A Brighter Day on the Horizon...


What a difference a few weeks makes, eh?  McTavish's reign of terror has ended and already we can see changes to the AMC canvas.  With the wrap up (for the most part) to McTavish's stories, we have seen a shift in the balance of the stories being told.  Krystal and Babe are not so much being pushed to the side, but their airtime has been somewhat diminished.  We're seeing some old favorites rise again, and what a welcome sight they are!  Opal Cortlandt, we missed ye!!  Val?  Was that really YOU?  And Marion?  Palmer?  What a breath of fresh air!  Even Dr. Joe has been let out of the hospital for a scene or two - granted, it was a "Welcome to the Family" scene for Krystal and Babe, but still… Despite the fact that we didn't get a Ruth sighting, we did, at least, get a Ruth mention!  (Can an actual appearance be far behind?)   Josh is now, it seems, completely over his Babe obsession!  (FINALLY!)  And he's so much more likeable now - go figure!  It even looks like JR is paying attention to something other than Babe for a change.  I LOVE it!  (Now, if we could just do something about the Lavery situation…)  Baby steps, right?

Now, with the announcement of a new Head Writing team, comes the promise of real hope for the future.  (Yes, there is always hope!)  As long as this new team doesn't take us down the path that McTavish forged, (the re-written histories, the demonization of certain characters, the propping of others, etc.) I think we're going to be OOOO-KAY!

Case in point: JR Chandler.  Perhaps we can see less demonization and more complexity.  JR is a character rich in complex history.  There are so many reasons why JR has turned out to be damaged goods, not the least of which are his parents.  (And yes, that includes Tad.)  Notice that I said "damaged," not irreparable.  If JR can manage to turn his focus away from Babe, and all the pain, insecurity, and anger she represents for him, and toward really trying to make a go of it at Chandler Enterprises, we could see some very positive changes in him.  Ruthlessness in business is not the same as ruthlessness in ones personal life.  I want to see just how far (or how close) the acorn has fallen from the tree with regards to business sense. 

What would add even more spice to the power play between Adam and JR, would be the addition of a third party to the conflict.  I'm not referring to Zach, although I love the Zach/Adam dynamic.  What if there were another person futzing with and undermining JR's efforts to surpass Chandler Enterprises' former glory days?  Someone who has been working behind the scenes to thwart JR's every effort?  Not Adam, who is equally mystified at who this individual might be.  Not Zach, who is sharing Adam's mystification.  What if that person were someone who (like Adam tried to do with JR) has been brought up and molded into a ruthless corporate shark?  I refer, of course, to Peter (Petey) Cortlandt!  After all, he is only three years younger than JR, and if JR could be SORAS'd to the age where he could legitimately (*cough-cough*) run a global conglomerate, why can't Petey?  (For the record, JR was "born" in 1989, Petey in 1992)

Like the rest of you, I have heard the rumors for the last several years about them bringing back a recast and SORAS'd Petey, possibly as an eventual love interest for Colby, but we have yet to see him.  I maintain that it would be MUCH more entertaining to watch Petey and JR cross swords over business than to see them spar over the same girl, or to see Adam try to keep suitor Petey away from his precious Colby.  Hell, it might even serve to bring Adam and JR back together again.  One of my loyal readers (shout-outs to Alana!) suggested how nice it would be to see the old conflict between Adam and Palmer heat up again, as they go head-to-head on their sons behalf!  I (for one)  LOVE the idea!

My fifteen year-old daughter (Hey Chels!) shared with  me that she thinks JR would be moving backwards, growth-wise, if he were to battle someone (like Petey) over a woman, rather than over business.  I have to say that I agree completely.  Any battle over a woman should only come after a true business rivalry has been established. 

Bringing Petey in now also makes sense in regards to the newest Martin, Baby Jenny.  Any welcome to the family should include Petey, since he is her paternal Uncle.  It re-establishes his place in two of PV's core families.  That those two families, the Cortlandts and the Martins, are inextricably linked - through him - is important, especially as we move forward into the future.  And speaking of Martins… Imagine how Tad would deal with the rivalry between his stepson and his brother?  The possibilities are endless!

Turning to the Carey wimmin now… Is it just me, or is Krystal buying the Roadside bar not THE most perfect choice of business for her?  Personally, and no matter how much they tried to force it down our throats, Babe is just not the Corporate type.  I never bought her as a legitimate Corporate business woman - even for Fusion.  Krystal and Babe, running a bar together is believable, and it suits them both to a tee.  They are comfortable in that environment, and with loud, drunken bar patrons, and they know exactly how to handle themselves there.  They are in their element - and that's not a dig!  (I happen to have a saloon of my own, after all!)   A girl has gotta know how to handle herself out there.  Furthermore, it means they won't be dependent on a man to "take care of them."   Now, I realize that they probably haven't decided what to do with Babe (yet) when Alexa Havins leaves the show, but until then, I am liking this turn of events.

Know what else I'm liking?  The de-ballification of Jackson Montgomery has been reversed!  (Who knew they could actually DO that?!)  Jackson has regained some of the dignity he lost while serving as Erica's lap dog for so long.  He knows what he wants and he's going after it, and he's not following Erica's script!  GO Jackson!

The jury is still out on Nu-Greenlee.  I have heard comments from people that they don't like how they've changed her character, but I have to say… I don't think so.  I think they're writing Greens the way she was before Laveryitis got the better of her.  Greens was a bitch-on-wheels from the moment she first hit Pine Valley all those years ago, and this Greens is really no different.  When she told Ryass that she may not have come into this world loved, but she was going to go out worshipped?  THAT was pure, original Greens.  She wants what she wants, when she wants it, how she wants it and whoa unto anyone who stands in her way.  Whether or not Sabine Singh is pulling it off believably?  I'm still not sure.  I am hoping that she opens her eyes (SOON) and sees Ryass for the…um… ass that he really is and decides that he's not worth the aggravation or her time.

So, what say ye, my Soap Saloon patrons?  Are you happy with the subtle but certain changes to AMC so far?  I am, and I'm hoping for even more!  Let's belly up to the bar and drink a toast to the future of AMC!

CC