The moment that impatient AMC fans everywhere were waiting for finally happened. Dixie Cooney Martin, who was keeping herself busy lurking behind every available shrub in Pine Valley, came face to face with Tad on Friday. If you didn't know it was coming, the suddenness of the reveal must have been a little jarring. I love how AMC staged this moment. There was no dramatic music, no overly suspenseful set up - David and Dixie were just talking, they turned around and Tad was standing there. Bravo to Cady McClain and Michael E. Knight for putting on their best "stunned" faces. I can't wait to hear what these two have to say to each other.
Now that the almost two-month lurking period has ended, the real drama can begin - Dixie revealing herself to JR, Tad dealing with the fact that his fiancé Di knew his ex-wife was alive all along, and the mystery surrounding Kate's whereabouts. I have high hopes for this story, but I'm also prepping myself for the worst. After watching Maria Santos traipse around as Maureen Gorman, I can't help but think that things could get much worse before they get better. But hopefully, AMC has learned from their recent botched returns and will get this story moving quickly. And is it too much to ask that they cut David loose from this story soon, and let him move to a woman who will put him first? Well, I can hope.
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Madden World
Dixie's nemesis, Dr. Greg Madden, once again started this week in the hospital, recovering from Erica's latest poisoning attempt. His first visitor was Zach, who demanded to know what the doc had done with Dixie's daughter, and throwing in a few vague death threats. Zach may have gone there to grill Greg about Kate, but that visit was all about Kendall. I'm not saying Zach would just let everything slide if Kendall wasn't involved, but it's clear that his primary motivation is to protect Kendall from suffering Dixie's fate. Of course, when Kendall saw her ex menacing her trusted OB-GYN, she flipped, accusing him of trying to control her. Surprise, surprise.
While all of this was going down, Ryan was confronting Erica, having figured out that La Kane had tried to murder Madden. Lavery eventually got Erica to spill the whole story about Greg and Josh. Great, Ryan knows! Now they can both go to Kendall and tell her, so she'll dump the devious Dr. Madden once and for all... right? Wrong! Erica and Ryan agreed to keep the secret under wraps. This is the point at which my head exploded.
What bothers me the most about this plot point is that Erica, Ryan and Tad (who discussed the situation with Ryan on Friday) all seem to think that there are only two options - either tell everyone about Josh or tell nobody at all. What?! Why can't Erica explain the situation to Kendall and trust that her daughter won't blab to the rest of the town? This is Kendall! Are you telling me that the same woman who almost went to death row for her sister and offered her womb to Greenlee would refuse to keep quiet about her mother's deep, dark secret? Give me a break!
Kendall, You've Been Served
I can't say I was surprised when Ryan told Kendall he was suing her for custody of their unborn son if she didn't drop Madden. I despise Ryan, but Kendall was the one who gave him parental rights to begin with. She can't just take them back when he disagrees with her. Ryan did promise to back off and said he would abide by any decision Kendall made, but that doesn't change the fact that Kendall got herself into this mess. That said, I enjoyed her scenes with Jack on Friday's show. It's the first time since Greenlee left that they shared that father-daughter bond and I loved that even though Jack tried to talk some sense into her, he still said he would stand by Kendall if she chose to fight Ryan in court.
From one baby drama to another - after Krystal lost her lunch, Adam excitedly jumped to the conclusion that his wife was pregnant. Let's just say that I breathed a huge sigh of relief when we found out Krystal had the flu, not morning sickness. I just can't stomach the thought of a Krystal/Adam baby (no pun intended). I did giggle when Krystal brought up how the branches of the Chandler family tree would be seriously twisted if she and her new hubby had a baby. Babe and JR sharing a sibling would be so wrong.
Speaking of the younger Mr. and Mrs. Chandler, they had another in a long line of "do you trust me or not?" arguments this week, as Junior continued to receive text messages from Janet. It's nice to know that even if you're in an insane asylum, you can still reach out and torture someone. After a few heartfelt conversations, and discussing the possibility of having another child, JR decided that he was going to trust his wife. I do believe that Babe loves JR, but her heartfelt pleas for his trust would carry a heck of a lot more weight if she hadn't actually planned on doing exactly what Janet accused her of. I guess I just don't like Babe, plain and simple.
Sorry, It's Still Icky
Jonathan Lavery has never been one of my favourite people either and like many of you (many, not all), I don't like his budding relationship with Lily. There have been moments where they've almost made me forget how inherently icky their courtship is, but for the most part, I wish AMC wouldn't go there. But it wasn't their history that made me angry this week. As much as I hate to say this, I couldn't stand the version of Lily that was on my screen the past few episodes.
After Jack caught Lily and Jonathan in their treehouse, he was understandably upset, but it was Lily's reaction that upset me. It broke my heart when Lily told Jack she didn't want him to be her father anymore, and that he was the one who was making her life miserable. I understand Lily's point of view, but, in my opinion, she just came off as a silly, insolent child, in my opinion.
Jonathan didn't help matters either, fighting with Jack and insisting that he and Lily belong together, even after Aidan made a very good case for why he should try to let Lily go. It would have been much easier to put aside my hate for Jonathan if he actually decided to do the mature thing and stay away. But the way these two are acting makes it very hard for me to root for them. In these young love, us-against-the-world stories, the couple in question has to have rooting value. For me, it just isn't there.
And just when I thought I couldn't get any angrier, Erica went off on Jack, accusing him of holding unnecessary grudges and blaming him for Lily's current condition. She was just downright cruel. But I did love Erica's scenes with Greg at the end of the week - it wasn't so much what they said, but what they didn't say. And Greg was downright creepy when he suggested he and Erica could be "intimate". Ian Buchanan is a great villain when he wants to be.
Odds and Ends
Terri Ivens did a great job during Simone's scenes with Zach as they both continue to grieve Ethan, but that doesn't mean I forgive her for hiring Erin without discussing it with Kendall. What happened to eliminating stress for the pregnant woman? On another note, I am hoping that the interaction between Jamie and Julia wasn't a sign that the two will be paired. Speaking of the Santoses, we saw the last of Natalia Cigliuti as Anita this week, and rumour has it that Tanisha Lynn (Danielle) and Michael B. Jordan (Reggie) have been reduced to recurring status. What a waste. Oh well, that's life in Pine Valley these days.
Thanks for reading - see you back here in two weeks.
-- Kristine
