Steady As She Goes
Llanview was a pretty dull place to live this week. It's almost as if drama took a vacation from the normal activities and left very little instructions of what needed to be done. Most of the stories stayed stagnant. We are still no closer to finding out how Tess came into existence or the motives behind Spencer's reign of terror over the Buchanans The only "revelation" that we witnessed this week was the reveal of who the woman in the photograph was. Surprise, surprise! The woman in the photograph that Spencer placed in Asa's hand on New Years Eve was his and David's mother. (Okay, how many of us did not see that one coming? Raise your hand.) The knowledge of who the woman was only seems to confirm my suspicions that this story is going in a direction none of us really want it to. The private investigator that Asa hired to track down the woman told him that he was able to find the last place the woman had lived and learned quite a few stories about Asa and the woman. Poor Asa's curiosity had gotten the best of him and he was ready to take it out on the PI. Never one to be taken for a fool, Asa pulled a gun on the man when he demanded more money to tell the stories. The excitement was too much for him and Asa suffered a heart attack. While visiting him in the hospital, Renee found the photograph in his jacket. It's about time that she be brought into this story. The two of them share a life together and Asa does not keep her informed of what is going on in his life. She should know that he is hiding something from her. As many times as they have been married, you'd think that she would expect secrecy, yet, when she found the photo in his pocket, she seemed a bit surprised. I was expecting her to ask Bo about the woman, but she didn't. Perhaps she does not want to bother him with small details, but I have a feeling this story is going to be continuing for a long time to come. And if we find out that Asa is the father of either Spencer or David, the ramifications from the explosion will change the Buchanan family forever.
Speaking of explosions, the plane crash encompassed an entire week of the show, but the plot never moved. What we saw was Todd wanting to be free of John so he could prove that Spencer set him up. And in return, we saw John telling Manning that he was going to keep Manning cuffed to him. I would love to be able to write about the crash and the alliance possibly forming between John and Todd, but there is nothing to talk about. To me, the most interesting aspect of this story was the plane exploding. And even that only lasted for a few seconds.
Aren't the women in Llanview extremely wishy-washy? First Blair loves Spencer, then she tells him it was a mistake, that she still loves Todd and wants him to leave. Then, with just one kiss, everything goes back to the way it was. In fact, she ends up at Spencer's hotel room that night, practically falling all over him again. What is wrong with Blair these days? Most of the businesswomen I know are very thoughtful about their decisions and stick with what is in their best interest, not swaying back and forth between how they feel about someone or something. Alright, Spencer is an incredibly handsome man that has a hold over you, we get that, Blair. But would you try using your brain and making up your mind? Who is it that you want the most: Spencer or Todd? After watching this week, I'm not so sure I really care! Just choose one!
Okay, so I have talked about the stories I don't like. Now, let me talk about the one that I do like. The one that has the most possibilities. The story of Paige and her search for her child that she gave away 20-something years ago. As the only story that held my interest this week, Paige is getting very close to finding out who her son is, but when Rex showed up with the information that would tell her, she suddenly decided she did not want to know. (Let's lump her in the category with Blair under the wishy-washy women.) The story has laid out three characters that will possibly be the lone child of Paige and Spencer: Hugh Hughes, Rex Balsom, and Nash Brennan. Each of the men hold a very unique connection that can be used by Spencer. Let's look into the future for three possible stories. For starters, let's say that Hugh turns out to be the child. He is the one that sent Todd to prison and death row. He is the one that has brought grief to the Manning family. He's also the one that Spencer seems to have a bit more animosity towards. If this little scenario was to come into play, then Spencer's child would be the one to make his quest for Blair that much more obtainable. If it had not been for Hugh, Todd might have never received the death penalty. And what if Spencer was to marry Blair? Then, Blair's stepson would be responsible for the death of her first husband and the greatest love of her life. Happy Mother's Day, Blair.
Next, let's look at the possibility of Rex being the mysterious son. Ilene Kristen is already being fazed out of the show and, as Rex himself told Paige, he was raised by his aunt Corrine instead of his mother and never knew who his father was. (Personally, I seem to remember the doctor that delivered Jessica and Natalie as Dr. Balsom, whom Roxy said was her husband at one time, but that's beside the point apparently.) And since Roxy did have Rex living with her sister, could it be that she really has no motherly instincts or nurturing abilities? Also, if Paige was to marry Bo, then that would make Spencer's child a stepson to his enemy (or even his brother!) by marriage. Already, we are given a close friendship with Bo and Rex. Could there be more to it than just a father/son bonding? Could it really happen that Bo could be his future father by marriage? Hey, one of Roxy's kids turned out to be a Buchanan, why shouldn't the other one be given the same opportunity?
And a third possibility is my favorite character currently on the canvas: Nash Brennan. This character has more potential than either Hugh or Rex. Alright, in this scenario, I'll be dealing with two different aspects. One aspect will be talked about with Spencer being a Buchanan and the other with that plot not happening. Let's start with the scenario of just Nash being the forgotten son. Already, he is possibly the father of Jessica/Tess's child and if it does happen that he is the father, then Spencer is now a grandfather to a Buchanan, which means he shares the duties with Clint. And it's not likely that any Buchanan would turn their backs on family. Bo has let his niece Natalie get away with more stuff than my uncles ever let me get away with. So I don't see the Truman/Buchanan grandchild ever suffering or wanting anything. The other scenario deals with Spencer being Asa's son. If Nash was to be the child that Paige gave up, then that means that Nash is Asa's grandson. We already know that Asa does not like Nash, but that does not mean he would totally cut him off from the Buchanan billions. He did not care for Ben at first, but he grew to love him, and that was his full blooded child with Renee. But do you see what kind of problems that would cause? First of all, Asa would not have to worry about his great-grandchild being part Buchanan and part something else. The child would be more of a Buchanan than he/she knew! Nash would be having a child with his first cousin! Now that is totally keeping it in the family. It's not a pretty scenario, but it's one that provides the most options for Spencer.
WRITER COMMENTARY
Soaps have one of the most loyal fan bases in television. The actors and actresses who play our favorite characters are sitting in our living room with us five days a week. However, at times, the line between fiction and reality can become a bit blurred. In the 80's, Santa Barbara had a terrible tragedy befall upon the character of Minx Lockridge. Dame Judith Anderson, who played the feisty matriarch, received a letter from then-President Ronald Regan and First Lady, Nancy Regan. In it, the Regans wished Minx a speedy recovery with a note attached, saying that they were keeping Minx in their prayers at night. In the late 60's when daytime television was performed live, Henry Slesar, who was head writer of The Edge Of Night, had one of his leading female characters get hit by a bus. That afternoon, CBS received so many calls from viewers asking if the actress was alright and what hospital she had been taken to that they lost count. This show of loyalty and concern prompted the actors who played Mike and Nancy Karr to make a formal announcement on air after the next days episode that the actress was doing fine, had not been hurt, and would be seen on the show the following day. I've also heard stories first hand from the actresses and actors themselves about fan devotion. Growing up in Northeast Louisiana, I had a friendship with Susan Ward who played Meg Bennett on Sunset Beach in the late 90's. She used to tell me how people would come up to her on the streets of LA and hit her, shout rude remarks at her, and physically attack her for the actions of her character on the soap. To these people, she was Meg Bennett. And that was where the line between reality and fiction was crossed. Those people seemed not to realize that Sunset Beach was a fictionalized city, created only in the minds of the writers. To them, Sunset Beach was a real place, just beyond their reach. To them, Meg Bennett was not just someone on their television sets five days a week, but a real person that just happened to be out for a stroll on the Los Angeles roads. To them, Llanview, Pine Valley, Part Charles, and Harmony are all places on the map that they can visit. Don't get me wrong. I am not talking bad about those people that believe they can hop on a plane and land into Llanview International Airport in less than 6 hours, but I am saying that when that line between fiction and reality gets skewed, it's difficult to know what to believe. But to those people who enjoy the drama each day and know when to turn it off, watching soaps can only help us to appreciate the reality we live in, knowing that what may seem to be real is not always reality.
Enjoy your life to live,
Jeremy
