Mea culpa

This blog is not, as another columnist says, only my opinion. But it is primarily opinions – and in particular, first impressions. 

Every once in a while, I write something as a first impression, and the story or the character ends up changing my mind. I owe those a “mea culpa” (or “my fault”). 

Last summer I wrote a piece that gave a thumbs down to the Holden/Carly pairing on As The World Turns. It seemed like such a bad idea at the time. But I ended up enjoying it when it happened, and wished it would have lasted longer than it did. It was the performances of Maura West and Jon Hensley that made me change my mind. Both have chemistry with nearly everyone. 

Another important reason: The Holden/Lily pairing is completely out of gas. It’s time, no matter who is playing Lily, to let these two live their own lives. 

I was also very wary of Jon Lindstrom coming on to be the new Craig Montgomery on ATWT, but I have to say, that caution has become an unqualified rave. Lindstrom has completely won me over with his portrayal of Craig. Somehow, he’s managed to incorporate some of the best qualities of other Craigs – Scott Bryce’s guy next door charm, and Hunt Block’s wit and snark – with an important aspect that Craig had been missing: vulnerability.

You can see the hurt and pain in Lindstrom’s Craig, especially during his fight for Johnny and his interactions with Carly. It says something to me that his performance made me root for him in the custody trial for Johnny. (I certainly wasn’t rooting for Chia Dusty, aka Oakdale’s Sonny Corinthos, to hang on to a kid that wasn’t his.) 

More recently, I was concerned about the Otalia story on Guiding Light. Neither character had showed any inclination to love women in their sexual orientation. I was still supportive of the idea, but concerned about how the show would package the story.

I have to say, every step so far has been magnificent. (Though Natalia’s actions with Frank next week do raise a red flag of worry….) It’s messy and very unclear what’s happening, and that’s completely the beauty of it. We know Olivia and Natalia love each other; there’s no doubt at all about that. The compelling question is how they love each other, what that means to both of them, and how their love will change each other. 

I’d like to hear from anyone who’s read a spoiler or heard about a storyline and was dead set against it – but became convinced after you watched. What was the storyline, and what convinced you?