Mimi Torchin Blasts Guiding Light's Otalia's "Despicable" Pregnant Pause





In today's edition of his Nelson Ratings, TV Guide Canada's Nelson Branco has a statement from Mimi Torchin, founding editor of Soap Opera Weekly, and a huge Guiding Light fan, about the plot twist that has Natalia Rivera (Jessica Leccia) expecting Frank Cooper's (Frank Dicopolous)  baby.

“I just don’t know how a love story that started out so brilliantly — just like hundreds of great heterosexual soap opera love affairs but with a delightful twist and took us so willingly and eagerly through the real-time journey as these two woman discovered, to their great surprise, that they loved each other ‘like that’ — could have turned into such an overwrought, outdated cliché about the pain and tribulations of ‘forbidden’ love. This is 2009, for heaven’s sake! These adult women, after months and months of emotional foreplay, have not even really kissed! It’s like a tickle in your nose that never becomes a sneeze: maddening. Making Natalia pregnant is the last straw, despicable! It’s the laziest, cheapest, most annoying and enraging plot point on daytime since Erica’s unabortion on AMC! Can you tell how much I hate it? There were at least 10 other ways to deal with Jessica Leccia’s (Natalia) maternity leave. A nice little coma (thanks perhaps to some selfish act by that spoiled brat, Rafe, for example) would have been perfect.” Torchin continues: “Here’s the thing in a nutshell: Have some cojones, Ellen Wheeler. The show is already cancelled. What have you got to lose? Be brave, be true to Olivia (Crystal Chappell) and Natalia’s courageous commitment and their wonderful, unusual (for soaps) love story and let’s consummate this relationship! We don’t have to see it happen on-screen; the build-up and afterglow will suffice. Give us a real, romantic kiss and the well-deserved, happily-ever-after these two wonderful characters deserve and we, the audience, will be happy as well. Go out with a bang (or a bell, as in wedding?) with Otalia, not a bloody whimper!”



Comments

Member since:
20 December 2008
Last activity:
12 weeks 3 days

I agree 100% with Mimi...

Member since:
3 April 2009
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1 week 3 hours

Whoa, when Ms. Mimi likened it to Erica's unabortion I was like...this is that bad of a storyline twist ay? I don't get what Ellen Wheeler is doing. She was on All My Children, Another World...the latter defunct, should she not know how to work a show by now? Why does she not know...how could she let so many things happen to Guiding Light?

Member since:
30 April 2009
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1 week 3 days

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you Mimi! Somebody needs to tell it like it is!!!!!!

OutOfFocus's picture
Member since:
15 April 2009
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22 weeks 4 days

Perfectly said! Mimi is my new hero.

n0regrets28's picture
Member since:
1 June 2009
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12 weeks 6 days

Natalia and Frank had sex months ago. I don't understand how she could possibly be preggers. I am not too upset though. I can honestly say I have been enjoying Guiding Light lately.

Member since:
23 April 2009
Last activity:
36 weeks 6 days

Mimi said everything I have saying since I found out. I feel like it's just lazy writing. It's a slap in the face to every Otalia fan and a big high five to everyone who has been against otalia from the beginning. There were just so many other ways for this to go. It just wasnt needed. Im just very disappointed in the whole thing.

Member since:
8 April 2009
Last activity:
18 hours 33 min

Preach, Mimi!

Member since:
19 October 2008
Last activity:
4 days 4 hours

I agree with mimi, It's lazy writing, Another way It could of been written is if natalia were kidnapped by edmund. Because Now natalia chooses to leave Olivia. when she said she chooses olivia before. Natalia is running away when she has stood up to father ray, Frank, and Rafe in the past. This storyline just makes me angry when Otalia used to make me happy.

Member since:
13 April 2009
Last activity:
10 weeks 6 hours

Still hoping its a red herring, other wise EW & JLH should be ashamed. If it wasn't for the wonderful acting of CC & JL most people would have quit on this storyline already.

Member since:
15 October 2008
Last activity:
1 day 11 hours

This would be differnt if the show was still on, but it is canceled. So Ellen/and or P&G get over your agenda and give the fans what they want!

Member since:
20 April 2009
Last activity:
7 weeks 5 days

Mimi Torchin is one of the truest voicest of the soap press which is why she was let go. Instead of kissing up to producers/writers, she reported and critiqued in a way that gave viewers a voice.

I so miss her voice.

On this comment, as not a GL viewer, I cannot comment. But I have noticed a trend. Most of the press, many of the bbs, refused to give some viewers a voice. People who want to see a real homosexual love story have been shut out for years. Women offended by rapemance are shut out and told to shut up.

I wish their were more like Mimi,

troymcclure's picture
Member since:
25 December 2008
Last activity:
7 hours 56 min

It is a stupid idea, like Mimi said there were at least 10 other ways to whisk Natalia out of town better than a pregnancy.

Although a pregnancy doesn't necessarily mean a baby, so I'm keeping my faith in that.

I'm more upset about the thought of another Cooper walking the earth than this being some kind of obstacle to Otalia quite frankly.

DaytimeFan0001's picture
Member since:
23 April 2008
Last activity:
1 hour 19 sec

Like you guys have said time after time what do they have to lose?

I have to be honest, I am not looking forward to the ending of this show too much. Phillip, perhaps the most beloved character left on GL is being killed (thank you Wheeler for the parting gift) and now this poorly written nonesense. And I supposed I'll be disappointed by Bizzie's wedding which will probably be another empty church. I love GL and don't want to it see it go, but this is why, now wonder why it's gone. P&G doesn't care at all so again, what could we possibly expect?

Member since:
29 June 2009
Last activity:
37 weeks 4 days

Thank you for the great post. You've stated what I have been feeling for a while now.
What started out so well is turning into a bungled mess. It's sad. The story had so much potential, but I don't know how it can come back from the pregnancy fiasco. I know my patience has certainly run out.
You always right the best columns. Thanks for chiming in on this one and calling the writers out!

naughtytomato's picture
Member since:
27 January 2009
Last activity:
1 day 8 hours

Love Mimi. She is saying what a lot of people are feeling. I am so disappointed in this. Some people are still hoping for a false spoiler, or red herring. Nat thinks she's pregnant but its something else. Is there any chance of that or are people trying to sell false hope.

Member since:
22 June 2009
Last activity:
4 weeks 15 hours

I didn't expect that the angst leading up to the wedding would be more entertaining than the ladies being "together". The cute Otalia moments don't make up for the repetitive obsessing over their status to the world. Just be who you are and the world will figure it out. I still hold out hope for this ship to right itself but there's so little time left.

Member since:
19 June 2009
Last activity:
1 week 2 days

"Gosh, I've been feeling sick in the mornings and have weird food cravings. What do you think that's about?"

"You couldn't be pregnant! But now that I think about it, you HAVE been hiding behind giant purses and standing behind tall table counters, and wearing oversized shawls in June! And your face is puffier than usual. How is it that no one recognized this before?"

Member since:
29 June 2009
Last activity:
37 weeks 3 days

I could not have said it any better....AMEN Mimi!!!

Member since:
3 February 2009
Last activity:
1 week 1 day

At least a rape wasn't involved. How quickly we forget how our St. Binks got preggers. Better than than some other alternatives.

Member since:
2 April 2009
Last activity:
5 hours 41 min

A big fat DITTO to everything Mimi said!

TV Gord's picture
Member since:
18 February 2009
Last activity:
3 hours 38 min

What is Mimi doing these days? I interviewed her in 1993 when two of the best soaps ever (Santa Barbara and Knots Landing) were cancelled. She was amazing; I didn't want the conversation to end. If she's writing somewhere these days, I'd sure like to know! Smile

Member since:
22 June 2009
Last activity:
37 weeks 5 days

Mimi,

Brilliantly said.

Thank you for speaking out.

Member since:
20 February 2009
Last activity:
10 weeks 2 days

What do you expect from a producer who's Mormon? I know I'm going to get slammed for that remark, but I think her religion has played a significant part in some of the worst decisions on the show.

Member since:
7 April 2009
Last activity:
1 week 1 day

What Mimi said.

This pregnancy "twist" is insulting to Otalia fans who have been absurdly supportive of GL and this storyline in particular as well as non-Otalia fans who resent having their intelligence insulted by such blatant bad writing. There were a good dozen *other* different scenarios the writers could've come up with to deal with Jessica Leccia's maternity leave that would have preserved the characters' integrity and the integrity of the overall show but those were ignored in order to "shock" the audience. It's disgusting and has forever altered my love of both Otalia and GL.

I can barely watch anymore when only weeks ago I was addicted.

Member since:
29 June 2009
Last activity:
34 weeks 4 days

Thank you Mimi - for expressing very eloquently what most of us have been saying for the last 2-weeks. Although, we have been using much harsher language. I cannot believe that this is really going to play out like this. I know this is a soap, but that is no excuse for JLH and EW. This is the oldest cliche in the soap opera playbook. That they would take this route, with 3-months left to go is unbelievable. Unless they start fast forwarding time, we wouldn't even see this play out, come on..

Member since:
20 June 2009
Last activity:
1 day 6 hours

AMEN!!!!!!

Member since:
8 May 2008
Last activity:
1 day 5 hours

Love Mimi Torchin/. Ellen Wheeler and P&G are a joke.

Member since:
12 June 2009
Last activity:
5 weeks 5 days

dang Mimi! talk about throwing the book at someone/something... comparable with the unabortion? damn that's low! and I personally usually reserve 'dispicable' for people like Charles Manson or Flavor Flav, but that's just me. anyways idk, is it bad? yes! is it unoriginal? yes! is it being poorly written? yes! that said though, I don't think it is as bad as Mimi implied. it's not the worst storyline I've seen. Otalia should most definitely have already done the kitty petting Mary-Jane (Y&R reference;D) by now and it's gone past ridiculous with the waiting and now this pregnancy mess but I figure it was always coming to something like this, Ellen Wheeler can only hold off not sucking for so long. people should just try to enjoy what's left and not pull their hair out over this nonsense... it can't be changed at this point and there is no need to let one bad apple (pregnancy) spoil the whole basket (whole Otalia storyline).

Member since:
8 May 2008
Last activity:
1 day 5 hours

Natalia and Olivia should be kissing by now.

Member since:
27 September 2008
Last activity:
4 weeks 15 hours

I haven't watched in awhile, but just wanted to ask something. Why make Natalia pregnant so late in JL's pregnancy? If Natalia got pregnant before the non-wedding and that became an issue surrounding the non-wedding, then the pregnancy would of worked for me as it would of given their story some much needed drama.

Natalia getting pregant isn't rewriting history like Erica's nonabortion and for that reason, there is no comparison. History is the most important thing.

As I like to mention whenever Mimi is mentioned, I rarely agree with her.