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 ALL MY HEADACHES.... 
 
Have you ever wanted to scream at your television set?  I mean, REALLY truly 
scream?  I feel your frustration.  I haven't given up on ALL MY KIDS ...yet, 
but, gosh, I've come close more than a few times.  What the heck is wrong with 
The Powers That Be at ABC Daytime?  Why, oh why do they never listen to the 
fans?  And I mean REAL fans!  The ones who have been around for twenty years, or 
more!  The ones who remember how spectacular Daytime Television could be.  The 
ones who lived through some of the most gut-wrenching storylines Daytime TV had 
to offer. 
 
*shakes head* 
 
It's sad, really.  Let's analyze a few things, shall we?  Kendall, Kendall, 
Kendall.. Nah, I'll save that for later!  With the return of Dixie Cooney 
Chandler-Martin-Something-Martin-Martin..Where was I going with this??? Oh yes, 
a whole wealth of opportunities opened up - for MANY characters.  Not 
the least of which is the deliciously evil and unapologetic Doctor David 
Hayward.  A man, I might add, in desperate need of a storyline worthy of his 
immense talent.  After the Babe/Mira-Bess/Bianca debacle, where they wrote him 
so far out of character, he was virtually unrecognizable, he sorely needs to be 
brought back into character.  What better way to showcase his talents than by 
letting HIM be the one to help Dixie find Baby Kate?  (Who has to be at LEAST 
three by now, so we ought not call her "baby" anymore!) 
 
Whatever this deep-dark secret torment that Dixie is hiding, she HAS to know 
that David is the ONLY person in Pine Valley who would not judge her - whatever 
it is she has done, or believes she has done.  So, she doesn't want to tap into 
two vastly wealthy assets to help her in her search (Palmer and Chandler Jr. or 
Sr.).  They would, of course, help, given that Kate is JR's sister and Palmer's 
grand-niece, but they would also offer recriminations along the way.  David 
would not.  He would simply dive in, head first, and do what needed to be done 
to help her find and retrieve her daughter.  And he'd have FUN doing it.  We 
would have fun WATCHING him. 
 
But what do they do?  They turn David Hayward into a love-sick, blackmailing 
puppy dog, begging for scraps!  Exactly what DID Vincent Irizarry DO to piss off 
the writers that they have chosen to degrade him even further?  Anyone? Anyone?  
Bueller?  Look at the position he's in:  He's Greg Maddens' cardiologist, for 
crying out loud!!  Aside from Josh, and possibly Hazel, who has clearer access 
to the man who obviously stole Kate?  Who has a vast array of potions designed 
to elicit truth, loose-lips and any number of other things, right at their 
disposal?  Just Dave.  So who is better equipped to play down and dirty with Dr. 
Madman than Dr. Dave?  No one.  
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE 
Zach.  I love his anti-heroness.  But this is a storyline that calls for David 
Hayward to be front and center, and I don't mean as a lap-dog.  Do I want Zach 
to save Kendall from Dr. Madman (and herself)?  You betcha!  Save Kendall, not 
Dixie.  Oh yes, and leave Ryan out of it.  Please.  Between David on one side 
and Zach on the other?  Dr. Madman doesn't stand a snowballs chance in hell 
of emerging victorious. Kendall saved, Dixie saved (?)  Kate returned to the 
loving, if hypocritical, arms of her family.  Speaking of which, isn't Karma a 
beyotch? Was it only last year that Tad helped Babe and Jamie abscond with young 
JamAce III?  Now he is about to learn that his own baby was stolen from her 
parents.  Ouch.  THAT'S gotta sting.  How will he handle it?  Will he blame 
Dixie?  Dr. Madman?  Actually, he'll probably blame Dr. Dave, the man from 
whence all evil floweth. 
 
*insert eye-roll here* 
 
Now we come to Kendall.  Like Vince Irizarry, what did Alicia Minshew do to 
deserve her storyline?  Why, why why do they never allow Kendall to grow? Or 
even to behave as the strong, confident woman she so clearly IS when she is in 
lioness-protecting-her-sister-or-Greenlee-mode?  She has demonstrated fits and 
starts of such strength and grace and, rather than build a storyline on that, 
they turn her back into a pathetic, wimpy, weepy, whiny, 
can't-do-anything-without-a-man-in-my-life shadow of a woman.  With everything 
that Kendall has endured over the years, she should be strong, not prickly.   I 
never agree with Ryan, but he said something recently that I had to reluctantly 
agree with.  (I say reluctantly only because it came from Ryan's mouth.)    When 
he asked Kendall if she ever just got tired (exhausted) from coming out swinging 
ALL THE TIME.  Well, I know *I* get tired from watching her do that. 
 
 I see where Kendall's frustration is coming from though.  She is scared. Out of 
her mind, scared.  She is afraid she doesn't love her spawn.  She feels as 
though she has NO maternal feelings toward the spawn at all.  The very fact that 
she is concerned about this is proof that she DOES, in fact, love and care in 
every way about the critter.  She's too scared and flipped out to realize it 
though.  With Ryan around who WOULDN'T be?  She has a right to be scared.  She 
also has a right to BREATHE without worrying about Ryan breathing down her neck 
every five seconds!  Why TIIC have painted someone like Ryan Lavery as the 
second coming, I will never understand.  He is not a hero.  He is not even a 
nice guy.  He is a liar, and a coward.  He's even more hypocritical than the 
whole Martin clan put together. 
 
Know what I would LOVE to see?  I would love for someone like.. Aidan to come 
along, see the pressure that Ryan puts on Kendall and step in to tell Ryan AND 
his siblings to bugger-off and leave Kendall alone.  That would also add some 
much needed spice to the relationship between Aidan and Erin.  When is Aidan 
going to teach Erin that it's okay for people NOT to forgive Jonathan and think 
he's peachy.  Yeah, sure, he had a brain tumor.  It doesn't change what he did 
to his surviving victims.  It's okay for Kendall to cringe at the sight of 
him and for her to want to keep as much distance between them as possible.  It's 
especially okay for her to NOT want Jonathan anywhere near her little spawn.  
She's entitled.  A little vinegar, in the form of Aidan protecting Kendall from 
her ass-hat brother, might give Erin some much-needed perspective.  Maybe Ryan, 
too. 
 
I could go on and on and on...but I'll just leave it at that for now.. 
 
 
By Cindy 
 
To write to Cindy about this 
column click here. 
  
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