OLTL: Discussion for the week of July 18

[psychofan]

LMAO people around here need to lighten up. OLTL has been on fire as far as I'm concerned. It's just a fun escape from reality with all the stuff they've got going on! I LOVED the Echo/Dorian stuff and thought it was hilarious what Sam did to her. I was LOLing during that whole thing.

And I thought the Todd/Todd scenes were awesome! It's really looking like TSJ Todd honestly believes himself to be the real Todd.

The actor may not be the best, but I really like Jack and the way they write for him. A true bratty teenager.

David is hilarious. I loved his scenes with Vikki.

[ReddFoxx]

Echo is wacko, but Kim Zimmer once again proved her top notch acting ability, she completely nailed Echo's crazed rationalizations.

Nate isn't all that broken up, he'd been wanted to release the pressure for months and now he got the chance to do it. Deanna didn't care one bit, either.

Viki slapping David was funny.

[MontyB]

LOL. Love Kim Zimmer. I want her to stick around until the show goes off of television.

LOL about Nate. Yep, he sure did need to release that pressure and Deanna was very willing to oblige.

[EricMontreal22]

RC always needs ONE psycho on the canvas at a time (I predict Brody is next), and more often than not they go crazy for NO reason. This storyline really pisses me off. Echo would be more useful making the Rex storyline watchable - instead, cuz she's apparently drunk, she wants to KILL Dorian? And Sam saves them? She doesn't lock the door? His toy Spidey Webs are that strong? RC has huge issues with tone but is this meant to be a hilarious story or serious or what? UGH. OK and didn't Echo just give Rex a speech about keepign collected and not hurting or killing anyone? Like a week ago????

So she turns to murder? Oh c'mon. You can try to explain it but she's an alcoholic and has never kidnapped someone because of the sauce before--she seems not even that drunk...

This makes the sudden murderous madness of Marty seem subtle!

[EricMontreal22]

I am! I get the feeling many are just ignoring it cuz they're excited by the Todd stuff

Sure the character wasn't much, but I was starting to like having a decent older actress like Kim on the show. And this is the one trait of RC's writing that I find impossible to defend as a soap fan--the complete 180 turn in characterization and his obsessesion with murderous psychos always being on the canvas. I find it insults the viewers who watch day to day, even if it provides some campy entertainment. You can do almost anything in a soap, but it works much better if you manage to do it with intelligence and logic - and use what makes soaps so great, the slow build.

Murder and revenge are different. Didn't she just go on to Rex about how to get revenge without murder/physical harm??

Ha, yeah I appreciate you doing the previews, but especially ever since the cancelation notices, I try to avoid spoilers for OLTL and AMC as much as possible.

[EricMontreal22]

EXACTLY. Sure, I can buy it's funny, I would have found it wonderful if it had been a fantasy sequence--I mean how great would be Dorian or even Echo imagining different over the top ways to kill each other, or something like that. THAT I'd enjoy. But not only do I like to pretend, even with doubles, and Hell even Eterna which looks brilliant next to crap like this, that Llanview takes place in some sort of real world. Otherwise are we meant to care abotu Dorian and all this whatsoever? It completely removes any potential stakes. Humour in soaps is good (though I'm deadly sick of David, a character I enjoyed in the 90s). But.... Good (Dorian) Lord.

[DRW50]

The tone is always a problem on this show. I don't think that there was a need to show Echo taking out a plastic bag to asphyxiate Dorian with. I get that they wanted to show Dorian in serious danger, but none of it matched the rest of the story, or the scenes - and I'm not really sure why they need to take Echo down this road. I'm not saying it's out of character, because Echo is a plot device, not a character, but it just seems grotesque. I guess it worked, because I did get upset and for just a second I was scared for Dorian, but I just think something like that should be done sparingly, since so many people, especially kids, have suffocated thanks to those bags.

I thought Kim Zimmer did a fantastic job in these scenes, not only of playing drunk (I've known more than a few people who get like this after too many) but of controlled insanity and desperation. I couldn't help comparing her to Tuc Watkins, who was supposed to be playing a desperate David, but was instead just doing more of his usual flat line readings and going over the top. It was always just Tuc phoning it in, not playing a character. I don't even know what character David is supposed to be now. I don't believe that he loves Dorian, and I believe that even less now because he thought she was dead and he kept pausing for more stilted one-liners. The most interesting thing in his scenes was Viki's very nice 60's inspired dress and brooch.

Sam saving the day, and Dorian's joy at seeing him, was adorable, and the type of heartwarming stuff you don't get on soaps very often. I loved Echo's "Oh sh!t" face in that last scene.

I was confused at David saying John wasn't able to find Dorian because he was asleep. He's asleep when the mayor has gone missing??

I'm glad John wasn't involved. I was rolling my eyes when he walked into the hotel room with his damn hands on his hips, doing that usual pucker and head turn. The last year of story has made me loathe this character. He belongs in a CSI opening credits sequence, not in a leading role.

[Chris B]

Now knowing the show is going to continue, I hate seeing what they've done to Echo. I actually have loved this unexpected return and would've liked for her to continue since we won't have Dorian anymore. Overall it's been a very entertaining story and I LOVED Sam as Spiderman, but it seems pointless to take Echo so far for such a plot driven moment.

[DRW50]

I think it's unlikely Kim would have gone to the websoap, given her loathing of GL's Peapack year, but who knows. If she does stay I'm sure they will work around it.

[Chris B]

I think it's completely different from Peapack and Kim is already featured on Steamboat so she's familiar with lower budget web shows. I think these two shows will be more similar to Passions on DirecTV (or I hope). By that I expect a smaller cast, the same sets, but a reduced number of sets and very little extras (if any).

[DRW50]

I see your point...I do wonder if Kim's issues with what happened at GL may make her hesitant about joining a show moving from TV to websoap.

I think if JPL stays around (ugh) then Echo may too.

[Cheap21]

Echo is DONE! She should have left after the Charlie reveal. There's no point to extending her character. There's nothing left for her and they shouldnt force her. I dont feel she's added anything since Charlie dumped her and the character is pretty minor. Its time to move on from her

[EricMontreal22]

Carl, I admit it was the plastic bag thing that pushed it too far for me--again is this meant to be comedy or not? You are right though that Kim managed to do some good work with material that was so weird in tone most actors would have floundered.

[Chris B]

Well in this case I think she's important. Her return has given Erika Slezak some smashing scenes and I think it's a fresh rivalry worth continuing. We have to consider than Dorian won't be around and it's been difficult trying to cast people in Dorian and Viki's age range that can go toe-to-toe. Zimmer did fit nicely on the show and the connection to Rex was working. I loved her tender scenes with Rex when Gigi died. Zimmer has elevated some terrible and inconsistant writing.

[EricMontreal22]

Agreed 100% and yes, with Dorian gone, OLTL needs another older woman who can cause trouble--and antagonize Vicki who otherwise will be completely reduced to scenes of worrying about her children, which she is close enough to already.