I have to admit, I wasn’t very hopeful that the end of ATWT would be what it could be.
I certainly wasn’t very encouraged by the scenes from early last week. The entire Avalon story was a culmination of so many of the things that were not good about the last span of the show (Janet and her 32 boyfriends, Craig going after Lily – which would never, ever, ever, EVER happen) and defined the idea of “treading water.”
So what does ATWT do? Surprise me with two nearly flawless back to back episodes.
I’ve already praised Colleen Zenk Pinter, but Friday’s air show saw her bring new layers to Barbara. She brought Barbara full circle – to a wiser, kinder Barbara who embraces her flaws and accepts her spouse for who he is.
The entire Stenbeck/Ryan clan story over the last few weeks has been beautiful: Emily asking herself why she couldn’t forgive Barbara (and eventually doing so), Paul coming to terms with the Stenbeck curse and letting go, Will and Gwen dealing with all of the changes to their family (and Iris’s bad deeds).
It was all played perfectly, with an eye to history: Kim and Barbara talking about both Jennifers, Barbara remembering Will’s dad Hal. (The only complaint? Where was Lisa??) I loved that they played “More Than a Woman” at the end (a reference to the dance contest they entered – and won).
The last segment of the episode, especially, was just so poignant:
And of course, the end of the episode was priceless: Johnny D walks into the hotel lobby!
Monday’s episode was almost as perfect. Seeing John, Bob and Kim together was great. (Classic line from Kim to Reid when Reid learns John and Kim had been married: “Whatever you’re thinking? Don’t say it.”)
As bored as I am with Katie getting married to her 112th husband, Daniel Cosgrove is really selling Chris, his love for Katie and his concern and love for his family. This is at last a grown Chris Hughes, a man who could follow in the footsteps of his grandfather Christopher Hughes, who was the main focus of the show as it started. It seems poetic that he’s really coming into his own as the show ends.
Seeing Lisa was a joy: first to see her react as only Lisa could to John Dixon’s return, and then seeing her at the end of the episode, when the family got the heartbreaking news about Nancy’s death.
A | THOUSAND | OTHER | WORLDS 
I was with you until you got to the part about Chris and Katie. 🙂 Not a fan of their story at all. Chris has come and gone too much in the last several years and has been recast too many times for me to care about him. Plus, this whole Chief of Staff s/l with Reid and Chris is ludicrous. The Chief of the Medical Staff–which is what Chief of Staff means–is not equivalent to a hospital CEO. Not even close. Furthermore, Chris’ sole purpose in life seemed to be getting into Katie’s bed. Why?
I feel that one of the supreme weaknesses of ATWT in recent years was having so much of the show revolve around Katie, a selfish and immature character who grew up for about 5 minutes during her relationship with Brad and then became the junior high cheerleader again. She even got the final scene of the special tribute episode for Nancy Hughes/Helen Wagner. You’d think someone would have said, “Wait a minute. This episode is supposed to be about Nancy and the Hughes family. Change this.” But no.
I hear you on the Katie front, MaryMary. And as much as I was loving Daniel’s take on Chris, I agree his return and the semi-maturation has been rushed (because of the show ending). And he’s been all Katie, all the time.
I liked Terri Colombino and enjoyed early Katie, but making her leap from man to man did her no favors, nor did the odd things she and Henry have done to each other recently.
Agreed. 🙂
By the way, I hope that you don’t think that I dislike Terri Columbino. She’s pretty, and certainly a capable actress (not on par with Collen Zenk or Kathryn Hays by any means, but still decent.) I just don’t understand why the character of Katie took over the show–along with Gwen, Craig, and a few others–in the last several years. Chris Goutman apparently thinks that Katie is the sweetheart of the show and deserves to be happy at the end. Given Katie’s history, I think it would be refreshing for her not to be paired with anyone at the end. It would have been good for the show to have Katie and Chris moving toward a more committed relationship with each other, rather than have this forced love and insination that Chris and Katie are the new Chris and Nancy. Sorry to rant.
Marymary – I couldn’t agree more. I like Terri and the dislike is really not about her or her performances. I can see why Goutman wanted ATWT 2.0 to include her. But there has been massive Katie overkill in the last few years.
I did like the early part of Chris/Katie, but it’s been warp-speed accelerated, and for them to be the center of the end of the show…..not loving that.