Charlie must regret moving to Llanview. He has been kidnapped drugged, had alcohol poured down his throat, and most recently, was duped and knocked out by Tess. He is also learning more about Viki's past, as he and Viki discovered that Tess had been copying Jean Randolph by locking Jared and Natalie in the basement. A few weeks ago, he seemed to take the news of Jessica's DID well, but now, he is seeing how serious the illness really is. Viki was absolutely horrified that she (and her alters) had been Tess' inspiration for the resurrection of the secret room. Tess has never been so dangerous or thirsty revenge, so the thought that Tess was holding Jared and Natalie hostage was the furthest thing from Viki's mind. I am happy that Viki found Natalie and Jared and now knows that Jessica needs some serious help. While I don't particularly like Natalie and Jared and don't actually mind them being separated from the rest of Llanview, they have been in the room for long enough. I wish Tina had decided that keeping Tess' secret was a bad thing a long time ago, but at least she had an attack of conscience at some point. While Viki was able to locate one of her daughters, who had literally been underfoot the entire time, she still has to find Jessica...I mean Tess...I mean BESS!
While Jessica's DID isn't hereditary, it appears that Jessica's alters are almost carbon copies of Viki's alters. Bess is almost exactly like Jean Randolph with her frigid demeanor and dark glasses. Isn't it convenient that Bess' glasses were at the vineyard when she emerged for the first time? Anyway, it turns out that Tess can't handle everything, and Bess had to take over and deal with the death of Jessica/Tess' baby. I thought the scenes with Tess and Niki Smith were well done. Niki said everything that Tess wanted to hear, and Niki was even there to deliver the baby because Tess didn't want to be alone. However, no one could help Tess deal with the fact that her baby was a stillborn, so Bess came to the rescue. I hope that people realize that Bess isn't Jessica immediately. After months of people not noticing that Tess was in control, I don't think I could handle people not noticing that Jessica suddenly speaks in monotone and wears glasses. People in Llanview couldn't possibly be that oblivious! I don't want Bess to be around for long, and when she disappears, Jessica needs to come back. When she comes back, she won't believe everything that her alters have done, and we haven't seen anything yet. All I know is I really can't handle more alters. Tess was enough to deal with, but now we have yet another strange alter with no end in sight. While I think this story has worn out its welcome, I think Bree Williamson has done a terrific job with portraying Jessica, Tess, and Bess. It can't be that easy to play three characters that are so different.
Speaking of stories that have worn out their welcome, the saga of Todd and Marty tops the list. I know that last week's events have been the subject of heated debates on the message boards. Some people are furious that Todd and Marty's relationship became romantic, while others think it's the single greatest event in the show's history. Not everyone likes this story, but it certainly is getting people's attention! I think that Todd and Marty in their current state do have chemistry, but my problem with it is, Todd and Marty are not thinking at the same level. Todd knows what he did to Marty, he knows that he is keeping her from her son, and he knows that Marty doesn't remember anything that happened between them in the past. If Marty was in full possession of her memory, she could make an informed decision about whether to pursue a relationship with Todd. I am not sure if she would even consider being romantically linked to her rapist, but if she did, that would be her informed decision. Todd has been using Marty for months as an escape from reality and as a way to atone for what he did to her all of those years ago. He has lied to her about her past, edited facts, and made himself look like a hero. That might be how wants things to be in his mind, but that doesn't make what he has done to Marty okay. I have seen heated debates on the message boards about whether Todd raped Marty again. He might not have physically held her down and gagged her, but he did take advantage of her in a moment of vulnerability. Marty doesn't know who Todd really is; she sees the man he has been presenting himself as since he found her in Lee Ramsey's house. Once Marty does remember Todd and her past with him, I am sure she will feel violated all over again. If you feel differently about this, I fully respect that. I, however, think this story has gone too far, and it needs to end.
While Todd and Marty were stuck in the land of make believe, Starr was giving birth. I think the story of Starr getting pregnant was botched from the start, and I honestly haven't cared much about it. I wish Starr could have the baby, let Marcy adopt it, and that would be that. It's never that simple in the world of soap operas, but I am dreading what Janet and Dr. Joplin are going to do. I wish they would stand up to Todd and not make Starr think her baby is dead. It's cruel, and I wish they wouldn't take Todd's threats so seriously. I don't know how Dr. Joplin and Janet think they can tell Starr her baby is dead without letting anyone see the baby's body. I am amazed that Blair and Starr let them take the baby away without asking many questions. They certainly had a right to know what exactly was wrong, and Dr. Joplin was certainly cryptic and vague enough to raise suspicions. If there were any evil plot I wanted foiled on a soap opera, this would be it. Todd has gone too far with trying to control people in his family, and kidnapping his grandchild is over the top. As I've said before, at this point, I think the only way to write Todd out of this corner is to let him have a nervous breakdown. I believe that Todd doesn't think what he's doing is wrong, especially since he seems to be isolated from reality. I am not saying that Todd's actions are acceptable, but I don't think he's doing it to be malicious.
Moving along to Rex and Gigi, I enjoyed the scenes they shared with Shane and Brody respectively. Shane is finally realizing that Shane isn't the big bad wolf and that he genuinely wants to be Shane's father. Shane has had to deal with more than most children his age, and he has done pretty well with it. Yes, he said awful things to and about Rex, but he viewed Rex as a threat to his new family. He didn't have the benefit of knowing why Gigi told him that Brody was his father. He didn't know why Rex didn't know about him, and he didn't know that he would have to deal with two dads at the same time. I think it will be great to see Rex and Shane bond again. They were great together when Shane first moved to Llanview, and now that they can put all of the drama behind them, I am sure they will be great again! While Brody isn't stable enough to be around anybody these days, I can see Brody playing a role in Shane's life too. If Rex and Brody had been able to put their egos and insecurities to the side when the situation first began, I am sure they could have seen that there is room for both of them in Shane's life. After growing up without a father figure, it would be great for Shane to have two! I was also glad that Gigi didn't write Brody off forever. She was able to see that Brody has been suffering from a breakdown and didn't mean to harm anyone. I am also glad that she thanked Brody for taking care of Shane for being willing to step in as Shane's father when he was born. Gigi and Rex have been treating Brody as the bad guy practically since Brody arrived, so I am glad that they both are mature enough to realize that Brody was put in an awkward decision when he was brought to Llanview. Now that Gigi and Rex are together and Brody is getting treatment for his illness, I think all three characters can move forward and take care of Shane. It's taken over a year for them to get to this point, but I think the best part of this story is about to start!
As for random thoughts, I still don't care about Vanessa or Lola. The writers apparently feel like I should, but I still seem them as unnecessary new characters. Why are they getting so much air time?! Finally, I never thought I'd see Tina and Cain stop their bickering to welcome some puppies into the world! I have mixed feelings about Tina's return, but those scenes definitely helped to lighten up a dark week for the show!
Until next time,
Dawn
