OLTL: Week Of July 1, 2013 Discussion

[EricMontreal22]

I haven't read through the thread for this or AMC (though I did skim) because much like Vee so far I am watching one episode of one show, then the next day the other (not sure how long this will keep up--this week coming back from my trip, catching up with some school and having friends in town for pride has been really busy and I've managed to watch one episode in bed before passing out.)

Anyway, I absolutely agree with Vee's main paragraph. The character work remains very good, often extremely good, and a joy to watch for me--that's a big aspect of soap for me, and something that's often missing now, of course. But I do agree that the pacing at the moment needs work. I think some of this is the tattoo story itself--it's the only story right now that is meant to be very exciting, but the scenes we've gotten tend to be characters talking to others on the phone or about something that already happened, or whatever--and with two episodes a week it does feel to me (and I know this is an exaggeration) that for a while now we've just got scenes of Tea Blair and Todd yelling and making faces at each other. But with the tat guy (who was hot, yes) and all that, it does seem things are changing directions.

I hate comparing to AMC but it's funny--I found AMC a bit too sleepy for lack of a better word at the start, and OLTL pretty exciting, but they've changed positions for me. I think that--while I do agree that we could use an episode break from the Cass story on AMC--the problem here is the driving story OLTL picked--the Tatt stuff which I think is meant to be the "A" plot just is not being paced well (at the moment)

But I enjoyed the episode and am looking forward to the second one (I'm actually amazed that I have the restraint not to watch it--I almost did last night but by the time I finished the first it was 4am...)

Rhino--RC seems in LOVE with Roger as Franco, so I don't see him leaving GH anytime soon. My experience with RC's writing--this is at my most cynical--is he refuses to let go of a character that audiences are not connecting to that he's created, it's some weird stubbonr pride (contrary wise often he seems to lose interest in the rare characters people do start to want to see more of lol)

[EricMontreal22]

Oh and shouldn't the woefully generically named Coffee Shop be called Coffee Shop and bar? I assume they sell cheap bottles there, considering how much people are pounding them back (this is just the observations of a drunkard because in my experience most bars and restaurants vastly overcharge for a full bottle.)

As for the Jack story--I'm intrigued but slightly weary. I hope they do play up the fact that Jack is genuinely being preyed upon and while you can have the titillation factor there too, it can be questionably done. That said, they do seem particularly aware at current OLTL with current issues, and issues about female, often fairly young female, teachers and their high school students have been in the news a lot the past five years or so (it does make for a more interesting story than when the genders are reversed simply because, when the guy is Jack's age anyway, people have more questionable thoughts about it, whereas obviously with a male teacher it either just seems icky and creepy or just plain *weird* and creepy like Starr's crush awful storyline.)

[cassadine1991]

Speaking of which yesterday, news came out of a high school teacher here in CA giving birth to a baby fathered by her 16 year old student, and also another student came forward that he had an affair with her when he was 17, he's now 23..

Would be cool if we see that Kate's been sleeping with her other students that are the same age as Jack..

[greens_dupres]

I agree with everything you said on the Tattoo story- its not a good A plot right now- and I love all 3 characters so I'm floored at how much its been annoying me. It needs to move now not in a month, which is hard on the 2 ep/week schedule. Even if I heard TSJ who I don't even like had filmed more, I'd feel better about it. If we get signs that it umbrellas out to the Dani and Jack subplots, that will help too. Put a tattoo on Kate in one those scenes with Jack- you'll wake me up. That said, my mother says its the only reason she hasn't given up OLTL entirely so perhaps its hooking some people. (but my mother has notoriously bad soap taste always so perhaps not)

AMC definitely had a sleepy first week but that was largely on Celia- my tolerance for it on OLTL is vastly higher because I can watch sleepy but poignant character scenes if they involve Viki and Nora. Its been weeks since I've watched OLTL and not been overall satisfied even if not hugely excited. But I do worry about OLTL because I feel like its being compared a lot by soaps press/other fans to AMC with the sex trafficking story as the benchmark and it really has nothing comparable. I think the 4 day a week schedule on OWN will be good for it if there are fans starting with it there.

You aren't being cynical at all on RC and RH-Franco, you're completely right. If ABC doesn't intervene (and that doesn't seem to be Viki Dummer's thing), RC will dig his heels completely in the sand and Franco will remain 4 days a week for quite some time. Between his reactions to the fan comments ("well is Sonny an AMCer" was my fave) and the battle with PP, he will insist on winning this at the expense of the viewers unless RH has a short-term deal- not sure what the specifics are there.

Enjoy ep 2- it was in my opinion the stronger of the 2 this week.

[EricMontreal22]

Thanks, I'm sure I will!

Glad to see others agree. (I have to say, I didn't realize Ron actually tweeted that about Benard's AMC character, etc--I thought that was just a fan saying what he might say. Ridiculous!)

I think the pacing should be fine four days a week on OWN. I mean c'mon, their top rated show is Haves and Have Nots and have you SEEN how completely sleep inducing the dialogue scenes on that show are? (And your poor mother and her bad taste )

[cher1989]

The writers need to have more action as in people doing things. There is supposed to be danger associated with the tattoo story. But all they are doing is talking about it. For instance, they need a chase scene, like the one they had in the premiere episode, with someone in a hoodie (obviously not TSJ) making a narrow escape; we need more from the villains here. Who are they? I stopped watching OLTL during the last few months of the network broadcast so all that I have to go on really is this constant talk of a threat.

[cassadine1991]

I say they should make Arturo and Kate part of that organization..

[cher1989]

I think they are going to do that and this will actually be an umbrella storyline, but I think I need some outdoor action scenes. Kind of like on AMC when Uri and Jessie confront each other. I need to see the enemy I guess to feel the sense of danger, sense of urgency or intensity with regard to the drama. I enjoy villains. I need to see the villains doing something. I need to see the battle, confrontation. I don't like just hearing about it.

[Vee]

The Haves & the Have Nots's pacing is fascinating. It's silent film. It's like a dream - everything stops for looong reaction shots and poses. Truly amazing and jawdroppingly awful - especially the scenes with the two rich kids. Tika Sumpter and the mother are carrying that on their backs, and every now and then they beam in from a much better soap opera to put on an amazing two-hander show. I wish Tika would pop up as Layla on OLTL for a guest bit as part of OWN synergy - I agreed with her new interview that the show never explored her black sheep status compared to Evangeline, which I thought was the hidden core to that character.

I do think the tattoo story needs much more overt onscreen action. The most we've gotten is the premiere and the shooting. I need to see [!@#$%^&*] go down. And I have to believe Arturo is one of the bad guys. For that matter, what exactly happened in the first place? Did Todd really shoot Victor? How did he survive that wound and the violent onscreen death? How was Alison involved? We know nothing.

[EricMontreal22]

Completely agreed--it also just needs to move information faster IMHO. Three episodes to find Victor and then never see him and lose him is hard to deal with at this pace. ANd for those of us who did see the finale--it's hard to ignore the question of how Alison Perkins is tied in (even if I doubt we'll see her back this go around) etc.

[cassadine1991]

Yeah I would like to see an outdoor scene with Kate and Arturo and it's revealed that they know each other, or scenes of them separately with someone else.. I would love to see Blair confront Kate..

[Vee]

Victor did mention Alison in passing when the show returned. He said he outsmarted her, which was almost certainly a lie, but they did acknowledge the link. There's been nothing beyond that yet.

I understand they had RH for a limited interval, at least for now, and that the production budget and sets were limited at the time, but I am getting really tired of watching them stand around that hotel room.

[EricMontreal22]

Completely agreed--I'll let it pass because I know the reasoning behind it, but as you say, that damn hotel room! I had forgotten the brief Alison mention.

[cher1989]

Absent TSJ, they need to show us the villain or to at least begin to focus on the identity of one. There absolutely needs to be more forward movement and urgency in this story. That said, overall I do like the way they are writing the character moments; I particularly enjoy scenes with characters who were rarely shown together on ABC/OLTL.

[Vee]

I am just hoping either Arturo

emerges as a key villain, yes.