I am sorry to be LATE with today's clip, but I could NOT tear myself away from the story I am watching in the later times of Todd's life!
Wow, the comparison between Todd the STALKER and Todd the DOTING FATHER who is LOOKING OVER HIS SICK DAUGHTER is.....hard to explain in words. Current viewers talk about "the evolution" they see in "Todd's character," but they could NEVER be so wrong. The REAL evolution of this character took place from the car crash and pardon to the DID story. Roger allowed us to WITNESS the change in this character over time, through good times and bad, and the experiences and people that changed him throughout the few years we were fortunate enough to see his work.
You'll never see me jump on the bandwagon against or for Todd as a redeemed family man. I don't see it that way. I see it as a multi-faceted character who WILL NEVER be one way or the other fully. In other words, he won't ever be a leading romantic man all the time; he won't ever be a cruel, violent character all the time; he won't ever be a newspaper publisher all the time; Todd will be many things, all the time. He will be the most complex and intriguing character ever to grace daytime. Of course, we're not referring to the current "Todd," but the only and the original.
That being said, I am not against the scenes and stories where he is acting as a loving father and devoted husband. And, I am not against the scenes where he is holding 14 people hostage, or throwing Tea out into the snow. These scenes are ALL PART OF HIM and show what he's capable, good and bad. I've come to accept, as everyone should, a constant ebb and flow and up and down for this character, as long as Roger is playing him. He'll never be fully happy and fully forgotten as a rapist, and he'll never be fully damned and lost to life either. This is what I love about him.
As a writer, I see that all aspects of Todd were crucial in developing him. Writing Todd must have been the most fun a writer can have. You have full reign to make him painstakingly cruel, heartbreakingly miserable, pitifully damaged, mysteriously caring, and heart-warmingly romantic AT THE SAME TIME. What is better than that? Writing a one-note character, say a "hero" is so much easier, but also so much more dull.
Todd'll never be static and he'll never be boring, that is for sure, and that is why current "Todd" is not Todd at all. The Real Todd Manning is a writer's dream if the writer has the capability, compunction and creativity required. Of course the writers are not alone; without an actor like Roger, you have NOTHING. This is why you'll never catch me poo-pooing the Lord Heir story. It was necessary to have him rise, and then painfully crash, and do this again and again. That's WHO HE IS. This "rinse and repeat" is how LIFE REALLY IS for us human beings. We often make the same mistakes with the expectation of different results. It sometimes takes us years, or a lifetime, to see which way to go and what to change.
However you slice it, our Todd, the Real One, evolved a HUGE amount in a very short 6 years. Even the comparison between Stalker Todd in this clip, and Toy Store Todd only 3 years later is STUNNING. Thank you Roger, and I believe Josh, for this.
So today's clip is a tad empty until the last few minutes. Mostly, it's Marty and Rebecca chewing the fat regarding Todd, Jason and Marty chewing the fat regarding Suede, and our boy trying to get into position to make Marty pay, once and for all and hiding under her bed (I just looked hopefully under mine, no dice.) Driven to almost madness, his need for revenge was bigger than anything else at this point, even his freedom. Compare this to a man who is willing to do anything, even trade his own life, for his one-year old little daughter's. So complex and rich!!! The thing that people COMPLAIN about regarding Todd is really what has made us hooked into him. Expecting Todd to be one way all the time is a foolish folly. He can be like us, and be like someone we'd never want to be, all in a day's work.
FAIL: Too much talk about Suede and not enough TODD. LOL.
Sound off!
@kim you're comments are always insightful but when you talk about todd's evolution taking place from the car crash through the Did I thnk you're off by several months. I think Todd's turn around starts in the Tabernacle when he meets Sarah. When that little girl takes him under her wing and gets him to the Garden shed,we see a softening in Todd that overwhelm us... he likes kids... could this guy be for real? Todd is so gentle with the kids it's like watching an entirely new person finally the glimpses that we got in the cabin come out in the light. It is from this moment on that Todd grows. As he sees the love the kids give him unconditionally then he too realizes his true feelings for Rebecca and even though he's on the run he knows he has to be close to her. From here on out we watch as Todd goes on his rollercoaster ride that leads him to the crash and actually helping others including his victim : then back to prison and with help from the kids and Ray a new Todd begins to emerge, one that faces the actions of that fateful night at the KAD party. This Todd isn't cured of all his problems but he's willing to try. Onward we follow this tortured man who experiences highs and lows with his next Love, Blair and then his daughter Starr and finally with Tea and as we watch he draws us deeper into his psyche..Here is a man more deeply haunted by his past then anyone imagined when we first saw him. So scarred is he inside that he is fractured and so lonely we fear he'll never truly recover enough to be truly happy. This man, this Todd ...so multi-layered all we can do is watch mesmerized.
ReplyDeleteFunny you should question me, RKarena, because I really don't see the actual CHANGE in him until that car crash. Here's why.
ReplyDeleteEven during Genie time, he's got murder and revenge on his mind. He's first over everyone. He does not care if Rebecca is scared of him, or if she says no to him. He continues to plot against Powell, try and get revenge on him, and focus on himself and what he wants. He goes to confession just to admit he's wanting to kill Powell. He shows up as Zorro (don't worry, I ADORE THE ZORRO THING TOO) and he attempts to strangle Powell to death. He's not based in reality - he's like a stalker gone mad. WE'VE COME TO START PITYING HIM, yes, with all of the pain and the stories, and the kids, but HE has not really made the change.
Until the car crash, he never really "sees" what he has done and who he is. When he sets aside himself for someone else, and puts the life of others ahead of himself, he finally "lets go" of the need to punish others for his own pain. He even gives up the gun to Bo, and ends ip shot. If you think about his demeanor following the car crash, it's as if he has realized who he is and what he has done. He apologizes to Marty for the first time; cries when CJ says goodbye to him; talks to Cord about being a father; goes to therapy while in prison. He tells the nurse at the hospital and CJ that he is NOT a hero. He's beginning to see what he is and that is the only way to turning his life around.