OLTL: Fraternity Row Fantasy

One Life to Live had a fanciful episode on Monday, December 16, 2011. Here is a quick summary, which is not in 100% order and my thoughts on it.

This episode had Roxy (Ilene Kristen) imagining that she was in the world of Fraternity Row. She was Lorraine, who lived in her family home Kingdom, and David (Tuc Watkins) was her supposedly late husband Durwood. He was presumed dead and came back from Eternity. On OLTL in the 1980s, there was an underground city called Eterna. During that story, the actors were dressed in Star Trek like outfits.

Viki (Erika Slezak) and Clint (Jerry verDorn) are Gilda and Gregor. They are Lorraine’s loyal servants. Gilda and Gregor speak in fake Germanic accents. Gilda has an old school maid outfit on including a hat and a feather duster while Gregor is wearing wire frame glasses, white gloves and a butler outfit out of the 1800s.

While this is going on Murphy, Macy and Dash Dunning all show up at Kingdom. Blair (Kassie DePaiva) is Murphy and Tea (Florencia Lozano) is Macy. Todd (Roger Howarth) is Dash Dunning. Murphy wears a fedora, high heels and a trench coat, while Macy is in a sexy cop outfit. They come with news that Dash Dunning is a fake. Dash has a racing jacket of some sort and a mullet. In this it seems like Murphy, Macy and Dash have far from a platonic relationship. And at one point, it looks like all three enjoy the others’ company.

Dramatic music is played after the girls mention an undisclosed location. Murphy seems to be the brains, while Macy is about the sex. All we see are shoes, with a sign that says undisclosed location. Later in the episode we see that location again and it is Shaun (Sean Ringgold), and he has a scar on his face. When OLTL returns from each commercial segment, we hear “Clint’s voice” as the announcer telling people more show is now going to be airing.

Later in the episode, Durwood has a wears a coat with a B crest, and has a pipe. He eventually gets upset with Lorraine who is dashing in red for cheating while he was missing. GIlda gives her a note to find whom she slept with that she doesn't remember. It has an address and Gilda goes there. Lorraine also gets to quip early in the show about how DNA tests may not be accurate.

On Fraternity Row itself, Brandon (Michael Easton - John) and Brianna (Melissa Archer - Natalie) found out they are brother and sister and committing incest. There is a joke later in the episode about how due to this they are closer than close can be. Brandon has a tennis racket, glasses, and facial hair. He looks like a preppy in white. Rick (Austin Peck) is Norbert the head of the Alpha House, who also wears glasses. The Alpha House and Delta (Sister House) had a wild party. The filthy amoral party had Nate (Lenny Platt) who as Benjamin had done a sex video, Dani (Kelly Missal) as Jane his girlfriend, Starr (Kristen Alderson) was Moon her half-sister. Bree Williamson (Jess/Tess etc) was again playing a character with DID as she was both Roxanne and her alter Ruby Bright. James (Nic Robuck) was Jonathan Mazda, and Ford (David A. Gregory) was just called Mazda, an evil theater major. Moon was like Starr as she had a kid and each of the women was paired with their Llanview counterpart.

Vimal (Nick Choksi) is a lab tech (and it says M. Povich) who makes Dash take off his shirt...and the girls rip off his shirt. When Brandon and Brianna go to see Vimal, they know enough to keep their shirts on, same with Moon, Roxanne and Jane though she starts to take hers off, there is a joke about how this is gratituous. Of course, the M. Povich thing is a joke on Maury who tends to have a lot of episodes focusing on DNA tests.

Meanwhile, at the Alpha House, the three Ford guys (the Mazdas) take off their shirts and go into a room. Later in the episode, Lorraine shows up and she is sleeping with all of them. The girls start screaming eww over them sleeping with Brandon's mother as they find that out via the DNA test.

Back at Kingdom, we meet Mrs. Nigella Smythe (Peter Bartlett – Nigel) in drag. She had a relationship with Durwood and claims to be Brianna’s mother. Gilda turns into Matilda after getting a headache. This explains why Roxanne has DID too as she is her mother. Matilda reveals that Brianna is her daughter, as Nigella Smythe never had any children of her own. And there is talk about how Lorraine and Nigella were enemies who eventually became frenemies. Lorraine made Gilda give one of her children up for adoption, as it would have been too much work for her to take care of twins.

There is a full on joke with Destiny as Irene...she is Pepto Bismol obsessed and is wearing a suit. We see her with the other Dash Dunning (Shaun) who escapes and makes his way to Kingdom. They have a ludicrous looking non-fight. When the twins are reunited the two Dashes (Todd and Shaun) and Brianna and Roxanne, they are all happy. The young girls also end up at Kingdom and threaten to kill Lorraine. She ends up in handcuffs for what she did to Brianna.

Roxy wakes up in the set and David is there. She has one piece of jewelry that was in the dream. They leave the soundstage together holding hands, as it is deserted. Sad music is being played in the background.

Scott Sickles wrote this extremely high concept episode, Katherine Schock edited the script and Larry Carpenter directed it. What we don’t know is if Roxy’s fantasy showed us the real version of Fraternity Row, or if it was just a figment of her mind. It was sad seeing the dark set, as that became reality. The actors seemed to have a great time playing these totally outrageous parts, some of which were close to their characters reality while others were a huge contrast. I didn’t see it as a love note to the audience unless someone sees wild outrageous humor as a love note, but I can understand why OLTL made this episode. This felt like a safety valve and one last bit of fun before we get down to business for the last few weeks of the program.