Sweet Dreams: You're WRITE about that!

It was great to listen to Robin Strasser's recent hotline.jpg where she eagerly anticipates the future of OLTL under the collaborative talents of EP Frank Valentini and new headwriter Ron Carlivati. As I surf the Net and various OLTL message boards, I see "to do" lists for the new writer. To be sure, everybody wants a little something--from the bottom-line upper management looking to make a buck to the impatient fan. When it comes to fans, it is easy to see how difficult it will be for Carlivati to sate such diversity in views.

dorian77.jpg I give you, for instance, the fans of Ms. Strasser, who are divided in what they desire for the character--that applies mostly with whom she is to be paired, though some just want to see more of bitchy Dorian with a vengeance. Some want her with David Vickers, played by the wonderful and talented Tuc Watkins. David you say? Yes--David, though Tuc Watkins left the show, moved out West and has only agreed to appear intermittently. Huh? Well, to each his own. Give me Ms. Strasser acting her heart out with a partner who has Emmy award winning acting chops in his own right, and who happens to live on the East coast. That would be Jerry verDorn, who plays Clint Buchanan. Yes, I am bias. But what's this board called again? I love Tuc. I love David and Dorian but no longer in a romance, especially since David is sure to leave town and Tuc has a place of residence in California, I think.

dorian4.jpg As for the character of Dorian, it is to Ms. Strasser's credit and in some ways detriment that she has given so many layers to the character. Each of her fans see something different in the character that they find appealing. Some want her being a powerful rich bitch with boy toys, involved in schemes and mean things--particularly if it draws the wrath of nemesis Viki Davidson. I've seen Dorian in that light and I have seen her display a vulnerability and need to be loved as she did in her relationships with Herb Callison and Mel Hayes. For me, her grappling with the reoccurring issue of abandonment is haunting. She wants Clint. He wants her. He is who I want for her and her for him. To my eyes, each of these variations of Dorian are Dorian in a true sense so I would never disagree with fellow fans on that point. I wouldn't mind seeing all those facets minus the boy toy part since she has a romantic partner in Clint. Give me a taste of effervescent Dorian who defies being boxed into a singular characterization. Give me a Dorian with a zest for life...and love--one who has fire, who can lure audience sympathies with her vulnerability and just as quickly turn on a dime into a bitch.

c3.gif So is Clint only Clint when he is with Viki? Ah maybe that was the case something like a decade ago when the character was barely in scenes with anyone else and had no story for years on end after Clint and Viki split. The song, "Please Release Me," comes to mind. Actually, Clint Ritchie finally did leave. Clint Buchanan needs to breathe. He needs to boogie. He needs to raise a little hell and shout "Free at last!" Clint is an executive at Buchanan Enterprises. Let me see him there. He is a father, a son, an uncle, a grandfather, a brother, a lover, a friend. Let me see him embrace that life! Clint has a temper. Let it rip!

To Mr. Carlivati, I raise a glass, a toast to the future. Just write a good story, several of them if you got it in you. Trust your instincts. Your were a fan of OLTL before you started working for the show. Listen to the characters and what they are saying to you. They will lead you in the right direction.