The Best and Worst of One Life to Live

[TeeVee329]

That was the funeral where Natalie busted in wearing a red dress. I think I fell in love with her at that moment.

 

Ditto.  That scene really sealed my love for both Natalie and this show in general.

[ElleryAnne]

I still don't like how Charlie got trashed so Vikki and Clint could reunite. If they had to be endgame there was a better way to make it happen.

 

 

Trashing a character to make another relationship work is the worst thing a show ever does, imo.  OLTL did it more than once during the years I watched it. 

[Dandesun]

Trashing a character to make another relationship work is the worst thing a show ever does, imo.  OLTL did it more than once during the years I watched it. 

 

They did it to Clint in order to facilitate Viki/Sloan once upon a time. I hate it when they play that card. It is the ultimate in lazy, biased writing.

[MSquared]

They did it to Clint in order to facilitate Viki/Sloan once upon a time. I hate it when they play that card. It is the ultimate in lazy, biased writing.

 

I remember hearing Roy Thinnes' (ex-Sloan) own mother was not happy he was breaking up Cliki!

[TeeVee329]

Trashing a character to make another relationship work is the worst thing a show ever does, imo.  OLTL did it more than once during the years I watched it. 

 

It still sticks in my craw to this day the absolute trashing (or Ross-ening) Schuyler endured to wash away all of Rex's sins and pave the way for Rex and Gigi to get back together. 

 

It didn't even make any sense.  Yes, Schuyler made major mistakes.  But how does that change the fact that Rex slept with Gigi's sister and lied about it?  That he basically threw her out of her own home?  That he called her a whore when she dared to pick another man and threatened to take her kid away?

 

And I hated how everyone acted like Schuyler was some on-the-edge wacko all along and that him holding Gigi hostage and shooting at Rex wasn't a big shocker, never mind that Schuyler had probably just endured the most traumatic day a person could have (gets drugged, has his child kidnapped, is ordered by an insane woman to break a psychotic murderer out of jail, finds out his mother isn't really his mother, finds out his father is said psychotic murderer, and then finds out that the child he risked everything for isn't his).

[UYI]

Here's something that qualifies for the best of OLTL: Gabrielle denouncing God, in a church, right after Max's "funeral" in 1990 (start at 3:15):

 

 

"If I can kill with love, imagine the damage I could cause with HATRED." DAMN.

 

I've said this before, and I'll say it again: If Fiona Hutchison hadn't been on OLTL at a time when the show was known for "wackier" storylines like the Old West or Eterna, she would have been a SHOO-IN for an Emmy, as this is probably the best work she ever did as Gabrielle. As it is, she was only nominated once when she was Jenna on GL (and for that reason alone I can't COMPLETELY hate JFP for her bloc-voting techniques, LOL!), and, well...that's just criminal. And this scene MORE than proves that. 

 

BTW, this scene actually REALLY angered the Archdiocese of New York at the time. 

Edited June 19, 2014 by UYI

[eXiled]

Spencer Truman was such a drain on the show. I was about to type "from the fall of 2005 to sometime in 2007." I checked Wikipedia and discovered that time period was almost his entire run on the show. It felt much longer. It really felt like a 4-year stint to me. I dislike how everyone in town was neutered or became dumb to prop him. I felt terribly for Blair when she whored herself out to that piece of crap, especially since Frodd could not have cared less. Spencer sterilized Kevin, which in turn, gifted viewers with SonFucker and her spawn. I think I really started hating Spencer because his ex-wife appeared to eat the show right alongside him. Paige, no matter what actress played her, was vapid and ubiquitous and awful.

 

In later years I hated Echo, Rex, Gigi, Cole and anything Ford-related.

 

Rex was considered so important that he had like 5 backstories of paternity. I didn't care about Rex when he was Roxy's spawn. Why would I care about his neverending saga of suck? Poor Clint. His dalliance with blowsy alkie Echo stuck him with a twitchy, pedantic, sanctimonious overgrown boy with highlighted frosted tips he's constantly pushing out of his eyes. I disliked Rex so much that even watching Dorian's disappointing dealings with him (remember when she had him shot up with heroin?) I could not bring myself to feel badly for him. In fact, I'm such a terrible person that I hoped he'd die, Dorian would somehow beat the wrap, and we'd never have to hear about him again.

 

My favorite 5 characters are Dorian, Viki, Blair, Gabrielle and Todd. I chose these characters because they make me laugh the most.  I wondered about their lives the most. They made me cry the most. They horrified me and disgusted me the most during their darkest hours. They've made so many mistakes and have rarely bored me or angered me enough to stop caring.

[jsbt]

Speaking of 'bests,' for me, the best OLTL had looked in years was in the online edition - so seeing the production team hailed today with a slew of awards for their work on OLTL and AMC 2.0 at the Creative Arts Emmys was really satisfying. I could suffer a lot, but I think they made those shows (and the people on them) look like a million bucks again on a very small budget. It was so nice to not see half-empty rooms, ancient sets, etc. Things looked fresh, current, modern. I could even live with "Coffee Shop".

[dubbel zout]

All the sets looked like distinct places, unlike, say, the apartments on GH, which look like the same place with slightly different furniture.

[TeeVee329]

Not only did they do a nice job on the new sets, I thought they did a fantastic job - on their small budget and on a very rushed time table - recreating Llanfair.

[jsbt]

To say nothing of Bo and Nora's garret, which looked identical to the old place. As did Bo's office at the LPD, pretty much.

 

They made Llanfair a little more glossy and pristine in its look, a little less cozy, but I liked it - I thought it fit the Lord manor. And I absolutely loved the La Boulaie redesign with the purple and jet black and patterns, though I know some hated it. I thought it suited Dorian and the Cramers. It also helped when they had Dorian reveal David was responsible for the remodel with her money - it was the sort of outré thing he'd go for.

 

And Shelter, as well as Téa's place and Natalie's too-rarely seen apartment, were gorgeous. I haven't seen a prettier apartment on daytime in years.

Edited June 23, 2014 by jsbt

[LeftPhalange]

For some reason I think I miss seeing David and Dorian the most. Even though I didn't much like the story they got on nuOLTL I think RS and TW worked very well together.

[TeeVee329]

Asa's fake funeral with all of his wives (and the instant classic of KdP's Blair flashing back to MK's Blair's wedding to Asa) was pretty great, too.

 

I was just discussing this scene elsewhere, and yes, it is definitely a shining moment in the show's history.  The "Huh?!?!" face Kassie de Paiva made when she snapped out of the flashback and then checked her face in her compact was dynamite.

 

Basically any callback to Mia Korf/Asian Blair makes me smile.

Edited June 26, 2014 by TeeVee329

[hcs]

 

Basically any call back to Mia Korf /Asian Blair  makes me smile 

 The first few times it made me smile as well but then like everything Ron does he over used it to much.. Todd comes back at the premiere and instead of getting a Blair conversation about that we get David going on about Mia Korf playing Blair.

[Chairperson Meow]

Todd Manning, especially in the 90s. Remember when he attacked blind Nora? RH was a scary mofo. And hot. Blair. Because KDP is just amazing. You can't fully hate Blair. Ever. Max, because the actor oozes charm. Dorian because. Viki because.

Hated characters? Every Ford, but the ring leader especially. Robert Ford, you are/were not a lover, but a rapist. I wish Tess would have set him on fire. Rex because I never cared. Ever. Shut up Gigi. And I'll add in Marty. I like the actress, but the character annoyed me. I only liked her three times.

I will admit that the scenes where Powell attacked Todd and made him beg for his life were amazing. I recommend finding them. Damn shame that dude quit acting.

[TeeVee329]

How about best slaps.  These are two of my favorites.

 

First, Nora had us all cheering when she slapped the hell out of Inez.  I also love how she tells Tea to CRAM IT in this clip and Tea folds like a cheap suit.

 

 

Later that year, Nora was rightfully on the receiving end of this epic slap from Destiny's "mom":

 

Edited July 9, 2014 by TeeVee329

[dubbel zout]

Ugh, Inezzzzzzzzzzzz. Such a passive doormat.

[TeeVee329]

For reals, what a whiny waste of space.  I hadn't watched any Inez scenes since they aired beacuse...why would I...but watching this one ("Norrrrrrrrra, please, not in front of my sonnnnnnnn...."), the hate came flooding back.  Nora slapping her was still super satisfying, as was the "bitch got what she deserved" look on the background court officer's face.

Edited July 9, 2014 by TeeVee329

[jsbt]

Fucking Inez! That shit was great. And I still remember Téa's reaction, which was hysterical. Téa rarely leans back so it was priceless; FL played it perfectly.

 

I love Nora to death but I also rewatched the Nora/Phylicia slap many, many times when it aired.

Edited July 9, 2014 by jsbt

[dubbel zout]

I love Nora to death but I also rewatched the Nora/Phylicia slap many, many times when it aired.

I know. TP really pulls back and goes for it.

[TeeVee329]

TP's windup is spectacular, but it's HBS clutching her jaw like she just got struck by a 2x4 that really sells it for me.  Just glorious!

[UYI]

For your consideration for best slap, I give you:

 

[MSquared]

Hey, I love anytime Blair smacks Tea.  

[Melgaypet]

Tea getting slapped by anyone is a treat, but it is especially delicious when it's Blair doling it out. Remember that period when Tea was getting smacked all the time? Blair, Marty, Carlotta, I think even Nora got a shot in (or was that later, when Matthew sued his parents? Maybe). It was awesome.

I actually kinda loved Tea. But it was often love-to-hate. Such a crazy bitch.

[TeeVee329]

That was indeed a quality Blair-on-Tea slap.  When was that, when Tea was defending VicTodd after the rapemance?

 

Nora did lay a slap on Tea in 2009 when Matthew was suing her and Bo.  I thiiiink this was after Tea shredded Rachel during her testimony.  Too bad Rachel never got a chance to smack her.

 

Edited July 13, 2014 by TeeVee329

[UYI]

Two of my favorite Llanview goodbyes:

 

 

[TeeVee329]

Of course, no discussion about OLTL bests can be complete without Best Death Of A Loathed, Whitewashed Douchebag Via A Beloved Inanimate Object:

 

Edited July 19, 2014 by TeeVee329

[Melgaypet]

Good ol' Chandy. Pour one out. She sacrificed herself for the good of us all.

[TeeVee329]

Ford ASSAULTED A NUN, never forget!

[Melgaypet]

The last time Ford was tolerable!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDDlItNZ8ps&index=59&list=PLadenmv9GYk_rswDK3Jo4y-orEVb0di2q

 

(For some reason I can't embed the video in the post, weird.)

 

Aha! I figured it out!

 

Edited July 23, 2014 by Melgaypet

[TeeVee329]

Melgaypet, I think the embedding wasn't working because you were linking to a playlist and not an individual video, but it looks like you got it!

 

Ah yes, the back crack.  Good stuff, particularly Kyle's snarking on the situation ("Great, now you can use that extra money to buy yourself some clothes.").  If we were stuck with Ford, why couldn't we have kept Kyle to periodically put him in his place?

 

The only other instance of semi-enjoying Ford I remember is when Markko found out about Ford and Langston's affair and Ford ice coldly informed Langston that he was just using her for sex.  It was the cherry on the sundae of Langston's chickens finally coming home to roost.  But of course, the show soon backpedeled and tried to sell that Ford was actually a super sensitive sweetie who really did love Lang all along.  Blech.

Edited July 23, 2014 by TeeVee329

[UYI]

 

The moment Max realized in 1989 that, yes, he may have been with Megan at the time, but Gabrielle was who he longed for.

 

Guys, there is so much M&G greatness missing from YouTube and it makes me sad. Fiona Fest was such a great website for Fiona fans for so many years, but it's been an abandoned site for many years now, and a lot of stuff of theirs that was on RealPlayer or 4shared has never made it to YouTube :( . And I've lost track, sadly, of many of the friends I had online who were fellow M&Gers in 2002-2003.

 

I swear I had other characters I loved on this show, really! :P

Edited July 24, 2014 by UYI

[dubbel zout]

Ford ASSAULTED A NUN, never forget!

 

AND LAUGHED ABOUT IT. Chandy didn't come soon enough.

 

A comment in the GH thread reminded me of PP Clint being hammered out of his mind and Bo taking him home from Shelter, and Clint whining, "I wanna dance!" Hee. Jerry verDorn was SO good. I miss seeing him.

[jsbt]

I still think it was a mistake not resurrecting Gabby at the end of OLTL and bringing on her and JDP for a couple days. They could've walked in and been Cord and Tina's surprise witnesses at the altar. Just have Max go "hey, guys, look who I found! Here's some clunky exposition on how!" Who would have given a shit? Let the DePaivas' kid play Frankie Holden. Do it in a day or two. Done. 

[TeeVee329]

UYI inspired me to post the Max/Gabrielle moment I remember most, which I'll submit as Best Ripping Off A Wedding Veil To Expose Your Ex-Wife's Pixie Hairdo.

 

 

I think I had just started watching around this point so I knew Max a tiny bit, but I didn't know anything about Gabrielle and their history.  Still, I ate this all up with a spoon at the time.

 

And OMG, the previouslys!  But ew, Lanie.

[jsbt]

I loved Crazy Annie Lennox Hair Gabrielle. She was so fucking over the top and it was unpopular with a lot of the audience at the time, which is part of the reason that re-pairing was killed. But I had a ball. I adored her with Bo because he was the complete opposite of Gabby and Fiona Hutchison, but I felt they neutered her a bit later on in 2003. I would've been very open to a reunion with Max had they invested in it, and Malone and Griffith supposedly were interested (while also reuniting Bo and Nora), but nothing came of it for, I think, a variety of factors, mostly the advent of Brian Frons.

Edited July 24, 2014 by jsbt

[Dandesun]

There was this whole bit with Gabrielle and Blair in "Atlantic City" when Blair was trying to figure out who Walker/Todd/Not!Todd actually was. There were a few on-going shenanigans at the time but I loved Gabrielle noticing Not!Todd going into the private elevator and then seeing Blair and asking her if she was looking for him and kind of giving her the 411 on what she saw.

 

And then they both did this bit where they were purposely playing nonchalant with the guards as they sized up the situation. It was actually kind of nice to see, especially after the whole Gabrielle Blackmails Todd into Giving Her a Job Because She Overheard David Blackmailing Him on the Docks mess which was a definite low point for all characters involved... especially as it progressed.

 

And I still love the Trading Places stuff because James DePaiva was absolutely magnificent as Gabrielle. As far as I'm concerned, he was easily the funniest participant in that. He had the parody down pat. People always talk about Roger Howarth playing Viki/Niki but aside from his getting to say a'tall a lot and then flirting with the Ben-as-a-Nun whatever that was I think it was mostly because he was in drag and started dancing which were things Todd Didn't Do. JDP's turn as "Gabrielle" especially when 'their music' started playing... hilarious.

[jsbt]

I didn't find Roger and Erika nearly as funny as JDP. They were mostly doing drag and Roger was doing, like, a Kids in the Hall thing. I had had enough of him fooling around on regular shows at that point. JDP's take on Fiona was absolutely hysterical.

 

Linda Dano turning into tiny little Kristen Alderson, OTOH, complete with wig and wardrobe, was terrifying to watch (and mercifully brief).

 

I didn't mind Todd and Gabrielle in 2002. That was one of the few things I didn't mind in that story. I loved them together at the Sun. I will never forget Fiona improvising an American accent back at Howarth during Live Week.

Edited July 24, 2014 by jsbt

[TeeVee329]

I do remember thinking - and I was still new to soaps at the time - that it was weird that the Max/Gabrielle pairing just...ended.  They had exposed Asa, they were poised for a happy ending, Asa revealed that Gabrielle knew all along that Asa was going to fame Max for his death, and then...nothing.  That should have just been a delay in their reunion, but instead they both got sent to opposite ends of the canvas (Gabrielle with Bo, Max with Roxy) and, as far as I recall, didn't really interact for a long while after that, right?

Edited July 25, 2014 by TeeVee329

[UYI]

No they didn't. And trust me, it bugged the hell out of me back then. He didn't even officially find out onscreen that she and Bo were together. When Al almost married Jen, she acted interested in Bo to try and make Max jealous, as she did on Valentine's Day before that, but yeah, aside from some scenes in late May/early June where she discovered that he and Roxy were married, and a few more that August when Al set Jen apartment, I think on fire or something and then realized she was in there and saved her (and Gabrielle confronting him on it--and although Max walked in on this, Gabby wound up running out the door for...reasons), it wasn't until Malone came back that we were supposed to believe that were good friends again and co parents to Al.

 

I remember WAY too much about that couple. They took up so much of my mind at 13. Believe me, I had fan fic ideas and stories back then. Horrible ones, at that.

 

That said, my ideas to give them a daughter or even a long-lost conceived before Gabby went to prison and then given up for adoption are two ideas I don't regret at all :P .

 

 

I will never forget Fiona improvising an American accent back at Howarth during Live Week.

 

And the funny thing is, despite having British parents (she has dual citizenship in the UK and US) and spending part of her childhood in Jamaica (and IIRC, even going to boarding school at one point in London), Fiona actually IS American. She was born in Miami, and eventually moved back to the states to South Carolina and attended (graduated from?) Clemson. 

 

She was actually advised by agents early on in her career to drop her accent, but Paul Rauch told her later that one of the reasons he hired her was BECAUSE of her accent.

 

That's one reason Gabrielle is one of the unrecastable roles in OLTL history for me. Her accent is unforgettable.

 

 

JDP's turn as "Gabrielle" especially when 'their music' started playing... hilarious.

 

Michael Bolton's That's What Love is All About! JDP picked that song out himself for their first "official" love scene in 1988 (Max & Gabby--and Gabby in particular--first had sex in 1986 before they were characters in Argentina. They were shown in flashback at one point. It's when Al was conceived)

 

To this day, I can't hear that song without thinking of them, ever. *sniff*

 

There was this whole bit with Gabrielle and Blair in "Atlantic City" when Blair was trying to figure out who Walker/Todd/Not!Todd actually was. There were a few on-going shenanigans at the time but I loved Gabrielle noticing Not!Todd going into the private elevator and then seeing Blair and asking her if she was looking for him and kind of giving her the 411 on what she saw.

 

I actually would have loved it if Gabrielle and Blair had become friends, even with the DBL baggage attached to it. They certainly had very similar roles as antiheroines, although their ways of handling life at times could be vastly different. And at the very least, they have the odd distinction of having Max taking their virginities in common (THAT could lead to some interesting drunken late night conversations), and very different opinions on Tina, given that, at the end of the day, Gabrielle loved her like a sister, while Blair dismissed her as a clueless airhead.

 

Speaking of which, Gabby gives birth to Al, then Tina introduces her to Viki. Not on the same day, though, lol.

 

 

Edited July 25, 2014 by UYI

[TeeVee329]

It's been five years to the day since this scene aired, which I'll submit as Best Smooch Planted On A Confused, Closeted Cop By A Rascally Med Student.

 

[TeeVee329]

This is probably the last time I liked Jessica, which will call Best Slugging Of A Douche Who Previously Took Sexual Advantage Of Your Teenage Alter Ego.

 

 

Edited August 21, 2014 by TeeVee329

[tessaray]

Best secret/unknown offspring storyline - Dorian and Cassie. I loved it, especially cold hard-nosed Dorian having had a child with a musician and then giving her up to - what, pursue her medical career?  (I'm not sure if they ever retconned that but it's what I remember.) One of my favorite stories on OLTL. 

 

Worst secret/unknown offspring storyline - Rex and whoever.  (Runner-up, ironically enough, Dorian -again- and Adrianna.)

 

Honorable mention for permanently unknown offspring - David's high school indiscretion.  

[drtslim]

I don't think that Dorian gave Cassie up. David claimed that she was too preoccupied with her career, so he took Cassie and left without telling her.

[tessaray]

It's been a long time but I thought that Dorian accepted the situation?  I didn't mean like give her up for adoption but more like not fighting for custody? (Or maybe it was more like once she was in a position to find her, she didn't want to disrupt her life?)  But like I said, it's been forever.  It was special enough that I think they tried to recreate that with both Adrianna and Langston.  

Edited August 23, 2014 by tessaray

[TeeVee329]

Regarding secret/unknown offspring stories, I think I'm in the minority on this, but I actually liked them making Cutter and Kim the children of Alex Olanov.  It gave two characters I liked a tie to the show's history and it didn't seem to contradict anything we saw on-screen (right?), but didn't involve cramming them into bloated families or cutting off their romantic possibilities. 

 

I remain gutted that Tonja Walker and Amanda Setton never shared a scene.

Edited September 4, 2014 by TeeVee329

[jsbt]

I was fine with Cutter being Alex's kid. I thought dragging Kim into it was a bit silly but I could live with it.

 

I know RC was supposedly very keen to pick up on the Alex thread when he thought he was taking OLTL online - that's why Cutter called her up when he was jailed at the end of the network run. I imagine Susan Bedsow Horgan and the other OLTL team on the new show were likely interested as well. I would have liked to see Alex tangle with Natalie.

[Melgaypet]

The Brothers Gannon were definitely an OLTL Best. Let's go back to 1995, where Hank is about to marry the rather boring Sheila Price and little brother RJ decides to give him a truth bomb for a wedding gift. (Apologies for the poor quality of video)

 

[jsbt]

Nathan Purdee was always so good, solid at the very least. And very taken for granted as Hank. I remember he sent a very nice note on Facebook or wherever last year when the show returned, and I hoped he might appear again. Around the same time, though, he apparently turned down an interview for Jeff Giles's Llanview in the Afternoon, which is too bad.

 

IIRC, Michael Malone's original plan for that story was to have Rachel murder R.J. in a big whodunit. Thank God that didn't happen. I always thought HBS and Tim Stickney had serious chemistry - I remember Nora's 'dream' after Lindsay had drugged her to erase her memories, where she saw all the people in her life. R.J. leaned in to the camera to look at her and purred, "It was good once, Nora, remember that." But the show never really went there. They teased it, very briefly, in a minor, awful subplot with R.J., Lindsay and Nora when she was recovering from a stroke during the Dena Higley days - I think they even kissed - but it was so juvenile and went nowhere because Higley had zero interest in any of them.

Edited September 5, 2014 by jsbt

[TeeVee329]

I was fine with Cutter being Alex's kid. I thought dragging Kim into it was a bit silly but I could live with it.

 

I know RC was supposedly very keen to pick up on the Alex thread when he thought he was taking OLTL online - that's why Cutter called her up when he was jailed at the end of the network run. I imagine Susan Bedsow Horgan and the other OLTL team on the new show were likely interested as well. I would have liked to see Alex tangle with Natalie.

 

I liked Kim being Alex's kid (oh how I wanted a scene where Alex found out her daughter was married to Asa's son!) and I liked Kim and Cutter as siblings, but the actual retcon to make that happen, with Kim being the real Aubrey Wentworth (which nobody cared about), was silly.  There has to have been a less lame way they could have made that connection.  Hell, they could have just been foster siblings who leaned on each other during their hardscrabble lot in life or something.

 

But oh yes, I would have loved to seen the Olanov/Wentworths mix it up with the Buchanans.  And I really wanted Kim and Natalie to go to full-scale war.  But alas.

 

IIRC, Michael Malone's original plan for that story was to have Rachel murder R.J. in a big whodunit.

 

Poor Rachel, why did all the writers want her to be a murderer?

Edited September 5, 2014 by TeeVee329