Jamie and Babe are on their "excellent adventure" running on the lam. Under the assumed names of Brad and Kate with Baby James, they are dodging Highway patrolmen, and sleep so hard in their motel room they are robbed blind. Ten thousand dollars mysteriously disappears out of their duffel bag as the three of them sleep together in their double-sized bed. Sounds like an adventure we would rather skip. In the meantime, the "parents" of Ace are on national TV appealing to the kidnappers, and their parents back in Pine Valley are agonizing over what their children are up to. David and Krystal had to bring Tad up to snuff; as he wanted to tell Bianca she is indeed Bess' mother. He is now very upset with Babe's parents as he realizes how much trouble his beloved son is in. The crime of kidnapping is scary enough, but possibly the murder of Paul Cramer can be added to the list.
The blackmail continues as they keep this baby mystery going. It is actually spinning out of control as JR knows but doesn't want to give up his "daughter" and face the reality he had lost a son. Erica realizes Bianca received a letter from Babe after all and decides to keep the truth from her. She prefers thinking it is the twisted truth as JR claims, or does she? She blatantly lies to her daughter and Jack, shades of the old Erica resurfacing. She was too willing to share that Maria was with Zach so Edmund would know about "it". When they are ready to start the benefit planning meeting with Bianca, there is a catty exchange between the women in attendance: Erica, Maria, Kendall, Opal, Bianca, and Brooke. It was pretty comical as they all had their rants only to have Myrtle call the meeting to order and send everyone to their prospective corners. Opal later goes to Tad's to confront Krystal and continue her protective raves for her son and grandson. This is one time Tad doesn't try to stop her as he is just as upset with the woman he thought he loved and wanted to marry. I, for one, am so very anxious for them to tie this story up. They are involving more of the characters, which I never mind, but it has lost something important after lasting this long. THE VIEWERS DON'T CARE ANYMORE. We just want to see Bianca back with the daughter she gave birth to and move on. Let the chips fall where they may.
Mary's choice for Fan Spotlight of the Week came from Robyn: "I am fuming about the baby switch. For the life of me, I can't figure out the mind-set of these writers. They continue to alienate their longtime viewers, and they certainly don't expect to get new viewers with this storyline. So, let me get this straight, Genius and ‘best friend" Babe leaves her evil, and twisted husband a note saying their son died and Bess is Miranda. And based on that, and a letter to her best friend, JR will hand over his child to her? In what universe would anyone believe a liar and acknowledge a bigamist? Especially when a DNA test has been performed before. Do you think Babe should have mentioned FYI, my mom messed with the original test, or something to that fact? And David's obsession with "Let Babe have her baby and get far away" before Bianca gets hers. I guess the rationale is that she has gone this long without a baby, what's a couple more days/weeks/months. Babe, dear Babe, does not have the decency to call and check and make sure her plan to reunite mother and daughter works? TPTB have no way to redeem her. She does not deserve custody of her son, and James' comparison of Babe to Dixie deserves to get him thrown out on the street. Dixie would never do all the things that Babe has done including sleeping with her brother-in-law her first night in town......oh wait, James was not really family as they were not really married!"
Mary also got a lot of feedback about the Spotlight submitted by me last week regarding "getting real about Lily". This was one viewer's opinion, and that is what we try to show in our column, your thoughts or comments on a certain subject. Different views, not necessarily the same as our own. That is the beauty of having the section. You all know I am a big supporter of the Lily storyline and feel the mainstreaming is being done very well. Audrey wrote and said "Mainstreaming someone with Asperser's syndrome is in accordance with federal law so the plot is not as far fetched as you might think". Crystal also shared, "Children with autism can be mainstreamed into the schools with good support and help. I should know, I have a ten year old that has the same problem. I feel it is a good thing trying to do it on TV, just show more support for Lily". There was also a lot of discussion about the way they are handling Edmund's disability. This reminds me of my favorite part of the past week, Brooke's intervention with Edmund.
I have always admired the friendship and bond between Edmund and Brooke. They have gone full circle in their relationship through the years. The ex-lovers have been everything to each other, and yet they are able to work side-by-side. She was able to get through his thick skin and pride to give Maria a second chance after all. Lo and behold, he wheels in on Maria getting comfort from Zach. If he truly knew his wife and saw beyond his pride, he could see she was very emotional and it was just that.........a comforting set of arms around her. Yes, it was her ex-lover but just like him and Brooke, you can be friends with your EX. It is not like she wanted to or tried to run right back in Zach's arms, she does love her husband and fought to make it work. You have to give her credit where it is due.
Meanwhile, we are witnessing a rifle's long-range sight being focused on Ryan Lavery. Or on Greenlee, as we find out in the previews. How bizarre is this? Ironically, Ryan has just said to his wife, "I am not losing you for anything". Who is behind this plot to disable or kill these newlyweds? My theory still holds for Jonathan as he keeps duping Greenlee with juice or water, but is there someone masterminding the whole plot? We see Zach taking a call that gives you the feeling he might be up to something himself. Is he the one who brought Jonny Boy to town? Otherwise, how did Ryan's brother find out so much about his business and current status? It is fishy to say the least!!! My good friend in Chicago noted it is very upsetting to see way too many shootings and murders going on in Pine Valley. I couldn't agree more.
Kendall is back to being more sincere and mellow. She is able to do the plant tour with Ryan and Greenlee and is focused on helping Ethan find a get out jail free card. Unfortunately, Mr. Ramsey is being falsely accused of a crime, cannot meet the bail demands, and refuses to interact with Zach. He doesn't realize this is his father, so the mysteries still continue about his parentage and of course of the two babies switched at birth.
Greenlee seems to be prone to making scenes in the courtroom. This is one time she can't help it, as her vision is blurry, her mood swings are huge and dramatic, and her behavior unpredictable. It was funny to see the way she acted with her mother and Adam. If it is Jonathan behind the "condition", we can only pray he won't do anything to Maggie now that he is her new roommate. Lots of subplots and ends to tie up. Hopefully they will be done in a positive and expedite manner.
Mary is overwhelmed with work at the moment and will be unable to write the column next week, so I will be back on board to discuss my thoughts on it all in the coming week. Feel free to share your rants, thoughts, and opinions and I hope any of you AMC fans who got to attend SSW in Florida this past weekend enjoyed the ride!!!
Suellen
