I was relieved when I saw Blair bluntly reject Eli's lame story about Ross being Bennett Thompson and Craig Pattison. While she was listening to Eli's latest set of lies, she appeared to be backing down, so seeing her point a gun at him was great.
Confronting Eli in the way Blair did wasn't the smartest move. She was in a secluded area, and I knew he would struggle with her for the gun. However, her actions can be chalked up to being freaked out and not thinking clearly. I can understand that. After weeks of rebuffing everyone's warnings about Eli, she married him anyway. Fortunately, she survived, while Eli was shot and caught in a fire.
Now we are left to wonder if Eli is actually dead. I am sure Blair didn't say that the body she saw could have been anyone's for no reason. While soap opera deaths are rarely permanent, I hope Eli's death is. This story was sloppily written and thrown together. Eli's motive wasn't clear, and he made a lot of mistakes for the major con artist that we were told he was. I don't see a good reason for Eli to return. He started out as a decent character, but he overstayed his welcome as the villain without a cause.
In spite of the unstable story, Kassie DePaiva was amazing last week, as she displayed shock, anger, sadness, and resignation because of Eli's confession. I also liked that John was the one to ultimately rescue her in Tahiti, not because John loves to rescue women, but because they share a history¸ and that was evident as he helped her cope with everything that happened. John and Blair might have never stood a chance as a viable, long-term couple, but they care about each other and make good friends!
Meanwhile, Todd and Dani discovered that Téa died before they arrived at the hospice. I don't believe that Téa is dead for one second, especially since we didn't see her die. While Todd's defiance often annoys me, I am glad he questioned Greg's explanation about Téa's death and cremation. Something just didn't feel right about Greg's story. Todd knows it, Shaun knows, and so do I.
Téa will be back. It's clear that she's either being kept somewhere else, or if she did actually die (which I highly doubt), she will magically rise from the "dead" as many other soap characters do. That's why it's so difficult to sell a terminal illness story on a soap opera. After one, two, or more characters come back from the dead, it's hard to get too upset about most soap opera deaths!
It will, however, be interesting to see how Todd and Dani cope and relate without Téa there to moderate. Todd wasn't around for a lot of the time Dani knew Téa, so he can't reminisce with her beyond the last year. Dani has only recently accepted Todd has her father, so she might not accept him has her sole parent. Todd and Dani are also alike in many ways, as they proved with their outbursts about hating/loving Téa. Todd won't have Téa to coach him on how to connect with Dani, so I'm sure it will be a difficult time for both of them.
If we learned anything last week, it's that Greg isn't good at keeping secrets. He is keeping his connection to Eli a secret, but he couldn't have looked more uncomfortable and fidgety in the process. It's obvious his conscience is getting to him, and he seems ready to blurt out what he knows. I hope he tells the truth after he learns that Eli is gone. I still think that Eli was blackmailing Greg about something, so the only thing that would prevent Greg from telling the truth would be his desire to protect himself. I hope he does the right thing!
I really liked Destiny last week, especially after she insisted on bringing food to Dani and Todd. She was a good friend and even gave Todd a hug, despite thinking he is a "freak show." Destiny has a talent for knowing what people need, especially when it comes to emotions. I am glad that she and Nate came through for Dani in the way that they did.
I wish Destiny's attitude would be a good influence on Matthew. His new attitude is horrible, and it's hard to watch him interact with just about anyone these days. I know he's upset about being dumped by Dani, but he was out of line and very rude to Bo last week after he learned that Bo hired Inez. I am glad Bo and Nora told Matthew he'd have to deal with Inez working for Bo. Matthew shouldn't control the LPD's hiring practices, and he shouldn't think that he can! Of course, now that Clint will be Matthew's mentor, I'm sure he'll think he can do anything because he's a Buchanan.
I actually like that Clint is acting more like Asa these days. Tossing David in prison for 20 years was extreme, but Asa never did anything that didn't have a big impact. Now, it looks like Clint has big plans for Matthew, perhaps as a way to make Bo and Nora pay for what they did to him. This could be an interesting story, as Bo and Clint will undoubtedly butt heads over Matthew's internship at Buchanan Enterprises, and Matthew will have to pick sides. While the actual business of Buchanan Enterprises doesn't interest me, I do like seeing the Buchanans work together in the family business.
Natalie and Jessica's pregnancies haven't made for an interesting story so far. I am tired of hearing Natalie tell Brody that her baby WILL BE JOHN'S, no matter what. I am glad Brody made it clear that he will only drop the issue of her baby's paternity for now. There's no reason that he should accept Natalie's "solution" to her baby's paternity question. Natalie is becoming more and more unlikable in this story.
At the same time, Jessica is getting sloppy with keeping her secret, as she decided to discuss the Rh issue with Dr. Wright in the hall, where anyone could hear her. It was only her dumb luck that Viki overheard her instead of Brody. It doesn't help that Brody is already getting suspicious of Jessica's behavior, especially after finding out she would still be getting the shot that he thought she didn't need. Jessica is either going to have to get much better at covering her tracks or tell Brody the truth.
In my mind, Jessica's pregnancy has more of a dark cloud over it than Natalie's. Jessica has health issues, the Rh factor has been discussed a lot, her baby's father could be Ford, and Jessica has alters that can come out any time. All of those factors don't make me believe that she'll have a happy ending in this story. I don't want to see Jessica lose another baby or have a baby with Ford, so I am hoping that her baby is Brody's without any of the assorted paternity drama and issues. That's a lot to ask, and everything we've seen up to this point says something bad will happen, but I would be grateful if Jessica were spared another tragedy.
Moving along, I don't want to see Rex and Kelly become a couple. While they make decent friends, I don't see them as anything more than that. At times, they even seem more like brother and sister, so the thought of them getting romantically involved doesn't work for me. Part of me is still rooting for Rex and Gigi to make their reunion work, so that might be a reason why I don't like the idea of Kelly and Rex. However, I really don't like them because I just don't see a romantic spark.
I also don't like the idea of Ford and Langston becoming a couple. I don't buy Ford's assertion that he cares about her. I am glad that Langston has rebuffed him repeatedly, but since she'll be taking his class, it seems unlikely that she will keep pushing him away. If she is dumb enough to get involved with him, she can't be surprised when he cheats. As he said, he doesn't know how to be in a relationship, and her past experience with him should be enough to keep her away. I'm sure it won't be enough, though. No matter what happens, I don't find this plot to be compelling. By the way, how did Ford go from being a teacher's assistant to full professor? Llanview University must have some interesting hiring/promotion practices!
Starr and Cole are still on the verge of a breakup, and they seem to inch closer to that reality every time they share a scene. Meanwhile, Cole knows that Hannah risked her life for him, and James is there for Starr at every turn. The question is, will Starr and Cole ever actually break up, or will they continue in the awkward, tense way that they have been? Only time (and possibly Brandon Buddy's exit) will tell.
Finally, it looks like Marty's presence in Llanview has been reduced to a random scene every now and then to fill time. I liked her interaction with Hannah and her offer to help her, but the scene was brief, and very little came from it in terms of a story. With Cole possibly leaving Llanview (if there's no recast), is Marty on her way out too? She wouldn't have much to do in Llanview without Cole. Marty isn't my favorite character, but I'd think there would be more story potential for her than for characters like Inez or Nate!
Until next time,
Dawn
