The second, aborted wedding isn’t a favorite among S&K fans, and I can understand why. It is thrown together hastily, Mary Beth Evans is eleventy months pregnant, Kayla is keeping a secret from Steve (that tape of her and Marina fighting), and the ceremony is interrupted when Kayla gets arrested. It is a far cry from the Big Payoff Supercouple Event that their first wedding was.
There are, however, some consolations, like Steve’s morning-of-the-wedding outfit:
Mmmmm.
Rewinding a bit, I also really like this scene from the day before the wedding. Given that the real wedding isn’t going to come off, I’m glad the show gives us this moment. It’s especially nice, after Marina, to hear Steve say that he learned more about love from being married to Kayla for one day than he ever knew before. It shows, not that Steve never loved Marina (or Britta) but that the love he has with Kayla is so much deeper and more meaningful:
And putting couple expectations aside, I do think this wedding is pretty damn good soapy drama. It may not be a Supercouple Event but it is an Event nonetheless. I love the way the show ties together the threads of everyone else’s plots. In addition to the yummy scene above, we get this moment for Jack and Jen:
When she says that she’s trying to picture him as Steve’s best man, I get the feeling she’s trying to recapture the moment they had a few days ago, when he confided in her. And I really like how it works, but only to a point. He acknowledges that it’s pretty unbelievable and lets her see how much it means to him again. But when she pushes further by hinting she’d like to see him in his tux, he pulls back. That makes her mad and she starts throwing shoes.
Then of course the classic soap wedding fantasy sequence, and poor Jen trying to follow the “script” from the fantasy afterwards and having it all blow up in her face (again).
There’s another great Jack and Steve scene when the best man arrives:
All the wonderful nervousness and awkwardness is still there in full force. They both have their defenses up, afraid to show what it means to both of them. (Stephen and Matt really do play the “best man” thing so well! It makes me feel churlish to say it’s a step too far.) Then when Victor arrives, suddenly the Johnson boys are on the same side. I especially love the visual of the two of them blocking the door together, presenting a united front. And then Jack gets to play the big brother role for once when he holds Steve back from attacking Victor. I love his explanatory aside just before he closes the door: “Nervous groom.” Hee!
And, in addition to these scenes I’ve posted, the show uses the wedding to draw Justin closer to Adrienne and Shane closer to Kim (both couples are currently estranged), by having the men accompany the women to the wedding. And for soapy suspense, intercut with all of the above we get Roman listening to the tape of Kayla and Marina, which Victor has sent to him anonymously. First Roman, and then Abe, have to decide if they are going to rush right over to question Kayla, or wait until after the wedding. Victor too seems to have something up his sleeve, smiling with satisfaction and saying he’s going to a wedding today. We also see Kayla eying her reflection nervously as she waits to walk down the aisle. Will Abe or Roman arrest Kayla? What is Victor’s dastardly scheme? Will Kayla get cold feet and call the whole thing off?
Next time: more soapy drama with the wedding itself!
October 29, 2009 at 7:56 pm
Aww, the almost-wedding. It is not the most wonderful of times with all the worry and fear Kayla is going through, but it does have it’s moments. Steve’s outfit on the morning of the wedding definitely being one of them. Yum-E.
And, you’re right, even though it’s not the “big event,” it is still used in a wonderful way for many different characters. It’s a reminder of how Days never seemed to fail to take advantage of these kinds of moments and use them for as many people as possible.
And, for all the angst, it does provide some nice moments for Steve and Kayla. I love the moment where she is standing before the mirror before the wedding starts. It’s a totally non-verbal moment that conveys all of Kayla’s emotions — good and bad.
And I always laugh at the fact that not a single Horton made it to the wedding. They were half the crowd at the first one.
October 29, 2009 at 10:22 pm
I don’t think there is any part of the Steve and Kayla sl that I don’t love simply because of the actors. They are always such a joy to watch.
I loved Jennifer’s fantasy, something the show did so well back then. Nowadays it seems like crisis after crisis with no moments to reflect and enjoy the characters. Maybe that’s why I don’t watch anymore.
Love the way the Johnson boys play off of each other in the foyer. Neither one really too sure about this whole best man thing but both really wanting it this way.
Ahhhh, to good old Days.
October 29, 2009 at 10:34 pm
Hee, about the Hortons, esp. The show doesn’t try very hard to make sure all the “expected” guests are there. Kinda like their history of filling up the groomsmen and bridesmaids with whoever happens to be in the cast at the time.
I love Kayla in the mirror before the wedding, too.
Kathleen, I also love watching whatever SN and MBE bring to their story. I have to admit Kayla’s trial and everything (which I’m just finishing up watching) was pretty hard to get through, just because it’s all too much angst (and not the good angst either). Even so, there are always moments that SN and MBE make the most of.