It was a short week in Llanview but a difficult week for its viewers, as we got the sad news that One Life to Live would not be moving to the Internet after all. It feels like just yesterday that I wrote about One Life to Live being cancelled, and here we are again! To make matters worse, this announcement was not only made on the day before Thanksgiving but also on the same day as an outstanding episode of the show aired.
Ever since the announcement was made, a lot of blame has been assigned, and there is plenty of it to go around. In my opinion, this is mainly ABC's fault. I don't know how hard Prospect Park actually tried to get funding for the show. From what I have read, it was a serious attempt, but then again, I wasn't there. We might never know what actually happened, thanks to different opinions and spin. However, the outcome is unfortunate either way.
I think all of this proves how little ABC cares about its daytime viewers. The announcement of the cancellation of All My Children and One Life to Live was made after months of rumor-spreading and speculation, and then the deal with Prospect Park was announced without any information, leaving people to wonder if it was real.
People have been asking if the show could still come back, and I think anything is possible. When people care enough and are ambitious enough to find the proper resources, good things can happen. However, for now, we know that the show, as we know it, is ending on January 13, and now we can watch the last weeks of it with that mindset. It will be difficult to do, since the final show was written with the Internet transition in mind, but the show's creator, Agnes Nixon said, "I would have never written an 'end' because life doesn't end." While the finale was reportedly changed, it might have still included a cliffhanger. We might never know, but Nixon's comment gives the final show a new meaning.
Things on the show itself are starting to feel like they are leading to an end, even in a short week of episodes like last week. John finally got his son back, Brody returned to St. Ann's, Téa told Dani she was pregnant, Blair announced her decision to her family, Todd "dealt" with Tomas, Bo lost his job, Matthew apparently died! That's a lot to happen in just three days!
I am happy that the truth about Liam's paternity is finally out and that John and Natalie tracked Brody down quickly. The last thing the show needs in its last months is a prolonged kidnapping story! I haven't liked Brody in months, but I felt bad for him as he admitted to taking Liam because he wanted a family, and he had lost two chances. I also liked that Natalie admitted she could understand his actions because she did the same thing when she lied about Liam's paternity. She had accepted very little fault for her actions before, so it was refreshing to see her take responsibility and empathize with Brody. That was a big moment for Natalie and certainly one I didn't think we'd ever see!
Overall, the scenes were very well done, and Mark Lawson gave a great, intensely emotional performance. I am glad that Brody wasn't killed as a result of kidnapping Liam. Instead he returned to St. Ann's, where he can cope with what he did and then face the consequences. That beats the alternative for sure! It was also great to see John hold Liam and be happy after so many months (or years) of brooding.
Meanwhile, Téa shared the news of her pregnancy with Dani, and I loved Dani's reaction. She and Téa have been through a lot, so it was nice to see them be happy about their future. Of course, unless the show ends with a jump into to the future, we won't get to see Victor and Téa's child, at least for now, but we will know that Téa had something to look forward to after so much grief. I still don't think Victor is actually dead, so she might have more to look forward to than she even knows!
As for Blair, I quickly got tired of listening to her talk about her big decision to choose Tomas over Todd last week. I am glad that Starr and Téa questioned it, since they know she still loves Todd. The only person that doesn't seem to know that is Blair. I am glad that Téa showed concern for Blair, too, since there is still a lot about Tomas that she and Blair simply don't know. Of course, this will all be moot anyway, since Todd put his plan for Tomas into motion.
I don't know why Todd thinks framing Tomas for murder and getting him out of Llanview is a great way to get Blair back. It would all be based on a lie, just as his reunions with Blair have been so many times before. Apparently, he didn't learn that manipulating people and situations is a bad thing, despite having been controlled by his mother for eight years. I am sure it will backfire on him as it always does. If Todd and Blair do reunite by the end of the show, it won't be real, since Tomas was removed from the equation by force. We can speculate on how it all turns out off-screen, though, since we've seen it happen before!
We've also seen Bo get fired before, but this time had a sense of finality to it with the show ending. It would be great to see Mayor Finn be exposed for being the power-hungry, small person that she is, but then again, I don't want to see any more time spent on her in the show's final weeks. She had a lot of nerve to threaten to arrest Nora for slapping her, even though she slapped Nora first! Bo's reaction to Nora slapping the mayor was priceless. I am glad that Bo took his subsequent firing in stride and left with his head held high and Nora on his arm. The only thing that would have made it better was if Nora had resigned as district attorney. I've wanted her out of that job and back to being a defense attorney for a long time!
The saga of Rex searching for Gigi continued, as he and Aubrey found Rex and the woman that looks like Gigi at the plastic surgeon's office. I am glad Rex didn't really believe that the woman Cutter had in Llanview was Alex. They don't look alike at all! Making Alex be Cutter and Kim's mother is an interesting twist, but I would have rather seen Alex interact with people in Llanview that she actually knows. I am sure this was written in to give Cutter more ties to Llanview for the show's future, but Alex has far too many connections in Llanview to have Alex return solely for this isolated story.
The Thanksgiving episode was terrific. Eddie Alderson did a wonderful job of narrating the episode as Matthew. It was great to hear his voice after so many months of only seeing him in an unconscious state. I loved his observations and opinions of the different characters and situations. He was right on the money every time!
I loved the interaction between Clint and Shane as Clint finally apologized for how he treated Rex and Shane for so long. I can't blame Shane for being surprised about Clint suddenly caring about him. Clint didn't do anything to make him think he did, and Clint can't expect Shane to start calling him "Grandpa" after so many months of rejection.
I also loved Viki's speech thanking people for being there and remembering those who weren't. The Buchanan family has changed a lot over the past year, so I am glad it was acknowledged. Surprisingly, the scene between Jessica and Brody was one of the most poignant of all. Jessica reached out to Brody and assured him he was a good guy and that he had saved her many times. It's too bad that Jessica and Ford are a couple now; Jessica and Brody reuniting would be a great ending!
Even though many of Matthew's comments foreshadowed what happened at the end, I was still surprised when he said that he died that day. When Bo and Nora turned around when they realized what was happening, the looks on their faces were heartbreaking. I hope Matthew is revived on Monday. It would be cruel to have him die on a holiday. I know life works that way sometimes, but it would still be hard to accept! It was an incredible cliffhanger that capped a terrific episode of the show, and now I am eager but also a little scared to watch on Monday to find out what happens. Bo and Nora have been through so much heartache this year, and I would hate to see them lose their son. I also don't want to see Matthew miss out on meeting his child.
Finally, this is the first of my final four columns, which is hard to believe. I have a feeling that the show will be terrific in its last months on the air, and I hope everyone keeps watching or starts watching again if they have stopped. Now is the time to support the show in every way possible. I also hope you'll keep reading the Two Scoops columns as the show comes to an end. We have some very special guests lined up to write their own editions of Two Scoops, and you won't want to miss them!
Until next time,
Dawn
