I’m off on a business trip tomorrow morning, so I won’t offer much commentary, but as promised, here is the wedding itself:
And the aftermath:
A few points:
I love the end-of-the-episode suspense Kayla appearing at the end of the aisle, with Abe hovering in the background, as the wedding begins. Just a good old-fashioned soapy cliffhanger.
After the wedding has fallen apart and the truth comes out about the “new evidence” linking Kayla to Marina’s death, I love the way Steve stares at Kayla will so much meaning as he says “you have nothing to be sorry for.” Stephen gives that line an extra intensity, meaning, “I don’t care if you killed her.”
Mary Beth Evans breaks my heart with her reading of the line “there isn’t going to be a wedding today.”
Steve and Kayla’s heart to heart upstairs is wonderful, and the closest we’ve gotten so far to an actual hash-it-out scene regarding Marina. (It deserves more analysis than I have time for right now.) Mary Beth has shown in her performance (even though the dialogue didn’t really convey it) that Kayla was afraid of Steve’s reaction to learning she might have killed Marina. That’s wonderful because it helps explain why Kayla was keeping the tape a secret. Also, it connects to a tiny element of doubt for Kayla with how this whole triangle turned out. Did she “win” over Marina just because Marina died? Steve’s reaction here lays it to rest, when his primary concern is helping Kayla, not figuring out what happened to Marina. He reassures Kayla that she wouldn’t leave someone to die, but there’s also the strong implication that he doesn’t really care either way. It ties up that loose end very nicely.
November 5, 2009 at 12:30 am
It does resolve the Marina thing nicely, and shows that sometimes, you can get more mileage out of fully committing to a couple. The writers here weren’t worried about leaving the door open for Marina and Steve to hook up again, should she be reanimated sometime in the future, or retroactively trying to shore up the part of the story where Steve may have been truly torn.
I loved Steve saying, “Of course you’re innocent,” like he’s not just talking about the crime, but also about the way he still sees her as a person. Also loved Steve blowing up at Jack’s sincere, “I’m sorry.” Whatever else was going on, they always found their moment.
November 7, 2009 at 6:59 am
Excellent point about how the writers in this case weren’t worried about leaving an “out” for Steve and Marina (Sarina?) in the future. It shows how much soaps have changed.
I love that moment with Jack and Steve, the way Steve blows up and then regroups and makes it clear he wasn’t being fair. It shows both the progress they’ve made and the distance still between them.
(Obviously, I’m back from my trip now—sorry to take so long to respond!)
November 8, 2009 at 2:57 pm
I do love the aftermath of the almost-wedding. As you say, it wraps up most of the Marina issues in a nice way, with Steve being All.About.Kayla and not particularly caring whether she killed Marina or not, except to the extent Kayla is facing trouble for whatever happened. I always feel like Stephen puts a nice layer to all of this that comes across as showing that Steve feels that even if Kayla did kill Marina, it’s really his fault for letting things get so out of hand in the first place. In his mind, she’s blameless no matter what.
I also love that it puts to rest Kayla’s fear that she and Steve reconciled only because Marina died. I love that the entire little arc of that plays out entirely in subtext through the performances of MBE and SN. And it’s wonderful to see Steve trying to be so supportive despite being upset that Kayla didn’t tell him what was going on (finding out that being on the outside of a secret isn’t so much fun).
Jack’s participation in all of this is great too. I love his simple expression of faith before he leaves the house. I also like his conversation with Jo, to the extent he shows his frustration with everything going wrong before pulling himself back together and going off to try to help yet again.
Then we have my favorite, if most painful, part. The bit at the station as Kayla is arrested when she gives her ring back to Steve is heartbreaking. And Steve’s breakdown when Jack arrives is one of SN’s best moments, IMO. Just the way he says “I need my wife and baby” kills me. And I love that Jack is there for him, offering aid and whatever comfort he can. It’s a bit awkward (as it should be) but still wonderful.
November 9, 2009 at 6:35 am
Hee, I was in such a hurry posting the above clips, that I didn’t even realize the scenes at the police station were included. (Now I can’t use those scenes in a separate post, darn it!)
I really do love that moment with Steve and Jack. After Steve has been holding it together for Kayla’s sake, he just can’t help breaking down after she is taken away. It’s so perfect that it’s Jack who is there, because it adds a layer of complication to it all. First Steve turning away because he doesn’t want Jack to see him this way, and then the way he snaps at him when he tries to say he’s sorry. And Jack wanting to help but saying the wrong things, until he hits on the simple offer of a ride home. And I love SN’s “I need my wife and baby” as well. Just a wonderful scene.