Will she or won't she? That was the question on everyone's mind all week long as the planned wedding between Jessica and Antonio forged ahead. There should have been little doubt that the wedding was going to be successful (at least for the bride and groom) only because it's been previewed for months now. Nonetheless, most of this week focused on the wedding or the events leading up to the wedding, so I thought I would devote my column this week to the hits and misses of Mr. and Mrs. Antonio Vega's Wedding of 2006.
HITS!
1. The ceremony itself was classy. There is no doubt about it! It's refreshing to see a wedding take place in the soap opera world without a hitch (or at least too many hitches!). From the bachelor party to the pre-wedding jitters to the bridal party getting dressed together to the family gatherings in the church---all of these traditional acts were prominently featured this week in honor of the nuptials. Naturally, there had to be an element of drama interspersed within the happiness of the new life that awaits the young couple, but Nash's involvement, or rather interference, with the ceremony was thankfully kept to a minimum. Ultimately, the couple exchanged "I do's" and headed to the Palace for a tasteful reception, replete with dancing, food, and the throwing of the garter/bouquet. No tornados to stop the action, no earth-shattering announcements that another random person is suddenly thought to be a Buchanan, and no violence. Simply classy. Despite what any viewer feels in regards to Jessica and Antonio's popularity as a couple, few can argue that the show wasn't in dire need of some good ol' fashioned happiness. It was long-overdue.
2. Seeing Kevin and Kelly start to reconnect-first at the hospital and then again at the wedding/reception---made me even more despondent at the idea of Dan Gauthier and Heather Tom leaving the show. Having Kevin return to London seemed rather obvious (and random), but I'm anxious to see how the show decides to have Kelly exit. I would suspect that Kelly will "come to her senses" and realize Kevin is her one and only true love (or some idealistic nonsense like that), all resulting in her making the cross-continental journey herself. Seeing two phenomenal actors be shoved out the door is heartbreaking, but at least the characters may get a happy ending that has been a long time coming!
3. Wasn't Jessica's appearance just great? Hey, if we can't have the real Tess, let's at least have Jessica loosen up a bit and allow Tess to emerge just a LITTLE bit!
4. Working in Ilene Kristen as Roxy to the wedding guests was a bright idea. I still want to know why we aren't seeing more of her, though.
5. Isn't Robin Strasser becoming more and more sublime every day? Her meddlesome Dorian is up to her classic tricks, specifically becoming involved in everyone's business. From chastising Kelly for being nice to Kevin to convincing Viki and Clint to allow her to stay at the wedding, Dorian will use whatever chutzpah she has to win back the love of her daughter, reclaim the affection of Clint, and restore her Cramer family to its rightful place in Llanview. She's a gem, and TPTB would be wise to continue to utilize her in capacity she is currently being used.
6. Lo and behold! It's Rev. Carpenter! So nice to see Wortham Krimmer again as Andrew Carpenter. I wonder if he'll be used when Marty Saybrooke returns to town to deal with her wayward son? Considering how integral he was to her story over 10 years ago, it would make sense to utilize him for the sake of nostalgia.
MISSES!
1. Where was Nora? Even though she and Bo have divorced many years ago, she is still an important part of that family, and it would have made sense for Nora to be there at Jessica and Antonio's wedding. I'm anxious to hear the excuse Higley drafts for Nora to use!
2. While I love the classy wedding that took place, I wish it had been for a couple I really have interest in. As I've stated numerous times, Antonio and Jessica are Dullsville-capital D! Just seeing Tess appear as a vision in Nash's head this week made me realize how much I miss her feisty temper and independent spirit. Maybe if Jessica gave Nash a chance, and I had a chance to see their chemistry in her newly integrated state, I might be won over to a Tess-free world; however, I'm so sick of hearing about everything that "Jess and Antonio went through together." Puhleese! Nash should get points for sticking by the girl who had a split personality! Most guys probably would have scrambled to the nearest door, but Nash stuck by Tess through every last confrontation and revelation.
3. Visions of the future are fine, I suppose. But it was rather jarring to see John and Natalie on their wedding day (all in Nat's mind, mind you) with Michael Easton's suddenly short hair. Not that this sort of thing even matters to me, but it was just rather weird to see him without the long locks he's had for the last several years. I also wish they had saved more of the "It's not Hugh" reveal until next week. I would have preferred to devote the end of the week to the wedding events so that we could put a period at the end of it all and move on to the next story---"Hugh's" real identity.
With the wedding cake all eaten and the flowers wilting, the wedding can now be put firmly behind us! Looking ahead, it appears as though November holds several other big reveals for us: if Spencer isn't Asa's son, who really is? What will Natalie do when she realized John is alive? Who really is Spencer and Paige's son if history is rewritten and Hugh was a red herring? Will Nora be sticking around Llanview much longer, or will Hillary B. Smith call it quits with the show? These questions (and more) will probably soon be answered!
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I appreciate your patience with this shorter-than-usual column. I just spent 4 days in New York City with some students, but I'll be back again in two weeks with more thoughts on life in Llanview!
Enjoy your week,
Ryan
