So you know that it was only a so-so week in Llanview when the most dramatic scenes involved Jack Manning. Try as I might, I'm struggling to find much to get excited about on One Life to Live at this time.
Jack Manning's confrontation with his parents was by far the highlight of the week. Jack was already livid with Todd for ordering Shaun Evans to follow him 24-7 when Jack showed up at Todd's hotel room to confront him. When Blair came sauntering out of the bedroom, in the process of getting dressed, Jack went ballistic. He correctly predicted that Blair would once again fall for Todd's charms and end up back in his bed.
When Todd tried to intervene, Jack stopped him in his tracks by delivering the ultimate putdown: telling Todd that he was no father to him. Later, Blair tried to explain why she keeps going back to Todd, calling him her soul mate. But Jack shot his mother down, telling her she needs to accept that he can't accept their reunion.
I have to admit, I feel about the same way Jack does about Blair and Todd's umpteenth reunion. We've been there, done that so many times before. Blair is supposedly a smart, independent businesswoman. Having her go back to Todd makes her seem like such a weak-willed person. She knows in her head that Todd is no good for her, yet she allows her heart to lead her back to him time and time again. Is there no crime that Todd can commit that will convince Blair to stay away?
Viki certainly has had enough of Clint -- even though his crimes pale in comparison to what Todd has done. Clint was only trying to keep Viki from going bankrupt, and he knew that he had to go behind her back because Viki was too proud to accept a handout. Yet Viki sees it as yet another example of Clint being controlling. Of course, she had little trouble accepting Clint's money in the end -- especially when she realized that it was the only way to save the Banner.
I can certainly understand why Viki would be upset at Clint for lying to her. But to call off the engagement is overkill. And it also delivers an early Christmas present to Dorian, who was nearly salivating at the realization that Viki had thrown Clint out of the house. If I were Viki, I would marry Clint just to spite Dorian.
After presenting a stiff upper lip at Viki just the other day, Clint drowned his sorrows in a bottle of booze. I feel bad for Clint. He had good intentions, even if he went about it the wrong way.
In the midst of this turmoil, Clint is about to be honored as Man of the Year by the Llanview Veterans Association. Viki and Dorian are serving as cochairs of the planning committee for the gala, of course, which only adds to the drama leading up to the ceremony. I'm looking forward to the gala. It's precisely the type of dramatic event the show needs right now. Hopefully a number of stories will converge and deliver some compelling fireworks.
Dorian, meanwhile, has thrown David out of her house after seeing David and Rama kissing at Shelter. I enjoyed seeing Dorian try (and fail) to get Rama fired. It was also a great opportunity to have Dorian and Cutter share a scene together. They almost "went there" when Cutter first came to town, and their chemistry is palpable. If the producers were smart, Dorian would hook up with Cutter to get even with David. It would certainly complicate Cutter and Natalie's budding romance.
David's reality show finally got the green light, although Dorian will be seeing red when she learns that the show is going to be about David and Dorian's crumbling marriage.
Is Dani about to become the new Briana? Arturo certainly is going out of his way to woo her, and Dani seems receptive to his advances. They went out to dinner at Shelter, although Dani freaked when her mom walked into the club. I'm not sure why Dani would go out to Shelter if she was afraid of being seen with Arturo, since Téa's best friend Blair runs the club. They ended up at the coffee shop, where Arturo presented Dani with a pair of diamond earrings and then invited her to the Man of the Year gala.
Did you buy Arturo's explanation to Bo of how he and Briana met at Shelter? The club was hardly open a week when Briana ended up dead. How did they meet at Shelter and get involved so quickly and deeply in such a short period of time? Perhaps I'm reading too much into it, but Arturo's story didn't ring true to me.
Matthew and Michelle spent the night together after Matthew booked a room at the Palace Hotel. Michelle told Matthew that it was her first time being with a man. I don't buy that for a second, although there's nothing to prove otherwise at this point. Jeffrey certainly doesn't trust Michelle. He questioned her comment about having never left Llanview, since she was supposedly raised in Toronto. But Matthew seems convinced that Michelle is on the up and up.
Hopefully there is more to Michelle than meets the eye, but this story is dragging out too long to hold my interest. I read that the producers had big plans for this character, but so far I'm seeing little to get excited about.
The scene at Shelter in which shady businessman Dean Trayger charmed Blair, Téa, and Dorian held much more promise than any scene involving Michelle. Téa and Dean have a professional relationship, but I'd be interested in the show exploring a personal relationship between them. Since Dean seems to be involved in the drug-selling operation, having Téa develop feelings for him would present an interesting complication if Dean ends up getting caught.
To me, that's the underlying problem with the show right now. I'm more interested in the prospect of what could be happening as opposed to getting excited about what's actually happening on-screen. Am I the only one who feels this way? I'd love to hear what other viewers think.
Well, that's it for this week! Thanks for taking the time to read the column. I'd love to hear your thoughts, too, so please send me an email, leave your thoughts below in the comments section, or call our 24/7 feedback hotline at 267.341.7627.
