I just completed watching One Life to Live 2.0's second week of episodes and I am more hooked than ever. I had the pleasure of being Story Coordinator for the first month worth of shows, and I must admit that seeing the stories discussed in the writer's room come to life has far exceeded my expectations.
Most impressive to me is the realism that comes forth in the tales being told: from Dani's overdose and her interaction with Téa and Victor following the incident (Téa remarking to Victor about their daughter, "sometimes I really hate her"); Dani moving into her pals' Matthew and Jeffrey's pad, where discussion is about how are they going to pay the rent in an apartment that still is not unpacked yet; Viki trying to save the Banner; Natalie and Destiny commiserating over being single moms; Cutter in over his head running the club Shelter; Blair dealing with Todd being back in her life; Rama and Vimal's "open" marriage; to Bo and Nora putting some excitement back into their relationship, most of the characters in Llanview these days are experiencing relatable issues, and these story choices are most admirable. The acting of the entire cast has been above par, enabling the tales discussed here and other stories on the canvas to be totally engaging.
Speaking of other stories -- it's most welcome to have the Viki and Dorian characters reignite their rivalry on a professional level. Dorian blaming her resignation from the Senate committee on Viki, Viki investing her money in a fund that we all know will spell disaster curtsey of Dorian -- this all just seems so much smarter than having our favorite ladies feud over a man.
Character interaction has been prominent and most welcome: Nora with Natalie, Clint with Matthew (Clint's "Buchanan man" speech in particular, advising Matthew to step up to the plate regarding his son Drew); David with Todd; Jeffrey with everyone -- these interactions help to make Llanview feel like a real community.
I like how the writers aren't cornering themselves into "pair" couplings. For instance, there is Matthew/Dani, but there is also Matthew/Destiny, Matthew/Internet-crush Michelle, Jeffrey/Destiny, Cutter/Natalie, and Cutter/Rama. These dynamics prove much more interesting.
The production values also continue to be top-notch: the wonderful sets (Shelter club in particular is extremely genuine), the filming of the show in high-definition, the recent montage set to Sonny and Cher's "I Got You Babe" -- there is sleekness to the episodes that make you want to watch an episode over again just as soon as you finish it.
The fast pace of the daily episodes can be somewhat jarring (in the 5/9 show, Dorian was at the coffee shop and then back at her house before the opening sequence) but I have adjusted to this approach and have decided that I quite like it.
Driving most of the story in these beginning weeks is Victor's return and the Victor/Todd explosion waiting to happen. I have read a number of complaints from viewers who feel that Victor's return fell flat in the initial scenes due to no one other than Téa really reacting to his return from the dead. I will admit that these scenes did come across as odd upon first viewing; interestingly, when the Victor reveal was being discussed in story conferences or even reading the scenes in the scripts, it didn't appear that this was an issue.
Getting back to what I discussed prior regarding the fast pace of the stories, there have also been complaints about the lightning fast approach of the Victor/Todd scenes. Keep in mind that this could be due to the limited availability of the actors, as well as a new mandate for storytelling.
Regardless of the pace, we cannot deny that the Victor/Todd story has been riveting. I know what's coming up next for all the stories, and trust me when I say we are in for a treat!
