It didn't take long for people in Llanview to decide that Todd pushed Marty down the stairs. With his past, it's certainly not out of the realm of possibility that he would do that to Marty, but in this instance, I believe he is innocent. Last week, I said Todd was innocent because he was the obvious suspect, but this week, Hannah's "testimony" all but guaranteed Todd's innocence.
Hannah's story doesn't make sense, given the space where the stairwell was located. It was too small for three people to all be there at the same time and not notice each other. Her story about running off and not returning until later doesn't work either. If Todd didn't see her, she wouldn't be too scared to get help for Marty. While anything is possible on a soap opera, I find it highly unlikely that Todd had anything to do with it. By the way, doesn't the hospital have security cameras?
I am not surprised that just about everyone believes Hannah without question. They don't know her, and as far as most people can tell, she doesn't have a reason to lie. However, I am hopeful that Starr will grill Hannah and find out what really happened. She is really the only person who would have a reason to suspect Hannah's motives. I think it would be an interesting development if Starr were the one to save her father from being convicted of something he didn't do. Starr has been the victim of Todd's misdeeds in the past, so the fact that she would try to prove her father's innocence would be in interesting twist in Todd and Starr's story!
Someone e-mailed me last week and said it was obvious that Hannah pushed Marty. While I wasn't convinced of that last week, it makes a lot of sense this week. She knew that implicating Todd in pushing Marty would drive a wedge between Starr and Cole, and so far it has worked. Hannah is still a question mark in many ways, but I can see her being a crazy, obsessed woman who would do anything possible to get what she wants.
As for Cole, I can understand that he felt compelled to attack Todd. However, it's not acceptable that he went through with it. I hope Cole faces consequences for having such an uncontrollable temper. John and Marty seem determined to let Cole squeak by, but he can't just beat up anyone that he hates.
I know some people were appalled at Dorian's gleeful reaction to hearing about Todd, but since Dorian and Todd have a long history of hating each other, I didn't find it to be off. I did, however, think she should have gone to the hospital to support Starr. Sending her love with someone else isn't the level of care she usually gives "her girls."
I enjoyed Téa and Blair's scenes earlier in the week, as they discussed Dani's situation and Todd possibly being guilty of pushing Marty. I wish we could see more interactions like this between these two women. They make great enemies, but they have the potential make great allies too. It's interesting that both of them think that Todd might be guilty but reacted in different ways. Blair threatened Todd, while Téa assumed her usual role of being Todd's lawyer, regardless of how she feels about what he might have done. Téa and Blair will never be best friends, but I think they could help each other out when it comes to situations with Todd.
I also liked the interaction between Viki and Dani. I am glad they finally met because Dani needs someone to talk to that isn't Téa. Viki did a good job of explaining why she and Téa will never give up on Todd, and since Dani is grappling with understanding Todd as both a father and as a person, she needs to hear Viki's perspective.
I also liked the episode that was mostly about friendships. We saw Marty visit Nora, Rex visit Bo, and Gigi visit Viki. All of these are examples of good friendships that are hardly ever seen. It was nice to watch all of them confide in each other about their lives. I realize that friendly conversations don't usually create a lot of conflict and drama but they are good to see anyway!
However, it wasn't good to see Natalie visit Marty or John. Once again, she didn't understand that both Marty and John needed space instead of confrontation. She went to try to make amends with Marty and then tell John that he owes her an apology. Marty was right to tell Natalie that not everything is about her. Natalie can't make someone else's miscarriage all about her own friendship with John. Perhaps approaching Marty about the subject after some time has passed would be reasonable, but she just couldn't wait. I don't know what she expected Marty to say, but Marty reacted the way I expected. She just wanted to be left alone.
As for John, it seemed like he apologized just to end the discussion. I don't blame him; Natalie hasn't left him alone since Marty had the miscarriage. I hope that Natalie will give John space now that she got what she wanted from him, but I doubt she will. I really wish the writers had made Natalie mourn Jared a little longer instead of pushing her into this story with John and Marty. It hasn't made Natalie look good, and it doesn't make me want a reunion between John and Natalie.
Rehearsals for the musical are underway, and while I am not excited about seeing the musical itself, I am glad that it led to Destiny seeing Ford and Langston in a compromising position. Destiny has decided to keep what she saw a secret in light of what happened to Todd, but the more people that know Langston is cheating on Markko, the sooner he will find out. It's hard to believe that Markko hasn't already caught Langston, so I hope he learns the truth in the near future.
Finally, I am glad that Dorian is finally taking an interest in Kelly's investigation in Melinda's death. Dorian has been busy with her mayoral responsibilities, but it's unlike her to not be involved with the Cramer women's lives! I wish Kelly had listened to Dorian's warning about her safety. While Dorian tends to be too overprotective, she has a point that someone could try to harm Kelly. Interestingly, Kelly seemed to think it was comforting to believe that she'd already be dead if that were true. I am sure that made Dorian feel MUCH better. I am glad that I don't have to rely on Kelly for reassurance!
Until next time,
Dawn
