From: kristyp@dartmouth.edu (Kristy Patterson)

(A copy of this message has also been posted to the following newsgroups:
rec.arts.tv.soaps.abc)

Thursday, May 9, 1996 in the City:


THE THORN BIRDS REDUX: DIDN'T RICHARD WATCH THE MINISERIES?
===========================================================
Richard is still passed out on Nick and Buck's couch after his bender.
Zoey watches him sleep, and flashes back to  Sydney telling her that
she can't be with Richard because he's her brother.  Zoey goes over and
touches his arm, waking him up.  Richard's hung over.  He asks where he
is.  Zoey tells him he's at Nick's, but he's asleep, and Buck is out, so
it's just the two of them.  Zoey asks him why he got so drunk.  Drowning
my sorrows, he replies -- or maybe I just had a nightmare?  I dreamed
you dropped me for a priest, can you imagine that?  It must have been a
dream, because here you are with me.  Zoey makes him some (weak) tea.
Richard suggests she shoot him instead.  You'll feel better tomorrow,
she says.  It's not the hangover, Richard says, it's the priest.  This
situation makes no sense to Richard; we were happy, he says.  Zoey claims
it was better to break it off sooner than later, when it would be even
harder.  Richard harps on the subject of Father Luke, questioning her
about how she could fall in love with a priest.  It just happened, she
says.  Richard continues to push, and Zoey continues to lie lamely about
being in love with someone else, but Richard buys it.  He asks if she
thought about Luke even when they were together?  Zoey says yes, she did,
and when he wrote her and said he was leaving the church, all her old
feelings came back.  Then why are you here with me? Richard asks.  Zoey
claims it was because he was drunk.  But why were you here, he presses.
Zoey says she needed to talk to Nick.  But I thought he was asleep, Richard
points out.  Zoey spins a story that she couldn't go sleep in the clinic
because of a broken pipe, but eventually admits that she cares about him,
and didn't want him to drown himself hurling in the toilet.  She wants to
be friends.  Richard waxes poetic about what their friendship means to him.
Zoey gets mad that he's being nice, and decides this was easier when he
was mad at her.  Back to the subject of Father Luke goes Richard, who
wonders where her priest is.  Zoey says he's not back yet.  Richard is
astonished that she's willing to change the whole content of her life based
on one letter from him.  Zoey claims they've had 2 phone calls, too.  
Richard asks where he is.  Zoey, spying a copy of "The Thorn Birds," says
he's in Australia, getting his head on straight.  She tells Richard the
story of the Thorn Birds, starring Father Luke.  Richard's opinion is that
if Father L. cared about her, he would be here.  Zoey insists he had to
keep his word to the people he promised to help.  Richard decides he wants
to meet this paragon of virtue.  Zoey "reminds" him that he's in Australia.
But he's coming back, right? says Richard.  Eventually, Zoey says.  Richard
reminds her that there's phone service to Australia; he wants to tell Luke
what a special person Zoey is.  She assures Richard that he already knows.
Zoey goes to leave, telling Richard to take care of himself.  Richard says
sadly that he thought they were going to take care of each other.  Zoey
gets out the door, and hesitates outside the apartment, sagging against the
wall...


THE ENCHANTED COTTAGE -- WELL, TENT, WHATEVER
=============================================
Alex and Jocelyn sleep in their tent.  Jocelyn is having a nightmare, crying
out in her sleep for her daddy not to take care, and shouts "Malcolm, NO!"
Alex wakes her up, and tells her about what she was saying.  He asks if her
dad and Malcolm knew each other?  Jocelyn says they didn't, things must have
just gotten tangled up in her subconscious.  Alex tells her about a dream
he had once; he and Tony took his kids to Disney World, and Tony wouldn't
stop singing "It's a Small World."  They both agree that they're wide awake
now.  Alex tells her he was watching her sleep, thinking about what a good
thing they have, and how much he doesn't want to lose it.  Only one thing
has to change, he says.  Jocelyn is nervous.  Alex suggests they move in
together.  Jocelyn puts up a brief and not very convincing fight, saying
she's not ready, and has all these problems, and she doesn't want to come to
him with baggage.  Alex counters with life's too short, follow your heart,
and he has baggage, too.  He tells her that before he was with the FBI, he
was in the CIA -- he was a mercenary, a young punk with a gum, who did dirty,
despicable work for money.  He's coming into this situation with his eyes
wide open.  Alex doesn't want either of them to get trapped up on a pedestal.
Jocelyn says he's wonderful (despite, presumably, that he was a killer for
hire).  Alex asks if he's wonderful enough for her to want to spend all her
time with?  Jocelyn says she'd love to move in with him.  Alex is psyched,
and wants to know when.  Jocelyn suggests December, which doesn't thrill Alex,
so she decides that tomorrow would be all right.  Alex asks if she's ready.
(What happened to "life's too short, follow your heart"?)  Jocelyn thinks
they should do it before either of them changes their mind... (wonder if Ally
and Molly can pay the rent on their own?)


ALLY AVOIDS SCREWING MALCOLM, AND SCREWS JOCELYN INSTEAD
========================================================
Malcolm is coming after Ally, prostitute extraordinaire.  She claims she's
not feeling well, assures him he can get his money back from Varoushka, and
tries to leave.  He accuses her of lying.  Ally babbles nervously, dropping
her southern accent.  Malcolm demands to know what's going on, and tries to
force Ally onto the bed.  In the nick of time, Tony bursts in, wearing the
turban his cabbie was wearing.  Ally throws whisky in Malcolm's face.  Tony
pins him to the beds, sticks his fingers into his ribs, and proceeds to
pretend this is a stick-up, all the while affecting an Indian accent that
makes him sound like Apu from "The Simpsons" morphing into Don Corleone.
He tells Ally to get his wallet, and they take off.

Back at Tony's apartment, Tony comes down hard on Ally for her stunt, and
for not being the least bit grateful he saved her butt.  Ally's pissed that
he burst in before she could be paid (uh, Ally, you have his wallet...).
Tony tells her she could have been killed.  Ally insists she was doing fine.
You should be thankful your handcuffs were so cheesy and I could get out of
them, Tony says, and shows her the rash they left on his wrist.  You'll live,
says Ally.  Tony can't believe she's totally missing his point.  Ally just
thinks he's mad because she outfoxed him.  Tony reminds her that she came
within seconds of getting up close and personal with Malcolm.  Ally insists
she had it under control.  Tony gives up, but asks her where she thinks
tonight got them -- not only did it get them nowhere, but now Malcolm's
suspicious, and he won't believe that it was a hooker-robbery scam for long.
We're back at square one, if not worse, Tony says.  Ally pulls out all the
stuff she lifted from Malcolm's briefcase.  Tony is unimpressed, saying it
wouldn't be admissable in court.  Ally wants him to admit that it's good
stuff they can look at.  But it's not worth the chance you took, Tony says.
Ally points out that she's fine, and says they should be celebrating.  Tony
insists that all he cared about was her -- she could have been hurt.  He
tells her how he harassed the cab driver, and prayed all the way there in
the cab that nothing would happen to her, because if something did... Tony's
voice wavers.  Ally quietly apologizes, saying she didn't know it was such
a big deal to him.  Tony says it would be a really big deal to him if anything
happened to her.  Tony slowly moves in and kisses her........................

I finally found a way to shut you up, Tony says nervously.  Ally, equally
nervously, asks him if he always wins arguments that way.  It's not like I
planned it, Tony says.  Both of them are a little surprised.  Ally asks him
if his wrist is really okay.  Tony says he's okay.  So... Tony apologizes for
yelling at her.  Ally confesses that she was a little scared -- okay, terrified
back there with Malcolm, and she's glad Tony showed up.  Me too, says Tony.
Ally says she's tired, and goes to leave.  They agree to talk tomorrow, and
say goodnight.  On opposite sides of the door, both are pensive...

Meanwhile, back at the hotel, Malcolm gets on the phone to Varoushka and
demands an explanation.  The madam is confused.  Malcolm says he was robbed,
and probably has a broken rib from the man's gun.  Varoushka is shocked.
Malcolm claims he was set up.  Varoushka insists she would never do that.
Then who, asks Malcolm.  The madam tells him that it was all Jocelyn's idea,
she had Varoushka cancel Tiffany, because she wanted to surprise him.  It
worked, says Malcolm.  Varoushka insists she had no idea what was up, and
Malcolm believes her, apologizes for bothering her, and hangs up.  "I'll
just have to take this up with Jocelyn myself," Malcolm vows, "and she'll
find out what it means to cross Malcolm Christopher..."

Cliffhanger!


No VCR accidents this week... see you next week!

-Kristy

-- 
----------------
Kristy Patterson
Systems Designer, Center for the Evaluative Clinical Sciences
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~kristyp/

