Zoe came out to all of Pine Valley this week, but not before admitting to the Fusion murders in a last ditch attempt to hide the fact that the vial in her hotel room contained estrogen, not the poison given to Simone, Erin and Dani. In true soap fashion, the reveal was made in front of a room full of stunned PV residents, who proceeded to spit (in Ryan's case, literally) questions at her. Of course, the only person to defend Zoe was new BFF Babe. I give Babe credit for being so open-minded, but I would have preferred for someone else - anyone else - to be Zoe's champion. And while I was annoyed at everyone else in the room for ganging up on Zoe, I can understand why they did. It's a pretty incredulous story to accept at face value, especially considering Zoe had confessed to the crimes moments before.
JR's reaction was the only one that really made my stomach turn, but that's largely because it is the exact opposite of mine. I found myself agreeing with Jamie (I know, I'm scared too) when he tried to talk some sense into his close-minded brother. That said, quite a few AMC watchers likely share JR's viewpoint, so it deserved to be showcased, even if I disagree with it entirely.
I thought Jeff Carlson did an excellent job this week, toning down his performance to express Zoe's despair at being publicly outed. My favorite scenes were the ones he shared with Bianca while Zoe was in a holding cell at the PVPD. It was almost as though Zoe was answering Zarf's critics. Over the past few weeks, most of the negative comments I've read about Zarf were that he was over the top and insensitive to the pain people experienced in the wake of Simone and Erin's deaths. It was nice to see Zoe explain that all of that was a cover to distance himself from his true emotions. No talk of auras, no overly flouncy gestures, no dramatic soliloquies. Zoe acknowledged that she expected too much of Bianca and later realized that he was being selfish when he begged Josh to protect the remaining women of Fusion.
Looking for a Killer
By the end of the week, most of the town seemed convinced that Zoe wasn't the killer, especially after both Kendall and Babe received not-so-thoughtful gifts from the murderer (a white ribbon was tied to the gates at the Chandler mansion, while gardenias, ordered in Simone's name, were sent to Kendall at Fusion). In addition, a new suspect popped up, Kenny Adler. For those who don't remember him, they did a pretty good job of summing up his history on the show, which mostly consisted of bailing Simone out of jail and then proposing to her. Honestly, I'm not that suspicious of Kenny. My gut feeling is that he's a red herring. At worse, I think he might be an accomplice to the real killer.
Speaking of the killer, Danielle woke up but was unable to provide any details about the killer. All she remembered was seeing a bird and someone she thought was a man. Not much to go on. Aidan and Di suggested a sting operation, wherein they would let the world think Dani could identify her attacked, luring the killer back to finish the job and cover his/her behind, only to find a Dani replacement and an army of cops waiting for them. While Di initially offered to be the bait (she looks just like Danielle, doesn't she?), Livia ended up volunteering. I love that the Frye family is being featured more prominently, but once again, it feels like way too little, way too late.
The Incredible Flying CEO
The Fusion girls took another hit this week when they showed up to a completely empty office, cancelled product orders and the threat of company-wide collapse. It seems that most able bodied young ladies in the Valley want to avoid the company that's been targeted by a serial killer. Go figure. Of course, Kendall, Babe and dug in their heels wanting to save the company and they asked Ryan for Cambias Industries' support. It took Lavery about two seconds to say no. When the Fusion gals kept fighting, a frustrated Ryan took off, only to show up later to tackle Kendall on the Fusion rooftop to prove his point. "I told you! You're not safe! I got up here so easily!" Gee, the owner of the company managed to get on the rooftop of the building? Shocking! Does Ryan even know Kendall?! He actually thought it was a good idea to jump out and knock over the mother of his child (who weighs about 98 pounds) to keep her safe. This man is unbelievable.
I do understand Ryan's point and I do believe that he doesn't want Kendall dead. But if he loved this woman the way he says he does, he would [i]listen[/i] to her. Everyone close to the Fusion women has tried to convince them to leave, but they've stopped short of staging ridiculous stunts like that. Josh, Maggie and Zach all felt the same way, but they realized they're dealing with strong, determined women who need to be supported, not lectured or threatened.
While the bickering at Fusion continued, Zach was knee deep in nostalgia at a Cambias-owned warehouse, where he found a painting of his mother with a new face - Kendall's face. He also found love letters from a man known only as "R", who seemed to be a former lover of Amelia's. All the while, the killer watched Zach from a hidden camera. Zach broke my heart when, after being locked in the warehouse by the killer, all he could yell out was "You can't have Kendall." I just love this man more every week. He showed a lot of understanding to Zoe's plight before most others did, and any man who sleeps in a "Spike Rocks!" t-shirt is my kind of man.
Together Forever?
Dixie, JR and Jamie shared a nice moment this week, over a plate of chocolate chip cookies. That was after JR pressed his mother to reveal what she knows about Krystal (she asked JR for more time to decide what to do with the info). It was a little too sappy for my liking, but it was a sweet moment nonetheless, especially when Dixie promised an emotional JR she would never leave him again. Of course, that all took on a new meaning after reading this week's huge casting news (if you've somehow managed to avoid the story, and want to stay spoiler-free, skip the next paragraph).
It was widely reported this week that Cady McClain will leave AMC when Dixie becomes the next (accidental) victim of the serial killer. Needless to say, I was stunned when I read about this new twist. I'm no Dixie fan (thanks in large part to her bungled return) but there were definitely signs of improvement since she started interacting with Tad and her family more (like she should have from the start). So what does AMC do to those die-hard Tad and Dixie fans who have suffered though this latest storyline? They kill Ms. Cooney off again, in the most permanent way possible. Plus, they twist the knife by having Dix reconnect with Tad [i]AND[/i] find out that Kathy, Julia's new 'daughter', is actually her beloved Kate right before she dies. You would think AMC would learn not to screw around with their most loyal fans, especially after the debacle that was 2006. But apparently, they decided to go all the way and make Dixie's return a total waste - and an act of outright disrespect to AMC fans.
Odds & Ends
I loved seeing Bianca stand up to Maggie, who showed up from Paris begging for Binks' forgiveness. It was somewhat comforting that Mags cheated with a woman, but if I were a Bianca and Maggie fan, I'd still be ticked off. I think it will be very interesting to see how Zoe fits into this whole mess, but I'm not sure I want Bianca and Zoe to be involved romantically. It's clear AMC never even scratched the surface of Bianca and Maggie as a couple and it would be nice to actually see them have real romance on-screen.
Kudos to Tad for pulling Jeff aside and giving him hell for getting in between Jackson and Erica. Don't get me wrong, I don't blame Jeff entirely, but I find it very arrogant for Jeff to pass judgment on Jack. He doesn't know the man and he doesn't have any idea what Jack and Erica have survived together. But as I've said before, I don't buy this Jeff/Erica pairing anyway. It happened way too fast and it makes Erica look like a stupid child. Jeff literally looked like a lovesick puppy following Erica around this week. As for Erica and Jack's argument this week, it was just more of the same adolescent "you don't really know me" crud they've been spouting for weeks.
In terms of the identity of the serial killer, your guess is as good as mine. The best theory I've read fingers Jonathan as the killer and until I'm shown otherwise, I'm inclined to believe it. And if anyone thinks Jonathan's incapable of killing a sibling, don't forget that he tried to kill Ryan several times (and no, I never bought the tumor excuse). If you're still unconvinced, try talking to Jonny's big brother Braden.
Two more quick notes: first of all, I want to express my condolences to the family and friends of Darlene Conley, who played the wonderful Sally Spectra on the Bold and the Beautiful. I watched B&B on and off, and always loved Ms. Conley's performances. Secondly, word came down this week that Passions has been cancelled. Now personally, I couldn't stand that show. I tried to watch it a few times, but it just wasn't my cup of tea. That said, I don't think it's ever good news when a soap gets cancelled. Daytime is on shaky ground these days and losing a show is bad news for all of us. I know how I'd feel if I lost AMC or OLTL, so my heart goes out to Passions fans. If this doesn't serve as a wake up call to writers who continually alienate soap fans, I'm not sure what will.
That's all from me. Have a great week.
-- Kristine
