Performer
of the Week
Soap Opera Digest
January 14th, 1997
Another World has a surefire recipe for a succesful scene: Add Tom Eplin and stir. As Jake, Eplin pushes all the right buttons. He's cocky, charming -- and a rascal. But for all his bravado, Jake just wants to be loved. While that doesn't seem like much to ask; for poor Jake, love is the proverbial brass ring -- always out of his reach.
For months now, Jake has been wooing his childhood sweeheart and best friend, Vicky Hudson. Whenever Vicky needed him, Jake was there. One minute, he was playing father figure to her kids, the next, defending her against Grant's threats. Between nights out at Sassy's and "homecoming" trips to Lassiter, PA, Jake did a full court press for Vicky's heart.
But Jake had to push it. Afraid he was losing Vicky to her carpenter, Bobby Reno (who just happened to have her dead fiance's corneas), Jake tried to propose. When she wouldn't give him an answer, he gave Vicky an ultimatum: She had 24 hours to sort out her feelings.
Tired, disheveled, his voice cracking, Jake met Vicky at his door. Knowing her answer wasn't what he wanted to hear, Jake went on the defensive. First came anger: "The thought of someone else touching you kills me," he spat. Then came denial: "I want you to look at me and tell me you don't love me!" he dared. And then, after Vicky admitted that she loved him like her kids -- acceptance. Looking like he had been sucker-punched, Eplin's eyes welled with tears. "But not real love," he said softly. Gone was the trademark swagger. Suddenly, Jake was 10 years old back in Lassiter, and Vicky was telling him that they couldn't be best friends anymore. His dignity intact, Jake quietly left. Real-life problems with real-life emotions. That's must see TV.