Up to March 2nd, 1993

🦩

"An alliance made in hell."

🔷

The show continues to deliver on all fronts.

🔷

A new alliance has been made. Sort of. It almost feels like we have Cate Blanchett and Jody Claman from Vancouver sitting at the same table. @DRW50 - I instantly remembered your suggestion that Dorian may have something to do with Lindsay! You read the writers's minds before it even happened. Dorian Lord extended a helping hand to another schemer. She spotted her kind from a distance. There's nothing more satisfying in life than helping your enemy's... enemy. I honestly didn't think Lindsay would stick around for as long as she has... I assumed it would be a week or two or three thing. Even if this turns out to be a 2-3 month situation... she certainly helped speed up Clint and Viki's collapse. I can't shake the feeling that if they had given her a permanent role, she could have been one hell of an antagonist. But maybe with OG Dorian's return... they thought... well... we don't need a second one.

🔷

Kevin and Leanne ended up dancing at the ball, the prince and the server, what a cliche... and of course - they kissed right in front of Rachel. Then Sheila warned her - you need to stop helping Leanne get everything she wants, because... in the end, you are going to help her get Kevin. Rachel finally snapped out of that naive good girl attitude and decided to change her strategy. I don't like how they are positioning Rachel, she's just an ego boost for Kevin. He still clearly loves Leanne. Rachel lost her virginity to this boy, and here he is kissing Leanne (Leanne kissed him actually... but he didn't reject the kiss either) and inviting her to dances. I can't help but think Hank had a point when he warned her about him. Hank always has a point, even when he is cynical.

🔷

It seems that Natasha Romanova is just another slutty socialite, so Renee got lucky - Romanova preferred not to involve the police regarding her missing necklace, as she has been seen in Llanview with her hot young lover. The plot has shifted into a lighthearted comedy (not that it was anything other than that) featuring Max (whose hair has finally stopped resembling a frizzy mess - a bit of wax or gel to the right side helped cover his thinning spots without making him look ridiculous) and Luna taking on the role of the detectives. Naturally... Renee's hero turned out to be Morty, who is trying to retrieve the stolen necklace in a quest to win Renee's affection. It's not anything that interesting, but it fits nicely alongside the more intense storylines. The humor is less over the top compared to their earlier fiascos.

🔷

Now, let's discuss the two Lord sisters, both facing similar challenges. Viki was "dividing" property with Clint, enduring these... dramatic moments where he berated her for "what she did" to their family. Surprisingly, Viki's demeanor was quite cold. While she still felt sadness and humiliation (after he saw her post-sex in the hotel)... her attitude was more like - "What do you want from me?" I get it... she's exhausted and wants to escape. But honey - you created this mess. You can't get orgasms in hotel rooms while married and not get consequences. Meanwhile, Tina found herself completely alone, her storyline resembling a low IQ version of Viki's. The scene where she mistook Cord for Cain and professed her love for Cain was so soapy. It reminded me of things that happen in Shakespeare plays. Now, both men have left her, and she's begging Cain on the phone... while trying to win Cord back by stripping for him. It's a pitiful situation for a woman. Instead of being a smart girl and saying in the first place - "Yes, I was with Cain because I thought you were dead, so deal with it and let me handle it my way," she is too stupid and impulsive... so she turned into a desperate beggar. Tina is literally degrading herself in her own home, attempting to seduce Cord while he is visibly angry. Cord aggressively grabbing her face felt like outright abuse. No one can convince me otherwise.

The most intriguing aspect however... is Viki's refusal to acknowledge that she and Tina are in similar situations. 🤣When Tina suggested this, Viki exploded in anger. It's like watching two alcoholics, both intoxicated and embarrassing themselves, yet one criticizes the other, saying, "You drink too much." Viki, take a good look at your own life. Seriously!

P.S. Oh - I almost forgot - Dorian found out that Blair stole her 100 000 dollars and was nooot happy.

Overall -  10!/10

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Clip of the day

The viper and the vulture

Edited December 29, 2025Dec 29 by Maxim

1 hour ago, Maxim said:

Up to March 2nd, 1993

🦩

"An alliance made in hell."

🔷

The show continues to deliver on all fronts.

🔷

A new alliance has been made. Sort of. It almost feels like we have Cate Blanchett and Jody Claman from Vancouver sitting at the same table. @DRW50 - I instantly remembered your suggestion that Dorian may have something to do with Lindsay! You read the writers's minds before it even happened. Dorian Lord extended a helping hand to another schemer. She spotted her kind from a distance. There's nothing more satisfying in life than helping your enemy's... enemy. I honestly didn't think Lindsay would stick around for as long as she has... I assumed it would be a week or two or three thing. Even if this turns out to be a 2-3 month situation... she certainly helped speed up Clint and Viki's collapse. I can't shake the feeling that if they had given her a permanent role, she could have been one hell of an antagonist. But maybe with OG Dorian's return... they thought... well... we don't need a second one.

🔷

Kevin and Leanne ended up dancing at the ball, the prince and the server, what a cliche... and of course - they kissed right in front of Rachel. Then Sheila warned her - you need to stop helping Leanne get everything she wants, because... in the end, you are going to help her get Kevin. Rachel finally snapped out of that naive good girl attitude and decided to change her strategy. I don't like how they are positioning Rachel, she's just an ego boost for Kevin. He still clearly loves Leanne. Rachel lost her virginity to this boy, and here he is kissing Leanne (Leanne kissed him actually... but he didn't reject the kiss either) and inviting her to dances. I can't help but think Hank had a point when he warned her about him. Hank always has a point, even when he is cynical.

🔷

It seems that Natasha Romanova is just another slutty socialite, so Renee got lucky - Romanova preferred not to involve the police regarding her missing necklace, as she has been seen in Llanview with her hot young lover. The plot has shifted into a lighthearted comedy (not that it was anything other than that) featuring Max (whose hair has finally stopped resembling a frizzy mess - a bit of wax or gel to the right side helped cover his thinning spots without making him look ridiculous) and Luna taking on the role of the detectives. Naturally... Renee's hero turned out to be Morty, who is trying to retrieve the stolen necklace in a quest to win Renee's affection. It's not anything that interesting, but it fits nicely alongside the more intense storylines. The humor is less over the top compared to their earlier fiascos.

🔷

Now, let's discuss the two Lord sisters, both facing similar challenges. Viki was "dividing" property with Clint, enduring these... dramatic moments where he berated her for "what she did" to their family. Surprisingly, Viki's demeanor was quite cold. While she still felt sadness and humiliation (after he saw her post-sex in the hotel)... her attitude was more like - "What do you want from me?" I get it... she's exhausted and wants to escape. But honey - you created this mess. You can't get orgasms in hotel rooms while married and not get consequences. Meanwhile, Tina found herself completely alone, her storyline resembling a low IQ version of Viki's. The scene where she mistook Cord for Cain and professed her love for Cain was so soapy. It reminded me of things that happen in Shakespeare plays. Now, both men have left her, and she's begging Cain on the phone... while trying to win Cord back by stripping for him. It's a pitiful situation for a woman. Instead of being a smart girl and saying in the first place - "Yes, I was with Cain because I thought you were dead, so deal with it and let me handle it my way," she is too stupid and impulsive... so she turned into a desperate beggar. Tina is literally degrading herself in her own home, attempting to seduce Cord while he is visibly angry. Cord aggressively grabbing her face felt like outright abuse. No one can convince me otherwise.

The most intriguing aspect however... is Viki's refusal to acknowledge that she and Tina are in similar situations. 🤣When Tina suggested this, Viki exploded in anger. It's like watching two alcoholics, both intoxicated and embarrassing themselves, yet one criticizes the other, saying, "You drink too much." Viki, take a good look at your own life. Seriously!

P.S. Oh - I almost forgot - Dorian found out that Blair stole her 100 000 dollars and was nooot happy.

Overall -  10!/10

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Clip of the day

The viper and the vulture

Just based on the screengrab of the clip... Robin Strasser looks like she is having the time of her life!

3 hours ago, Maxim said:

Clip of the day

The viper and the vulture

Happy that you're still enjoying it, and so great to see Robin back in the role! I just LOVE her head tilt at the 1:49 mark of that video LOL.

Thanks @Maxim . Lindsay's story is one I know almost nothing about so I was surprised and happy to read from your summary (and watch the great clip) that she and Dorian do meet. Lindsay would be an interesting character to follow as she clearly thinks she is superior to Dorian, likely viewing her as a muckraker. Anna Holbrook always played a heroine on AW but she is believably showing a much colder side here. I'm sorry we're likely near the end.

I love the banner too.

I wonder if the Tina and Cord name moment was meant to be the inverse of this infamous Tina moment (it's at around 15 minutes).

Sorry if you've already seen this tape. If not, it's a fun way to get caught up on OLTL through the '80s. It's where I first saw a lot of OLTL content, along with A Daytime to Remember. Erika Slezak does her best lady of the manor/prune-selling as hostess.

One Life to Live - Daytime's Greatest Weddings (1993)

1 hour ago, DRW50 said:

Erika Slezak does her best lady of the manor/prune-selling as hostess.

So, I'm not the only one who was traumatized by all those Sunsweet commercials, eh, lol?

3 hours ago, Khan said:

So, I'm not the only one who was traumatized by all those Sunsweet commercials, eh, lol?

I did appreciate Erika hustling, but similar to Barbara Mandrell, you always wonder how they felt about those scripts. This one in particular makes me glad Erika stopped doing these before Baby Got Back took off:

Robin would be living for these reviews if she was lurking around here (which I am not in any way suggesting we make happen!!!). She is still very active on social media. I will never get over Kristen Alderson teaching her to play Mario Kart live on Twitch.

I will be the routine defender of Laura Bonarrigo/Koffman, who I grew up with and still love. She wasn't necessarily well-served by her first year as they kept making her so histrionic and she had a number of boring stories over her decade or so on contract, but she had some good ones too and I did love her Cassie and her work day to day. Robin and Laura have told the story about adjusting to each other, where Robin told her something like she might be Laura's second Dorian but Laura was her fourth Cassie. They became quite close in the ensuing years IIRC. Robin has run through discussing all the Cassies on her Twitter; the one she wouldn't talk about was Ava Haddad lol.

Michael Malone was extremely fond of literary inspiration and allusion in his OLTL work, and would regularly reference classic novels, turn of the century texts, etc. when discussing his characters and stories on OLTL, particularly in Q&As on his now-defunct website. He was roasted in the 2000s for a soap mag interview during his disastrous second tenure for saying something like the fans would be bored by various works of classical literature he name-dropped, with the implication to the reader being that he was putting himself up there with the masters like Charles Dickens. I don't think he was but it was still a dumb tack to take given that later material. Still, he cherished his inspirations and I think the show was often richer for them in the '90s.

Edited December 30, 2025Dec 30 by Vee

20 hours ago, yrfan1983 said:

Just based on the screengrab of the clip... Robin Strasser looks like she is having the time of her life!

She is! And they've given her soooooo much material since her return, it's insane that she's fully engaged in every scene.

18 hours ago, alwaysAMC said:

Happy that you're still enjoying it, and so great to see Robin back in the role! I just LOVE her head tilt at the 1:49 mark of that video LOL.

Yees! And the grin that comes after... she wields it like a weapon. It's not often I can say that someone can dominate others just with their smile... but Strasser's Dorian certainly does. I can almost picture her as the Marquise de Merteuil in Dangerous Liaisons.

15 hours ago, DRW50 said:

I wonder if the Tina and Cord name moment was meant to be the inverse of this infamous Tina moment (it's at around 15 minutes).

Sorry if you've already seen this tape. If not, it's a fun way to get caught up on OLTL through the '80s. It's where I first saw a lot of OLTL content, along with A Daytime to Remember. Erika Slezak does her best lady of the manor/prune-selling as hostess.

One Life to Live - Daytime's Greatest Weddings (1993)

I just saw it... thank you for posting it. 😊 It surely seems like they were playing with this, referencing it. I wouldn't have known if you didn't tell me about it. I guess that girl just wears her heart on her sleeve. Messing up the guys names is a sure way to lose both. (I've done it in my early 20s too)

10 hours ago, DRW50 said:

I did appreciate Erika hustling, but similar to Barbara Mandrell, you always wonder how they felt about those scripts. This one in particular makes me glad Erika stopped doing these before Baby Got Back took off:

This is my reaction to this commercial -

10 hours ago, Vee said:

Robin would be living for these reviews if she was lurking around here (which I am not in any way suggesting we make happen!!!).

Just the thought of this as a possibility... and I get a heart palpitation! (the good kind) Ah!

10 hours ago, Vee said:

Robin and Laura have told the story about adjusting to each other, where Robin told her something like she might be Laura's second Dorian but Laura was her fourth Cassie.

This is so interesting and actually makes perfect sense. Thanks for sharing. Maybe I'm actually witnessing that "adjusting" to each other, so far it works perfectly for the show and their dysfunctional dynamic.

10 hours ago, Vee said:

Michael Malone was extremely fond of literary inspiration and allusion in his OLTL work, and would regularly reference classic novels, turn of the century texts, etc. when discussing his characters and stories on OLTL, particularly in Q&As on his now-defunct website.

Recently, there was a scene where Renee and Viki were talking about her future... and the allusions to Anna Karenina were quite obvious, in my opinion. There was even a line similar to - "Things will shapen with time..." which immediately brought me back to one of the novel's famous lines. While the themes are indeed similar and the line could be coincidental, I was reminded of it. I also agree with you that these influences from classic literature... enhance the show and add depth to it. Shame that shows these days don't realize how something like this can help them.

By the way, before I forget - is there any way we can access that defunct website... I searched on Google just now, but couldn't find anything. Is there a possibility it has been preserved in the waybackmachine archive? I would really like to read his Q&As. 🙂

The website has amazingly been preserved, here.

Up to March 4th, 1993

🦩

"A WARNING.⚠️"

🔷

I honestly didn't think it could get better.

🔷

I warn you guys... I am not tired of talking about Dorian... not until she tires me out. I swear, this woman reveals a new side of the character in every episode. It's as if Strasser is a master rhythmic gymnast, warming up before the great competition, showcasing all the various ways she can perform. We've witnessed menacing, fierce Dorian (Savage Dorian), playful, even cheerful Dorian (Marie Antoinette Dorian), and today, we saw - mother bear Dorian. Just as she can be superficial and light when she chooses, she can also get down and dirty when the situation demands it. Dorian only needed to see that one "innocent" embrace between Andrew and Marty. And yes, some people have dirty minds, some - wicked even... and expect the worst from everyone. However, I don't believe Dorian is out of line for questioning this. In fact, I think this is the first instance where I've seen Marty retreat from the battlefield. She simply left the room. The tension between Strasser and Haskell was out of this world. They need more and more scenes together, MY GOD. And then... Dorian shifted gears into master manipulator as she planted a seed of doubt in Cassie's mind, making her aware of the issue of danger lurking inside her house. I say - Brava, Dorian! We can label Dorian as toxic all we want, but at times, she is exactly the mother I wished I had. I would have reacted the same way. And that amazing line (paraphrasing from memory) - It doesn't matter how Andrew feels when he hugs her... Just think about what she (Marty) feels! Spoken with the wisdom of someone who's experienced a scandal or two... or three.

🔷

To conclude the topic of Marty Saybrooke - Nora skillfully exposed her lie about where she was on Thanksgiving, baiting her accomplice friend to confirm details that Nora had fabricated. These were specific things regarding Marty's apartment, which that girl would have known were not true if she was with her on the day Sarah died. This is the exact type of writing that soaps lack these days. You need to be a smart person to write smart people. Of course Marty lied again, saying she was with a drug dealer (how believable) but this time... the new version was too thin. The clock is ticking and she has to find someone to pose as a drug dealer for her. Meanwhile Bo and Nora are getting closer and closer. They even had their first really passionate kiss and are currently in that awkward, but endearing phase between friendship and loverland.

🔷

Let's get to the meat and potatoes. Viki Buchanina found herself in a really tough spot. The moment the affair was consummated, and she saw her husband at the door... she felt dirty and humiliated. The thrill of the forbidden has faded away. Instantly. Renee said something quite wise to her - the new (when it comes to affairs and men) eventually becomes... the old. So whatever she was trying to escape from in her relationship with Clint... is now coming back to haunt her. This is a typical part of every romantic affair, and it’s the crucial moment that will decide if it was genuine love or not. Now, Viki is uncertain about her next step - once again, she’s in a situation similar to Tina's. While she’s crying and debating what to do... however... Clint is moving on - kissing Lindsay in public. Sure, it’s rebound, but that doesn’t mean he should return to Viki. I really hope he doesn’t. No one deserves a second chance after what she did.

But what’s really intriguing is how Sloan is handling this cooling off period - in my opinion, he’s come up with a new strategy to manipulate Viki and put pressure on her. He told her that if she’s not ready, he’s going to leave and basically say Goodbye. Come on, we all know what you’re up to. I expected more from a general. So who is going to be, Viki? If you don't hurry up, you and Tina might end up both alone together in that house. Which could actually be more interesting than anything else, to be honest! Two sisters who destroyed their lives, living like Baby Jane and Blanche... (but that's for 20 seasons from now 😁)

🔷

And now... for dessert - you all know how fond I was of Jason and Dorian. They were a guilty pleasure for me, and I adored them. So here I was... dying in suspense to see if the chemistry would still be there between the characters with Strasser in the role. Aaaand... the reveal is - GOOOOOOD. TALK ABOUT CHEMISTRY! Strasser has it with just about everyone. She even has it with herself when she's alone, looking at her reflection in the mirror. So when I saw her giving those bedroom eyes to Jason and him... looking down with his head... like a boy who can't say "No" - I knew they were going to get together. It was time for Dorian to let her hair down and explore the darker, more trashy corners of Llanview... holding Jason's hand. She went underground - to the tavern dump where the sleazy college guys hang out. By the way, as soon as Todd Manning spotted Dorian... he started making dirty remarks. What a creep. He probably wants to sleep with her.

Overall -  10.5/10 - I'm being naughty. (Just like Viki with her strawberries and prunes)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Clip of the day

Dorian vs Marty

@alwaysAMC - she makes that head tilt at 1:10 mark of the video... again. Hehe.

Edited December 30, 2025Dec 30 by Maxim

54 minutes ago, Vee said:

The website has amazingly been preserved, here.

Thank you!

Haha, love it @Maxim - thank you :)

Thanks @Maxim

I was not expecting Andrew to have his hands at Marty's waist.

Malone clearly did have some attachment to that pairing which never quite gets used the way he may have wanted.

Robin seems to relish going up against Susan Haskell, as they are both such forces. As she later described her scenes with Erika Slezak - being in "the arena."

They really are playing up how childish Cassie is, still going on about the ski lodge.

Is Nora still having her headaches?