The main families in Llanview were busy this week with preparations for a double wedding, important self-revelations, the astonishing fact that Stacy still lives in her own personal fantasy world, and Jessica's alleged stalker.
As many people in Llanview prepared for what is sure to be the most awkward double wedding ever, I was pleasantly surprised by the "remember when" moments we got to see. I thought it was strange to have a party at the Buchanan lodge after everything that has happened there over the years, but Asa's spirit wouldn't have been such a force to be reckoned with anywhere else! I loved everyone's facial expressions when the banner was revealed with the wrong combinations of names! Even if it is farfetched, depending on what you believe, I can see Asa refusing to relinquish his rights to meddle in people's lives even after death. I also liked how Clint and Viki found the photo album that was meant to be given to them on their first wedding day. They really have had quite an interesting life together as parents, and it was a nice moment to see them reminisce. However, I didn't think it was necessary to have Charlie overhear part of their conversation to make him jealous. Viki and Clint have both moved on and Viki is deliriously happy with Charlie. I don't see her going back to Clint. Viki and Clint are good friends, but I can't see them ever getting back together. That is why I think Charlie coming in at the end of the scene lessened the emotional impact of it, and it just wasn't necessary.
In what was probably my favorite scene of the week, Viki told Noelle about all of her husbands. Noelle had a realistic reaction to finding out that Viki had been married so many times. Since she hasn't known Viki for that long, it made sense for her to want to know more. Erika Slezak did a wonderful job in that scene, as she fondly remembered each important man in her life. Viki has led an extraordinary life, and her appreciation of that was apparent in that scene. It was also a nice touch to show a picture of Clint Ritchie. I was expecting a picture of a Jerry verDorn, but I am glad that the powers that be honored Clint Ritchie and his legacy on the show. Noelle's reaction was a funny moment that reminded me a lot of when the first Blair was shown at one of Asa's funerals, and the current Blair looked confused. It can't be easy to decide how to handle situations like that, but I loved how they definitely did the right thing! I realize that these "walks down memory lane" didn't advance story, but I like when we see moments like this. The show and its characters have such a rich history, and it's nice to be reminded of that from time to time!
Bo and Nora also took a walk down memory lane and sealed it with a kiss. As a longtime Bo and Nora fan, I had been waiting for that moment for 10 years. The problem is that Bo apparently never told Nora that he forgave her. He told Rex he forgave her, but It would have been nice of him to share this information with her. As much as I liked the kiss, I think they should have had a conversation about Bo forgiving her before it happened. It's obvious that Nora doesn't want to even think about her feelings for Bo because of the grudge he's held against her for a decade. Between this and Clint's recent behavior, it's a shock that Nora hasn't turned into a runaway bride! I wish Nora would be honest with herself about why she is marrying Clint. She has a bunch of generic reasons whenever asks, but she looks miserable with him most of the time. That is quite a contrast to when she saw Bo had finally arrived at the lodge. She hasn't smiled like that in years, and she has certainly never smiled like that with Clint. She might love Clint, and she might be happy if she married him if Bo weren't around her every day. Nora's stubbornness is her worst enemy at times. If anyone even alludes to the fact that she still loves Bo, Nora pushes back with declarations of wanting to marry Clint. It's a vicious cycle! I wish Nora would be honest with herself and at least postpone the wedding. I don't like that Nora is going to marry yet another man that she likes but doesn't really want to marry. We saw this when she married Daniel Coulson, and although the two situations are very different, she still married Daniel because he asked. That's not a good enough reason! The fact that Clint has done nothing but pressure her to get married after she accepted his proposal should be a sufficient reason to postpone! I wish she would stand up for herself and think about what happened with Bo without thinking about Clint. It's hard to watch her convince herself that Clint is the man for her and that what happened with Bo was an anomaly. Rachel didn't believe it, and neither does Nora! Nora will always be one of my favorite characters on this show, but she's got to stop being her own worst enemy, and she needs to face the truth about how she really feels about both Bo and Clint!
Bo isn't any better and being an adult and facing the truth. It seemed like he wanted Matthew to tell Clint the truth so he wouldn't have to do his own dirty work and so the wedding would be stopped. Bo should have told Clint himself. Yes, Clint would be furious and would turn several shades of green, but we all know the truth will be revealed at some point. Clint has suspected that something has been going on between Bo and Nora for months, so he wouldn't even be that surprised by the fact that they kissed! It's a problem when you expect your teenaged son to fix your love life for you through blackmail! After Matthew didn't save the day, Bo decided to visit Lindsay because he still couldn't own up to what he did. Grow up, Bo!
Speaking of Lindsay, it was great to see her after a year! Bo had a lot of nerve to visit Lindsay and to immediately start talking about his problems. Lindsay has been in PRISON, not to mention that he almost married her year! He could have taken a few minutes to ask her about how she is doing before asking her to talk about her nemesis! I guess Bo and Clint have the self-absorbed trait in common! It's amazing that Lindsay gave Bo such rational advice. She was willing to tell Bo to go after Nora, even though she loves Bo herself. If Bo doesn't take her advice and come clean with Clint, there is no hope for him. If Lindsay is going to give such good advice, I think everyone in Llanview should talk to her about their problems. At least we would get to see her more often if they did. It was a mistake to throw Lindsay in prison indefinitely and then basically forget about her. Nora and Lindsay's feud might have grown stale at the time she went to prison, but I think the writers could have written a new chapter for them instead of ending the feud with the most lazily written story ever. Llanview needs Lindsay, and I hope it's not a year before we see her again!
I wish someone would give Matthew some advice. Even under the worst circumstances, I find it hard to believe. Matthew has had a strong relationship with Bo and Nora for years, and although he has been going through the tumultuous teenage years, it just seems out of character for him to declare war on his parents! I can, however, see both sides of the argument. That's what makes this story interesting. I understand why Bo and Nora are afraid of something happening to Matthew, and I also understand that Matthew just wants to walk again. There isn't an easy answer or solution to this dilemma, and I feel bad for all of them! I am not looking forward to seeing them fight each other in court, and I hope that Matthew's relationship with Bo and Nora isn't irrevocably damaged as a result of this. That would be too much to handle.
Then there is Stacy. Does she really have to be pregnant? Haven't we been tortured enough with this ridiculous story? The most incredible part of this plot twist is that Stacy still doesn't understand that Rex doesn't want her. She has an amazing ability to take herself to her happy place when things don't go her way. Her ability to deny the truth is unmatched! I am glad that Gigi knows the truth now, though. The writers could have easily decided to drag this out for months with Gigi living in the dark. The fact that she knows that truth AND has accepted it is like a breath of fresh air on a show that usually drags stories out for far too long. I am also glad that Gigi and Rex didn't break up over it. Gigi realized that she set the whole thing in motion with her lie and that Rex didn't actually cheat on her. Lying about it was stupid, but Gigi can't be too mad about a lie after the lie she told for 3 months! It is refreshing to see a soap opera couple discuss things and work them out, instead of breaking up in the heat of the moment and regretting it later. This couple certainly has its critics, but it seems like they have finally gotten their act together and are ready to deal with Stacy. I hope they deal with her once and for all because I am tired of seeing her prance around Llanview like she is queen of the universe. At this point, I don't care if she leaves Llanview forever of her own free will or if is killed off. She just needs to go. Crystal Hunt has done an excellent job of making people hate Stacy. I wish her character had been given a better story and better motivations for doing the things that she did, but this character was a misfire from the start, and I hope the writers cut their losses and move away from Stacy!
Finally, I am curious about what is happening with Jessica. Nash has been mentioned a lot lately, and now Jessica thinks she is seeing him. I don't know what the point of this is. As far as I know, there aren't any plans to bring Nash back from the dead, so this seems like a strange story to write for Jessica. The only thing that makes sense is that someone else is watching and/or stalking Jessica, but if she is sure she is seeing Nash, I am not sure why this is happening. I don't know who would even have a motivation to stalk Jessica, unless it would be someone like Allison Perkins, but the person Jessica keeps seeing looks like a man. Whatever is happening, I hope we find out what is going on soon because it just seems strange!
Until next time,
Dawn
