The judge ruled that while Scott's adoption of Christina was legal, there needed to be an evaluation of the home for the protection of the child. Lucy and Scott argued over Karen's possible unintentional sabotage of their positions as Christina's parents. Scott was also furious when he learned that Lucy had spoken to Claire without his knowledge or consent. Serena overheard Lucy and Scott's argument over Claire and later asked her father to help the dying woman. Kevin spoke to Victor about his inability to get past the altar and into married life. Eve reached out to Karen, who basically admitted that she was hooked on pills again. Julie was devastated by the court's dismissal of her petition, but Chris promised that they would find another way to get Christina back.
At the hospital, Rachel told Kevin she's happy for him and comments that getting married by the water is unusual for someone like him. He wonders at her phrasing, but she told him to have fun and leaves.
Chris asks Julie how she would feel if he could turn the situation around and get Christina back. Julie is feeling hopeless. Chris told her that his lies kept Julie from claiming Christina. He told her he took money from DV in exchange for telling him who her mother is. Julie is understandably unhappy with him. He tries to convince her that he's no longer the money-grubbing pig he was - his only concern is for her and Christina. She doesn't buy it, even after he declares his love for her and points out if he just wanted money, he wouldn't tell her about the DV deal. She wonders what else he's been lying about. Julie calls her lawyer and told Chris that the lawyer is going to check into it. He told her there's one other thing - DV brought Rachel in. Julie is even more upset about this latest revelation. Chris makes excuses, but she doesn't soften. He told her he's risking losing her if it means she'll get Christina back.
Alan and Joe discuss patient's father having her health care proxy. Alan warns him not to follow her wishes and go against her fathers. Joe heads back into the room where Ian is joking with patient. Ian leaves and patient comments on his attractiveness. Patient asks Joe to help her die again, and Joe told her he can't.
Alan went to the on-call room to talk to Karen. She wants a leave of absence and admits her relapse. Alan is sympathetic and admires her truthfulness. He gives her encouragement and told her to take all the time she needs. Later, Karen confronts Ian and admits he was right about her drug use, but calls him on the way he confronted her. She told him about the leave of absence and he wishes her luck. Later, Gail talks to Karen - Alan told her about Karen's decision. Gail offers her help as a friend, grandmother, and/or therapist, but Karen isn't ready to talk. Gail gives her words of encouragement. Later still, Joe comes up to her as she's signing out. He tells her he'll miss her and she says she'll miss everyone. But she will be back. He gets pages and they sadly say goodbye.
Rachel gets a phone call at the hospital - she hisses into the phone "What do you mean you can't find her?" She gives instructions to keep looking and to keep her informed.
At the lighthouse, Eve is on the phone thanking Mary for the potpourri. They discuss the seating chart and Eve asks about Joe and Karen. The camera pans to the fireplace and a hissing gas jet. Later, Kevin calls a sleepy Eve. He asks her to call him when she wakes up. He seems a little concerned, but Denise told him Mrs. Shay is waiting for him and he leaves for his office. (Does GH know he's thinking of a patient over his personal life?!) Meanwhile, Eve sleeps while the camera pans to the hissing gas pipe in the fireplace, which is marked with a huge sign letting us viewers know that GAS IS ESCAPING INTO THE LIGHTHOUSE! Kevin arrives and rushes in, choking. He throws open doors, calling her name. To his relief, she wakes up. He told her about the gas being on in the fireplace. She wonders why he's there - turns out he didn't take his patients over his personal life. Eve says she started a fire before but she was sure she turned the gas off, but guesses she didn't. Kevin and Eve open one of their gifts - it's a case of wine. Kevin looks shocked and drops a bottle. Eve gets a cloth to clean up, noting that it had to be red wine. Kevin looks at the enclosed card and looks stunned. Eve asks Kevin what kind - it's French Chardonnay, Chateau Margot 1986. She asks if that was a good year - he never thought so. She asks who it's from - he claims there was no card. She wonders how they'll know who to thank. They clean up and Eve sends Kevin off to his Bachelor party (does anyone really have them the night before the wedding??) Eve putters around and we see a filmy figure through the open window.
Eve's life was placed in danger after someone tampered with the gas valve at the lighthouse. The fumes caused Eve to pass out, but Kevin arrived home in time to rescue her. Later, Kevin was shaken when he received a case of red wine as a wedding present. Julie shut Chris out after he told her the truth about his past association with DV. Karen asked Alan for a leave of absence and left the hospital after coming clean about her drug addiction. Before she left, a sympathetic Alan assured Karen that her job would be waiting for her when she returned. Joe told Claire that he supported her decision to die, but said that he could not be the person to help her. Joe was perplexed by Ian's ability to make Claire laugh.
Karen arrives at the lighthouse with bags of gifts for Eve in lieu of a shower. Eve opens one - it's a slinky orange (hopefully it looks orange because of my slight color-blindness!) nightie. They decide to go out on the town - they run off so Eve can change and we see the French door is slightly ajar.
Rachel is on the phone verifying that the mysterious she is still missing. Denise told her she is wanted for a consult, but Rachel has to leave on an emergency personal errand. Denise starts to call Kevin, but remembers he's at his bachelor party. Rachel's ears prick up at this news.
Lucy and Christina visit BJ's grave. She tearfully told BJ that it was supposed to get easier, but it hasn't. Lucy says she thought she was going to die when BJ died and if she has to go through losing another child, she knows she would die.
Chris tries to talk to Julie, but Julie is very, very cold to him. He points out that he's stood by her, she claims it was because he didn't have a better offer. The lawyer comes over and told them they have a good case, but unless they appear to be a happy couple - the case is doomed. Chris tries to get Julie to meet him later at the Recovery Room - she freezes him out. The bachelor party is ensuing at Johnny Lala's. Victor, Scott, Mac, Mike, and a couple other guys are there, and they actually seem a bit tipsy.
Rachel arrives and Kevin told her she doesn't seem like the Johnny Lala type. Rachel claims she's there to wish him the best and that he gets all the happiness he deserves. She leaves. Kevin went back to the table, where Mac is telling Scott that he's certain Julie didn't send Lucy the death threat and Scott should ask Lucy about it.
Frank stops by Lucy's to see Christina. He holds her and asks how she bruised her head. Lucy lets it slip that Karen was babysitting and back on drugs. Frank didn't know that. Serena comes out and is a bit tense around Frank - he leaves for the bachelor party.
Eve and Karen find an unknown gift on the table. Eve guesses it's from Kevin. It's a French perfume, she's going to save it for the honeymoon. They leave, the French door is still ajar. They arrive at Johnny Lala's, Kevin encourages them to stay, not noticing Karen's discomfort at seeing Joe with Jill (he brought a date to a bachelor party?) Eve and Kevin sing, and Eve thanks him for the perfume. Kevin doesn't know what she's talking about, but they are interrupted by Victor. Eve sends Kevin for drinks and asks Victor to walk her down the aisle. Victor is touched.
Frank told Karen he knows she's taking pills again. He says he'll stand by her - because she stood by him during his addiction problems.
Scott went home and told Lucy that he's taking Claire's case. She's not happy and even more unhappy that he didn't realize that it was the anniversary of BJ's death. He told her he know she sent herself the death threat. She admits that she did and that she's desperate. Lee arrives with the bad news of Chris' plotting with DV and that the judge is thinking of granting Julie visitation rights.
Eve decides to go home and rest up for the big day. After she leaves, the guys bring out a big fake cake. A woman jumps out - Kevin is stunned that she's looks exactly like the late Grace! At home, Eve and Karen finds some exotic flowers on the table - Karen decides Kevin had Mary sneak them in. Eve moves them to the bedroom as Karen leaves. The French door is no longer ajar, but a ghostly figure in white walks past the doors. Eve went out to see who's there. (Meanwhile, Rachel is at the police station reporting a woman missing.) Kevin is waterside, flashing back to Grace's drowning death (the Grace in the flashback doesn't look like the cakewoman to me.) He is startled by Eve's appearance behind him. They discuss the next day's big event and Eve says the words of doom: I know that nothing can possibly go wrong.
Pretty much the entire episode today is related to Kevin and Eve's wedding. I have to say that they have good taste in wedding dates; May 19 is my anniversary. Whether or not it will actually become their anniversary, though, remains to be seen.
We open at Victor and Mary's apartment. Mac arrives, on board for best man duty (and it's SO good to see these two together). Mac wonders if Kevin is nervous - nope, things are going fine, and everything is calm. Just then, Victor tears into the living room in a white shirt, black socks, and tan boxers with some sort of black and rust pattern that at first looks like polka dots, but as he comes close it looks like maybe it is a fish pattern. He can't find his cummerbund - but he knows he left it right next to his Ethel Merman CD - you know, the disco album (the mind reels....). He passes through the room like a whirling dervish. When he's gone, Kevin amends his previous remark - things are as calm as could be expected. Kevin explains that he has nothing to worry about - he's about the spend his life with the woman he loves, and nothing is going to get in the way this time.
And we promptly cut to part of what's going to get in the way. As Rachel approaches the nurses' station, her cell phone rings. It's Garcia - he thinks he may have found her missing patient (i.e., her mother).
At the Lighthouse, Karen and Eve are supervising florists and so on. Eve stops one of the caterers to ask a question about the cake - except the caterer turns out to be the other part of what's going to get in the way. It's Rachel's mom, Estelle. She assures Eve that she has personally taken care of the cake (yeah, I'll just bet she has. If one tended to be a punster, one might be tempted to observe that this remark really took the cake). As Eve walks off, the look on Estelle's face is cold enough to freeze the lake.
After the opening credits, the male half of the wedding party (i.e., Kevin, Mac, and Victor) has arrived at the Lighthouse. They are wearing matching black suits with white shirts and white ties, and they look mahvelous, dahling. (They really do. A very high score on the Yum-o-meter.) Mary told Victor how wonderful he looks. Kevin, in mock indignation, demands his share of the attention. When Mac tries to upstage him, Kevin gives Mac an elbow in the stomach. (I got the sense that Lindstrom, York, and Pryor were having a LOT of fun together in this scene.)
Eve comes downstairs, having heard the voices, and everybody freaks out. Amid shouts, yelps, and a lot of panicking people running around waving their arms, Mac yanks Kevin 180 degrees around so he's not facing Eve. Victor runs to get an afghan to toss over Kevin's head, and Karen pulls Eve around so she's facing away from Kevin. Victor points out that it is bad luck in 1000 cultures to see the bride before the wedding (and I'll bet he could name all 1000 of them). Eve thinks this is dumb and starts to talk to Kevin; Victor stops her, explaining that they can't talk either. If either one has anything to say to the other, they need to use Victor and Karen as go-betweens. Kevin passes on the message that he loves Eve. Mac is unimpressed - certainly Kevin can do better than that on his wedding day. Mary drags Mac (or "the troublemaker," as Kevin calls him) off. Some more "I love you" messages go back and forth, but Victor finally told Karen to get Eve out of the room.
When Victor removes the afghan from Kevin's head, they are alone. Kevin remarks that Victor sure knows how to clear a room. Victor explains that he wanted a moment alone with Kevin. He checked out the woman who came out of the cake - the resemblance to Grace was just a coincidence. They discuss Victor's role walking Eve down the aisle - they're both pleased about it. Further, Victor remarks that, though Kevin has done many things to make him proud, but nothing has made him as proud as seeing where Kevin is now, "after such a long journey." Kevin just thinks he's a lucky man. They hug (awwww - they are such a great father/son team).
(A quick comment here on the set they constructed for the outdoor, waterfront wedding, since most of the rest of the episode takes place on this set. A LOT of effort was clearly put into this set, and the results are pretty impressive. One reaches the wedding area from the Lighthouse by going down a set of steps; the railings are decorated with white ribbons and flowers. It is evening, and candles inside hurricane lamps guide the way along the path. Lanterns are hung in the trees. Everywhere you look, there are trees, ferns, and other lush greenery. There are also plenty of flowers growing wild, as well as the wedding flowers. There is a boardwalk of sorts at the bottom of the steps, with an enlarged area at the end where the ceremony will take place. Small round tables decorated with candles and flowers are tucked into corners.)
We see Rachel's mom with the wedding cake, arranging flowers around it. She nods and says to herself, "Perfect."
Mac is strolling around pensively, looking at the spot where the ceremony will take place. (For those who don't watch GH, I should explain that Mac and his wife recently separated under very unhappy circumstances.) Kevin joins him and asks how he is. "Breathing," Mac replies, and asks Kevin to "show those nerves of steel." Kevin holds up a steady hand - and then laughs as he lets it start to shake. Mac asks if Kevin knows what being married means - Kevin replies that he knows what being married means to Mac. Further, he knows how hard it is for Mac to be there. He apologizes - he shouldn't have put Mac into this position. In fact, he told Mac that it's not too late to get out of being best man. Mac protests more than once, but Kevin insists. He doesn't want to put his best friend through this kind of pain. His gift to Mac as his best man is to send him somewhere else. Mac wishes Kevin joy, and then leaves with one last piece of advice - make it forever. (Apparently GH couldn't spare John J. York for a multi-day shoot on PC, so they had to find a pretext to kick him loose early. Too bad - Kevin and Mac don't get many scenes together anymore, and they are a great team. But at least they honored history by having him there.)
Mary and Victor are handing out flowers. Dr. Neumann asks for an explanation. Mary told her to place the flowers in the trellis at the end of the walkway. After they are married, Victor explains, the couple will "emerge into the community through a passage of flowers." It's a medieval Siberian ritual. Dr. Neumann, suffering from a case of TMI, walks off, grinning.
The Baldwins arrive; Victor admires Serena in her flower girl dress. Mary is thrilled to see Christina - she reaches out her arms, saying, "Hi, sweetheart, I'm your grand - " Lucy flinches, and Mary stops herself before finishing the sentence, looking uncomfortably at Scott and Lucy. An awkward silence falls over the group, broken by Serena, who asks where Eve is. Victor takes her to the house.
Lee and Gail arrive, and fuss over Christina. Joe, Neil, Courtney, and Frank join them. Neil greets Christina, introducing himself as "your brother." Lucy flinches again; Courtney awkwardly suggests that she, Frank and Neil should go "find their seats." Lucy launches into full babble mode, managing to endorse Courtney's idea and discuss diapers all in one breath. She walks off, clutching Christina as though the child were a banana in a room full of hungry gorillas. Neil asks if he said anything wrong. Scott assures Neil it's not him. He explains about the new development in the battle over Christina. Frank is upset to hear that Julie might have a chance to get Christina.
Rachel arrives at the police station, but discovers that the woman they have in custody isn't her patient. She asks Garcia to please let her know the minute he hears anything; he asks her to do the same. Her cell phone rings as soon as he leaves. It's Estelle. Rachel asks what's going on. Estelle assures her, "Mama's taking care of everything." Rachel asks where she is, but Estelle hangs up without answering.
Kevin is directing the string quartet to the site of the wedding when Lucy sees him. She admires his appearance, and then explains that she needs a favor. We see them in the Lighthouse soon after - she thanks Kevin for letting Christina (and Charlene) use an upstairs room for a nap. Kevin knows that isn't the whole story - he asks Lucy what is going on. She explains about the new threat from Julie. He is stunned, but Lucy doesn't want him worrying about that right now. It's supposed to be a happy day, and she wants him to be happy. She tells him he will make the most wonderful husband in the world, and that he and Eve will have a wonderful life together - full of love and joy and friends, always. He thanks her for being one of those friends. She appears to straighten his tie or smooth his shirt (we're looking over his shoulder, so it's hard to tell for sure). She then touches his cheek gently, and wishes him "all the best." He touches her cheek and runs his hand down her arm. A lot of things have changed, Kevin remarks, but he's learned that he can always count on the two of them always managing to have "one of these pre-wedding good luck moments." Lucy laughs, and told Kevin that she thinks this one might be their last. They hug.
Meanwhile, back at the wedding site, the string quartet is playing. Joe is joking with Neil about holographic baseball cards (Neil claims they exist; Joe doesn't believe it). After Neil heads off to collect some proof of their existence, Frank told Joe that Neil doesn't always know when Frank is teasing; Joe assures Frank that he and Neil will be fine. Frank asks about Karen; Joe comments that it's hard to help her when he's part of the problem.
Lucy comes up to Courtney. She pointedly suggests to Courtney that Frank already has his hands full with Neil - he doesn't need Christina too. Courtney assures her that she's working to keep Frank from seeking custody; Lucy coldly told her that she'd better deliver. She stalks off, leaving Courtney to watch her, bemused.
Back at the Lighthouse, Karen pops a pill just before Scott arrives to visit her. He asks about her future plans. She's not sure what she's going to do. Lucy arrives in the doorway just in time to hear Scott promise Karen that she won't be doing it alone. He'll be there for her, whatever it takes. Lucy eavesdrops, looking very upset.
The guests are milling about. Rachel's mom, who has changed out of her catering garb and into a wedding-guest ensemble, strolls into the area and sits down. Dr. Neumann, who is sitting next to her, greets her and asks if she is a friend of the bride or the groom. Estelle answers, "Oh, I'm here for the bride."
At the bottom of the stairs, Victor is practicing the "wedding walk," with his arm outstretched as though escorting Eve. He looks tense. Serena comes up behind him and clears her throat; startled, he gasps and whirls around. She assures him he'll be fine. She wonders if he's ready - because Eve is. Victor turns and sees her. She asks why he's not saying anything - he told her he had to catch his breath, because she's a vision. The dress is lovely, though the costume department continues to indulge its fascination with Eve's cleavage. It is an off-the-shoulder design with a draped bodice, and a fairly long train.
The confidence Serena tried to instill in Victor a few moments ago has apparently left her, because she remarks that she's afraid she'll trip or do something stupid. Eve calls her over and told her that she wants everything about the day to be perfect. That's why she asked Serena to be flower girl - because she's perfect. They hug, and Victor takes a picture (with a wristwatch camera) "for the scrapbook." (Karen and Serena, by the way, are wearing relatively simple blush pink dresses. Karen's isn't too bad, as bridesmaid dresses go.) Karen thanks Eve for letting her be part of the day; they hug. The subject then turns to the "something old, something new...."
tradition. Her earrings are new, she's wearing a blue garter, and she suggests laughingly that Victor could be her "something old and borrowed." He laughs heartily, but has a better idea for the blue (and old) parts. He presents her with a talisman - a small blue jewel, intended to be pinned close to the heart. It is from ancient Greece. Whenever royalty got married, they wore these jewels to protect them (and their marriage) from harm. Eve is touched; she gives Victor a tearful hug.
The ceremony begins. For some reason, they switch from the string quartet music to some orchestrated guitar music (it vaguely reminds me of music used on "Once and Again") at this point. Serena comes down the aisle with her flower basket; when she reaches the front, she hugs Kevin (this was very cute) and sits down with Scott and Lucy. Karen comes next. Scott looks proud, and Lucy looks unhappy. Karen walks off to one side, and winds up standing right in front of Joe.
Now the string quartet starts again (but with some help from invisible musicians - perhaps they're hiding in the trees). Victor and Eve appear under the trellis; Kevin and Eve beam at each other. As Victor and Eve walk down the aisle, we see Estelle, with a glint of anticipation in her eye, watching Eve. Stay tuned - it looks like the you-know-what is gonna hit the fan on Monday.
