As many of you celebrate Father's Day, I thought about all of the little things that make us closer to all of our family. Not the wealth, or material possessions, but the "little moments" that bring you together as a family - which make us who we are. These moments on GL have been some of my very favorites. And it's these little things that I really do miss about GL these days.
It seems these days that everything moves at a faster pace. People rarely have time to "stop and smell the roses" anymore. It seems that GL has forgotten these little moments as well.
Just taking a look at the stories that we have seen recently, everything is geared towards moving a story forward. But what I find myself missing the most is the little moments between friends and family that we all experience every day. I don't mean that we need to spend 20 minutes on talking about Cassie's new hairdo, but just more interaction with more of the cast. Not just the ones who are related to one another, but the whole cast. In looking at the spoilers this week, it appears that GL has done some of this. Bill, Danny and Rick aren't exactly bosom buddies, but they all love Michelle. This week they will all try to help her emerge from her coma.
It really hit me when Gus had to decide whether or not to arrest "Aunt Alex" that we very rarely see this family act like what my Dad so sarcastically called "the Brady Bunch" family, where life is tied up neatly in a 30 minute episode. We see the Spaulding's getting down and dirty - Phillip's interactions with his new bride Olivia come to mind. But when do we see the Spaulding's interact lovingly unless all the chips are on the line? The Spaulding family is an interesting look at an American family - and reminds me that some species actually eat their young!!
And for those few characters who have no family ties to Springfield, it seems like we are missing out on what makes them tick. It is no secret that I like Bradley Cole, and adored Prince Richard, despite the fact that San Cristobel really took time away from GL's Springfield roots. But his new character, Jeffrey O'Neil is an enigma. He has been on the canvas for over a year - and gets plenty of air time. But instead of getting to know the elusive Mr. O'Neil, he is almost like a butterfly, flitting about from story to story as a background character, about whom we know very little. I hope that GL fills in this missing piece of the puzzle soon.
Maybe, just maybe this whole Mob storyline is now over. There were some really strong performances, but I really would love to see some upbeat, positive stories this summer. Can't wait for the long anticipated Gus/Harley wedding and the Bauer bar-be-que in July. Summertime to me means fun times spent with family, and hopefully live at a somewhat slower pace (yeah, right!!).
As for me, I am heading west this week to Las Vegas. After settling on my Dad's house tomorrow (which will be very hard - his family bought this home in 1940, when he was just 7 years old) I am going to visit what I'm told is an alternate universe. I've never been to "Sin City" but since the conference I am going to is there, I'll get to take in the sites after hours. Mom, of course, is going with me. Don't worry about me hitting it big, I plan on going through one roll of quarters each day - I am such a big gambler ; ) Still, this will give me a chance to take part in one of my favorite pastimes - people watching. Like New York City, I'm sure Vegas is full of interesting characters. Now if I can figure out what time GL is on...
So farewell from sunny Maryland for now - I'll be coming to you from a much hotter Vegas next week. I think I'll have some access to email, so the updates should be available about the same time next week. I return on July 1st, so I'll have a few days to catch up on my viewing before another update on the 4th.
Until next week, have a Happy Father's Day.
Keep the Light Shining and Have a Great Week!
Kimberly
