Things got a little dicey when Kendall dropped the bomb that she may have already won the Ryan/Greenlee baby sweepstakes, but I was glad that Zach reiterated his support for his wife's decision, in spite of Greenlee's constant yammering. I have always liked Greenlee, but she has to remember that she has no right to interfere in Kendall's life. I get that she's worried about her friend, but advocating a divorce crosses the line from concerned pal to plain old control freak. The way Zach and Kendall ignored her and kept staring at each other so intensely was great.
Marg wrote in to express her love of Zach and Kendall. "Thorsten Kaye is a wonderful actor and it doesn't hurt that he's sexy as all get out," she said. "Pairing him with Alicia Minshew was a great idea. Finally she gets paired with a character that can take all Kendall has to give and not make her look like a lunatic." I think Kendall's trip to see JR also spoke volumes about her changing feelings. Yes, she said some nasty things about her husband, but it seems like she was trying to convince herself that she hated Zach more than she was trying to convince JR.
And JR was trying just as hard to prove to himself that he could never be with Babe again, even though he's starting to fall for her scheme. Babe and her mother, the latest Mrs. Chandler, are still getting on my nerves with their selfish plot to get Little Adam - and now that David has revealed Di's true identity to his daughter, that plan will really start moving. But the scenes where Adam and Krystal revealed to their kids that they were married (and had consummated the union) offered some nice comic relief. And I can't leave the subject of JR without mentioning his teeth - what is up with those extra pearly whites? You know something's wrong when you aren't listening to a character because you're too busy staring at his mouth.
It's a Good Thing She Spilled That Coffee!
I literally laughed out loud at this week's scenes between Garret and Julia - the problem is, I don't think they were supposed to be funny! I can accept that Julia would hitch a ride with a stranger, and I accept that she would take a chance and trust Garret, given his past with Noah. But when a man you barely know takes you to a hidden apartment with every form of security known to man, it's time to start getting suspicious! At the very least, don't leave your backpack - and your loaded gun! - unattended while you change your clothes. If she hadn't been so clumsy and forced Garret to reveal his tattoo, she wouldn't have known he was the Dragon until she was staring down the barrel of a gun - which she ended up doing anyway!
Lamman Rucker once again showcased his considerable talents playing a very intriguing villain. In many ways, he has saved this storyline for me. The way he recounted his past with Noah added another level to the character, and he was subtle and menacing when he explained to Julia just how easily he could have gotten rid of her when she was in witness protection.
Speaking of Julia, I was a fan of Sydney Penny in her first run as Julia, but this time around her acting seems a little overwrought. There have been flashes of the old Julia - during her talk with Sam a few weeks ago, for example - but for the most part, I haven't been too impressed. I'm hoping that things will improve. I definitely have faith in Sydney, who I've liked since way back in her Santa Barbara days.
Getting back to the Dragon: I was frustrated by Di's refusal to cough up Garret's name to Tad this week, and was even more frustrated that Tad kept giving her the benefit of the doubt. Yes, he was constantly pressing her for information, but his unwarranted attacks on Zach - who was completely right to out "Dixie" at the police station - annoyed me a lot. I couldn't believe that Tad insinuated that Zach murdered Jimmy (the hired assassin!) in cold blood. Come on Tad - use your head!
And while it's admirable that Di has once again gone to the Dragon to plead Julia's case, it seems pretty naïve to expect this crime lord to just let the both of them go. I guess it makes sense that she would make one last attempt to save her life as "Dixie", but she could have easily led Mimi and Derek to Garret's secret apartment, with a full SWAT team in tow, and ended the whole thing at once. One good thing that came out of her trip to NYC was the long-suffering Alfred Vanderpoole's revenge on Tad. It was great to see the geek get back at the big man on campus, even if it was a few decades too late!
No Brain Tumours, Spitting or Bugged-Out Eyes
That covers what we did see this week - but before I go, I have to discuss what we didn't see. We made it through five whole days without seeing a single Lavery sibling, and frankly, I can't say that I missed this dysfunctional family. And I'm pretty sure that a lot of you agree with me, judging by some of the emails I received.
"What has happened to Cameron Mathison?" asked Holly. "Has he been attending too many courses on Overacting 101? He practically spits in his sister's face every time he has a conversation." "Boo hoo!" she added. "Jonathan has a brain tumor, but the guy is still a nut job that murdered several people, including Edmund. The writers have surely muddled up that storyline but good. I like Jeff Branson and wonder why they had to take the course they did."
I can't help but agree. I don't have any problems with Cameron or Jeff - I used to like Ryan quite a bit, and I think Jeff does a wonderful job making the over-the-top Jonathan believable. In this case, it seems like their talents are being wasted on a bad story that, at times, has overshadowed the entire show. "I would like to see our Ryan redeemed from this terrible storyline," wrote Rhonda, who also echoed my earlier sentiments about not reuniting him with Kendall.
Well, that about covers it for now. See you back here in two weeks!
-- Kristine
