It was an eventful week, not so much on screen as off. We found out that three actors are going to be leaving One Life to Live, which created quite a stir amongst fans of the show. It looks like One Life to Live is going through a transition, although it's hard to tell exactly what the intended outcome might be. People have been asking me how I feel about the news, and the answer is I feel ambivalent about all of it.
I have felt that the cast of One Life to Live has been too big for a long time. There are so many characters on the show that it's hard to be invested in all of them. While I certainly don't want anyone to lose his or her job, I think reducing the cast of the show isn't a bad idea. I wouldn't have cut Scott Clifton, Bret Claywell, and Scott Evans, but I do think that some changes needed to be made. I've suspected that Scott Clifton might be leaving because of the way his story has gone. [Click here for the full story on Clifton's exit.]
Schuyler went from being a guy who tries to do the right thing to a guy that is willing to keep a huge secret to get what he wants. Now that the truth is out, and Gigi can barely look at Schuyler, and since Rachel is leaving Llanview, it seems like his story is basically over. The case of Schuyler Joplin is an interesting one. I went from being indifferent about him when he first came to Llanview, then I really liked him as Rachel's friend and as one of Cole's counselors, and then I just shook my head when he followed Kim and Stacy's orders. It's a shame that we won't get to see Schuyler be redeemed, but for all and intents and purposes, his connections to Llanview will be gone once Sierra's paternity is revealed.
As for "Kish," it seems like they were placed on the backburner after all of the build-up to them officially becoming a couple. I think there are more stories for this couple, so I don't know why they are being written off. I was looking forward to watching Oliver be a father to Sierra Rose, but it looks like that will happen off-screen. I think there is a lot of storyline potential for Oliver and Fish, so I think it is a mistake to write them out. However, they can always come back, so while their story is over for now, it doesn't have to be forever. [Click here for the full story on Kish's exit.]
Moving along to what happened in Llanview, it looks like we will see a big custody battle in the coming weeks, as Kim, Gigi, and Schuyler all want to raise Sierra Rose while Oliver hems and haws over acknowledging his connection to Stacy's baby. While custody battles have been done a lot on this show, this one is a little different. Stacy isn't there to have a say in who raises her baby, Schuyler doesn't know that he isn't the father, and Oliver isn't sure if he wants to know or even if he wants to be Sierra's father.
I can mostly understand the perspectives of each character, which makes it an interesting story. Kim feels obligated to keep her promise to Stacy, Gigi feels connected to Sierra because she delivered her and because she's a connection to Stacy, Schuyler thinks he is Sierra's father and is ready to accept the responsibilities that involves.
I don't, however, understand Oliver's thought process. He knows there is a good chance that he could be Sierra's father but doesn't want to know. It's true that he hadn't planned on being a father, and he thinks that he would mess up Gigi and Schuyler's new family. However, his resistance to learning the truth is frustrating!
Not acknowledging something doesn't change the truth, and the truth will come out. In fact, I am surprised that neither Gigi nor Schuyler has requested a paternity test for Sierra. Stacy was hardly an honest person, so why should they just accept what she told them as the truth? Also, Kim told Rex that Schuyler isn't Sierra's father, so why is he keeping that information to himself?
Back to Oliver, he needs to read the results of the paternity test and come forward as Sierra's father. I can understand that he needs time to process everything, but Schuyler thinks he is a father and has been through a lot of stress because of Sierra's health problems, and Oliver has stood back and let it happen. Oliver is a good guy, and I think it would be out of character for him to continue to shun his responsibilities. I hope he comes forward and does the right thing before he and Kyle disappear from Llanview!
While I think the custody battle could be an interesting story, I hope Rex backs down from his position that Gigi and only Gigi should raise Sierra. I know he wants Gigi back and is willing to help her fight for Sierra, but he acted like a complete jerk last week with getting in Schuyler's face about it at the hospital. His behavior was even worse when he barged into Rachel and Schuyler's apartment, was rude to Rachel, and confronted Schuyler again.
I think Rex should step back and let Gigi do what she needs to do. It's not his place to confront Schuyler or to make a scene at the hospital because Gigi isn't getting what she wants. I detest what has happened to Rex since Stacy came to Llanview. His character has gone downhill, and at this point, I am not sure that he can be redeemed.
As for Schuyler, he is trying to do the right thing for his daughter, and I think he is doing his best. I feel bad for him because he has a bunch of people telling him he doesn't have a right to raise Sierra because they don't like him anymore. I will be happy once it is revealed that Schuyler isn't Sierra's father. It will be sad for him, but Gigi and Rex will leave him alone once they know the truth. He also has to deal with Greg breathing down Rachel's neck trying to find out the truth about the oxytocin. The ethics committee might have dropped its case against him, but his problems certainly aren't over. If I were Schuyler, I wouldn't want to stick around after all of this, so I predict that he will leave Llanview to start a new life somewhere else. It's the only thing he can do at this point.
I hope Rachel goes with him. If she has to leave (and I don't want her to), I would prefer for it to be with Schuyler. It's clear that Greg can't tolerate Rachel's loyalty to her friend, and I can see her wanting to start over just as I predict Schuyler will. Since I've always thought that Schuyler and Rachel would make a good couple, I hope they leave Llanview to be together, even if it has to be off-screen.
I can't wait for Mitch to be off of my screen. He was entertaining when he first returned, but I find it hard to be interested in his scenes anymore. I thought Allison returned to Llanview to finally give us answers about Roxy and Mitch's past, but all she's done so far is skulk around Llanview and take pictures of Mitch's family members. She also brought up another question to ponder. She told Mitch that Stacy's baby was his ticket out of prison. I wonder what that could mean!
Then there is this wretched story with Jessica. As I've said before, too many bad things have happened to this character in a short time span. The latest development of having her lose over a decade of memories is painful to watch.
I am glad that Jessica didn't act the way she is acting when she really was a teenager. As a teenager today, she is giddy and annoying. Her obsession with Cristian isn't doing her any favors either. I also think there is a big discrepancy between how she acted when she first woke up at the hospital and how she is acting now. How did she have the maturity to understand that Bree needed to know that Jessica remembered her at the hospital but not have the maturity to understand that Cristian isn't her boyfriend anymore? It's weird.
I think Cristian has dealt with Jessica as well as can be expected. He was right to talk to the principal and to Jessica's parents. I wish the principal of the high school had listened to Cristian's concerns. It's not appropriate to allow Jessica to be in Cristian's class (or in high school overall), given Cristian's history with her. I wish Todd's money hadn't clouded the principal's judgment, but we know that money talks in real life too. I am glad Cristian told Viki and Clint about all of it; they don't know what to do with her, either, but they need to know that she needs more supervision!
Last week's events changed my mind about the purpose of this story, though. At first, I thought it was a vehicle to bring Cristian and Jessica back together. However, I think it is simply a way to break up Jessica and Brody. I think this because I don't know why Cristian would even consider getting back together with Jessica with the way she's been acting. Why would he break up with Layla, a smart, mature woman for someone who thinks she is 17? It doesn't make sense. Meanwhile, Jessica can barely stand the sight of Brody these days, so it makes sense that this story would end Jessica and Brody's relationship. I don't know why the writers would want to break them up, but it's working so far!
I think Layla did a great job of handling Jessica's baiting and immaturity at the diner. It can't be easy to know that your boyfriend's ex-girlfriend still thinks she's in love with him. Jessica was doing her best to make Layla jealous, but Layla held her ground. That being said, I think they should keep their distance from each other for a while. Nothing good can come from future encounters!
I hope that whatever Layla and Brody plan to do to deal with Jessica works. Both characters have shown an amazing level of tolerance of Jessica's behavior, but Jessica is already getting on my nerves. This story simply can't go on for long. I don't know what I'll do if giddy, stalker-like Jessica continues to roam around Llanview and look at Cristian in a crazy way for much longer. It's just too hard to watch!
One of the big highlights for me last week was Viki and Dorian's conversation about Viki's relationship with Charlie. Every single time these women interact, two things are clear. They know each other too well, and they care about each other on some level, whether they admit it or not.
I liked how Dorian told Viki that she would be making a huge mistake if she divorced Charlie, and I also liked that Viki knew that Dorian's guilt was driving her insistence that Viki and Charlie belong together. Viki might not like it, but Dorian knows how to make her think about her life like no one else can. Dorian was the reason that Viki went to Paris, Texas, and now, Dorian got Viki to postpone her divorce proceedings. Viki and Dorian can work magic in each other's lives, and I wish they would have the chance to interact more often.
I am glad that Viki decided to postpone divorcing Charlie. It's understandable that she was upset when she found out that Charlie attempted to kill Mitch, but I thought she was being rash when she requested a divorce so soon after Jessica was shot. Viki and Charlie's marriage still hangs in the balance, but I am glad that Viki decided to give herself some time by going to London before making a firm decision. I like Viki and Charlie together, and I would hate to see their marriage end so soon.
As for Kim and Clint, I like them together. I realize they are marrying for business purposes, but I think they make a good team. Kim was upfront about why she wanted to marry Clint, and Clint was upfront with Kim about requiring a pre-nup. They both know exactly what they are getting into, and they each understand how the other one thinks. Kim and Clint might not have a powerful love or romance as they head into marriage, but I can deal with that, as long as they know where their relationship stands.
Kim's friends are...interesting. I can see why she doesn't want to return to her former life if that's who she has waiting for her! I thought Leah and Laudine's discussion with Kevin was funny, even if it did seem weird for Kevin to tell two complete strangers his life story!
While Kevin was being consoled by strippers, Kelly encountered Todd again. It looks like Kelly and Todd are going to grow closer, especially since it looks like Kelly is going to work for him. However, I don't want them to become a couple. I know that they shared a moment during the baby switch fiasco, but I don't think making them a couple is a good idea. Blair would have a huge problem with it, even if she won't admit it, and Kelly and Blair already have enough animosity between them. Also, Todd needs to focus on improving his relationship with Dani, and he is still stuck on Téa. I think Kelly and Todd understand each other, though, so this could be the start of an interesting friendship!
Finally, I felt bad for Marty last week. She was grappling with the major news that she is pregnant with John's child, and she had to deal with nosy Roxy all week. I like Roxy, but she really didn't have any business interrogating Marty about her pregnancy. I hope Roxy isn't as invasive with the other people that stay at her motel. She crossed a big line, and Natalie wasn't far behind.
It wasn't surprising that Roxy let Marty's secret slip while talking to Natalie. It was even less surprising that Natalie ended up telling John. It wasn't Natalie's place to tell John anything about Marty, especially about something major like a pregnancy, but it was obvious that it would happen when Natalie found the pregnancy test. Natalie and Roxy both need to take a class in minding their own business. It's hard to believe that they aren't actually related with the way they go about things!
I didn't like John's tone when he asked if Marty wanted to take him to dinner because she wanted to tell him that she is pregnant. John has a right to know, but Marty just found out herself. I can understand her needing to take a day or two before telling John, especially since the pregnancy was unplanned, and she doesn't know how John would feel about being a father. I hope he isn't angry with her after they talk. Marty has had a tough week dealing with Roxy. She doesn't need more grief!
Until next time,
Dawn
