Ryan family drama takes center stage

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August 2, 2010 columns
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I hope you had some popcorn and enjoyed the show this week, because the drama was a treat that kept on giving. The bickering Ryans/Munsons make for entertaining afternoons. Barbara is still missing, and the family is taking a page out of the Quartermaines' book. Instead of praying and singing Kumbaya in a show of spiritual unity, they're accusing one another, bickering, and searching Emily's drawers.

No one seems to trust anyone in the Ryan/Munson family. And as history shows us, I can't blame them. Not Emily, Paul, Will, Gwen, or Henry has a squeaky-clean slate when it comes to doing the right thing, so it's no wonder Will and Gwen think Emily is involved in Barbara's disappearance. (Don't judge me, but I've even had my doubts as to whether Paul's new wife played a role in sending her mother-in-law to the clown closet.) But, it seems that evil Iris is the culprit. I didn't see that one coming! I thought James was probably the puppet master of this one.

This storyline is pulling in Henry, Katie, Chris, and Margo, too. And in a rare treat, we even got a few scenes with James, albeit in Barbara's imagination, but I'll take whatever I can get from the talented Anthony Herrera. His notorious, "Hello, Barbara!" gets me every time. His visit was short, but sweet, as Barbara finally came to terms with her past. In a scene that would have made Scarlett O'Hara proud, Barbara verbally took down James and his hold on her, tapped into her pride and survival instincts, and declared, "I am Barbara Ryan!" I was waiting for her to tell us that tomorrow was another day, in true Scarlett fashion, but it didn't go quite that far.

I know some of you have complained that this kidnapping is dragging on a bit, but I disagree. I love umbrella storylines that involve more than just a couple characters. Henry is a mess, hyperventilating, and on the trail of Barbara, sniffing out her perfume all over Old Town, like a bloodhound. And then there was that scene where brothers Paul, Henry, and Will went to the lingerie store where Barbara shops. It was comedy gold, Scoopers, as the clerk thought that Paul and Henry were a couple, and then realized that they were related, but that Henry was sleeping with Barbara. Yes, it's as confusing and as funny as it sounds.

Thankfully, Henry is involved because he seems to be the only one smart enough to realize that the woman dabbing red lipstick, wearing perfume, and buying lingerie is in fact not Barbara. Henry knows Barbara's "swish" (her youthful walk), and he proudly proclaimed that the woman on the security tape, appearing to be Barbara, did not have Babs' "swish." He also told us that Barbara wears thongs, which frankly is a juicy tidbit that I, and apparently Paul and Will, could have lived without. Henry and Barbara needed this kidnapping to realize how much they love one another, so romance is in play, too. This storyline has comedy, love, suspense, drama, and at the heart, family -- all elements of a well-told story. With tales like this, it's harder every day to realize that the end is near. Sigh.

Meanwhile:
• Note to Holden: Here's one thing you don't do on the night before your wedding, hop a plane to France to chase after your ex-wife. On second thought, we shouldn't worry, Scoopers. He'll probably make it back for the wedding. In Oakdale time, France is probably just an hour away, with a direct flight, of course.

• No offense to Billy Warlock, who I always enjoy, but can someone explain to me why we needed to have his new character introduced in these final weeks to fight for Janet's affection? We already have Jack and Dusty sparring over Janet, and I really hate to see precious screen time wasted on a new guy in town, despite the fact that it's the charming Warlock. (On a side note, General Hospital needs you, AJ! Please take a ride to Port Charles. Michael is in a bad way and needs his daddy!)

• Plenty of familiar faces popped up this week. Abigail is home for the wedding. (Yay!) And Lucy is back again and, apparently, still longing for Dusty. (Not so much of a yay for me!) Sorry Lusty lovers, but Lucy always seems to be coming on to Dusty, and he only seems mildly interested. Yes, I know he scooped her up and took her to bed, but he had just seen Janet kissing her husband, er, Blackie, so of course Dusty wanted to feel loved, too. I know lots of you adore Lusty, but I don't see Lucy and Dusty riding off into the sunset together, despite Lucy coloring her hair to look like Jennifer. (Lucy was never a redhead!) I think this time around, Dusty's heart lies with Janet.

• It's the little moments on this show that always make me take note. This week had some gems, from Faith calling out Carly for her affair with Holden, to brothers Tom and Chris having a heart-to-heart about Chris' aspirations to be chief-of-staff at the hospital. "Earn the job. Don't inherit it," Tom chided. Brilliant!

• I'm not usually a fan of the inevitable teen storylines that accompany the summer months, but Parker and Faith have pulled me in. It's about time Parker stopped obsessing over ambivalent Liberty and noticed gorgeous Faith, who has been crushing on him for years. Parker even did the right thing, when Faith begged him to take her virginity. He counseled her with his own life history of acting out sexually when your parents are a mess. It was an excellent use of history, and for once, I think Faith got the message.

• Oh, how I've missed Will Munson. He sparkles in every scene, not an easy task when he's sharing a room with Paul and Henry.

• How hilarious were the scenes where Luke was trying to coach Reid on his people skills? Loved it! Reid channels Dr. House more than Dr. Quinn when it comes to people skills, so I'm still shocked that Bob put him in charge of the hospital to bully nurses, patients, and fellow doctors. I think Chris will eventually get the job, and Reid will go back to doing what he does best, surgery and arrogance.

• Jack Snyder must read Two Scoops. He called himself Dudley Do-Right, a nickname I've used here for him for several years. I love Dudley Jack even more when he breaks out the self-deprecating humor.

• Lucinda had better hide. Craig is onto her scheme. I feel sorry for Lily in this mess. With a mother like Lucinda, who needs enemies.

• Thank you, Scoopers, for all the wonderful e-mails you've sent during the past month, even when we disagree! My mailbox was overflowing again the past two weeks with your ideas on how the show should end. I wish I could publish all your letters, but there are far too many to include all of them in this column. Please know that I read every e-mail and try to reply to each one, as well as publish the ones that seem to echo the same thoughts. I can't believe I only have a few columns left to write for you guys. (Gulp.) Pass the tissues, please.

Best Lines of the Week:
( Chris questions his mother when he realizes that Bob named Reid the new hospital chief-of-staff.)
Chris: "Is Dad on drugs?"

(Henry tells Margo, Paul, and Will that they don't know their mother the way that Henry does, and that he wants to go to the lingerie store, where a missing Barbara's credit card was used.)
Henry: "Do you know what kind of thong Barbara wears?"
Paul: "Oh, God!"
Will: "Wow!"

(Margo tells Tom that Chris is not right for Katie because of all of his mistakes with women.)
Tom: "So he's made some mistakes, who hasn't?"
Margo: "Some mistakes? Come on, Tom. He's with Molly and then he's with her daughter. Then, he's with Emily, and then he's with her sister, and he's with her sister again and again and again."

(While Chris is treating Henry for an anxiety attack, Chris keeps telling Henry that he should forgive Katie for her role in Vienna's lies.)
Henry: "You really need to stop lecturing me, or I'm going to sue you for pain and suffering."


Reader Spotlight:

  • I have read your Two Scoops and while I agree that ATWT should go out with a wedding I do not think the show needs to keep bringing back all these former characters. This show already has too many boring characters that get too much face time instead of concentrating on the brilliant ones like Dr. Reid Oliver. I do not see how you can say that the Reid / Luke relationship has been moving quickly. In fact, things have been going painfully slow. These two have been flirting with each other since February, and since then we have only had three kisses. Any other couple would have slept together by now. The chemistry between these two has been off the charts since day one. I am glad the writers have taken their time with this couple but this is starting to get ridiculous. For my money they are the best couple in daytime if not on all of television. Instead of showcasing these two, we are tortured by only getting to see them once a week if we are lucky. And it has been over a month since these two have even kissed! Worse yet, the writers keep trying to force Noah in between these two. --- Nicolle Lyon

  • Jennifer, I agree with most of the pairings and your overall assessment of how things should be at the end. I would rather them not go the typical route and just reunite everyone who has been together over the years like Luke and Noah and Holden and Lily, etc. An ending like that would disappoint me greatly. I do feel that Casey should stay single and continue the law school thing. While I like him and Alison as a couple, pushing these two back together again so fast is not the right way to go. I still don't know if I buy a Henry and Barbara pairing at the end. Maybe when she returns and they make their relationship really public, it will grow on me. Vienna is about to be gone for good, thankfully, cause I really don't want him to get back with her. But definitely Holden and Molly at the end. As far as Lily and Craig go, I don't know. I'll have to see how things progress first. --- Dwayne

  • Carly's businesses always fail because she jumps into something she knows nothing about (i.e. interior design - has she not looked at her own house?) and expects to make a mint in a minute. A perfume business in the middle of a recession, using a factory in France where taxes alone would drown any business? Lily is a proven business idiot, but Craig should know better. The only thing good about all this is Lucinda playing the chess master. The only story line I can't get enough of is Henry. I, too, wanted him together with Katie, but I've changed my mind. Why not Barbara? It is like Katie said, it was hard to realize they really were in love. I know it is Iris that has Barbara locked away, though this has all been well done, with suspicion on all the other ladies, one of whom Barbara abducted herself. ---Lisa

  • I'm all for the happily ever after moments, with a few lingering thoughts for the finale. I do hope, however that certain couples end the show together. My main focus is of course on the Jack/Carly/Craig scenario. I have been a longtime fan of Carjack, but lately I've been so disappointed with Jack's carelessness where Carly is concerned that I'm almost hoping that Craig (who I adore) will swoop in and show Carly what she's been missing. I think the writers gave jack a real opportunity to shape up after Brad passed away, and he took it for a short time, but as soon as Carly gave in and opened her heart to him he reverted to his old judgmental ways. If this is how he will continue - too concerned with Janet and her pathetic needy ways -- then I don't want Carly wasted on him. Harsh but there it is! I was so happy to have Carly stand up to Jack last week and call him on his moods toward her. Brilliant honesty. As for other couples. I agree, Alison and Casey need to be alone and focused on work not love/hook ups. Reid and Luke, as well as Babs and Henry, would be great long term couples for the finale. I would love for Simon to head back to Oakdale and have his 2nd happily ever after with Katie! History beats all. --- Yaseena

  • I respectfully disagree with you regarding the Janet and Dusty pairing. As a die-hard Lusty fan, I really think that it's a shame that these two won't finish together, as they should be. Lucy and Dusty will always been each other's greatest love, and I'm not buying one minute that Dusty is in love with (Janet.) If TPTB were smart, they would put Lucy and Dusty together where they belong. I feel so frustrated right now, that Lucy will still be second best for Dusty. We know better. The Lusty fan base is huge, and even after six years of battles for our couple, we never had any payoff, and it's disgusting. Even Casey and Emily got their wedding! ---Lucie

    That's all for now Scoopers! See ya next time.


    Jennifer Biller

  • Jennifer Biller
    Two Scoops Photo

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    Two Scoops is an opinion column. The views expressed are not designed to be indicative of the opinions of Soap Central or its advertisers. The Two Scoops section allows our Scoop staff to discuss what might happen and what has happened, and to share their opinions on all of it. They stand by their opinions and do not expect others to share the same point of view.

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