Once and Again's Best Season is Lost on Viewers

The soap rule that a married couple equals a boring couple has been smashed to pieces this season by Once and Again. The only problem is, viewers haven't stuck around to watch.

by Kathryn Walsh

In its first two seasons, O&A was a show about divorce and its effect on two families, the Mannings and the Sammlers. Now, post-Lily and Rick's wedding, it is about marriage and its effect on these families. That doesn't sound like a big difference, but it is.

Pre-nuptial O&A had more personalities than One Life to Live's Vicky. One week it was Lily and Rick's romance, the next, Judy's misadventures, in mating and dating; the next, the teen scene. Then there were Jake's and Karen's love lives.

Putting the Sammlers and Mannings under one roof has literally made the show a stronger unit. For example, Judy's relationship with Sam now has a more direct impact on everyone. This was perfectly showcased in the Thanksgiving episode, when Judy & Sam had to deal with seeing each other post-breakup, thanks to Lily inviting her sister to dinner and Rick inviting his pal.

The teen story is also more combustible now that Eli and Grace cross paths in the kitchen as they used to in the school cafeteria. Add Grace and Jessie's step-sibling rivalry to the recipe, an you have true family drama. One definitely worth watching. __ Soap Opera Weekly (posted to the ABC message board by Memorex January 4, 2002)

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