I am not quite sure whether I want to give Trevor St. John credit for his dismantling of one of daytimes most iconoclastic anti-heroes or whether I want to have him drawn and quartered along with his accomplice in this crime, Ron Carlivati.
When I first saw Todd Manning, I was repulsed by him. I hated his arrogance, his cockiness and most of all I hated his cruelty. I wanted so much for that son of a bitch to pay for raping Marty Saybrooke. The scenes were just that visual; he wore his contempt for her in that sneer and in his voice. When he had finished with her, he told the other’s that it was their turn at bat. I despised him. I wanted nothing more than for him to get his. Finally, he did go to jail, but that was not the last we would see of Todd Manning.
Viewers were invited in for a closer look at this vile young man and what we began to see was the inner-workings of a sociopath, who somewhere in his dark heart had yearnings to be loved. Todd was described as a sort of Frankenstein’s Monster. He was rejected by family, cast out by society, but secretly he wanted to be a part of that which rejected him. His existence has always been a two edged sword. There has always been the great longing for acceptance by those who rejected him, and the desire to spit in their faces. What made Todd likable was his vulnerability which he hid under his gruff exterior. This was usually revealed through his relationship with children, in the beginning with CJ, Sarah and Jessica. They always looked beyond his scarred personality. His own daughter saw his physical scar as something that made her father special.
What Trevor and Ron Carlivati have done is take away Todd’s specialness; he is no longer unique. They have successfully de-Manninged Todd Manning. They have taken a once complex character, a character filled with history and nuance and turned him into an atypical soap opera-ish male. He’s not a hero; he’s not an anti-hero. I am not quite sure where Todd fits in anymore. St. John’s acting has channeled the techniques of Vivian Leigh and Anthony Perkins, both brilliant actors in their own right; however, neither of them would be right for the role of Todd Manning.
TrevRon wanted more utility out of the Todd character, and they both got it. Todd Manning is now the damsel in distress. He is the heroine of One Life To Live. He is sought after as a love interests by at least two women; he is being lied to by one, and tricked by another. It’s only a matter of time before John Mc Bain has to save his ass once more.
When I first saw Todd Manning, I was repulsed by him. I hated his arrogance, his cockiness and most of all I hated his cruelty. I wanted so much for that son of a bitch to pay for raping Marty Saybrooke. The scenes were just that visual; he wore his contempt for her in that sneer and in his voice. When he had finished with her, he told the other’s that it was their turn at bat. I despised him. I wanted nothing more than for him to get his. Finally, he did go to jail, but that was not the last we would see of Todd Manning.
Viewers were invited in for a closer look at this vile young man and what we began to see was the inner-workings of a sociopath, who somewhere in his dark heart had yearnings to be loved. Todd was described as a sort of Frankenstein’s Monster. He was rejected by family, cast out by society, but secretly he wanted to be a part of that which rejected him. His existence has always been a two edged sword. There has always been the great longing for acceptance by those who rejected him, and the desire to spit in their faces. What made Todd likable was his vulnerability which he hid under his gruff exterior. This was usually revealed through his relationship with children, in the beginning with CJ, Sarah and Jessica. They always looked beyond his scarred personality. His own daughter saw his physical scar as something that made her father special.
What Trevor and Ron Carlivati have done is take away Todd’s specialness; he is no longer unique. They have successfully de-Manninged Todd Manning. They have taken a once complex character, a character filled with history and nuance and turned him into an atypical soap opera-ish male. He’s not a hero; he’s not an anti-hero. I am not quite sure where Todd fits in anymore. St. John’s acting has channeled the techniques of Vivian Leigh and Anthony Perkins, both brilliant actors in their own right; however, neither of them would be right for the role of Todd Manning.
TrevRon wanted more utility out of the Todd character, and they both got it. Todd Manning is now the damsel in distress. He is the heroine of One Life To Live. He is sought after as a love interests by at least two women; he is being lied to by one, and tricked by another. It’s only a matter of time before John Mc Bain has to save his ass once more.
