I never saw it coming. Who would have thought that Jennifer and Craig would get horizontal? That said, what delicious complications it sets up for Jennifer/Mike, Henry/Katie, Barbara, Craig and Sierra.
I admit, in the past I wasn't a fan of Jennifer Munson. Ever since she cheated on boyfriend Bryant, she's made poor decision after poor decision (i.e. Dusty and Jordan.) However, recently as portrayed by the incredible Jennifer Ferrin, I've enjoyed the character. Her slow build with Mike was sweet, and she played it cautious, earning my respect.
Now, Jen is back to her cheating ways. And frankly, her lascivious behavior and temper tantrum afterward didn't score any points with me. Adding insult to injury, she blamed Craig for the one-night-stand the next morning. Hello? She jumped him. I get that she was feeling neglected by Mike, and yes, Craig is a charmer. But, Jen definitely screwed up. That said, I enjoy watching characters who don't always make the right choices. I can't wait to see the fallout.
Meanwhile:
--I'm not sure which is more disturbing: Sierra making eyes at Dusty, her daughter's ex-boyfriend of just a few weeks, or Craig sleeping with his son's former lover. Can't Sierra and Craig just stay away from their kids' lovers and focus on one another?
--Did you catch Henry in the opening credits Thursday? Yep, the cutest con man in Oakdale got second billing, after Katie. Can I get an Amen?
--Is it wrong to miss the old Raphael? I can't believe I'm saying that. But the new Raphael just isn't physically believable in the part. He was a former successful boxer, yet he's shorter and smaller than Dusty. And he looks five years younger than Will, the teen he was giving orders to the other day.
--How about we just say skip the Celia/Rafi storyline entirely? From the e-mail I'm receiving, Celia seems to be in the running for the most annoying character ever. And I couldn't agree more. I hate it when new characters are brought to town with no ties to anyone. Why should we care about these kids? Their only connection, Lucy, is now gone. I hope Celia becomes a big music star, and we can just say "adios" to the Ortegas. I'm not looking forward to suffering through this plot this summer. Sierra loses points with me for actually getting these kids visas.
--Can someone please explain to me why Curtis isn't being used? If the show execs are looking for teens to center a story around, why not him? He's already proven his acting chops. Plus, he's actually tied to people we care about.
--Casey gets points for playing the "be-friendly-to-the-foreigners" card because as Americans "we need all the friends we can get." That was funny. Leave it to a teenager to use foreign policy as a mechanism to convince his parents to be nice to a potential love interest.
--Thumbs up to Aaron's haircut. It's fabulous and shows off those impressive cheekbones. The downside, Craig can't call him "hairball" anymore.
--Did anyone else think that James' last costume made him look like he should be driving the Polar Express?
--I enjoyed the Blue County concert, but where were the much-ballyhooed Street Jeans? The event was supposed to be the unveiling of this new fashion must, but I didn't see even one pair. Neither Jennifer or Scott Reeves had on ripped jeans.
--Mike needs to get a clue. You don't abandon your girlfriend at her important business function to comfort your ex-girlfriend, especially when your face is part of the ad campaign.
--How fantastic was Lucinda this week? We see her get meaty material so little these days, that I almost forgot how amazing Elizabeth Hubbard is.
--OK, I'm not cop, but wouldn't the first person you look at for murder be the one person who has tried to kill the victim before? Why haven't Jack and the Oakdale police questioned Les, or even checked to see if he is still in jail? He has motive, JJ, and he could have hired someone to do his dirty work. I think Jack and the cop shop need a refresher course in Murder 101.
--Henry's outrage that Katie told Margo about their sexless marriage was right on this week. Henry is new to the married game, and I'm sure horrified that his sister-in-law knows the details of his sex life.
--This is why I love Holden. He was ready to support Lily, even if she'd murdered Julia. But once again, Lily didn't trust him, and lied about her involvement. The fact that Luke is mixed up in this mess makes the story even more intricate. Fabulous.
--JJ took his mother's death pretty well. I was expecting hysterical sobbing or deep depression, like Parker. Oh, here's a thought. Maybe the cops should consult Parker, I-see-dead-people-Munson, to help get a bead on who actually offed Julia.
--I agree with my co-columnist Reggie on Maura West's Emmy nomination oversight. Did the voters not screen the scenes at the bridge when she found out Jack was dead? I didn't see a better female performance than that this year, anywhere. Sure, Martha Byrne is always consistent, but it was really West's year.
Best Lines of the Week:
(Mike is looking for Jennifer, and Craig tells him she had a run in with her morally challenged mother.)
Mike: "I should probably try to track down Barbara."
Craig: "Well, her scent shouldn't be too hard to pick up."
(Barbara tries to convince Jennifer to work with her.)
Barbara: "You need me."
Jennifer: "The day the Devil needs earmuffs."
(Jennifer freaks after she wakes up in bed with Craig.)
Jennifer: "I don't love you!"
Craig: "I don't love you either, but I like you deeply."
Reader Spotlight:
(From Two Scoops Reader Annie.):
"Don't you think that the whole Lily/Carly trying to cover up Julia's death storyline is just completely out of character and over the top? Carly is married to a cop and Lily (daughter of the one and only Lucinda) would never even dream up such a scheme. I agree with you about liking Sarah Brown, but completely disliking Julia, but come on, why couldn't the writer's at "ATWT" just let Julia's past come to light and let Holden see what a selfish person she is? I really would have liked to see Carly and Lily waving "bye" to Julia as she was getting hand-cuffed by police and sent back to El Paso."
That's all for now. See ya next time Scooopers!
Jennifer Biller
