The moment that many had been waiting for finally happened last week. Todd and Danielle interacted for the first time. As they greeted each other with equal amounts of attitude, asking each other "Who the hell are you?" it became obvious that Danielle really is Todd's daughter. Of course, neither one of them knows this yet, but I think Todd suspects. Danielle wouldn't have any reason to think that Ross isn't her father, so she will be in for quite a shock when she learns that Todd is her biological father.
I felt bad for Rachel while she was trying to play referee during Todd and Danielle's encounter. I understand why she wouldn't want to answer Todd's questions or tell him the truth about Danielle. It's not her place. I am glad she told Todd where Téa was, though. Téa is in danger and needs to be rescued, but she also needs to be the one to give Todd the answers he wants. I just hope that Todd has a better reaction than Ross.
I don't blame Ross for being furious at Téa. He loves Danielle and has believed that he was her father since before she was born. While Téa only learned the truth somewhat recently, it still isn't easy for Ross to accept. It also doesn't help that Téa hasn't allowed Ross to see Danielle for so long. However, it doesn't give him the right to physically attack Téa.
It was chilling when she realized that she was in danger and started running for the hotel room door. Her shrieking made the scene even more gripping. Ross can be extremely creepy when he wants to be! I still think giving Ross a violent temper is a way for the writers to change the story so that Téa had a valid reason to lie to him. Ross wasn't an upstanding citizen when we met him a few years ago, but we never saw him get angry like this. When Blair found him in Tahiti, he seemed like a carefree surfer who knew about Téa's secret but didn't seem to be furious about it.
We are seeing a different Ross now, and it's scary! It looks like Todd will rescue Téa from Ross , and while I am glad that he will do that, it doesn't necessarily make him a knight in shining armor. Todd has done bad things, Ross has done bad things, and Téa has been lying to both of them. Danielle is going to need a lot of counseling after she learns about all of this. She might want to go back to that boarding school, after all!
I think Blair made a mature decision when she sent Todd to Seattle. She has been acting like a desperate woman for months, so it was refreshing to see her tell Todd to do what he needed to do. She could have just as easily filled Todd's head with more lies and urged him to stay with her, but luckily, she had a moment of clarity. I hope she doesn't change her mind and decide to follow Todd!
In my last column, I said I hoped that Nora would tell Clint the truth about wanting out of their marriage right away. However, in light of recent events, I can see why she didn't. Clint is dealing with a serious family tragedy, and it would be cold for her to leave him as he arranges Jared's funeral. It's an awkward situation, but Nora genuinely cares about Clint, so I think she can be the supportive wife in his time of need. I am sure we will see many poignant looks between Bo and Nora while Clint's back is turned, and while I am NOT looking forward to that, I can see why it must happen.
Fans of Bo and Nora have been waiting for a reunion for a decade, so a few more weeks can't be that bad. I am very glad that Nora didn't cheat on Clint (beyond the kisses). It was important to have Bo and Nora acknowledge how their marriage ended. If they had jumped into bed without giving it a thought, it would have been awful. I am glad the writers did their homework and made sure their past history is affecting their current story. Bo and Nora's break up was bad; their reunion shouldn't be bad, too!
It looks like Bo, Nora, and Matthew will soon be a happy family again. Matthew has apparently forgiven Bo and Nora for taking him to London, which is simply amazing. When he woke up after surgery, he was like the old, good-natured Matthew that we once knew. What a difference! I am glad that they are all on speaking terms again, but it will be interesting to see if trust will still be an issue. I wouldn't blame Matthew if he never trusted his parents again; they gave him every reason not to trust them.
Even if Matthew has forgiven them, it doesn't mean he has forgotten. There is a big difference. However, Matthew is safe, so Bo and Nora can start acting like rational people again. Will they go overboard next time Matthew wants to do something they don't want him to do? I hope not! It is a huge relief that this was resolved sooner rather than later. I couldn't handle watching the agony continue for several months!
While I have never been a big fan of Jared or of Natalie, Jared's death was sad. I still don't think it was necessary to kill him off. However, it made for some interesting television! Brian Kerwin was amazing as he portrayed Charlie's grief and guilt over his son's death. Charlie has felt bad about not being there for Jared since we met him, and now he has discovered that Jared was trying to protect him when he died.
I can't believe that Jared kept the secret of Charlie killing someone for so long. That was a truly selfless act, and not everyone could do it. It's sad to learn this right before Jared died; I might have liked Jared a lot more if I had known he could be so selfless! Now that Jared is gone, the big question is if Charlie will start drinking again. I think it could go either way. While alcohol is an escape route for many, Charlie clearly blames it for what happened between him and Jared. However, an addiction can be extremely powerful, so I think we will see a lot of emotional turmoil in Charlie as he fights his addiction and works through his grief.
I hope Charlie and Viki make it through this tragedy with their marriage intact. They just got married, and while this story has given us the opportunity to see them more frequently, I don't want this to lead to marital problems for them. Viki tried to console Charlie in the same, loving way that she has consoled so many other people over the years, but he was truly inconsolable. If he starts distancing himself from her because of his grief and guilt, their relationship will be put to the test way too soon. I hope they can work through it together, and I hope that Jared's death somehow leads to more of a story for Viki and Charlie, not less.
While I want Viki and Charlie to stay together, I don't want John and Natalie to get back together. I actually liked their scenes last week. Natalie needed to take her anger out on someone, and John knew it was coming. He knew exactly what she needed, and he didn't question her behavior. John and Natalie seem to make good friends, but I can't handle a romantic reunion, if their relationship would be remotely like it was before. John wasn't nice to Natalie, and she enabled him to treat her badly. It was simply awful, and I liked both characters more after they broke up.
I don't know where Natalie will go from here, but I think she needs to take the time to grieve for Jared, as she's already begun doing. I know some people were disturbed by the scene where Natalie "saw" Jared, but I think that scene just showed us what she wanted to happen, instead of what really did. I don't think Natalie is going to have a breakdown and start seeing Jared everywhere. That scene seemed appropriate, given the circumstance. Melissa Archer has done a great job with portraying grief.
I have never been a big fan of Natalie, and honestly, the character could disappear, and I wouldn't care, but her reaction to Jared's death was moving and sad. I hope this is the last dead husband that Natalie has. She will surpass Viki's record at this rate!
I have to admit that I enjoy watching Mitch Laurence in action. I am usually against bringing characters back from the dead. It's done way too often, and I think all characters' deaths are less poignant as a result. However, I can accept that Mitch is a character that will never die. His presence has re-energized the show, and his return has affected several characters in a short amount of time.
It's amazing how Mitch can prey on a character's insecurities in one scene and then calmly read from the Bible in the next. Mitch is the powerful villain that Spencer Truman could n ever be, so I am glad that he turned out to be Rex's father. I don't know how long Mitch will be on the show this time, or if he will be "killed," but so far, his return has been a lot of fun to watch. I will be ecstatic if he doesn't dig up any more dead bodies, but I hope he sticks around for a while!
I think Friday's cliffhanger with Natalie, Rex, and Roxy was terrific. Roxy walked in at the precise moment that Natalie told Rex that Mitch was alive. That is how it's done! I can't wait to see both Rex and Roxy's reaction to that news on Monday. The scenes should be quite intense for both of them. Rex has been tortured with the identity of his father and consoled himself by thinking that Mitch was dead. Roxy thought she pulled the plug on Mitch's life support, and now she knows she was duped.
They will be dealing with similar emotions, but Rex and Roxy are at odds over the reveal of Rex's father, so I think their conversation will be emotionally charged. Ilene Kristen is a talented actress, but she rarely gets to play dramatic scenes on this show. Revealing the identity of Rex's father will finally give us more insight on who Roxy really is, and that is long overdue. There is more to Roxy than drunken jokes and misusing words!
Surprisingly, I liked Gigi and Rex's discussion about Rex's father. I can't remember the last time I actually enjoyed one of their scenes. Their relationship has been a train wreck waiting to happen for months, and their arguments usually make me want to cringe. However, Gigi was amazingly supportive of Rex, and they talked through the situation as a mature couple would. Maybe they aren't a hopeless couple, after all!
It's true that Gigi did keep the truth about her night with Schuyler from Rex, but I think like Nora, she decided it was an inappropriate time. I hope Gigi tells Rex the truth as she told Schuyler she would. Since Stacy, Kim, and Roxy already know that Gigi stayed with Schuyler, it can't remain a secret for long. Gigi can't choose to lie to Rex again; if she hasn't learned that hiding the truth is bad by now, she is a lost cause!
I am glad that Rex learned who is father is, not only because he deserves to know, but also because Stacy and Kim can't blackmail Roxy anymore. Their act has gotten very old, and I enjoyed watching Roxy tell them their threats are empty. I loved that Roxy told Stacy that Rex doesn't want his baby's mother to be a scammer because his own mother is. It had to be difficult for Roxy to admit that, and her agony over the situation resonated. She also rendered Stacy and Kim speechless, which is always a good outcome!
Stacy and Kim need to pack their bags and go scheme somewhere else. Now that Schuyler has seen Stacy's pregnancy pad, it will be more difficult for them to pass Stacy's baby off as Rex's. Schuyler has already questioned the pregnancy, and this will give him more reason to doubt what Stacy says. Schuyler isn't dumb, and Stacy and Kim aren't as smart as they think they are, so I hope they stop the charade soon.
Finally, I can't believe that it took so long to tally votes for a mayoral election. I am glad that Vikki won, even though I suspect she won't actually be sworn in as mayor. Based on Dorian's behavior last week, I wouldn't want her to be in charge of anything. I can't believe she wants to scour Llanview to find the "traitor" who didn't vote for her so she can seek revenge.
Well, maybe I can. I guess it's not really that far-fetched, given how many corrupt politicians there are. However, this is a new low, even for Dorian. She has always been a petty, vengeful person, but interrogating the citizens of Llanview over a single vote is stupid. Apparently Dorian doesn't know that there are few things worse than a sore loser. I hope there is a better story for Dorian in the works, because this one isn't doing her any favors!
Finally, I have to comment on Langston and Markko--again. As I said before, Markko's vote is none of Langston's business. It doesn't matter if Markko voted for Viki, Dorian, or the Easter Bunny. It's his vote, and he has the right to vote for the candidate he likes the best. Viki let Markko stay at Llanfair when he didn't have anywhere else to go, and he might just agree with Viki's politics more than Dorian's. It's not about the "family loyalty" that Langston suddenly values, and she needs to drop the subject.
Markko shouldn't have lied to her about his vote, but then again, she shouldn't have been so pushy with demanding to know. I would be okay with seeing Markko and Langston once in a while, but I don't want to see them together at all if Langston is going to become the overbearing, pushy girlfriend. I hope they are done discussing this issue by my next column. Enough is enough!
Until next time,
Dawn
