|
NORA!! Well, Lindsay, are you happy with now? Nora is DEAD!
Of course, we know she’s not, but right now in the universe of OLTL, our beloved Nora is dead *sniff*.
So what happened to Nora? How could she survive that explosion? Between the anxious family members waiting helplessly
for news and the confusion at the crash site, the tension in Monday’s episode was almost unbearable. Bo was making
a valiant effort to reach Nora when a huge explosion rocked the car, and Bo (shouting Nora’s name) was pulled back
by rescue workers. Later, he wandered the site in a daze, asking everyone if they’d seen Nora and clutching the
tattered photo of Nora and Matthew he’d found near her earlier. But no one had seen her and the professionals on
the scene told Bo there was no way she could have survived.
Back at the inn, the waiting had become almost unbearable. Sam became more and more agitated and vowed to hold
Asa responsible if anything happened to Will, while Lindsay continued to badmouth Nora, even going so far as to
say, "if there’s any justice in this world that woman is dead." Shocking!
Soon, Kevin, Kelly, Joey, Roseanne, and Antonio had joined the ranks of the waiting. Tensions flared. Roseanne
blamed Jess, Antonio blamed Will. Then Lindsay screamed at everyone to stop fighting and placing blame – nice speech,
Lindsay, but didn’t you just blame Nora?
Rae and Sophia joined the group and were relieved to discover that John, though injured, was among the survivors.
They made a beeline to the Cherryvale Clinic where John was being treated by Dr. McGuyver (Melanie).
Soon, Rae and John were back to their old goo-goo-eyed routine, and Rae gave John the Cliff Notes version of her
recent adventures ‘cross the ABC soaps landscape. I’m not a big John/Rae fan. My wish has always been for a Pygmalion-style
John/Sophia romance, but that seemed unlikely now.
Tired of waiting, Sam and Ben crashed the crash site. Bo told Sam that Will had been hurt in the crash but was
safe and had left with Cris and Jess. Sam seemed miffed at Bo for "allowing" Will to leave, and then
he asked, "Where’s Nora." Bo broke the news as gently as possible, but Sam didn’t want to hear the truth
and wouldn’t accept it even when Bo described all the damning details: how Nora had been trapped, the sparks, the
leaking fuel, and the explosion. When Bo handed Sam the picture of Nora and Matthew he’d found, Sam broke down
in tears, but only briefly. Ben returned to the inn and gave everyone the good news that Will, Jess, and Cris were
alive.
Lindsay managed to sneak onto the crash site where she found Bo in a state of shock. Lindsay claimed she’d never
wanted anything like this to happen to Nora, but to me her words rang hollow. Bo was in no mood to talk so Lindsay
left him alone. Then Bo put his head in his hands and said, "Dear god, why didn’t I just say it when I had
the change? I forgive you, Red, I do."
Meanwhile, Cris had managed to hot-wire a nearby car and he, Jess, and an injured Will took off for Viki’s cabin.
Watching Jess tenderly nursing Will, Cris started feeling like the odd man out, so he volunteered to return the
borrowed car. When he got back to Cherryvale, a relieved Roseanne was waiting for him. Cris fibbed and said he
didn’t know what had happened to Will and Jess.
Back at the cabin, Jess insisted Will stay awake due to a possible concussion. Soon Will was pressuring Jess about
their future together since he might soon be free. But Jess was hesitant. Just because she wants to right her grandfather’s
wrong and help Will, doesn’t mean that she’s ready to commit to him in terms of a relationship.
Bo arrived at the courthouse to tell Hank the bad news. R.J. was there and started taunting Bo about their pending
court case. Ashen-faced, Bo told the Gannon brothers about Nora. Hank was rocked. "Are you sure?" he
asked Bo. R.J. was equally devastated, but reacted by lashing out at Bo for failing to save Nora. I’m so happy
the show honored history by acknowledging Nora and R.J.’s past. Looking for someone to blame, R.J. showed up at
the diner and went off on Antonio for lying to the cops, but in truth, his anger came from his pain over Nora.
At the close of Wednesday’s show, Hank made the call to Rachel.
Now we all know that Nora is alive, but just exactly how? Here are the scenarios I hope OLTL avoids:
No amnesia, please!
No disfigurement either
And most fervently of all, please don’t let Nora be rescued by an eccentric mountain man.
Back in Llanview, Sam continued to insist to anyone who would
listen that Nora was alive. He said they were connected and he would know if she was dead. When Bo again tried
to get him to face facts, he sent Bo packing.
One question: If Sam is so sure that Nora is out there alive and needing help, what the hell is he doing sitting
at home?
Lindsay found Sam on the phone with a private investigator. At first, she thought he’d been hired to find Will
and was shocked to discover the investigator was out looking for Nora. Lindsay tried to make Sam accept Nora’s
death, but this time, it was Sam who got mad and ordered Lindsay to "get out!" Frankly, I didn’t blame
him. Lindsay’s claim that she never wanted Nora dead ranks pretty low on the credibility scale.
Cris managed to give Roseanne the slip and make it back to the cabin. He told Will and Jess about Nora. Jess remembered
that Nora had the tape. I still don’t see why Jessica can’t testify about what Asa told here. I'm pretty sure that’s
direct evidence (Jess testifying about what Asa said to her), not hearsay (Cris testifying what Jess said Asa said
to her).
Cris and Jess returned to Llanview for supplies and soon ran into Hank and Jared who were convinced the two teens
could lead them to Will. Cris came up with a pretty good story: He told Hank that Will had gone back to help Nora
and had probably died in the same explosion. Jessica acted shocked at the news. When Hank asked why she didn’t
know this before, Jess said she’d been taken to Cherryvale to be checked out. Hank pointed out that her name wasn’t
on the list of those treated, so she rattled off an accurate description of the lobby. Cris and Jess thought they’d
pulled a fast one, but Hank arranged to have them tailed
Sam’s stream of visitors continued. Jared stopped by to offer his condolences and Sam told him that Nora was still
alive. Then Cris showed up and told his story about Will "dying" in the crash. After Jared left, Cris
told Sam it wasn’t true and Sam asked him where Will was, but Cris kept mum.
Bo showed up at the gallery to see Lindsay. He was pretty shattered by everything that had happened, and Lindsay
used the opportunity to get closer to Bo again. Bo said Nora’s last words were a request for Bo to forgive Lindsay.
Lindsay made a snotty comment about Nora being "noble to the end," then said she never wished Nora dead
– liar! Maybe she never *really* wished Nora dead, but she certainly gave voice to that sentiment on more than
one occasion. Then Bo told her what else Nora had said and asked for the truth. Typical Lindsay, even when asked
pointblank she waffled a bit before ultimately admitting she had been pregnant and had lost the baby.
Back at the cabin, Will tried desperately to stay awake, but soon lapsed into sleep or unconsciousness amidst visions
of Jessica. Is Will gonna die? Ben stopped by Llanfair looking for Jess and found Viki. He clued her in about the
train wreck and Nora’s death. Viki called Jess (she was at the diner giving Roseanne hell) and told her to come
home. Ben asked Jess to tell him where Will is. Jess lied and said she didn’t know. Suddenly her cell phone rings.
It was Will, and he’s in pretty bad shape.
Across town, Renee and Blair are experiencing something new: empathy and alliance. Both loved Max (and may still
love him) and both were cruelly betrayed. Blair had one question for Renee, "Are you strong enough to boot
Max out?" When Asa returned home, Renee revealed that Max had faked his brain damage. But guess what? Asa
was pleased and congratulated Max on a brilliant scheme. (Come on! Asa may not be troubled by Max’s lies, but I’m
damn sure he would’ve wanted to be in on the con.) Appalled by Asa’s reaction, Renee was on the verge of telling
him Max wasn’t their son when Bo walked in and told them about Nora. Bo said Asa was responsible for Nora’s death
and called her the latest "casualty" in Asa’s "stupid war" with the Rappaports. Then Bo demanded
that Asa make Nora’s death mean something clearing Will. Instead, Asa called the governor and told him to pull
out all the stops to track Will down. Asa is so mean! Bo told his father, "If I could, I would trade your
life for Nora’s." Naturally, Max backed up "Paw" 100% -- much to the disgust of Blair, Renee, and
Bo. Bo told Max to "go straight to hell." Again, Renee almost told Asa that Max isn’t their son, but
held back out of concern for Asa’s health.
Blair and Max went at it a bit, then Max called Skye and invited her to move in – ouch! Blair told her husband
that if Skye moves in he has passed the point of no return. When Max refused to back down, Blair announced that
it’s "total war." (Gee, what was it before?) Skye told Max she knows he’s using her and she’s willing
to be used.
Later, Asa showed up at Nora’s and acted surprised to see Sam there – why? Sam and Asa quarreled. Sam thinks it’s
Asa’s fault that Nora is dead, and Asa thinks this whole mess started when Sam went after Nora. Sam told Asa that
Nora despised him. Asa told Sam Nora that loved him and was the daughter he never had. Then Sam wished Asa dead.
Asa challenged him to back that up, and when Sam didn’t respond, Asa accused him of "lily-livered Rappa-Davidson
cowardice." Considering everything that’s happened, this encounter should’ve packed more of an emotional punch,
instead it kind of fell flat, though it did provide a telling glimpse into Asa’s motives and self-justification.
Back at the diner, Antonio got an angry call from Andy who was upset by the photos Roseanne had sent. So Antonio
screamed at Roseanne again. But let’s face facts. Why shouldn’t Roseanne fight back? And if Andy is having a full-blown
affair, why would she get upset over some innocuous photo-booth pictures (unless she’s looking for an excuse to
dump Antonio for good). After Antonio gave Roseanne yet another self-righteous scolding, a chastened Roseanne called
Andy and told her the photos were just payback and that Antonio is "innocent." Really? I’m beginning
to be creeped out by Roseanne and Antonio. I hate the way he’s always grabbing her, spitting insults at her one
minute and kissing her the next.
SNIPPETS
•
For Pete’s sake, Viki – just tell Ben the
truth! He knows you were at Cherryvale, and you’ve let enough slip already, so you might as well come clean.
• What
the hell was Asa talking about? When did he ever visit Nora at her new house and receive a hearty welcome and the
offer of a cup of tea? And when did Asa ever drink tea!?
• I
find it hard to believe that newspaper publisher Viki Carpenter would not have heard about the train wreck. Is
there no TV, radio, or daily newspaper at Llanfair?
• Why
wouldn’t Cris tell Kevin (privately, of course) about Jessica and Will – maybe he could help.
• Viki’s
reaction to the news of Nora’s "death," was among the most genuine and moving.
• Already,
I’m hearing talk about Antonio and Rachel – sounds intriguing. And let’s not forget that Rachel and Kevin were
engaged at one point.
• I
feel sorry for Will but hate the way he pressures Jess. He’s as clingy and desperate as Roseanne! Cris on the other
hand is so much smarter and self-assured lately, though he pressures Jess too.
•
I hate the fact that Patricia Maruci is
not on contract. We see so little of Carlotta and that undercuts the impact of Cris and Antonio’s storylines. Carlotta
should never be on the periphery of her son’s lives.
• I’ve
heard Roseanne play her trump vulnerability card (her mother’s suicide) several times before, but Erika Page manages
to sell it every time.
• Wouldn’t
Sam (and Bo) insist on looking through the car where Nora was last seen?
• Gee,
Rae, John is barely out of surgery and already you’re burdening him with the whole story of your missing daughter
and asking his advice. Pushy, pushy.
• Why
does Jess think the cabin is so safe? Once they know Jess, Will, and Cris are together, that’s one of the first
places people would look!
• Ben
may have lost his license, but he’s still a doctor – why didn’t he volunteer to assist at the crash site? I’m sure
they could’ve used an extra pair of hands.
• Well,
Bo – do you still believe your feelings for Nora are in the past?
• The
best part of Rae’s return is more exposure for Sophia.
• How
will Max ever be able to redeem himself after all this?
• Nice
work by Bob Woods’s stunt double during that explosion sequence!
• Lindsay
has pulled a lot of raw stunts in her day, but to wish Nora dead – unforgivable!
• Monday’s
cliff was exquisite agony as Sam met Bo’s hollow eyes.
• Supposedly
Andy cheated on Antonio, so why would Carlotta be so friendly to her on the phone?
• So
does Sam deserve Nora more than Bo since he believes she’s alive and Bo doesn’t?
• JFP’s
famous music montages succeed or fail on both the strength and the aptness of the music. On Wednesday, as the news
of Nora’s death rocked Llanview, I felt the Celtic-flavored music – though lovely and haunting – wasn’t really
"Nora," and detracted, just a bit, from the emotion of the moment.
• You’d
think Bo would be more open to the idea that Nora is still alive, especially given his track record with Sarah!
Till next week!
|
