Given the fact that Trevor St. John has brought so much to the role of Todd Manning over the past 8 years, I think it’s insulting that the One Life To Live writers have marginalized his contributions by

A. Trying to make us believe that he was brainwashed to be Todd all this time

And

B. Killing him off as Victor Lord Jr., thereby ending the realm of possibilities there could have been between him and Roger Howarth as his brother, Todd.

Isn’t it enough to take One Life To Live off of our television screen?

Trevor St. John

One would think that might spur the writers to go out with a bang….make these last few months spectacular!

Instead, the fabulous Robin Strasser as Dorian Lord is off our screen (I know there was back surgery involved), along with the equally fabulous Gina Tognoni as Kelly Cramer and the wonderful Tom Degnan as Joey Buchanan.

Now Trevor, as Todd, is gone….as in dead. I knew it was coming as TSJ put a message to his fans on his website saying that his last day of taping was the week of July 18. The guy is a class act.

Que Sera Sera! I see bigger things in Trevor’s future. He’s a great actor who has done lots of other things in primetime television and movies. So he will definitely be fine.

I was so happy to be able to see Trevor one last time after his fan luncheon last month, even though my plane landed too late for me to attend his event. He stayed one hour after the alotted time his event was supposed to end in order to spend as much time as he could with his fans….Now THAT’s a nice guy!

Trevor and me after his fan luncheon last month

Let me say upfront that this is NOT a Trevor vs. Roger column. I think both are wonderful actors and have each made the role of Todd Manning their own.

But let’s just say I was less than happy to hear Roger Howarth was coming back as Todd Manning…no slight to Roger at all.

It’s just that I have come to love the layers in the character that TSJ has brought to our screens.

And, I also have to say, that the more I watched the “Tale of Two Todds” unfold, I became intrigued…. There really WERE so many possibilities.

And when “the man with the scar” finally revealed himself to everyone – but we still weren’t sure who the real Todd was – I really enjoyed the onscreen repartee between Roger and Trevor. They were so much fun to watch together!

Roger Howarth and Trevor St. John "The Two Todds"

Once Irene Manning revealed the “story behind the story” of the brothers…that they were twins, Victor was brainwashed and Todd was held captive, etc. etc….the whole convoluted explanation was insulting to the me as a viewer.

After I invested myself for 8 years in TSJ as Todd – all of a sudden he’s not???

I really identified with Dani (Kelley Missal) and Jack (Andrew Trischetta), who didn’t know the other Todd as their father. I felt the abandonment they felt.

But I also realized that this twist of fate could turn into an incredible opportunity for some seriously great storylines in the struggles for control between Victor and Todd.

But, sadly, that was not to be.

I really want to post a positive One Life To Live blog, because, after all, it’s my favorite soap….or at least it was for about 40 years.

The past couple of months, not so much.

I watch General Hospital first and then watch OLTL on DVR.

That, in itself, speaks volumes.

But in all honesty, OLTL is going from bad to worse – beginning with Todd.

He’s back to being a raging LUNATIC!!!

I hate, Hate, HATE when the writers turn Todd on a dime and make him go from being a semi-nice guy (when it comes to his kids, ex-wives, etc.) to being a monster!

Trevor St. John (Todd) Photo: ABC/YOLANDA PEREZ

I really had hoped never to see that horrible scene from the past, where Todd finds Starr and Cole in bed and proceeds to beat the crap out of Cole.

The other one I really didn’t need to see again was when Todd (again) hit Cole and pushed Starr down the stairs.

Yet, I was treated to watching both of those disgusting blast-from-the-past scenes again – both in one day, thank you!

I guess they had to replay those scenes in order to justify Todd going off the deep end again.

But, really, this is getting really old. I personally do not like the deep, dark hateful side of Todd.

Case in point: Thursday and Friday. He semi-attacked Cole (Brandon Buddy) physically and verbally attacked (viciously and scarily) Marty.

Todd was the one who raped Marty (Susan Haskell) and he acts like he’s the wronged one.

Everything is always – pooooor Todd!

But those scenes in Marty’s office made absolutely no sense to me.

Todd was in love with Marty (yes, I know he held her captive while she had memory loss). But those two have made a sort of peace over the past year and I don’t see him showing this rage toward her now. I really don’t.

Trevor St. John as Todd does an amazing job at showing us the many layers of the very complicated Todd Manning.

I just really think that at this point in time with Todd’s character, there should be more of his kinder, gentler side…and when TSJ is given the right material, he does make you believe that Todd has a good side.

And I know there are fans out there that like the dark side of Todd.

I’m just not one of them.

I feel this flip-flopping – making characters go from good to evil in five seconds -is, in my opinion, a fatal flaw in OLTL right now.

Other cases in point: Ross and Schuyler…..now Todd, although Todd does have a history of really bad behavior.

And, unfortunately, I have a feeling, there’s more of this to come.

So, on two of the ABC soaps, there are two characters – teenage girls as a matter of fact – who have been calling their father “evil” or “a monster”.

Yes, folks. I am talking about OLTL’s Dani (Kelley Missal) and GH’s Kristina (Lexi Ainsworth).

They both have daddy issues and I think it’s time that the title of “Most Evil Dad” was finally settled on between OLTL’s Todd Manning (Trevor St. John) and GH’s Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard).

Let’s start with Todd.

Trevor St. John (ABC/Yolanda Perez)

He raped two people – Carol Swift and Marty Saybrooke (Susan Haskell). Then he tried to rape Marty again.

I think that’s pretty gruesome by itself.

But there’s more.

He killed two people, and kidnapped a few, too. He also set a bomb in the police station.

Then came his dastardly 2008-09 plot.

Todd had been keeping a presumed dead, amnesiac, Marty Saybrooke, at his house. He planned to steal his granddaughter, Hope, and skip town with Marty and Hope and start a new life with a new family.

Luckily, he was too late to steal the baby – Bess beat him to it….But that’s a whole other story!

Now, let’s travel over to Port Charles, where we visit the misdeeds of mobster Sonny Corinthos, shall we?

Maurice Benard as Sonny ABC/Adam Larkey

Sonny has killed three people by his own hand (that we know of). He put out hits on at least 18 people (yes, that’s really how many through the years). He has shot (not fatally) almost as many people. He even shot his own son recently! Let’s not mention the countless other mob related crimes.

Sonny’s mob activity is the reason that his son, Michael Corinthos III, spent a year in a coma!

So who is the worst person?

Well, Todd is a two time rapist, a kidnapper and a murderer

Sonny, on the other hand, is a mobster and a murderer.

So I’m extending this to you.

Comment on this and tell me who you think is the worst.

In my honest opinion, I find both of them to be awful people, but I have to say Sonny is worse, because at least Todd has served real jail time.

Sonny has a nack of getting away with it.

]]> http://www.soapbox1.com/one-life-to-live/whos-got-the-worst-daddy-issues/feed/ 5 http://www.soapbox1.com/one-life-to-live/whats-up-with-ross-rage-on-oltl/ http://www.soapbox1.com/one-life-to-live/whats-up-with-ross-rage-on-oltl/#comments Mon, 14 Dec 2009 03:33:09 +0000 soapbox1 http://www.soapbox1.com/?p=1249 By Michele Dargan

Would someone please tell me how Ross Rayburn went from this laid back sorta simple guy to a psycho abusive nut job in what seems to be seconds?

I don’t recall a character doing a 180 degree personality turnaround in such a short time.

Because last time I checked Ross (Michael Lowry) was this surfer dude living on the beach in Tahiti.

And before that, Ross spent some significant time stranded with Tea (Florencia Lozano) on that deserted island.

But, as far as I could see, there was no evidence of violence in his personality.

Au contraire!

He appeared to be understanding and even romantic towards Blair in the beginning.

Of course the writers only let that last for a nano-second before changing Ross into a raving lunatic!

First of all, there’s a lot of chemistry between Michael Lowry and Kassie DePaiva (Blair).

And I really thought they were going in the direction of putting those two together.

But no. That would have made sense.

Instead, TPTB turns Ross – in a matter of days – into a domestic batterer – nearly beating and choking Tea to death.

Then, he breaks out of jail and kidnaps the kid he’s supposed to love at gunpoint and then kidnaps Blair too…

Huh?

Ross holds a gun on Blair (ABC/Lou Rocco)

It just doesn’t fit AT ALL!

I mean does anyone else buy this complete and utter turnaround???

And the way that things are going, I don’t think it’s going to end well for Ross.

Which is a real shame, because I think there was a lot of potential and possibilities with his character.

But THAT would take a liiiiiitle bit of creativity, some good character development and good writing!