AMC: Tuesday April 20, 2010

[Jonathan]

It didn't help that they crammed everything into one episode. But I give the show props for paying tribute to James Mitchell.

[ChitHappens]

Wow! Thought I was the only one who was not feeling it. The flashbacks salvaged the eppy, and there were too few of those. I hurried home to see this eppy (something I never do), and I was disappointed. I have to stop reading the boards because the posts led to my high expectations. There should have been more guest appearances, and we should have been spared Jake. We could have done w/o KWAK as well. Glad they fit Angie in there, and I agree that Tad's house was not the place. They could hardly fit the characters in that dull ass house.

And I was not fooled by Kendull's tears (another character we could have done without today). She was not weeping for Palmer. She's upset that she actually has to stay and work on her marriage. If it needs this much work, perhaps it's time to let go (not that Kendull should return to PV). Zach is fighting a losing battle because he only has 1 penis, and that is a problem for Kendull. She needs a spare. Heifer will be climbing the walls in no time!

ANDREA

[ghfan89]

My favorite part was when they had "Hayley" send footage from the anniversary special and showed it. Obviously left over footage, but it was nice that the producers showed it, as it was JM's last taped stuff. Though it was also sad because you could tell how sick he was and had trouble breathing and saying his lines.

I do agree with those who say they were disappointed in that it seemed like everyone just kept saying how much they missed Palmer over and over. There could've been some guilt there, especially those who hadn't seen him in awhile.

[Jonathan]

Krystal completely out of place. I barely remembered that her and Palmer interacted.

[SFK]

I agree with some of the criticisms, but I am a sucker for anything remotely nostalgic or sentimental when it comes to AMC, so I truly enjoyed the hour ("Palm Valley gathers to mourn the loss of Palmer" so says my digital cable guide ). Daisy (who I kept imagining as present day Viki on OLTL) and Nina really sold it for me though, just seeing those two again earned the episode my thumbs up.

I agree that Krystal was oddly more prominent than other characters (for a *split* second I thought that delivery boy from the Valley Inn was recast Petey ), and that J.R. should have been there. I saw the Dixie thing coming and it still gave me a huge lump in my throat (as did Erica and her gorgeous veneers' line about Myrtle and Mona, Brooke's about Phoebe... all of our vets ). But I thought maybe CM came in later to do that bit as her heaven hair looked flatter and almost wig-like. And as crazy as it sounds I had to remind myself of the J.R. connection when you all made an issue of it because to this day it's still little blond curly-headed Junior I immediately think of on the subject of Dixie's boy. Speaking of, are people on this show allergic to the words "sons" and "daughters"? It's always "my boys", "my girls", you know, it's okay to switch it up every now and then AMC.

But all in all, a pretty lovely episode. I guess Daisy and Nina meeting in a park was nicer than a hotel room, but that felt a little off to me. Those flashbacks of Palmer and Adam were my absolute favorites. Actually, the show could have afforded a couple more flashbacks in lieu of repetitious lines folks like Krystal and Angie got. I appreciated the Ross throwaway and hoped Daisy would get a Langley-esque throwaway about the late Myra and Sloan. I miss GS, I want to see more of her. Wish we could have spent two days celebrating PC's life.

And not a Ryan to be found.

[alexisfan07]

Can someone explain something to me:

What years were Palmer and Opal married? And was Daisy's revelation an implication that he was cheating on Opal once a year during that time or did the arrangements start after the wedding ended?

[Adam]

I believe Palmer and Opal married in 1989/1990..... the "arrangement" was made sometime before that....

Opal and Palmer divorced in 1999 when Palmer married Vanessa Bennett (David and Leo's gold-digging/psychotic mother)

Whether the arrangement was suspended during the time Opal and Palmer were married is anyone's guess, but the show definitely implied it had been going on in recent years.

[alexisfan07]

I sure hope it was suspended for the legitimacy of Palmer and Opal's love story...lol

[DRW50]

I thought the episode was very good, overall. I didn't mind Krystal being there because she didn't have much to do anyway. I wished Angie had had a flashback of Palmer. I was annoyed at seeing greasy Jake and his crude "joke" about Palmer, but then I realized he was probably there for Joe.

I got choked up a few times, especially when Erica said she couldn't deal with this. The tribute to Myrtle, Phoebe, Mona, and Palmer at the end was touching but Erica's comment really communicated how I felt, and perhaps how the actors felt about these losses.

I liked that they showed the good and bad of Palmer, no attempts to make him what he wasn't. I thought the flashbacks were well-chosen.

I didn't mind Kendall's presence. I do think that they could have cut down the scene where she talked about Zach and the boys. I would have rather seen a flashback -- I would have liked something from the time she worked as Petey's nanny. Didn't she have that job for a while?

There was no excuse for Petey not being there, but oh well.

I liked that we got to see so many strong female characters interact and support each other. I was very pleased that there was no slapping or hissing or anything between Opal and Daisy. In a genre that has become so overburdened with, "____ is the love of ____'s life. No, really, we mean it this time!" it was refreshing.

Now, one issue I did have is that I don't believe Palmer would have decided he loved Opal so much that he wanted to be with her again. I think that he did love Opal but he didn't want to live with her anymore or be married to her and very little over the years told me he'd changed his mind. Is it wrong that I convinced myself Daisy told Opal this little white lie just to make Opal feel good?

Anyway, superb work from Gillian Spencer, Taylor Miller, and Jill Larson. Everyone was great, but for me they were the heart of the episode. Everything with them just felt effortless.

I was also touched by Adam's reaction and his scenes with Brooke, and while I agree that his reaction could have had more buildup, I'm glad they used this to affect Adam and his relationship with Brooke.

I really liked that last scene of the front window of Tad's house. It reminded me of some of the old, special episodes, like the 20th anniversary that had Phoebe, Mona, Erica, Ruth, and Joe in the Martin home, and you saw them through the window.

[JackPeyton]

LOL! Exactly.

[AMCFan2]

I cried from the moment Daisy found out and said, "Not P.C." I loved GS/JM as a couple. I always thought Nina was a wimp and my opinion hasn't changed. Hopefully she won't be returning anytime soon.

I thought it was well done and the Dixie ending had me sobbing. I thought the actors did a great job except for KWAK who did NOT BELONG THERE!

Best of all was NO Ryan, Greenlee, or David, who I was sure would be forced upon us, claiming they knew Palmer best

[JackPeyton]

They were not needed because hey had kendell, who is the equivalent to Ryan, Greenlee & David combined.

[DRW50]

Yeah, I know AMC has always shied on showing Ryan or Greenlee if Kendall is around

If the characters had relationships with Palmer I wouldn't mind if they were in the memorial episode. I wasn't at all bothered that Ryan and Greenlee were in Myrtle's memorial episode, since Ryan and Myrtle were at one time fairly close. That's why I didn't mind Kendall in this episode. I just didn't care about hearing about Zach and all that.

[Steve]

Near the beginning, Adam told Brooke he'd need to inform Ross and didn't know how.

When everyone first gathered at Tad's, Daisy said that Nina would be flying in from Chicago for the memorial.

[marceline]

Oh Gawd. What was I thinking watching this at work? My coworkers think I'm having a fit.

Not perfect but damn good.

I know I keep saying this but I love Taylor Miller. She's as luminous now as she was all those years ago. I wish that there was a way CBS would've loaned Peter Bergman to us for a little while. Cliff's relationship with Palmer was so much like Adam's.

Every clip of Adam and Palmer just highlighted for me how far this genre has fallen in terms of acting, character and story. JM and DC owned the screen in every shot.

I wish we could've gotten a call from Bianca. IIRC, Palmer was very supportive of her when she came out. Normally Kendall works my nerves but AM did a good job.

Krystal is pointless. How many times did we have to hear that he was a good kisser? Shut up, ho and go fry some chicken.

Tad seemed awfully jovial for a guy who was basically hosting a wake for his stepfather. He did everything but suggest they start playing a game of charades.

Is there some reason we couldn't get an Angie/Palmer clip?

I loved Erica's line, "You, Myrtle, Mona, heaven is in for quite a time."