OLTL: Week of July 29, 2013 Discussion

[cassadine1991]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdiIpOCjI-s

[Soaplovers]

I'd like the tattoo mystery resolved, and focus the show on more realistic type of stories. This show was founded on showcasing the lives of the wealthy, the poor, all races and religions... lets focus on that.. and leave the tattoo conspiracies to the other soaps.

I think the drug aspect should be focused on more.. and it looks like Dani is following in Karen Wolek's footsteps.

[CBRVA83]

I'm getting SICK and TIRED of getting BULLIED on here on the SON message boards!

[rhinohide]

The tattoo story has no purpose yet. No one except Todd/Blair and Tea (and I guess offscreen Victor) even know there's a threat. It's just dumb.

[cher1989]

I want to know who set Dorian up as supposedly sitting on the black sites information? As I said earlier, who is behind the tattoo organization? And lastly, who is the main supplier of the drugs, and I'm not talking about Dean. Just trying to make sense of all these things. Looking at the cast, I wonder who could be behind some of these actions. Will it ever be explained? Or, is there a villain to be cast?

[Antoyne]

Then stop being a broken record.

[rhinohide]

Hopefully Arturo and possibly Kate and another character I can't name because for some reason I don't have spoiler tags enabled will tie into all this somehow, and then this will become a story. For now, it doesn't rise to that level IMHO.

I too do not get what the purpose of Dorian's scandal was except to get her out of D.C. and back into Llanview. There's something potentially very exciting brewing with all these mysteries, but if I don't start to see some progress soon, it just feels like dangling threads that are going nowhere.

[rhinohide]

[Cheap21]

OLTL is lacking some major direction. Too many characters just act out scenes with little to no plot backing them up and alot of material doesn't seem to be done with the point of progressing things forward. It's coming across like a less boring version of McPherson's Days. Skeletons of what potentially could be good stories but very little meat there. Being on twice for 22 minutes makes that more bearable bc if it was 5 days for an hour, those flaws would be much more transparent

[marceline]

Your HOC love always makes me smile.

[rhinohide]

It's a tumblr's dream.

[Vee]

Episode 45:

I really, really liked that they had David sticking up for Jack as "Uncle David." It's easy to forget that Malone and Higley's David Vickers lived in La Boulaie with the Cramers for years, watched Jack grow up. I remember when David first returned and little Christian Ashdale's toddler Jack was so enamored of him. I remembered that and their scenes together made me smile - I thought AT did a fine job. (He was less good in the bedroom scene with Alice Callahan - "I want to hold you. Kiss you.") I kept thinking Kate's bedroom reminded me of the tiny bedroom Adriana once had at Carlotta's in Angel Square ten years ago - I like to think Kate is living there with a roommate.

Drunk Clint is the best. Me personally, I was on Viki's side. I didn't think she was too cold, just over the mess. I thought Jerry was wonderful, alternately funny and touching throughout the whole episode - howling behind the door. "There are two people in this relationship! You're my Viki."

I really liked the kids at Shelter on the date gone wrong. Amber Noyes is a little too good for what I feel is a pointless role - I love her and Dani's constant, "subtle" jibes at each other, like Michelle mentioning Dani's previous cheap earrings. I also loved that Dani and Arturo are getting tighter and tighter. Jeffrey and Des were adorable, and I liked seeing Des and Dani together again. We need more of that.

Todd and Blair - cameos. But that's what that is. I was glad Pepperman addressed some of the issues with this stuff in her new interview, but I didn't feel she talked enough about the issues with the tattoo story. Then again, no one asked.

[EricMontreal22]

Agreed with all of that (as usual...) I also agree that Noyes is very good in what I have little doubt is just a placeholder role (then again, stranger things have happened with appealing actors in short term roles...)

[greens_dupres]

I know its late and everyone has probably long moved on from last Monday's eps but finally caught up and wanted to post a few thoughts since I really did enjoy these 2 eps.

I watched these eps back to back and they gelled really nicely as one longer ep. It almost felt tailored to the Soap Monday binge concept even though I know it was coincidental.

I really enjoyed Jack with David & Dorian. Especially Dorian- its just such an oddly sweet relationship he has with his wacky aunt. I died when he told her he wanted to go jogging with her or whatever and she said she didn't have sweats. I feel like he could be used really effectively as a supporting player in their story. The stuff with Kate were not as good but I laughed through them. Probably not what the writers intended but at least I was entertained. Kate has her own apartment set? Interesting- I get excited with any new set at this point.

Nothing really to say on TnB- like Vee said, cameos. Didn't feel the sense of jeopardy I think they were going for with the organization's last note. Why does Todd have to disappear if they got Victor? I wish I cared more but am hopeful some of the finale cliffhangers will pull it together.

Not surprisingly I loved the stuff at Shelter. I appreciated the writers giving Matthew a really crappy night- the intense girlfriend not calming down about Jeffrey not liking her, getting hell from Dani over what was valid concern (even if he went about it a little too aggressively), walking right into drunk Clint assaulting the bouncer and then coming home and Jeffrey hitting him with the news that there's something going on with him and Destiny. I've been rooting for him all along but starting to take him down a few pegs maybe helps with the viewers who want him to die a fiery death since the baby mama line in ep 1. Agree with everyone who said Michelle is letting the crazy flag fly very early in this relationship. I like Amber Noyes too- I think I read its her first real acting role & it doesn't show at all.

As usual Kelley Missal was awesome. Loved her getting closer with Arturo. After not getting too much of a creepy vibe from him though, it was on display in their scene at the apartment. But still loving them. She also got some great zingers "At least I didn't order him off the Internet" and calling Michelle Cinderella. I could have watched those two fight for the entire ep and I loved her practically knocking over Matthew & Jeffrey when she stomped out after Michelle got in her face.

The Jeffrey/Des kiss was cute even if I'm not sold fully with the pairing. But I really liked the scene where he told Matthew. RG played him as totally thrown (even though it should be no surprise if he was paying any attention) and kind of genuinely hurt even if he told Jeffrey otherwise. And Jeffrey the smart reporter either totally missed that or chose to ignore it. (Cassadine please use spoilers tags about whatever was said about Jeffrey in SOD I am trying REALLY hard to be unspoiled) Anyway it was just a nice little quiet scene that contrasted well with the loud abrasive reaction he had to Arturo/Dani. And loved the shots of Michelle lurking about while they talked.

But nothing made me happier than drunk Clint yelling I want to dance. We've all been there with a belligerent friend but the fact that it was Clint was just fabulous. I backed that scene up multiple times. And also agree that while there is a lot of humor, you also really feel for Clint. And a huge shout out to the makeup team for making him look appropriately awful. I could have done without the Shelter bouncer getting so many lines but small complaint. Love that this is a Viki/Clint story but that Bo, Nora, Matthew, indirectly Dorian and now Natalie are being appropriately and effectively threaded in. That's how it should be. And that's indicative of exactly why I'm loving PP OLTL so much.

[Vee]

So I'm not gonna do much here as it's late, but I did watch the second episodes of both shows finally last night. Just wanted to say I thought the highlights were Drunk Clint and also the Dani/Arturo scenes, which were appropriately long, and well-written.

The people they've brought in at these shows - especially OLTL - are sometimes not from soaps, and you can tell by the way a lot of the Dani and Arturo stuff has sounded that they're coming from somewhere else. When he talks about a woman's beauty, etc. The material is all simultaneously creepy and alluring, because the actors and the writing make it work. Paolo Seganti is creepy, yes, but he's also very good at the role, and he and Missal sell it. You don't know his true motives, and you can't look away from it. It's the kind of scandal and questionable behavior the show needs a lot more of.

Matthew also clearly wasn't totally happy about Destiny and Jeffrey. That'll come into play later. I did think CB and LH had a lot of chemistry in their clinch at Viki's office.

Nikki - I love her, but not as just a wrench in Cutter and Natalie. They need to let her flesh out a bit. And Cutter and Natalie's talk was nice, but it was basically the only one we've really seen them have. They need to talk a lot more about their backgrounds, their histories on the show, why he wants her, why she's into him, etc. When we came onto them in the pilot I got the impression they'd been doing this come here-go away dance for a while. I like the actors together, but it's basically the skeleton of a pairing right now - I just don't know how long or far we're supposed to have seen this relationship progress.

Looking forward to today's shows.