Meanwhile, JR devised an elaborate plan to make it look like Babe had taken drugs and is an unfit mother. I was hoping Jamie would put it all together and he did. He has enlisted Reggie's help to prove that JR purchased drugs from Seth as JR realizes David, Tad, and Jamie have become suspicious of him. Oh really? JR is out of control now with his father giving him the thumbs up. It will be sweet justice when they find out, SOMEDAY, that Bess isn't really a Chandler. Don't get me started on this subject; I am SO upset with Dr. Hayward. David has acted on some unforgivable deeds in the past but this tops the list. I find it very difficult to swallow that he would keep Bess' true parentage from Bianca. If not for his love of her, what about his ethics as a doctor? Oh yeah, that hasn't mattered in the past, why start now? This was the perfect opportunity to make it right for everyone. I don't mind that Babe is now his daughter and he wants to be a real father/protector, but they can have that relationship without Bess/Miranda. Babe supposedly is able to have more children with her husband; Bianca is in a unique situation. Not only was her baby born out of rape, she is a lesbian who would not normally have a baby unless she adopted or had a sperm donor. Plus if David and Babe truly love Bianca as they profess, there is no way they could keep this information from her. Pretty potent what David said to justify his decision, "Hang on hard, don't look back". I just don't see how you justify a decision like this on any level. We all love babies, politicians and priest love babies, but would we consciously steal one and live with ourselves? Dr Hayward was Bianca's champion and still is. What if that was Leora? Would he feel the same? Oh what they do for plotlines on soap operas, only to make us longtime fans CRAZY!!! The only plus is that I always enjoy Vincent I's acting, he is very good.
Which brings us to Kendall. She made a poor decision in bedding Jonathan and has been told by Greenlee that she truly lost Ryan now. Remember how I was on the fence about Ryan with Kendall or Greenlee? After all the events lately, I find myself preferring him with his wife. No one is exempt from what they have done in the past to create havoc or be deceitful. Ryan has tried to be honest and a true friend to others. Greenlee is serious about her relationship with her husband and it is not a sin if she really loves the man. At least, so far, they are having a good time together and are real partners. It is not the marry-the-one-you-truly-love and lives happily ever after, but could Ryan and Kendall have done that? They are too volatile together and Kendall can't completely trust anyone as Ryan explains to Jonathan. It's funny how when "Hockett" appeared I wondered what his ulterior motive was, everyone seems to have one when they come to Pine Valley.......and voila, he is talking to his picture with his sister that he has made it. He possibly can't forgive that his older brothers deserted them. Is this right, only Ryan was Chris' son, the other children were from the father from Hell? I remember when Braden was in town and then disappeared, but at that time you didn't know about Agent Stamp.
Mary's choice for Fan Spotlight of the Week comes from Sue who says, "The writers did it to us again, just when we thought all this mess was going to be solved, they changed their minds. Kendall would never have slept with a complete stranger and David would have told Bianca no matter what. They want to keep hanging on with these far-fetched stories when in reality it is just plain stupid. This poor writing has gone on much too long. Then there is Maria; they are going to have her cheat on Edmund again (oh please). If they do, then I hope Brooke and Edmund end up together!" Yes Sue, you heard what I felt about David not telling Bianca. I could rant about that for hours. As for Kendall, she does jump in without thinking a lot. Remember when she got with Michael Cambias? He was a stranger. She was after her mother's husband many years ago. She has had her share of bad decisions and needs to start growing up. You kept hoping she had changed when they had her soften with Ryan initially and Aidan later. I will comment on Maria to follow.
Zach, a man from Maria/Maureen's past, is in Pine Valley to meet Bobby. It appears Bobby has hit it big with his investments and is excited to tell Anita. Anita blind sights him with wanting a divorce. It is sad to watch as Anita plays the martyr and decides she can't forgive the man for his past transgressions and won't believe that he was only being Erica's friend in Vegas. He had offered to go to counseling and it is too bad they didn't. I don't see much future for these two and am sure they are waiting to develop this storyline more when Aidan returns. The proverbial triangle. Meanwhile, Maria is visibly upset and confused about seeing Zach again. Apparently they had a torrid love affair and strong feelings for each other. She had reasons to leave him behind and yet not flash on these moments together when she took up with Aidan. Of course we know she is currently unable to make love to her husband and how bothersome that is as she verbalized to Livia. There is good chemistry with Maria and Zach, but I don't want to see her betray Edmund as her husband, father of her children, and especially since he is in a wheelchair indefinitely. It is overwhelming and does make you prefer Edmund with Brooke if that should happen.
If Eden as Bianca is going to leave the show, maybe this is how they are setting up her departure after the ultimate betrayal by so many "friends". It will make her want to leave her friends far behind and start anew with Lena or be somewhere other than Pine Valley. I am hoping that she will stay on as she is such an amazing actress and her presence would be sorely missed. I got a few chuckles (besides the snappier dialogue and banter) this past week with Reggie kissing Danielle and then always wiping his mouth afterwards and Babe in the hospital bed with a crooked oxygen tube on her face. It was hard to concentrate on what she was saying to her newfound father. Derek is amusing as the clueless father of Dani and is lucky to have Aunt Livia nearby for damage control and direction. How I love having Tom Cudahy in the picture am sure he will be involved with Erica's therapy and AA meetings as he was with Hayley.
It has been very difficult to get back in the groove after having 12 glorious days of vacation. Many, many thanks to my good pal Wild Bill in Chicago who hosted my visit to his exciting city and a drive to Wisconsin to be with family. We saw and did so much during that time, I am still amazed. It was inspiring to have someone to view the show with daily and share our thoughts on it all. We also met up with other soap fans in Joliet, IL. Thanks to Joan (who I have met twice in Vegas, my current hometown) and her husband, John, who endured our "soap" dinner and AMC rants.....and to Laney, RN, who has written to me often the past few years and we finally got to meet. It was a very memorable evening and I look forward to repeating it sometime in the future. Our next stop is Super Soap Weekend in Florida in November. Soap fans are the best and I have been fortunate to meet so many during my 5-year gig on Soap Opera Central. I can truly understand why the soap stars enjoy going out to meet all of you so much. I trust you all had a festive and safe holiday, I sure did in the big windy city. Enjoy the crazy ride on our favorite show and back to you in two weeks...as always, many thanks to Mary for covering me in my absence.
Suellen
