| Rating: | ★★★ |
| Category: | Other |
I’ve long been curious about the way America produce their own version of the soap opera, which in basic definition, is a drama serial aired in the afternoon and are mostly sponsored by soap and detergent companies (thus they are called “Daytime Soaps”). US soaps have done it all, even the impossible, the most exagerrating, the most overly-used, and outright ridiculous storylines one could not imagine.
ABC’s One Life to Live is no exception. As in all other soaps, it boast of an ensemble cast lead by one actor that’s pretty much carries the flame of the program. The show centers around the lives of residents living in Llanview (pronounced as “lahn-view”), particularly the Buchanans, Lords, Mannings, etc.
I don’t need to tell you exactly the premise of the soap given its durability that had it lasted 40 years and still ongoing. As in most soaps in general, it features stories that are multigenerational, most often confusing, and at times relevant to today’s issues.
Given the reputation that its sister soaps, General Hospital and All My Children, had had made to the genre’s image, one cannot separate genre as a showcase of “SEX, SEX, SEX!” (quoted from a recent episode), half-naked hunks, and power-hungry vixens in addition to the fact that many 2nd to 3rd generation characters are blood-related or turn out to be NOT related at all.
Which leads me to the present storyline of One Life to Live that’s been ongoing since November.
1)The Baby-Switch=Cousins Jessica Buchanan-Brennan and Starr Manning were both expecting babies due almost at the same time. The father of Jessica’s baby died recently (or so I think) while Starr got pregnant by her boyfriend Cole Thornhart.
Jessica has a long history of multi-polar disorder, recurring when she’s in a state of stress. She had two alter-egos, Tess and Bess. One time, when both Jessica and Starr gave birth, the former’s baby (named Chloe) died because of a genetic disease.
Much of the agony took a toll on Jess’s state of mind that one of her alters, Bess, took over and decided to switch Chloe with that of Starr’s (named Hope). And without anyone seeing her, Bess switched the two babies and took Hope as Jessica’s Chloe. Before she had who she thought of as “Hope” handed over to the nursery, she kept a lock of her not-her-daughter’s hair and stored it inside her locket.
It left Starr devastated over the death of who she thought of as Hope.
Fast-forward to March 2009, Jess’ sister is now suspecting that something’s not right with the whole Chloe/Hope story and confided with her fiancee that the babies may have been switched. Marcie, a friend of Starr who she intend to give her baby to for adoption had she lived, also suspected something wrong with the whole situation so she decided to tell Starr of her suspicions.
Fast tracked to May 2009, the truth behind the baby-switch is about to unfold. The coffin of Chloe/Hope was unearthed for autopsy while Jess’s sister finally confirmed her suspicions of the baby switch but is too afraid to tell her sister about it. This week, supercouple Starr and Cole (both are 17 years old FYI) will now find out who’s the real Hope and who’s baby was inside that coffin.
2)Todd and Marty-Todd Manning is Starr’s dad while Marty is Cole’s mom. They both shared a past together when back in 1992 Todd and several members of a fraternity raped a drunken Marty, leaving her traumatized. This whole storyline has been going on for more than 10 years and it shows no sign of slowing down despite the roles being recast by different actors (actors a replaceable in US soap world).
The latest update on this was that Marty, Todd, and two other women (Starr’s mother and Todd’s wife) were kidnap by one of Todd’s ex-fratmen who was with him when the raped happened. Ex-frat had lost his mind because of guilt and is now focused on killing Todd. So he had him tied up on the same bed that Marty was on when she was raped, while her and the two others were tangled up in chairs. This week may be the culminating event for this chapter of the post-Marty/Todd rape story.
and this now connects to OLTL’s story of the week…
3)Grandpa and Child=Rebecca, ex-frat’s sister was in town to help her brother get his revenge on Todd. Last Friday was when she found out of Chloe/Hope’s true blood relation so she kidnapped her while Jessica and current beau, Brody, were downstairs making out. She intends to use Hope as a way to torture Todd (who is unaware as of now that she’s his granddaughter). Starr and Cole found out after coming home from Prom that both of their parents were somehow kidnapped based from Starr’s traumatized brother.
4)Yo Soy Lola la Loca=Obviously this would appeal to mostly teen viewers are into the characters of Langston, Markko, and Lola. Cutting it short, before Prom Night, Lola poked several pieces of condoms that Langston’s mom gave to her which Langston intends to use for her love-making session with Markko. Lola during prom got high after buying some drug inside the school ground and went home feeling much high and la loca.
Langston’s mom and Lola’s dad eventually found out what Lola did so they rushed to call the two lovers and warned them about the condoms. Good thing that Markko bought some over-the-counter ones for them to really have some safe sex.
A very high Lola came clean when she blurted out that she was the one who killed her mom (hundreds of episodes ago I think) but turns out her aim was killing Langston’s adopted mother!
5)Gigi-Loves-Rex-That’s Why=This one’s ongoing since last March. Cole, Gigi and her son Shaun, and Bo Buchanan’s son Matthew got into a car accident, leaving Matthew paralyzed while Shaun was later diagnosed and discovered he has leukemia. One way for Shaun to be saved from the frequent exposures of radiation resulted from chemotherapy is for a blood transplant compatible to his own blood. Somehow, an evil vixen found a way to save Shaun but because she’s so interested of taking Rex away from Gigi, she blackmailed her on leaving Rex in order to give her what Gigi needs to save Shaun.
What I don’t get is that Gigi had al he chance she had to tell the father of her son about the blackmail without ever letting the vixen know Gigi was breakinger her part of the deal. They could have pretend that they’ve broken up and seems liek this is going to get long as long as the 6-month old Chloe/Hope babyswitch.
I find the stories kind of ridiculous, exagerrated and but at the same time entertaining that makes you wanting more and more. Remember though that several sets of week’s worth of episodes or less covers at least one day in the life of a Llanviewer so expect that the pacing to be slow time-wise. What could only keep yourself from dozing off would the character’s interaction with each other. Their yapping and yelling is the main staple of the soap so depending on how man good writer they have, viewer are sure not to be bored at all.
Because after all, we only have One Life to Live.
PCD performing “Jai Ho” on One Life to Live: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LhQRZSKT5c
