For Soapy Eyes Only
Even though I watch the thing on a daily (and rather rabid) basis, I don’t make a habit of blogging about One Life to Live. But I have been enthralled by the writing on this soap since this guy named Ron Carlivati (last year’s Emmy winner) took over as Head Writer. But that’s no surprise to anyone who’s gone far enough back in these archives to see the occasional entry mentioning this show and/or my adorably inconsequential campaign to become a new writer there. (Yoo hoo…Carlivatiiiiii….)
So the reason I’m blogging now is because there’s this Canadian writer named Nelson Branco, who writes on soaps. (I’m not linking to him because — as you’ll see — I’m peeved; Google him yourself if you must.) In any event, this Nelson guy has previously been one of the loudest cheerleaders of both One Life to Live and Ron Carlivati. But Mr. Branco (that’s Portuguese for “white,” btw) certainly seems to have a branco y preto personality (guess what preto means in Portuguese?). There is a controversial storyline right now, and he doesn’t like it. Boo freakin’ hoo. But he is being such a name-calling, over-the-top freak about it, I just had to throw my own two cents into the ring.
I think it’s a very compelling story, hugely well told, and resourcefully calling upon the long history of the show. (And I’m not saying all that to blow smoke up the Carlivati butt…yoo hoo…Carlivatiiiii…) And, frankly, the past several episodes — including the one that Black-and-White Boy has been calling obscene, insulting, depraved, and caused him to stop caring — have been brilliant, must-watch daytime (if that isn’t an oxymoron to you).
Here’s the controversy: years ago, a snobby, troublemaking college girl named Marty was gang-raped at a frat party. The “chief rapist” was a sadistic piece of work named Todd, who went on to menace several of the women on the show. Ultimately, however — due mostly to the compelling work of the actor — Todd was turned from remorseless villain to erratic, haunted antihero. The closest thing to redemption he’s reached has been through the love of his teenage daughter — who has subsequently fallen in love with and gotten pregnant by (wait for it) Marty’s son.
All of that is fine, par-for-the-course soap stuff. But Marty was in an accident and got amnesia, and the only one to rescue her was Todd, who has been keeping the truth from her…and taking care of her. It has been a strange kind of guilt-relief, his tending to her…but it’s also been a psychotic journey down the rabbit hole for him, because he couldn’t deal rationally with his daughter’s pregnancy.
So what’s the uproar that has Nelson’s knickers bunched up? Marty, through her accidental innocence, and Todd, through a subtle and complex mix of psychosis and redemption, have fallen in love. And they just had sex the other day.
One of soapdom’s most famous couples, Luke and Laura of General Hospital, began as rapist and victim. It has always been a distasteful corner of soap history, this rape-leads-to-love idea, and no one has wanted to defend it or repeat it. And if the Todd and Marty storyline were more of the same, I might be as frantically flailing as the Branc-meister. But it’s NOT that story. If Marty were compos mentis, it would be rape. If Todd were malicious, premeditated, or dominating, it would be rape. Yes…Todd is exhibiting a form of abuse by keeping the truth from her. But his desperation to be free of his guilt through her love takes this whole storyline out of the branco y preto, dude.
There. That’s what I needed to say. If Carlivati goes trolling through the Internet looking for reactions to his work these days, I wanted him to at least have THIS Branco-contrasting opinion. It’s very, very good work. Really interesting, structurally sound, and subtle. I guess SOME people wouldn’t know subtle if it hit them with a sledgehammer….