ABC/BOB D'AMICOHave you been watching Off the Map? Truth be told, if you demand perfect authenticity in your TV-show locations and foreign languages, the ABC soap is probably not the one for you, but on the other hand, if you like ridiculously fun romantic drama, it's absolutely worth a look. One of Off the Map's most appealing elements are Valerie Cruz and Jason George, the two hotties who play Zee and Otis, a friends-with-benefits pairing that's muy caliente. And we just caught up with the stars to find out if those two crazy kids will ever get back together:
In case you we're paying attention when the Zee-Otis breakup happened, Jason George recaps the drama: "Otis is a hardcore flirt, [so] she broke down and started realizing that chocolate tastes good and she began to wonder, 'What are we really?' and things blew up."
But see, that's not the only thing that's about to explode on Off the Map. George says, "These guys got themselves in jeopardy, down in this mine there's all sorts of things that could get you killed; explosive gases, nauseous gases, that sort of thing. He doesn't come out the same way he goes in. The funny part in terms of relationships, when you face death you start bottom-lining things in your life and in your heart."
Valerie Cruz tells us that the mine accident definitely tugs at Zee's heartstrings and makes her realize her true feelings about Otis. She says, "Zee gets scared for him, for his well-being. And I think that brings everything to the forefront and makes it palpable, in the sense that time is finite. You only have so many moments left in this world, with certain people, and I think [sometimes] you take [that] for granted."
The emotional ramifications of the episode are significant. Cruz says, "The audience will get to go on a journey that's very real life…I think she definitely has feelings for him—she just knows that he's totally wrong for her." And that's not all. George says, "The physical ramifications of what happens in the mine carry on for another episode or two. And this is not a clinic where you can be—if you're a doctor, and you're not 100 percent you get sidelined. Otis is not used to being sidelined."
Sadly for adventure-seeking actress Valerie Cruz, poor Zee doesn't have such a fun physical rollercoaster ride in her future. (At least when she's not in bed with sexy Otis.) Cruz says, "Dude, I swear to god, they have her sweeping the clinic. [Laughs.] She's adventure-less. She's like the little lady that maintains the clinic." Awww, season two is gonna be your year, girl, we know it!
In addition to the mine collapse and the developments for Otis and Zee, George says there's another big drama coming up for the gang: "We have what we call a Shawshank episode; it deals with a hepatitis outbreak in a prison. Just remember that we are talking about a South American prison. [Laughs.] It ain't shiny happy people. So that was a really fun episode to shoot."
Off the Map is done shooting for the season, and Cruz tells us the finale will leave fans with some unanswered questions. She says, "I don't think it ends on a clean note as far as some of the characters are concerned. I think it ends on a clean note for Otis and I, but for some of the other characters it's very ambiguous, you don't really know what's going to happen."
Are you an Off the Map fan? Do you wish they would just pick one darn Latin American country and stick with it, or are you OK with the vague vagueness of it all?
Off the Map airs Wednesday at 10 p.m. on ABC.