Me again!

Brandon Beemer made his debut as Shawn this past week, and he seems to have slipped effortlessly in to the role.

Yes folks...it's me again. Melissa is busy this weekend so you guys are saddled with my ramblings for a second week in a row. But never fear...she will be back next week.

Correction: OOPSY - MY BAD. Last week I mentioned the name of the actor who had replaced Jason Cook in the role of Shawn Douglas Brady. Unfortunately - I got his first name wrong. The actor's name is Brandon Beemer (not Brian). My sincerest apologies to the actor.

Speaking of him; Brandon Beemer made his debut as Shawn this week and I gotta say...I like him. I think the actor has slipped effortlessly in to the role of Shawn. Sure, he looks older than the character should be, but I think it works with MM's Belle - and I saw some definite sparks between them. They seem more believable together than Jason and Martha did; which I guess is a good thing if the two characters are going to get back together. Though it will take me some more time to relate Nu-Shawn to Bo and Hope, just the few minutes we saw of them together in the hospital was a bit strange to me. I guess that it will probably take a few weeks to adjust to seeing a "new" face in an "old" role.

That being said, though the storyline itself might be annoying to some; at least it is moving along quickly. Shawn not only knows that he is the father of Claire, he has all ready served Belle and Philip with papers in the intention of suing for custody rights. Philip is freaking out all over the place, Belle is suffering frequent bouts of pain (more on that later) and Mimi is pouting and sighing and feeling sorry for herself. But she's going to be feeling much sorrier very soon because Shawn overheard her on the baby monitor talking to Bonnie about her earlier knowledge of Claire's paternity. Judging by the previews and spoilers, that marriage will soon be over as a result. Remember Shawn's big deal about trusting each other and not lying? Well, that's about to be thrown in Mimi's face. Not that she doesn't deserve it. Quite frankly; I'm just glad that it's over. I have been waiting for this piece of the puzzle to drop in to place for too long. Now it's done and we can move forward with the eventual demise of Shimi's marriage. Hey I just realized something...No more Red Herrings!!! If Reilly had written this story; he would have made it seem like Shawn had heard but then in actuality, it would have ended up being something stupid like Shawn couldn't hear anything because Claire was crying too loud. But not so anymore... Shawn did hear Mimi talking over the baby monitor and the deal is done. It's sad, but the writing is on the wall for these two and in a lot of ways; it always has been.

I am glad that the writers are starting to involve the characters in each other's storylines again. It's been great to have Bo and Hope included in the storyline of Claire's paternity and the ensuing battle over custody. They, more than anyone, know what it is like to find out that the child you are caring for is not actually yours, and they definitely know how it feels to have that child taken from you. And the fact that Philip is Bo's brother only serves to pull them even further in to the storyline. And it's wonderful to see them doing something other than fight for a change. I like that they are drawing on their own experiences with JT and dealing with Philip in a loving way. I was also glad that Phil allowed Bo and Hope free access to Claire; they are going to make wonderful grandparents. But...shouldn't that have been a wake up call to Philip? Despite how much he wants to keep Claire from being a Brady - she is a Brady. And always will be now that she had grandparents (and soon other members of the Brady family) who will want to see her and be a part of her life. Of course Shawn is jumping the gun with the court case but if Phil really wants to keep his family intact, he'd do better not to fight the inevitable.

Spoiler Alert...Spoiler Alert! If you don't want to know; skip to the next paragraph: Shawn overhears Mimi admit that she always knew that Claire was his (which we just saw at the end of Friday's show). He's very upset, tells Mimi that he never should have trusted her and that their marriage is over. Shawn gets drunk and makes friends with a hooker named Willow. Meanwhile, Belle is still in the hospital dealing with a miscarriage scare. Her condition gets worse and she begs Philip that if it comes down to her or the baby, she wants him to choose the baby. She falls unconscious and when Philip's given the choice, he goes against her wishes, picks her and the pregnancy is terminated! Shawn takes the news hard, but feels the right choice was made. Belle is devastated. Yikes! From what I've heard; Shawn will apparently go completely off the deep end - what with discovering Mimi's betrayal and then losing his child with Belle. Okay I'm excited! This is exactly what we've been asking to have happen for a while now - Something exciting and unpredictable! And that is definitely what we now have. The fit is going to hit the shan for the foursome as the truth about Claire's paternity is bound to tear marriages and friendships apart. Philip is becoming more and more a Kiriakis every day and we can only guess what he will do to keep his family together; Belle will have to deal with the fact that her husband terminates her pregnancy against her wishes and also deal with her feelings for Shawn now that they share Claire as their child; Mimi's marriage is doomed and yet she also has a child on the way (that we never hear about); and Shawn will end up spiraling out of control. I don't know about you guys, but it sounds like something finally worth watching to me!

I've read that Kyle Brandt taped his final scenes on Sept. 20th. That means that we probably won't see him past the middle of October. As far as his recast, I've read that Sheffer definitely intends to recast Philip because he sees the role as vital. "Victor Kiriakis (John Aniston) can no longer be the big swinging [honcho] of that family anymore," he insists. "It's gotta be Philip, the next generation. He's gotta be the new Victor." What's most important to Sheffer is restoring the integrity of Philip, whom he feels has been dumbed down like most of the men in Salem. HS feels that there has been a lot of disrespect involved with the writing of Philip - specifically in regards to the fact that he is missing a leg. Hogan said, "He doesn't even limp! If you're going to do something like that, you've got to treat it with some kind of respect. I don't see Philip carrying much of a burden from what happened to him". Apparently, Days has approached Jay Kenneth Johnson - the actor who previously played Philip - about reprising the role. I always liked JKJ in the role so I'll keep my fingers crossed that he's available and interested. The storyline for the 'other' foursome (Sami/Lucas/Carrie/Austin) has also been jam-packed with action this week. Lucas, and now Sami, have found out the truth about Carrie and Austin and the fireworks have been fantastic. Personally, I loved that Lucas wanted to protect and support Sami and that he practically took Austin's head off for wanting to do the same. And then Will returned home - not a victim of kidnapping after all but rather a few nights spent as a runaway on the streets of Chicago. The upshot of Will's stunt was that Lucas decided to move in to Sami's apartment in an effort to give Will more parental stability. This would all be hunky-dory except for the fact that EJ is now offering to help Kate keep the lovable 'Lumi' apart. ARG! Foiled again! Seriously though...who is EJ Wells and what is his obsession with Sami??

Despite the fact that I find Carrie and Austin annoying now - at least their dialogue has been very rewarding. Throughout the fiasco this week that has been the public outing of Carrie's resumed love affair with Austin - she has acknowledged all that we fans have been saying. She came down very hard on herself and agreed that she may have issues with fidelity and honesty. She expressed dismay in her own actions and said that she's not even sure who she is anymore. I liked it and I was impressed to hear her say it. Both her conversations with Austin in the pub after they were "caught" and her conversations with Roman at the station were worth mentioning and I thought the writers did an excellent job of having the character acknowledge and come to terms with all the stupid stuff she's done over the past few years. The only problem is that though I know she made all her own choices, it's hard in some ways to watch her beat herself up knowing that it was Sami who put her in to each situation that forced her to make those choices - and that includes Carrie's affair with Mike.

I wanted to let you guys know that I am typing this column with one finger down my throat...yes, it is difficult and time consuming but I haven't been able to remove the finger since I saw the scene where Bo APOLOGIZED to Chelsea and then told her that he was PROUD of her. GAG ME. Don't even get me started on his excessively easy treatment of Billie after discovering her duplicitous part in his break up with Hope. Okay so he wasn't all happy-happy-joy-joy about it but sheesh - a little bit of snap and snarl at Billie for getting naked and deliberately making it seem as if they had slept together would not have been unwarranted. All I can say is that Bo is a better person than Billie and Chelsea. No surprise there...I wonder who isn't sometimes. In the meantime...I'll keep my finger firmly planted down my throat ('course you know this does get some strange looks on the commuter train) and keep the fingers on my other hand firmly crossed that Bo will not go back to the dark side again.

Max and Stephanie - EWWW! Okay...well...I like Max with Stephanie a lot more than with Chelsea BUT can't he find a girl that he is not related to? I know they share no blood ties but come on! Where is Abby? Shouldn't she be hanging around the shop or something? I'm not sure if I like Max with Abby either but at least he's not related to her!

Steve and Billie - EWWWW! I like Billie on her own and I like Steve on his own (and with Kayla) but I do not like Steve with Billie. They have no spark romantically. They would make great friends - but not lovers. Please no. Billie was only supposed to be a temporary dip in the road of his return to Kayla, but now he's talking about a divorce? The storyline has been simmering just a bit too long and needs to be moved to the front burner so that we can get down to the business of the mystery behind Steve's lost memory.

Oh...so Marlena IS missing! Speaking of realism (were we?) Roman mentioned that he would go to New Jersey to look for Marlena himself but he has no jurisdiction. It's about time he admitted that he wasn't some kind of omnipotent cop. And then John said that he'd catch "the first available flight" to New Jersey. John is flying commercial? What happened to the private jet that he has at his beck and call, ready to fly him anywhere in the world in 15 minutes flat? Hmmm...must be that realism creeping steadily back in. Works for me. Next question: Where the heck is Marlena and who has her now?

Another Spoiler Alert...Another Spoiler Alert... It will be revealed this fall that E.J. is a member of the DiMera clan and that he's also the Gloved One who's been skulking around Salem manipulating events and setting people up. I've heard rumors of a huge surprise about 'who' EJ is, how he's connected to the DiMeras and what he's been doing in Salem. I've read that Sheffer has said that EJ is not Benjy (Stefano's long-lost Native American son; Benjy Hawk) but that he does plan to bring Benjy back to Salem around the end of October. It seems that Benjy will be pivotal in what's happening in the months to come. Could it be that EJ and Benjy are working in conjunction to carry out Stefano's plans? I'll buy that twist, however, if that does come to pass...I still want to know the reason why every DiMera has it in for the Bradys. And it had better be a darn good reason!

Reader Feedback: Thanks to everyone who wrote in! I love reading your comments and feedback about the show and this column - so keep them coming! And thanks to all the sharp-eyed readers who sent in corrections from my previous column!

From Connie:"Pamela, I'm glad you enjoyed the Jack/Jennifer sendoff. I did, too. Soaps aren't supposed to be realistic all the time. I look at it as a novel and enjoy the comedy and the far-out messes they get into. I like the realism to be about the computers, the hospital staff (no nurse would EVER kowtow to the Chief of Staff's wife as they used to do to Nancy Wesley). Enjoy your column. Connie"

From Sheni:"In your column this week you talked about jack and Jennifer's exit week which I did enjoy. I just wanted to correct you on one thing. At the farewell party Jennifer did talk to hope and apologize for Patrick stating that when she and jack saw his name on the list they could not believe it. Hope was still in disbelief but then Jennifer asked her hoe do you explain the gun being registered in his name. So you see they brought the story together quickly and more thorough than you thought. Anyway I love the column, your doing a great job. P.S. I am sad to see Shawn go. It is so great watching a hot guy who can act. Day's lifer...."

From Crystal Glass:"Very good commentary but I disagree on the subject of Bo and Hope. I am a Bo and Hope fan but I disagree people have given up on them, just because of Reilly. I think people have given up because they are so used to easy things happening for them, when a something serious and not so predictable took place, fans could not deal with it. Children are hit by cars every day, not always by people they know, but it happens. A real life-altering event happened to Bo and Hope and it is real drama. Yes, the emails, the motel, and the disk were all unnecessary, but a marriage falling apart because of a child's death is very real. Bo and Hope should not be back together just to be back together because there is a bigger issue here and it is not Hope being pregnant, nor is it Hope sleeping with Patrick. The issue is, Bo gave Chelsea the keys to his vehicle, she killed Zack, and Bo lied about it. Bo broke a trust that he needs to get back from his wife. I am confused why fans are ready to give up on Bo and Hope this time when Reilly has screwed them over MUCH worse than this. Reilly screwed over this couple when Bo chose Billie over Hope , on THEIR boat, in 1995. That's when Reilly screwed them over. People blaming Hope turning to Patrick when she filed for divorce makes no sense to me. I watched the Reilly years, unfortunately, up until now and Bo chose Chelsea and Billie over Hope and Zack, which has been a problem since Reilly started. Bo putting another woman ahead of Hope. I am a Bo and Hope fan and I was tired of it before and I am tired of it now. Bo and Hope can easily be restored if what needs to be restored if properly dealt with. What needs to be restored is Bo putting Billie on Hope's level, Bo taking Hope for granted for years and years, and Bo recommitting himself to Hope and their marriage. Billie outing herself doesn't give her props or a free pass to go. Billie has been Bo and Hope's problem. Zack is dead because of Bo's child with Billie. And then Billie protected them over being truthful to his wife. This is Bo and Hope's problem. Zack, unfortunately, had to die for Hope to have enough of Bo choosing others over her and his family. Bo and Hope having lost interest to me. I want to see the real issues dealt with. I think people are afraid of this story because this is the first time, Bo and Hope have had a real challenge, and this is one challenge that shouldn't be swept under the rug for the sake of putting them back together. As a fan, I want to see Bo and Hope beat the odds and prove they are the ultimate Super Couple. That's the purpose of fighting to the end."

From Alaina Newhall:"Hi Pamela, Just wanted to know I agree 100% with what you have to say about Bo and Hope and the destruction that's been done to them by Reilly. Wanted to also let you know that the fan base has banded together and formed a writing campaign to let Hogan know that we want the couple restored and are also expecting a huge payoff at the end of this. Here is a link to our site: http://www.geocities.com/alaina_newhall/index.htm We just launched it at the beginning of the month and have already been getting tons of hits. Hopefully the campaign will be a success. Thanks, Alaina Newhall"

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