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Sonny and Kate – September 26, 2008

The first episode of Sonny and Kate’s wedding.

The rehearsal scenes portrayed the love between Sonny and Kate, but the wedding was overshadowed by the conflict between Kate and Olivia.

It was written around relationships.

There were scenes between Kate and Mike. Mike said that Kate had helped him and Sonny reconnect. Kate’s relationship with Mike was emphasized during the last few months. It perhaps filled a void in Kate’s life where she missed family and yearned for deep connections. A few months ago, it was written that Mike had seen Sonny and Connie together back in Bensonhurst those many years ago. That it appeared that the girl made him smile and laugh. That the girl made him happy.

Sonny had scenes with Mike before the wedding too.

This relationship would be defining a few months later when the story reached one of its climaxes. Mike’s name was mentioned in the Thanksgiving dialogue between Sonny and Kate a few episodes before the wedding.

There were scenes with Sonny and Jason. Jason telling Sonny that Kate had asked him to attend the wedding. Sonny reminding Jason that he had told him that Sonny couldn’t have a nice life and Jason saying “I hope you can prove me wrong.” Sonny and Jason were not completely adversarial, but they didn’t seem to be a team either during that time as Sonny was making an attempt to stay out of the mob.

This relationship would also be defining in the months to come.

There were scenes with Sonny and Robin. Robin said she wouldn’t be attending the wedding. There was the mention of Stone with Robin saying: “You know I think all Stone wanted for both of us was to live a life of love and purpose. He wouldn’t be disappointed. I think we both finally found what makes us happy.”

Robin’s story would become intertwined with the story of Sonny and Kate and the legacy of Stone would also be defining in the coming month.

And finally, the scenes between Kate and Olivia.
Olivia had become Kate’s maid of honour. She arrived at the church.

The conversation, at the beginning, was warm and loving. But conflict emerged and brought out another side of this relationship.

Olivia had brought with herself Nona’s necklace. The necklace that Kate was thinking of and speaking of in a prior conversation with Sonny. Part of Kate wanted the necklace but a part of her didn’t want to wear it. She said that the necklace “clashed” with her wedding dress. Perhaps the necklace was a reminder for Kate that her past and family background did not belong in the life that she was living or didn’t fit the image she had created for herself.

The cousins had a back and forth conversation each attacking, perhaps, the identity of the other.

Olivia suggesting that Kate was shallow and Kate insisting that Olivia simply didn’t understand the reality of Kate’s life.

Olivia, however, wouldn’t take no for an answer. She kept insisting and Kate finally, and for a few brief moments, opened up:

Kate: “Nona was so awful to me, Olivia. When I left home. I want you to tell me. Why should I honour her traditions? Why should I try to please her after all of these years?”

Olivia: “To prove that you are something more than a superficial poser, Connie. Just for once, stand up and take some pride in who you really are.”

Kate: “I am Katherine Hardwicke Howard, and the necklace doesn’t go with my dress.”

Olivia: “I’ll wear it myself, you coward.”

There were many layers in this conversation. The writing added the middle name “Hardwicke” to Kate’s name. Hardwicke having an ambiguous meaning. It could have referred to livestock (sheep) or it could have referred to a secret marriage.

There was something about Kate’s life. A question mark. A reason for which many were seeking her downfall. Specifically on her way to realizing her happiness with Sonny.

In the few months before, the writing sometimes suggested that Kate’s reasons for wanting to marry Sonny may have been superficial or that she was a pretentious woman. The conversation with Olivia highlighted this. That Kate may have been so obsessed with what her career represented or that marrying Sonny was just something else that Kate wanted to accomplish.

What Kate wanted was a life with Sonny and to be able to have her career at Crimson at the same time. But if she had to choose between the two in the next few months, what would be her choice?

There is this argument that Kate should have sacrificed her career to be in a relationship with Sonny. But this brings up the question: why? What was the circumstance at that time that imposed this outcome on the story?

Instead of making a sacrifice, would it be a better choice to stand up against those who wanted to impose their will on her story?

This may have been the dilemma behind the philosophy of the writing.

In the fight between Kate and Olivia, Olivia may have been trying to convince Kate to be true to who she was. Or to prove that she “cared deeply”.
Kate, on the other hand, insisted that she had a point of view in this situation. That Olivia didn’t understand the reality of her life.

The fight can be observed in another way, however. When things would become tough in the next few months, would Olivia stand up for Kate?

Everything contains its own contradiction.

Again, there was this quote from the writing team: “Kate and Olivia are like sisters. Even closer. That is a very important story point.”

The two characters may have represented the conflicts of the same woman.

All these story points would come together in November and December of that year when the direction of the story, and that of history, would be decided.

The last scenes of the episode on September 26, 2008, portrayed the beginning of Sonny and Kate’s wedding.

Mike was standing next to Sonny at the altar. Did Olivia recognize Mike? Was there something between Kate, Sonny, and Mike that Olivia knew and was hiding?

Olivia walked down the isle.

Then Kate.

Sonny and Kate were at the altar.

The episode ended with the firing of a shot.

Disappointing sentiments were expressed that day indicating frustrations with the story. What went wrong?

In the realm of politics, September 26, 2008, was Jerusalem Day in Iran. The last Friday of Ramadan. The question of Jerusalem is a difficult issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

I don’t think the overlap was a coincidence. What was the significance of the wedding taking place on Jerusalem Day (at least partially)?

“For years, my interpretation was that Crimson, Kate’s career, represented and symbolized East Jerusalem with the possibility that Carly, Claudia, or Olivia would rob Kate from that dream.”

On this same day, there was a security council meeting at the UN in which Condoleezza Rice made some remarks on the status of the peace process. Some of her remarks:

“I want to note also that the Quartet will meet later today to discuss the Annapolis process, to
discuss how to bring support to the parties as they seek a comprehensive peace.”

The situation was, of course, more than the on-screen story and political developments.

There was another element. The presence of a fan whose words, choices, and interpretations affected the direction of the story and events taking place on the ground, without herself being consciously aware of it.

The story was about a conflict between Kate and Olivia. Kate wanted to have her happiness with Sonny including her career at Crimson. Olivia wanted to protect Kate from complications of Sonny’s life, but she also had the secret of Dante. But then Olivia may have also been jealous of Kate. Would Olivia betray Kate in a future situation? All of these tendencies were generated, at the same time, in the mind of one person. The person whose choices mattered.