That's right, folks - Dixie Cooney Martin is back again, peanut butter and banana pancakes be damned! This time, however, she's still very much dead, back to haunt Adam into telling the truth about Kathy (a.k.a., Kate Martin).
Now, I could be a little nitpicky here. I could point out how they clearly have hairdressers in the hereafter, since Dix's hair is completely different than it was the day she died. I could question why ghost Dixie would take so long to start her little project, considering she found out about Kate about five minutes after dying. I could question why she wouldn't just lead Tad to the information on his own, rather than tormenting Adam (though word is, she's trying to save Chandler's soul, too). But let's ignore those little sticking points for now.
The bottom line is I'm glad this storyline is playing out the way it is. I wasn't a big fan of the last version of Dixie and I'm not all that thrilled to see her now (even that short, episode-ending giggle on Friday aggravated me). But I can tolerate her in this type of story, provided she steers clear of Casa Slater or the Seasons East, of course. Whatever it takes to get those long-awaited Tad/Kate reunion scenes is fine by me. There is also some historical humor to the fact that Dixie, once a victim of Adam's gaslighting, is now making her ex appear crazy. David Canary was great this week as a downright manic Adam. I could have done without Junior's snide remarks, but I'll give him a little slack for finally chopping off those ridiculous locks of his.
Happy, happy Hubbards
So have you ever met someone for the first time, started talking about guys and invited them over for a sleepover within the hour? Yeah, me neither. But apparently, Colby and Cassandra had that type of instant rapport, because that's exactly how things went down with them. Gee, an influx of young characters coming to the forefront just before the summer hits... I'm sure it's just a coincidence.
I didn't really mind the scenes; I'm even willing to overlook that the mostly underage group was hanging out at a seedy bar. It would be really interesting if Liza came back into the picture at this point. I wonder what the two BFFs would think of each other when they heard about their mothers' pasts. Dre and Cassandra are clearly getting paired up, as are Colby and Frankie. I'm not overly excited about either couple, but I'm willing to give them a shot. I have to admit, though, that it does bother me that established characters with a lot of potential (Amanda and Josh immediately spring to mind) might have to stay sentenced to the backburner to make way for some semi-newbies.
I am actually enjoying the Happy Hubbards, schmaltzy and emotional as there scenes may be. It's refreshing to see that on a soap, though it is obviously going to be short-lived. Actually, as much as I enjoy seeing Angie and Jesse flirt and laugh, I'm kind of hoping the whole Papel storyline culminates as soon as possible. I just can't take Uncle Robert origami creations and constant monologues. A man lurking around an apartment looking for a stuffed elephant while talking to framed photos does not make for riveting television. And is it just me, or did it take a little too long for Angie and Cassandra to mention that Cass' father, Jacob, is a dead ringer for Jesse? (For those not in the know, the Angie/Jacob story happened on [i]Loving/The City[/i]; Darnell Williams played Jacob, too.) I guess I should just be glad they brought it up at all.
Zach and Kendall took a shot at normality this week fresh off their liberating arson-fuelled field trip. Some might have expected things to be greatly improved between the two, but I'm actually glad the tension is still there. Frankly, it's just more realistic. Burning down the cabin was a necessary step, but it's only the first of many. After all the grief and pain, I want these two people to take the time to heal. I'm stunned that AMC is going that route - I thought I would be writing about a break-up, divorce, or, horror of horrors, revenge sex at this point. I'll take tense conversations over another one-night stand any day of the week.
Of course, I don't like that the story is all about Greenlee now. I was quite uncomfortable with those Greenlee/Zach scenes this week, partly because of my admitted bias/hatred of Smythe, partly because their friendship still doesn't make an ounce of sense to me. The thought of Zach, Kendall and Aidan banding together to protect poor, fragile Greenlee is more than a little nauseating. "She's already lost so much," Kendall said to Zach. Let's not forget what she's taken, Kendall.
It's too bad all of Greens' cajoling was pointless, since Aidan ended up jetting off to Darfur anyway. This gave us our first look at the new Jake Martin, in the person of soap veteran Ricky Paull Goldin. I don't know much about his past work, though a couple of friends who crushed on Dean Frame back in the day have tried to fill me in. All I can say for now is that he sure isn't difficult to look at, even covered in grime and operating on rebel generals. I'm interested to see how he'll fit in once Mr. Special Ops brings him home and I'm excited to see what chemistry he has with Michael E. Knight (Tad). I'm sure AMC is more interested in his chemistry with Rebecca Budig (Jake's ex, Greenlee). Does anyone out there still think Aidan and Greens are in it for the long haul, with Jake and Ryan waiting in the wings to play spoiler?
And the nominess aren't...
Finally, the nominations for the annual Daytime Emmy Awards came out last week and wasn't a very good day for All My Children. I'm not saying they should have run the board, but there were a few glaring omissions. While David Canary (Adam) got a much deserved nod, many others were overlooked, particularly Alicia Minshew who was somehow passed over in the Supporting Actress category. What more does the woman have to do? She turned in some of the best performances of her career and carried the show on her slender shoulders the entire year. Any voting process that results in Minshew not getting recognized needs some a serious overhaul. Not to mention the always incredible Thorsten Kaye, whose Zach/Ian scenes deserve an Emmy all their own. Or Michael Knight or Jeffery Carlson or Billy Miller. Yes, I know - they can't all be from AMC. Sue me, I'm biased.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm late for a camping trip. It's a really cute little spot. It used to be a ragged, disgusting old cabin in the middle of nowhere, but now it's a positively gorgeous pile of smoldering rubble. I just hope the embers are still warm enough to toast these marshmallows.
Thanks and have a great two weeks!
-- Kristine
