OLTL: Thursday, May 30, 2013 Episode Discussion

[Antoyne]

EXCLAMATION POINTS!

Speaking as a gay man, I don't really have an interest in a gay story on the show. Soaps pretty much suck at them to the point where I'd rather they not try.

[~bl~]

I can't believe no one mentioned the Ren and Stimpy shout out, are people already fast forwarding the Dani and Matthew scenes.

[greens_dupres]

Im not! I heard it and cracked up. I feel like theres a very specific age group that caught that though. Dani was not essential to today's ep but I thought she was hilarious. Kelley is so good on delivery of each line.

[Soaplovers]

I heard it and it was funny... but since Dani/matt were not essential.. perhaps they should be benched for the day.. and we have a Dorian scene.. or better yet.. more time devoted to the poker game..

[Vee]

I think part of the issue is the new show tends to show as much of the cast as possible per day, even in smaller scenes (with Robin Strasser being an exception, likely due to her slow recovery from surgery in Block 1 - she shouldn't have been on-set at all, according to her doctor). It's not like the hour format we're used to where there's a handful of people per day and that's that - everyone can potentially get a few bits per day. So Matt and Dani are on sometimes even when they're not the focus of the day. And that IMO leads to the unfair perception that they're eating the show.

[CBRVA83]

She was recovering from pneumonia, not from back surgery, because she never had surgery done on her back during the first taping cycle!

[greens_dupres]

I agree with this- yes they could use a rest day. But Matt/Dani were on for maybe like 4 minutes today and 2 minutes with their running scene on Tuesday-definitely not show eating, pretty much the C story if that this week. I hate seeing all the venom (not here) directed at these characters who are played by good actors. I wish the show would play them more outside the apt with their respective families so that viewers who are less on board with the "A team" might be less annoyed.

[Vee]

ETA: My mistake, different line.

And I agree - RG and KM are both very talented and great together and on their own. I think the focus on them is warranted, and I think the knee-jerk viewer response from some is a lazy Pavlovian conditioned response from years of watching other shows and other regimes.

[DramatistDreamer]

Blair's singing didn't bother me (and I was waiting for it to bother me) but I hope we'll only be subjected to her solos maybe for Christmas or something.

I liked the dynamics of the poker game and how Bo and Clint's contentious relationship came out, from a trickle to a flood during those scenes.

As much as I like Snoop and hope that his appearance on this show generates some interest and some viewers, that scene with Bo made me cringe a little. Maybe the idea that it was basically him walking in and giving parenting advice, aah, it didn't much work for me, I guess. Hope his scenes with Matthew are better.

Maybe it's just me but I am interested in the Pellegrino story but it would be better if Dorian and Vicki are the leads in the story and Jeffrey is supporting. The story should be told from different angles. It's far too simplistic to have Jeffrey just follow a hunch then investigate. I hope that's not what OLTL is going for. Where would the intrigue be in that?

Natalie and Cutter are heating up. That kiss against the wall. I'd be lying if I didn't admit, that was some good stuff (lol).

I guess Todd is not getting too involved in any story because he'll be departing soon? What story is he in again?

[greens_dupres]

I think the focus on them makes way more sense than say the focus on Pete and Celia on AMC. Stronger actors, characters that have more history with the show and the almighty vets. And yes I've never gotten the "all characters under 25 are terrible, give me 'vets'" Pavlovian response you mention. (especially on soaps where KA & KMc were pretty much "vets" before their sweet sixteens) Young characters can be great & compelling or they can be outright awful just like any other soap character.

[CBRVA83]

Todd is involved in the tattoo organization storyline with Victor Jr. I think that the tattoo people were probably responsible for the blackout at Shelter!

[Dee41]

I can't speak for others but part of my problem with Dani/Matthew is the fact that they're isolated. 95% of their scenes are with each other or with Jeffrey in the mix. Most of their scenes are about catering to their inevitable romance. If you're a fan of Dani/Matthew like that you may not be bothered.I need more than that. How about showing Matthew with his family? He's had one scene with them since the show started. Better yet how about a Matthew/Drew scene. Matthew interacting one one with his kid would be far more interesting than Matthew talking to Michelle.

The show keeps mentioning how tight Dani/Destiny are yet I haven't seen anything on screen to really reflect that. They don't hang out together. Destiny goes to go to Shelter but Dani's never there. The one time they were at Shelter together they didn't talk or even acknowledge each other. . Dani appears to be nothing more than an occasional babysitter for her.

Jeffrey isn't stuck in a bubble. I see him working. He interacts with Viki and Clint. All of his scenes aren't dedicated to building a romance with Destiny.

[Vee]

I think the Clint/Bo/Snoop stuff was surprisingly very down to earth, very real. Solid character work. I didn't think we'd ever get scenes that quiet and soulful with just Bo and Snoop. But they were really, really good.

The Blair song was cheesy, as always, but it's a time-honored tradition. I loved the look on Nikki's face during the musical number - intentional or not, she looked completely over it; I couldn't stop laughing every time they cut back to her. I didn't need the random bits of business with the DJs and the sugar daddy girl, even if it is building to something later. And wow, Dani's dancing was bordering on Elaine Benes today. I did like Todd and Blair's visual stuff, but it seems like they barely talk, or rather, that when they talk they talk about everything but them but most of the time. Hopefully that will change now, at least per spoilers and previews.

Jeffrey and Viki were nice, as were Cutter and Natalie, but very brief. Hopefully that pace picks up next week. The previews look far more exciting than anything in the last several episodes.

[rhinohide]

Awesome. So I haven't genuinely grown weary of Dani and Matthew. It's a false perception of my boredom and a lazy one at that. Good to know.

[rhinohide]

It's not that I hate them. I don't. And they are attractive, and better than adequate performers. I just don't need to see them everyday. And no. The other characters are not featured a little bit every single day. And even when Dani and/or Matthew aren't in scenes, much of the discussion is all about them. Great for people who like them. And I hope they are appealing to the younger demographic and drawing in more viewers. The success or failure of this show appears to rest on their shoulders so I hope it's achieving the desired results. I'm just not that interested.