A stellar week in Oakdale -- I could not stop watching the shows regarding Alison and Casey's wedding. The acting was phenomenal, the pacing and direction was true to form for how it should be done in daytime. There have been moments in recent months that make me love this show more and more.
The Wedding
First of all, Tom Pelphrey is truly one of the best; this guy made me think he was truly James Stenbeck more than once. It started last Friday when he was fighting off James and trying to keep Mick alive: his struggle as he went back and forth from James to Mick was superb to watch. This story has veered off course in terms of believability since it began; however, the way it has ended has been quite enjoyable to watch.
Major kudos also to Marnie Schulenburg as well -- she showed a different level of acting as she worked with Tom; there was a depth to Alison Stewart that I have not seen with this actress. I hated that the writers made her cheat on Casey like she did with Aaron right before the wedding. The beauty of the writing is that all of these things are mentioned too so it's not like this was something she had just done this time.
All of the actors were just the best in these scenes -- Roger Howarth and Colleen Zenk-Pinter were terrific dealing with their history with James, as it was so much there to work with. I enjoyed how the writers made sure Mick knew details about James that he could interject into his rampage, like the fact that James had an affair with Margo many years ago. The use of history shows that someone is doing their research. If only John Dixon could have been at the wedding; would Mick/James have shot him for all of their torture on each other?
I do need to bring up something that irritated me in terms of continuity. Is there anyone on staff to make sure that there are not glaring oversights? Mick was holding folks hostage in the church with this silver gun then he goes off to tie up Casey and Alison in another room and his gun changed to this small black fake-looking gun; he goes back to the other hostages and he had the big silver gun again. What happened, did anyone notice this?
Carly and Jack
Carly hit paydirt by finding out about Janet and Dusty; this is the type of drama that has made me love watching soaps for years. Carly loves Jack and Jack is married to Janet who has feelings for another man, Dusty, but is staying with her husband because her daughter has leukemia and Janet thinks this is best for everyone concerned. Now that Carly has this information, will she tell Jack about Janet? She went to the right person, Molly to discuss this, and I am so happy Molly is back in Oakdale. Molly has history with so many characters that I forgot she and Dusty had a fling years ago. Molly told her to not do anything yet, however, we know Carly; she is going to do what Carly thinks is best -- that's why Friday's cliffhanger was her about to tell Jack the truth.
Who is enjoying these stolen moments between her and Jack? This shows that Jack is not Mr. Perfect anymore. He still is standing on his pedestal as he warned Dusty about his relationship with his wife. It is so tangled and the constant twists and turns here are making me want to tune in to see what they are going to do next. I am amazed at how honest Janet constantly portrays herself to be that she can be as deceitful by carrying on with Dusty. Poor Dusty, he needs to just man up and go after this woman that he sincerely has feelings for. There is a vulnerability I see in Dusty with Janet that I haven't seen since Jennifer. Drama, drama, drama!
Liberty's Leukemia
Would Liberty rather die than take bone marrow from the grandfather she never knew? I loved it when she told Rocco that she did not want his help -- this man has done nothing to reach out to his daughter or his granddaughter in all those years. I am pretty sure that someone would have talked her into taking his help if he could have been a donor. I guess the stage is being set for Jack and Janet to try to have a baby to be donor; another obstacle for all involved.
Holden's Dilemma
Did Holden kill Damian? Who cares? I really don't, I am glad that Damian is gone -- no matter how it was accomplished. Damian was getting away with so much that it was time for him to leave town. There were probably some business associates that wanted to see him dead anyway.
Like with Jack, Holden is not the golden boy anymore if he did do something to Damian. The fact that he is withholding information is so unlike him because he is so unforgiving of others at times. I do hope that he does not go back to Lily no matter what happens, as he and Molly sizzle as a couple.
Lily right now is so self-righteous that she makes me sick. Based on her history, how could she be? It seems like the writers have changed her character some since Martha Byrne left the role. I don't find Lily a character that I root for anymore because of her attitude as the rich princess. The fact that she was conned repeatedly by Damian did not win her any fans.
Memorable Moments in Oakdale
One of the things that happened this past week was the major use of history. Lisa was at the wedding with Bob and Kim. Lisa used to be a character that drove major story. She was married to Bob. She at one time had an affair with his brother, Donald Hughes. Her relationship with her son, Tom, has been rocky at times. She once left her son to run off with another man. She married Dr. Michael Shea to protect Tom. She is the mother of three sons: Her son, Chuckie, the child fathered by Michael Shea was killed in a car accident many years ago. Her relationships with Grant Colman and Whit McColl had her front and center for years.
One of my favorite storylines was when her husband, Eduardo Grimaldi, died the day after they were married and she filed malpractice charges against Dr. John Dixon. This was one of the most riveting stories -- she was a new widow, grieving and fighting so hard against John when in actuality, it was Damian's mother who had killed Eduardo to keep the secret that she was not Damian's biological mother.
I miss that Lisa is relegated to the background these days. She could be like Katherine Chancellor on The Young and the Restless -- there is story for her; someone just has to have the guts to put her back in the foreground. Just this week when she was trying to use her cell phone at the church while Mick was holding everyone hostage showed that this character still has some fire in her -- fearless character.
Finally, this week was quite a treat for me; I loved that Bob faked an illness to get out of the church; Lisa was trying to get help by using her cell phone; Kim trading one-liners with Reid and Susan in the thick of things at the wedding. These are the characters that have made Oakdale come alive over the years and I realized that I will miss them so much if the show does not continue. The time is winding down and I continue to hope that something happens to keep Oakdale alive.
That's all I have for now.
Reggie Jackson
