People who watch soap operas know that the Friday cliffhanger is supposed to be the biggest and most important one of the week. However, we had cliffhangers worthy of a Friday on two other days this past week! I hope this trend continues because the cliffhangers really do make me want to tune in the next day. Tina and Cord saw each other again after many years, and Gigi and Rex were both struck by lightning in an attempt to reconnect in the present. In an otherwise quiet week, these cliffhangers made the show more exciting, and that isn't easy to do during the summer!
I am glad that Tina is back in Llanview and that she has interacted with key people like Viki and Cord! The Mendorra silliness was starting to cloud my opinion of Tina because I could barely watch the story as the weeks progressed. However, once she arrived at Llanfair, I started to see why she is so popular! I wasn't watching when Cord and Tina were together before, but I do remember Cord. The spark between Tina and Cord was obvious the moment they laid eyes on each other at Llanfair. They both looked like they could have been knocked over with a feather as the episode ended. The next day, they admitted that they still loved each other, but Cord decided it would be impractical to reunite with Tina since she is still "searching for lost treasure," while he is happy with the quiet life. I know many viewers were hoping for a happy, long lasting reunion and ended up being disappointed. Others thought the scenes summarized Cord and Tina's relationship almost perfectly. While I can't take a side on this debate because I wasn't watching when they first got together, I can say unequivocally that the characters had my full attention, and I definitely want to see more of them. When I initially wrote that I didn't watch Tina when she was on the show the first time, many people e-mailed me to say I would like her. So far, I agree, and I think Andrea Evans is a great actress! I can see why so many people wanted her to return for so long! I don't know if John Loprieno wants to return to the screen on a regular or even recurring basis, but I wish the writers would give Tina and Cord a story. The characters obviously share a lot of history and light up the screen. The former couple seems to have a huge following of fans, so giving Tina and Cord a new story would make their fans happy, and it could also attract more people who just started watching as well. If we could have skipped the Mendorra melodrama completely, I think Tina's return would have been better. However, I like where she is now, and I can't wait to see what she does next!
Moving along to the other big cliffhanger of the week, I am amazed at the reaction that this story has gotten. Some people are outraged that the Buchanans are being shown at all in 1968 because they weren't on the show at that time. Others are examining the story with a microscope searching for discrepancies, and others are just enjoying it for what it is: a suspension of reality. Sometimes soaps do portray stories that are meant to be real, but I don't believe that this is one of them. First of all, Bo is Asa, and Rex is Bo. How realistic can the story be? Bo and Rex also understand that people from their lives in 2008 are portraying other people from 1968, so it obviously isn't meant to be an accurate portrayal of history. While time travel isn't something we do in everyday life, it can be done on a soap opera because ANYTHING can be done on a soap opera. This story is pure fantasy, and while everyone might not like it, it's not meant to be a history lesson or a documentary about the Buchanans from 40 years ago. Bo and Rex are on this dream-inspired journey because they both need to see things differently. In that context, it makes sense that things, circumstances, and people would change to suit the journey. One of the best parts of this story, in my opinion, is how Bo struggles to be Asa. It was obvious he didn't want to insist that his son go to war, and he didn't want to hurt Clint by sending Maria away. He is being faced with some of the unfinished business he had with Asa before Asa passed away. He even said he wants to be a better father in the future, and he will get that chance with Matthew. Robert S. Woods has absolutely shined in this story. He has played the overbearing Asa and shown how much Bo hates it flawlessly. We watched as Bo lashed out after Asa's funeral last year, and now he is literally being faced with his past. Now that he has lived in his father's shoes, he can move forward with his own life and be free of Asa's legacy. With any luck, Bo will be a likeable character, which he hasn't been in a long time!
As for Rex, he ended up in 1968 facing a woman that looked just like Gigi. Is this realistic? No, but it certainly has made for an interesting story! Rex ended up in this situation because he has been struggling with his feelings for Gigi. Now that Rex knows that he really does love Gigi, he is ready to return to 2008, and Gigi loves Rex so much that she's willing to fly to hundreds of miles with Madame Delfina to go back in time. When people complain there isn't any creativity on the soap operas anymore and that every story is recycled, Gigi and Rex's story is different. It is complete fantasy, and it brings 2 people together in a unique way. It's not realistic for people to say that they met their significant others through time travel, but once again, this story isn't meant to be realistic. Ron Carlivati and his team took a risk by creating this love story for Gigi and Rex using time travel, and so far, I've liked it. Gigi and Rex have known each other in real life for a decade, so bringing them 40 years earlier gives Gigi and Rex's story more of a fairy tale instead of a standard soap opera romance. This story is meant to be fun, and it is meant to give both Bo and Rex a new direction when they return to the present. It's too soon to tell if Bo's outlook has changed, and Rex isn't back yet, but I think both characters will be different in a good way. Not every story on a soap opera has to be serious, dark, and depressing. Sometimes, stories can tap the imagination and stretch the limits of reality. For those who won't accept that, the good news is, Bo is back in 2008, and Rex and Gigi can't be too far behind!
The rest of the week, in comparison, wasn't terribly exciting. It felt like a typical week in the middle of summer where nothing would happen. The summer slowdown is bound to happen because actors and other people who work on the show take much deserved vacations. One Life to Live has had a different type of summer, thanks to the anniversary shows, but now that the milestone has passed, we are back to watching random conversations that hold little or no consequence. The show is in a holding pattern until the fall, but the good news is the summer is almost over!
Charlie and Roxy lamented losing Rex, showing us that they have built a nice friendship. They have been there for each other since they each lost Rex, and they seem to understand each other. Charlie is just as distraught about losing Rex as he is about losing Viki, and after all of this time, I still want Charlie to end up being Rex's biological father. Charlie and Roxy had enough drunken episodes in their respective lives that they could have met a long time ago and just not remembered! The identity of Rex's biological father needs to be revealed, and since it would be weird for Bo to discover that he is Rex's father since they've been friends for years, I would prefer to see Charlie fill that role. The interesting thing is Charlie and Rex formed a father/son bond that felt ironically genuine. If I didn't know that Charlie had been lying to Rex and if I were a new viewer of the show, I wouldn't have questioned that Charlie was Rex's father. Rex found what he was looking for in Charlie, and I hated to see that taken away from him. Since almost anything is possible on a soap opera, I want to see the writers make the lie become the truth. If characters can return from the dead numerous times and characters can be ageless, then there is a way to make Charlie Rex's true biological father. It would resolve the mystery of who Rex's real father is, and it would lead to Rex forgiving Roxy for her lies.
Speaking of mysteries, I am trying to figure out why Dallas is in Llanview. She said she has decided to spend time in Llanview because she doesn't have to work. She obviously wants to be near Clint, since he is her only connection in Llanview. The reason I don't understand why she is in Llanview is we don't really know Dallas. She's been on the show a few times, but we didn't see much of her relationship with Clint. I don't know if Clint would even be interested in reuniting with her. We weren't given enough background about their past for this to make an interesting plot twist. For that matter, we don't know that much about Clint and Nora's relationship to know if Dallas is a real threat. Their relationship has been developed so little that I am even sure that I care if Dallas interferes with Clint and Nora. I haven't been happy with what has happened to the character of Nora since she has been with Clint, and I am afraid that the twinges of jealousy we've seen her have will take Nora down the wrong path. She used to be a strong, independent, feisty woman, but ever since she's been with Clint, she has been reduced to being a follower instead of a leader. She goes along with whatever Clint is doing, and that doesn't feel true to her character. I don't believe she would have actually gone along with the Clint's plan of bribing David, and I don't believe Nora would be so jealous of Dallas so soon. Nora is a confident woman, and the return of an ex-girlfriend wouldn't rattle her that much. While Nora isn't plotting against Dallas like Lindsay would in the same situation, I wish Nora would have shown for confidence in her scenes with Dallas. With the way Clint has treated Nora on certain occasions, I almost wouldn't mind if Clint went back to Dallas so that Nora could have a story of her own that doesn't involve other people in Llanview using her as their personal dumping ground. I feel like Clint goes out of his way to judge Nora, and sometimes I wish they weren't together. He made her feel 2 inches tall after she told Bo the truth about Lindsay, and he took the opportunity to do it again right in front of Cord. Thankfully, Cord helped Nora out by saying he understood her position. I wish Clint had the heart that his son has!
Finally, the biggest example of the summer vacation for the show is that NO ONE has figured out that Tess is back. Honestly, how can her family not be the least bit suspicious of her behavior? She isn't even pretending to be Jessica anymore. She makes facial expressions that are unlike Jessica, and she looked like she wanted to kill Natalie when she touched her shoulder. Everyone knows that Jessica has D.I.D., but no one has even wondered if something is wrong. I realize that the Buchanans live in their own world and often see what they want to see, but Tess is being ridiculously obvious about who she is that someone should notice. It's sad if Jared figures out the truth before her family, and I think he will be the first one. He is the only person that has suggested that Jessica's sudden forgiveness is suspect. While everyone else in Jessica's life was relieved that she wasn't screaming and crying like she was at Nash's funeral, Jared's instincts told him that something is off. I wish he would delve a little deeper and remember how he met Tess and make the connection. Tess is acting differently this time than she did when we first met her, but he should still be able to figure out that Tess is back. I thought Viki would be a more suspicious of Jessica's behavior after she returned from heaven, but she didn't remember exactly what she was told about Tess, and nothing came from it. She will be gone for several weeks, and since Natalie is wearing rose-colored glasses when it comes to Jessica, I wouldn't be surprised if the sleazy contractor that Jessica hired to resurrect the secret room figures out the truth before anyone in her family does!
Until next time,
Dawn
