Initial Reactions to the One Life to Live Finale

Its been two hours since the end of One Life to Live and fans are divided as ever as to what the ending meant and the actually quality of what was done. Were there points that the episode hit that made it one of the best hours in television in awhile? YES, but at the same time were there those missing moments that left us disappointed? Of course. So now with those two short hours under our belts I decided it was time to sit back and analyze the ending, looking at what worked, what was missing, and what this meant and means for the future of Llanview.

First what happened- The episode began very As the World Turns-esque with Alison Perkins filling in the role of Bob Hughes with a somber narration, recapping all of the characters relationships and catching us up with what has happened as we draw this chapter of the Llanview story to a close.

Starr made a shocking arrival in Los Angeles where she hooked back up with her friends Langston and Markko, making me instantly squee like a school girl because their return was really unexpected. This was of course later followed by the reintroduction of Fole (Fake-Cole) who is now Starr’s bodyguard…yay.

Over at Llanfair Vicki and Clint found out that Jessica is actually a Buchanan, they told the girls and now everyone is happy and sharing hugs all around. Then came Brody, yep BRODY came back for his girl Jessica, just to apologize for what happened to Ford and to let her know that he will always be there for her.

In the Buchanan residence Destiny had her child, and Mathew finally became a man and let her know he will be there for her, no matter what it took. Then in the ONLY moment to make me tear up, Mathew decided to name the baby Drew, after his older brother, and I lost it for a character I never EVEN KNEW! Oy.

But nothing could really prepare us for the mind-blowing cliffhanger, as Alison Perkins was revealed to be talking to none other than Trevor St. John himself! This immediately had everyone a buzzing about what this meant for General Hospital and Prospect Park, and just who is TSJ playing? Is it Todd? Victor Lord Jr.? Or is it Walker Lawrence?

So what worked? First I think the suspense built by Alison Perkins was bloody brilliant. Her talking to someone from the start, leading us ALL to believe it is TSJ, but then actually SHOWING it is TSJ was pure BRILLIANCE! The whole naming Drew scene worked and Starr arriving in L.A. was perfect, as well as the reBukeing of Jessica.

What was missing? David Vickers Buchanan and Dorian LORD! I am sorry their absence was truly felt and it didn’t need to be more than a quick cameo scene, but the fact that Dorian didn’t even make an appearance was nothing less than tragic. Then we of course have Fake-Cole. I have nothing against the actor, I think he did an alright job given the circumstances, but with that said not having Brandon Buddy in those scenes did truly hurt, in my opinion, their impact. While it would have still been rushed and sloppy, having the original face in the role would have made my acceptance of that story a little bit easier.

This now leads us to the fun part, analyzing what this ending would have meant for Prospect Park. Oye to the vay. There is no easy way to look at this ending and have expected anything less than a huge mess come the premiere on Prospect Park. Half the cast said “adios”, and yet their characters were still in front burnerish storylines with no potential closure coming any time soon. Bo/Nora/Matthew was left WIDE open with zero “closure” for them to just pick up their bags and leave town, meanwhile Nate & Dani are still around, Roger Howarth hadn’t signed on (officially) and countless other story threads were just left dangling in the wind needing to be fixed. Do I think it could have been done? Of course, and I think Ron Carlivati could have handled it, but if Prospect Park had continued under the reign of any other writer, I feel like it would have transformed into an incomplete pile of garbage that no one would have tuned into.

With that said, had Prospect Park been ready to go, already in production and airing this upcoming Monday, I would happily had paid a pretty good sized subscription fee to continue to watch the residents of Llanview interact, especially after that jaw dropping final scene, but hey that’s just me.

The better question however is what this means for the upcoming General Hospital crossover. As many of you know John McBain, Starr, Blair and Todd Manning will all be making the move over to Port Charles come February. However, after seeing the ending getting these characters to Port Chuck is going to be a bit of a mess.

The way I see this playing out is that at least initially General Hospital will have to be split into two separate worlds. The GH side of things and the Llanview side of things. The Llanview side will have to tie up the loose ends, and transition the characters to Port Chuck in some fashion, be it Todd appeals his sentencing and is transported to Port Charles where the other follow along, but something has to be done to tie up the loose ends of Cole, Natalie, Liam, and the other remaining cast members that are so intertwined into the fabric of these storylines that without them it just wouldn’t be right.

Overall I give the series finale of One Life to Live an A, it could have obviously been better, but then again nothing was ever going to be truly enough for me to accept losing this beloved show for, especially when its replacement is as unappetizing as anything I have ever seen promoted before.