The so-called triangle between Kendall, Ryan and Zach forged ahead this week, much to my chagrin. Hot on the heels of Kendall admission of love to Ryan (you know, the one where she never actually said she was "in love" with him), she had a nightmare in which she was confronted with the choice she will eventually have to make. This dream spoke volumes to the real storyline unfolding here, and frankly, I think it's excellent news for Zach and Kendall fans.
It was clear to me that Kendall's attachment to Ryan is borne almost entirely out of their familial connection, not lingering romantic feelings. I'm sure a lot of Ryan/Kendall fans would take that as a positive. I know many people argue that Spike is the reason that these two will end up together - because he unites them forever and strengthens their bond. In my opinion, however, this dynamic reminds me more of Tad and Brooke, who truly love one another and are forever connected through Jamie - but few would argue that Tad was ever really "in love" with Brooke. His heart belonged to Dixie. Ryan takes Brooke's place in this scenario. His feelings are romantic and genuine (as out-of-left-field as they may seem to many of us) but they are unrequited. Tad wanted to love Brooke in the same way he loved Dixie, because it would have made his life easier, and I think that's how Kendall's feeling now. In her mind, her life would make a lot more sense if she were madly, passionately in love with the father of her child - but she isn't.
Take a look at that dream: we never saw Kendall kiss Ryan, and every time he spoke to her, it was in reference to Spike. Additionally, when the dream took a particularly ominous turn (with Zach landing in the electric chair) both versions of Kendall ran to help him. If that doesn't tell you where Kendall's heart truly lies, then nothing will.
What a Prince
Just in case I did get the urge to see Ryan and Kendall reunite (I think that's penciled in on my schedule right after pigs fly), AMC was kind enough to remind me how annoying he can be. When Jamie showed up at Kendall's condo looking for info on Zach and Dixie's case, Ryan not only spoke for her but was also a little too quick to remind her of the evidence he found in Zach's closet. He pulled a similar act at the courthouse, when Jamie burst in with a new witness (more on that later). Then Kendall thanked him for his level-headedness and support. And then my brain exploded.
Ryan also confronted Zach before the trial. When Slater shot back at Lavery accusing him of trying to move in on Kendall, Ryan argued that all he's tried to do is cover Zach's butt. He played along with the faux affair! Oh, Ryan had to pretend to be dating the woman he loves - what a sacrifice. He could have gone to the cops with that CD but he planted it on JR, taking the heat off Zach and Dixie! Nice try, but Ryan admitted that the reason he put the CD in JR's dresser was to get revenge for Junior's attack on Kendall - helping Zach was a side-effect. If it was all about saving Zach for Kendall's sake, why not just destroy the recording? For that matter, why did he even listen to it? But I digress...
I did like that Ryan told Zach about Dixie's little spy mission, however, because that led Zach to finally lash out at her (if only for a moment) and make it clear that despite their problems, he still loves his wife. And Zach's wife still loves him, as evidenced by her interaction with Myrtle this week. I practically cheered when Myrt showed up at Fusion and urged Kendall to believe in Zach's innocence and head to the trial. Good for your Myrtle! Keep telling them like it is!
The Prosecution Calls Thaddeus James Martin
Back in court, Tad reluctantly took the stand (after an awesome confrontation with Palmer, who threatened to kill Martin before he could testify), as all the Madden murder suspects looked on. Meanwhile Jamie and Di went to the airport and managed to do in a few hours what the PVPD couldn't accomplish in four months - crack the Madden case wide open. Jamie barged into court just as Tad's testimony was wrapping up and called his father out for lying, which he definitely was. A heretofore unfound eyewitness brought in a tape, proving that Tad was locked in another part of the airport the entire night Madden disappeared.
I just have to say that I loved Michael E. Knight's performances this week. Tad's anxiety was palpable, and his pain was written all over his face. I could really see the conflict in Tad as he tried to explain his actions to the people closest to him. His final scenes on Friday, when his anger towards Dixie finally boiled over, were amazing. "You are a murderer," he spat to his ex-wife. "You buried me." Frankly, most of what Tad said, though harsh, rang completely true to me. It amazes how much I hate Dixie right now. I was never a huge fan, but it never occurred to me that I would loathe her within months of her return.
As shown in Friday's preview, a verdict will come almost immediately. This may be the fastest soap opera trial in the history of daytime. Be ready for the whole truth to come out this week (it's been spoiled in the soap mags, but I won't mention it here to protect the spoiler-free). I'm very curious to see if people are as perplexed by the killer reveal as I was. Certain parts of it made sense, but others left me scratching my head. I guess that shouldn't surprise me. The sooner it's over, the better.
An unexpected highlight of the trial was seeing Erica and Jeff reach out to Josh, who looked at everyone with accusing eyes. His black-and-white daydreams about all of the would-be killers - including the resurgence of Kung-Fu Julia - weren't quite as good as the Michael Cambias murder flashbacks a few years back, but they were entertaining nonetheless. I also enjoyed Josh and Danielle's interaction before the trial. The writers finally remembered that these two hooked up before the role was recast, and it was nice to see Dani reach out to Josh in his time of need. Kendall and Josh's scenes were also fun. With Bianca's impending return, I hope we get some more Kane family bonding soon. I'm interested to see how a man fits into this new Kane legacy. I'm just praying that Binks won't play matchmaker for her newfound brother and the woman who stole Miranda.
Honey, I Cheated - Again
Speaking of Babe, she was suffering from a guilty conscience early this week after cheating on her husband.... again. Of course, JR spilled his guts and fell all over himself apologizing to Babe right after the deed was done with Madden, adding to Babe's guilt. I actually found those scenes kind of amusing. Maybe it was just my dislike for Babe shining through, but I found it unintentionally funny when she was avoiding JR's advances and telling him to stop with the praise.
I can only hope that this is the final death knell for this couple. I know there are quite a few JR/Babe fans out there, and I used to see some spark in them, but it's time to stop the bleeding. As a JR fan, I'm ticked that TPTB have turned him into the bad guy constantly punishing his long-suffering wife. I don't think it's a big stretch for JR to have trust issues with this woman, considering her past with Jamie, Paul Cramer, and now Josh, not to mention the whole baby switch fiasco. JR is very much his father's son - Adam has pulled stunt after stunt (with wife after wife) to test his spouse's loyalty, and you could argue that JR had a lot more reason to question Babe then Adam had with his former loves.
Am I justifying JR trying to kill his supposed beloved more than once? No. Adam always seems to stop short of that point-of-no-return, and that's why we still find it in our hearts to love him, despite his nastier tendencies. And I'll concede that all soap couples do bad things to one another on a regular basis - but there comes a point when the bad outweighs the good, when dysfunctional turns into toxic. In my opinion, Babe and JR have long since passed that point.
"Hello Kettle? This is Krystal - You're Black."
Perhaps the most laughable part of Babe's latest transgression was when her mother offered advice on how to handle the situation. You remember Krystal, the woman who had a one-night stand with her ex and is now pregnant, facing a who's-the-daddy dilemma? Speaking of which, Krystal finally told her hubby that she's expecting. I'm sure Adam will be thrilled, at least until the truth about Krystal and Tad's tryst comes to light. Colby didn't seem too impressed with the announcement, though. That's great. One more reason for her to be whiny.
Speaking of Colby, she finally emerged from the Chandler tunnels this week and got right back to business annoying the heck out of me. Unfortunately, mere annoyance morphed into anger when I had to watch Colby pretend she was dead and listen to her father grieve her, all because she didn't want to get busted for crashing Jack's yacht. WHAT?! Note to AMC - if you have a character who isn't clicking with fans, don't try to endear her to them by having her torture her family, who we actually do care about. Again, there was a small glimmer of hope for Colby - during her scenes with Sydney, when she regretfully described her first time with Sean - but she almost immediately reverted to form, whining and conniving to cover her own butt.
