Bridal Suite Jan. 18, 1999

Mon., Jan. 18, 1999 – Michelle and Danny return to find his bedroom beautifully decorated as a “Bridal Suite” full of flowers and champagne. Carmen boasts that she had did the decorating as a Santos family tradition and that she expects plenty of grandchildren from her son and his new bride. Michelle comes to the realization that Danny has feelings for her. She tells him that they will never have a romantic relationship. Meanwhile, Jesse rushes back to Drew and Selena and tells them that he saw Michelle and kissed her. He quickly adds that he knows that Michelle still wants him. The kiss really upsets Drew and Selena goes to Jesse and tells him that he makes Drew feel bad when he does this, that Drew loves Jesse and that maybe he should give up on Michelle. Michelle may be in love with Danny. Michelle: “I’m supposed to fall into bed with you out of gratitude. Give myself to you in lieu of flowers and a thank you note.” Michelle: “Nobody butts into my personal business that way.” Danny: “Haven’t you gotten it yet, Michelle? All of this is for you. Everything that I have done, I’ve done keeping you alive. I didn’t say anything to my mother just now because I will do whatever it takes to keep you alive… It’s not about my mother, it’s not about my brother anymore either, it’s about you and me.” Michelle: “This is not the beginning of wedded bless or  a great love story or even a one night stand.” Michelle: “I didn’t see any pajamas laid out for you.” Danny: “That’s because I don’t wear pajamas.” Michelle: “What do you wear?” Danny: “Nothing.” Michelle: “Not tonight.” Danny: “Touche.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yN_uStmyO8&feature=related

My Comments:

Actually the room normally looks pretty much like this. I don’t see what Michelle’s reacting to. Michelle should be grateful, Danny IS saving her life. Carmen’s next attack is this grandchildren tack. “Con Muchos Hijos” does mean with many children. I think Carmen accurately translated the blessing.

I love it when Michelle says “La Familia.” Danny tries to talk to her. He knows what he’s feeling. She’s still denying her feelings. I love it when she says this is not the beginning of a great love story. How wrong can Michelle be?

The whole exchange about the pajamas is great. I love the little smirk on Danny’s face when he says “Nothing.” Eventually though as they live with other people and have kids, Danny starts wearing dark blue pajama bottoms with a matching robe. Again I’m struck with really no matter how feisty she is, Michelle must be feeling very comfortable with Danny already.

True Soap Story: Mr. Kitty

Ok, this is pretty OT, even though it does involve a CBS soap, but this kind of creativity deserves to be rewarded. Take a look at the Young and the Restless webpage. View the 4 Part story of Patty’s stuffed cat, Mr. Kitty on “True Soap Stories”.

http://www.cbs.com/daytime/the_young_and_the_restless/video/video.php?cid=446415867&pid=vqNMf7ef1Zm0Kj42QkUPOhXVA39g74_7&play=true&cc=2

(Part 1)

http://www.cbs.com/daytime/the_young_and_the_restless/video/video.php?cid=446415867&pid=i_LhsMmmMD7VC_8Ue5wb_Vga5X9kk_uE&play=true&cc=2

(Part 2)

http://www.cbs.com/daytime/the_young_and_the_restless/video/video.php?cid=446415867&pid=8_pdiPHTTttlNyM7wsi2mvdQHdVgSO5N&play=true&cc=2

(Part 3)

http://www.cbs.com/daytime/the_young_and_the_restless/video/video.php?cid=446415867&pid=jCl3cI4_uAcywxIfXCwuCXk9e0__gg_j&play=true&cc=2

(Part 4)

Jesse’s Apartment Garage

When we first meet Jesse Blue, his father is an alcoholic who has basically abandoned Jesse to raise himself. He’d thrown away all of Jesse’s mother’s things and sunk into a pool of despair where he blames Ed Bauer and Jesse for Jesse’s mother’s death. So Jesse is living in what is basically the office of an abandoned repair garage alone. He was restoring and creating custom motorcycles for a living. It was in a very trashy part of town called Point Lester.

Jesse and Michelle spend a lot of time at this garage. They have sex there and it’s where Jesse draws her in the nude (both on the couch in the office). It’s where Roy Meecham attacks Abby Bloom and for awhile when Roy’s friends were out for revenge, it wasn’t too safe, but that seemed to have ended once they were arrested. Later it was also the location of the high stakes poker games where Jesse has so much trouble and Drew brings Mick Santos in as a ringer. Once the foursome move in together in Drew’s loft, Jesse never goes back.

As a former garage, there must have been at least one garage door, but if so it’s around the corner of the office and we never see it. Everyone enters through a door to the alley opposite the office. It has steps both up to the person door from the outside and more steps down to the main floor of the garage from the door. This door opens into a narrow pedestrian width alley. Parking must be beyond this alley because there is no place to park. There must be street parking or a lot off stage to the right if you are in the alley facing the door because everybody comes from that direction. Point Lester is far enough from the lake and downtown Springfield that you have to drive to get there.

Bauers Find Out about Marriage, Country Club Luncheon

Thurs., Jan. 14, 1999 – Jesse ruins the breakfast at the Bauer house with the news that Michelle has married Danny Santos, son of mobster Carmen Santos. As he explains, Dietz arrives and invites the family to the country club so that the two families can celebrate the happy nuptials. Drew and Selena arrive and learn from Jesse the latest about Michelle. Drew tries to convince Jesse to stay away from Danny and Michelle but he vows to ruin today’s luncheon. Now on Drew’s side, since she discovered she’s her daughter, Selena offers to help Drew win Jesse’s love. Danny: “I’m not going to let you take her away from me. Michelle is here because I want her here. She belongs with me.” Michelle: “Thanks for the kind wishes, Mama.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqPH4_4rJS8&feature=channel_page

Fri., Jan. 15, 1999 – Both the Santos and Bauer families show up for the nuptial luncheon. Unconvinced by the suddenness of the marriage, Danny produces the marriage license showing they are really wed. They try to put a good face on it, but Rick tries to force Michelle to tell him what’s really going on, she tells him to support her or leave. After a few more rude remarks in Carmen’s direction, Rick collects Abby and Meta and storms out. After Rick ruins the luncheon, Jesse surprises Michelle in the hallway outside the dining room with a kiss but she pulls back and insists that she doesn’t want to leave her husband. Carmen saw the clinch and sends Danny out to discover it. Michelle has pushed Jesse away, but he is still after her. Danny interrupts and starts throwing punches when Jesse refuses to leave. Seeing blood flowing from Danny’s nose, Dietz grabs Jesse and physically tosses him out. Terrified they will now kill Jesse she goes running after them begging them to leave Jesse alone. While Danny warns Michelle about her actions, Carmen decides to approach Jesse for help in breaking up the newlyweds. Danny: “You’re worried about hurting Jesse’s feelings? It’s a lot better than wondering what kind of flowers to put on his grave.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0wrDa2jAdw&feature=related

My Comments:

Carmen is pushing on with her agenda to try to get Michelle to crack and admit the marriage isn’t real in front of her family. She doesn’t understand who she’s dealing with – yet. Michelle really does keep up a pretty good front until Jesse gets there. Danny is still in the family mindset and thinking that he can gain Michelle as a possession. One of first things he has to learn is that he can’t control her, but he learns it quickly.

Where does Father Tomas go? He has a short talk with Michelle and then disappears. Didn’t he want to eat?

I love Michelle’s facial expression when she says “Drew.”

In the comments under these scenes someone replied to my comment with the thought that Michelle was acting like a brat here to somebody who is continuing to save her life. As much as I hate to, I have to agree that the characterization was correct. However, thinking about it made me think of another point. Michelle must be feel an incredible trust for Danny at this point, no matter what she says. “I won’t pretend for you.” If she was still feeling the threat from him, like she was on the docks, she’d be putting on a good show for him too, instead of feeling safe enough TO act like a brat. That’s already going a long way from where she was.

Rick is just unpleasant here. I wish I could have attended this luncheon. It would have been fun.

I think that it’s funny that the set up is supposed to be what a big bad mobster Danny is, but when I was thinking what they all had in common as a subject for discussion what I came up with is that everyone other than Danny has killed somebody. Meta killed her ex-husband Ted White. Abby killed Roy Meecham. Carmen killed Miguel. Rick’s patient body count is probably somewhere in the 30s about now. Michelle killed Mick. Danny hasn’t killed anybody.

Danny must really have been upset for Jesse to get in that punch. Normally he’s a much better fighter than that. They must have still been trying to make Jesse look like the hero. I can’t believe it when she says “I was kissing him goodbye, ok?” what was she thinking his response was going to be “Oh, ok”?

“It’s bedtime isn’t it.” Carmen already knows what’s waiting for them back at home.

Meta Bauer

Meta Bauer – “Everyone should have an Aunt Meta.” During Meta’s last stint as a resident of Springfield, Meta was known as Aunt Meta by seemingly most of the town. She returned a s a voice of reason and experience, connecting the generations on the show (and creating a role for Mary Stuart whose seminal role on Search for Tomorrow ended with the cancellation of that show). It took her awhile to come around, but eventually she was a strong Manny supporter being almost solely responsible for getting Danny to the hospital and then into the delivery room over Claire’s objections during Robbie’s birth. (“Claire, get out of the way or I’ll shift into an even uglier gear.”) She had previously been close to Jesse Blue and became quite close to Harley Cooper, saying if she’d had a daughter, she’d be similar to Harley.

Meta actually was a long time heroine of the show. In her biggest story, she was having an affair with wealthy businessman Ted White, even though the chief attraction for her was his money. She got pregnant and after attempting to give the child, “Chuckie”, up for adoption, she eventually recovered custody. Meanwhile Ted had decided that he wanted custody, so he set about convincing Meta to marry him. Under pressure from Papa (Fredrich) Bauer, Meta finally married Ted, but it was an unhappy union and they soon divorced.

Ted still got visitation with Chuckie where he replicated his own childhood experience of being cold and distant to Chuckie while always pushing him to be tougher. While Chuckie was in kindergarten Ted arranged boxing lessons with a man who really shouldn’t even have been teaching adults and Chuckie was badly beaten in the ring. Chuckie fell into a coma before eventually dying of his injuries. Meta got a gun and shot Ted (“Do you know what fear is now, Ted?”). Even though the entire audience heard her do it, they didn’t want Meta to leave the show and when the audience was allowed to vote as the jury, she was overwhelmingly acquitted. This experience would have to color and allow her to provide counsel to Michelle through her experience with Mick, her early marriage to Danny and Ben Warren’s murder trial, but it was never mentioned on screen. Meta even implies to Harley during Gus’s investigation of Danny that she never had a child.

Eventually she had a happy marriage during her 1970s Springfield sojourn, but had divorced and split her time between her New York apartment (where Michelle stayed during the six weeks she left town during her pregnancy with Robbie), Nova Scotia (where her sister Trudy lived), and Springfield. (Meta is last heard of having broken a hip and being delayed in Nova Scotia a few months after actress Mary Stuart died, two days after her last scene as Meta aired, but she was never heard from again. Presumably, but not certainly she has since passed away and hopefully Manny and Rick attended her funeral off camera. )

Carmen and the Code

Carmen raised Danny to believe in a mob Code of Conduct. The part that was most closely involved with the story was “la familia es segrada,” the family is sacred. You never kill family. Later, it is revealed that Carmen had done exactly that already before we even met her. Some fans felt that this invalidated this early part of the story (why the marriage saved Michelle’s life), but I never did.

Some fans thought that Carmen believed in this code herself, but I never thought so. Danny not only believed in the code and lived by it, when we meet him he genuinely believes everyone else in “his world” lives by it, too. However, he is almost constantly being proven wrong about this as time and again he’s disappointed in someone he thought would live up to the code and they don’t.

I believe that while the code exists and is given lip service by the others, but I think Danny is the only one to truly live by it. In a way, he reminds me of Worf on Star Trek: The Next Generation who, not having been raised in the corrupt autocracy, is the only Klingon who truly believes that you should actually try to live by their code of conduct. Danny was raised in the culture, but he is a moral man, he desired a code intrinsically and so Carmen taught him this one. In addition, Danny is also later surprised by some of the things that are going on in his own family’s business (the human trafficking, for example). I think Carmen controlled very carefully what Danny knew so that he would believe that others were living by the code and in doing so gave her an incredible amount of control over Danny which is what she desired most. The whole reason he was considering “taking out” Mick’s killer wasn’t because he wanted to, or even because he felt a burning need for revenge, but rather because “The Code” required it.

So I think Carmen lived by the code without believing in it and would continue to do so until Danny no longer believed in it. The control it gave her over Danny was just too important to give up without a fight, so when he claimed sanctuary for Michelle by the terms of the code, Carmen had to honor it. Her efforts in these early days of the marriage aren’t designed to get the marriage annulled (which she could have legally pursued) and she doesn’t wait until the paperwork is signed and it’s official to live by the requirements of the code  before she tries to kill Michelle. Instead these early efforts are designed to make Michelle or preferably Danny admit the marriage wasn’t real and to get him to admit it wouldn’t be a violation of the code to kill her. Once Danny isn’t listening to her anymore, Carmen completely abandons the code herself and is quite willing to kill Michelle and later even Robbie, family or not.

A Prop Turkey

My favorite backstage Thanksgiving story actually comes from Guiding Light’s sister soap, As the World Turns. This happened back in the days of live television when the Hughes family was the heart and soul of Oakdale. Helen Wagner was the matriarch of the family as Nancy Hughes. The big finale of the Thanksgiving episode one year was to be practically a recreation of Norman Rockwell’s Freedom from Want. (See at the link below)

http://www.digitaldeliftp.com/Images/freedomfromwant.gif

The final shot of the day was going to be Nancy going to the oven, opening it up, pulling out a beautiful, done to a turn bird and carrying it over to the family dinner table where everyone was waiting. Just one LITTLE problem. Props forgot to put the bird in the oven. On live TV Nancy walked over and opened the oven door to discover it was completely empty. A consummate professional, she quickly closed the oven door and said something like, “it needs a few more minutes.” What a classic save!

A Thanksgiving That Doesn’t Suck

Thanksgiving was definitely not Michelle and Danny’s holiday. In fact, most of their Manny Thanksgivings in Springfield seemed cursed. In my fanfic “Springfield Bound,” I have Michelle wishing for one Thanksgiving with Danny in Springfield that didn’t totally suck and I think a quick run down will show you why.

1998 – When Marina and Lizzie go missing, Michelle accuses Danny of kidnapping them and tells the police so. He was not only innocent, he found them in their hiding place and saved their lives. Michelle doesn’t apologize for suspecting him.

1999 – Michelle is literally on the way to Thanksgiving dinner at the Lewis house when she is arrested for Ben Warren’s murder for which Carmen was framing her.

2000 – Having just shot his mother to save Michelle and Robbie’s lives, Danny is thrown so deep into a pool of pain, torment, and guilt that he feels he will only destroy a pregnant Michelle and so he pushes her away.

2001 – Their happiest Thanksgiving spent with the combined Bauer, Cooper, and some of the Spaulding clans, spent outside of Springfield in the Bauer cabin. (Their son Robbie’s first Thanksgiving.)

2002 – Michelle is told that Danny is dead the day before Thanksgiving. They had separated to protect Robbie from Carmen (yeah, it was stupid when they did it too). Carmen had shot Danny and he was near death, but he couldn’t leave Michelle and eventually fought his way back to her.

2003 – In their most normal Thanksgiving on screen, Michelle and Danny host dinner at Orchid Manor and have both his immediate family and Rick and Rick’s in-laws, Mel’s family.

2004 – Michelle, suffering from amnesia, is lost in the jungle with Tattoo Tony because of Sebastian’s plan. Danny spends the day with Marina (YUCK!)

2005 – Having just remarried, Danny and Michelle have an early Thanksgiving dinner with Rick and Mel and her family before leaving to spend the actual day with Ed in a Hurricane Katrina ravaged Louisiana. This meal was held where all formal meals are, in the Bauer kitchen instead of the dining room, just like their sixth and final wedding. (Rolls eyes – Apparently they couldn’t afford to change sets)

Presumably Thanksgivings 2006-2008 were spent in relative quietness and bliss in California. Hopefully all future Thanksgivings (which we will never be invited to – Bitter, Bitter sob!!!!) from 2009 on will be at Bizzie’s newly renovated house where they were planning on starting a new Thanksgiving tradition for their extended family.  Besides Michelle being Bill’s best friend, after Rick and Mindy’s wedding, they will all be in-laws anyway (Mindy is Bill’s other half sister) and Lizzie specifically mentioned inviting Michelle and Rick, plus family on screen as a a pay back for all the Bauer BBQs.

Alan’s Thanksgiving Toast

During Thanksgiving 1998, when the entire town gathered at Millennium, Alan gave this toast.

“Ladies and gentlemen, if I may have your attention, this morning when I woke up I smelled turkey in the air, heard the parade on the television, and I knew it was Thanksgiving. But I had no idea at that time  that I would be having Thanksgiving dinner in a night club, but here I am, here we all are with friends and family. Matter of fact I think it would be a good idea if we all joined hands right now. You know, I also learned something else about Thanksgiving, it’s a movable feast. It doesn’t matter where you count your blessings or where you give thanks, the important thing is that we do. Now despite our problems and our differences, we, everyone in this room, have a lot to be thankful for. May God’s grace be our Guiding Light, today and everyday. “

Crowd: “Here, here!”

Alan: “Happy Thanksgiving and let’s eat!”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Dc5wJ7aBnA&feature=related

Toast starts at 7:30 into the clip.

Dr. Ruthledge’s Thanksgiving

In 1938, the character of Dr. John Ruthledge wrote a real book about the history of the community of Five Points, the original setting of Guiding Light. It includes among other things, the text to some of Dr. Ruthledge’s sermons. I thought I’d share this one with you. Again be forewarned, old Dr. Ruthledge was still isolationist in 1938.

Thanksgiving Day – November 24, 1938

Thank God, we can rejoice in human beings. Thank Thee because we may our brothers help – that Thou hast opened our eyes unto their needs, – taught us the melody of being kind. Thank Thee that we can trust, even though a thousand times we have experienced faith betrayed, we still have faith in man. Thank Thee that we can hear underneath the rush and clamour of the crowd, the harmony of the universe. Thank Thee for the sight that we may see the pattern of the perfect plan.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day. How many of us stop to think what the word Thanksgiving really means, and in what way that word Thanksgiving is connected with Thanksgiving Day. We all know what thanks means. We use that particular word innumerable times during the course of a day. We thank one another for this or that, for something we have received. We like to associate the word giving with something someone presents us. So, today, we have the great privilege of giving thanks to God for what He has given us – He who has given so much and we so little.

Many of us, at one time or another, who have to fight our way through life – many of us feel that what we accomplish, we accomplish alone – that it isn’t necessary to give thanks to anyone. What a truly false conception that is. We have only to pause, to reflect, to know that this is a world of, shall we say, brothers, who work in unison for a common cause.  Again if we pause to reflect, we cannot help but recognize the Great Architect of the Universe who has given us our natural resources – He, who provides the sunshine and rain, and lends us the land and the sea and all therein. It is He who conceals the germ of life in the seed and causes the seed to grow  and bear fruit. It is we who benefit by his gifts of mercy.

I like to let my thoughts drift back to the time, three hundred seventeen years ago, when our Pilgrim forefathers set aside a day of Thanksgiving, to offer their thanks and gratitude for the mercies of Providence during the closing year. I think of the terrible hardships they endured – the crude living, lack of food and clothing, sickness, and all the other causes of dissatisfaction. Yet even though many ills beset them, they were duly thankful for blessings received. It is a lesson of perseverance, devotion, and graciousness, that the early colonists handed down to us. As we look around us today, we see, on every hand comforts that have been given us; making for us a more complete life. There is no possible way of comparing our conveniences with those of the Pilgrims – for they had none. Do we ever pause to consider our good fortune and give thanks for it? Are we to be less thankful than the pioneers who suffered every privation that we may, now, enjoy comfort? We can do no less than they – and in the doing – make the thanksgiving – sincere and devout.

Friends, it is tomorrow that we have been asked to make one of thanksgiving. Thankful, that our lives have been spared. Thankful for our homes and our nation. Thankful for the loved ones and our friends. Grateful for the gifts of Providence.

We have considered our personal benefits as a just cause for Thanksgiving. But, there are other benefits of a far reaching nature. We have very lately, passed through a period of uncertainty. We could almost hear the rumble of war machines – we could feel the tenseness in our land as the people waited in suspense, fearing that we would become embroiled in another war. At the same time, our sympathy went out to those in immediate danger, yet, our prayers were offered  and our hopes kindled that the world would not be engulfed in any grim, devastating calamity. We can be truly that great men humbled their pride, rather than sacrifice the lives of men. We would, surely, be ungrateful if we did not recognize this. We are in one great accord, and thankful, that those across the seas have not had to bargain their lives with the God of War.

For what can be more thankful, than peace in the hearts of men? Gentleness, sufferance and humility. A thanksgiving of joy that resounds around the world. Peace on earth, good will toward men. May its fruits multiply without end, that it may be a perpetual peace, and every day, a day of thanksgiving.

Each day, as the sun sets in the west, we will have received that for which we should be thankful. Let us be thankful. Let us prove to the world we are a nation of peace -and home loving. In our unity, let us set the example. For what, could we be more thankful – than a world of Peace?