From: Marni Centor <marni@panix.com>

GUIDING LIGHT UPDATE -- THURSDAY, MAY 9, 1996

Here in New York City, it's Friday evening, the end of a long & draining 
week. So I sit back on my futon, laptop actually on top of my lap, a 
glass of Cabernet at my side, ready to begin my weekly Guiding Light 
update. And as I rewind the tape & prepare my document, I realize that 
one week ago at this time, the Spauldings, Coopers & a spare Bauer had 
just arrived in Orlando, Florida, that magical land of dreams. Now, a 
week later here in New York, it is a mere day later in both Springfield 
and Orlando. So get comfortable, relax, pour yourself a glass of tasty 
beverage, and share with me, gentle reader, the tale of...

                    THE NEVER-ENDING WEDDING
                               -or-
                          KEY TO MY HEART

Highlights:
* Viv & Gilly face off over Griff.
* Rog makes an embarrassing scene, with Hart's, Dinah's & Van's help.
* The LAME wedding grinds to a close, with Philip spicing it up.

Late evening in Springfield USA & Orlando, FL...

TOWERS CLUB: Charles waxes eloquent to Vivian about the new wing he's 
planning at Cedars. He apologizes for spending so much time talking 
about himself & says he'd rather know what's new in his beautiful wife's 
life. [I'm afraid that Charles has been taking acting lessons from 
Griffin "Wood Man" Williams. He sounded so phony in this scene, I was 
embarrassed for him. Maybe he knows his wife is getting it on with the 
Wood Man.] "Nothing, really," says Viv as Woody himself enters with 
Gilly, resplendent in a sparkly black-sequined cocktail dress. 

[BTW, I've recently become involved in a family debate over the 
definition of "cocktail dress" -- please feel free to send me your 
interpretation of this phrase by private e-mail. Thanks!]

TOWERS GARAGE: As they examine his undamaged car together, Rog tells 
Nell it's impossible, because he saw Hart gouge huge key scratches into 
his car just moments ago. Ross, Blake, Vanessa, Matt & Hamp bear witness 
to Rog's flowering dementia. "You're up to something," accuses Rog to 
Hart. He demands an explanation. Rog asks Van to tell everyone what she 
saw Hart do to his car.

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS: The A Capella Crew continues to sing the LAME theme 
song in be-bop beat as Lucy & Alan-Michael, Buzz & Reva, Frank & Eleni, 
and the Lone Bauer [I halfway expected to see him in Philip's arms, but 
this was actually funnier] dance their way down the street. The song 
ends to much applause & my heartfelt relief. Alan, who seems to have 
mixed up the roles of Best Man and Emcee, asks everyone to grab a glass 
& prepare for the first toast. A bubble machine behind him distracts 
everyone's attention so that Philip can sneak up on them unawares & 
announces that he'd like to make the first toast. 

The reactions are varied. Lucy asks, in her inimitably innocent fashion, 
"Who's that?" Amanda is shocked, not having seen her brother in years. 
"I thought I knew how to make an entrance," comments Reva. Rick smiles 
proudly. Philip wonders if anyone is going to say anything. "Philip," 
says Alan stupidly. "You remembered!" replies Philip with mock delight. 
AM makes his way to the stage & asks, "What do you think you're doing?" 
Philip just wants to toast the newlyweds. "Well, you're not welcome 
here," replies AM.

Philip notes that AM doesn't seem happy to see him. "I thought I was 
invited," he adds. "Not by me," says AM. The camera cuts briefly to 
Alex, who watches with interest. Lucy reminds AM that Philip is his 
brother. [Good for her, she figured it out!] Philip approaches her, 
guessing that she is the bride [the big white dress was the tip-off]. He 
figures that she hasn't yet learned that for the Spauldings, blood isn't 
necessarily thicker than water. He apologizes for assuming that not 
being invited was an oversight. Alex says of course she assumed Amanda 
had invited Philip. "You know I didn't," replies Madame. Alex assumed 
everyone would be thrilled to see Philip. AM says he didn't invite 
Philip because he knew Philip would find a way to grandstand & make the 
day his instead of AM's. "And congratulation, you did it," he adds.

AM & Philip start to bicker; Lucy tries to intervene. Alan pokes his 
nose in to say that Philip should leave. Philip only wanted to share 
this happy occasion with his brother. He's sorry if AM thought he wanted 
anything else. He wonders if something else is going on. AM says Philip 
hasn't changed. "Why did you show up now?" Philip notes that he's been 
living in Arizona for 5 years. So what? asks AM. Lucy thinks Philip 
should be allowed to share their happiness. Alan thinks Philip should 
respect AM's wishes & leave. Lucy takes AM aside & says she's glad her 
new brother-in-law is there & she'd like to get to know him. AM 
reluctantly accedes to Lucy's wishes. Philip thanks her & begins: 

"To the newlyweds: Lucy, you are a lovely & gracious woman. And Alan-
Michael, you're a hell of a lucky man. And brother, I've never seen you 
look better, and I wouldn't change that for the world. Here's to you. 
And here's to us, here's to my family, together again. To the 
Spauldings." He raises his glass, but only Rick drinks.

TOWERS: Charles notices Gilly & gets up to ask her to join them. "Why?!" 
asks Viv with anguish. Charles doesn't notice, as he's too busy kissing 
Gilly hello. Gilly & Griff come over to the table. Charles offers to 
pull up some chairs; Griff demurs, but Gilly can't see why not. They all 
sit. Everyone compliments Viv's appearance. Charles congratulates Gilly 
on her new job. Gilly notes that her mom wasn't so enthusiastic, but Viv 
brushes it off. Gilly fills her folks in on the fight to save 5th St. 
"We make a great team," notes Gilly. Viv drops something & Griff bends 
down to help her retrieve it. They're eyes meet briefly & meaningfully. 

"This isn't going to take you away from your first love, is it?" asks 
Charles. Griff is momentarily nonplused. Charles was talking about 
national politics, of course. What did Griff think he meant?

GARAGE: Rog announces that Van will tell them all how she saw Hart 
vandalize his car. "I don't know what you're talking about Roger," she 
responds. Rog says she was standing right there. Van insists that she 
didn't see Hart do any damage. You didn't hear us screaming at each 
other? asks Rog. "I heard you, screaming at him," replies Van coolly. 
Rog accuses her of lying, but Matt tells him to back off. Blake asks her 
dad why he's doing this. Rog says it's a conspiracy. She reminds him 
there's not a scratch on the car. "But there was!" insists Rog. 

Rog decides Van isn't backing him up because she hates his guts. [A fair 
assumption.] Ross says Rog is obviously trying to make trouble for Hart 
because Hart rejected him. First he filed that specious lawsuit (Rog 
insists he didn't) & now accusing him of vandalism. Blake wonders why 
Rog is doing this. Rog denies it all. "What would I have to gain?" Nell 
says a judge can answer that question & tells Hart she'll take Rog in if 
he wants to press charges. Dinah forces herself to not smile.

Rog asks Dinah to back him up. Hart's been provoking him. Dinah admits 
Hart has been upsetting Rog lately. No matter how it works out, Hamp 
wants Rog to steer clear of the Towers Club from now on. Hamp exits. 
Dinah can't believe Hart would press charges. Hart says he just wants 
everything to stop. Nell offers Hart police protection from Rog. This 
outrages Rog even more. Nell thinks Rog has been acting pretty desperate 
& asks if he's been drinking. Rog says he's stone cold sober. "Well, 
there's something really wrong here, because you are really losing it," 
comments Nell. Rog gets even more upset & Dinah tries to calm things 
down by saying Rog may be a little confused & forgetful lately, but he's 
not losing his mind. Rog explodes & insists he can prove what happened.

TOWERS: Charles is happy that Griff is not too bored with his university 
position. Griff says he likes it in Springfield. "I've grown fond of 
some of the people here." Charles wonders if Gilly is the person who 
persuaded Griff to stay, so she could have a job. Gilly says he 
shouldn't assume she wouldn't leave Springfield.  Griff says Gilly is 
indispensable. Charles is very proud of her, as is Viv. Gilly suggests a 
table of their own.

LAME WEDDING: Philip prompts Alan to make his toast. Alan adds his best 
wishes for a long, happy life for the newlyweds. Everyone drinks to this 
toast. Alan walks off & Philip follows him. 

Buzz realizes his relationship with Alan isn't nearly as strained as 
Philip's. Reva thinks it's weird because Alan was always so obsessed 
with Philip. Buzz didn't realize Reva knew him. "Philip & I go way 
back," says Reva. "He was a real good buddy." Buzz looks worried, 
probably wondering if she did more than one father-son combo [and also 
wondering whether Frank might get her before he does]. Reva persuades 
Buzz to dance.

Inside the Universal Studios version of Wheels & Meals, Alan notes that  
it's been a long time for him & Philip. Philip knows the exact count: 5 
years, 2 months, 2 weeks & 5 days. Alan thinks Philip's toast was 
eloquent & hopes he's been keeping up with his writing. Plenty of time, 
comments Philip. Alan asks after Beth & Lizzie. They love Arizona & are 
doing great, but Philip finds it a little dry. Alan apologizes for 
playing the heavy, but he felt he should stand by AM this time. "Just 
doing the best for your child, like you did for me," notes Philip with 
barely disguised sarcasm. "Of course, you won't go to jail this time." 

Philip thinks Reva looks great [for a corpse] & wonders who she's with. 
Her husband, says Alan disdainfully. Philip is surprised & wonders what 
happened to Josh. "I thought they were welded for life." Alan says 
things change. Philip decides to go say hi.

Outside, he cuts in on Reva & Buzz. Reva gives him an Oklahoma Hello, 
jumping up & wrapping her legs around him [no kidding!]. Buzz's jaw 
drops a few feet. Reva regains her decorum & introduces Philip to Buzz. 
Philip congratulates them on their marriage & realizes he has to 
congratulate Alan too. "What for?" asks Alan. For the new company you've 
started up, says Phil. Alan pretends confusion. "This new company that 
you're having this great success with. What is it... Advantage what?... 
Advantage Systems? How is it going?" 

Alan says Phil is mistaken; he doesn't own Advantage Systems yet. Philip 
thinks Alan is being modest; he heard that Alan was the driving force 
behind AS & was planning to rebuild a whole section of downtown 
Springfield. AM comes to his father's defense & says Phil is wrong. Lucy 
guesses that Philip heard the rumor that Buzz has been spreading. Buzz 
says they just met & swears to it. Alex notes that Phil has brought up a 
very sensitive subject. Buzz explains that he & his family & friends 
will be displaced if AS has its way. Philip apologizes, having had no 
idea. Alan says he plans to buy AS & stop the debacle.

Amanda assures everyone that she & Alan will take care of everything. 
Phil says he must have gotten his facts wrong. Alan says not to worry. 
Reva suggests a dance & most everyone pairs off. Rick stands alone.

GARAGE: Rog demands that Hart empty his pockets so Rog can see his keys. 
Dinah tries to calm Rog down to no avail. Hart says he's willing to call 
everything even. Me too, says Rog, as soon as I see your keys & whatever 
else is in your pockets. Hart hands Rog his keys. Rog looks at them & 
doesn't see what he's looking for. There's no paint on them. Rog accuses 
Hart of putting something on his car. Hart empties his pockets -- he has 
nothing else in them. Rog checks Hart's jacket too, but finds nothing. 
Hart asks for his keys back. Rog turns to look at everyone assembled & 
asks what they're all looking at. He knows it's a scam & someone else 
there is in on it. Dinah soothingly offers to take Rog home. She returns 
Hart's keys & tells him to go away. She talks patronizingly to Rog & he 
gets upset at her for it & walks away. 

Hart tells Dinah she should be happy he didn't have Rog arrested. She's 
surprised he didn't. Hart says he has some compassion & tells her to get 
off his case. He's going home to his motel room, where he lives since 
Rog stole his farm. They play the argument out for everyone's benefit, 
until Blake suggests going back upstairs. Ross asks Dinah to come along. 
Matt goes up too, leaving Van to talk to Hart.

Van says she didn't see everything, but she did hear it. "You scratched 
that car, didn't you?" she asks. Hart admits that he scratched the hell 
out of it.

TOWERS: As they dance, Charles tells Viv that he's happy to see Gilly's 
fire again. Viv agrees it's been a long time. Charles thinks Gilly has 
finally found the right situation. Gilly gets called away from her table 
for a phone call. Charles notices a colleague that he wants to talk to & 
excuses himself. Viv returns to her table & writes a note to Griff 
saying she'll meet him later in his room. She casually leaves it on his 
table. Gilly sees her & drags her away. "What do you think you're 
doing?" Gilly asks angrily.

Griff picks up the note, which fell on the floor. Meanwhile, Gilly says 
she knows what Viv is up to. She knows Viv is angry because Gilly showed 
up with Griff tonight. Viv was so transparent, it was embarrassing. 
Gilly knows that Viv hates Griff for what he did to her & thinks he will 
do the same to Gilly. But Gilly intends to keep working for Griff, so 
Viv will just have to get used to it & stop interfering. Viv just cares 
for Gilly's welfare. Gilly threatens her mom--if she doesn't let up, 
Gilly will tell Charles about Viv's long-ago affair with Griff. 

GARAGE: Van wants to know what's going on. Hart wonders why Van is 
suddenly on his side. Given the choice between Hart & Rog, it really 
wasn't a choice, says Van. Besides, Hart has proven himself lately by 
putting Peter's welfare above his own, so there's hope for him. She 
knows he's been giving Bridget money each month & knows Henry would 
approve. But whatever crazy, expensive, stupid game he's playing now 
(with Henry's former money, or should that be former Henry's money?), 
she doesn't like & neither would her dad. Henry gave Hart the money to 
be free of Rog, but what Hart is doing is putting Rog right in the 
middle of his life. Hart says this isn't fun for him. He'd love to just 
pack it in & walk away. "Why don't you?" asks Van.

TOWERS: Matt, Blake, Ross & Dinah get drinks on the house & thank Hamp. 
Ross can't make any sense of what's going on between Rog & Hart. Blake 
agrees. Matt asks for Dinah's opinion, but she doesn't want to talk 
about it. Matt brings up the recent scene at the penthouse when Rog was 
"out of control." Ross gets concerned, but Dinah says Matt misunderstood 
& is blowing it out of proportion. She is in no danger from Rog. Ross 
isn't sure. Matt thinks the scene in the parking garage was pretty 
scary. Blake has never seen her dad like this before. Dinah quietly 
expresses her suspicion that Rog may be suffering from post-traumatic 
stress disorder. Matt listens with interest. Blake doesn't buy it. Dinah 
asks whether Blake could possibly talk Rog into seeing a shrink. Blake 
knows Rog would rather die. Ross advises Dinah to leave Rog immediately. 
Dinah says it's not an option & she's going home. Matt objects, but 
Dinah insists she's in no danger. On her way out the door, she smiles to 
herself. Another step closer to commitment. 

ORLANDO: Dahlia sits alone, bored. AM dances with Lucy, who implores her 
new husband to smile. He does. Rick & Philip step inside to talk. Philip 
asks Rick's opinion, which is that Phil upstaged everyone & got them 
upset. Phil says it didn't have to go that way; a simple "Welcome back, 
Philip" would have sufficed. Rick knows Phil didn't expect that. Rick 
says Phil's theory about being framed by a Spaulding no longer seems so 
far-fetched to him. They didn't exactly welcome him with open arms. 
Except Alex. Philip isn't fooled by that--she took over after Alan was 
forced out, so any one of the Spauldings could be to blame for the 
frame. Rick asks what Phil's plan is. Phil just wants to know who it 
was. Rick knows Phil won't be able to let it go. Phil asks to be alone.

Outside, Buzz cuts in on AM & Lucy. He thinks Lucy looks young, happy & 
grown-up. Lucy says it's the happiest day of her life. Buzz just hopes 
she'll be this happy forever. They love each other.

Reva berates Rick for not dancing & remedies the situation. She notes 
that she & he are the only people happy to see Philip. Rick agrees.

Amanda finds Philip, who says he was just about to look for her. He 
offers her arm & invites her to dance, promising that he's improved 
since high school. She wants to talk first. What are his plans? When is 
he going back to Arizona? Philip evades the questions & leads her out to 
dance. AM watches suspiciously. 

Time to cut the cake! It's awfully huge for the small number of people 
at the wedding, but IOAS. AM threatens to shove it in Lucy's face, but 
doesn't. They go up on stage so AM can make a toast of his own. He says 
it's the beginning of his & Lucy's life together. It was a long road. 
Somewhere along the way, he looked at how he lived his life. He used to 
believe that the only way to survive in his family was to eat or be 
eaten, but that's no way to live. Philip listens closely, knowing well 
whereof AM speaks. Lucy has shown AM that life doesn't have to be that 
way. She's shown him just about everything that is good in his life & he 
loves her for that. He kisses his new bride. There's no way he could 
live the rest of his life without her, & he won't have to. End of toast. 

Eleni says it's time to throw the bouquet & garter. In defiance (or 
ignorance) of tradition, AM goes for the garter first. Having retrieved 
it, he throws it to huge assembly of single males, that is, Rick & Alan. 
Alan makes the catch. Buzz gives him a withering look. Lucy tosses her 
bouquet to a slightly larger group of single women. Amanda catches it, 
but fumbles, & it lands in Alex's hands. As if it were a hot coal, she 
tosses it back to Amanda [thinking of Hawk, no doubt!].Amanda tries to 
hand it back to Alex, but is rudely rebuffed. AM & Lucy say their good-
byes & depart. Dahlia slips away.

GARAGE: Hart says he doesn't want anything to do with Rog. Then he 
shouldn't be putting himself through scenes like tonight's, advises Van. 
Hart says he will walk, but not until after he takes care of business. 
He will be free of his father. Van warns him to be careful, because Rog 
is dangerous. Hart says he will be careful & thanks Van for standing up 
for him tonight. He departs.

TOWERS: Viv can't believe Gilly would reveal her affair with Griff. 
Gilly doesn't see any other way to live her own life. "Griffin is a 
mistake," says Viv. Gilly says she's entitled to make her own mistakes. 
Viv says telling Charles would hurt him deeply. "That's up to you," says 
Gilly. Viv protests that she told Gilly about Griff in confidence, to 
help Gilly, but Gilly says she did it to keep her & Griff apart, but it 
won't happen. She warns her mom to stay out of it, then says good night. 
Viv is distraught, but covers it well when Charles appears & introduces 
her to Dr. Stern & wife. 

MOTEL ROOM: Hart enters & Dinah is waiting for him. They exult in their 
success.

GRIFF'S ROOM: Griff rolls up his sleeves & sits on the bed with a sigh. 
"I was afraid you were going to change your mind," he says. Viv says she 
pleaded a headache to Charles, so he stayed on without her. Griff hated 
having to pretend in front of everyone. Viv comes up behind him on the 
bed & kisses him. They go horizontal.

ORLANDO: Followed by the crowd of guests, Lucy & AM run to their car & 
wave good bye to everyone. There's a "Just Married" sign on the back & 
cans tied to the bumper. 

Elsewhere in the park, Marcus meets up with Dahlia, who warns that she 
can't stay too long. Marcus understands. Dahlia wants to stay with him.

MOTEL ROOM: Hart & Dinah laugh hysterically over their success in making 
Rog look quite out of it. They compliment one another's accomplishments. 
They were both brilliant & magnificent. Dinah gives Hart a hug.

"Well, well, well," says Rog from the doorway. Rog & Dinah turn in 
concern as the screen fades to black.


--Marni (marni@panix.com)


