A Tale of Two Romeos, Juliet ... and freakin Rosaline/Ophelia?!?!

Rosaline/Ophelia and The House of Whats-their-name?

Rosaline, you twerp! Juliet is in prison, and you're chasing after Romeo. I can't blame you, though, for wanting Romeo... the real one, that is. It's okay, I don't hate you, because I can see your POV, warped it may be. Please stay a while longer. And do extend that invitation to your parents -- the Lady and Lord of the House of Sandoval (or whatever last name the writers gave your family).

Folks, I'm serious about Theresa and Bernard(o). I think their scenes (whether by themselves, or with Danny/Carmen) are *very* important ... yes, to establish plot points, but more significantly -- to paint the mafia family culture within which Danny was raised. No offense to Mannyacs, but I think there is an overwhelming tendency among us to jump the gun when it comes to Theresa. I do understand where this comes from, but I also wish we'd listen to her and Bernard's words more carefully.

Their POV is certainly not one shared by the audience, but within the story's dramatic reality, it is LEGIT! That POV lends heavy weight to Carmen's pronouncements (when trying to "blame" Danny/Michelle for La Familia troubles) and Danny's attitude/mentality, especially in the early months. I think Theresa's attitude illustrates just how far Danny has come from those days.

Listen to Bernard's words about family honor, loyalty, responsibility, and even destiny. Juxtapose them next to Danny's soliloquy last summer, when he talked about his father, and the terrible weight of sacrifices. What about Theresa's (and her mother's) comments last fall, describing Danny as the once ideal mafia prince, now gone wayward? Theresa actually serves as a window to Danny's world and past (ala loony Ophelia, for Hamlet), which is a striking parallel to Bill with respect to Michelle's.

I cannot and do not dismiss Bernard when he talks of Danny's *betrayal* and *debts* to the FAMILY. And I cannot ignore Danny, when he tells Jesse, "This is the mob! You just don't change your mind..." Thank you writers, for injecting these notes back into the symphony.

Romeo vs. Romeo

I am convinced that the recent developments with Theresa and Bernard are also the writers' subtle way of acknowledging the very dissonant chords of Manny's beginnings. How ironic that Danny's marriage to Michelle came about as a means to save Michelle's life, and now, he may have no choice but to end that marriage and start a new one with Theresa to save Michelle again. Even if this direction never comes to pass, it is still rather ironic and definitely a brilliant symmetry in the Manny-Santos-Bauer canvas.

And Jesse HAD to be a part of those scenes. His presence adds resonance to the irony and symmetry. He remains the simple but well-meaning TrueBlue. I seriously doubt that Jesse is motivated by any personal desires to win back Michelle, which is very much a contrast to all the selfish motivations behind Drew's attempts last year.

House of BAUER, how do I love thee!

I am not a long time viewer. In fact, I'm barely a year-old infant when it comes to GL. However, thanks to the veteran fans on this board and their insightful comments about the show's history, especially when it comes to the Bauers, I am thrilled when something from that past manifests itself in current stories (and no, I'm not talking about Matttel-induced flashbacks of events that happened 2 minutes ago).

Case in point: Without even knowing what Maureen Bauer looked like, and before I actually saw or heard GL blatantly reference her, I already felt as though I knew her and could appreciate her. Well, partly anyway. All I had to do was understand Michelle and listen to the long-timers describe Michelle as very Maureen-like. When the show finally started and continued alluding to her, it was like GL telling me, "Here, why don't we make you and Maureen better acquainted?" And again, a toast to the writers.

So how satisfying and precious it was to see Michelle with Rick, then finally Maureen! Those jail scenes were superb and masterful strokes painting the BAUER siblings Rick and Michelle. In my opinion, those scenes had NOTHING to do with any plot, but everything to do with characterization, especially that of Michelle BAUER Santos. And they all pulled me from my cool seat of appreciation up in the bleachers straight down into tears, every time I watch them!

Rick and Michelle

MoL's and JL's acting made the already beautiful script completely alive, making me forget that I was watching fictional characters on the screen. So many emotions flew across that cell between them, and they all flowed seamlessly, flying in and out and within each other, and taking me along with them for every single micro moment.. One minute, they both have me feeling their desperate love and concern for a loved one (Rick for Michelle, Michelle for Danny) ... the next, unrestrained delight at a silly toy (Hooray for Uncle Ernie and his hair piece, tummy and clicking feet)... then devilish fondness and happiness over their childhood days ... to bittersweet remembrances of a much beloved mother.

The delivery of those lines were so believable that I could vividly see AND hear a little Michelle and a much younger Rick merrily and spiritedly running around and even screaming at each other in that Bauer house, the way siblings do in younger and more carefree days. And how I treasure these images!

The light-hearted way they reminisced were so brilliantly and poignantly interspersed with the somber reality of the current and almost hopeless situation. How my heart sank from laughter to incredible sadness and ache when Michelle went from the sneaky, bratty little sister teasing her older brother to the pained, young woman behind bars -- she (and I) wanted nothing more but to continue being in that far away world of delightful banter -- "What you were you gonna do Rick, put me in pr- ?" and instead, suddenly slammed into the present grim reality.

I can't wholly describe what I feel every time I see Rick comforting Michelle. From Rick holding Michelle while they're stretched on the cot, to Rick almost looming above her as he stood behind Michelle (who in turn was behind those bars) -- they all went straight to my poor aching heart. In these scenes, Michelle was nothing more than Rick's *baby* sister --- a *little* GIRL feeling defeated and helpless while cradled by her big brother's comforting and protective arms.

I couldn't help flashing back to another image (from January, I think -- the episode where Danny was visiting Len, while the Bauers, Ross and Holly gathered at the Bauer kitchen) -- where Michelle stands "freely" just outside the Bauer house. In that picture, Michelle faces Rick with the dignity, grace and elegance of a strong young WOMAN. And one can feel Rick's beaming "pride" at his very grown-up sister.

There is definitely a distinction in the sibling dynamics/interaction between the two episodes, and rightfully so, because of the differing circumstance and environment surrounding them. Yet despite this distinction, the incredible connection between brother and sister is quite evident in each. MoL and JL indeed play them all perfectly!

Maureen and Michelle

Wow. So that is Maureen. To finally hear Michelle actually say "Mom" to Maureen, and have Maureen call Michelle "baby" and "sweetheart" even in spirit only -- in those moments, no other sound and sight could have been more beautiful.

JL/Michelle's daughter/mother interaction with EP/Maureen were just as amazingly believable as her sister/brother scenes with MoL/Rick. Major kudos to the writer/director or whoever decided to have "real" Michelle looking at "fantasy" Michelle and Maureen, and have fantasy-Maureen facing real-Michelle before turning and talking to fantasy-Michelle ... and for the very smooth flow from the Rick scenes to the Maureen scenes. In some way, Rick and Uncle Ernie were just a prologue to Maureen's entrance and her message of hope to Michelle.

There is no question that Maureen brought hope and life into that cell and into Michelle, the way no one else could. And the quietness of those scenes added to the realism. I agree with Maureen that Michelle is a lost "child" in that cell (how I loved the way that fantasy-Michelle clung to her mother and real-Michelle mournfully went back to that cot), but at the same time, a very strong young woman. That was apparent every time Michelle talked about Danny -- her face lit up!

Something else also kept running in my mind throughout those scenes, especially when Michelle talked about not knowing how she "got here?" ... of being in the world of the likes of Carmen and Ben... then remembering her grandma Bert. It made me think back to her talk with Aunt Meta in the Bauer kitchen, when Meta tried to inject into Michelle some dose of dark reality. What a striking counterpoint to now have Maureen instilling back some light and hope into Michelle. Yet underpinning both, is preserving the identity of Michelle.

If Michelle were not a BAUER, but instead a Lewis or Shayne or Cooper, etc ... the story would lose a crucial dimension. How improbable, how ironic and thematically rich to have Michelle -- a child of the BAUERS, a family who is literally the "Guiding Light" of Springfield (just look at Maureen) -- colliding with circumstances above and beyond her, leading to a life with Daniel SANTOS (the individual and his WORLD) and now sitting in that jail cell, alone and almost devoid of hope, until her mother comes along to tell her -- "Believe!"



And I do want to believe again ... believe in the Manny symphony.


Meliss(a)