April 12, 1999
This week was the week I have been waiting for! Jack and Edmund were both humbled... finally! I don't think either of them suffered nearly enough, but at least they realize they were wrong. Jack first... at the beginning of this week he was totally out of control and lashing out at anyone and everyone. He wants Braden arrested pronto! Unfortunately that's not going to happen. Trevor goes to see Jack to have a little chat with him about right and wrong and the abuse of power. Of course, at first Jack isn't listening, but suddenly he realizes that Trevor is right. He did abuse his power and there is no one to blame for Braden being out there free, other than himself. I still don't quite get why that is, but it was explained like this: Because Jack, the DA, refused to open up the search for the rapist being someone other than Ryan, Jack's credibility is shot. He cannot arrest and try another man because of this. That makes no sense to me, what if Jack just removed himself from the case... something he should have done a long time ago. Why can't Braden be arrested then? Can this really happen? Can someone go free because the DA is a dufus?? At any rate, after Trevor leaves, Dack picks up a picture of Chrissy and starts to ponder his future. While Jack is doing that, I ponder why there is no picture of Lily on his desk. Then Jack leaves his office for the last time.
Over at Wildwind, Hayley tells Edmund that she is really sorry for the way things happened. Ed, who still seems a bit too smug for my liking, tells Hayley that he should have listened to her about Ryan. Gee Ed, ya think? It's the last big fiesta at Weirdwind since everyone is moving out on that day. Hayley, Mateo, Max and Raquel are all moving to their respective condo's. Miss Kitty is moving back to Jack's, which means she's moving to the Valley Inn. Suddenly it seems like Edmund is going to have to be alone with his children... oh and Eugenia.
Ryan showed up at Tad's to see if maybe Braden had gone there to talk to Dixie and the two discuss what a nutball Braden turned out to be. While they are commiserating over some mocha latte about Braden being a loose cannon, Braden himself is proving that he is just that, to Dixie. This guy has got some intense rage. The interesting thing about these scenes at Chandler Mansion between Braden and Dixie was definitely Zen Gesner's performance. He really did a great job showing this uncontrollable rage, immediately followed by guilt. When he realized that Dixie, his only friend, believes he's a rapist he went nuts and smashed a lamp on the floor, scaring the living daylights out of Dixie. Dix tried to be tough and stand up to Braden and call him on his behavior but it was really too late for psychology, the guy is over the rainbow. Tad and Ryan try to contact Dixie at Adam's and when Tad realizes that no one answered the phone and the machine didn't pick it up, the two head over there immediately. They burst in and find that Braden has Dixie cornered and yank him away from her. Tad takes Dixie home and leaves Ryan and Braden to hash things out.
Ryan again tries to tell Braden how wrong he was and that what he did to Miss Kitty was rape. Braden just doesn't buy it and starts to attack Ryan. Again, I watched this scene closely and I watched the facial expressions change from one moment to the next... from rage, to guilt. Nice job by Zen. Braden really beat the crap out of Ryan and as he threw punch after punch, Ryan started to call him dad. Then Braden really lost it and may have actually realized that he became the one thing he never ever wanted to become... his father. He throws one final punch that sends Ryan to the floor to eat some carpeting and then takes off. This was the last time we saw (or will see) Braden.
The aftermath of Braden's fit of rage had Dixie collapsing and Ryan seeking comfort. Tad raced Dixie to the hospital to be immediately checked out by David, to make sure she was OK. David said she was fine and in fact wanted to run some more tests on her because he thinks she may be getting better. No folks, I don't think that Dixie is pregnant because she fainted. Dixie is well aware that she should not try to have another child because of her only having one kidney, and now that she also has heart problems, I would think that Tad and Dixie have taken precautions. Ryan sought out comfort and care from his own personal Florence Nightingale, Gillian. Gilly immediately took him in and started to clean up his bruises. She cared for him, fed him, nurtured him and then let him sleep all with a musical backdrop. No words spoken. Now, I usually fast forward through these musical interludes but this time I watched it and I'm even giving it the SCENE OF THE WEEK. I really love them as a couple and I'm so happy that Ryan went to her. Watching the two of them is heart wrenching. They love each other so much, but Ryan isn't ready to take her back yet.
Later, Ryan goes to Wildwind to try and find Jack. He's worried and wants him to find Braden. Edmund answers the door and the two have a little bit of an awkward moment. Dimitri decides to leave them alone and goes off to tell Jack and Miss Kitty that Ryan is there. Edmund seizes the opportunity to tell Ryan that he was wrong about him and he was very sorry. He even went as far as to invite Ryan and Gillian to move back into Wildwind. Ryan accepts his apology but turns down the offer, smart guy that Ryan. Dimitri tries to apologize to Miss Kitty, but she's not exactly receptive. In a way I can't blame her, but hey, move on and let it go. Maybe she'll come around before she leaves town. And Jack is consumed with guilt for what he has done and admits to everyone that he has resigned as DA. Ryan and Miss Kitty apologize to each other for everything too. So, with all the apologies out of the way and everyone back on track, they get down to the business of finding Braden. Like Tad, Jack tells Ryan that he should file assault charges against Braden and that would bring him into custody so they can try and help him. Ryan decides to go for it, and Jack calls up Adrian to help them locate Braden.
This week Jake was on cloud nine because Liza and Adam agreed to let him be listed as the father on the birth certificate. While Jake and Liza are chatting it up at Adam's, I can't help but wonder why neither of them has noticed the broken lamp or Ryan's blood all over the place. Why did no one mention the state of disarray at Adam's house? Are they all oblivious?? At any rate, it seemed that Liza and Adam thought that by telling Jake his name will be on the birth certificate, that would be the end of it, but I sure don't think Jake thinks so! He's wants to be a hands on daddy. Jake even went to Tad's to fill the family in on their new family member... Colby Marian Martin. Tad and Dixie were stunned to learn that Adam caved in and agreed to let Jake be the dad. In fact, they all were stunned that Adam caved. But they joyously celebrated anyway and Junior rattled off all the different ways that he and Colby will be related. Let's see... she'll be his step sister because she will be his father's step daughter. She'll be his cousin because she is his uncle's daughter. She'll be Stuart's niece and also his granddaughter. Sheesh, my head is starting to spin! Did you notice how happy go lucky Jake is now, and how mellow and quiet Liza is? In fact, sometimes Liza is so mellow that I barely notice that she's in a scene at all! Can someone please tell her what Adam did so that we can see her get back to her old self!?
Hayley and Mateo finally move into their condo this week. A condo that looks more like a mansion to me, but that's besides the point. What really bugged me was that it took them all of 5 minutes to move and they don't have one box lying around! What is their secret? They also don't have any furniture. They actually had to "christen" their new digs on a big old white rug. First Mateo fed Hayley some big honkin' piece of pastry and I jumped around my living room screaming... "OH MY GOD, SHE DOES EAT!!!" Of course, that one pastry probably filled her fat intake quota for two weeks. Then, it's fast forward time because I cannot stomach watching another bony love scene between these two. The next day when they all (Mateo, Hayley, Raquel and Max) arrive at the condo, Raquel takes mental note of the love rug and gets a little uneasy. She showed great self control at that moment because I think if it had been me, I might have hurled.
Max suddenly turns into Damian again and says he doesn't like Hayley and wants to live with his mommy instead. Hayley feels dejected and goes off to the park so that Raquel and Mateo can talk. They realize that the situation is getting worse so Mateo decides that it would be best if he gave up custody of Max and let Raquel have him. Raquel, who has wanted this for months suddenly isn't jumping for joy. In fact, she tries to talk Mateo out of it! Then she gets in her mode of telling Mateo how much she loves him, how she wants them to be a family, how she's mental and can't seem to get over it. She begs him to give them another chance. This outburst by Raquel secured her with this week's I NEED TO BE SLAPPED AWARD. Then she suddenly realizes that she will never have Mateo back and decides to give him a divorce. Throughout it all I wonder if she is actually sincere. She seems like she is, but is it another ploy?
Erica is finally being discharged from the hospital and since she is mad at all her friends, she hires a limo to take her home from the hospital. That is just so... so Erica! Once home, she is confronted with a house full of mirrors and goes on a mirror breaking bender. Did you notice how Erica had a huge portrait of herself in her house? This storyline has lots of potential if they make it about something more than Erica's vanity! Come on people, this is your opportunity to show us that Erica is the strong woman she always claims to be. And why is that Bianca is only calling on the phone. It is time to get that child back on the show. She is the one person in the world that Erica trusts and loves no matter what.
Erica starts to remember the accident and that it was really David who was in a big rush to get back to Pine Valley. She doesn't remember why, yet, but she knows now that David was to blame, not her. So when David shows up at her house, she lays into him. David denies it, seems he can't come to terms with it yet. She tells him that he should have left her to die, and tells him that he never apologized and has no remorse for what he did to her. But I think David does have remorse. So much so in fact that it's scaring him. He doesn't know what to do, how to handle this new rush of feelings. Remorse, guilt, caring... these are all new emotions to David.
Erica seeks solace and comfort from her mother and heads to the cemetery to visit her. Erica breaks down at Mona's grave, wishing for her mother to be there and asking over and over why she had to go. It's a pretty heartbreaking scene.
Then we get a dose of the real David when he cuts his mother's money supply off and checks her out of the Valley Inn. He's tired of her mooching off him and he's not giving her another dime. Vanessa does the only thing she can think of, heads to Erica's house. While they visit, she tells Erica how she's penniless, how David has cut her off and how she has nowhere to go. Erica is stunned that David would do this to his own mother, and Vanessa tells Erica that he did suggest she go to the woman's shelter. Erica replies with this weeks LINE OF THE WEEK, "The woman's shelter is roach infested, it's run by Brooke English! I wouldn't send my worst enemy there." Oh Erica, no matter how down and out you are, you are never too down and out to insult Brooke! It's things like this that make me wonder how anyone can not love Erica! Well, Vanessa asks Erica if she can stay with her and Erica agrees to let her stay a few days. I suspect that few days will turn into a bit longer.
Palmer and Opal's divorce is final this week. How's that for speedy! Poor Belinda thought she was giving Opal good news until Opal starts to cry. Adrian is there to comfort her and then Opal talks about how she loved Palmer, how she loved him still, even after he chose his paintings over her. How she thought they would always be together. It's a very touching and moving scene and it gives Opal this weeks PERFORMER OF THE WEEK. More and more I think that woman deserves an Emmy and if she is overlooked again next year, someone is going to hear about it! After she pulls herself together, she decides to give Adrian her half of Cortlandt Electronics. Unfortunately, Adrian doesn't want the generous gift, making Opal feel like she has done something wrong.
And last but certainly not least, it was Tim's farewell this week. It's an emotional time as both Janet and Trevor separately corner Tim and tell him how much the other will miss him and he should write often. It seems a bit strange because Tim is supposed to only be gone six weeks, and they are treating it like he is going to be gone forever. Of course, he may just be, unless we fans have something to say about it! The scenes were sweet, Amanda sure has grown since last time we saw her, and I love Smokey the dog! He's so cute and so friendly. He kept wagging his tail at everyone. Here's to hoping that we see Tim (and Tom Michaels) again before too long! Are you listening PTB??