I’m seeing double and it’s not because the laser surgery I had to correct my vision has gone bad.  It’s because TPTB at our favorite little soap have decided that two, two, two Livvies are better than one  with Kelly Monaco playing the dual role of Livvie/Tess.  Livvie the despicable, manipulative, desperate for love character we have all reached our limit on and now Tess, the childlike, cave dwelling, doppelganger who appeared out of thin air, whom we’re still trying to figure out from where and how.

Inspired idea? Perhaps. Double your pleasure, double your fun.  Temper the whining, moaning,  nasty, misguided and deluded personality with one of pure goodness, selflessness and innocence.  Are they the flip sides of the same coin?  Was this splitting of Livvie’s character into good and evil Caleb’s parting “gift” to her as pay back for  her betrayal of him?  Is this one more device for us to question Livvie’s lucidity, like we need another reason to believe the girl is insane.  Is Tess a spirit, a muse, a magical angel who tumbled out of heaven before her time (sorry, don’t take that one seriously folks) to teach her alter ego a lesson in humanity?  Who knows.   However you view this emerging story it’s clearly going to play an important part in the return of Michael Easton, whether he is the reincarnation of Caleb or something thereof.   It also appears to be giving Jack a reason for indirectly being Livvie’s salvation, if we can call it that at this point.  Kelly Monaco’s talent aside for one moment, she is teetering on the edge of overexposure here, even her strongest fans  are wondering when enough is going to be enough and when all this is going to end.  With the rumour mill churning about a possible return of Kimberlin Brown next arc, for at least a couple of episodes, will Livvie’s end of the road be in a  bed next to her mother?  Would certainly  be the right place for her if logic played any part in all of this.  The whole thing may be a bit unsettling and confusing at the moment, which of course is the point, and which of course adds to the fun. 

I must admit I am somewhat intrigued with the Livvie/Tess story. Granted it’s dragging on, time to get moving, but truly I am still interested.   Had my fill of Livvie, yes indeed, who hasn’t but you have to hand it to Kelly Monaco, she takes the material she’s given and goes with it 100%.  Finally seeing each other in true Friday cliffhanger fashion was much needed relief, all that running around the hospital filthy, in tattered clothes clutching a dirty rag doll, while those  brilliant GH staffers  believed they were looking at Livvie was starting to wear very thin.  Extremely thin actually.  The shock of seeing your mirror image has to have a major impact even on one as twisted and deluded as Livvie.  The fear in her face was plain as day, if indeed Stephen Clay is Caleb in some form, this is going to get good.  Very, very good. 

And poor Jack, stuck right in the thick of things, trying so desperately to believe what’s been before his eyes these past two weeks but having no clue whatsoever  nor skills for that matter on how to deal with it all.  Broken leg, what broken leg.  The vision of Livvie past still floating in his brain, he can’t help but be drawn to Tess, she’s the Livvie of his dreams.  The beautiful face and lush body the same, how could he not be taken with the absolute pure trust and innocence radiating out of those eyes straight in his direction.  What man wouldn’t love the chance to create their very own perfect little mate, teach them their very own private little reality, this millenium”s version of the Stepford Wife.   He’s known instinctively from the beginning, something is different with this girl that goes way beyond being left to fend for herself in a cave.  He’s still so emotionally consumed with Livvie, whether he admits it or not, and Tess provides him a perfect cover.  He can transfer all that desire and love onto her with no one being the wiser, though how he can be so naïve I can’t imagine.  The treat for viewers here is we’ve been reminded of just how strong the chemistry between Kelly Monaco and Brian Presley still is, the attraction is still there, no question.  And of course it gives Brian Presley something to do finally.  Distances him from the embarrassing “teen” story line we’re being subjected to, puts him squarely back into adult land, sort of.

What I’m really waiting for with baited breath, huge anticipation, with every clichéd saying in the book actually, is that first look between Livvie and Stephen Clay, that first moment on screen between Kelly Monaco and Michael Easton.  Those two sizzled and burned in their day.  Now bring our two resident slayers back into the evil Livvie and Stephen Clay/Caleb(?) will  surely create and we just might have the excitement and excellence of arcs gone by, you know the ones I’m referring to, the ones that had great writing, great “supernatural”  plot devices, edgy characters, passionate romance, and oh yes, lest we forget, sexy vampires and angels.  All the stuff we don’t have now.

If TPTB insist on constantly bringing back actors as reincarnations of their former characters, at least make it worth our while.  At least don’t waste the talent that’s stuck around.  Rafe and Caleb (or whoever he will turn out to be)  at each other again, Brian Gaskill and Michael Easton were fabulous together, talk about on screen chemistry.  Please don’t waste that since you’re determined to look backwards instead of forward, another showdown between good and evil. Fine. Bring it on.  But just make it the resolution of something, anything will do at this point.  How much longer can Livvie continue to whine and moan, why me, why me, we need closure on everything she’s done.  If this is the way to that closure, do it.   Please.

With Kelly Monaco such an integral part of PORT CHARLES’ small cast obviously  the need to either  redeem Livvie in some acceptable way so that viewers can continue to buy the character’s existence or turn her into something else entirely has to be driving the writers motivations for this piece of the arc.  They have no choice.  It’s either have Livvie meet a deserving end and write her off the show entirely, figure out a way to redeem the character or come up with a new role to keep Kelly Monaco front and center.  My bet is on coming out the other end of this process with a new and improved Livvie,  her soul merging with the goodness of Tess, after all predictability being what it is, her relationships to the other characters are simply too strong and established to be severed. 

Oh but wouldn’t it be fun to be surprised, for the writers to take that leap, snuff out today’s Livvie and replace her with the child Tess, letting  every character have a go at  molding her into what their vision of the “perfect” Livvie might be. 

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