Otalia- The Endgame

[cabenson]

Many of you have asked me what my thoughts are on the Otalia storyline, and to be honest, I kept putting it off because I truly have no idea how I am supposed to feel. Part of me wants to love it, part of me wants to hate it, and part of me just wants to watch it over and over again.

You know, I resisted watching this show. Flisters suggested it, oh, about 100 times, and I kept saying no. I was still reeling from the loss of Erica Hahn (Grey's Anatomy) and I didn't have the energy to waste on another bad lesbian storyline. But I did watch it, and I did get invested, and like every OTP that I get involved with, this storyline with so much promise eventually took a downward turn. Yes, I was disappointed, but I just loved the slow burn build up to this pairing so damn much that I couldn't give up on them.

The romantic in me can't get over how beautifully this story was initially presented. I was drawn in by the layered writing, the nuanced performances, even the much aligned production model. I thought the exterior shots were gorgeous and lent so much to the emotion that was being conveyed on screen. I mean, seriously, how often have you watched a storyline that allowed you as a viewer to feel what the characters were feeling? I could feel Olivia's pain, I could feel Natalia's confusion, I could feel their nervous awkwardness, and finally I could feel they love they shared for each other. And the chemistry between Chrystal Chappell and Jessica Leccia? I can't say I have ever seen anything like that on television. Those two play off each other perfectly! I still say someone has a terminal case of the dimple smit.

I adored the story from the transplant to the accidental first date. And no shit, as soon as I got hooked the damn show was cancelled. I swear I have the reverse-Midas touch! I think that is when things began to go downhill. Starting with the Spa, the constant need to figure out what "being together meant" and "what does this mean for us" and "we need to tell the children" seemed like more of a "let's stall the storyline" while TPTB try to find a network to pick the show up. By the time they realized the show wasn't going anywhere it was too late to write decent endings for any of the characters, let alone Otalia.

As a lesbian, I want to hate the last part of this storyline. Clichéd, rushed, offensive- you name it, that' s how I saw it. I wanted Otalia to have a life separate from Frank and the Coopers. Friendly yes, family no. And the lack of physicality between Olivia and Natalia? What? The? Fuck?! Kissing when they are both considered straight is okay ? A near kiss when they are leaning towards coupledom? But no fucking kiss when they are an established couple and the show is ending? Fail, show! FAIL! I wonder if we will ever find out who was responsible for the censorship? I read a blind item on Nelson Branco's site a while back that mentioned something along the lines of "What network exec keeps rejecting the scripts for a show's final weeks?" and thought it had to be about GL. I have a hard time believing that the writers that brought us the wonderful first act of this story were behind this shit ending. But then again, these are the writers that brought is Francesca...ugh. I didn't hate the pregnancy, I just didn't like the connection to the Coopers it created. I can see Otalia adding to their family but I would have rather seen them do it on their own terms. But then they would have had to come up with another way to write out Natalia for Jessica Leccia's maternity leave and that kinda required effort and imagination. Party foul! People have rattled on about character assassination and lazy story writing- it would have taken one line of dialogue about Natalia's teen pregnancy and the return of those feelings of isolation to make that scenario more plausible for the audience . I'm not a professional writer, but I can at least make shit seem sensible!

And can someone please tell me what the fuck happened to my BAMF! Olivia Freakin' Spencer? I really wish her storyline during Natalia's absence had been more snarky, raging , self-destructive Olivia than broken, pitiful, "my boo is gone" Olivia. I fully get that Olivia swore she would do things differently if she ever fell in love again, but weak, pathetic Olivia was difficult to watch and that is not a reflection on CC's acting. It was difficult to watch because the acting was SO good that you felt Olivia's pain. You felt her fear and dispair. You felt her hitting rock bottom, and that? Not a good feeling. I will say that broken, pitiful Olivia did allow us to understand her initial rejection of her boo when Natalia returned. And that made their reunion even more enjoyable. I like feeling the happy.

But in the end my friends, despite story arc flaws and censorship on same-sex physicality, I absolutely loved this pairing. And just like watching my beloved Buckeyes choke in the last minutes of a championship game, I simply could not turn away. I needed to see this through to the bitter end, and I am glad I stuck with it. I was introduced to the beautiful Jessica Leccia and I really hope to see her back on the small screen soon. And I re-connected with Chrystal Chappell and this was truly a wonderful thing. The love she feels for her character, cast mates, and the show is so touching. And the way she reaches out to her fans is greatly appreciated. Plus- she is fucking gorgeous and you all know how I get when the prettay comes into play. I loved her as Carly on Days of Our Lives and yes, I will be tuning in when she makes her return on October 2, 2009.

And then there is Venice. For those not in the know, Chrystal Chappell is producing and starring in a web series called Venice. She is portraying an out lesbian and Jessica Leccia will be co-starring as her ex-girlfriend. I am glad to hear that is not going to be a continuation/re-interpretation of the Otalia storyline, cause fucked up as the ending was, the journey was indeed beautiful. CC's best bud is writing the series and another pal is directing and editing. This series is getting a lot of buzz and they haven't even started filming yet. I plan to give this a shot, more out of interest in seeing a web production in action than the lesbian storyline. Oh who am I kidding, I'm gonna watch for the rack... Do I think that Venice will be a salve for those mourning Otalia? Maybe. Since there is no major network dictating what can and can't be seen, I am cautiously optimistic. I'm gonna approach this one with no expectations and maybe, hopefully, I'll be pleasantly surprised.

So peeps, your thought on Otalia? Fave scenes, hated scenes, when do you think they started to have feelings for each other? I'll be answering these questions in an Otalia Ship Manifesto and Episode/Pic Spam in the next few weeks.

Comments

[shaych-03.livejournal.com]

thoughts: conflicted. love lots, hated little, disappointed by some. wistful. but... hopeful. this was yet another very small step toward having some fucking parity with samesex romance.

fav scenes: can't choose. just simply can't choose.
(especially since my "fav" scenes are things i've painted and will be including in the OVS)

when did feelings emerge: subconsciously? from the get-go. the natalia/gus/olivia triangle was as much about natalia and olivia as it was about them with gus.

consciously? the kiss for olivia, a bit later for natalia.

all in all... i would not have missed the ride. like buffy and xena before it... the journey was worth the cost and flat landing of the end.

[flying-peanuts.livejournal.com]

I'm conflicted. I think the build-up was one of the most amazing things I've ever watched. I actually called Otalia the best love story I had ever seen on TV. And it was, until it went to shit.

It became Otalia: the Frank Cooper Story. Co-Starring Frank's Sperm. Special appearances by Olivia and Natalia. I mean, what?

Rafe crapped on Olivia for weeks and weeks and never apologized, but got to be called a hero and A Good Man. Then, he goes off to the Army and his heart-to-heart is with...Frank! Not is mother, of course. Then, the Grand Gesture turns out to be Olivia naming the kid after Frank. Olivia and Natalia aren't allowed to even kiss on the cheek while everyone else around them snogs and has sex. Really, show?

The sexism and homophobia are really hard to ignore. Olivia and Natalia got their happy ending, but the journey was fucked up and Cooperized. It's really not what was supposed to be and we can't just blame the suits for this. The writers made plenty of choices, too: they're not beyond blame.

Still, even after everything I've hated about this, despite all the mistakes and everything that's gone wrong, I still love them, and that is all thanks to Crystal and Jessica, who saved the story where they could and gave it so much heart and more soul and depth. Even after everything, I will miss them.

Bring on Venice!

[theholyinnocent.livejournal.com]

There are a lot of layers here for me, mostly because of my long personal history with GL (having watched it on and off for 20+ years). I'm sad the show and the characters are gone, but the show I've been seeing the past few years bears little resemblance to what I'd witnessed long before. And Otalia was one of the few bright spots of these declining years.

But I have to admit that I was not as invested in this ship as I have been in others; maybe that is from seeing too many storylines go up in smoke on other shows. Or maybe it's because I'm a cynical heartless bitch. (Shut it! :) ) I hate that the negatives seem to outweigh the positives, and there were some glorious positives: the build up, the acting, particularly by CC (I admit I am not much of a fan of JL's acting), not to mention the sense of community it engendered among Otalia fans. And Doris! :)

The astronomical level of homophobia, however, really ruined this for me, and it is truly a blight upon the show, the network, and the sponsors. That you can have a gay male couple on ATWT kiss over 40 times since they've been together...and nary a peck on the cheek for two women on a different soap but on the same network, with the same sponsors? It's outrageous and, for me, anyway, it does not feel like a step forward for lgbt representation in any way, shape or form. CBS and PG deserve every little bit of hate mail they get from people.

At best I can only hope that Otalia will be an object lesson for future storytellers, regardless of medium, illustrating the pitfalls of bigotry, greed, sheer mind-blowing stupidity, and what happens when you suddenly lack the courage of your convictions.

Also, at best, it serves a wonderful testament to CC's acting. And if Venice does turn out to be a hit, then perhaps that will provide redemption for the train wreck that was the end of this story.

Anyway, we'll toast the rack next month, my friend!

[snuffnyc.livejournal.com]

i heard toasting to the rack and i came running as soon as i could... ;) god bless those babies.

[theholyinnocent.livejournal.com]

Hear, hear! To the rack!

[softeranswer.livejournal.com]

i think everyone here is layout out the positives and negatives really really well. i want to offer some of my favorite scenes.

1) "take your heavier coat, it's freezing out there". to me, that scene is the best example of their growing closer and of the life they'd end up building together. it's such an ordinary statement, but that's the best part about all those Act I / foundation scenes -- ordinary, yes? simple? no. it was layered with so much CARE. and olivia's reaction to it always kills me because CC is just so THERE in the scene. and she even later admits to it -- "i never had anything like this...someone who fought for me because they want to. just because they want to."

2) "oh please! you weren't taking the high road!" i was on the fence about investing time into watching anymore yt clips until i saw this one. frankly, before this scene, i didn't know if it could work because i just expected CC to steamroll JL. and, i was just shocked that there was someone who could go toe-to-toe with CC. it felt really balanced. and, i think CC would agree that she's probably never had a scene partner like that on GL. she's either stepped on (Ron Raines) or been stepped on (Zimmer, Deas, Grant).

3) the engagement party, wedding, cemetery and the gazebo scenes were pure soap at it's very best. if they don't submit the gazebo scenes for an emmy? they're idiots. it was hands down the best thing they shot all year. simply beautiful.

4) "you look beautiful". the first time i saw the dressing room scenes i felt very uncomfortable with them. it was bordering on a Olivia is a stalker vibe the first time i saw them. their tension totally rubbed off on me. but, everyone kept praising and praising them so i went back to rewatch. god, just so well performed. less is more is not really a soap motto, but this time it fit perfectly.

5) "i feel crazy". this was my favorite conversation between Olivia and Doris. i couldn't believe how wonderful Doris was in this scene. i just love this element. i think sometimes when you have a "great. big. love." there is this natural element of i feel out of my mind. i feel absolutely out of my fucking mind. i could not believe how fucking dead on this shit was.

6) "no, i've got it". that little play between Olivia, Natalia, and a broom was some of the sexiest sparks ever between them.

7) i could go on and on about more perfect points in the early story. it was an embarrassment of riches, then. i think there were 2 little things that helped pull fans on through the end. 1) JT aka Jellybean was a WONDERFUL soapkid. i'm so glad she had a natural sweetness and wasn't actory. 2) the story just tanked so fast but occasionally CC could do something fabulous that made you love Olivia just a little bit more.

siiiigh.

[aquila1nz.livejournal.com]

This reflects beautifully my feelings and experiences of watching Otalia. (except my resistance, back in January, which was also grounded in "no, can't handle another gay panic storyline after Grey's" lasted the two seconds it took for me to go "wait, that's Carly Manning kissing a girl, need more clips nao")

We'll never just how much went on behind the scenes. FU to those who stood in the way, TY to those who tried, and got us what they could. And they did some great stuff with that - not just Otalia, but Doris too.

Yeah, I loved the build up. I loved going back and finding older vids with subtext, and hearing that first interview where Crystal told us they'd started planning in January 2008, meaning all that subtext was intentional. I loved Thanksgiving, and Dinner with Decker, and the backwards way they progressed through Uhauls, and near breakups, and family events before they even figured anything out. I loved Doris in a hat, and just how fast we suddenly loved Mayor Hypocritical.

I loved waking up at 2am, just to read what other people said as they watched the show. I loved listening to pods, living in a chat room, reading all the fic, confounding homophobic soapboards with positivity, hanging out for the next interviews & photos & events

Otalia got me communicating online, in a way I have less and less over the last few years. It hurts like hell, but its a good thing.

I need to sit and rewatch, and put the kisses in in my mind, from just before the spa weekend onwards. Because the spaces are there for them.

[snuffnyc.livejournal.com]

i just posted my thoughts at my LJ, but thought I would just stop in and say that i look forward to the pic spam/manifesto/-palooza. always love to fill the screen with Teh Prettayyy.