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If TPTB are intent on rehabilitating the character Molly (and it seems that they are) the writers need to give the audience some clue, other than obsession, about what makes her tick. They need to give her character more depth: develop her personality, make her more human and complex, and give her some capacity for introspection. (Put aside for the moment the capability of the actress, LKS, to portray this character.) They have had a year in which to do this and have not yet done so. Up to this point in the story I find her character rather one-dimensional. She has been a device, a shell of a person, who is fixated, delusional, scheming and vindictive. She acts out her delusions in destructive ways without considering anyone else's welfare, not even that of Holden, who, she claims, is the "love" of her life. She is not capable of an emotional relationship; she is only capable of obsession. The writers attempted to provide some motivation for her emotional state: her father made her give up her baby and moved her out of Luther's Corners. She had a tough life after that and got mixed up with the wrong people. In my opinion it has not been enough to motivate her bizarre behavior and/or create a discernable personality. The writers must have realized something more was needed: this week Kim was trying to explain Molly's behavior to Bob (and the audience) by comparing her former situation to Molly's. Kim's empathy is admirable but does anyone buy that? It's much too late and still too little. We should expect more and from the character herself. Molly has recently been shown to distrust Kim and her kindness. Why would she do that? We don't know; we can only surmise that compassion is foreign to her and makes her suspicious. Yet, people have been kind to her: Lily, Jack and even Holden treated her with kindness until she alienated them with her compulsive agenda. Carly, who has aided and abetted her in these delusional schemes, is the one person whom she trusts. All the audience knows is that Molly is a loose cannon, which, in my opinion, makes her a device. She seems more of a thing (the loose cannon) than a person. In our posts we have even dubbed her "IT" and I don't think we chose that name by accident. And I don't think we were being unkind. That is how she has been written and also how she has been portrayed. I think this is one of the reasons the audience dislikes the character so much. It's difficult to relate to an "IT." The character Molly is as seriously stunted in emotional growth as the actress who portrays her is seriously deficient to bring such a character to life on the screen. I think TPTB were trying to create another Annie (GL) and fell somewhat short of the mark. Annie (Cynthia Watros) is a villainess, par excellence. Even Sarah/Veronica (Candice Daly of Y&R, whose credentials at the official CBS site seem similar to those of LKS) does a credible job of portraying delusion and mental instability. But in this category the prize goes to Sheila (Kimberlin Brown of B&B) who does both with such mastery and ease that she draws the audience to her and even elicits their compassion at times. And this is a woman whose exploits make Molly look like an amateur. When writing has not proved sufficient to the task, it often happens that the actor/actress brings his/her own personality to the part and gives us a more fully developed, alive character. For example, the audience has appreciated Elizabeth Hubbard through good writing and bad. This actress (LKS), in my opinion, has given no indication that she is capable of doing that. She seems as one-dimensional as her character. Try to imagine what this part could have been if it had been well written and if Kimberlin had been cast as Molly. If you aren't familiar with Kimberlin, try to imagine Toby Poser (Amanda GL) or some other competent, strong actress. Either one of these women would have been chilling and formidable. ATWT's Molly could have easily been viewed as a comic character if she had not been allowed to run amok and if her story had not involved everyone in Oakdale. (In fact this story line has been so bad that I'm tempted to do that anyway.) As it is, she remains a major irritant and getting the audience to accept her is going to be a gargantuan task and one that I'm not at all sure is possible. If Molly is to stick around for the next two years I hope the writers can fill in that empty shell and give her depth by adding some substance to her nonexistent personality. I'm not sure if TPTB are committed to the character or the "actress." If it is the character they should look for a more proficient actress. If it is the "actress" then I'm afraid we're just going to have to suffer through until Oakdale gets too small for her. |
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