No, leave Greggie alone! He's mental, but he's still charming. I love his scenes with Ben and with Annie.
I don't mind the Virginia going nuts stuff. What I get bored to tears by in her Good Girl act, so that it always looks as though Bubblewrap is the b*tch. I guess it's confusing, though, when your son suddenly changes heads. It's apt to make a person behave a little oddly. And I can't remember how Paula and Elaine leave, either! I'm guessing it has something to do with Gobby's rape case. Maybe they leave when the truth comes out?
The recap shows us Caitlin leaning on the car again, just as it disappears over the edge of the cliff. She goes with it, and Cole searches for her desperately until Olivia, in pain and worried about her baby, calls him back. He rings for the paramedics, then goes off looking for Caitlin again, leaping over polystyrene rocks with complete disregard for the naff thudding sound that they make. Eventually he steps on the wrong piece of plywood and it breaks, toppling him down the cliff. The paramedics find him, fish him out, and take him and Olivia off to the hospital, where Cole recovers instantly, and spends the rest of the episode prowling the corridor, artfully decorated in streaks of blood, looking for Olivia. Nobody else seems remotely bothered about Caitlin, which seems like good sense to me.
Eddie warns Bette that Greggie may have unpleasant plans for Annie, so they both go dashing off to the motel to warn her, with Bette climbing in through the bathroom window just as Annie goes in there to wash red wine out of her dress. They talk about Greggie for a massively long time, leaving Greggie wondering if the bathroom is some kind of portal to another dimension. Eventually Annie fights off the deluge of well-meaning aunt, and goes back to finish talking with Greggie. They burble to each other for the rest of the episode.
And Ben gazes moodily at the newspaper piece about Maria, before burning it on the fire and telling her she's not going to ruin his life again. Meg returns apparently unscathed from her tussles in the kitchen with the chef, and they talk about nothing, and have prolonged huggles, until Meg decides it's time to go home. She doesn't want to take things too fast. Yeah, you should always walk out on the guy who is finally opening up after years of being sealed up inside his own head. Nice move, Meg.
**********
Episode 207
Gregory and Annie are still in the middle of their conversation about beach rights and Liberty Corporation shares, until Greggie gets all dewy-eyed with memories about Del. Annie shows that she has some knowledge of legal matters, and he realises that she might be some use after all. They half-flirt, until they both decide that it's not what they want. Phew. It's one thing seducing a guy, Annie, but it's quite another seducing a guy who's just been talking about his happy friendship with your father. It's treading into creepy territory. Finally Annie leaves, and Greggie goes off to see if Olivia has called him at all. He gets the message about the car crash and goes hurtling off to the hospital, only to get half a jumbled story from a doctor with all the bedside manner of Freddy Krueger. Greggie assumes from the information he gets that Olivia is dead, and mopes sadly on the floor beside the coffee machine, before going in to speak to Caitlin. He's delighted to discover that Olivia is still alive, but then begins to realise what this must mean for Caitlin. They're all awfully eager to write her off, which is mildly premature. As they speak she's being found by a strange mute mountain man, with a pocketful of rosary beads, who picks her up and carries her away.
Michael is off to the cabin to finish some repairs, but he's worried about his car, which has a flat battery. Virginia stows away in it with a basket of food that she's prepared in about twenty seconds flat, unless the Surf Central kitchen is in a different time zone. Wouldn't be surprised. She pops up at the cabin, after making sure that the car won't start, and settles down to seduce Michael over special sandwiches and a flask of coffee. Meanwhile Vanessa realises that they're both missing, and that Michael is long overdue, and gets Casey to drive her over to the cabin.
And Meg sits alone in the Java Web, trying to compose an E-mail to Ben, before Vanessa persuades her that she's a berk for pushing Ben away just as they're starting to get close. Meg spends much of the episode reminiscing about the long day of allegedly romantic adventures that she's just had with Ben, and decides that Bubblewrap is right. Taking the bull by the horns, or the Ben by the collar, or something, she goes running over to The Deep, and throws herself into his arms. They kiss. And kiss. And continue doing so at least until the beginning of the following episode. I guess they both have gills or something.
**********
Episode 208
Greggie battles manfully against some truly appalling acting from Olivia, before finally breaking under the strain of all her squeaking. He hurls himself at Cole, and they bounce each other off the hospital equipment for a while, until Olivia's insane squeaking becomes too much to bear and they break off the fight. They both blame each other for Caitlin's 'death', and eventually the hospital security people arrive to take Cole away. Yes, it's always a good plan to manhandle the patient who's just fallen off a cliff. Greggie tries to get his head around the idea of Caitlin being dead, and Olivia finally tells him that she's pregnant. In reception, meanwhile, the police are arriving to arrest Cole, for... I don't know what for. I'm sure there's something. And I'm sure there's a good reason why it's his sister who's come to arrest him, too, rather than some officer who has no emotional involvement. While Cole gets carted away, and Greggie and Olivia are practically planning Caitlin's funeral already, she's being carried around the countryside by her mountain man. It's all a bit Tarzan, really, but sadly he shows no sign of swinging on a nice liana, or wrestling any passing lions. Maybe in the next episode.
Michael and Virginia enjoy their picnic in the cabin, getting closer and closer, as Virginia plans some kind of romantic coup d'état. Bubblewrap arrives in the nick of time, though, and Virginia growls and spits flame behind everybody's backs. In a moment alone, Bubblewrap tells Virginia that she knows it was her who started the fire, and that she'd better back off or the story will get out. Virginia duly backs off, but smirks and growls as Michael and Vanessa prepare to leave together, and mutters that Vanessa has just made a very big mistake.
And Ben and Meg, despite seeming to get more screen time than anybody else, just spend the entire episode kissing, and recapping their story line so far. Eventually they go back to Ben's place, where in the midst of a fit of canoodling and poetical ramblings, Ben produces the most fabulously ugly engagement ring, and asks Meg to marry him. She gapes at him, in one of those endlessly protracted moments, with an expression of shock and horror that will almost certainly turn out to have nothing whatsoever to do with her eventual response. Boy, that really is an ugly ring.
**********
Episode 209
Greggie talks happily about the baby that he and Olivia are expecting, and then sobs about Caitlin, and then raves about Cole. Meanwhile Olivia sobs and trembles and gets progressively more high-pitched, whilst waving her hands around like a policeman controlling traffic. When Greggie's voice catches it could be him fighting off tears, or it could be him fighting back the giggles, in the face of a full-blown Olivia Hysteria Attack. Eventually Spawn comes in, having heard the news, and blames Greggie for Caitlin's death. Greggie blames him, for telling Caitlin the truth. Then he blames Cole, then he blames Spawn again, and pretty much blames everybody else in Sunset Beach as well, up to and including all the tourists. Spawn tells him and Olivia that he knows all about their plotting and planning, and how they got rid of Tiffany, and then storms off leaving Olivia gasping and squeaking all over again. Greggie flips, and calls in Eddie. He wants Cole killed. About sixteen members of the hospital staff must have overheard him, though, so goodness knows there's not going to be any getting away with it afterwards. And Olivia squeaks some more, just for good measure. So does Caitlin. Tarzan doesn't, but he does give Caitlin a scarf. Aw. That'll be useful against all those serious internal injuries.
Spawn runs out of the hospital room and collides with Bette, who has also heard the news. She's a mess, and is very supportive towards poor Spawn, who has managed to lose his entire family in the space of one night. Mind you, he has picked up a cool new wardrobe and haircut in the same night, so it's not all bad. Spawn decides that he's going to help Cole, and goes off to the jail. Elaine has been trying to get Cole out on bail, but it's taking a long time to work everything through the system. Spawn tells him that he'll help, and that they'll find Caitlin together. Cole's going crazy, though, worrying about Caitlin, since nobody else seems at all inclined to bother looking. That's because she's Caitlin, Cole. Mind you, she does manage to make up for the last however many months of squeaking and general annoyance, by being surprisingly effective in pleading for the life of her baby. Before squeaking again. Oh well, can't have everything.
And Ben tries to forestall Meg's objections to marriage by telling her that she's broken through his defences, and that nobody else has ever managed to do that. She points out that Maria did, but he tells her that Maria betrayed him, and made his defences higher than ever. They huggle some more, and she tells him that she'd love to marry him, yadda yadda yadda, and he promises no more secrets. Yeah, right. So you're about to tell her all about Derek, then?! They hug, and he does one of his dangerous looks over her shoulder. For he is Ben, and he may still be a murderer, lest we have forgotten. Finally they give up with the talking, and Ben carries Meg upstairs. Yuck. Try not to go calling her Maria this time, yeah?!
He gave her "one perfect pearl" for every week, or something, yes. He hasn't started that yet though. That was one of the things that Derek screwed up on, wasn't it.
No. anybody would have done (I think). Which is why it's so nuts that she went after Greggie, when Tim would have worked just as well. And he'd have probably said yes a good deal sooner!
Greggie demands the phone number of a hitman from Eddie, who tries to dissuade him from the path of Cole Killage. Greggie won't listen to reason, so Eddie goes off to look up contract killers in the Yellow Pages. Meanwhile Olivia is in bad shape, and the baby is not doing well. Miracle Man Of Science Doctor Tyus offers to operate to alleviate the baby's stress, but warns that this could cause premature labour. If this happens the baby will need a blood transfusion, and Tyus expects the father will be the best match. Cue gnashing of teeth, and worrying about fathers and who they are.
Spawn meanwhile has decided to break Cole out of prison, and enlists Bette's help. Realising that this may be the baby's best chance, she agrees - and the rescue turns out to be the easiest one ever. Sunset Beach's jail has no security, no guards, and nobody to watch the security cameras, which Bette walks right up to, and pushes out of the way. Certainly nobody bothers frisking Spawn to remove the set of lockpicks that he merrily hands over to the prisoner. Cole walks on out 'disguised' as Spawn (he's borrowed his jacket), and Spawn stays in the cell 'disguised' as Cole (he lies down). Well, that'll fool everybody. And does. Cole is worried about Caitlin (at this point floating in Shiny Glowing White Land with an angelic nun), but agrees to donate blood first, in case the baby is his.
And Ben and Meg have hilarious sex in short snippets set to awful music, before talking about their future. "Let's not have a long engagement," says Ben. Ha. If only you knew, dear. Joyfully, they have gone back to the Ben May Be A Killer Routine, so cue lots of weird, dark looks. When they've finally finished smooching, Meg goes in search of one of Ben's shirts to wear, so that she can go downstairs for some unfathomable reason. Equally unfathomable is why she doesn't just put her own clothes on, since they're right beside the bed. Inside the Endless Closet From Hell - just how many identical pairs of shoes does Ben own?! And why does he keep his shirts on a shelf eight feet above the ground?! - she finds a secret compartment which, being Meg, she immediately empties and pries through. She finds a box - and in it are the slashed, blood-stained sheets and blood-stained scissors that she once saw decorating Maria's old studio, before it was cleaned up. Gasping like Olivia Mk II she scurries off and, squeaking desperately, runs into Ben. Aw, poor dear. Her little brain is malfunctioning again.
**********
Episode 211
Bette hides Cole away at the hospital, but he won't stay put, and scurries away to seek out Olivia. Meanwhile Eddie turns up with a telephone number. Greggie calls it, and tells Dodgy Man With Shiny Ring that he's to kill the sole prisoner in the Sunset Beach jail. The hitman then proves the complete lack of security in the police station by walking right in there, dressed as a policeman, without anybody wondering who the hell he is. He sets about killing Spawn, whilst Greggie thinks happy thoughts about being Cole free from now on. So it's a bit of a shock when they come face to face in the blood-doning room.
Caitlin is still floating in Shiny White Land. She has her baby with her, born and healthy, but the floaty white angelic nun asks for it, and then taking it, disappears. Caitlin wakes up in bed in some kind of Catholicky place, watched over by Tarzan and a nun. She asks about her baby, and dreams about showing him to Cole, but the nun doesn't tell her anything. Caitlin sees the shiny floaty nun again, and tries to go with her, but can't.
And Meg squeaks and worries and fears for her life, as Ben looks suitably dodgy. Meg tries to come up with excuses to leave, but Ben wants her to stay the whole night. They talk about the future, and about living together, and Ben apologies for the mess that the place is in. He says that Annie tried to clear up a bit when she was his personal assistant, and Meg gapes, deciding that it must have been Annie who planted the sheets and the scissors in the closet. Ben elaborates, saying that Annie didn't think Meg would ever be coming back to the Beach. Relaxing again, Meg tries to tell Ben about Annie's latest dastardly joke, and when he won't listen, decides to show him. When he goes for some champagne, she fetches out the box, then realises what he said - Annie thought that Meg wouldn't be coming back. So why would she plant the sheets and scissors? Fully back in Ben Is Scary Mode, Meg squeaks a bit more, and panics. So the soppiness is over, and it's business as usual then. Jolly good.
**********
Episode 212
Greggie and Cole grapple round the blood-doning equipment, and Greggie demands to know what Cole is doing free. Eventually Cole tells him, and the penny drops. Greggie has sent a hitman to kill Spawn. He looks grey and runs out. Nobody bothers to stop him from going straight on into the jail, and apparently he's got his own cell door key as well. Spawn is motionless in the bed, where Dodgy Man With Shiny Ring dumped him after demonstrating Throttling 101. Greggie sobs, and hugs his comatose son, only for Spawn to rouse suddenly. At some point during the struggle Spawn dropped his wallet, which the hitman managed to read the contents of. Apparently. For he is Dodgy Man With Shiny Ring And Telescopic Eyes. Anyway, he realised he wasn't throttling Cole Deschanel, so gave up and went away. Apparently. Spawn realises what's been happening and rounds on his father, telling him exactly what he thinks of people who hire dodgy men with shiny jewellery and amazing powers of sight in order to assassinate wayward sons posing as alleged former jewel thieves. Paula comes in at this point, apparently deciding that it's about time somebody at the police station did some work. She's rather confused that Cole's cell appears to be full of everybody save Cole, at which point a call comes over her radio. A security guard at the hospital, who has attacked Cole for no readily apparent reason, has sounded the alarm. Cole is speeding out of town in Bette's car, with police cars in hot pursuit. Greggie demands that Paula goes and gets Cole back. She pouts. Spawn glowers. Cole goes Vrooooom! Gosh it's exciting.
Caitlin lies in her bed at the Wherever It Is Place with the nun in it. The exteriors look just like the exterior shots that they later used for Antonio's Mission. The nun and Tarzan worry over Caitlin, before finally she recovers a little, and is properly conscious again. She asks for her baby, and then remembers the glowing white nun, and realises that she's no longer pregnant. She's lost her baby, and of course is inconsolable. The nun tries to do what she can.
And Meg is being greatly pathetic. She dreams of Ben, and hears a woman screaming, though she doesn't bother doing anything to help out. Eventually, still in her dream, she wanders to Maria's studio where she finds Ben covered in blood and holding the bloodied scissors. Murderous Ben tells her that everything is alright and they can be married now. Meg wakes up and tries to use the phone, only to overhear Ben talking to somebody at the office about Greggie having cancelled the meeting they had scheduled for the morning. Ben tells whoever it is that he doesn't know where Meg is, causing Meg to squeak in suspicion over this lie. It's called being a gentleman, you dimwit. Eventually she goes downstairs, where she finds that Ben has gone in search of breakfast. She tries to slip out whilst he's away, but duffs it and meets him at the door. Trying to leave on the pretext of having to go to work fails as well, since Greggie has cancelled their meeting that morning, and she has no reason to go. Joan calls, and Meg tells her about the engagement, before letting Ben carry her upstairs again. What about breakfast?! He's being all nice, so she decides that the sheets and scissors must have been planted by Annie after all. Do make your mind up, Meg.
Weird episode. Nothing happening and everything happening, and some unsettlingly good acting. Basically Cole spends the entire episode driving very fast, and dodging some Keystone Kops. Paula decides to go to his rescue, so spends ages talking to her mother about it, but which time Cole must be halfway to the East coast. Thickardo offers to help, and he and Paula instantly catch up with the lead Cole Chasers, and spend the rest of the episode zipping about on the freeway looking earnest.
Caitlin spend the entire episode sobbing, though she does a very good job of it. That is the sum total of her plot, though - that and arguing with the nun about whether or not life is fair. Caitlin is worried that Cole will be angry with her for the loss of the baby; though personally, if I were Cole, I'd be more inclined to be angry with her for pretending to still be pregnant, and then stealing her brother and passing him off as her own child - but then happily I'm not Cole.
And Greggie prowls the jail, and the hospital, and anywhere else where he can find the right kind of dramatic space, running his hands through his hair and getting increasingly agitated. He's still determined to kill Cole, he's furious with everybody, blaming everybody for everything, getting progressively more bonkers, and currently rivalling Derek for the Most Deranged Resident Of Sunset Beach Ever Award. He watches a television newscast about the car chase, recognises the car that Cole is driving, and in a ferocious rage, sacks Bette for being a traitor. Spawn tries for a reconciliation with his mother, but she won't let Greggie take all the blame for the nuttiness, so the reconciliation lasts barely ninety seconds. Olivia tries to tell Spawn that Greggie loves them all, but Spawn isn't convinced - and as Greggie comes in looking increasingly batty, tells her about Dodgy Man With Shiny Ring. There's lots of dramatic staring, and Greggie's last milligram of sanity appears to evaporate completely. Oh well, he wasn't using it anyway.
I'm a bit behind on episode synopses, Becks, as it was the Family Insanity Gathering today. Here's Saturday morning's, and I'll get this morning's done as soon as I can.
Episode 214
Cole is still driving at speed along some road, pursued by two hundred policemen and Paula. She and he talk on their mobiles whilst speeding along, which is perfectly sensible I'm sure. Spawn yells at his parents about hitmen, then goes dashing off to try to help Cole. The chase has by now been going on for at least four hours, so unless they've been driving around in circles all this time, I can't see that he's going to be much use - but he wants to do "what Caitlin would have done." Squeak? Caitlin is at present telling everything to a highly sceptical nun, who is disturbingly familiar, and worryingly unconcerned about her patient's tales of evil parents and baby-napping plottage. Not that Spawn knows all this, as he hurtles off in his supersonic sports car, instantaneously catching up with Cole. They chat on their mobiles, whilst driving on the wrong side of the road and steering one-handed. Always a good idea. When the road narrows, Spawn spins his car and sends everybody else flying off the road, letting Cole go off alone. Well, except for the two helicopters, one of which is still broadcasting his every move to every home in America.
Tim sits alone, mourning Caitlin. Annie fails to cheer him up, though she does say some nice things, in between the silliness. "I've never seen you this upset before." Probably because you've never seen him mourn the death of a friend before, Annie. Anyway, she goes running off to tell Ben about Caitlin - or, rather, to fail to tell him, because he tells her about his engagement first - and Meg arrives in her stead, to discuss Maria's studio. Tim tells her that he did nothing to it, and is remarkably civil, given her astoundingly bad timing and complete lack of tact, especially when she further interrupts his grieving to tell him about her upcoming wedding. She eventually leaves him alone, and he wilts.
And Mark turns up at Ben's house to be told the news of the engagement. He's delighted - "Nothing could keep me away!" he chirrups, in response to his invitation to the wedding. Except death by boat hook of course. Left alone with Meg, though, he realises that she is still worried about something. She doesn't tell him what was in the box that she found in Ben's closet, but she does say that she's found something that has worried her greatly. He persuades her to ask Tim and Annie about it, rather than going nuts on her own, which she attempts to do, leaving poor Ben at home alone without a clue about her madcap worries. She goes off to accost Tim (see above), then turns up at Annie's right after Annie has heard from Ben about the engagement. She's busy hurling ornaments about her house in a fit of rage, so possibly we'll get lucky and she'll do the same to Smeg. That might even make up for five axing the show.
**********
Episode 215
Cole hurtles away thanks to Spawn's distraction, whilst Spawn himself gets arrested. So does Thickardo for some reason. Greggie bails Spawn out, before going off to set the hitman on Cole again, guessing that Cole is heading for the crash site. Annie stops by the hospital, apparently to give her sympathies to Olivia, but really to begin driving a wedge between her and Greggie. Meanwhile Caitlin sobs her little heart out at the mission, and Cole shakes off the helicopters to go scrambling about on hillsides, shouting "Caitlin!" a lot.
Bubblewrap gets the last few details from her pet policeman about how he stopped Virginia on the night of the cabin fire, then confronts Virginia with the evidence she's gathered. She already did this last week, though, so I don't know what she's expecting to hear different this time. Virginia sobs and bursts out all about Vanessa's accusations when Michael comes in, so presumably she's got another plan up her sleeves. Or something.
And Annie tells Meg for the nine hundredth time that she had nothing to do with whatever Meg found in the studio. Meg goes back to gaze at the scissors and sheets again, for whatever reason. Maybe she thinks it'll all have turned into a toasted sandwich maker and a large loaf of bread since she last looked. This time she finds a second box behind the first, but before she can see what's in it, Ben comes along. Meg just hides the scissors in time, then grins her way through the news of Caitlin's demise, happily chirruping that she's already heard it all from Tim. Ben takes her for a walk on the beach, completely oblivious to the fact that he's escorting a fruitcake. Push her off the pier, Ben. We've only got two more episodes before the axe, so we're fast running out of opportunities for Meggicide. And let's face it, it needs doing.
I hope so. Hey, Micks, whilst you're here...You want to go and browse the Writer's thread 'efore I kidnap you and hold you for ransome? I'd like your opinion on some semi-crappy writing I did...
"One day my logic was proven wrong because the tide came in and gave me a sail"
Sounds like the same charter that forced the Beeb and ITV to show less American TV back in the nineties. Damn shame. Meant we lost good stuff like The A-Team, and got stuck with dire British stuff instead.
Episode 216
Annie is still at the hospital, talking to Olivia. She's caught between trying to work on splitting up Olivia and Greggie (presumably having decided that Greggie is the best candidate for the marriage her father demanded in the codicil to his will), and being genuinely sorry for everything that's happened. Or what everybody thinks has happened, anyway. Eventually Greggie comes in and sends her away, but the damage has been done, and Olivia doesn't want him to stay with her in the room. She's upset that he didn't tell her about Annie having shares in the Liberty Corporation, although quite when he's supposed to have done that in between her crashing and nearly dying and being operated on, I don't know. Bette drops by, and hears all about Annie's visit. She later tries to warn Annie not to get in Greggie's way, but Annie is desperate to keep her father's shares.
Virginia admits to having been on the road near the cabin on the night of the fire, and Vanessa crows with glee. Daft woman. Talk about counting your chickens before they're hatched. Virginia says that she had to go out to fill a prescription for her friend Mrs Jones, so manages to come out of the whole episode looking even more like an angel than ever, and leaving Bubblewrap looking increasingly jealous and deranged. Michael refuses to listen to Bubblewrap's side of things, and fails to see the sparks of insanity in Virginia's eyes, and they argue, and Vanessa walks out, and who the hell cares. Just get an interesting plot already.
And Cole wanders around the hillside, spying clues to lead him to Caitlin. He sees a footprint that he decides must mean that somebody has taken Caitlin away. Yeah... That or it belongs to one of the paramedics or search-and-rescue people who were swarming around the place last night. He follows the non-existent trail, and the hitman follows him - dressed head to toe in black, so obviously he's well camouflaged on the bright green and yellow sunny hillside. He takes a few pot-shots at Cole, misses completely, and they tussle. And tussle and tussle and tussle, until the end of the episode. Woo, look at them go.
**********
Episode 217
Caitlin sits in what she repeatedly says is a "beautiful garden", but which is really a chunk of wood masquerading as concrete, with a few potted plants dotted around it. It's not even really outside, Caitlin! Open your eyes! She's writing a letter to Cole, telling him that their baby is dead. Presumably fairly nearby, Cole and the hitman struggle, and in the most daft move ever, the hitman falls off the cliff and dies. Cole goes back to looking for Caitlin, and later develops a severe case of delayed stabbing syndrome, collapsing with a hole in his leg a good twenty minutes after the knife fell off the cliff along with its owner. Liberally doused in blood, he staggers his way along his little trail, and staggers into the mission just as Caitlin and her pet nun go inside. He collapses, and the wooden garden goes "thunk".
Greggie is in his office, working. He's in a foul mood, and is channelling all of his energies into his work. Ben comes in and tries to talk to him, and they swap stories of lost loved ones, self-blame, and working too hard to compensate. It's a nice little scene, and I'm glad we got another bit of Ben'n'Greg before the axe falls. Thickardo comes in, wanting to discuss his case with Greggie, and he and Ben have a bit of a confrontation. Ben is sympathetic, and points out that it's never nice to be accused of a crime you haven't committed. Super Cop doesn't seem to see the parallel. When Ben has gone, Thickardo asks Greggie if he wants to ease up on things because of Caitlin's death, but Greggie says that he's fighting fit and ready to lash out at something. Gobby won't know what hit her.
Gobby, meanwhile, is at an impromptu party for Meg over at Surf Central. They're all celebrating the engagement, though Meg is jumpy as hell, and now suffering from an acute case of scissorphobia. Mark sees that something is wrong, and tries to talk to her about it, but she fobs him off with talk of pre-wedding nerves. He clearly doesn't believe her, though it's the same excuse he gives Ben later, when TGO drops by and tries to ask him if he's noticed anything wrong with Meg. Meg, meanwhile, is a woman with a mission. Apparently as frustrated as everybody else with whatever the hell is going on between Michael and Vanessa, she drags the latter away from further conflict, and over to the Liberty Corporation to help do a little research. And this is where things get a little unstuck for me, because the Beach has suddenly grown a big building with Liberty Corporation written on the side. Now I know that Ben has had a lot on his mind, with Annie's 'death' and the anniversary of Maria's death, and everything else that's had him such a raving loony so far this series, but surely Vanessa of all people remembers that the Liberty Corporation is the name of the company that she, Ben and assorted residents of Surf Central found out was behind the whole business with the Mysterious News Story Bad Guys, and the infamous (for a few episodes about a year ago) Mysterious Source's Daughter's Mysteriously Absent Father, the impossibly sinister Jo-Jo. After all, that is the only bit of plot that Bubblewrap has ever had. But apparently she's forgotten, anyway, and follows Meg into the building to help her go through all newspapers ever to find out stuff about Maria's Death. Meg then settles down in Greggie's office, with a notebook open in front of her, and Maria's Death written on it in big letters, and starts to read though the newspapers. At which point Ben comes in and advances with obvious menace.
Well, with a big grin actually, but I wanted to end things on a dramatic note.
I love his scenes with Ben and with Annie.
And I can't remember how Paula and Elaine leave, either! I'm guessing it has something to do with Gobby's rape case. Maybe they leave when the truth comes out?
Nice move, Meg.
