I'm sorry -- I've tried -- but I just can't watch TSJ's version of Todd anymore. It's just unwatchable.
Is it just me, or does anyone else feel the same?
TSJ is a perfectly good actor, but not in this role. LOVED him as the sleazy Flynn, but it's as though he doesn't know WHICH way to portray Todd; he's either too soft, or he's completley psycho, but without reason or passion.
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"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities"
(Dumbledore to Harry Potter)
For the longest time I defended Trevor but in this current storyline where he beat up Cole I just couldn't take it anymore. I still love Trevor I just wish they would come out and tell us that this isn't really Todd and that Todd died in that elevator not Flynn.
Bottom line, this isn't TSJ's fault, it's the writers, they have screwed this character into a corner and wouldn't have mattered if Roger Howarth was the actor behind the role right now. It's the writers for coming up with this innane bullshit excuse for storylines for Todd.
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"If you were looking for something clever or witty or funny here, you've come to the wrong place."
I agree with you Brandon -- the writers have made a mess of this! However, I also do believe that sometimes an actor can drive the way that a storyline is written in that writers will frequently try to roll his or her personality into the script.
I've always seen TSJ as a timid Todd, so his actions now just aren't believable to me. He can't make the rage stick any more than Nigel could convincingly beat up Cristian Vega in a back alley!
(stupid typo)
-- Edited by Moore ideas at 19:16, 2008-05-19
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"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities"
(Dumbledore to Harry Potter)
I can not stand TSJ as Todd. I think he is beyond revolting, and I don't think it's the writers' fault. I believe these are acting choices, and they are, for me, deal breakers for OLTL.
I don't like to rant too much about why I don't like OLTL any more because I know that some of you kids here still do watch, but a thread started about how TSj has COMPLETELY destroyed a character I once loved is much too tempting.
I miss Roger Howarth. His Todd was a hero AND a villain. This version of Todd is simply an ass, and a destructive one at that.
Yes, TSJ was fun as Flynn. He should have been replaced sometime afterwards when Flynn became Todd. Bad choice to keep him. Bad, bad, bad.
I miss Roger Howarth.
I believe that TSJ is as much as a liability for OLTL as the young woman that played Evangeline was. Both characters were poorly written, badly cast.
Still our best bet is for Roger to get out of ATWT and return as the real Todd leaving Mr. Walker to explain how he faked being Todd for so long. But that's about as likely as Dixie coming back to AMC... what's that you say? Okay that's about as likely as Stefano coming out of retirement and them bringing back Andre DiMera to Salem.... what's that you say? Okay that's about as likely as us seeing Sarah J. Brown back on General Hospital in a role other then Carly? Oh what's that you say? Anything can happen, just takes a bit. So we can always hope.
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"If you were looking for something clever or witty or funny here, you've come to the wrong place."
I hate to have to agree with you Kae but I do. I think that Trevor is a great actor and some time back he wasn't a bad Todd. I loved the execution stuff. But everything after that has been so blah.
Moore said TSJ seems to play Todd without reason or passion, and I think that's dead on. He looks bored and smug. Lazy might also be an adjective you could use for this protrayal.
I have been watching the last few days because of Tuc Watkins, so I have seen some of TSJ's scenes. That one when he hurled Starr down the stairs, then just stood at the top looking down while Blair scrambled to her daughter's side - please! He didn't even bother to muster up a concerned expression on his face.
Shelly, I'm glad you liked the execution stuff, but for me that was the beginning of the end for my love of OLTL. It was Todd's infatuation with the world's worst lawyer that finished him off for me, all that hair sniffing, flower gazing, the break downs against elevators and hospital walls... It just wasn't who the character was, and I really believe that it was acting choices to show this pansy side, not human vulnerability, which is very endearing, but simple wuzziness, as it came across to me.
For whatever it's worth, I had an erotic dream last night about Michael Easton! Now that's something!! It must have been because I was posting in this thread shortly before I went to bed because I sure don't dream about soap characters. He is a sexy beast, at least in my dream, lol.
KaeEll, I completey agree with what you said about the scene with Starr, and the expression on fakeTodd's face. What???!!!??? Your beloved daughter has just gone flying down the stairs, could very likely be DEAD from a broken neck, it's YOUR fault, and you just stand up there with an "oh, well...." expression on your face???!!!??? Come on...
The other thing that I've begun to notice lately is how Cassie dePaiva interacts with TSJ. I think that she's fantastic, and she can interact with anyone, but I'm not feeling any chemistry between them anymore either. What I see is that she's TRYING; she's working her fanny off to carry a scene when she gets nothing back from TSJ. These two are no longer a dynamic couple, and I think that TSJ needs to go bye-bye.
As I recall, Michael Easton was originally supposed to be cast as Todd, but decided that the role of John McBain would be more interesting for him to play. While I don't think that ANYONE can do Todd justice in the way that Roger Howarth did, Michaed Easton would have been far more believable than TSJ who DOES come across as being lazy (as you said, KaeEll), or just bored with the role. How can any actor be BORED with that character, if they have a clue about how to show his layers? My opinion is it's because TSJ himself projects absolutely no charisma, and no personality.
Shelly, I agree that his "execution" scenes were excellent, but I think those were the last scenes I enjoyed watching with him.
Wow. That felt good! I don't normally get to actor bash...
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"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities"
(Dumbledore to Harry Potter)
Oh yeah, poor Cassie! She works like a Trojan in her scenes, so well done. But TSJ pulls them all into bad comedy.
And here's a little sumpthin" I've been dying to say for ages: I like Cassie DP, think she's beautiful, has a fantastic figure, looks great! Bur, she is aging, as we all are, and she looks quite a bit older than her soap-mate. I wouldn't mind if she is SUPPOSED to be a slightly older lady than her on-screen husband, but that has never been addressed, ever. And it bugs me. Add that to the fact that Blair has to mother that idiot Todd, whatever sexy chemistry those two were supposed to have had (I never saw it), it is dead as a door post now.
Kae I absolutely hated Todd's infatuation with Vange too. Drove me nuts. And after watching yesterdays show its almost like TSJ isn't even trying to act.
Okay, this is FUN. There's stuff I've wanted to say about TSJ for a LONG time, but haven't.
KaeEll, I almost posted the same thing about the perceived age difference between KDP and TSJ. As I recall, Blair and Todd were supposed to be about the same age, and that certainly came across when RH was Todd. I also think that Michael Easton could pull it off, but TSJ is just too boyish for the role, and especially in the role of a domineering personality against KDP. Ridiculous casting, in my opinion!
I actually liked Vangie, and I miss the character and the actress, but it doesn't bother me that we're on different pages with this character. What I do agree about is that the Todd/Vangie relationship didn't fly. Not believable to me, and I seriously doubt that the writers would have gone in that direction if RH were still playing Todd.
I honestly think that they don't know how to handle, or what to write for this lame Todd!
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"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities"
(Dumbledore to Harry Potter)
You all make a good point, about the chemistry and age difference. It did seem like Blair was more mature in many ways than Todd. Like a motherly figure for him. And I really don't know why they made Todd regress. I know the character was never perfect, but I saw alot of growth with him when Roger had played him. Todd with Viki and Marty, so much growth. Then the writers through it all out the window with nu-Todd.
I did however like Vangie and this Todd together.
They broke into my show about Ted Kennedy, brain tumour.
Maybe, just maybe, it was the fanatical Vangie fans at the big board that did me in, not so sure it wasn't, but I never liked the character once they turned her into a sainted care-giving lawyer when she never could win any cases. Remember, she started off taking Mitch Laurence's case to usurp Llanfair! If they had continued with Evangeline as an opportunistic amoral lawyer, that would have been okay by me, having sink and basement sex with John (who only did that to keep his mind off Natlaie, IMHO) and dumping charismatic RJ for him, all would have worked well. In the end, I was glad to see her leave.
Seems like I'm rehashing some pretty ancient issues here, doesn't it?
Argh. I just came back from another two hour dentist appointment, got my tongue stabbed by the sharp pointy thing they use, and it hurts!
For whatever it's worth, I had an erotic dream last night about Michael Easton! Now that's something!! It must have been because I was posting in this thread shortly before I went to bed because I sure don't dream about soap characters. He is a sexy beast, at least in my dream, lol.
oh the things I've learned about Kae in just this one post.... lol.
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"If you were looking for something clever or witty or funny here, you've come to the wrong place."
I won't even TELL you guys who wound up in one of my dreams several years ago. I have NO idea why, but it certainly wasn't anyone I ever would have considered to be dream worthy. Sometimes these things just pop up out of nowhere.
Okay. Maybe that was a bad way to put it...
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"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities"
(Dumbledore to Harry Potter)
For the longest time I defended Trevor but in this current storyline where he beat up Cole I just couldn't take it anymore. I still love Trevor I just wish they would come out and tell us that this isn't really Todd and that Todd died in that elevator not Flynn.
I have to agree with everbran its the writers fault and i am sure if this is roger portraying todd they have him do the same thing.
Keith, HI!!! I know some of you kids will say it's writing that has made Todd so unbearable, but I have to disagree. I can see Roger doing those scenes with torment in his face as he pummels a child, but not this version of the character. He (TSJ) just looks smug all the time, and that's why he's not the right guy for the job, IMHO.
I was picturing Roger Howarth's face when the social worker took little Sam/Tommy away from Todd. I'm certain that it would have been filled with both anguish, and self-loathing, all at once. What we got from TSJ was ... NOTHING.
I just can't watch this Todd anymore. My Border Collie has more animation than this guy does!
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"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities"
(Dumbledore to Harry Potter)
After my Y&R recording was over, I caught about 3 minutes of OLTL and saw Todd calling Blair a slut...again, with about as much passion in his voice as a wet dishrag. What the heck are they thinking over there at ABC????
^^I actually agree with you on this point. I hated the Marcie stuff. I mean she couldn't honestly have believed that the judge would give the woman who also put the kid in danger custody of the kid. Though the stuff with Starr in the bathroom gave credence to the idea that Starr may give her baby to Marcie
She's a jealous girl but still sexy as ever!
