Where are you and what have you done with Springfield?

1 . 24 . 00

Timeline:   Michelle and her family are having a dinner the night
before the trial begins. Danny visits Len.

Because this CERTAINLY isn't the town I had gotten used to over the last 6 months. Pardon me, I'll be writing this while I pack my bags. You see, these were the people that I love, the people I *knew*, the people that I wanted to be best friends with.

Where to start? How about we start with the stories that WEREN'T in SF, and not coincidentally, the part of the show I didn't watch. After that, we'll move on to the reason we all exist, Manny. :) What? You don't pray to a velvet hanging of PAS & JL every night before bedtime? How odd!

• Rassie: Guilty of fuh fuh'ing! However, never fear. A review is near! In short, I saw talking, I saw tears (shocker!) and I saw a LOT of blond hair and aqua fabric squiggle by on my tv set. Moving along...

   

• Bim/Pharley: Um, fuh fuh'd here too.. I saw some more tears (Beth), saw Jim looking like he really didn't need to be there, saw a sexy nightie on Harley, and I saw Phillip look constipated. Ok, so Bim were technically *in* SF, but they got fuh fuh'd just cuz they're boring, and because my ears begin to bleed when I hear Beth cry.

   

• Frank - Matt - Bill: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh. How do I love you all? Let me count the ways? Oh, never mind. That's too complicated. Can I just say that I wanted to hop right down into that booth and chug down a cold one right along with them? All the while gazing into their eyes wondering where they've been all this time? What I loved was that this was so NOT a forced meeting. It made PERFECT sense that these three would know and like each other and that they would meet up accidentally at Company just in time for the macho pity party to begin. Let's break this down:

   

  • Frank. Lovely Frank, saying the words I had longed to hear forEVER - that he himself longed for the days of day-old coffee and grease stains, and musaka! Or, musakai, or whatever! Go, Frank! Go! Run and never look back! Open a new diner, make your family happy! Quit the force, it was never your true calling! Is it any wonder most of us loved you more as Frank, the mr. regular who was trying to make ends meet rather than Detective Cooper, mr. i have no heart and this suit is scratching me in the wrong place?

     

  • Matt. Dear, sweet, hopelessly in love with his comatose wife, Matt. Perhaps I was the only one humming along to The Smiths' tune "Girlfriend in a Coma", and perhaps even that was in bad taste, but these scenes made me downright giddy. Matt, despite his recent lobotomy, stalwartly sitting by his beloved Tessa, showed us today just how strong he really is. I've said it once, I'll say it again. I really REALLY like KM. He has a very earthy quality that I find incredibly endearing. Matt's relationship with Bill, his step-son, is one we haven't seen enough, but today we saw a great friendship between the two, and I loved it! The fact that he is at such a horrible place in his life, yet still offers support to Bill and Frank, all the while looking tired and distracted (yet attentive and interested) broke my heart. Brava KM!

     

  • Bill, Bill, Bill... you poor thing. Could you feel any MORE sorry for yourself? That's ok, you're forgiven. As I said months ago - you've had it rough. Losing all your women to either Danny or God (dispelling the rumors that they are one in the same). And writers, THANK YOU for finally letting Bill acknowledge Michelle! Since he left in the middle of her denied bail hearing, he's disappeared from her life. It was very touching to hear him talk about the faith he has in her. Keep this up and your friendship status will be bumped up to "not so bad" soon.

   

• Danny/Len: Ok, haircut. Ew. I know PAS is probably very happy with his new buzz, and I appreciate the definition much more than the straggled mess we've had since the last haircut, but I miss the curls!! I miss that mess on the back of his neck that would go off in every direction. Just tell me what Michelle has to grab onto now?? Oh, never mind. Mind picture. Oh baby! Moving on... loved these scenes today. Again, it was LOGICAL that Danny would go to see Len the night before the trial (though, I highly doubt Len gets called TOMORROW - but hey, this *is* a soap). And I'd like to just say "i called it!". Ok, so maybe nobody HEARD me, but when Danny walked in and closed the door I said to myself, I said "self? Shouldn't there be a glass door? Or at least a window by the door where Len saw Michelle?". I did! I said it! Well, but then... ok, so you can take away those points because later, when David asked if he'd been remodeling, my first thought was that he was going to insinuate that Len had been PAID OFF to testify. *sigh* I never said the blond had grown COMPLETELY out yet. Anyone else dying to see the blooper reels from these scenes? I half-expect to see PAS getting a jellybean stuck in his nose. Call this Danny what you will - dark, smart, cocky, arrogant. But I'm just gonna call him SHAGALICIOUS! And leave it at that...

   

• Michelle, etc: Think Rick'll adopt me? I mean it, I'm ready to go.. my bag is packed. I'll even bring my own condiments and my entire Kevin Spacey/Kevin Kline/Kevin Bacon movie collection! First things first... what's which the cheese? "Want some cheese?" (Danny to Michelle way back when) and then today's reference? Anyone else thinking that Manny get a little kinky with the Velveeta once in a while? Ok, sorry... Loved the music playing in the background and the aura of love in that room at all times. Was it just me or did it seem like both Holly & Michelle had magnets hidden somewhere during Holly's arrival.. the way she made a bee-line, ignoring everything in her path, to get to our little convict was... well, kinda creepy! :P But I'm not complaining. I'm still not really understanding why they all JUST sat down to eat and then ALL got up 30 seconds later. And just HOW lucky was it for the camera person that Danny didn't show up in time for dinner? I mean, he would've sat at the other end of the table, blocking the shot! Lucky, lucky, lucky. And it made my cold little black heart go pitter patter to hear Rick finally give his REAL approval of Danny. I do believe I shed a tear. Ok, maybe not. But it was pretty dang sweet! As much as I adored these scenes and Danny's, I would take the rap for Ben's murder myself just to have seen Danny in THAT environment.

All in all, what a fabu day! Too bad we're going into trial mode now and I have to put on my serious, analytical, resolve face. But hey, that's a whole.. hmm.. 15 hours away. Until then... I have but one wish:

I really hope Danny remembers the cheese.

Can't think, I'm dancing...

Candy