Marissa, Bleccccchhhhhh!

     Forget Damon leaving Pine Valley.
     How about chucking Marissa out the door? This character is worthless to the town. If she left, would there actually be any substantial loss? Gasp! Must I admit it:  The new Marissa is worst than the original one. New Marissa is a snide snot and I was so tempted to post a photo of one of her snooty expressions, but I refrained as I could not stand looking at her. Poor Annie has to suffer from her snobbery and holier-than-thou attitude.
     And now Annie is going crazy-crazy. How perfect for JR. His character can now easily wipe her off and try out the new Marissa, who, even though a b*^ch, is much better-looking than her predecessor. When Marissa walks out the door, her character can go arm-in-arm with her skeezy parents, Crystal and David.
     What to make off Cara being so close to her emotions? I swear, if I see another quick-to-tears reaction from her, I'm gonna have to see her medical license revoked, and she and Annie sharing a room in the mental ward.
     I am so happy to see the cast with their new makovers. I am glad Tad got that shag cut. He looks good.

All My Children 1/20/11

Drunk or closed?

        Erica pushed Jack away again, saying she was returning to the hospital to speak with David; she wanted to plead with him not to press any charges on Kendall for shooting him. Jack was annoyed when she declined his coming with her, so instead of his following Erica, he went to Kystal's Restaurant. There, he opened up to Krystal about how much farther he felt Erica was getting away from him. Literally and figuratively.
     JR encouraged Marissa to spend the night at his estate as she wanted AJ to peter-out his energy there and sleep. She declined at first, but JR suckered in staying as he would be an understanding ear for her to dwell on her poor relationship with her father, David.. Later, when Marissa was making her way to Pine Valley Hospital to let Jesse know she would be acting as her father's attorney, (She never learns--at this point, you'd think she'd push David out of her life as she only discovered him a few years ago...and has he never let her down? He's practically a stranger.) JR was sitting in the den reading over his final divorce decree. He ignored a cell phone call from Annie. Annie, stop calling him! He's no good and his platinum winter hat-inspired hair-do is enough to keep you away.
     Griffin spotted Kendall again in David's hospital room. (Really, is it any wonder Zach was always angry with her obsessions?!) Griffin told her to leave him alone and mentioned the incident where she thought about suffocating David while he was in his coma. David hadn't known about this before the rough doctor brought it up, but with this new information, David started to realize Kendall had no recollection of her shooting David. If David was shot in the back and was wrestling Ryan at the time of injury, how did he know Kendall had shot him? Hmmmmm....(Back to our new doctor, after constantly being involved in her personal affairs, Griffin told Kendall to see a "shrink" for her woes! Uh, now he decides to butt out?)
     Erica pleaded with David to keep Kendall in the dark and to let her family move on with life. Smugly, he said he liked seeing her in this position. Dun dun duunnnnnnn!
     Oh, and Ryan proposed to Greenlee.

All My Children 1/18/11

Erica in her medieval riding garb

     Erica did a naughty thing...she did a dumb thing...she did a Kendall thing. Upon David Hayward's awakening from his coma, she told him her fabricated story in which she ended up shooting him in order to save Ryan from being shoved off the edge of the apartment building rooftop. David replied, "Oh, no, you don't. Kendall shot me." Jesse arrived and ordered Erica to leave the room. He wanted to immediately interrogate the coma patient. However, Dr. Griffin Castillo came along and trumped Jesse ordering him to leave his patient so David could rest.
     Erica then told Caleb about David's memory. Perhaps, if Erica hadn't given David any information, he wouldn't have had such a sudden return of memory. Just sayin'. Way to go, Erica. Jack, perturbed with Erica only telling Caleb about David's recovery (and not bothering to spread the word to him), confronted Caleb at the hospital telling him to keep from his woman, unbeknownst to Erica.
     Kendall encouraged Bianca to invite Reese to Pine Valley from their homestead in Paris. Bianca is still keeping quite mum on her marital troubles. However, she allowed Kendall to believe that Reese may be coming to Erica and Jack's wedding--if that ever happens.
     Amanda is an idiot. Sorry, but for what reason did she have to confess to Griffin and Cara that she was the one impersonating Cara with INS? They would have never known if she hadn't eavesdropped and filled them in on her trickery. Griffin, who has an ENORMOUS chip on his shoulder, told her that if she were a man, he would punch her. How charming. I don't think his is the first time he has threatened a woman.
     Cara, meanwhile, hurried to the Pediatrics Department in answer to a page. It was there she found a demanding couple ordering Jake to keep their daughter inpatient for a common illness. Jake told them she'd be fine recovering at home as she is in remission with Leukemia and not in any danger. Cara's tears were quick to flow as she scolded the couple for overprotecting their daughter. Griffin, always to the rescue, came by and whisked her away.
     And our vulnerable Natalia. She must be a heavy sleeper because she didn't feel Brot move around in their bed as he awoke (and he shook the bed like a wild tide knocking down a lifeguard stand on the shore), nor did she feel him kiss her, nor say he would be back. He went to Crystal's Restaurant to pick up a burger and shake for her. However, when Natalia woke up and saw he was gone, she fumed with embarrassment and anger. But, no big deal; this was short-lived. She met Brot at Crystal's and he explained she was a darn heavy sleeper. Nothing a little PDA couldn't fix. They are hunky-dory again...Oh, and Jesse doesn't give a crap about the police commissioner's disapproval of Brot and Natalia's relationship.

All My Children 1/17/11

What does NTSB stand for? And isn't the Pacific Ocean lovely?

     Isn't it always the man who breaks the woman's heart? Damon left our poor Colby, weeping as she begged her cheating boyfriend to stay. He told her not to worry about who he cheated with and said, "Goodbye." I guess the actor misses the old Marissa (his real-life girlfriend) and needed to follow her to her dental appointment. Suh-nappp!
     Tad told a wallowing Liza to let Erica off the hook. Even though she thinks Erica shot and, therefore, put David Hayward into a coma, she told Erica she is dropping the charges against her. Erica thanked her, but didn't seem too relieved as I think many of us would have been in that case. Erica then visited David's hospital bed telling him he will no longer bother she and her family. He then awoke, uttering her name.
     Not as exciting as a waking David, Erica also let Opal in on her secret of kissing Caleb. But, she insisted to Opal that there is only 1% attraction on her part and 99% on his. Eh, he's okay, but Jack is so much better.
     Ryan returned to the beach and spoke with a man who may be masquerading as a plane specialist (we don't know who he really is yet). He told Ryan the plane crash was an accident and Ryan accepted this. Greenlee surprised him on the beach and gush gush, they sweet-talked each other, but you know what? I couldn't hear them, because of the rushing ocean tide. Man, California is gorgeous in the winter!
     Kendall checked out a-okay with Dr. Castillo:  He gave her a clean bill of health and she can now proceed with her normal life, sans Zach. Also, he must be a counselor in addition to a heart doctor, as he told her she needs to start sleeping in her own bed instead of the couch and move on in her life without Zach. Where is that State Farm Reverend Ricky when we need him?

All My Children 1/14/11

"Hmm, isn't the stakeout over?"

      JR has decided it best to postpone the final divorce proceedings between he and Marissa. She was shocked by this. Annie was shocked by this. I was shocked by this. It makes no sense, unless he wants to stay married to this new actress who plays once-sweet Marissa. But, he told her it was best to wait until later in the week, so she can heal more from her "burglary" injury. He then relayed this to Annie, who freaked once he was gone. Why is Annie still "dating" him? Now that Scott is out of prison (record time, that release), perhaps our insanity-driven Annie will come to what sanity she has left and move out of her hotel room and into Scott's arms. What  delight it would be to see Scott move in with her into the JR-paid hotel suite! I am hoping for it. Poor Annie. She still has my friendship and loyalty.
     Ryan will be leaving for California shortly to find out more details to Zach's crashed airplane stats. He is now questioning whether or not Zach's death was the result of murder and not a fateful mishap as widely believed. Who cares? Zach is gone. Let's move on with our lives. (On a side note:  I can't wait to see him play the shifty doorman in the upcoming "Occupant"!)
     Jesse's boss, the police commissioner, caught a glimpse of Broc removing his jacket and a pacing Natalia as her closed the door of the stakeout-paid hotel room suite. The commissioner, foaming at the mouth, called Jesse and told him they needed to have an immediate meeting regarding this down-at-the-station!
     Shocker of the show (more of one than JR's divorce delay):  Natalia is a virgin...wait a second, she was a virgin as Broc dove in and broke her maidenhead. What? No one waits until marriage anymore?

All My Children 1/13/11

"This is my favorite tee-shirt. My gold chain is tangled in it."

     The Pine Valley Police sent detectives Casandra and Brot to the Chandler mansion to investigate the burglary masquerade concocted by crazy Annie. They were supposed to be on a stakeout, but, apparently, they're the only two cops who can deal with this type of crime. A second ambulance had to be called out to the residence when the first one had engine trouble. Casandra told JR this, but I don't think he really cared. Annie called her BFF Amanda and told her to bring Jake to the scene so he could examine Marissa. Jake looked at her bruised forehead and said she should spend the night at the hospital, but with JR's promising to watch her at his home instead, this was deemed acceptable to Jake. The hospital has lots of other suckers who are willing to spend days upon days inpatient at PVH (see Kendall). This, of course, botched JR's plans of whisking Annie away for a ski trip in the Swiss Alps.
     Scott Chandler has become more like his brother-through-adoption, JR. Remember when Scott was sickeningly sweet and would do no wrong? Hence, the reason why he confessed and got himself locked up in prison? Well, it seems the prison system has turned him into a shady character. He was able to text message Greenlee back and forth in the prison's visitor's room to demand she come visit him. When she did, he told her he wanted her at tomorrow's parole hearing. If she came, he promised to woo messed-up Madison. She reluctantly agreed, but did not mention Madison's pregnancy to him. Madison, however, told him herself...because she was nervous and blurted it out. Why was she visiting Scott at prison, you ask? Because he wrote her a letter! That was quick. Why not text-message her? That's even quicker! Why was she wearing the same gold-chained blouse she wore the other day when she was at the prison? Because she is out of clothing options? Perhaps, the baby bump has already progressed a bit and she only has a few things that still fit her. Or, perhaps, All My Children's wardrobe department failed to catch this snafu. Who needs details anyway? Not Pine Valley.

All My Children 1/12/11



"Please leave our establishment, sir!"

      Tad had a conversation with Damon at Krystals' Restaurant where Damon told him that rather than dealing with Colby and the lack of admitting he slept with her very own mother, he would be leaving Pine Valley. Damon then hurried out of the joint in a huff. This caused Tad to blow up and in doing so, he threw his cup of (water? Or, maybe something stronger...) across the room, almost striking Cara. None of the patrons found this surprising or insane. No, there were no stares, no whispers, no "Oh my God, what are you doing?! Somebody, call the cops!" Cara was taken aback, but after bandaging Tad's hand (he must have squeezed the glass before flinging it, I guess), they were hunky-dory. Her eyes were watery like she was about to cry during their talk which was nothing more than Tad's saying, "I should hate you, but I can't. You are just too lovable!" I'm paraphrasing here. But, that was the gist. I dunno, she's an emotional gal. Tad offered to buy her dinner, but Damon barged back in saying he wasn't moving away after all, so Cara was cheated out of a meal, thusly, causing her to forget to bring food home to her new digs at Kendall's.              
     Colby told JR she shouldn't be working on any projects at Chandler Enterprises with Asher as Asher was the reason for her recent spat with Damon. However, charming big brother JR convinced her to do it for him as he really needed to get away (with Annie, we assume at this point). Annie, who is falling back into her old paranoia (love it, love it!), caught the tail-end of JR talking to someone on the phone and then she caught him meeting Marissa at Confusion. Annie's demented mind started spinning and she envisioned Marissa endearing herself to JR and telling him to forget Annie. Then, later, Annie walked into the Chandler Mansion's living room/study (the security in this joint is awful. Is the cook the only servant in the mansion? And does she leave during the day?), and discovered Marissa there. While Marissa fondled a photo of JR and his son (their son?), Rapunzel Goldie Locks Little-A AJ, Annie imagined her tramping around the room in a lacy red number. Annie, upset, shoved the door back, thus knocking Marissa to the floor unconscious. Can we be so lucky that she died?

All My Children 1/11/11

"What? Is this your kid, or mine?"

    
     Basically, let's look at the obsurdity of a doctor being sent to live as a nurse in a patient's house as Griffin connived his sister, Cara, into doing for Kendall. Because of Kendall's many hospital stays, apparently she has earned herself a live-in doctor...and she was sorta forced into it as he wouldn't let her check out of the hospital unless she agreed to this arrangement.
     Amanda is paranoid as ever about Cara hanging around. And she should be as Cara keeps staring at Baby Trevor and daydreaming about her own romantic past with ex-husband, Jake. On a side note, Kendall went into one of her sons' rooms to see some surprise he had for her and in leaving the room, she asked Cara look after Trevor. The baby was lying in a pack and play. If Amanda is in the other room getting her purse, then I am sure Trevor will not get into much trouble in the short time span it will take for her to return. Mothers and daycare workers do it all the time. If there were any hazards with a pack and play, then I am sure Graco would have had a recall on their hands. I know potatoes, puh-tot-toes!
     So,Tad has told Damon not to devulge details on who exactly he slept with. And, in turn, Tad has asked Colby why does she care who Damon cheated with? Um, well, Tad, because how do I know the skank is gone, and how do I know it wasn't this lady at Crystal's Restaurant, or maybe my best friend from boarding school? Why wouldn't she want to know? As the victim of adultery, she she be given the facts; not just Damon admitting he had sex with some other chick. Tad is in the doghouse with this one, I'm afraid. He also made Liza feel bad--real bad--about her sleeping with his son, Damon. Whateva, Tad! You ever cheat on somebody? Yeah, thought so. Don't cast any stones, pal.  

All My Childen 1/10/11

Should I burn it or wash it?

     Okay, I was wrong. "All My Children" beefed up the writing and it resulted in Damon and Liza rockin' the casbaugh. I could see Damon's motive for doing this:  he was upset and he had just caught his girlfriend kissing on the guy who had kissed her previously. But, Liza? What was she thinking? Was there ever a spark of sexual chemistry between the two?! Ugh, ugh, ugh. No! This scene should have stopped at the kiss and then later down the road, we could have seen this pair hook it up...This was just too soon. And Damon running into Tad at the infamous park. (This is the most popular park in Pine Valley. I couldn't tell you the last time I ran into someone I know at the local park.)...Damon told Tad at first that he had slept with someone other than Colby and Tad just kinda smirked and said something about how young people today have complicated lives. What?! Okay, that's a good way to excuse cheating. Then, when Damon came "even cleaner" to Tad and told him Liza was the one he had slept with, Tad told him to keep it a secret. The same thing had happened to Liza when she was young (Tad had slept with her mother, Marian), and he knew it had screwed her up, so it was better to keep this secret from Colby. I am happy the writers didn't just blurt this secret out to anybody in addition to Tad. Let's keep a juicy storyline going, people.
     Madison ran into Greenlee (again) at the hospital and gave her the idea of putting the blame of her impregnation on someone else. Interesting, as this will be just what Scott Chandler needs. He gets a job if he says he fathered Madison's baby (conjugal visits, baby!)...   I am beginning to think Scott is the only prisoner at this prison and he frequently roams the visiting room.
     Kendall was greeted with Chinese food from her BFFs, Ryan and Greenlee. I found it amusing that the ladies only took bites of carrot from their professional-wielding Chinese sticks. It's rare to see Kendall eat anything at all. Highlights from this meeting:  Ryan gave Kendall Zach's will; Ryan was surprised with the news that Zach's casino was never sold; and, Kendall offered Madison a work-at-Kendall's-home gig for at least a month. I swear, Madison may be pregnant, but she has all the luck when it comes to job offers.

All My Children 1/7/11

"I am an actress!"

     The best fight I have seen in a long time on All My Children happened today between Colby and Damon. Damon caught Colby and Asher in a lip-lock and he exploded. I haven't found Colby to be the strongest actress, but this performance was very well done--for both young actors. Damon later told a consoling Liza what happened between them. And he (like Madison) declared he needed to leave town because of it. This consolation ended the episode with a surprising (or perhaps, not so surprising, as it seemed bound to happen with this close-working pair) kiss--Damon initiated the kissing. I have a feeling that on the ext episode Liza will pull away and ask what was that?!
     Kendall's blood pressure is down, but not "down where I'd like it," per Dr. Castillo, so who knows when she'll finally be able to leave the hospital? Kendall has spent a great deal of time over her life confined to a bed. Poor rich girl....On another note, comatose David mumbled, "Kendall" once Jack and Erica left his hospital room, with no one hearing this...unless the security camera in his room has audio--then, someone may have heard it in the control room. Anyone else find it bizarre that the woman who confessed to shooting David was allowed to linger in his room?
     Annie confronted war-waging Marissa. She told her she overheard Marissa suggesting JR fire her. Annie lied and told Marissa there was nothing going on between she and JR and maybe, just maybe, Marissa will start believing that little fib. I think Marissa needs to go back to her naive sweet-seeming ways. Maybe she wasn't just a massage therapist a few years ago when she was working at the brothel...

All My Children 1/6/11



"Well, this is interesting."

     I hope Kendall is no longer contagious, because Dr. Castillo thought it necessary to wheel her to David's hospital room where he has been for about a month trapped in a coma. If I were staying in the hospital (and I wonder how high her hospital bill must be as it's been a couple days now) and had had a nightmare about the man who had "killed" my husband, I would be beside myself in terror if my cardiologist took it upon himself to force me to see him. And you know, experts have said comatose patients can actually hear what is being said around them; so, when Kendall started accusing David of killing her husband and well, saying not so flattering things, I felt for him. Why would Dr. Castillo subject his mentor, David, to this hostility?
     I liked Liza when she first came on the scene. I liked her until she turned into Robo Attorney At Law. She is like JR in the sense that both show a lovable side (she with her mentoring of Damon as her paralegal and JR in his relationships with people he actually loves), but then they also show a rotten side (she with any defendant and he with Caleb). Anyway, today she and Damon discussed her broken relationship with Colby and Colby reenforced her distrust and distaste for Liza, her mother. Blah blah, boring boring. But, what wasn't boring was the kiss between Colby and Asher. I thought it was strange that she came pouring into the den (or whatever room that is) saying she didn't want to discuss her day with Asher and yet she stayed there with him. She was restless, flinging herself around on an armchair as he sat idly on a nearby ottoman. She asked if the cook (good ol' Lacretia) had prepared anything for lunch--Shouldn't she have gone into the kitchen to get food?! Anyway, the kiss was inevitable. But, what wasn't necessarily in the cards was Damon walking in and catching them in the act at that moment. So, good cliffhanger, "All My Children"!
     Erica denied her attraction to Caleb to Bianca, even though Bianca has caught them eyeing each other before today. Bianca has all the time on her hands to monitor this couple as she doesn't ever seem to be working at the Miranda Center.
     Annie caught JR lying to her...again. She saw him and Marissa at his 3-month remission checkup (I don't think there are any other doctors in PV except for the ones at the hospital). Why was Annie at the hospital, anyway?
     Okay, that's all for now. My 6-year-old son is telling me to get off the computer so he can play on the computer. Later!

All My Children 1/5/11

"Now, I'm going to give you my serious expression."

    
     Well, because ABC interrupted the last 15 minutes or so of "All My Children" today, I don't know what our daily cliffhanger turned out to be. If I had watched this episode when it originally aired, I suppose I could have caught the end on the Soap Network...Ah, well, I seem to always be a bit behind. Que sera sera--what if I didn't have cable? I wouldn't be able to watch the end. So there!
     Well, Dr. Castillo certainly must have no other patients in Pine Valley Hospital as he made an appearance to "check on" Kendall like three times on this one day. Maybe Kendall was his most critical gig of the day. I thought it a bit harsh when he snapped at Greenlee who was pleasantly asking if he might be interested in Madison. I think he may be interested in Kendall, after all--he and that reverend fellow from the All State Insurance commercials.
     Another busy man was Ryan. He visited JR and Scott, and Greenlee...always getting his holier-than-thou nose in everything. That crazy guy! Speaking of busy, how is it that Scott, who is in prison, can have SO MANY visitors? Sheesh, if that is how our prison system is (maximum security or minimum), we have problems.
     A sick Amanda mentioned to Annie how she was lucky Jake was trading his shift with someone else as she didn't know how she'd be able to handle herself today...even with an overpaid nanny to mind their baby, whom we haven't seen for a few weeks. Even though she was deathly ill, she managed to run to Krystal's Restaurant to pick up "Krystal's Famous Chicken Soup" and some meds. If she was that ill, why couldn't Jake run and do that...and do they not have any food in their own house?
     Annie stole the sickly idea from Amanda and feigned an illness for the benefit of raking in JR for some much-needed attention. After JR came running to Annie's hotel room, Marissa called to check on him only to tell him (with VERY MUCH CONCERN) that he couldn't be near a sick person because he is in remission. Annie, however, came clean to him after the phone call.
    In summation, I am not liking the new Marissa nor the new Scott....the acting so far leaves much to be desired....and Frankie, well, he needs acting lessons too.

All My Children 1/4/11

"Please stop clutching my arm! I am trying to sleep."

    
     Ryan is still outside of the loop. He still has no clue that Madison is pregnant...with his baby, nonetheless. On today's episode wesaw Madison chat briefly with her BFFs Randi and Frankie, which led her to the conclusion that hey, Pine Valley is my home and I finally have friends here! So, unwittingly perhaps, she phoned her latest arch-rival Greenlee to fill her in on the news that she'd be staying in PV, after all. So long, New York dreams!
     Ryan, meanwhile walked lovingly into Kendall's house to find his beloved Greenlee asleep on the couch, cradling a trying-to-pretend-he's sleeping Spike. While he was watching this familial scene, Annie was in his condo babysitting her daughter, who was ringing in the New Year asleep in her bedroom. JR stopped in to say hello to Annie and Annie told him she was looking forward to becoming his wife in 2011...did he even propose? Uh-oh, don't put the cart before the horse (one of my favorite expressions that has carried along with me from last year)!

     And sickly Kendall told a protective Erica that she felt like she was blocking something out...hmm, perhaps, the fact you shot a man and then pinned it on yo' mama?

All My Children 1/3/11

"Ugh, what's going on over on that roof?!"

     Happy New Year, Pine Valley! Well, well, well, we start 2011 with a bang, and I am liking it! I loved how the New Year rang in with Erica and Caleb kissing each other at the stroke of midnight. Now that was good writing...HOWEVER, the plot twist of Kendall being the one who actually shot David seems a bit contrived and made up last minute. Oh, and did I mention, she seems to have forgotten she did it and allowed Mother to take the fall for it? Too far-fetched. I don't like it....don't the detectives fingerprint all evidence in a murder case? Wouldn't Erica AND Kendall's fingerprints be all over the gun? They both have criminal records in Pine Valley, so surely, the forensic computers would have found matches to both women.

     Poor Kendall and that rough cough. I have been coughing for two months and my cough is still harsher than hers. I almost posted today's photo as Kendall's collapse, but when I saw the New Year's kiss, I thought, now that would be a sweet picture (sorry for the glare...on the photo, not on my face, hehe).

     I could say more about how creepy Liza is getting with her obsession with David, how much I truly adore Jack, and how silly I found Erica's voice-over letter to her mother, but I think we'll just stop for now. I have another episode to watch.

     Until later!