Nice Day For A White Wedding - Episode Breakdown

9/14/09

The Spauldings

Alan has found redemption, and all seems right with the world. Ron Raines has managed to do the impossible: make Alan Spaulding seem....huggable. Seriously, I want to hug that guy. The scene with Emma was sweet, and his reaction to hearing about "my brother, Rafe" was great. He didn't look psyched, but he held back his usual judgmental pronouncements.

The moments between Alan and Alex are touching, and today's especially so. Just about every word uttered this week, by every character, could have a double meaning. When Alan talks about how things can change in a split second, it's about Alan's life, and also about the life of a show that has been with us for 72 years, and is now days away from being a part of the past.

Phillip is well and happy and determined to have Beth by is side, once again. As it should be. And James? I'm glad they haven't had James make a 360 degree turn, and become a model son just because of how close he has come to losing his father and grandfather. When James set off for his date with Daisy, and Phillip reached out to straighten his son's tie, James pulled back a bit. He's not 100% on board with his father, yet, and that's realistic. We've had a glimpse of the James that can be, if he ever learns to let go of his anger 100% but, let's face it, James has a lot to be angry about. The James we see today is so very different form the one we saw just six months ago. Today, I actually liked James.

The Lewises

I love me some Lewis men. They're just good old boys who know how to hoot and holler and whop it up. How lovely and natural to see Dylan, and actor Morgan Englund looks exactly the same as he did 15 years ago. The fishing scene was sweet as hell, until the camera pulled back and revealed traffic just 15 feet away. I'm fairly sure the Lewis boys were fishing in a sewage ditch. I'm glad the writers thought to throw in Dylan's line about only catching garbage, and I'm sure whatever fish Billy caught had three eyes and green, glowing skin. But I'm nit-picking. I loved seeing the Lewis boys together, and with Reva at the helm, no less.

Reva and Josh

I know people are holding out for these two, but Jefferey is still alive, and Josh looks more and more determined to just be Reva's friend. Their playfulness is fun to watch. I especially liked the look on Reva's face when she found out about Olivia and Natalia, and I loved her "Life is too short" line. With all Olivia and Reva have been through together, I can believe that Reva would be happy to see Olivia find some peace and happiness of her own, for once.

The Reardons

Oh, how wonderful was it to see Nola and Bridgett, even if it was just a short stint? I've always thought the casting of Melissa Hayden in the role of Bridgett was inspired. Hayden is like a young Lisa Brown, both in looks and attitude. She's full of spunk and fire. They look like family. And here's to Nola's comment about Company looking better when it belonged to them. It was, after all, Tony Reardon's Company, back in the day. And, long before the Coopers came onto the scene to fill the void, the Reardons were the preeminent working class family in Springfield. So many wonderful story lines found their way in and out of that boarding house under the auspices of the Reardons, that it's only right we be reminded of the family's history and significance.

And, lest we forget, Matt is a Reardon - the last one still in Springfield (except for little Maureen.) Wonderful of Nola and Bridgett to bring up Matt, and how they want to make sure he's ok. It's a wonderfully soapy twist of fate, how Nola and Vanessa, once staunch enemies, ended up intertwined in one another's lives forever. Nola married Vanessa's brother, Quint. Vanessa's best friend was Nola's sister, Maureen. Vanessa and Bridgett shared custody of Peter (who is also Blake's nephew, through Hart - another nice nod to the past.) Vanessa married and had a child with Matt - Nola's baby brother, and Bridgett's uncle. Bridgett and Nola would absolutely attend Vanessa's wedding, but they would also absolutely make sure to take care of Matt's heart. Well played.

Extra credit: Nola's reference to "the same dress."

Otalia

The girls were bit players in today's show, but it was nice to see them out and about and together. It's as if a weight has been lifted, and they can actually partake in real life, once again, after a long hiatus. Anyone who can't figure out they're a couple needs to catch a ride on the nearest little, yellow bus, because I do not walk around with my arm around my platonic friend's waist. Nor do I freely touch my platonic friend's pregnant belly, or talk about how "we are so excited about the smell of new baby." Everything about Otalia was pretty damned cute, today.

This is my blog, and I'll post irrelevant pictures of pretty things, if I want to.

Rafe

Lillian and Buzz

They're so damned adorable together, and three cheers for people over 50 not only getting their groove on, but falling in love. So fucking sweet.

Lillian's scene by Maureen Bauer's grave was great, and Tina Sloan hit it out of the park. Fans will be interested to know that it was Tina who insisted the writers include some sort of dialogue between Lillian and Maureen. Lillian's life has been at a stand-still ever since her one fall from grace - her affair with Ed Bauer. Her actions lead to the death of Maureen Bauer, and she has never forgiven herself. As penance, she has denied herself joy. It's high time Lillian enter the world of the living again, but this would have been impossible without some sort of closure. Kudos to Tina Sloan for making sure the writers did not let this show wrap without Lillian's visit to Maureen's grave. Lillian's story is as much a redemption story as Alan's, but her redemption is more personal. Vanessa forgave her years ago. She's had to learn to forgive herself.

Vanessa and Billy

I won't lie - in my heart of heart's I always preferred Vanessa with Matt. They were just such an amazing, gorgeous couple. There's a sweetness to Vanessa and Billy as a couple, though. She was such a handful - a spoiled brat, really - when they first met. If she taught Billy about the rules of propriety, he taught her about the importance of treating people - all people - the right way. And what a great job he did. After all, who in Springfield has more grace than Vanessa? In a lot of ways, I have to admit, they're a great couple. Jordan Clarke has been through a lot over the years - he's overcome' his own demons, just as Billy Lewis has. I'm so glad it's the "real" Billy Lewis we got to see with Vanessa today, and glad Billy referred to the hard times in his vows. Who could forget what hell Billy put his family through with his drinking? But how wonderful to hear him speak openly about it, and to know (because it is, after all, a soap opera) that he really has turned his life around, once and for all. And when Billy Lewis gets teary, I get choked up.

One thing, though. While it was great to have Vanessa make reference to her father, Henry, and to the last letter he wrote to her before he died, it also felt a little funny. Long time fans know full well that Henry's last letter to Vanessa was full of praises for Matt, in whose hands Henry felt so good about entrusting his daughter's heart. I'm linking that scene, not so much because the reference bothered me a tiny bit, but because it's such a great scene for Maeve Kinkead, and a great tribute to the late, great William Roerick.

Odds and Sods

How much do I love Jeanne Cooper and Christian LeBlanc of Y&R for requesting cameo roles on GL as the show wound down? You can just catch glimpses of them behind Rafe at the wedding. Jeanne Cooper is a Grande Dame in the world of soap opera. She is not used to being hidden behind some young whipper snapper, and treated like a day player. That she and LeBlanc (also no slouch) wanted to honor this show, the actors and the crew by just being there for a day of shooting shows what a couple of class acts they are. They had to fly from L.A. to NYC and drive out to Peapack New Jersey for one day to do this, by the way.

I don't give a shit about baby Sarah, which might make me a cold-hearted bitch, but...whatever. I love Jonathan's devil-may-care attitude about everything, and I'm glad he isn't being portrayed as someone who'd accept Alan's redemption at face value. We must remember Alan is responsible for Tammy's death.

• Emma is awesome and cute.
• I don't care about Remy and Christina and even their ten second shot felt like ten seconds stolen from REAL stories
• How can Dylan show up to his father's wedding in a sports shirt and no jacket?
• Blake and Frank need to hook up, already, or just drop it
• Did it strike anyone else as funny that Buzz proposed as an Israeli flag flew in the breeze?
• If Mindy isn't in town to hook up with Rick, what's the point, really? They finally got REAL Mindy back and they waste her.
• I'm pretty sure Billy and Vanessa aren't Catholic. Josh is an ordained minister - why isn't he marrying them?