I wish Blair would take Kelly and Jack's warnings about Eli more seriously. Admittedly, Jack's suspicions about Eli came out of nowhere, and we don't know why he is convinced that Eli is a killer. He's right, but that's beside the point. It's common for a child not to like his future stepparent, but Jack has taken this to a whole new level, telling Blair that marrying Eli will be her funeral. I wonder if Jack saw or found out something off-camera. Otherwise, he has suspiciously keen intuition!
As for Kelly warning Blair, I can see why Blair didn't want to hear it. She and Kelly don't have the best relationship, and she assumes that Kelly is jealous of her. However, Blair postponed marrying Eli, so Blair didn't completely dismiss Kelly's concerns.
I wish that Kelly had proof to back up her accusations, though. She heard someone say that the man who posed as Rex was tall with dark hair, or whatever he said. That's hardly enough to declare that Eli is guilty of everything. I couldn't believe that Kelly rebuffed John's stance that they needed evidence before moving forward. She was ready to throw Eli in prison for life without a single shred of proof. Let's hope she never joins the LPD!
Kelly has gone from one of the most useless character to one of the most annoying. All she's been doing is sticking her nose in other people's business and not listening to anyone's voice of reason. I get that the defiant and stubborn routine is supposed to be cute in some instances, but so far, it isn't in this case. Also, I really hope we aren't headed for a Kelly/John pairing in the future. Their scenes don't show any potential for such a pairing now, and their relationship doesn't need to go any further than what it already is.
Now that multiple people know who Eli is, it's only a matter of time before Blair learns the truth. I can hope, right? It's uncomfortable to hear her talk lovingly about him and take his side when people are telling her that he isn't who she thinks he is. She even unwittingly stood above his mug shot when she went to see Cristian. How many clues will she miss? Pretty soon, everyone in Llanview will know, and everyone will pity her as she remains oblivious.
I have to give Eli credit, though. He knows how to kill people in various ways, has perfect timing, and even managed to present Blair with the perfect engagement ring while making it all look effortless. He quickly manipulated Hannah into trying to kill herself, and she hardly fought him. It was also amazing that he was there to stop Cristian from bringing the file to the police station. I am beginning to think that Eli is super-human. The question is, why is he doing all of these things? As I said before, a villain is only entertaining when we know his motivation, and so far, Eli's is a mystery. We don't need another cartoonish villain in Llanview!
As for Todd and Téa, I liked their latest wedding. Téa, Starr, and Dani all looked beautiful, and everything came together nicely. Todd and Téa have become experts at throwing a good, last-minute wedding! The whole thing was sad, however, because everyone knew that Téa's days were numbered, but they made the best of the situation with a nice ceremony and celebration.
I also liked Téa's frank discussion with Dani about her past with Todd. I was surprised that she told Dani that she married Todd for money the first time, but she wanted to make sure Dani wouldn't make the same mistakes. It was a good mother/daughter moment, and they've come a long way since we first saw Dani in boarding school last year.
Tea's moment of memory loss was very sad, however. People in the room were speechless as Tea declared that Todd wasn't Todd, and I think her illness became very real for everyone I that moment. I was wondering if we see anything like this happen. It seems like a person with a terminal brain tumor would have memory issues. Everyone handled the situation amazingly well, though. As a side note, it was great to see old pictures of Todd and Tea from when Roger Howarth was Todd. It was a nice nod to history and an unexpected one at that!
Now that Tea knows she only has weeks to live, she's decided to leave her family and die alone in a hospice. I know she's not thinking clearly, but I don't know how she thought Todd and Dani would accept her decision. Todd wants to take care of everything for her, and Dani already feels cheated out of time with her mother. I can understand their frustration, but I can also see Tea's point of view. After everything Greg described, I don't blame her for not wanting to leave her daughter with that kind of memory. It will be interesting to see what happens with this, even if I am fully convinced that Tea won't die or stay dead if she does.
Meanwhile, Cristian and Layla have returned to Llanview to share the sad news about Evangeline's passing. Carlotta and Blair were both sad to hear the news. I know some people feel that Blair's sadness wasn't genuine, but I think she was sad about someone she knew dying, even if she didn't like Evangeline, and she was sad for those who loved Evangeline. It seemed genuine to me. Blair is good at comforting others, so I like that she was included in the news.
Meanwhile, Todd lashed out at Cristian out of grief for Evangeline and probably out of feeling helpless in Téa's situation as well. I expected Todd to have a reaction like that, especially since he found out that Evangeline was taken off of life support. He always refuses to believe that a situation is hopeless, and tends to lash out at people who think differently.
The most surprising reaction to Evangeline's death was John's. I wasn't surprised at the fact that he was sad but at he how expressed it. One of the most stoic characters in the show's history shed a tear! It was an unexpected, touching moment. The tribute with the bottle of wine was very meaningful as well. It was good to hear him tell Layla about how he and Evangeline bonded over wine. I remember those scenes well, and I am glad the history between John and Evangeline was acknowledged. Now the question is, will ANYONE tell Evangeline's friend Nora?
I am glad that Natalie decided to tell John about her pregnancy. She is still keeping a big secret that Brody could be the baby's father, but at least she told John part of the truth. I can see why she didn't want to tell John right away, especially since he recently dealt with Marty's miscarriage. I think he took the news quite well, though, continuing the trend of a less-stoic John.
I can see why Natalie thinks her pregnancy could create problems for many people, but she also has to think about what she wants. Natalie's fantasy made it clear that she wants kids with John, and she shouldn't give that up for other people. Natalie is understandably worried about Jessica, since Jessica has been through a lot and has needed a lot of attention in recent years. However, Natalie has to focus on herself sometimes too, and I am glad that Natalie has Gigi squarely on her side to help her see that.
I never thought I'd say this, but I found it difficult to watch Dorian, David, and Clint last week. These are three good characters with a ton of history on the show, but they are all being reduced to drunken fools so that Dorian and David can prove something silly to each other. It's ridiculous and beneath every single one of them. Is it that hard to come up with a decent story for three well-established characters? It simply can't be.
I wish Starr and Cole would break up already. They are on the verge of breaking almost every time they talk, and while they both do their best to convince each other that they can return to their self-proclaimed glory days, neither one seems convinced. It doesn't help that Cole can't stay away from Hannah and that James has already proclaimed his feelings for Starr. I wish Starr and Cole would acknowledge the truth and at least take a break from each other. It's awful to be around the couple that stays together just because being a couple is what they know.
It looks like we will be seeing Inez more often, as Bo hired her to be his assistant. I am still not fond of her or Nate. I know I probably have an aversion to new characters after we have been flooded with so many, but these two don't do anything for me. They are random characters who are on a lot while other well-known characters are rarely seen. However, Inez's hiring led to maybe a full minute of Bo and Nora on Friday, so maybe she will become more likeable!
That being said, I do NOT want Inez to become an obstacle for Bo and Nora. It seems like Bo and Inez have been given a lot scenes together lately, and I hope it's just because Bo is a nice guy who wants to help someone out. Bo and Nora just got married; it is way too early for any wandering eyes, jealousy, or complications. I hope that this story isn't going in that direction. I didn't wait over a decade for Bo and Nora to reunite for a random character to create problems between them!
Until next time,
Dawn
