From: Marni Centor <marni@panix.com>

GUIDING LIGHT UPDATE -- THURSDAY, JULY 10, 1997

                            GHOST IN THE MACHINE

Directed by Bruce S. Barry

Highlights:
* Matt & Dinah worry about Vanessa.
* Sugar Hill convinces Dahlia not to sing with Marcus.
* Holly helps Michelle with her judicial contacts.
* Alan tries to help Annie help herself.
* Amanda proposes reconciliations to her family  & Roger.
* Michelle talks to Maureen about Jesse, and to Meta about Maureen.
* Vanessa & Michael are both distressed by their memories.
* Holly & Blake hear a distressing message from Blake.

REARDON HOUSE: Matt & Dinah return from Switzerland. Matt calls out to 
Vanessa, hoping she's returned while they were away, but no such luck. He 
worries that she might have tried to contact him while they were away. Dinah 
tells him to stop feeling guilty; he's been doing everything to find her. He 
looks around & thinks something isn't right. He realizes that things have been 
moved in the house & is sure Vanessa was there while they were away. He runs 
upstairs, shouting her name.

DINER: Dahlia & Marcus arrive & grab a booth. Dinah thinks it's wonderful that 
Sugar Hill is so hot to sign Marcus & move his record label to Springfield. 
Marcus is less enthusiastic; he thinks Hill was just schmoozing him & Marcus 
doesn't trust him. Dahlia thinks Marcus is being paranoid; he thinks he's just 
being realistic.

Over at another booth, Michelle is eating with Holly, Meg & the Marler twins. 
Holly is glad that Michelle has time to help her out with the kids while Blake 
is away. Holly asks about Michelle's quest for her mom's heart & offers to 
help. Michelle asks Holly if she knows Judge Carson (Holly does), because she 
needs a favor to help someone who's in trouble.

SPAULDING MANSION STUDY: Annie wants Alan to fire Nettie for dragging her out 
of bed at the ungodly hour of noon for a doctor's appointment that she doesn't 
have. Alan says he made a 1 PM appointment for Annie, so she'd better get 
dressed. The appointment is with a psychiatrist. Annie insists that she's 
fine. "You're an alcoholic," states Alan. "Nobody's perfect," replies Annie. 
Alan says Annie has got to get help & it's obvious that AA isn't helping her. 
Dr. Samms uses hypnosis to help patients with addictions. And if Annie doesn't 
go to see him, she's out of his house.

REARDON HOUSE: Dinah asks why Vanessa wouldn't leave a note if she was there. 
Matt thinks maybe Michael was with her. He is worried about the danger she is 
in, because Michael is a convicted killer. 

ISLAND: Vanessa & Michael run through the woods to the house-in-progress, with 
spooky music playing in the background. Vanessa tells Michael this is the 
house Matt was building for the two of them.

DINER: Michelle wonders if Judge Carson is a flexible kind of guy, who might 
be open to suggestions for new ways to do things. Holly says he's pretty young 
& hasn't gone all rigid yet. Holly guesses that this has to do with Jesse & 
Michelle defends him, saying he's not as bad as Rick made him out to be. 
Michelle insists that Jesse is a really nice guy, once you get past his 
"heavy-duty attitude." Holly wonders why good girls are always attracted to 
bad boys. Michelle says Jesse is just misunderstood. "Where have I heard that 
before?" Holly asks herself. Michelle offers to babysit for a month for free 
in exchange for Holly's help. Holly says that won't be necessary; she'll help 
anyway. Michelle thinks there's something in Jesse worth saving.

Marcus tells Dahlia that even if Hill is serious, he's not signing a contract 
without thinking about it for awhile. Dinah doesn't see what's to think about, 
and she's sure Marcus will get a contract. She thinks he's amazing. Marcus 
loves her admiration, but he has to leave for awhile to see his dad.

Ross enters & greets Holly & Michelle. Michelle asks if he can help Holly with 
the kids for awhile while she goes to take care of something. Ross is 
agreeable & joins Holly while Michelle runs out. Ross asks Holly if she's 
heard from Blake. Holly says no. Ross guesses that Blake is angry, but he 
doesn't really get it, since he forgave her for everything. Holly says 
forgiving is only half of the solution.

SPAULDING STUDY: Annie opts to hit the road. Alan says he wasn't giving Annie 
an ultimatum; he was just fulfilling his promise to help her get well. Alan 
reminds her of what they saw when they looked in the mirror. Annie saw a weak 
pathetic woman, but Alan saw a strong woman who was down but not out. "You 
must need glasses," replies Annie. Alan says that Annie needs someone to 
believe in her, someone to be strong for her, and he is that someone. Annie 
figures Alan must be the last person left who gives a damn about her. Alan 
gives Annie the doctor's address & hopes that she will go. He believes that 
Annie deserves happiness, which is what Josh & Reva are trying to deny her. 
Annie considers this & then gives Alan a light kiss on the cheek & thanks him 
for being her champion. She leaves the room thoughtfully as Roger & Phillip 
arrive.

Alan is displeased to see Roger, but both he & Phillip claim to be there at 
Amanda's request. Alan says he was told the meeting was about family business. 
Roger says he won't question Alan's relationship with Annie if Alan doesn't 
question his with Amanda. "Amanda's never framed anyone for murder to try to 
keep a man who couldn't stand her," sneers Roger. Alan defends Annie, saying 
she has an addiction problem. Roger retorts that Annie was stone cold sober 
when she blackmailed Blake. Phillip calls a halt to the argument while Amanda 
listens from outside the door. 

Finally, she makes her entrance & says they have more important things to 
discuss than Alan's houseguest. Alan asks if this means Amanda has accepted 
Annie's presence. Amanda says Annie has helped her realize how much she hates 
lying, backstabbing and constant bickering. "Which brings me to the three of 
you." Amanda wants some peace & quiet in her life. Seeing Reva's family rally 
around her reconsider the way she's been treating the people in her life. She 
doubts that she's ever been completely honest with anyone. But this is 
literally the moment of truth. She's prepared to drop her lawsuit against 
Spaulding & free its assets so it can operate at full capacity. "Have you lost 
your mind?" asks Roger. "No, I've found my heart," she replies. 

Away from Alan & Phillip, Roger tells Amanda she can't throw away her 
inheritance away on a whim. She says she's thought it through carefully & this 
is what she wants. Roger reminds her that if she plays her cards right she can 
own the entire company. Amanda hardly thinks she needs more money; she already 
has enough to last her 10 lifetimes. Winning the lawsuit only guarantees more 
fighting within the family, and she doesn't want that. Roger refuses to be 
involved. "Call me when you come to your senses," he adds, heading for the 
door. Amanda grabs his arm & pulls him back. She says she's dropping the 
lawsuit because of Roger. Phillip can't wait to hear this.

Amanda says Roger has shown her the meaning of family, by the way he treats 
his. She claims he's far richer than the Spauldings because he has family. 
She's not about to give up on hers, no matter how dysfunctional. Phillip says 
Amanda's holding something back. She admits there is one string attached to 
her dropping the lawsuit. Alan knew it. Her requirement is that Phillip hire 
Alan back as a full partner in the company. Alan's expression is inscrutable, 
while Roger & Phillip seem nonplussed.

REARDON HOUSE: Dinah urges Matt to sit down & calm down. They will only drive 
themselves crazy if they assume Vanessa is in danger. Just because Michael was 
convicted, doesn't mean he actually did it. He wasn't in jail for very long, 
so maybe the conviction was overturned or it was discovered that the patient's 
death was an accident. "Or maybe the one-armed man turned himself in," replies 
Matt sarcastically. Dinah's point is that they don't know the whole story, so 
they shouldn't freak out. What do they really know? 

Matt says they know that Vanessa was in the house. Dinah adds that either she 
didn't leave a note because she didn't see the computer, or she left a note, 
but Michael took it. Matt asks why Michael would bring Van back to Springfield 
if he didn't want anyone to know she was alive, when there was a possibility 
that someone who knew her would see her. Unless it was her last request before 
he took her away for good. Matt asks why she didn't say anything to him when 
he was standing right next to her backstage. Dinah says none of this makes any 
sense. Matt decides this is too big for them. He calls Frank & says he needs 
the information on Michael Burke right now.

ISLAND: Van looks around & says this was where she & Matt were going to live 
happily ever after, and grow old together. Michael asks if Van is OK, or if 
she wants to leave. Van remembers that at first Matt refused to believe that 
she had died, so she left a note for Nola to give him, to convince him she was 
gone & he shouldn't wait for her. "Looks like it worked," says Michael. Van 
says she wanted Matt to believe she had died, but a little part of her felt 
that he would somehow know that she was still alive. She always hoped that he 
would go ahead & build their house. Michael holds her as she cries. She feels 
alone & she's so glad Michael is there.

SPAULDING STUDY: Amanda says they have to stop bickering & the guys have to 
swallow some of their male pride. The company can only stand so much upheaval 
before it crumbles. If they don't want to derail the Spaulding gravy train, 
they should get on board. Phillip can tell people he maneuvered her into 
dropping the lawsuit. And Alan can say that he came back after they begged 
him. And Roger can say that she did her bidding because he has her wrapped 
around his little finger. "Which wouldn't be too far from the truth." So, are 
they going to bury the hatchet? She asks them to decide.

DINER: Holly says Ross has to do more than forgive Blake. He has to accept her 
for who she is, flaws & all. Ross says he never expected Blake to be perfect. 
Holly says the best he can do is hope that Blake has learned from her mistakes 
& won't make them again. If he can't do that... Ross knows his boys miss him. 
Holly says there's only one way to fix that, and it's all up to him.

Over near the pay phone, Sugar Hill talks on his cell phone. He says he's 
going to deal with the girlfriend today. He ends his call & approaches Eleni 
at the counter. He asks for Dahlia & introduces himself. Eleni directs him 
into the kitchen. On seeing him, Dahlia tells him that he just missed Marcus. 
Hill says he was wants to talk to her alone. She's happy to do that for the 
man who wants to make Marcus famous. He says she's as smart as she is 
beautiful, and she tells him his material is getting old. What does Hill want? 
Hill says he's having second thoughts about Marcus's showcase. Marcus insists 
on having Dahlia sing with him, but Hill doesn't think it would be a good idea 
to have her distracting him. Dahlia says Marcus thinks her singing makes him 
play better. Hill asks if he should tell that to his financial backers when 
they see Marcus audition. Dahlia realizes that wouldn't be a good idea. She 
would never want to stand in Marcus's way. He gets her to agree that Marcus 
should perform alone, but she looks troubled.

BAUER HOUSE: Meta shows Michelle some flowers that came for her. Michelle 
opens the card & says they're from Roger, thanking her for inviting him to the 
BBQ. Meta runs out to put fabric softener in the laundry while Michelle 
broods. She feels stupid for thinking maybe the flowers were from Jesse.

Maureen appears with a 2nd Michelle by the flowers & tells her maybe she's 
just expecting too much, too soon. Michelle tells her mom how stubborn Jesse 
is, and also how cute he is. Maureen agrees that he sounds adorable. Michelle 
says there's something else about him. Maureen tells Michelle to follow her 
heart, wherever it leads her.

Michelle drinks a cold soda & sits down by the flowers. She watches Maureen & 
the other Michelle fix a salad. She asks what Maureen thinks will happen with 
Jesse. Maureen says the exciting thing about the future is that no one knows 
for sure. Michelle is sure that Jesse will freak out when he finds out what 
she's up to. She knows that he likes her because he kept a picture of her that 
he found in his wallet. Michelle knows he's smart, even though he can't read. 
"Someone should teach him," suggests Maureen. Michelle says he's got too much 
pride. But she's not going to give up on him, no matter what Rick says. 
Michelle's vision of herself & Maureen evaporates into Meta with a basket of 
laundry. Meta asks who Michelle was talking to. 

REARDON HOUSE: Matt paces while he waits for Frank. The phone rings. Matt 
wants Frank to put out an APB on the guy. He tells Frank that Vanessa is 
alive. Dinah shouts into the phone that Van isn't dead. Matt tells Frank the 
whole story & that they're worried about what Michael might do to Vanessa. 
Frank says something, to which Matt replies, "Oh god."

ISLAND: Vanessa apologizes for constantly falling apart on Michael. He doesn't 
mind. She looks around  says she doesn't belong there anymore. She walks away 
from the house & Michael pulls a picture of a oyung woman out of his jacket & 
stares at it for a minute. He puts it away & slowly approaches Vanessa from 
behind.

SPAULDING STUDY: Amanda asks if they have a deal. No one says a word. Finally 
Phillip says what the hell, he's in. Alan says he would be a fool not to 
accept. He thanks her sincerely. Roger says he thinks Amanda is making the 
biggest mistake of her life, but he's just an employee; she can do what she 
wants.

Annie enters. Seeing the meeting going on, she apologizes for intruding. 
Amanda welcomes her & tells her the good news about Alan rejoining Spaulding. 

DINER: Dahlia doesn't really appreciate Hill's tap-dance. If he didn't want 
her to sing at Marcus's audition, he just had to say so. Hill didn't want to 
hurt  her little feelings. Dahlia knows this is bull. Hill knew Marcus would 
cancel the audition if he vetoed Dahlia, but if Dahlia backs out herself, he 
won't. He promises to be honest with her in the future. He gives her a 
"graduation" gift, by way of thanks. (It was originally intended as a bribe, 
but he knows that's not necessary now.) Dahlia is bowled over when she 
recognizes an original piece of Dizzy Gillespie sheet music. She knows Marcus 
will go nuts for it too. Hill asks her not to mention their conversation to 
Marcus. Just then, Marcus appears, looking none too pleased. Dahlia rushes 
over to show him Hill's gift. Marcus is impressed, then asks Dahlia to leave. 

Marcus asks Hill what's up with the expensive gift. Hill says he just wants to 
make his clients & their friends happy. Marcus says he's not a client yet. 
Hill says not to sweat it; he's not trying to scam on Dahlia. He just wants to 
make everyone happy.

Holly uses her cell phone to check her messages. There's a message from Blake, 
saying she's in a lot of trouble & needs help. She says she'll call back 
later. Ross asks Holly if everything's OK. I'm not sure, she says, handing the 
phone to him. Ross listens to Blake's message. He can tell something bad has 
happened to her.

BAUER HOUSE: Michelle explains that she was talking to her mom. Meta probably 
thinks that's weird. Not at all, says Meta. She talks with the dearly departed 
all the time... Bert, Papa Bauer, Bill. Her list just goes on & on. Michelle 
asks if they ever talk back. She says they do. Bert gives her more advice than 
she did when she was alive. "Next time, give your mother my love," she says. 
"I miss her too." Michelle is reassured. Meta walks out with the laundry & 
Michelle calls the judge to talk about her friend, Jesse Blue.

SPAULDING HOUSE: Phillip says he'd like to keep the news quiet for a couple of 
weeks. Everyone agrees. Phillip says he would really like this to work. It 
would be a miracle, though. Amanda wants to speak with Roger in private. Alan 
returns to the study.

Annie congratulates Alan. It looks like everyone is getting a 2nd chance. He 
suggests celebrating this evening with dinner. Annie doesn't want to go out. 
Alan says they'll eat in, just the two of them.

Out in the hall, Amanda thanks Roger for going along with her, even though she 
knows it's not what he wants. Rog is sure she's acting in her own best 
interests. She wants them to be a family. She pulls out her engagement ring & 
reminds Rog that he told her not to wear it unless she was ready to commit. 
Now she's ready. She puts the ring on her finger. "I'm ready now. Everything 
is just the way I want it." She kisses Roger, who is unresponsive. "Maybe for 
you. Not for me," says Rog. Amanda says he's not going to walk away from her 
again.

REARDON HOUSE: Dinah asks Matt what Frank told her. Matt says the patient that 
Michael murdered was also his lover. Dinah sighs.

ISLAND: Michael says they should go. He never wants to see Vanessa so unhappy 
again. "It's not your fault," says Van, turning toward him. As she turns, she 
morphs into the woman in the photo. Michael can't believe his eyes. He grabs 
her & kisses her. Vanessa pulls away from him, shouting, "Michael, no!" 
Michael backs off & looks at her. "Oh god, please don't let this happen 
again," he prays. Vanessa looks at him in concern as the screen fades to 
black.

--Marni (marni@panix.com)



