It was a short week for One Life to Live, since Wednesday's episode was a "classic episode." In my opinion, it doesn't matter if ABC calls it a classic episode, an encore presentation, a special presentation, or a fan-favorite episode. In the end, it's still a rerun. I know that ABC wants to save money, but it's hard to accept a rerun in the middle of a random week. I am happy¸ however, that it was a rerun of One Life to Live instead of, say, General Hospital.
I don't know if watching a rerun of Todd and Téa made viewers more excited to see their much-anticipated reunion, but I thought it was frustrating to have everything pushed back a day. This is yet another thing we will have to get used to as soap opera fans, but I have to wonder if some viewers will change the channel and watch the other networks' soap operas instead of watching a rerun. It will be interesting to see what happens with the ratings on rerun days.
As for the new episodes, it was an action-packed week, as we finally reached a dramatic conclusion to Eli's reign of terror. After getting away with all kinds of seemingly impossible tasks, Eli was killed by Cole in cold blood. I am not sad to see Eli go, but how it happened was surprising. Cole seemed unfazed by the fact that he had just murdered someone, which was odd. I would think he would have some kind of reaction, but he just had a blank stare after the fact. Cole hasn't been acting rationally for months, but killing someone just because he could was chilling.
Unsurprisingly, Marty came to Cole's rescue and decided to confess to Eli's murder herself. While I am sure that Cole will come forward when he discovers that Marty covered for him, he still owes her a nice Mother's Day present! Cole has gotten a lot of breaks and free passes in his few years in Llanview, but I don't think he can or should get one this time. Cole needs to learn that he can't act on every emotion he has. Lots of people wanted to kill Eli, but they didn't do it. I suspect that Cole has a nice, long stay at Statesville waiting for him. It's a sad ending, but it's practically inevitable given the path that this character has been on for so long.
It looks like Cole and Hannah might be in Statesville at the same time! I was very happy to see Hannah be apprehended by the police after a long week of her wielding her craziness over Starr, James, and Hope. I wanted to see Starr try to escape from Hannah's custody many times. For example, when Starr was shoveling dirt, and Hannah had her back turned, I expected Starr to hit Hannah on the head with the shovel, but she kept digging. Even James couldn't defeat Hannah, even though he had an advantage of height and weight over her. It was impressive that he was able to grab Hannah's ankle from his grave, though. It was also a good tribute to Halloween! I am glad that the situation is over, and I would be quite happy if I never had to see Hannah ever again. I think the show has met its craziness quota for the year!
I am glad that Téa is back in Llanview and that she is finally safe. She has been through more in a few months than some characters have been in several years! I would love to see her confront Greg before he leaves, though. That would be powerful, and I am sure Téa would relish the chance to face one of the people that put her through so much. There is nothing Greg can do to make everything up to Téa, but she deserves answers from him after everything that has happened.
Todd and Téa's reunion was done well. They both looked so happy to see each other, so much so that they almost forgot they were stuck under a building! It was good to see Todd show actual emotion after weeks of quiet, almost complacent behavior. Between discovering Dani was injured and seeing Téa alive, he finally was moved enough to emote. He even believes in miracles now, which says a lot, especially for a jaded character like Todd!
I have to admit that I enjoy events like explosions for one main reason. We usually get to see people who don't get along be forced to work together. John and Todd working together to make their way through the rubble is a good example of this. They make good adversaries, but they also make a good team when they need to be. Whoever thought we would see Todd pop John's shoulder back into place? The same thing goes for Téa and Blair. They both annoyed and consoled each other while trying to find a way out, which is the true essence of their relationship. They were friends before Téa "died," but I am sure they will go back to their old ways in time.
I feel bad for Destiny. Her world was shattered when she learned that Greg is her biological father. This wasn't a surprise to most viewers, but Destiny was floored. Shenell Edmonds did a great job with those scenes, as she expressed shock, anger, confusion, and sadness all at once. It's a sad situation especially since Destiny will never know her late, biological mother and Greg is leaving Llanview. I still wonder why such revelations occur right before a key character is going to exit. Destiny knows the truth about where she came from now, but we won't get to see anything play out because Greg will be gone soon.
Shaun's world was also turned upside down by learning that Destiny is really his niece and that her mother was his ex-girlfriend. Shaun and Greg didn't have the best relationship when Greg first arrived in Llanview, and I can see why now that we have learned more about their past. I hope they are able to make amends before Greg leaves, but that seems unlikely. It will be interesting to see what happens with the remaining members of the Evans' family once Greg is gone. I like this family, and I hope we get to see them more often, especially as Destiny and Shaun accept the truth about their family's past.
I have to admit that I kind of like the dark side of Clint. He makes being ruthless look effortless. He proved that when he took Inez to the hospital to see Robert. He managed to comfort Inez and make Robert nervous at the same time, like it was nothing! I wish Robert had told Inez what happened, though. Even if Clint sent Mr. Black and Mr. Blue to beat him up again, everyone would know who did it! However, it looks like Clint will continue to get away with everything, at least for a while. Clint will never be the equivalent of Asa, but he is good at being bad!
I still think that Clint and Echo are Rex's parents. It makes sense, considering that Rex hates Clint right now and that Clint hired someone to follow Rex to New Mexico. I like this story so far, but if Clint and Echo turn out to be Rex's biological parents, they need to be his permanent, biological parents. The story of Rex's parents has been changed so many times that it's hard to get excited for another rendition. Bringing Rex into the Buchanan fold is a great idea, since he has a good relationship with Bo and a really bad one with Clint. There is a lot of potential in this development, so I hope I am right about it. This is one of the best stories on this show right now, so I hope it continues on the right path!
Finally, I am elated that Hillary B. Smith will be staying on One Life to Live for at least another 2 years, since she re-signed her contract. As many longtime readers know, I began watching this show because of Nora and how she was portrayed by Smith. I simply can't imagine Llanview without Nora or One Life to Live without Hillary B. Smith! In a year fraught with character exits, I am happy that Nora won't be one of them!
Until next time,
Dawn
