AMC: Wednesday July 21, 2010

[R Sinclair]

The show put itself in a ridiculous mess by doing this. Without Hillary, this story is never going to be told properly. ABC/JHC needs to either take MEK up on his strong suggestion on bringing Carmen Thomas back, or recast the role so there could at least be a level playing field in terms of this whole story. All we have is Tad making all these decisions based on what Paul says. WHO THE HELL IS PAUL?! Tad's explaining away the possible reasons why Hillary kept this a secret, or why she isn't returning Tad's phone calls. But is that all? We're just supposed to take Tad's word for it? A man who hasn't seen hide nor hair of this woman in 20 years? He's just that in tune with her that he can tell what she's thinking and why?

It's just a very lopsided story. This adoption and Damon's acceptance of it all is just happening way too quickly. I feel it's smoke and mirrors writing. Kinda distract you from this, slide that in there and you won't notice this is missing.

[Khan]

Thanks, Eric, for the clarification re: adult adoptions.

You know, there could be a reason why Hillary has strangely been out of the picture this whole time and why she comes across as a "passive villain" (tm SFK) in this particular story. I can't honestly believe Hillary would go along with not telling Damon about his biological dad for most of his life, unless...unless...there's something else about Damon's conception she can't, or won't, talk about. ;-)

True. It's only natural for someone such as Tad to feel that way...at first. There must come a certain point, however, when you have to realize that we only play the cards we're dealt in life. If Tad had known sooner about Damon's existence, yes, he would have intervened, no matter the cost to his own life. But if Damon turns out to be like GL's Jonathan or Kimberley on RYAN'S HOPE and holds that over Tad's head whenever he doesn't get his way, then I would hope Tad knows enough to draw the proverbial line.

[Khan]

"Word" to all of that, R! As I've said before, I suspect Damon-is-Tad's-son was another one of Chuck Pratt's half-baked ideas before running out the door. Lorraine Broderick did her best to salvage the idea (although, Lord knows why) by tying him (Damon) to Hillary; however, the fact is, everything that's transpired since the initial twist has been done to conceal or obscure a basic fact: no one, probably not even Pratt himself, knew how to explain making Damon Tad's long-lost son (because, of course, Tad's "missing years" as Ted Orsini just never happened, right?).