Okay, it's a bit late for that. If I'm not grown up now, I'll never be. But, damn, I want to be like Viki. And since they took her off my screen, I realize how much I actually liked her. It's shocking to me, but I miss her. I really miss her. I know she's fictional but I miss her!! I thought I'd miss a lot of characters but it seems that Viki is the one I miss most. I think it's because Viki represents to me all that this form was at it's best. Not only was she portrayed so well by Slezak, but she actually seemed to be the ultimate soap female to me. And, with the end of Viki, I knew that what was special about this genre would go with her. When they made Viki, they broke the mold. That so cliche but it's true. There are no others like her and I fear there never will be.
Viki had such a long journey that covering the details would be ridiculous. And yet it wasn't plot points that made Viki special. It was about how she acted out those plot points. I loved the way she was funny and sweet without being saccharine like so many soap matriarchs. She wasn't a downhome Mommy type like the women on P&G soaps. She wasn't sassy like others on ABC. She was real. Maybe that's it. Viki was the mother we all wanted. Or the sister. She was supportive and kind but also could rip you a new one if you deserved it. She didn't take any crap but she didn't banish you for being an asshole. She'd let you have it but always let you know she loved you nonetheless.
Maybe it was about her strength. She got through the worst of times and always seemed the better from the experience. She'd been to hell and back and then learned the lesson from it. Those moments in hell- or heaven?- made her more grounded, not less secure. She lost her marbles years ago, so maybe all the trauma was "normal" to her. Really. I've never seen a soap heroine be truly mentally unstable, except for Viki, but she was also the strongest one. They always crowed about how strong Erica Kane was, but that was a bunch of crap. She relied on men constantly whereas most of Viki's journey was on her own. She made it through by her wits and her determination. Erica rode on the backs of men and ended dumped and alone. Viki ended standing tall and proud. Regal, even, with a man because she chose to be, not because she had to be.
Yet strong as she was, she was also vulnerable. She was always letting those damn alters run a muck but she'd make it back. I was never a fan of her romantic pairings as it seemed that none of the men were as hip as she was. Except Joe Riley. I think there may be something to that memory, really. One of my first soap memories was of Viki and Joe, and I was REALLY young. But I had a mad crush on Joe and I think Joe and Viki were my first soap "couple". I can't remember much about them but I know I thought they were cool. Possibly that's why I never really could rally for her subsequent pairings. I never got over her losing Joe. As much as I loved me some JVD Clint, I was never a Clint fan in the Richie years. I found him obnoxious and overbearing, and too country for Viki. Ben? He was cute but annoying, IMO, although I liked her being allowed to be a cougar. Strangely enough, I enjoyed Charlie but he was so outrageously weak, I couldn't abide him. I think I loved the actor, as Brian Kerwin so AMAZING, but Charlie was not for Viki at all.
As classy as she was, and as rich, she didn't have a moment's snobbery to her. I loved Jean Randolph as I saw her as how Viki could have been, demeaning, domineering, and judgmental. I loved how she degraded Dorian and Todd, it was fun because it wasn't real. I mean, it wasn't Viki. But it was how she could have been portrayed, but wasn't. Viki was open-minded and liberal- not politically, I don't think, but in terms of being available to different viewpoints. She loved being working class even though she was really anything but.
But the more I talk about Viki, the more I realize that I might be talking about Erika Slezak as much as Viki. I don't know the woman or anything about her, except that I'm familiar with her father from Warner Brothers movies and I've read some articles with her. Yet once in a while, I'd see a smile break out on Viki's face that was so endearing, that I think it must have been Slezak. It was so genuine. I saw it often with Tuc Watkins, as I think she found him amusing. I saw it with Strasser, as I think she found her as interesting as we all did. And, especially, I saw it with Howarth, as she looked at him adoringly and the vibe was so sweet, it was almost outrageous. I swear those two must have been members of the mutual admiration society.
What I'm getting at it is that Viki was a character played by a dynamic, talented, likable actress with heart and soul and integrity and warmth and she wasn't boring- ever. She was fun and interesting. She was a strong woman who had flaws but could make it in the end. She taught us that it's okay not be perfect. It's okay to have problems and attack them head on. And, often, we won't conquer them all successfully, but we'll keep trying. Viki taught us to love people without judging. Yet we don't need to accept everything they do, just try to understand. And, mostly, Viki taught us what it means to be a great soap character. And, I think, that's what I love about her most. She was true in every way in a format that's all about being fake and over the top. Viki, like OLTL, was so real in her fictional form. She never left character, no matter how outrageous. Even when I thought I saw Slezak shining through, it made sense as she seemed to be Viki in some way. Or a part of her, at least. And, in the end, she made it all so fun. And important.
I'll end with that wonderful monologue written by Scott Sickles as that great show came to an end. And how fitting that Viki delivered it. He says it better than me, so here it is. It still makes me cry thinking about it.
Rumor has it she may be back to visit her brother in Port Charles before that show ends. I can't think of anything more enjoyable and more fitting. Of course she would do that. You see Viki would never abandon her family. And in many ways, that includes all of us. She'll come back to make sure we're all okay, as well as Todd. And, in some ways, we all need her as much as he does.
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