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« The Bold and the Beautiful: Week In Review | Main | With Whom May I Register A Complaint? »

May 23, 2011

Did You Bring It?

In the 312 theatre classes I've taken over the years, one of the most frequent assignments I've gotten (and given) is to write a short play or improvise a scene that starts with the line, "Did you bring it?" And then you go from there. Sometimes this can yield something specific and imaginative, and other times I'll sit through scene after scene (sheepishly, I confess, often written by me) that never go anywhere and stay so vague that they feel like they're lifted from the middle of a David Mamet play ("Did you bring it?" "What?" "The thing." "What thing?" "Did you bring it?" "What thing?" "The fuckin' thing." "What the hell?" "You know what I mean, the thing with the fucking thing on it." "Oh, that thing?" "Yeah, that fuckin' thing!" and so on). So far, this "Who did you give it to" business with Roger Howarth's character (is it Todd? I don't frikkin' know!) sounds like the latter. It's so vague that I would actually believe that these scenes were written and taped in one fell swoop before the beats of the rest of the story were actually mapped out. It could mean anything! Which, sure, I'm game and I enjoy the mystery, but I still don't want to sit through the usual "big name actor returns!" song and dance on soaps where he'll stay isolated from the rest of the cast and be non-specific and mysterious until forever from now.

Todd

Todd(?): I didn't give "it" to him because I don't know what "it" is! I'll tell you what, why don't you tell me what "it" is, and then maybe I can help you!

I think perhaps no one knows what "it" is, Todd(?). No one at all.

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So they've already started the inevitable march back to the John/Natalie reunion, which makes me grumpy and sleepy. I like Natalie, but I think it was completely reasonable of John to be furious with her and leave her for her lies and, to me, the worst thing about his going back to her would be that she'd accept him with open arms and be so grateful that he deigns to be with her again after what she did. And it would be a huge thing to forgive -- she betrayed him in a big way. I don't really like the idea of Natalie's "forever" (as far as we're concerned as of January) to start with such an uneven playing field. If she has to be paired off in the end, I'd rather it be with someone who thinks she's amazing and isn't being somehow magnanimous by committing to her, and they can start off on more equal footing. And if John has to be paired off in the end, I'd rather it be with someone he doesn't think he's superior to (if such a person exists). I know I might get a hit taken out on me for this opinion, but at the moment I prefer John with Kelly -- and Kelly has committed worse sins than Natalie has (giving birth to her own step-grandson, anyone?) but none of them were about John, and frankly committing worse sins than Natalie has is exactly why it's fine if she ends up with a douche like McBain. I rather enjoyed their bonding over how pathetic they were, though clearly that's over now (which seems fast...I know everyone is freaking out that they need to get moving on the stories that matter but if so many of the "ending" couples are already reunited and then we have seven more months of daily episodes, well, zzzz...) and we can go back to John being all noble and rescue-y. Joy. (And yes, I still want them to reunite Natalie and Cris and, yes, I realize there's plenty to forgive there but the difference is that they'd have to forgive each other. And really? They already have.) (And since we're on the subject of never-gonna-happen fantasies I'd also settle for one last Mitch Laurence appearance before the conclusion in which he shows up with a not-at-all-dead Jared and Natalie reunites with him while all the women in town are finally the ones to take Mitch down. I will give them fifty whole dollars to do this.)

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I just adored in the midst of everything that while explaining things to Matthew, Bo and Nora emphasized that -- however confusing Clint's actions have been and however much they might be furious with him -- he loves his nephew. Which is important, no matter what Clint has done, so that whatever the hell is about to go down with Matthew, he'll know he is loved by the people he's grown up thinking loved him. (What the hell is about to go down with Matthew?! No, don't tell me, it's just... I can't take it. This is obviously my favorite under-30 character and actor on the show so I'm just going to watch it play out and hope for the best because I am a naive fool consumed by madness.)

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Of the actors who play the various nefarious Fords, I think Lenny Platt (Nate) is probably the strongest just in terms of basic talent, but unfortunately he's just been very badly, badly miscast. If I cared about his character, I might be really engaged by his reaction to learning Matthew killed Eddie and was letting him and his mother (at turns) take the rap and still treating Nate with contempt the whole time because it could be a story about two young men at odds that we'd be torn watching; there are sympathetic elements in each of their situations and they've both done bad things and good things but are ultimately just human. But the decks are stacked and Nate's function on this show much of the time has been to make Matthew look bad, and it looks like a grown man having grown-man-emotions dealing with a kid. I admit my extreme bias toward Matthew despite his bad acts and my extreme bias against any Ford, but it's made so much worse by the fact that it looks like an adult vs. a kid. 

I'm being kind of nice today, aren't I? I mean, in a "faint praise" kind of way but still... perhaps it's just the kindness I can dig deep for after watching an episode with only one of the three Ford brothers and not a single Jessica alter!

Destiny out!

Comments

RH's Todd is supposed to break out of there eventually and make his way back to Llanview, so I'm guessing that it's at the end of this week. I also think we'll be learning what "it" is this week as well.

I just can't wait to see RH interact with everyone in Llanview again.

Boo! I was hoping you'd go on an angrier tear re: Nate, who has zoomed up my hate list to right under his eldest brother.

Inez was in jail for drugging Bo not killing Eddie. Sick of the show insinuating otherwise and I'm tired of the Fords being whitewashed. Eddie tried to rape Nora while Inez was drugging Bo. Nate and his family need to leave town.

The only thing I'm upset about is not Natalie lying to John but the fact that the lie came out and so did Tess (and Bess and now the delightful Wes). Why oh why couldn't that little secret have gone to the grave when ever Natalie does? Buuut no, it came out and now I have suffered the presence of Tess and Wes. Besides which, I rather enjoyed the months of Natalie making John her little bitch. Seriously, the only time I ever liked Mcbain was when he was going to be a daddy. John obviously needs someone who believes he hung the moon and Natalie gives him that. I won't take out a hit (pinky swear) but Kelly is the most irritating , self absorbed , judgemental and hypocritical character on the show. On second thought, yeah. Maybe John does deserve her.

Sad to say, but the tale of the two Todd's is a convoluted mess so far. It's pretty clear it's being written on the fly. But hell. I'll give it a chance.

Poor Matthew. We have so little time left time I hate to say anything negative about our soap, but sometimes it hurts to watch.

I'm hoping John dies before the show goes off the air thereby giving me Natalie as a
Nate stole jewelry from Todd's home and tried frame his own girlfriend's father for Eddie's death.

I will always be on Matthew's side since ti was so obvious we're suppose to root for senior citizen high school teen, Nate.
single mother or with Brody.

One more time...lol

I'm hoping that John dies before the show goes off the air and Natalie is either a singler parent or paired up with Brody.

I'll take Cris and Natalie, please! I hate John.

The whole RH return is giving me flashbacks to the horrible Steve/Patch return on Days a few years back. The only bright side of the cancellation is that this show doesn't have enough time to mess this up that badly.

I think Todd? escapes and heads back to Llanview next week. I don't think that's too bad, all things considered. Only about two weeks of him in the cell talking about the "thing," and even then it's only been a few scenes. If this were GH, he'd be there until November sweeps, when Jason would come swinging in on a vine and rescue him.

Move over and make room for me in the Naive Fool Consumed By Madness bench, Louise! I'm still not convinced that it's going to go down the way the spoilers imply. I'm still fairly sure that Marty will be the one who gives "it" to Clint. Though now I'm also worried about Shane, because the bullying story still has "tragedy" to come.

"and hope for the best because I am a naive fool consumed by madness"

Louise, you have truly become a Serial Drama gal, because that line was GENIUS!!! Love your recaps!

I just can't find a smidge of sympathy for Nate or his mom. Nate wouldn't have been in jail if he hadn't confessed. Yes, he did it to protect his mom, but even that's no excuse b/c not once, during that whole period, did Nate actually ask his mother if she did it.

Also, he framed Todd (albeit unintentionally) with his super-sleuthing, so he's not a victim at all. Nate got himself into that mess all on his own.

It will be interesting to know, however, if he'll step up and "be a man" now that it's clear he truly injured Matthew.

I love the idea of Mitch showing up with a not-at-all-dead Jared and having a Natalie and Jared reunion. I was thinking it before I read it was one of your choices for Natalie.

It's the only pairing of hers that I ever liked. In fact, I stopped watching soon after Jared was killed off.

I am playing catch up and wondering how RH and that guy playing the...erm...agent? are delivering these lines with straight faces. OMG! I actually started laughing. It's a comedy routine, right? Like, who's on first? Right? right?

Cindy, OMG, that Mr. Baker is so over the top about it too!

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