Clip of the Day, April 12, 2011 (212)

This is a SIGNATURE TODD MOMENT with SIGNATURE LINES from Todd.....some of the best things he's said to Powell are right here in these scenes. I do love this confrontation, mostly because Todd is calling out everything we ever wanted to say to Powell at this point in the story.

"The one thing that I cared about you took away from me." Yes and no, but I love that Todd sees it that way. In his desperation, Todd reveals his desperation. And, as Todd is strangling Powell here (not such a bad idea because Powell won't be able to recite poems when he's having trouble breathing), the former is frantic, he's shattered, he's falling apart. And, yes, he seems capable of murder with his own hands.

Juxtaposed to this is that CONVERSATION THAT I ADORE so much between Nora, Rebecca, Marty and Luna regarding Todd. As much as I never could stand Luna, I just love her part in this talk, because she says it all in one little breath.

Nora first. "He seems to slip through our fingers, like he's a ghost."

Marty next, bitter and full of hate. "He's not a ghost. He's a monster." Pan to Rebecca's face.

Luna last, "No he's not, he's a man who's gone wrong, very wrong."

GOTTA LOVE THIS! Because in all of it, the superhuman way he avoids death, the darkness and the costumes and the charades, he's a MAN. A damaged MAN. Just LOVE how the show portrayed this whole story then.

Back to the strangling, Todd lets Powell have a bit of air during this next part of his verbal attack. And here is where I think, along with others, that Powell finally starts his descent into madness. Based on what Todd does to him, almost taking his life, and says to him, Powell starts to crack. The facade he has developed for himself is splitting open.

And just when you think Todd's going to end Powell's life, the tides turn and he lets his guard down and Powell gets away, then when Todd's up against the wall getting pummeled, he says, "come on, come on, you can't even do this right." It makes one think that Todd again would just rather be dead than go on living as he is.

Then . . . another nice turn. "You think you're free? You think you're better than me? You think we're different, Powell?. . .You didn't finish, it doesn't make you noble. . . You and I Powell, we have the same beast inside of us. The same beast that started us on this whole, incredible, stupid trip. The beast that raped Marty. . . Someday you won't be able to keep that beast inside you."

Can this get any better? I dare say, it does, but this speech is the most significant exchange between Todd and Powell until much later in the story. It begins the shattering of Powell's mental stability. Ya gotta love it. For all he's been through, Todd sure has found ways to cope and survive.

Roger's so dark here, it's hard to believe he's the same actor who does the scenes with KA as Starr! BUT it is, and he is, and he goes through a HUGE set of life-altering incidences before we get to all that. And Roger carries it perfectly. Which brings me to this:

I read a person write recently on a message board that Roger can't pull off another character on OLTL. It's not THAT at all. It's that we DON'T WANT HIM TO. But can he? Is that really a possible question? He can do just about anything an actor can aspire to, and that's evidenced by the multiple levels he has created within this ONE MAN. From this Zorro to Sister Bernadette Peter (both done to get what he wants, do not forget that), Roger has done it all through Todd Manning's mask. I just hope we get the chance to see it again on One Life to Live.

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