Welcome to CC's Soap Saloon!

August 11, 2007

Dear Ron Carlivati,

I can't wait until your name finally appears (ALONE) under the Head Writer title. May I ask a favor of you? Pretty please, with whipped cream and sprinkles? Could you please, please, please FIX Natalie Buchanan? I beg of you! For far too long we have suffered through the pale imitation of the fiery, determined, yet vulnerable young woman Natalie Balsom was when she first blew into town. I don't know who this person onscreen was for the last couple of years, but she isn't Natalie. I have heard about the love you have for this show, and of the great respect you hold for the characters (especially the vets) and their histories. We have seen glimpses of the old glory scattered around the canvas since you assumed Co-Head-Writership, and we are clamoring for MORE! Yes, it has been a bit confusing (read: schizophrenic) when we see such uneven storylines, but we could take it, because we've seen a glimpse of the potential looming on the horizon.

How great has it been to see Viki LAUGH again? Not just chuckle or smile, but full on LAUGHTER!! Putting her with David was sheer genius. I feel confident that I speak for a lot of fans when I say that watching the friendship bloom between David and Viki was a thing of beauty. It was so great to see David (of all people) lavish the kind of respect on Viki that she so richly deserves, not to mention watching him treating her as the vibrant, sexy woman she is? Absolutely inspired! It's things like this that we long-time (and long-suffering) soap fans have been crying for. Dare we hope that TPTB are able to lure Tuc Watkins back for more extended visits to Llanview (and Llanfair!) I would love to see David play protector of the homestead, especially now that Natalie has harangued Viki into allowing Psycho-Miles to take up residence on the grounds.

Speaking of which. Does Natalie care one whit about her mother at all? I mean, I GET that she doesn't like Todd, but what about her poor mother? Bad enough that Viki's daughters are a complete disgrace to her, but to have Natalie so callously foist Miles upon her - without so much as the courtesy to ASK or give her some warning before she waltzes in the door with him, but Natalie has to use emotional blackmail on her? "If you REALLY love me, then you'll trust my judgment on this." WTF is THAT?!! "You gave ME a second chance. You gave Todd a second chance. You saw something of worth in us." For one thing Natty? YOU are her daughter and Todd is her brother. Blood does count for something, hasn't she learned that by now, from hanging around the Buchanans all this time? No, wait, that's right. Natty couldn't be bothered to hang with Buchanans. She was too busy stalking...erm... obsessing. uh. loving John McBain.

Anyway, lest I lose my point. Miles is neither - to Viki or to Natalie - so why SHOULD Viki feel obligated to give him a "second chance"? He very nearly got Todd killed. He DID try (very hard) to convince a SIXTEEN YEAR-OLD boy to kill his girlfriends father! Not just any sixteen year-old boy, mind you, but her COUSINS' BOYFRIEND!!! Yeah. her cousin, Starr, Todd's daughter. The same girl Natalie claims to give a fig about. He's her cousin Jack's father, too, as well as Viki's brother. If she doesn't love or care about her own mother, though, I don't suppose I can expect her to care about her cousins, can I?

*sigh*

So, please Mr. Carlivati. when you take over and Higley's (so-called) storylines have finally run out? Please fix Natalie. While I'm prostrating and begging so shamelessly, can you fix Jessica, too? Pretty please? Old Jess was mind-numbingly boring, yes, and no more savvy than she is now, but even that was more acceptable than this. creature we're stuck with now. Tess was great! She was fun, she was lively, she was spirited. She was supposed to be "bad" and we loved her for it. Integrated-Jess was supposed to be a newer, more improved Jess. So.what happened? I have to believe that it was the work of what Jeremy (at the "Llanview Craze" www.soaptownusa.com) calls "The Dena Higley Debasement of Women Initiative." (I couldn't agree more, Jeremy!) Even Tess would not have hurt a child the way Jess hurt Jamie. What she did to Antonio was despicable, but what she did to Jamie? Inexcusable. What's worse? She's so damned HAPPY, in spite of what she did to them! So yes, please Mr. Carlivati, fix Jess, too? They are "twins" after all - got anything along the lines of a two-fer?!

*bats eyelashes beguilingly*

While I'm being so greedy, may I ask you to fix one more character? Please, please, please DO something about Adri-YAWN-a Cramer? I know she wasn't RAISED by Dorian, but she must have at least SOME of her genes; some of her intelligence. (Mustn't she?) She is an embarrassment to the Cramer name -and that's saying a lot. Please, make her not so pathetic? We'd all appreciate it!

Back to some more positive notes...

Is it my imagination, or is John McBain actually showing signs of life? A beating heart, more animation and a substantially broader sense of humor and lightness?! Can it be? Is this Mr. Carlivati's influence? (I think YES!) John has been. FUNNY, lately and. CUTE! I almost fell over when I saw him cutting it up with baby Tommy. That? Was GREAT!!!! His usual dogged determination to uncover the truth isn't nearly so dark and dreary as has been the case in days past. Yes, I know that it can only lead to heartache - not just for Michael and Marcie, but for himself as well - still, he's not nearly so... depressing to behold. Maybe it's because he's not being saddled with Nagging Natty this time around. He's working opposite the awesome Jean Paul Lavoisier and Nathaniel Marston and the three of them are running on all cylinders. His scenes with Marcie and Tommy were cute and poignant all at the same time. Cute cause, well, they just were! And poignant? Because John knew - even before he wanted to admit it to himself - that Tommy IS Todd, Jr. The look on his face when Marcie answered his question about Tommy's birthday said it all. Brilliant! Then later, when he confronted Michael at Rex's apartment? Brilliantly done. The whole time Michael was pleading with and haranguing John to keep the Tommy secret, you could see that Michael wouldn't even be able to keep the secret himself. Not without cracking up completely himself. I mean, he's already losing it. There's no way he would be able to hold it together even if John DIDN'T know.

What else, what else..? Ah yes, Todd! And Blair. I love that they are "taking their time" with these two for a change. I love that Todd hasn't forgotten his feelings for Evangeline. Much as TPTB (and Dena Higley) didn't want to admit it, Todd and Evangeline had something real. It may not have been forever love after all, but it was real - and it could/would have been a strong foundation for a lifelong friendship. Todd has no friends, he sure could have used one like Evangeline. If they do plan on recasting the character of Evangeline, I hope they painstakingly screen-test any candidates off of Trevor St. John before settling on just another pretty face. Chemistry isn't something that can be faked - they need to find someone who has honest-to-goodness chemistry with Mr. St. John or bag the notion altogether.

I'm also looking forward to the continued re-discovery of Starr's inner vixen. I don't mean in a sexual way, mind you, I mean that fearless-spitfire aspect of her personality she had as a child. I want to see the same girl who braved dark and dangers and deadly spiders to save Dr. Troy from psycho-Lindsay. THAT Starr? She would have made mincemeat of Miles in no time without even breaking a sweat. And, personally? I would LOVE to see Starr go after Natalie. Maybe SHE could teach Natty a thing or two about family loyalty. Heck, while we're at it, why not get Jack involved, too? Starr was a strong, assertive child at his age - a force to be reckoned with, if you will. Time to see some of that spunk in her brother. It'd also be nice to see Todd and Jack bond a little more. Todd and Starr have been so close virtually all her life, but you just don't see that connection between Todd and Jack. If anyone can rectify this, I'm sure it's you, Mr. Carlivati.

Did I mention how lovely it was to have David and Viki paired up in scenes together? I did? Well, it bears repeating.

*raises a glass to toast Ron Carlivati*

Here's to you, sir! May your reign in "Llanview" be long, happy and productive. CHEERS!
CC

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