Finally a story that hopefully has legs (and can hopefully run quicker than Reva's cancer story) - Bad Girl Dinah burns down the Beacon!
This story has some great possibilities - but will the writers live up to the hype?
First of all - half of Springfield is homeless. While I am not normally cheering for that, I am so sick of people with what seem to be good paying, stable jobs living in a hotel room. And the SAME hotel room - you know there is only one "Beacon hotel room" set. Can Blake and Jeffrey (although not together) and Dinah, Mallet, Marina, A-M, Jonathan, Tammy, Lizzie and Olivia all finally get places of their own? I know only half of the hotel was damaged - but a girl can dream. BUT if the new digs look like a Tiki Hut (like Cedars) forget it. I had better props in high school - and the kids built the sets.
It appears that the "old Dinah" is back. While I enjoyed Dinah happy and in love, you are always waiting for the other shoe to drop. This has always been one of my favorite characters because there is just so much you can do with this character. And now that the uber-talented, Emmy-winner Gina Tognoni is in the role - the sky's the limit! But GL is the ultimate couple wrecker, so it looks as though Mallet and Dinah are hitting the skids. That must be one really unhappy group of writers - can they even imagine writing about a relationship where the couple works out their problems?
Bad Dinah is so delicious to watch - and Gina brings all of the wonderful layers that make this character so interesting to the forefront. With Ross gone (don't get me started on what an asinine move that was to let Jerry verDorn go) and Vanessa flying in and out of town (from wherever she lives now) on occasion, Dinah has no one to ground her. Mallet tried to give her love and stability - with a healthy dose of sneaking behind her back and feeding into her paranoia at the same time. She's flitted around town and hit the sack with Edmund, Jonathan, Jeffrey and now Mallet all in search of happiness - even short term. And once she reaches her boiling point - like she did Wednesday - watch out! You see all of the vulnerability that makes you root for her no matter what. I'm not condoning arson, but it's so typically Dinah to strike out to hurt Mallet - and not realize the train wreck she's creating for Springfield. She and Blake are so alike in that respect that I guess they'll never be buddies - but it would be great to see.
SpringfieldBurns.com (yes, it's a real web-site you can look at) could be an interesting story as we head into Fall Sweeps - if they keep it up and keep the pace at a manageable level. If the mayoral election comes down to November (and who knows what will happen with that) the site could really be a great device to drive the story. Just don't hit the cruise control at 20MPH until then, please. My early prediction is that it's A-M behind it all, but that is just too easy. It's way too much to hope that it's Phillip - but I can always dream...
But the story that completely makes me want to scream is Reva/Josh/Cassie. And I've heard from so many people about this story that I can't even begin to keep up with the emails! Yes, Reva did walk away from the marriage. Josh does not know about the cancer. But as someone who has 22 years invested in a relationship, there is NO WAY I would let my husband walk out with no explanation for months on end. Reva's always been a little wild and crazy, so why is she now so quiet (at least to Josh)? Doesn't anything tip him off that something is up? The writers have never made Josh (or any of the male characters of late) very bright as far as relationships go (and even the actors concur) but no one is THIS dense. And how can Josh and/or Cassie think that their relationship can ever work? Even if Reva fell off the face of the earth (which you know she won't) the family would never go for this pairing. Yes, Jonathan and Tammy are half-cousins and there are tons of you who were against that pairing, but this is ridiculous! Yet here we are being force fed this couple nearly every day as the only "happy" one (nearly) in Springfield. Where is the romance in town? There is enough bad news out there that I tune in to see a little happiness and romance. Can't we have one happy couple without problems?
GL has totally dropped the ball on the A-M investigation while Mandy Bruno (Marina) is away doing a play this summer. Why did they bother to start it until later on? The investigation into Ross' death is completely off the radar. Rick and Mel are on the outs - at least the last we saw (Leah returned home older than her big brother - but where is she?). And Phillip isn't even worth a mention - even though we all know he's out there somewhere. Not to mention Holly, Lillian, and the entire Boudreau family are all living out lives somewhere - I guess somewhere other than the Beacon!
It's a long time until Fall Sweeps (November 2-29, 2006) - so I hope that the writers have more happiness and great plots to keep us watching until these story wrap up.
And while I know this doesn't apply to most of the fans out there, it has to be said. Please keep in mind that the actors do NOT write the stories and do not control what their character does or doesn't do. As these stories drag on I've seen some pretty nasty bashing of actors (rather than characters) out there on boards and fan web-sites. Just like each one of us has to do what we are paid to do, so do the actors on the show. No matter how much I want to bonk some of Springfield's residents upside their heads now and again I know that the writers are the ones who control what the characters do (and TPTB tell them which direction to go as well). It's tough to not lash out at the character, but make sure that is where you leave it. GL fans are normally very supportive no matter what happens on the show, but there are a few vocal folks out there who are taking their frustrations out on the wrong people. Let's keep supporting the actors who work hard to bring the characters we love (and love to hate) to life everyday.
Keep the Light Shining!
Kimberly
