Part 2

by Stephen

Here's the much-later-than-I-expected-to-be-doing-it second half. AGain, it is 5 to 2 in the morning and I'm just starting the write-up. I REALLY planned not to leave it so late this time. Oh well, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Gail enters Lucas's house and wanders around generally poking her nose in Lucas's stuff. She then comes across a crib. As she pulls the cover off the top of the crib, very loud classical music starts, and the crib is seen to contain a bloodied doll. Caleb enters and says it belonged to his dead sister (was it the one she had when Judith was raped?) I love Caleb's line of 'do you like my choice of music? It's a classic' Anyway, Gail orders Caleb to go home, prompting him to reply that he is home. She tries to be nice to him (there's a first!) and says that she wants to be with him. Caleb crudely alludes to 'being with' as in her and Lucas. She is clearly shocked by his vicious behaviour (SURELY she's seen his decent into this, or has she just been too Gail to notice?) Caleb adds that he's seen his potential and that he's not willing to share it. He says that there can only be one Buck per generation and so her child must not be born. As he is holding a metal fire-poker-thingy as a weapon, Gail runs away and up the stairs (of course, a pregnant lady would choose to run up a flight of stairs when being chased by a small child!) 'Someone's at the door' shouts Caleb in a slow, but menacing way. What I love about this is the way Lucas Black completely steals the scene. Whilst watching it, you almost forget who the adult is, and Gail seems to also forget(!) Compare this with Caleb and Gail in the early eps.

Merlyn is standing at Lucas's bedside demanding he fulfil his side of the 'deal' which got him out his grave. Lucas (being Lucas) seems to imply there was no deal. (WHY given he betrays one deal she makes with him does she make another at the end? Some people never learn! FATAL ERROR 1) Lucas explains his plans to her, that he will have 'an heir and a spare' (implying that his teaching of Caleb has not gone as he would have hoped and that he could turn against him) Merlyn points out that Caleb will actually 'eliminate the competition' and because of her desire to help Caleb, agrees to help Lucas to 'save' Caleb (slightly different motives for their common goal!) (FATAL ERROR 2)

With Gail locked in a room, Caleb begins to hack at the door with his weapon (Here's Johnny!) After threatening her, his entire personality seems to shift. He then begs for her to come out, as he needs help. Fortunately (and uncharacteristically ungullibly) she does not fall for his trick and smashes the window. Thinking she has fled outside, Caleb moves from the door to the room to check where she is. Whilst he is gone, she runs from the room. At that moment, Lucas enters. She (stupidly) stops to look at Lucas, and as Caleb catches her and swings the weapon, she ducks and (AGain VERY stupidly and theatrically falls down stairs) Note, after Gail has fallen, we see Caleb standing at the top of the stairs with the spiked shadow of his weapon behind him (alluding to demonic imagery?)

Back at the hospital, Lucas is checking up on Gail. She's OK overall, but the kid is no more. Upon hearing that she should be able to have kids in the future, the ever sympathetic and romantic Lucas whispers to her (still sleeping/unconscious) telling her he needs another chance to get her pregnant. What a guy!

Once he has recovered, Lucas (wearing that crappy coat) goes to see Dr. N over why he let him die. He tells him that if he tells the truth, that he'll show mercy. The doctor admits to letting Lucas die, but also moans at the way Lucas was very generous with the hospital, but only because he wanted favours all the time (See, what did I say!) Lucas then picks up a skipping rope and places it around the doc's neck. He says that he must hang himself or his granddaughter will die. Lucas explains his idea of mercy was letting one of the two of them live. (LOVE the comparison with Potato Boy, where Lucas says he doesn't 'do' anything, simply gives people enough rope to hand themselves with!) Just to skip ahead one scene, which I'll deal with in the next paragraph, I really like the bit where the doc's hanging body is discovered. Initially, we see only the clock's pendulum swinging from side to side - a brilliant touch and a nice understated way of showing he'd gone.

Ben brings Selena to the police station to meet Lucas (he's 'dying to talk') She is obviously hurt when he rejects her as she goes over to hold onto him. He is VERY insensitive in this scene to her needs. She is emotionally overwhelmed by his aliveness (what a word!), yet he never stops to care about her and focuses only on his own agenda. When she denies she was in his house, he slaps her, claiming he could smell her scent in his house (a-how well does he know her? b- how good is this guy's sense of smell?) She then says that she went out of interest for Caleb's wellbeing. 'Ben, do you want to slap her this time?'(!) Eventually and painfully, she is forced to admit that she went there for personal reasons and that she wanted to see Caleb to remind herself of Lucas. As her eyes fill with tears, Lucas still shows no sympathy, despite her admission that his 'death' made her shed a tear. When he questions her over Gail going to the house, in defiance to his uncaring behaviour, she says proudly that she sent her. 'Did you know she was carrying my child?' With a smug sarcastic smile, the reply comes 'WAS? I'm soooo sorry!' Lucas then says he'd like to rip her throat out (please remind me, what do you see in this guy?) Brenda Bakke is superb in this scene. As Selena is completely overrun by contrasting emotions, she never quite loses composure, even in the face of El Bucko's determined threats.

AND NOW........ After sixteen and a half hours (minus a the bits where Gail or Billy are on screen! - only kidding!) of great entertainment, we reach the show's final scene. Actually, I'll save it for tomorrow, and keep the great points for a separate message!

PART 3

1. August 2002