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Whenever the Buffalo Bills football team scores points during a home game, the public address system immediately begins playing that classic song "Shout", the one that goes, "Ohhhhhhh. . .You make me want to SHOUT! Clap your hands, now! SHOUT! Stomp your feet, yeah!" etc. Perhaps it's Leah Laiman's motto, because since she has taken over as head writer, a lot of shouting has been going on in Oakdale. High decibel levels masquerade as conflict and often attempt to cover weak dialogue. Ben yells. (Example: "What the Hell do you think you're doing?!") Denise shouts. Lily yells. (Example: "Don't do this to me. . .US!") Jake, Margo, and even Hal have all begun bellowing at each other with annoying regularity. Restraint has been replaced by "in your face", and I'm not talking about Molly's television show. The maturity and compassion which was the foundation of determining Hope's paternity dissolved early this week like Alka-Seltzer in water (which I needed after watching some of the scenes) into finger pointing, unsupressed anger, and yes, SHOUTING. Ben may be controlling with the women in his life. However, in complex situations, he has demonstrated the ability to see all sides of an issue. Suddenly, Ben sees only Denise's side. How appropriate that Ben hesitated on Friday before going outside to check on Holden. At least the writers acknowledged how Ben has practically turned his back on the Synders. Holden's motivation was clearer, because he stated months ago when he learned he couldn't be the father of Hope that he loved her as if she were his own and that he would not allow anyone to take her from him. As Holden said on Friday as Lily prepared to turn Hope over to Denise, "This wouldn't be happening if it were up to me." Holden's immovable stance had an understandable and detailed history. But until Thursday, Holden had been pigeonholed into a seething smokestack of anger. He and Ben looked like they were always about to start swinging at each other. This from two men who understand the horrors of violence and who abhor it (or used to, anyway). Now they're all brawn and no brains. And how Lily and Denise could move from understanding and cooperation to adversaries overnight was dumbfounding. You could almost feel the writers rushing the story along toward resolution, logic and character motivation suspended, but all voices raised. It's worth noting that when the noise died down, the Baby Hope story became much better. Wednesday's scenes between the foursome at Denise's apartment were good, but severely handicapped by the unbelievable situation that triggered Lily's decision to give up Hope. Denise leaving town? Wasn't it just a few months ago she was calling Ben her guardian angel and marveling at how she had turned her life around? By going away, Denise opined, she was putting Hope first and doing what was best for her daughter. And Lily accepted this simple-Simon logic! It was sort of like a light bulb went on above her head and -- on-the-spot -- Lily determined that Hope should be with Denise. No wonder the men stood there, silent and dumbstruck. And if Ben doesn't question Denise's feelings for him after she apparently could walk away from their relationship so easily, then the writers have given an entirely new meaning to dumbed-down character. But, as Denise said in yet another howler of dialogue on Wednesday (and I quote): "It's not about making sense." Couldn't have said it better myself. Denise leaving Oakdale was merely a plot contrivance inserted to generate the conflict. Nothing more. The material improved by leaps and bounds on Thursday in the scenes between Lily and Holden in the nursery. It was magnificent, clearly the best material of the week. The dialogue was sparse, yet eloquent. (Lily and Holden barely said more than one sentence at a time.) Holden holding the baby during the scenes was heartbreaking, as was Jon Hensley's pained and sensitive performance. Most of this story has focused on Lily's emotions and her attachment to Hope. On Thursday and Friday, the writers shifted the focus to Holden. We saw how hurt and frustrated he was at the several decisions Lily made regarding Hope without his input. We saw a father's side of the issue, the need not only to protect a family, but the bond that can occur between a father and child. (The scenes reminded me that it was Holden who first held and bonded with Hope when Jack placed her in his arms.) Hensley and Martha Byrne's performances were very still and without affectation. I think their stillness symbolized the fragility of the situation, as if to move too much would do some irreparable damage (e.g., to their relationship, to their child). Their eyes showed their pain. The musical score fit the mood and texture of the scenes perfectly. While some of you may have loved the suspense of Reid/David breaking in to take the baby, for me it took away from the emotional flow of the story. I may not agree with how the writers got the story to this point, but I cannot argue that the execution of the scenes in the nursery was wonderfully realized. Leah Laiman and the writing team have our characters and stories spinning like tops on high polished glass. Denise doesn't want to raise Hope. Then she does. Then she doesn't. Then she does. Eddie wants to find his real father. Then he doesn't. Then he does. Then he doesn't. Margo is attracted to Alec. Then she isn't. Then she is. Then she. . .Well, frankly I'm not sure anymore exactly HOW Margo feels about Alec. I only know that she's dressing sexier and is now a PR Expert! Yes, that's right: Margo got a job in PR. To say the storyline is a far-fetched mess is an understatement. The writing is at times so sloppy and haphazard that it provokes laughter. Super powerful, super mogul Alec -- probably operating way outside the law -- nonetheless hires a former police detective (!) with no training or background as his Director of PR. As Margo put it on Friday (and with an admirably straight face, I might add): "We work on trust." That was topped only by Julia landing a job as a reporter for The Argus after she told Lisa that -- Are you ready for this one? -- she had worked on her college newspaper! If you buy that, then all Carly would need to do is rush to the City Times, tell Jake she used to work on her high school yearbook, and she could ditch that waitressing job pronto for a career in journalism. Seriously, what should be gleaned from this is that the writers and TPTB believe we will accept any implausibility flung in our direction. I know, I know. Every writing team takes liberties with reality. We've swallowed many an implausibility pill in the past. But here's the difference: Writers who truly respect their audience make a serious attempt to keep implausibility to a minimum. The current writing team tosses the ridiculous at us (Carly standing on a toilet; Julia as a reporter) with nary a second thought. Here are the facts: The writers wanted Julia and Jake to cross paths. Instead of building to it gradually and realistically, they chose to go the brainless route. Contrast it with how carefully Tom was taken from being a lawyer to a journalist. The goal was actually the same -- in this case, to put Tom and Emily together. But the writers took some time and chose a more intelligent route, one that didn't insult us. The result was a better foundation for the story that evolved. If you've been scratching your head and wondering "Who ARE these people?", it's because several of the citizens of Oakdale are being written without regard to their character composition. Character, and along with it, logic, are being sacrificed for plot movement, big and small. Subsequently, characteristics are now as interchangeable as clothing. For example, the mantle of cruelty Lisa wore as she methodically humiliated Carly at the Mona Lisa a few weeks ago was shifted effortlessly to Camille on Tuesday, who sat on a stool at Java and acted in a manner so contradictory to her nature that it was bizarre. The scenes were obvious in intent. Just as obvious was how the character of Camille was used as a plot pawn. She came, she verbally sliced and diced, and she left. (For such a purpose, the writers could have, and probably should have, used a total stranger.) What should alarm you is the liberties the writers are taking with character. For every good scene such as the one between Jennifer and Hal when he learned that Jennifer hadn't given him the note from Margo, there's an accompanying bad scene such as the one of Julia as Lois Lane, lurking in the shadows at the docks. Here's another disturbing trend: Characters are starting to behave the same. Three men -- Holden, Alec, and Jack (I believe)-- have all recently been shoving other people, usually at the end of a scene. Something sets a male character off and, whether violence and machismo is in his character profile, he starts shoving. Another example? The going got tough, so Molly and Carly decided to leave town. The going got tough for Denise, so she decided to leave town. (This from a no-nonsense woman who doesn't appear to run from anything, the same woman whom Ben said had the "kick of a Rockette" whenever he got out of line.) Whenever characters start behaving the same and displaying parallel characteristics, that spells trouble and indicates weak writing. The absurd reigns on ATWT. "If only I could see David's face one more time," Molly lamented at the docks and -- TA DA! -- David was there. (Having said that, the scenes between Molly and Reid/David were good. They featured some solid dialogue and excellent performances by Lesli Kay Sterling and Keith Coulouris.) Margo, working undercover to trap Alec (which involved her resignation from the police force) just strolled in her sparkly dress to the Rady murder scene for the entire world to see. A week or so ago, Margo was seen on her hands and knees, eavesdropping on a conversation. Eavesdropping, dream sequences, and fantasy filler scenes had all but been eliminated on ATWT, elevating the quality of the show and the overall material. Now they are creeping back in with increasing frequency. But let's keep going. Why would Alec even talk to Jake, knowing he was a reporter and sniffing around for information? Molly and Reid/David swallowed Lucinda's "something in the safe" scheme with hardly a raised eyebrow. And how about Molly's breaking and entering skills? She just waltzed into Lucinda's home on Friday to get that "information" as if she'd been invited for tea. The week also showcased the groan-inducing moment when Lucinda ran her wheelchair into Jake's desk at the City Times and PUSHED IT almost against the wall! I don't know about you, but I couldn't move my desk at work an inch, either on foot or in a wheelchair. (Maybe when Donna from Another World visits soon, she can give Lucinda some tips on non-aggressive wheelchair driving.) And by the way, if Lucinda was so worried about people watching and listening to her conversation with Jake, why didn't she just ask him to close the door, or have Rolf close it? Am I nitpicking? No. Because these were things which could or will impact on overall story. With such gaping holes in the storylines, and wheelchairs moving desks, and people with zero experience getting highly-competitive jobs, how are we supposed to take the show seriously? The balance of a show is shaken when one day you have Holden crying in Lily's arms and the next day you have Lucinda playing Bucky Bulldozer. Lucinda, supposedly operating under secrecy and with the utmost urgency and concern to protect her family, proceeds to hop in and out of her wheelchair with glee. She even showed up in Bay City (not far from Oakdale, because she sure got Molly there in a hurry) and pranced around the Harbor Club, apparently not worried about being recognized. Personally, I find Lucinda's return more vocal bravado than any real (or perceived) power. At least the writers had Molly ask, "Why are you pretending to be an invalid, anyway?" But did you notice there was no response? Further, the writing makes Lucinda appear foolish. She brings Rolf in as her confidante, swears him to secrecy, and then lunches and skips around Bay City in an apparent mockery of the very plan she devised for her return. Lucinda lets Rolf and Molly in on her real condition, but leaves Lily and Holden in the dark, knowing that Holden is just as suspicious of Reid and just as desperate to nail the man as she is. Lucinda meets Molly in secret at the docks, yet wheels into WOAK days later in plain view of everyone to watch Molly's televised plea about Reid. Is this intelligent storytelling showcasing a strong, vital woman and written from character? No. It's the exact opposite. Lucinda is exhibiting the same weaknesses she did when she became involved with James. She's incapable of bringing Reid/David down without resorting to the weakest of cons -- information in her safe about a conenction between Reid and David (hint, hint, hint) -- a scheme for which only the clueless of the clueless would fall. Even Jake ran roughshod over Lucinda at the City Times, verbally and physically. Look closely. Lucinda's power and strength is a facade. She didn't ride back into Oakdale triumphant and strong. She wheeled back into town, and the fact that her incapacitation is a scam is beside the point. Lucinda remains as weak as when she left, and the writers appear to be going out of their way to repeatedly hammer that fact home. In fact, the writers are being ironically direct about it. As Reid/David grabbed Lily from behind, Lucinda -- supposedly trying to protect her family from this very man -- was at home squabbling with Jake, playing "secretary", and jumping in and out of her wheelchair. Odds N Ends:
Grade for the Week: C- |
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