One of the best moments on a soap opera is when a character is defeated by his/her own game. That is exactly what happened to Stacy, and it was long overdue! She easily fell for Rex and Gigi's scam and had nowhere to hide when Rex finally confronted her with the truth. It amazed me how long it took Stacy to understand that her plan was exposed and that it Rex was angry and offended by it. I have never seen a character act so utterly clueless when confronted with her misdeeds. Only Stacy would took take offense that Rex and Gigi lied to her after she pretended to be Shane's donor. Stacy lives in her own personal universe, where it makes sense that Rex should love her in spite of what she did and that she is entitled to have Rex because he picked up her books! I think that these scenes prove that Stacy isn't just an evil person; she has a tenuous grasp of reality and clings to fantasies that aren't remotely true. She has been clinging to the idea that Rex was hers for a long time, but her reaction to Rex's anger made me realize that she has serious issues. She might even be on the fast track for a long stay at St. Ann's. What I really don't understand is why Rex let her head for the door while holding the bag of blood. She seemed to think that she could still get Rex to do what she wants because of the blood, but he could easily take it from her. I hope Rex realizes this on Monday because I would hate to see him feel obligated to her for any reason!
Unfortunately, Stacy still has a trump card that she can play. Rex stupidly lied to Gigi about being with Stacy, and I am sure Stacy will be pregnant or will fake being pregnant as a way to blackmail Rex. I wish we could skip this whole development, but I know we won't be that lucky. Unexpected pregnancies are far too common on soaps to the point where I expect just about every female character to have one at some point. It already feels like this story has been going forever, and this would just extend the agony. If Rex had just told Gigi the truth, he could avoid a lot of the trouble he is about to face. I get that Rex didn't want to ruin things with Gigi, but he is only making everything worse by keeping this secret. Honestly, I don't think that Gigi should be THAT mad that he had a fling with Stacy. Gigi dumped Rex and rebuffed his attempts to reconcile several times. Rex didn't have a reason to think that it was all a ruse and that Gigi would come back to him. She should, however, be mad that he lied to her about it. As a person who has been lied to about many important things, Rex should be honest with the people in his life. He also should have thought about Stacy and how she needs to brag about everything. Everyone except Rex knew that Stacy would tell Gigi as soon as she could, and now that Stacy is a woman scorned, it looks like she will bring a crowbar to the next round. Maybe Rex will learn that telling the truth is good after Stacy smashes the car window.
I am surprised at how easily Shane accepted the truth about what Stacy did. He has been holding Stacy in high esteem, and he has been rebelling against Gigi for months. I am glad that he believed Gigi and Rex's explanation and was willing to go along with the plot to dupe Stacy. I know some people think it was awful of Gigi and Rex to tempt the fates regarding Shane's health, but I took it as a "desperate times" plan. They'd already looked for the extra cells and couldn't find them, and while they are probably not viable now, they didn't want to take a chance of losing them forever. Rex and Gigi both seemed to realize that if Shane gets sick again it's because he gets sick again, not because they did something to cause it. Shane understands that he isn't really sick again, and he also knows that he could get sick again in the future. I don't think Rex and Gigi's plan scarred Shane for life, at least not any more than any other soap opera child would be. He has a much better grasp of reality than Stacy, so I think he will come out of this largely unscathed.
By the way, wasn't it great to see Michael again? It's not like another doctor would have easily gone along with Rex and Gigi's plan, so it made sense to bring him back. I also liked that we learned that Michael and Marcie are doing well in Seattle. I am still sad that they left Llanview, but it would be great if one or both of them could return to Llanview periodically. So few characters get to leave in such a happy way, and it would be great if we could see them reunite with their friends in Llanview occasionally!
Speaking of reunions, Jessica saw Hope for the first time since giving her back to Starr and Cole. I knew this was coming in some form, but I didn't expect Jessica to make it happen. I was sure they would all run into each other somewhere and share an awkward moment. I like that Jessica tried to make things right herself, though. I am also glad that Starr and Cole didn't make Jessica feel too bad about what happened. Starr especially showed an amazing level of maturity in that moment. She was able to separate Jessica from Jessica's illness and know that what happened wasn't Jessica's fault. Cole didn't arrive at the same conclusion so quickly, but he didn't make her out to be a villain either. I am glad that this confrontation happened sooner rather than later because all of the characters involved can make their peace with it. Jessica is still having a tough time accepting the truth, but it has to be helpful for her to know that Starr and Cole don't hate her for what she did. Starr and Cole have been telling people that they are adults now, and this was the first time I have seen either one of them act like it in a long time!
Then we have Blair, Todd, and Téa. They are stuck in an eternal game of "Who gets Todd's affections now?" Their scenes were amusing on a basic level; it was summer fun, complete with Todd being pushed into the pool. However, I have grown tired of this particular love triangle. How many times has Blair written Todd off, just to take him back a short time later? Téa has tried to separate herself from Todd many times, and it never lasts. The only thing that these scenes proved to me was that both Todd and Blair are immature and jealous. Their actions last week made Cole and Starr look like responsible adults! Todd knew what Blair was doing when she brought Chad to the pool, and Todd decided to go along with it. As for Blair, Dorian was absolutely right when she suspected that Blair wanted Téa to catch her with Todd. Blair likes to play petty games and loves to show Téa that she can still have Todd whenever she wants. Todd loves the idea of Téa and Blair fighting over him, so he will go along with just about anything. As for Téa, she gave Todd a much deserved berating, but I don't believe for a minute that she will walk away from Todd forever. She has said several times that she is addicted to Todd, and even though he cheated on her with Blair, I know she will take him back at some point. I am tired of this continuous cycle that Blair, Todd, and Téa continue to follow. I honestly don't care who is with whom anymore! Blair and Téa both feel that Todd is the love of their lives, but I want to tell both of them that there are other fish in the sea! At this point, I think these 3 characters would be better off if they were all with other people. I am sure I am in the minority on this issue, but I simply can't force myself to be interested in who Todd chooses this week or next. I am sure this tug-of-war over Todd will continue for the rest of the summer, but I am tired of this perpetual game!
After Todd went looking for Téa, Marty paid him a visit for some reason. I understand that she is still angry about what Todd did to her, but I am not sure what she expected him to do about it on Friday. She might have thought he was being glib when he asked her that question, but really, what could he do? Marty needs help getting past everything, but I don't think Todd is the person to help. Perhaps Marty needs to go to counseling before trying to get her own license back. It seemed like Todd and Marty made peace after the incident at the KAD house and finding out that they share a grandchild, however, all of their past problems came back on Friday. I hope Marty doesn't make a habit out of going to confront Todd about what happened. She's done that several times already. It's understandable that she is having trouble moving on with her life, but she needs to find a constructive way to work through her issues. I really don't want to see Marty and Todd have the same conversation repeatedly for the next year!
Dorian's dinner party ended up being quite entertaining! Dorian did her best to help Langston earn the approval of Markko's parents, but I like how she finally decided to drop the charade and tell Markko's father what he needed to hear. Markko's father was rude and disrespectful to Dorian the entire time he was at her house, and I am glad she didn't sit quietly and take it. Dorian's words went in one ear and out the other, but I like that she took a stand against a man who seems to be accustomed to controlling situations. I also liked that everyone came through for Dorian, even when she gave up hope that they would. Dorian is over the top and tends to put people off with her attitude, but she certainly needs people in her corner. I like how Moe, Shaun, and Charlie backed Dorian up by not letting Markko's father go upstairs to confront Markko. Shaun and Moe have learned that it isn't easy to work for Dorian, but they seem to understand her, and she needs them. I hope we get to see all of them interact now that Shaun and Moe have forgiven Dorian for her latest outburst! It will also be interesting to see how Markko living at Llanfair will affect Viki and Dorian's relationship. Viki saved the day by offering her home to Markko, ending potential conflict between Dorian and Langston, but I am sure this new living arrangement will create some awkward situations! By the way, would this dinner party have been so entertaining without Dorian or Robin Strasser? Just asking!
I have to say that I like that Shaun is being incorporated into the show these days. He used to be a random character that we would only see once in a while, but now that he has family in Llanview, we have seen him more often. I also like his budding friendship with Rachel. I can't say the same thing about his brother, though. Greg has only been in Llanview for a few weeks, but this character seems to lack a personality. We don't know much about him except that he is an arrogant surgeon who is used to doing his own thing. That isn't enough to make him a character on the show! There has to be more to this character than what we have seen, especially since Shaun made such a big deal out of not wanting Greg to come to Llanview. I am not moved one or the other about this character. I hope we learn more about him, since it appears he will be competing for Rachel's affections with Shaun. Since I am sure that Bo and Nora will change their minds about Matthew's surgery, I am sure we will start seeing him more often.
I felt bad for Bo, Nora, and Matthew last week. I can understand why Bo and Nora don't want to risk Matthew's life to have the surgery. It has to be a very difficult situation for any parents to be in, especially when everything happened so recently. On the other hand, I also understand that all Matthew cares about is being able to walk again. He has had to deal with a lot since the accident, and he sees a way out of it. Matthew is obviously still angry about being injured, and he thinks Bo and Nora are being unreasonable. As I said, I am sure that Bo and Nora would change their minds about the surgery in time, but Matthew can't see that far ahead. I really don't like the idea of Matthew suing Bo and Nora, as it was implied he would do at the end of Friday's episode. I have always like Bo and Nora's relationship with Matthew, and now it is going to be strained over this issue. I hope that Matthew doesn't go through with Destiny's plan, but he is so angry right now that I can't see him saying no to it. I hope Matthew's actions don't completely ruin his relationship with his parents. At least one teenager in Llanview should get along with his parents!
Finally, I hope Nora kicks Clint out after his behavior last week. Jealousy does not look good on Clint at all, and he has to accept that Bo and Nora share a child and always will. Clint might be Matthew's stepfather, if this doomed wedding takes place, but Bo will always be Matthew's father. I thought Clint had finally listened to Viki's advice about giving Nora space, but his argument with Bo last week proved otherwise. Since Nora doesn't want to marry Clint to begin with, I hope they call their half of the double wedding off. Clint is fooling himself if he thinks he will suddenly be included in Bo and Nora's decisions because he is married to Nora. It won't happen. I think Clint needs to have another talk with Viki about jealous and that Nora needs to come to her senses and end her engagement to Clint. If she doesn't, this marriage could end up being even shorter than John and Blair's! Until next time,
Dawn
