In daytime, my favorite finale is probably Another World. It ended with a wedding, giving the entire cast a reason to be together for some final scenes and, in a way, celebrate its achievement with the audience. I'd like to see the same for As the World Turns. Closing the door on 54 years of ongoing drama in the Hughes, Snyder, and Stewart families is an overwhelming task that most assuredly won't please everyone. But, here's what I'd like to see transpire before Oakdale goes dark forever.
I can't think of a better reason for familiar faces to come home and for all our favorite characters to congregate for a few days than a memorial for beloved Hughes matriarch, Nancy Hughes. Days of our Lives did a fabulous job of reuniting old cast members for several days when Grandma Alice Horton died, and I hope As the World Turns does the same. I've lost count of the number of e-mails I've received from fans asking me if the show was planning a tribute for the passing of Helen Wagner. According to Soap Central's own Dan Kroll, ATWT isn't commenting, so if they have something planned, we don't know about it yet. Wagner was a fan favorite for years, and served as wise counsel for several characters even during this, her final year. Let's show her some respect and love.
Bringing back familiar faces is key to a great finale, too. So far, the show is doing well in this area. We've seen Will and Gwen return home, and coming soon are Lucy, Sierra, and John. (Please give him a scene with Dusty!) I wouldn't mind seeing Abigail, Adam, and Simon in the mix before the curtain closes, too.
And how can an epic end without concluding its love stories? It can't. I want to see some long-suffering characters find happiness: specifically Jack and Carly. They've finally recognized their differences, said it out loud, and now need to accept one another and the fact that there will never be anyone else for these two. I also adore happy Paul. He's fun and charming. Neither he nor Emily has had a smooth ride on the road of love, so I hope it's happy cruising for these two, with the promise of plenty of family dinners with Barbara in the future, just to keep things interesting.
I don't necessarily want every storyline to have a neat, tidy ending. Is that wrong? I'm sorry, but life doesn't work that way, so how about having some hints that relationships could be rekindled or that something may be beginning. I can see potential for Parker and Faith, Janet and Dusty, Luke and Reid, and (ducking to avoid contact) Lily and Craig. Sorry, Scoopers, but their scenes in that New York hotel room were setting off my fire alarm this week. Plus, the thought of how Lucinda would react to a Craig/Lily pairing has me giddy.
As for unfinished business, there is plenty of it. Old lovers Holden and Molly should get their wedding, with daughter Abigail by their side, but I'm sure Holden will always have one eye looking Lily's way and vice versa. This is a soap, after all, and we shouldn't have a totally drama-free ending! I'd like to see Alison single and focused on her career, but with the hint of a possible someday reconciliation with her first love, Chris. The Stewart/Snyder family strife always makes for great entertainment. Casey should stay single and on track for law school, and I'd love to see Adam reunited happily with his family, too.
With the recent turn of events, it looks like the Barbara and Henry coupling is now inevitable, so I should give up on the possibility of Henry and Katie ever taking that next step, which is what I had hoped would happen at the end of this show. Call me crazy, but after Katie and Henry's fight scene this week, when he admitted that he was always "half in love with her," I was hoping Katie would step up and say that she loved him, too, and that's why she was so against his relationship with Barbara. After watching that heart-wrenching fight scene between longtime best friends Henry and Katie, it was clear to me that the writers missed the boat on this one. It should have been a Katie/Henry/Barbara triangle, instead of Vienna. Vienna was fun, but Henry and Katie have history and a connection that few actors do.
So, if Henry ends up with Barbara, that leaves Vienna free to return to her high-rolling European ways. As for Katie, her first love was Simon, and I'm a sucker for history. So, I'd love to see him return as a legitimate businessman ready to settle down and give us a hint of a future reconciliation with Katie. Chris should take over for his father as chief of staff, and the Hughes men should do a little male bonding.
The happily ever afters shouldn't be overlooked either. Tom and Margo, and Kim and Bob, fit this category. Kim and Bob should take a cruise, and Margo and Tom should finally get some time together.
Here's what I don't want to see: a shocking explosive end with stunts. That's not what ATWT does, nor is it what is should do for its swan song. Leave the theatrics to General Hospital. ATWT should do what it's always done well: storytelling and family bonding. As most of you know, the first words spoken on this show were "Goodnight, dear" by Nancy. So, in the final scene, I'd love for either Kim or Bob to look at her picture and speak those final words and turn out the light, literally. It would be a powerful final scene and a fitting ending to a beautiful show.
Meanwhile:
• I agree with Kim. I think Bob has lost his marbles. Why would he offer the chief of staff job to Reid, who has the people skills of a piranha? I love Reid as a character, but I can't see him as a bureaucrat. Bob definitely needs to take some time off.
• Please, please, please just once, can Carly's business venture be a success? Her list of failures includes a real estate/interior design business with Simon; Monte Carlo fashions - twice; her nightclub, Metro; her designer vodka and vitamin water; and her own design label. This woman deserves a break, simply for not giving up!
• I'm enjoying the Reid and Luke scenes, but wow did their "relationship" happen fast. They were tossing the "r" word around a lot this week. Um, Luke, remember that you just got out of a relationship with Noah. Remember him?
• I love, love, love the Paul and Henry friendship. It's about time these two funny characters found some male companionship. The fact that Henry is sleeping with his brother's mother, though, still creeps me out a little.
• Kudos to Trent Dawson this week for his powerful scenes when Henry discovered that Vienna and Katie had duped him about Vienna's pregnancy. I've been waiting years for Henry to call Katie out on her friendship skills, or lack thereof. Bravo!
• For those of you who echoed my sentiments that the ATWT Emmy Tribute was cut too short, here is the link to the full tribute that did not air in its entirety. https://www.soapcentral.com/as-the-world-turns/news/2010/0706-emmytribute.php
• Thanks for all the e-mails this week voicing your opinions of the Daytime Emmy show. My mailbox hasn't been this full since last year when I criticized the Luke and Noah pairing!
• The Henry VIII scenes were hilarious this week. Bravo for the humor and for including such a large cast of characters in Barbara's fantasy.
Best Lines of the Week:
(Holden finds Craig and Lily together and quickly starts to defend Lily.)
Craig: "Relax, Holden. I'm here with good intentions."
Holden: "Somehow I doubt that, Craig."
(Luke offers to go with Reid to talk to Bob about getting Reid's job back.)
Reid: "I'm not a child. I'm perfectly capable of having a civil conversation with another human being."
Luke: "Since when?"
Reader Spotlight:
That's all for now Scoopers! See ya next time.
Jennifer Biller
