Thanksgiving has come and gone, and the fractured families of Springfield seem to have survived the ordeal - for now.
Of course, with the shortened week of airings, we have yet to see any family other than the Spauldings, but hopefully we'll see more Monday. What we saw was great - but I would have done things a little differently.
Alan Spaulding has certainly done nothing to endear himself to his family members (and he has no friends to speak of). It was typical to see his family all bail on him this holiday, but I would have left him all alone the entire episode. With the imminent birth of Lizzie's child, it would have made Alan even more desperate to have his family with him. It was funny and a little sad at the same time to see that he knew so little about the servants at the mansion - nor did he care that they might have plans of their own.
It was nice to see that the writers did their GL history research - and even mentioned the child that Alan and Beth lost this year. But no mention of Gus when talking about family - have they forgotten his Spaulding connection already? Still, it's the little touches that make me happiest - and make the show shine. Hopefully GL will give more time in 2007 to making this family the strong, bickering one that we've all grown to love.
Marah's arrival in Springfield was great to see. I'm glad the show wrote scenes that really let her parents have it for the mess they (both) made in their relationship rather than just brushing it under the rug. As I child of divorce myself, I know that children, no matter their age, often try to get the parents to reconcile. Luckily I was way too smart for that - it would have never worked in my case! But if Marah were to return full time, they would certainly have to write scenes that address her relationship with Jeffrey - who could use a friend these days.
I'm also thankful that Buzz curtailed his proposal - I just can't see him with the scheming Olivia long-term. While I'm happy Buzz has found love, Olivia has more baggage than a luggage store - plus she divides the Cooper family. I still see her with Jeffrey - or A-M at the very least.
Speaking of Coopers, that scene with Dinah and Mallet (hooray - back together for now) and Gus and Harley was just plain odd. And the whole gag with the specimen cup was overdone. I am looking forward to the infertility storyline, though, as it certainly has relevance for so many fans (including yours truly). How the return of Susan LeMay in 2007 fits into this story, only time will tell.
This week we finally have the birth of baby Spaulding/Randall. Which means more fracturing of Springfield families to be sure. Will Alan ever learn from his past mistakes? I seriously doubt it. What will they name the baby? How it will all shake out - and how it will figure into the departure of Tom Pelphrey and Stephanie Gatschet we'll have to tune in and see.
I hope that each of you was able to spend some time with your family and friends - minus the drama of Springfield, of course ; ) We'll have to see what the show has in store for Christmas!
Until next week...
Kimberly
