From: Marni Centor <marni@panix.com>

GUIDING LIGHT UPDATE -- THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 1996

                    CHOOSE YOUR POISON

HIGHLIGHTS
* Michelle woos J, much to Rick's chagrin.
* Reva helps Abby make a decision.
* Buzz lords it over Alan. The Coopers come around.
* Dinah stands by her man.
* Peter makes room for Daddy.

Another day in Springfield, USA...

BAUER KITCHEN: J makes himself at home while Michelle looks for her 
physics notes & carries on a shouted conversation. J asks how long Abby's 
lived with the Bauers & is still incensed about the jerks who made fun of 
her at the mall. He thinks Abby is really cool, really... Just then 
Michelle enters the room in a black-&-white psychadelic halter top & skin-
tight red pants. J gives her the once-over & finishes his thought: "hot."

REVA'S FUNHOUSE: Reva is delighted to see Abby & her new clothes. Abby is 
very upset & Reva can't understand her ASL signs. Abby switches to home-
sign & tells Reva it was a mistake to come to Springfield. She doesn't fit 
in. Reva says she doesn't fit in either & feels Abby's pain. They hug.

DINER: With the advice of numerous patrons, Buzz hangs a "Welcome Reva" 
banner over the counter. Alan enters & Buzz asks whether he's slumming or 
looking for Reva. Oops, Buzz remembers they're the same to Alan. Alan 
doesn't appreciate the joke & orders coffee. He has a business meeting in 
the neighborhood. Buzz is disappointed that Alan's not asking about Reva, 
because Buzz is a veritable fountain of information on the subject. 

COURTHOUSE LADIES' ROOM: Dinah & Hart agree to continue with their plan to 
hoodwink Roger, who inconveniently appears at door. Rog slams Hart up 
against a wall & promises to teach him what happens when he doesn't listen 
to his father. Dinah looks worriedly from one to the other.

Dinah insists that Rog let Hart go. She says they were just arguing about 
her getting back together with Rog. She calls Hart a piece of garbage & 
Rog agrees. He tells Hart to stay away from Dinah & insults him for good 
measure. Then he bemoans all his efforts to be a good dad. Dinah tells Rog 
how much better he is than Hart & tells Hart she rues the day she fell for 
his lies. Hart looks hurt. Dinah says she just wants to start her life 
over with Rog. Hart says they deserve each other. He & Dinah spar a little 
more. Rog says Hart's pathetic attempts to ruin his marriage failed 
miserably & he & Dinah are now closer than ever. Exit Mr. & Mrs. Thorpe.

DINER: While Buzz prepares a fresh pot of coffee, Alan complains about the 
service. Buzz needles him some more about Reva, but Alan's convinced that 
Reva is helping Josh dispose of Annie's lingerie. Buzz grins from ear to 
ear, aching to tell Alan about the marriage, but he holds off. Isn't Alan 
at all curious where Reva's been lately? Maybe he should stop by later -- 
there's someone Buzz wants him to meet. Alan isn't interested, but Buzz 
promises great enlightenment. Alan departs with his coffee.

Frank chases Eleni with a dishtowel & they laugh like kids. She complains 
about the welcome sign & Buzz is tired of her not liking Reva. She just 
thinks he's acting like a schoolboy & Reva won't be any use if she expects 
everyone to make a fuss over her. Buzz staples up the rest of the sign & 
it now says "Welcome Reva Cooper." Buzz explains to his shocked son & 
daughter-in-law that there's a new Cooper in the clan.

REVA'S: Reva learns that Abby is better than ever at reading lips, so Reva 
doesn't have to home-sign. Abby is upset about being in Springfield, & 
when Reva says she's there to learn to communicate better, Abby complains 
that she still can't communicate with Rick. Reva misunderstands, thinking 
that Rick & others don't understand sign language. In her frustration, 
Abby uses her voice. Reva thinks this is great. "No, it isn't," cries 
Abby. Reva asks her to explain why she's mad at Rick. 

Abby makes Reva promise not to lie to her, like Rick did. "He told me my 
voice was nice." Reva smiles. She thinks Abby's voice is nice too. Abby 
says her voice is ugly & her friends shouldn't lie to her about it. She 
tells Reva about the people at the mall. "I tried to be like Michelle, & I 
couldn't do it," she explains. 

BAUER HOUSE: Michelle looks at her pants & wonders if she should take them 
off, oops, back to the store. J likes them fine. Michelle's exposed 
midriff sports a navel ring. [Tell me please, would Ed Bauer ever 
countenance a navel ring?!] J thinks M looks a lot older in this outfit, 
and possibly dangerous. M thinks that's good, maybe. J asks about the 
physics notes, but M is more interested in playing some cool French music. 
She hears herself sounding really pretentious & apologizes. J understands, 
having done it many times himself. [Ooh, kindred spirits.] He suggests 
they skip the music & "get right down to physics." M suggests "a bite" 
first. J stands behind her, looking like he wants to eat her up. 

Finally, J grabs M by the shoulders & turns her around to face him. He 
thinks they should just do what they came to do. M looks hurt. J says he 
likes her, but he doesn't want to freak her out again. She denies she was 
ever freaked out. She says it was a just a test & he passed, but he's 
still welcome to take a make-up exam. He looks at her through hooded lids 
& warns her not to mess with his head. He sits & she stands right next to 
him, sticking her chest in his face. He asks what grade he got on the 
test. She ponders, then gives him a C. He runs his hand ever-so-lightly up 
her ribcage & says he'd like to try for an A. M bites her lip, as if 
willing herself not to run scared. J stands & kisses her.

The kiss grows more intense. "Do you want me to stop?" asks Gentleman J. 
"I didn't say that," says M, breathily. Good, mumbles J, untying the 
halter top strings. M looks worried. "Maybe this isn't the place for 
this," says J. Good thinking, Romeo, but a little late. Rick walks in & 
catches J unawares, yanking him from Michelle, who hastily reties her top. 
She yells at Rick to stop. Rick tells J to apologize to Michelle & get 
out. M protests, but J complies sullenly. Rick throws J out & M explodes 
at Rick. "I'm not a kid anymore. Don't you dare do this to me again!"

REVA'S: Reva is sorry about what happened at the mall, but she agrees with 
Rick that Abby's voice is beautiful & she shouldn't be afraid to use it. 
Reva thinks there's more bothering Abby. She guesses correctly that Abby 
likes Rick. Abby is upset that Rick only thinks of her as a friendReva 
sees no reason Rick shouldn't be attracted to Abby. "But he's not," 
complains Abby. She feels like she made a fool out of herself. Reva is 
sure Rick was flattered. "That's not the same," says Abby. "I want him to 
love me." She thinks she should go back to Goshen. 

Reva reminds Abby that she wanted to be independent & start her own life. 
Abby's not so sure now. Reva says when she gets knocked down, she picks 
herself up & starts over. Abby asks if this means Reva is going home to 
her kids. Reva says she's decided to go in another direction. She tells 
Abby she got married. Abby guesses Alan Spaulding & is surprised to learn 
it's Buzz. "But Mr. Spaulding was so nice," she says innocently. Reva says 
she has to get over to the diner, but Abby has 1 more question. Does Reva 
think Abby can really make it on her own? Yes, says Reva, but Abby has to 
believe it too. She reassures Abby again that her voice is beautiful & 
hugs her before walking her to the door. After Abby is gone, she sighs.

DINER: Frank & Eleni ask Buzz all kinds of stupid questions, like why & 
when he married Reva. Buzz says she just finally came around. Frank acts 
very suspicious. Buzz insists that he's in love, has been ever since he 
set eyes on Reva in Goshen. Eleni doesn't buy it. Buzz thinks Nadine knows 
& approves. Buzz says he's happy. Eleni worries that Reva is only out for 
herself. Buzz tells her that Reva is his wife & part of the family & he 
expects everyone to treat her with respect. 

THORPE PENTHOUSE: Rog & Dinah agree that Hart is not a topic to be 
discussed. Rog tosses his jacket aside & for some reason it makes a huge 
clatter off camera. But the show goes on with nary a blink. Rog takes his 
tie off & unbuttons his collar, still fuming about Hart. He gives Dinah a 
little peck on the lips, which she endures bravely. She assures Rog that 
they are united & strong. Rog is proud of her for standing up to everyone 
in court. If she didn't believe in him, he couldn't go on. She continues 
to smile gamely, but when Rog tries to embrace her, she backs off, 
giggling like a schoolgirl. Vanessa saves the day, entering unannounced 
[doesn't *anyone* knock or lock in this town?] & demanding that Rog get 
his hands off her daughter. Dinah looks slightly embarrassed.

Dinah tells Van it's all right, but Van goes after Rog, telling him to 
stay away from Dinah. After a lot of Van not getting what's going on & 
Dinah not coming forward, Rog finally, grinningly explains that Dinah has 
returned to him willingly. Dinah confirms that she's taken Roger back. Van 
watches in disgust as Rog kisses Dinah's hair possessively.

BOARDINGHOUSE PORCH: Petey sits on the fenced-in porch by himself. Bridget 
calls out to ask if he's OK, and he answers "Yes" on cue, and looking 
mighty proud of himself. Hart arrives & stares down at his son with a 
small smile. In his head, he hears Rog calling him a sorry piece of trash 
who would be better off not born & the smile fades. He climbs onto the 
porch, greets Petey, & sits down beside him. Petey's been playing with the 
horse that Hart carved for him. Hart tells Petey that his grandfather 
taught him how to carve & that he would have loved Petey very much. Jet 
comes out & is distressed to see Hart. "What are you doing with my son?" 
she asks rudely. [She's wearing a really scary looking blouse made out of 
crushed blue velour. Someone ought to tell her not to borrow from Nola.]

DINER: Frank thinks Buzz's move is "pretty radical." Buzz threw them for a 
loop. But if Reva makes Buzz happy, Frank will keep his mouth shut & roll 
out the red carpet for her. He just wants Buzz to be happy. Frank returns 
to Eleni, who insists that she doesn't have to like it. Frank reminds her 
that it's Buzz's life & encourages her to help him celebrate.

Buzz announces that he's closing the diner for a celebration, but everyone 
is invited. Reva walks in to cheers & seems pleased to learn that the 
celebration is for her. 

BAUER HOUSE: Michelle continues to berate Rick for ruining her good time. 
She insists that she knew what she was doing, but Rick doesn't think so. 
He thinks he saved her from big trouble. J has  a lot more experience than 
M, unless there's something Rick doesn't know. No, she says snidely, she's 
still a virgin, and probably always will be, with Rick for a brother. Rick 
thinks she should wait for the right guy & J is not it. M says she's 
already had the birds & bees speech from Ed & knows how to take care of 
herself. She accuses Rick of never having been her age. [Right, he's not 
that old yet!] He was born "old & repressed." Rick is just trying to save 
her from making the same mistakes he did.

Abby returns. Rick says hi & asks if she's OK, but she just goes into 
another room without responding to him. M notes that she's not the only 
one having a problem with Rick. She suggests that Rick get his own life 
together & leave M & Abby alone. 

BOARDINGHOUSE: Jet carries Petey inside & tells Hart she doesn't want him 
around. Hart just wants a few minutes. They whisper over Petey in an 
attempt to not upset him, but can't keep the tension out of their voices. 
Hart admits he lied, but was only trying to get even with his father. "You 
slept with his wife," says Jet with disgust. Hart's sorry & knows he 
shouldn't have hurt people, especially Jet. He begs her for a short with 
Peter, so Peter won't feel the same way about him as he does about Rog.

PENTHOUSE: Van begs Dinah to tell her it's a joke, but Dinah says it's 
not. Rog butts in to apologize for coming between Dinah & her family. Van 
takes Dinah aside & tries to talk to her. Van doesn't understand at all. 
Dinah doesn't have any answers. Finally, she just says her mind is made up 
& she's stoppped the divorce proceedings. Van looks around in disbelief & 
says she won't be a party to it. Dinah thinks there's no reason why she & 
Van can't continue to get closer. Van turns away & leaves without a word. 
Rog says she'll come around, but Dinah goes after her.

Dinah catches up with Van in the hallway. Van wants to convince Dinah that 
she's making a terrible mistake. Dinah says she needs her mom to stand by 
her. Van can't stand by & watch Dinah ruin her life on a man who's tried 
to hurt everyone in their family. She gives Dinah a hug & leaves. Dinah 
looks torn, but says nothing. Rog comes out. He hopes Dinah isn't having 
2nd thoughts. Dinah steels herself, then turns around with a big smile.

BOARDINGHOUSE: Jet asks what's doing with Rog. Lousy as usual, says Hart. 
He doesn't want things to be that way with Peter. Jet says Peter is very 
happy the way things are. Hart entreats her to let him be a father to 
Petey. Maybe Hart wouldn't be so screwed up if he'd had a father who loved 
him. Jet thinks Hart's a bad example. He lied to her & slept with Dinah. 
Hart says he's sorry. For which? asks Jet. Hart says having kids changes 
people -- it's changed her. "How would you know?" she asks angrily. He 
swears he would never try to take Peter away from her. Jet says he'd never 
be able to. He begs again for a chance to get to know Petey & vice versa. 
"I want him to know that I love him. Please give me the chance." Petey 
grabs Hart's sleeve, smiles up at him & says, "Hi Daddy." Hart & Jet share 
a surprised look. Jet's brief smile quickly fades to concern.

DINER: Buzz asks if it's Reva's first wedding reception in a diner. She 
says she's having the most fun she's had in ages. Frank makes a toast to 
the bride & groom. He thanks Buzz & tells him how much he loves him. He 
welcomes Reva to the Coopers & hopes she enjoys the ride. The crowd, 
except for Eleni, toasts to Reva Cooper. They turn on the jukebox & 
everyone starts to dance. Frank tells Eleni that everyone will be fine. 
She agrees that it's Buzz's & Reva's lives as they dance nose-to-nose.

Buzz takes Reva outside to give her a gift. He didn't have time at the 
wedding ceremony. She opens the box to find a lovely gold wedding band. 
Buzz slips it on her finger, saying "With this ring, I thee wed."

PENTHOUSE: Dinah admits that the scene with Van hurt. She felt they were 
getting closer & is afraid that now it won't happen. Rog wants to take 
away her pain. He kisses her neck & doesn't see the repulsion on her face.

BOARDINGHOUSE: Hart scoops up Petey, teary-eyed at being called Daddy. He 
pleads with Jet. Jet tells Petey he's a really smart guy. Petey nods in 
agreement. "This man's name is Hart, & he's your daddy."

BAUER HOUSE: Rick's not interested in advice from the likes of Michelle. 
Abby interrupts. She apologizes for being angry at Rick. She thinks it's 
time for her to move out. Rick & M don't want her to leave. "I need to 
make my own way," says Abby. She wants to find a home & a job & have her 
own life. Rick thinks she can't be serious, but she is. She promises to 
tell Ed later & excuses herself. M blames it on Rick & stalks out.

DINER: Frank spins Reva onto the dance floor. Alan strolls in & asks Buzz 
who he's supposed to meet. Buzz points out Reva & says she's the blushing 
bride. Alan finally notices the sign. Freeze frame on Alan's grim face 
next to Buzz's smiling mug as the screen fades to black.


--Marni (marni@panix.com)



