OLTL: Discussion for the week of July 4

[EricMontreal22]

It's simply bizarre. I don't have a prob with porn, but I find this even more offensive than the usual soap opera "evil porn director snares poor female lead" storyline--like with so much of RC's writing I just can't grasp the tone of this. Is Rick meant to be charming? Meant to be evil? WHY is he lurking around in a motel for what seems like months now trying to blackmail two teens (I guess they're above 18 and so legal?) to star in some stupid porno movie? Why did he shoot it in Llanview anyway and what happened to his actors we saw at the shoot before? He is apparently from LA and has made several Hold the Peperoni movies or something so why not go back? I just keep on thinking the show dropped him and then all of a sudden he's back. But actually if RC did answer any of those questions of mine and give Rick a backstory I'd prob hate it all the more...

[EricMontreal22]

That';s the thing, particularly for TSJ who I think has some inate talent, I dunno how else he was meant to play a good chunk of... oh the last three years at least. (And I assume Va,lentini and the writers are loving it--not only cuz Velentini has done much of the directing, but just because EPs and HWs are infamous for "punishing" stars who mis play their material--whereas they just seem to give them more and more.)

[Scotty]

You know, TSJ is actually somewhat decent when it comes to doing comedic scenes...

[EricMontreal22]

Didn't they read this to a coma victim in the past year already? Just seems a bit of a random choice to read Matthew, though I prob read it at around his age so who knows. I feel like it's RC trying to tell us "see, I'm just up there with Dickens and my serial writing ancestors!" (Or maybe--see we're better than this stuff...)

[Scotty]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the line from Friday's show where Joey tell Kelly about some mistakes he had made in life and said "Pastor Joey wasn't a good idea" or something to that extent. It was just sort of out of the blue and seemed like a nod to the fans.

[EricMontreal22]

I think it was, and I did appreciate that because Pastor Joey made even super bland current Joey look brilliant.

And you're right, I think TSJ can do comedy (though I find the comedy they give Todd odd, at best), and I actually think he has talent. He's clearly bored with his character, but who can blame him--I don't think I could deliver many of his lines and stories with a straight face either.

[SFK]

I missed that, but he did lead the family in prayer over Clint, right? So I guess that line can't be misconstrued as another one of RC's digs at religion.

[Scotty]

No he didn't (at least that I recall)....it was during their rooftop scenes at the hospital where he was telling her what a fool he had been and what not.

I agree with your Joey comment.

And TSJ was good in the drunken scenes with Nick Choksi (Vimal)....they worked really well opposite one another. But yeah, it does seem really strange to have Todd doing comedy.

[MichaelGL]

I'm willing to bet Deanna and Nate will end up doing that porn video, typical RC sleaze.

[DRW50]

Vee and I are probably the only two fans who liked the idea of Joey being a pastor, but I thought the idea had good potential. Joey's compassionate and kind manner is something that OLTL has sneered at ever since JFP took over. The beginning of the story, when Joey was working with Andrew, was a nice change. Then it became about Flash and Jen and once again Joey was a dupe and Rex the sleaze was the one we were supposed to love.

I actually wish his character would go back to the ministry. I would rather see this than the generic photographer idea that I always felt was tacked onto the character. I can't even remember what the hell Joey did in Fillion's last few years on the show, other than suck up oxygen with Kelly and ogle a naked woman in the woods.

[DRW50]

It's the lowered expectations tour with TSJ, ME, and JPL. They're really trying this time! They mean it!

I will say that as the last few years have gone by I can understand more and more why TSJ has made the choices he has made. The writing for Todd is sickening and has been for a long time, and if it were played straight, as David Gregory plays the Ford crap, then it would be unbearable. I'm also glad he has been playing it this way for several years because it puts a big exclamation point over the fallacy that Todd is now behaving any differently as "fake Todd" than he did when he was supposed to be "real Todd."

[Cheap21]

I didnt notice that pastor line. I hated that phase adn thank god they got rid of it when he came back

[DRW50]

The sad part is if Llanview ever needed a pastor it's now. Actually they need a priest, for a mass exorcism.

[SFK]

I didn't have a problem with the idea of Joey becoming a minister per se, I just found the recast (particularly, and I know you didn't mind him so much Carl) coupled with the concept a little hard to reconcile. I'm almost certain that I would have felt differently if I saw NF play out the pastor material (Joey/Dorian is my definitive Joey imagery and I never bought BMH nor DJ as Dorian's ex-lover). And frankly, I don't know what they're poking fun at, the sight of very blond buff Joey in clerical clothes is more FV/RC than any other regime.

[DRW50]

I don't know if I could have bought Nathan in the role of pastor, perhaps because he was a bit goofy, but it would have been better than most of the material he had after the breakup with Dorian. I remember when Nathan played an evil priest or dressed as a priest or something, on Buffy.

I thought BMH and Robin had some spark (didn't see any spark with Robin and DJ).

Most of all I thought he had the sincerity that Joey should have but is so often sneered at by soaps today. That's why Joey/Kelly 3.0 were slapped together as an afterthought, with many viewers already trained to want her with "real" men like the unwashed moper or Cookie Cutter.