The Wit and Wisdom: PRESS ARCHIVES

Performer of the Week (SOD 8/12/08)
Tuc Watkins and Pamela Payton-Wright
(David and Addie, One Life to Live)

It wouldn't be a proper Tuc Watkins return if he didn't a) make us laugh to no end and b) warrant a tribute in this column. Watkins's latest appearance has been doubly delightful, thanks to the unexpected magic of his pairing with Pamela Payton-Wright, whose deft comic timing as Addie was relatively untapped until now.

David made no pretense about why he married Addie, so watching the duo canoodle and spout sexual innuendo to make Dorian cringe made their short-lived marriage that much more entertaining. Addie positively beamed from all the attention she'd never before received, and Payton-Wright infused Addie's childlike nature with a sexy new awareness. When he deliberately dropped his towel in Dorian's bedroom, Addie's eyes filled with wonder as she ogled his physique. "There is a God," she gasped. "And you are the eighth wonder of the world." Watkins, meanwhile, was gleeful as the doting husband, snuggling up to Addie and tossing a smug smile in Dorian's direction at every opportunity.

During a hilarious run-in with Clint at the courthouse, David cracked, "Uh-oh, Clint. You shoot me and this dog gets it," pretending to strangle David Vickers the dog. "Bad boy, David Vickers!" Addie playfully shouted as she giggled and smacked the real David. Clint, who was bemused to say the least, congratulated them on their sudden union. "[Dorian's] about to blow her brains out!" Addie cackled. The pair then howled in unison, and their infectious laughter echoed in the courthouse halls as they made their exit.

When the Mannings are tearing each other apart and a big-bang story like Mendorra is unintentionally funny, it helps to have a few laughs that resonate even after David and Addie have left the screen.