Daily Updates

From: Teresa Elaine Leslie <tleslie@emory.edu>
Subject: GH:  UPDATE for Friday, May 15
Date: Fri, 22 May 1998 11:54:05 -0400

Let's Get Together
Directed by curtis, Written by korte

        Today's episode was all about couples and coupling.  It was hard
on this updater because, of the 4 featured couples (Stefan and Kat, Jason
and Robin, Jax and Brenda, Lucky and Liz), the only one I'm rooting for is
the young folks, who are the only ones, btw, not conflating sex and love
into one big package.  Only one couple actually HAD sex on Friday, but the
two other pairs were headed in that direction as well (J&B did it on
Monday, and S&K exited their last scene to go fool around at the
guesthouse).
        There was a lot of giggling, today, as well.  I have decided I
like Lizzy's giggles best.  We also had a taste of Ned and Alexis, another
of my fave couples, but they didn't move any closer to reconciliation.
*SIGH*
        And on that note, let's dive in:

The Ones Who Ate (Lucky and Liz at Ruby's Diner):
        Ned shows up at Ruby's, to the irritation of Liz, who is alone
inside, wearing an apron and hard at work. The diner is closed, she tells
him, for a private party, and he'll be in the way.  He answers that he's
made plans to meet someone there and settles in to wait.
        Keesha comes downstairs later in the show, while Liz is cooking in
the kitchen, and has a short scene with Ned in which she explains that
she's headed to Philadelphia to visit her father, who is ill. AJ shows up
to take her to the airport. [Bye, Senait!]
        Alexis, having finished her work elsewhere [see below], shows up
to meet Ned.  They're meeting to discuss Carly's legal options.
        Finally, Lucky arrives for his dinner date with Liz.  She tells
him it is turning out lousy.
        Their business talk done, Ned and Alexis prepare to make
themselves scarce, so L&L can  be alone.  As they head out into the rain,
to go their seperate ways, they comment on the youngsters:

        Ned:  I don't think I was ever that young.
        Alexis:  I once was.
        Ned, wistfully:  I would have liked to have known you before you
were so perfectly self-possessed.
        Alexis, equally wistfully:  You almost did.

        Lucky tries gamely to make his way through Liz's dinner.  They
banter and giggle entertainingly.  He confesses that it is indeed the
worst meal he's ever eaten, and then tries to feed it to her.  They giggle
some more, and its nice to see how relaxed Liz is in his presence.

The Ones who Danced (Stefan and Katherine at Wyndermere):
        Actually, the Wyndermere scenes began with Luke and Alexis, who
are in the living room of Stefan's house. Luke has used his amazing
ability to enter and leave Spoon Island at will to bring Alexis here
to plan Helena's "accident."  My favorite line was Luke's "I wouldn't bury
her alive; she might have the power to regenerate herself."  They settle
on a fall from the parapet, with Luke gruesomely nonchalant as he observes
it's a high enough fall to assure death and situated to provide for an
"audience"-- yuck.  This decision made, Alexis leaves for a meeting and
Luke stays behind to make arrangements.
        A giggling Katherine and Stefan enter the living rom, forcing Luke
to hide and watch their silly antics.  There is much smooching, since Kat
is wearing the "Lasha portrait" dress, which always puts Stefan in the
mood.  Then Stefan gives Kat a dance lesson in proper waltzing.  He places
one arm on her waist, tucks the other behind his back; she is positioned
with one arm on his shoulder and the other thrown straight out to the side
awkwardly, in a position to hold up a ball gown if she were wearing one.
but without the ballgown, she looks quite silly, and while we're supposed
to be noticing how she is having trouble following Stefan, I'm mesmerized
by the way her free hand keeps flopping around like a fish.  Give the poor
girl a scarf or something!
        Kat is wearing pearls, which always reminds me of my own
contribution to last halloween's net.party (pearls before swine, the
punchline goes).  Mercifully, they stop dancing and collapse on the couch
in giggles and start kissing.  Then we're reminded of what, or who, is
really on his mind.  "I've only attended one other Bacchanalia [notice he
doesn't volunteer who it honored-- Laura].  Watching the engagement ring
go on the bride's hand is something I'll never forget. [notice the passive
voice.  no one puts the ring on lasha's finger, it just "goes on."  Laura
is the only one present in that sentence.]  This engagement, this
tradition, marks a new beginning for both of us. [which engagement, which
us?]"  THey kiss some more, and he's particularly ardent, as always after
a Lasha thought.  She invites him to come to the guest house for sex, and
Luke is able to come out of hiding as they exit.
        Luke finds the portrait of Laura, and a lightbulb goes off when he
sees that Laura is dressed just like Kat was earlier.

The Ones who had Sex (Jason and Robin at the Penthouse):
        Robin makes herself at home at jason's place, making small talk
with Graciella and carrying her purse full of safe sex materials into
Jason's bedroom.  She wakes Jason (shades of an earlier visit to his
bedroom by Carly), perches on the side of his bed and announces that she
loves him and always will.  She apologizes for hurting him and tells him
she's ready to make love.
        Jason blinks his eyes a lot to indicate that he's startled.  It
won't be different.  He's in the organization.  She says she knows, and
accepts, his life.  He tells her, "I never hoped for this.  I never
thought it could happen."  Then they begin to kiss.
        RObin and Jason continue to kiss, and then sh pulls out her purse.
Jason is surprised again: "You want to have sex?"  Yes, she does if he
does.  They discuss safe sex, and she reminds him that while she'll make
intercourse as safe for him as possible, there is no guarantee that there
is no possibility of transmitting the virus to him.  It's a choice he must
make, and he does.  There's more kissing and then a commercial, during
which they have sex.
        Later, we visit Robin and Jason post-coital.  "Id rather be away
from you than hurt you," he tells her. "This life is going to be hard.
Guards around all the time.  You have to leave when I tell you to leave.
You can't ask questions.  Brenda thougth she could do it, but she drove
Sonny crazy. That's understandable because she was afraid all the
time." It's nice to hear Jason indicate some understanding of Brenda's
point of view.

        At the end of the hour, we're treated to an old-fashioned
cliffhanger.  We see Jason and Robin looking quite the little family in
the penthouse-- Robin is carrying Michael down the stairs, grinning.
There's a knock at the door, Jason answers, and is dumbfounded yet again.
It's Sonny, looking drop-dead gorgeous.  But we had to wait until Monday
to hear Sonny speak.

Ken and Barbie at the Malibu Dreamhouse:
        Brenda and Jax arrive in Malibu and reminisce, with much giggling.
Brenda makes the first of an intermittable series of references to the
magic of sunset on the beach, reminding Jax that they are going to witness
the sunset together, several hours hence.  Every B&J scene for the rest of
the show, we are treated to Brenda's references to meeting at sunset.
        Brenda and Jax change into the clothes they have bought one
another as gifts. (see, they think in Ken and Barbie terms, too)  He tries
to turn her on to protient drinks, and she reminds him that he alwyas
comes for her, ashe di when she was lost after the plane crash. "You never
abandon me," she tells him, all serious, which reminds the updater, but
apparently not Jax or Brenda, that even here in "their" place, she's
thinking in terms of Sonny.  She knows she can always count on Jax-- as
she thinks she could not count on Sonny.  Jax is NotSonny.
        There is a long musical interlude with a montage of shots showing
Barbie and Ken in a variety of romantic "poses"-- walking on the beach,
riding a bike for two, then riding a bike for one with Brenda perched
precariously on the handlebars [no, the music was not "raindrops keep
falling on my head"], hugging [brenda's watch is very visible, and I
wracked my brain trying to recall if it was a present from Sonny, as I
seem to remember].  Suddenly Jax is in a unitard bathing suit (not a
speedo), surfing.  THen he's back in his clothes, no towel in sight, yet
untouched by sand or dampness.  They are gorgeous people, I must say.
After the montage, Brenda makes another remark about sunset and goes off
to get ready for their beach rendevous.
        Sunset at malibu finally comes.  There's a sort of golden light to
the scene, there's a fire on the beach.  But while it was authentic to
indclude the beach noises-- the surf, the wind-- it was distracting and
sometimes threatened to drown out their voices.  They agree that they
belong together.  Brenda: "I knew even then that you were too important to
lose.  You told me then that I would grow to love you.  You were right.  I
do love you.  I want to spend my life with you."  He tells her how hurt he
was when she left him.  "You broke my heart.  That's not an accusation;
that's the truth. I've loved you since the first time I came to Malibu.
There's no way I can walk away from that.  I'll marry you, Brenda."  And
then, he utters those dread words-- "and I promise you, this time, no
matter what happens, NOBODY LEAVES."  Argh.  They close with another
postcard shot-- kissing on the beach behind the fire.

The End

Terry, One-Half of the Twin Updaters of Different Fridays