May 21, 2001
Can you believe it!? There is actually a lot happening on AMC. Aside from the abysmal Anna/Alex nonsense I mean. So I'm not going to dwell on that storyline and instead, not even discuss it. But I will say this, LurkyBoy is about as intriguing as a plate of lima beans. His involvement in this storyline has not made any difference to me, in fact, I think he has made it worse. I just don't understand why TPTB seem to think these lurking about type characters generate interest. It's been my experience with this show, that they do not. Anyone remember Camille? Not many were intrigued by her either. Hopefully Gabriel will be met with a similar fate. Oh and one last thing, Anna realizes that she knows him. Ask me if I care.
Erica is very keen on getting David out of prison to help Laura. Seems a lot of people (and by that I mean Brooke, Jack, even David) think that Erica has some ulterior motive or agenda in doing this. I guess being that she is Erica, that makes sense. But I can't imagine what that is. I think I said before that I love the Erica and Brooke relationship. This is one of the few complex and always interesting relationships on AMC. It's held up for so long and that is because it is so complex. They hate each other. There is no doubt about that. I love the snide remarks, the snarky little jabs at each other, the all out wars. But when there is really something important at stake, these two put that aside and can actually show that there is more to life than their feud. Yes, they do hate each other, but they also have a mutual respect for each other. Erica loves her child. So does Brooke. Erica would do anything to help Bianca. Brooke would do anything to help Laura. I think this is a simply a case of one mother sympathizing with another. I cannot imagine that Erica would do anything that wouldn't be for Laura's greater good.
Erica goes to see David at his jail cell, which David finds a little unusual. David asks her if she has come to break him out and when she replies that that is exactly what she is going to do, David replies with a LINE OF THE WEEK: "Where's your curtain rod and hooped skirt, Scarlet?" This totally cracked me up because Erica has always seemed like Pine Valley's own Scarlet O'Hara and even funnier is that we were talking about her Scarlet like qualities on my message board not too long ago! The two of them discuss Laura. Erica tells him he has to get out of jail so he can help her, and she's going to help him. Once Erica gets back to the hospital, she tells an increasingly more suspicious, Brooke that she went to see David and he will do the test on Laura if they can get him out. Brooke accuses Erica of using Laura to test her own power over David. Calm down now Brooke, that's just absurd. Erica assures her that she is only trying to help, so Brooke apologizes.
At the courthouse, Erica gets all dolled up to see the Judge who would decide that David can be let out to treat Laura. Seems they are acquaintances, which becomes more and more apparent as Erica calls him by his first name and tries to schmooze him. It seems that Judge isn't taken in by Erica's feminine wiles and her influence means zilch. At this point I'm almost thinking that her influence is harming David's chance of getting out. But the judge meets with David, his lawyer and Brooke.
Elsewhere, Dixie asks Tad to move back home. Tad is momentarily happy until he hears Dixie say how happy it would make JR. Tad realizes that Dixie isn't asking him to come home so they can be together, but so that they will have some stability for JR and it will look good in the custody hearing. Tad tells Dixie that they have to do it for themselves and until they are both ready for that, he is not coming home. It's kind of hard to say if that was a good move or a bad move. On the one hand, Dixie seems pretty selfish for asking Tad to come back to help her son. And on the other, Tad seems pretty selfish for refusing to come back to help her son. I guess the bottom line is that they have too many unresolved issues, so going back now is not right. Just then, Dixie gets a call on her cell phone from Liza telling her that Adam has taken JR to his hearing at the courthouse and thought she should know. Dixie and Tad take off to go to the hearing.
Interestingly enough, Tad and Dixie arrive at the courthouse before Adam, JR and Barry and run into Brooke and Erica in the hall. Brooke and Erica tell them what is going on and how they are trying to get David out of prison so he can treat Laura. Erica comes up with the brilliant idea that Dixie should make a plea for David too, since he also saved her life. Dixie is a bit hesitant, but Brooke pleads with her. Tad even tells her that David is the best chance for Laura. Dixie agrees and goes into the judge's chambers. Erica is not allowed in there, so when Adam, JR and Barry arrive she is out in the lobby with Tad. When they ask her what she is doing there and where Dixie is, she tells them she's in the judge's chambers trying to get David freed. JR can't believe his ears and bursts into the judge's chambers just in time to hear Dixie saying how she trusts David with her life. Not knowing why Dixie is doing this, JR goes ballistic, starts screaming and runs out. Adam goes after him.
Tad tries to calm Dixie down who is really upset that JR saw her coming to David's defense. Tad tells her that once he realizes she was doing it for Laura, he'll be OK. But of course, no one is going to tell him. So far, Adam doesn't know either. He has no idea that his former wife's daughter is so gravely ill. Call me crazy but as bad as he is, Adam is a caring individual and has always had a soft spot for Brooke. And considering that he was married to her when her little Laura was killed, he might even be more sympathetic to her plight. But he doesn't know and instead milks it for all it's worth with JR when he finds him in the car. He tells JR now that Dixie and David are together again, he'll be coming around the house more often. Yeah Adam, nice move. He then makes sure to hear JR say that he wants to live with Adam and Liza. What a snake!
Adam goes back inside, leaving JR alone in the car. Hearing his mother's voice singing the praises of David Hayward pushes him over the edge and he takes off in Adam's car radio blaring.
Adam tries to appeal to the judge to let JR go, but Dixie pipes in. She tells the judge that JR is emulating all of Adam's worst qualities: cheating, lying, manipulating, trying to intimidate people. Adam takes issue with this outburst by giving a LINE OF THE WEEK and says, "I am not a cheater!" How funny! You are all the rest of those things huh Adam? And hey, I do recall you being a cheater in your day anyway. Dixie tells the judge that she wants JR to learn a lesson and he never will with Adam always bailing him out. Adam goes back out to the car to get JR and finds that he is gone.
JR arrives at the boathouse in Adam's car and finds all the skanky teens... Marcus, Ken, Shannon, Mindy, Heather and Pine Valley's favorite teen drug dealer, Sweeney. JR buys some ecstasy for all of them and then takes a double hit himself. Hayley, who has been on a walk around the lake.. not to be confused with the ocean which is where the yacht is docked, is surprised to find JR there. She asks him where Adam is since she saw the car. JR lies to her and she goes off to find him. He's well on his way to getting high and doesn't want to deal with Hayley so he goes back to the car ready to leave. Hayley arrives and jumps into the car with him just as he takes off. JR is driving fast and not caring. When his phone rings, he tosses it out the window. Hayley is starting to worry and fastens her seat belt. Just then JR looks down, Hayley screams, he swerves and they crash!
Dixie and Tad head to the boathouse to find JR and are met by a bunch of smart mouthed stoned teens. But it seems Adam is the lucky one and finds the crashed car. How? I have no idea. How did he get there since JR has his car? How did he know where to find them? No clue. And in a stupid move, Adam gets Hayley out of the car. Doesn't he know you shouldn't move people who are in an accident? The EMT's were on their way anyway since Adam called them. Adam gets very angry and starts to yell at JR. JR starts to panic and realizes that he's going to be in more trouble when the police come and realize he was driving without a license. Adam tells JR to get in the back seat of the car and Adam himself will pose as the driver. Hayley doesn't want Adam to lie for JR and tells him that JR has to take responsibility for his actions. Then she tries to urge JR to do the right thing and tell the truth.
The police arrive and Adam tells them he was driving. But Hayley spills and tells them the truth. Just then, Tad and Dixie arrive. JR remains silent and still no one tells him why Dixie was defending David. Laura is his friend, he would understand! Ugh. The police tell them they have to take JR in for a drug test. Barry, who arrives out of the clear blue with no explanation, tries to get that stopped. All the while, Hayley is trying to relate to JR and talking about how she read him bedtime stories when he was a baby. JR is not interested in hearing Hayley's stroll down memory lane. Miraculously, Mateo arrives. Man that is some network in Pine Valley. Everyone knows where the crash is and just goes to it.
The EMT's finally come and take Hayley to the hospital. Hayley is placed on a fetal heart monitor and all seems well. The doctor assures her over and over that she and the baby are fine. Mateo is still worried though. He is also tired of Adam's interference and is afraid he will interfere in their baby's life too. He wants to move away and then... tears of joy then cloud my vision.
Back in the judge's chambers, the judge denies David's petition for release to treat Laura. Brooke then makes a very impassioned plea by telling him about little Laura and how she never had a chance for survival. But this Laura does have a chance with David's help. The judge reconsiders and let's David go, but he will be on 24 hour watch. Once they leave the chambers, David tells Brooke to make sure Laura knows what is happening and prepare her for the procedure.
For some bizarre reason, Brooke decides to take Laura out of the hospital and to BJ's to tell her the news. Scratch that, it was Laura's idea to go to BJ's and she called Bianca and told her to bring Leo there so she could see him and they could reassure him that he is not a bad guy. Laura has been trying to tell Brooke that Leo has changed and that he wasn't really after Greenlee's money. Brooke isn't buying it though. Laura tells her that she is always saying how people should not judge her by her past, but she is doing just that with Leo. Good one Laura! Brooke is afraid that Laura will get hurt, but Laura somehow got the savior complex that Dixie has and wants to save Leo. Whatever.
Much to Brooke's dismay, Bianca and Leo join them at their table at BJ's. So much for the mother/daughter chat. Brooke does end up having to tell Laura about the procedure she is to undergo that night because she cannot eat anything while they are at BJ's. Brooke downplays the severity of the situation so Laura doesn't worry. She and Bianca leave the table and Brooke takes seizes opportunity to tell Leo not to get any ideas about Laura. She tells him that she won't allow him to make Laura his next mark. Leo assures Brooke that he is still very much in love with Greenlee and has no designs on Laura, but he does care about her and would never hurt her.
Once they are back at the hospital, a stupid nurse comes in with a tray of food for Laura. OK, this has to be well into the evening by now and this idiot is coming with food? Then when Brooke tells her that Laura can't have anything to eat because she's having a heart catherization that night, the bumbling idiot nurse says something like, "wow tonight!? Really? They usually do those in the morning, I wonder why they are doing it now." Brooke glares at her, Laura gets worried. The nurse might as well have said, "Gee, you must really be in bad shape if they are doing it now! Poor you!" Can someone please fire that idiot nurse?
Laura is starting to realize that there is more going on here than Brooke is telling her, but Brooke keeps downplaying it. Laura gets very suspicious when David comes into her room with an armed guard. Brooke and David go out into the hall where David urges Brooke to tell Laura the truth and if she doesn't and she asks him about her condition, he will have to tell her. Brooke is not too happy about that. And when David is alone with Laura, she says she wants to ask him something very important. David is prepared to have to tell Laura about her condition, but instead she asks him about Leo. She asks him if Leo has the ability to love. David tells her that he honestly does not know. Laura gushes about Leo to David, telling him she knows he's a good person and that she captured his soul in a photograph when he wasn't looking. David seems moved to hear her words of praise for his brother. And let me just say that my theory involving David is that he will fall in love with Brooke. David's usual MO is to fall for the woman he saves (happened with Erica, and Dixie). Laura is very obviously too young for him, so why not her mother? Let the snarky comments between Brooke and Erica resume!
Once Laura is taken to have the catherization done, Jake shows up and is not at all pleased to hear that David is back in the hospital. It was a beautiful moment when Brooke told Jake that she doesn't care that he drugged a boat load of people, she doesn't care that he broke up Tad and Dixie's marriage. All she cares about is that he will do the procedure that Laura needs. Jake kind of backs off and says he understands. And when the procedure is done, David and Dr. Bryant come to tell Brooke that Laura's heart has been irreparably damaged. Brooke asks if that means she will get a transplant, but cold as ice Dr. Bryant says that she is not strong enough to survive a transplant and walks away. What on earth kind of doctor is that cold and cruel?? He might as well have said... "hey babe, tough luck, don't let the door hit you on the ass on the way out."
David tells her that he does not agree with Dr. Bryant and if they can find a donor heart, he will do the surgery. And there is Dr. Jake to get in his face again. Jake tells David that he gave Brooke false hope and that he is using Laura to keep himself out of jail. Maybe, but he is Laura's only hope since Dr. Bryant is such an unfeeling bastard. After it's over, Brooke tells Laura that there has been some damage to her heart and she needs to have treatment. She neglects to tell her that the treatment is a heart transplant and only tells her that she'll have to change her diet. But Laura listens in at the door while Brooke is talking to Joe and hears that the situation is way worse than Brooke is letting on.
Later, at BJ's, Erica tells Jack that it was she who got David out of jail to help Laura. She is just too much!! It was her who almost made the judge NOT want to release him! Then she gets pissed off when Jack tells her that he thinks she's helping Laura because of Bianca's feelings for Laura. Seems Erica is still in deep denial about Bianca's sexuality. And here I thought she was so evolved... NOT.
At the boathouse, Leo and Bianca meet up. Interestingly enough, they are the only ones there. All the moronic teen stoners have left. Leo starts to talk about how he fell in love with Greenlee. At this point, Leo is very much devastated by what has happened with Greenlee, but I'll get back to that later. He pushes that all aside when he sees how upset Bianca is. She confides to him that she only got over Sarah because she started to care about someone else. Leo realizes she means Laura. Bianca tells him that she's so worried about her and wants to be with her all the time. Leo decides to take her straight over to the hospital. Once there, Leo stops to talk to David. David can't tell him much about Laura's condition, but he does tell him that he doesn't want Leo to make the mistakes that he has made and he will be there for him. It's a very nice brother moment for these two. One of the few where one of them wasn't suspicious of the other.
Erica arrives back at the hospital and gives Brooke a bunch of brochures of clinics abroad where the whole family can go and live while awaiting a transplant. Brooke gets very angry and accuses Erica of trying to get rid of them all so that Laura won't be anywhere near Bianca. Erica is stunned by this outburst.
Leo goes to see Laura and she tells him that she is dying.
Now... let's discuss this heart donor situation. I've heard many theories and I have to say, I like them all. They all have very good possibilities. Let's start with Shannon or one of the teens. While lacking a lot of impact that a story like this needs, I like the idea of these kids learning a very valuable and hard lesson. But in order for that lesson to be learned, Shannon or whoever would have to die while doing drugs. That means her heart would most likely not be a viable candidate for donorship. It would be great to be rid of one or all of these moronic teens though.
Next up... Dixie. The theory behind this is that Cady McClain is in contract negotiations. If she decides to go, then hey, kill her off and make her the donor. This would have huge impact on many people. It would be interesting and it would tie in a lot of different people and storylines. Brooke and Tad could even grow close once again and who knows! The problem... Dixie's heart condition. While it may be cured who is to say it couldn't flare up again. This makes her not a viable donor candidate. Bummer.
A favorite choice I hear often is Eliot. While he is no longer on the show, the theory is that since he was responsible for the death of one of Brooke's children, it would be interesting for him to be responsible for saving another. I like the idea, but I don't feel that this has enough of a storyline impact since the character is no longer on the show. If he were, it would be much better.
This is my theory/scenario/prediction. It will be Gillian's heart that Laura gets. What an impact this would make!! It could be huge. And it would be devastating to many. I think that this TV producer woman, Ilene Pringle, has a hidden agenda and will be the one to end up killing Gillian. My hope is that she will somehow be involved in the whole Alex/Anna crap. Ryan is always upset by Anna's presence because that means Gillian is in danger. Gillian doesn't know about Anna. Yet somehow she keeps ending up in the same room with her. And when Ryan and Gillian went back to the yacht, Edmund brought Anna there and put Ryan and Gillian in danger again. If this happens, if Gillian does die, I want it to somehow be centered around the Alex/Anna storyline so that it will be their fault. I want them to feel guilty about putting everyone's lives in danger. I want this to be a catalyst to getting rid of Anna Devane.
But wait! I'm not done. I think things are going to get very precarious for Laura. By that I mean that time is running out for her. This will get right down to the wire. I think that when they think that all hope is lost for Laura, Leo (who is going to be very much involved with this storyline) will make Laura's dream come true, and marry her in the hospital, thinking she has very little time left to live. Then, suddenly, Gillian ends up in the hospital with a fatal wound and her heart is donated to Laura, saving her life. Leo will then be married and stuck. Esta TerBlanche (Gillian) is in contract negotiations with her contract being up in August. The only problem I see with this prediction is that her contract is up in August and Laura is supposedly in very bad need right now. Can she hold on until then or will they maybe make Gillian exit earlier? This scenario impacts so many lives. Ryan's of course. What would become of him if his princess died? What about everyone else at Wildwind? What about Eugenia and Dimitri especially? What about the future of Leo and Greenlee if Leo is married to Laura? He couldn't divorce her that easily. Much like Gillian not being able to divorce Jake after his injuries in Chechnya. I see lots of possibilities here and as much as I love Ryan and Gillian, if her death could speed up the end to this whole Anna Devane mess, I can handle it. Plus it would be so sad and make a huge impact on viewers!! Anywho.. that's my theory.
Back to the show. Roger has just dropped his bombshell on Layo and Greenlee's engagement party. It seems that Layo has been married before to Eurotrash heiress Katerina. Ho hum. The old, he's been married before plot device. How lame. Greenlee can't believe it and is in shock, while Roger continues to badmouth Layo. Layo tries to tell Greenlee that his marriage to Katerina was a mistake and he should have told her. Greenlee falls right back into Layo's arms, which definitely does not please Roger. But then Katerina interrupts and tells Greenlee that Layo is using her. She tells Greenlee that Layo married her for her money. That he stole her heart with promises of love and then stole her money and left her with nothing. Greenlee is shocked. Layo tells her that he is very ashamed of what he did to Katerina but that he's changed and that they are meant to be.
Roger pipes in now and tells Greenlee just how Layo came to settle in Pine Valley. He tells her how Vanessa came to Pine Valley to try and bilk Erica out of her money, and when that didn't work, she sunk her hooks into Palmer. Then she sent for Layo, who's job was to go after Greenlee's money. The best part of this whole scene was watching Palmer. His reactions to all this were priceless!! He knows all about Vanessa and how she is after his money and he just doesn't care. Greenlee, however, does care and is well on her way to big time devastation. She asks Layo if it's true, if he knew who she was and that she had money before he came to Pine Valley. Leo admits that it is true, but that he fell in love with her and couldn't go through with it. He tells her that is why he got the prenuptial agreement. Enter Katerina again, who then tells Greenlee how he got a prenuptial agreement for them to sign but that it was so full of loopholes that she lost everything. Layo tells Greens that Katerina is lying but Greenlee no longer believes him. Greenlee tells Layo that he tricked her, that she hates him and never wants to see him again.
Roger comes to comfort his daughter, but Greenlee is having none of that snake in the grass either. She tells Roger that she hates him too and doesn't need either of them. Everyone leaves. Layo asks Katerina why she lied about the prenuptial agreement, knowing they never had one. She tells him that she wanted him to feel as badly as she did, she wanted him to feel what it's like to be a victim. Hopefully that is the last we see of that Eurotrash bim who sure didn't look as destitute as she made herself sound.
Layo goes back to the loft to find Greenlee so he can talk to her, but she is not around. Unfortunately Jake comes home and finds Layo there and kicks him out. Jake is not the most compassionate guy around. But then again, why would he take Layo's side in all this. He already tried to warn Greenlee that Layo would hurt her. After getting rid of Layo, Jake goes up to the roof to fiddle around with his satellite connection and finds a very drunk Greenlee dangling over the roof. Jake is afraid she's going to fall over the side and I have to admit, I was too. Greenlee is no Leslie, I don't think she could fall off a building, ricochet off an awning and then still live to tell the tale. Jake grabs her and pulls her to safety and then takes her back to the loft.
Once inside, Jake wants to take care of her and help her sober up so he tells her she has to take off all her clothes. Misunderstanding that Jake wants her to take a cold shower, she thinks he's hitting on her. She tells him that she is very flattered and that it's not that he's not attractive. She even tells him he's a babe! That was cute. But she tells him that she could never hurt him by going to him on the rebound and then tells him, "You've already been hurt by Miss Goulash A-Go-Go." Jake is finding the whole thing rather amusing but when Greenlee tries to leave he pours water over her head to stop her. He couldn't let her go off and drive in the condition she is in. He then gives her one of his robes (and she gives a LINE OF THE WEEK by saying, "I don't wear terry!") and makes her mop the floor where he dumped the water on her. This turns into a really cute and playful fight between Greenlee and Jake, that Layo walks in on. Greenlee is not at all happy to see him and tells him to go. Jake at first tries to get Layo to go, but when Greenlee starts to lash out at Layo, Jake leaves them alone to hash it out. A surprising action for as big a buttinski as Jake is.
Layo tries to plead with Greenlee by giving her the prenuptial agreement and telling her to sign it... keep him out of her money, out of her will, but not out of her life. Greenlee tells him that it's too late. She tells him they were both faking it and neither of them know how to love. It's all been a lie. In a way, I agree with her, in a way a don't. What I mean is, I believe they do love each other. But I think that they are both too immature to have a serious relationship involving marriage. I think that they have to break up now in order to grow as individuals and learn about themselves so they can come back to each other with a bigger capacity to give. Both of them are takers, neither is a giver. As much as I love them together, I see this break up as very necessary to evolve their relationship.
Greenlee tells Layo that he should have trusted her enough to tell her the truth about Katerina. Layo doesn't feel she would have handled it as well as she thinks she would and I have to agree with him. But Greenlee tells him that if he had told her, then she would know that he trusted her enough, now she can't trust him. This weeks SCENE OF THE WEEK continues as the tears start to flow... with them and me. Layo tells Greenlee that he is scared of his feelings for her and doesn't want them to end. He asks her to take a leap of faith and let him love her. Layo pours out his heart and if the Emmy judges were watching, remember this scene next year come Emmy time! Greenlee tells Layo to leave and that she never wants to see him again. She tells him that she cannot love him. But she does. You know it, I know it, everyone knows it. They love each other. But they will be apart. The devastation that both of them experience after Layo leaves the loft is definitely a 10 tissue moment. Wow, incredible. So incredible that they are both PERFORMERS OF THE WEEK for this week.
Layo goes to the boathouse where he meets up with Bianca (we talked about this already). Jake comes home to find a very saddened Greenlee and tries to cheer her up by taking her out to BJ's. I like this relationship. I'm not saying I want Greenlee and Jake to be a couple. No, I'm not saying that at all. But I do like their friendship. Greenlee brings much more life to Jake. And I think she might actually learn something from him. She needs more tolerance and patience. He needs to loosen up. I think they can do that for each other. As soon as they get there, Jake is paged and goes to call the hospital. Greenlee spots Erica and of course can't pass up the opportunity to approach her. Greenlee thinks she's beating Erica to the punch by bringing up her failed relationship with Layo. What Greenlee doesn't realize is that Erica doesn't have a clue what she is talking about. It seems, much like Erica, Greenlee thinks that people have nothing better to do than discuss her life. Getting the gist of what Greenlee is saying, Erica shows zero sympathy for her. And why should she. Erica throws out some very heated barbs at Greenlee, until Jake comes and saves her. After Erica leaves them, Greenlee wants to go but Jake wants her to face the stares. Greenlee buys everyone a round of drinks and all is right with the world again for Greenlee.
Suddenly rejuvenated, Greenlee decides that she's going to raise some hell and prove that she doesn't need a man to have her life be a success. She wants a project, something big. Jake suggests that she start small with a job or maybe some charity work. Greenlee replies with a LINE OF THE WEEK when she says, "Ew! how can you stand the mundanity of your idea?" While Jake is trying to figure out if mundanity is an actual word, Greenlee decides to take on Erica Kane with her own cosmetics company. As Greenlee said, look out La Kane, make room for La Smythe!
The last thing I want to talk about is the Emmy's. This years Daytime Emmy Awards show could have been a great night for AMC fans. Instead the evening turned into one big PASS ME THE HANDBAG moment. There were small glimmers where the handbag wasn't needed. Like when Michael E. Knight (Tad) won the award for Best Supporting Actor. And when the very much deserving David Canary (Adam/Stuart) won the award for Best Actor. (All the winners are listed on the Features page) But I really think that the whole crew that plans the Emmy show is on ecstasy. How else can you explain the very poor choice of Kathie Lee Gifford as the host!? Every time she spoke I asked Mr. Diva to pass me the handbag. And I knew, I just knew she couldn't get through the whole show without mentioning her darling little Cody. Cody, who she supposedly left "Live" for because she didn't want her kids in the limelight. The limelight she put them into!! Poetic justice was served though, when Regis won Best Talk Show Host after she left! They had been nominated many many times and never won. And the first year she is gone, he wins! Oh I got great joy in that. I end this rant with one final thing... Kathie Lee gets this weeks SUPER DUPER COLOSSAL MAMMOTH ENORMOUS SKANKIE HO SLAP OF THE WEEK.
This weeks AMC gets a C+ I'm seeing improvements and there was some terrific acting this week especially by Josh Duhamel and Rebecca Budig. And very limited Anna crap.