I don't think I've ever been happier to see a new day begin in Llanview than I was last week. One night felt like it lasted 2 weeks, and I thought I would never see the characters change clothes! It was literally a night to remember, as Marty's memories came flooding back, Jessica began to have flashbacks of Tess giving birth to Chloe, Natalie and Jared revealed their latest secret, Téa and Blair were caught in peril, and Gigi finally took charge.
I was not looking forward to revisiting the Spring Fling story. Llanview has had more than its share of crazy people that arrive with an axe to grind, so bringing in more didn't seem like a good idea. Powell, Zack both wanted Todd to suffer, and they both managed to use people close to him to do it. A lot of this story felt like filler because the main event was getting to the KAD house. It was hard to remain interested in this story, especially when it was revealed that Powell was the serial killer. He's been off screen for years, and I think it's a major letdown for a serial killer to be someone who isn't currently on the show. However, I loved how Marty regained her memory. It was chilling to see the rape scenes flash on the screen and to see how they affected Marty. With Todd's prompting, she was able to remember the rape and then the happier times, like her life with Patrick and the birth of her son. When her memories came back, I could see fear, pain, happiness, relief, sadness, and surprise. Susan Haskell did an amazing job of showing us how Marty felt at regaining each memory, and she proved once again why she is an award winning actress. Now that she has her memories back and can fully resume her life. I like that the irony of Todd helping her regain her memories wasn't lost on her. He kept her memories from her for months, but he was the one who could help her in the end. Todd and Marty seem to have reached a new understanding and have almost bonded over their grandchild. It will be interesting to see if the Mannings and Thornharts can manage to get along for the sake of Hope. I think it really is a new beginning for both families. As I said, I wasn't looking forward to revisiting the rape again, but Todd and Marty shared some good scenes last week, and I think they and their families can move forward together.
The other good thing about the KAD story was the struggle between Téa and Blair to reach an understanding and to survive. Watching two people who despise each other be forced to work together has always been one of my favorite parts of soap operas. We've seen this many times over the years, whether it was Viki and Dorian, Lindsay and Nora, or Evangeline and Natalie to name a few. Téa and Blair couldn't stop themselves from trading barbs or from displaying general anger towards the other. However, they both knew they had to work together if they had any chance of surviving. When they realized all they could do was wait to be rescued, they managed to have an honest discussion about why they dislike each other and how things might have been different for them if Todd hadn't been in the picture. I don't think Téa and Blair will ever be friends, but perhaps they can be civil to each other after going through such a harrowing experience! Téa was even willing to tell Blair her secret, but true to soap opera form, she was prevented from doing so. What could her secret be? I hope it's not that she had Todd's child when she was away from Llanview. This plot device is so overused on soaps that I am tired of it. I hope the writers will be creative with whatever it is, so that it will truly be shocking when she reveals it! Of course, now that she's in a coma indefinitely, it could be a very long time before we hear anything about it. I just hope it's not forgotten, like Allison Perkins' secret was after she went into a coma! It will be interesting to see how Blair and Téa interact when Téa wakes up and if Téa is still willing to share her secret. I am sure Blair won't forget about it, so Téa will be in a difficult position when she regains consciousness!
I am thrilled that the truth about the baby switch is finally being revealed. I never like the idea of this story, especially since it was inserted into a story with a lot of drama already. As I've said, baby switches have become a form of lazy storytelling on soaps. We've seen it all before; we know what will happen. Aside from the baby switch being connected to the serial killer story, there wasn't anything that happened that was shocking. We saw Starr, Cole, Marcie, and others grieve for Hope. We heard many characters hit us over the head with phrases like Hope is gone, we lost Hope, Hope died, we don't have Hope, etc. I think every single viewer understood why the baby was named Hope after all of the dialogue that was as subtle as a falling anvil. We also saw Starr hold "Chloe" and lament the loss of Hope. We heard Jessica say she didn't bond with "Chloe" in the same way as she did with Bree. I get it! Now that we've been through all of that, it's finally time for the truth.
The truth is coming out in a couple of different ways, which is actually more interesting than I thought. Natalie and Jared told Viki, Clint, and Charlie about the latest secret about family ties and were surprised that their family was upset. These two never learn, do they? I think even Natalie realized she sounded ridiculous as she tried to justify their decision to keep "Chloe's" true identity a secret. I am glad Natalie and Jared got married; they are perfect each other, especially when it comes to inappropriate rationalization! I am glad that they decided to tell the truth after Chloe was taken, though. I give them credit for not holding onto the secret for their own good when her family needed the information. Maybe there is hope for them after all (no pun intended!). It was absolutely heartbreaking to watch Viki hear the news and realize that it actually was plausible. She, like no one else in the family, understands how alters operate. Clint didn't understand in quite the same way, but I could tell Viki had very few doubts about Bess switching the babies. I think this story would have been more interesting if Viki had discovered the truth on her own. It has always been a mistake, in my opinion, not to make Viki a bigger part of Jessica's battle with DID. However, I do think the scenes made for interesting drama, and I couldn't wait for Clint and Viki to get the hospital to tell Jessica the truth.
At the same, Jessica started having flashbacks of Tess and Bess right after she discovered that Chloe was missing. She couldn't stop the return of these memories and couldn't handle them. Fortunately, Brody knew about Jessica's DID and had experienced it before, so he didn't buy Jessica's story about merely passing out. I agree with Clint's assessment that Jessica knows that Chloe really isn't her baby, at least subconsciously. Her reaction to Clint and Viki trying to hold Chloe is proof of that. However, before Jessica could figure it all out, Bess stepped in with a conveniently located pair of glasses and left the hospital with "Chloe." I don't know why Viki, Clint, and Brody decided to leave Jessica alone in the room, given Jessica's condition. Bess must count on people not being too intuitive to accomplish her missions! There was something creepy and almost funny about Bess singing to "Chloe" in the car. Only Bess would make a point of enunciating every word perfectly! As Bess drove away, Bo and everyone else stared at a map of Llanview. I kind of wonder why the LPD doesn't have better tools and technology to locate cars and people than an old map. It seems like that car might have a GPS or a lojack! Bess could drive a long way before anyone figures out where she is going at this rate! When Bess is found and Jessica learns the truth, I am sure it will make for good drama. I just hope we don't have to wait too long for it all to happen. Starr and Cole need to reunite with their baby, and Jessica needs to deal with the truth. There is nothing left to do in this story but to let everyone accept their new realities!
I wish that Gigi and Rex would learn the truth as well. This story has also gotten very old. I am so tired of Gigi deciding that she is going to tell the truth, just to have something change her mind at the last minute. I wish Gigi hadn't fallen for Stacy's lame plan in the first place, but that is ancient history now. I am glad that Gigi is taking a harder line with Stacy, though. She wouldn't let Stacy take charge when Shane went to the ER, and she wouldn't let Stacy get in the way of doing what she thought was best for Shane. She needs to take that newly found fire and use it to tell Rex the truth about what Stacy did. It seems like Rex is desperately waiting for the truth. It's obvious that he doesn't completely believe the reason why Gigi dumped him. He keeps reaching out to her, but she ends up pushing him away every time. He needs to use the skills that he allegedly has as a private investigator and do some actual investigating. It can't be that hard to figure out that Gigi and Brody aren't a couple! I also want Rex to revisit the day when Schuyler was waving a bag of blood in Rex's face. Yes, it was a weird thing for Schuyler to do, but since he isn't crazy, there must have been a reason for it! This story gets more ridiculous by the day, and I think both Gigi and Rex are smarter than this story is portraying. I wanted that dream sequence where Rex told Gigi he dreamed that she dumped him to be real. Yes, it's a copout, but I am willing to accept one for this story. Just end it already! Gigi and Rex found each other after 10 years and went through a lot to be together; it is horrible to watch them be ripped apart for such a stupid story. I hope Stacy's creepy acquaintance returns for his money and drags her back to Las Vegas. I know I won't be that lucky, though!
Finally, while I never liked Lola or really cared about her, shouldn't there be some time of follow up to for her confession to Ray? I know that we've been on the same night in Llanview for a long time, but it seems like they got lost in the shuffle. I hope that wasn't the last time we will see Ray. I know the show is cluttered and disorganized right now, but it seems like Lola and Ray need more to end their story than that the last scene in Dorian's room!
Until next time,
Dawn
