OLTL: Week of August 5, 2013 Discussion

[DramatistDreamer]

Marnie Schulenberg is playing a far interesting character than when she portrayed Allison on ATWT. I honestly didn't like her version of Allison Stewart but it was what I suspected all along back then: poor writing.

For what it's worth, I didn't care for Billy Magnussen's version of Casey and he's obviously doing well on Broadway now. So I blame the writing on ATWT.

Her new character on OLTL, Jo Sullivan is a kind of wild eyed, somewhat smarmy, ambitious and charming character. I enjoyed that scene where she was obviously inflating Dorian's ego in order to achieve her ends of the reality show. She was 'this' close to being shown the door but she managed to charm and flatter Dorian to get what she wanted.

I don't know whether Todd and Blair were legally married but those rings show commitment to me.

Cliff and this Man of the Year situation, I don't think Clint's P.R. team will be able to continue to spin his messy situation once video footage gets out.

I wonder if Vicki will allow the footage to be posted...that seems like venturing into TMZ territory but I can sense she really wants the scoop and possibly to scare Clint straight.

I like Jeffrey and he works well and am interesting in his character but 'Boo' to the Makeup Department on that Tattoo! Couldn't they have made it look more like a Henna design or something? It looks like he was branded! After the reveal, I found myself backing away from my screen--that thing looked garish. Please, Makeup People fix this. If I had that on the bottom of my foot, I wouldn't be just chillin', I'd be looking for the best plastic surgeon to get rid of that thing!

Where's Vimal?

That exchange between Clint and David was nice and razor sharp. I guess Vicki and Dorian aren't the only ones who enjoy the joust.

Michelle had that Glenn Close/Fatal Attraction glint in her eye ("I will not be ignored") when Matthew told her it was only family. I was surprised he wasn't a bit more diplomatic (like asking her if she had to get back to work) but I guess he was stressed and had no time for her and didn't want to bother explaining to her. Is Michelle a loose cannon? In any case, she seems like a cloying kind of girlfriend.

The episodes are slowly becoming more cohesive but hopefully the writers already laid the groundwork to expand this Tattoo story beyond Victor Jr. and Todd because the actors are two asterisks right now.

At first, I thought the chances of the story succeeding without them were slim but if they've got Jeffrey roped into it now, I think it means that the writers may have already transitioned (or perhaps always intended to) away from Todd and Victor Jr. to focus on the characters/actors that they actually have on set consistently.

[Vee]

It's what I'd do. And while sure, Todd and Blair got their love letter to their fans, I'd prefer they "kill" both brothers for now if they can't get either to commit to Season 2 in a substantial way, and use that to spin the ladies off into the story on their own, as well as to new men. Every story that's not tied down to the GH mess has a lot more cohesiveness going on. The only way the tattoo story has gotten out from under it is by wisely making this about Jeffrey and others going forward.

[greens_dupres]

Its funny- seeing her now, I actually finally see why someone in ATWT casting thought she would be a good successor to Jessica Dunphy who played a quirky, fun Allison.

I've been getting Fatal Attraction from her from early on- I feel like at first it was short flashes and she shows a little more each ep. I think he was over being a diplomatic boyfriend once she continued to press him on how Drew came about and was throwing around the mistake term- wrong time, wrong place. She was bringing it back to their conversation when she was crying the coffee shop and he had bigger stuff to deal with. And I think once she shoved herself into the center with Bo, he also didn't want her saying something else to piss off Destiny (who he genuinely seemed to want to comfort) or his mother. It was abrupt- no I'll call you later, no thanks for being here- but it was real. No one is at their most tactful when you're at the hospital with a sick kid- your nerves are beyond frayed and you're not filtering.

I've seen some comments on twitter and elsewhere that Jeffrey was sloppily shoehorned into this plot. But I feel like its just the opposite- I get the sense the Jeffrey connection was planned from day 1 or else very very early on. I think the fact that there were no hints or red herrings is just maybe something people aren't used to with OLTL anymore and was actually old school soapy shock writing and not simply grasping at straws to save an off the rails story.

[DramatistDreamer]

Well, for whatever reason they're doing it, I'm glad they TPTB are not spoiling everything, I guess people will have to get used to that. I don't even read the spoilers that are normally submitted nowadays, although I accidentally read the one about Jeffrey's tattoo and was pissed at myself. Since these ex ABC web soaps have started, I've re-trained myself not to look at spoilers, other than watching the MORE episodes and I am actually kind of preferring it this way.

Some things I can see coming and predict, here and there but at least there is still some air of mystery until my suspicion is confirmed or rejected.

[Soaplovers]

I noticed that Jessica Klein has been credited as co-headwriter for the last few episodes.. so i guess the head-writing change for OLTL will be even less jarring considering she has been at the helm for awhile before the official change was announced. I'm wondering if these episodes have her contributions in them, or if she is just carrying out what Susan Horgan had set forth before leaving suddenly?

The one thing I noticed during the writer's room segment on More for OLTL was that the writers were mostly all together in one room, and they seemed very willing to speak to the actors (the one's who play the characters and would have insight into their characters). I'm not sure if the previous head-writing team at All My Children had the opportunity to speak to the actors or not... it might have helped the head-writing team get a feel for writing the long term characters much quicker.

[John]

If Jessica Klein is credited a co-HW then she was involved in mapping out the stories

Marlene and Betsy are LA based

[rhinohide]

I agree he was planned as part of this from day one. The casting decisions for Arturo and someone I can't name because I can't do spoiler tags for some unknown reason were made not long after the show began streaming, so I think the groundwork for Jeffrey's involvement was part of the initial storyboards. I think where the mistake was made was they felt they had to cram all the TnB reunion stuff in while they could instead of developing the Tattoo mystery. It's been fumbling along and now we have no telling how long before we start to see it begin to gel.

[Chris B]

I read on Television Without Pity that previously we had seen the sole of Jeffrey's foot (during the Truth or Dare), but it was the opposite foot. I don't know if that is enough to suggest this was planned, I highly doubt it, but it doesn't feel that left field. We don't know much about Jeffrey so it's open season. I feel like there SHOULD be someone close to Dani who is involved, just like I feel Kate is pointless unless she is also connected. Otherwise this is a waste of Jack's time when he could be in scenes with Blair and (formerly) Todd.

[DramatistDreamer]

I like this aspect too and I get the sense that a lot of daytime shows don't do this anymore. I think it probably made sense to work in isolation when Bill Bell Sr., the Dobsons of Douglas Marland wrote their shows but I wish some of these show (*coughs* Y&R) would bring back the Writer's Room and the whiteboard and brainstorm and present pages like they do with Primetime series.

Many daytime dramatic writer are writing their pages in isolation and it shows.

[AlexElizabeth]

Jack is a tattoo person!

[Winchester91]

Jack should work for Cutter, then. Isn't Shelter the place for all that?

[EricMontreal22]

It's a 1969 episodes, I believe (not to nitpick) and last time I looked, it seemed have been removed from Youtube, though I had luckily saved a copy....

The earliest episode at the Paley Center does list in the cast Gillian Spencer. "

Summary

One in this daytime serial about the lives, loves, and social aspirations of the citizens of suburban Llanview, Pennsylvania. In this episode, Joe tells Anna about his feelings for her, which go beyond the boundaries of friendship. Meredith has left the hospital but nobody knows where she has gone. Nurse Martin is the only person who saw Meredith leave, and Larry is concerned since he and Meredith are supposed to be getting married tomorrow. Dr. Craig tells Dr. Trainor about a patient, Carla, who has been receiving outside treatment. Craig wants Trainor to assist him with Carla but he is unaware that Trainor is attracted to her as well. Commercials deleted.

Cataloging of this program was made possible by Procter & Gamble, 1996.

Details

• NETWORK: ABC
• DATE: October 28, 1968 Monday 3:30 PM
• RUNNING TIME: 0:22:15
• COLOR/B&W: Color

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