenes together because both actresses bring out the best in each other. I thought it was great how Marty teased Viki about seeing her in the library with Sloan. Once this DEMON sets her sights on you... all bets are off. Memorable lines like "Clean your own house before you judge mine" and "It takes one to know one" when it comes to being a slut... make me chuckle. I'm here for it. This feud has a lot of potential, because of how different and how similar these two women are at the same time.

🔷

Ooooh and I almost forgot - they've started the Cord-return-from-death storyline. In a very caricaturish way. I'm not sure how I feel about it. What will Cord think when he finds out that Tina opened her legs to Cain 2 weeks after he "died". I'm sure he won't be happy. Or maybe he will be. There is a thing called cuckolding after all.

Overall -  6.5/10 - Entertaining, but not their best. MESSY.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Clip of the day

Viki and Sloan make out in public.

@Maxim so happy youre back with your episode reviews!