Neither would I, but I have inadvertently joined a Sunset Beach forum, and they keep me informed of such things.

And it was inadvertent. I didn't mean to do it...

Glad that you don't need schooling on the dreadfulness of certain newspapers, Becks!

Trust me Micks, if I went to the newsagents daily, I wouldn't be buying the Mail. It's just that my parents do...What paper - if you do - d'you prefer, Mickey?

I don't. They're all as bad as each other. If I had to buy a paper, I guess I'd go with the Guardian, but it can be horribly snooty. Murdoch is evil though, so anything owned by him is out. Anything tabloid (and that now includes the Times (which is Murdoch-owned, so no surprise there)) is crap. Rabble-rousing, sensationalist, usually right wing, crap. Gossipy, finger-pointing, not caring what the truth is, crap.

I could go on until I'm foaming at the mouth, but I won't.

Nice! Kinda glad you stopped there, Micks!

No, we spend a lot of time in school analysing papers, which is never really fun. We spent weeks doing them last year, and it was the same ol' same ol', "this, here, is a broadsheet and this, here, is a tabloid..." Kinda became annoying after a while. I would have preferred if we could have analysed them properly - much like you just did - because I find that much more beneficial! Sorry, I'm rambling now.

Monday 3/1

Ah, the great saga of Rae and Casey. Oh how we love this plotline. Wei Li arrives, in full sneer, and announces that he's set up a meeting between Martial Law and her parents, so that she can mend a few bridges. Bungalow decides that he'd better not go, so that they can talk things out amongst themselves, but Wei Li, wanting to stir, persuades him to go anyway. Everything blows up, and Martial Law's insufferable parents announce that Bungalow, the nicest man ever is a bad influence, and that their daughter did everything she was told before she met him. Now that she thinks for herself, they want nothing more to do with her. Bungalow tries to stop them, but they storm out anyway, and Martial Law cries on a very smug Wei Li's shoulder. That's Wei Li that's smug, not his shoulder. I think.

Elaine is having a pre-trial hearing, and Greggie storms in to run the show. Why he's being allowed to represent her is anybody's guess, as he and his wife were former suspects in the murder, and his wife is the defendant's best friend. But this is Soap Land, so c'est la vie. He gets Thickardo to wax lyrical about Elaine, but then the prosecuting attorney makes him say some nasty things too, and Paula announces that she's moving out. I thought she already had, but apparently not.

And so to the Murky World Of TGO. Ben wanders around his house, hearing his dead wife talking to him again. He goes to the Locked Door upstairs in his house, and hears her calling him from the other side. He's about to open the door when Annie pops up, in the process of moving out. They bond, before Ben heads off to the office. Mark and Smeg are clearing up after the robbery, and Mark does his usual Ben Is Dangerous speech. This time he warns Smeg of the upcoming anniversary of Maria's death, and warns her to stay away from Ben during that time, as he's liable to hurl furniture through windows, apparently. Ben wants Smeg to do some computer work, but he broke the computer during his scuffle with Dimples, so Smeg has to go to his house to use the one there. Alone (or thinking she is) she hovers about outside the Locked Door, until Annie pops up again. (She's clearly in Lurk Mode today). Annie explains that the room beyond the door is Maria's old art studio, and consumed with questions, Smeg creeps back later to gaze at the door again. It's locked, you daft woman! Ben comes home, though, and stares at her from the end of the corridor as she reaches out for the door. Woo. Tinkly Mystery Music.

quote:

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Woo. Tinkly Mystery Music.

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Thankyou, Mickey! I appreciate it, I do! Should, in theory, be able to catch the episode tomorrow... Thankies!

King of hand gestures there...Ben, I mean. He couldn't even dance without moving them! And jeeze, this Meg business has got to be one of the most painful things ever; just get it over and done already! Shout 'I love you!' rather than all of this...'I might have to re-write the policy on staffing relationships...' thing. Jeeze! I love you Ben, I do, but jeeze!

Aaaah...

*calms down*

He doesn't find these things easy to say! Sheesh! Give the poor guy a break. He's damaged goods, and she should know by now what she's getting herself into. Goodness knows enough people have warned her... Poor Ben. Tomorrow's ep he'll be back doing the nightmare thing, you wait and see - and it'll all be because you were mean to him!

Oh. I am sorry. Ben, Mickey, please forgive me? I think I got carried away in the moment there...I'm sorry.

Don't ask me for forgiveness. I won't be the one tossing and turning all night having bad dreams of dead wives just because you were mean!

Sorry Ben!

Wednesday 5/1

Somebody save me from Rae and Wei Li... Rae is upset, Wei Li is smug, Rae fails to notice. They hug, Bungalow droops. Eventually Wei Li goes off to meet with Greggie, offering him a buy in with some Hong Kong media firms. Is this Sunset Beach or Tomorrow Never Dies?! Apparently Wei Li plans to stick around in Sunset Beach for the time being. Oh good.

Paula announces dramatically that she's moving out. Yes dear, so you keep saying. She wants Gobby to come with her, but seeing Thickardo looming nearby, Gobby launches into a big "I'm so trustworthy and nice, really I am" speech, by extolling Thickardo's virtues, as though trying to persuade Paula to stay. Paula won't. Thickardo's crime of being an honest cop is far greater than Elaine's murdering-and-letting-somebody-else-take-the-blame doings.

And speaking of Elaine. Lurking in the police station, Dimples is seen by Bette, who gets highly excited, assumes that he's there to see Elaine, and launches into a wild and delighted spiel about how great it is that he's there to be supportive for his mother. Dimples tries to stammer and protest, but Bette sails on regardless, and eventually Dimples begins to put two and two together. All glowery and confused, he goes down to the (clearly unguarded) prison, and confronts Elaine. She gazes at him adoringly, and he demands answers. She gazes some more. And some more. Obviously she feels that this conversation would be better continued tomorrow.

Thankyou....Nothing like a Mickey update to make my day, eh? Thankyou! Hopefully Ben tomorrow, yeah?

Yeah. Ben and his multitude of entertaining psychological problems.

Thursday 6/1

Sigh.

Paula is leaving. No she isn't. Hang on, yes she is. No! She's staying! She and Thickardo snuggle in bed, and Gobby watches through the window, all glowery. Eventually she walks in on them, apologises really unconvincingly, and then scowls to herself when they say it's okay, as they have the rest of their lives to snuggle.

Greggie plots to send Bubblewrap to work in Hong Kong, on his new Chinese media project. He hopes this will get him out of his hair. Keep out of Greggie's hair, Bubblewrap. That oil could have unpleasant side effects. She looks like she might take up the offer, as she keeps finding Michael and Vixen Virginia having huggles.

And Dimples and Elaine have a long, long chat, and she tells him all the truth, and he gets all glowery, then all forgivey, then all glowery again. He realises that his grandmother has been lying to him all these years, and that she might have been the mystery woman who contacted Elaine just before Del's death, putting this whole big plot chunk in motion. In order to bring the Deschanel Jewels to light again, one assumes. Anyway, he gets all cross and glowery about his grandmother, and Elaine goes back to staring whimsically into the middle distance, and looking like a saint. That woman is really starting to bug me.

Thankyou, Mickey. I can see you were slightly frustrated there, eh? Sorry! Thanks, though.

No Ben.

Classic Beach today. I think the reason we haven't had much Ben this week is because they were saving it all up for today...

Friday 7/1

Rae and Wei Li, Rae and Wei Li, does anyone care about Rae and Wei Li?! Casey finds that Wei Li has long terms plans in Sunset Beach, but when he tells Martial Law about it, she decides he's horrid, and that she prefers Wei Li instead. Yeah, I can see how the smarmy smug git would be preferable to California's Nicest Man.

Bubblewrap worries about Michael and Virginia. She tells Michael about the Hong Kong job offer, and he's really encouraging. This makes Bubblewrap unhappy, as she would rather he'd objected to her being away for a fortnight. Apparently him being encouraging about her career means he's planning a fortnight of illicit sex with Virginia. Whatever...

But who cares about all of that? Because it's round at Ben's place that the day's interesting plot is exploding in a whirlwind of manic glory. Trapped in another frenetic nightmare, TGO decides it's time for a visit with Maria in the Room With The Locked Door. When he wakes up and tries to go into the room, though, Smeg arrives and browbeats him for half an hour about "opening up" and "letting her in" and "how dare you shut me out again". Eventually he tells her to go away, and then goes back up for a second assault on the psychological barriers surrounding the keyhole of the Locked Door. Whilst he's up there, Smeg's mother Joan arrives, with Tight Pants, who has flown her out to Sunset Beach as a Mother's Day surprise. Things get off to a sparkling start when TGO rounds on Tim, then just as he's managed to calm down a bit, and turn on the charm offensive after introductions from Smeg, in bursts Annie, in the most revealing dress that her wardrobe possesses, and lands a kiss on Ben that lasts throughout a visit to several other plot lines. When she comes up for air, she explains to Smeg's mother that it was just a thankyou, as TGO has got her furniture back from the repossessing people. She then launches into the full story of her father's murder, her arrest and 'suicide attempt', the escape from custody, being not burnt alive, and being sheltered by Ben and Smeg. Specifically Ben, as Tight Pants joyfully points out, bringing up how close TGO came to clobbering him, to make sure he didn't say anything to the police. Yep, it's the first step in Tim and Annie's attempt to break up you know who, and they certainly can't be faulted on their enthusiasm in putting it all together. Joan gapes, Smeg wilts. Ben just looks faintly shellshocked. Then in an attempt to ease the atmosphere, Joan asks about the painting of Maria. Smeg explains who Maria is, and Joan asks how she died. Cue dramatic music, and a haunted manic, look from Ben. Congratulations, Tim and Annie. I like this plan.

Nice lot of Ben there! Cheerfulness! Your updates really do cheer me up, Micks! I have a lot to be thankful for, regarding you...

Monday 10/1

Greggie is determined that he will find out what happened to Elaine's son, but when she refuses to talk, Paula bulldozes in and lets on that his name is Cole St John and that he's living in Sunset Beach. Greggie is furious, as he presumably now realises that it's Cole who Caitlin has been seeing just recently. Meanwhile Dimples wants to go back to Europe, and talk to his grandmother about Elaine. He plans to leave with Caitlin, but she's being extraordinarily useless at walking out of her parents' house. Cruella tries to make him leave without Caitlin, by offering him legal ownership of the Deschanel Jewels, but he refuses. Meanwhile, as Caitlin again fails to leave the house, she's confronted by Greggie.

Meanwhile Thickardo is enacting his favourite "handyman scenario" porn film, struggling to fix the air conditioning unit at his house whilst wearing progressively less clothing. He's being assisted on and off by a equally progressively less dressed Gobby, who is in full Seduction Mode. Eventually she goes off for a shower, but - Oops! She's forgotten a towel! I wonder how that happened... She stalks out into the main apartment, wearing nothing but artful water droplets, and walks straight into an endless staring match with Thickardo. For a cop he's got lousy reflexes...

And over at Ben's house, Joan Cummings begins to hear the full story of Maria. TGO tells her that he's suspected of being a killer, and then when he and Annie depart to make lunch (now see, that's the scene that I want to be watching!) Tim sticks the knife in a little further, and twists it energetically. He tells Joan how worried he is, and about how Maria's cop brother doesn't believe Ben's story of what happened on the boat. Eventually, well and truly worried, Joan takes a walk on the beach with Smeg. TGO stands alone on the balcony, and watches them talking. He looks resigned to losing Smeg now, but sadly she's busy telling her mother that she's staying. Oh well. Better luck next time, Annie and Tim...

Is it just me or is Tim fit fit fit!

It's just you.

Definitely just you...

Saw it today, Micks. Signal was back. Ben, the charming one, eh?!

Charming and psychotic by turns. Interesting combination! Some great lines today. "Sunset Beach is... not quite what I expected." Yep. About sums it up!

Somebody with a gold star, come and post on this thread! It's gone all silver!