Absolute shock. There is no other way to describe my reaction to what went down in that warehouse this week. From Katie hallucinating and giving birth alone, to the tragic shooting of Brad, at the hand of his own brother, I was stunned. I'm still astounded that ATWT would kill off a core member of the Snyder family, and I find myself asking why?
Killing a character is a big decision and one that I assume isn't made lightly, in this time of ratings woes. The fallout of a death should be weighed against what the character brings to the canvas each day. There have been plenty of soap deaths that have been plot driven and good story at the time, but in the long run, ended up being a huge overall loss to the show. (General Hospital's Alan Quartermaine comes to mind as the biggest mistake.) I fear Brad Snyder may fall into this category. Yes, in the short term, we're going to see plenty of gut-wrenching drama from Katie, Henry, Jack and Liberty, but I don't think it's going to be worth it in the end to not have fun-loving, quirky Brad on our screens.
I've enjoyed Brad since he stepped back into Oakdale. He's a pleasure whenever he's on, whether he's adding some much-needed humor to a scene or simply bickering with Jack or Henry. So, I have to ask, if someone needed to die to thin down this growing cast, why not kill a character with fewer family ties and who has had little to do lately? Plenty of choices spring to mind, from Dusty, Bonnie, Janet and Vienna, to Luke and Tom, if the show was looking for a core family member. I know there has been plenty of gossip about the firing of Austin Peck and why he was let go, and I'm not going to address that here. I can only hope that the shooting of Brad Snyder was done for some storyline reason to foster fallout for years to come and that it wasn't just a nonsense killing. Because frankly, Brad Snyder was too valuable on screen for his death to make any sense to me.
Meanwhile:
• I was flip flopping between wanting to smack Katie and comfort her this week. I think I speak for all of us when I say, "What is WRONG with you?" Katie was near the end of a high-risk pregnancy, and instead of treading cautiously, she decided to go toe-to-toe with a mobster, so deadly he had Henry whining like a baby. She didn't tell her husband, her cop brother-in-law, or her cop sister of her plan. She did what she's always done, and acted impulsively before thinking. Sadly, her actions led to a tragic end that will change her life forever. And I'm hoping that maybe it will change her character, too, and she'll think before she acts next time.
• Also on my list to be smacked is Henry Coleman. He should have ignored his crazy mother and her schemes and stood up to her like a man. Why he was willing to sacrifice so much for a woman he has openly acknowledged as horrible to him is one of this storyline's greatest mysteries and one of Henry's biggest character flaws to date. He thought losing Vienna was rough, I can't imagine how he's going to live with the fact that it was his mess that eventually killed his best friend's husband.
• Speaking of emotional fallout, Jack Snyder had better get ready for therapy. For years here we've joked about Jack's skills (or lack thereof) as a police officer. Shooting into a dark room when you can't see what or whom you're firing at I would guess is another no-no in a long list of officer protocols that Jack never seems to obey. So, how will he recover from shooting his own brother? It's too horrific to comprehend. This could launch an endless amount of stories for Jack, from prescription drug addiction to divorce.
• I look forward to watching the fallout for Henry and Katie's friendship, too. Katie finally found her happily-ever-after, and now by a series of events that Henry put in place, she's going to be raising her baby alone. Can these best friends get past this? I don't know. I will say that I was impressed at their declarations of love for one another this week, when it looked like Henry was going to get thrown off the roof. They really do have one of the best friendships in daytime. Will Henry step up and help raise baby Snyder or will he wallow in self pity and martinis? Either way, I'll be tuning in.
• It's too bad that it took Katie hallucinating to get Margo and Craig together in a scene with her. I've been clamoring for this family reunion for weeks. Margo and Craig were hilarious yelling at each other to "shut up," while Katie tried to deal with her labor pains. I hope her siblings will step up and help her through this tragedy. Hint, hint, writers!
• It's clear why Henry has such problems. His mother is homicidal, as was his sister.
• So let me get this straight. Craig is in love with Rosanna now? He's tossing away Carly for his former wife? I guess this makes sense, considering the two were once married. But sleeping together in Carly's bed was low. And I have to ask why the show would go down this path to put a damper in Craig's redemption when Rosanna won't be in town for the long run anyway?
• Kudos to Audrey's reference of Henry and Barbara as Oakdale's Ashton and Demi. It made me chuckle during a tension-filled sad week.
• Parker has been so supportive of Liberty during her pregnancy. Way to go, kid. Wanting to take his trust fund money though was a bit much, but it just goes to show that Parker has a big heart to match his big bank account.
• Janet worked my last nerve this week. Barking at Jack and going against her daughter's wishes just made her a pushy mean gal. This was not the Janet we first met. Can we have her back please? Maybe she'll have some compassion for Liberty now after her fall.
• Many of you are still wondering what happened to Bob. Sadly, I don't know either. I guess he's home recuperating. Maybe the show will tell us eventually if he's doing well or in the morgue.
Best Lines of the Week:
With so much drama this week, I didn't catch any funny lines other than the one previously mentioned. Sorry!
Reader Spotlight:
(From Two Scoops reader Judy.)
Hi Jennifer. I disagree with you about Maeve maybe becoming a stalker. I really like her and, I'll root for her any day over whiny Lily. I think (Maeve) and Holden could become a great couple. (Also,) Henry has become such a (coward) since his dastardly Mother has come to town. If he truly loved Vienna he would never have succumbed to his Mother's stupid wishes. I still don't understand why he felt he had to help her with a mobster. That debt she owed was not Henry's debt to pay. He should have grown a set and refused to help her. His greed got the better of him, and now he's losing Vienna because of it.
That's all for now Scoopers! See ya next time.
Jennifer Biller
