|
|
Best and Worst of
the Past
1994 Best
Brothers. Virile men on soaps show emotionwith hearty slaps on the back
and stiff-armed hugs. But AMc has struck a balance between macho and mushy with
Edmund Grey and Dimitri Marick. As childhood rivals, Edmund, the lowly gardner's
son, and Dimitri, the boy prince, were always at each other's throats. When
Dimitri learned that Edmund was Hugo Marick's illegitimate son- and his
half-brother- he was not thrilled. And Edmund wasn't crazy about sharing
Dimitri's blue blood.
Like most siblings, Dimitri and Edmund don't always agree. But when push comes
to shove, they are in each other's corner. When Dimitri needed step-parenting
advice, he asked "his little bro." And when Brooke gave Edmund the
kiss-off, Dimitri provided the Kleenex. In Michael Nader (Dimitri) and John
Callahan (Edmund), AMC has charismatic performers with chemistry, and they're
making the most of it. (SOD 1/4/94)
Funniest
Story- Willow Lake Acres. Viewers who tuned into AMC during its Willow
Lake Acres storyline were treated to a delightful change of pace. There was a
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Edmund Grey, clad in tight leather pants, a
fluorescent shirt open to the navel and wearing enough gold around his neck to
choke a cow. "Hey baby, give me a kiss," he cooed to sociolite Phoebe
Wallingford. Phoebe? That right. Edmund had been transformed into
"Eduardo," Phoebe's Latin lover and part-time gigolo.
When Giles Westfall breezed into town touting his deluxe retirement village,
Willow Lake Acres, Mona, Myrtle and other seniors couldn't wait to sign up. They
forked over their life savings, but Edmund smelled a scam. He decided to go
undercover as "Eduardo" and then convinced Phoebe and Brooke to play
along. As their elaborate sting to trap Westfall unfolded, other Pine Valleyites
joined in the action. Some of the most hilarious scenes occurred between Brooke
and Erica while they hid in a closet. When an enraged Erica promised to give
Giles "a piece of my mind," Brooke shot back, "You don't have any
to spare." But along with slapstick humor, this storyline also had passion.
Who could forget the heart-stopping moment when Brooke pulled Edmund from
quicksand and declared her love? AMC already excelled at drama; now it can add
farce to its repertoire. (SOD 1/4/94)
Most
Disappointing Wedding. From the day that Edmund and Maria first went
Texas two-stepping, there's been nothing disappointing about this couple.
We loved watching them fall in love, so we expected their wedding to be special.
Production-wise, it was. AMC went on location to a magnificent Catholic church
in Garden City, NY. But the wedding kept getting interrupted by scenes of goofy
Janet fantasizing about starring in This Is Your Life. What was the theme- women
in white? (Maria was swathed in satin; Janet was smoothered in Ace bandages, not
wrapped too tight.) Much of the wedding's dramatic effect was lost because of
its piece-metal presentation. Well, at least Janet didn't go on the honeymoon.
(SOD 1/3/95)
1995 Best
Contemporary Story. Over five million U.S. couples battle infertility
each year. In 1995, Edmund and Maria became part of that statistic.
In their quest for parenthood, the Greys faced the agony of three failed
in-vitro attempts, then debated the pros and cons of surrogacy and adoption. It
wasn't pretty: From her hormonal mood swings to his testiness to their joint
disappointment at their failure to conceive, Edmund and Maria's emotions were
raw and real. And while it looks like they might be able to adopt Kelsey's baby,
the couple have learned the hard way that there are no guarantees.
Because the story has unfolded slowly, the characters have been able to explore
every aspect of their own pysches. They've examined how they really feel about
themselves, about their families, about life. And isn't that what daytime
is all about? (SOD 1/2/96)
1996 Best
Tearjerker- The Saga of Baby Sam. "I, Robert Warner, relinquishany
and all claims..." Reading those words on Baby Sam's final adoption papers,
Maria burst into tears- and we choked up, too. The wrenching, well-told tale of
little Sam's birth and adoption had finally come to a satisfying conclusion.
Like Maria and Edmund, we spent most of 1996 on an emotional roller coaster over
Sam's fate. The Greys instantly fell in love with Kelsey's baby, but the teen
mother recognized that Sam represented power. When Kelsey felt hurt and
abandoned, she lashed out with the only weapon at her disposal- reclaiming her
baby. Among the saddest scenes on any soap this year were Maria's tearful
parting with Sam at the airport, followed by Edmund's sad farewell at the Martin
home. "It's going to be a little strange at first," Edmund reassured
the baby, trying not to break down, "but you're going to be a happy
boy." Oh, the pain!
Who'd have guessed that former bad boy Bobby Warner would turn out to be the
catalyst in Sam's return to the Greys? His insistence on doing what was best for
his son helped Kelsey realize that the baby would indeed be happier and more
secure with Edmund and Maria. In the splendid episode that marked the baby's
reunion with his adoptive parents, Edmund urged his wife, "Hold your son,
baby; he's not going away." Meanwhile, Bobby asked the moon for a favor:
"For Sammy, I wish he'll be happy for the rest of his life."
It was a classic soap tearjerker- and we willingly succumbed. (SOD 12/31/96)
1997 
Best Secret-
Edmund's a Daddy. From the moment Skye snuck into Andy's lab and
changed Maddie's daddy from Edmund to Dimitri last January, the clock was
ticking, and cruel fate had suprises in store for everyone who stumbled onto the
truth. Tanner was the first to know and go, following a deadly dispute with
Mateo. Later, Skye wrote a tell-all letter to Edmund; Maria intercepted it, read
it- then fell off a cliff in a piece of smashed fuselage. Brooke walked by the
letter many times while digging through wreckage, but was distracted by a child
pornographer. It seemed Edmund would never learn the truth. Then, finally, those
who were in the know outnumbered those who weren't; Stuart... Dimitri... and
Erica. Putting her get-out-of-jail card to good use, Erica raced to Wildwind and
spilled the beans; Edmund's joy was palpable. We felt relief. Best of all,
Erica's revelation was followed by Dimitri's flight to Budapest, where Edmund
and Tad donned drag to get Maddie back. The Vadzel adventure, lighthearted for
the most part, was a perfect ending to a year-long saga, kind of like a fine
brandy after a scrumptious meal. (SOD 12/30/97)
1998 Most Missed- Maria Santos Grey.
The ravishing Maria Santos was one of the most beloved, sympathetic characters
in AMC history. She loved her family and especially her husband, Edmund Grey.
The couple's problems started when Maria had trouble conceiving a baby. They
adopted Kelsey's son, Sam, only to find out that Maria was pregnant. They
couldn't have been happier... until the unthinkable happened. Erica stole their
natural-born baby after Maria barely had a chance to see her. We thought Maria
would live happily-ever-after when Erica returned the precious little girl, but
sadly, she perished in a plane crash shortly thereafter. However, Maria could
easily be brought back to Edmund because her body was never found. (SOM
11/10/98)
2000 Most Irresistable- Maria Santos and Edmund Grey. Just one of those things- The renowned journalist was hot and heavy with another woman when he met the stunning physician. But soon, he had no choice but to abandon his current relationship: what Edmund felt for Maria, he didn't feel for Brooke, nor had he ever felt for anyone in his life. The two wed in a beautiful ceremony in 1994 in a centuries-old cathedral surrounded by friends, family and candlelight- an exceptionally romantic service for an outstanding pair of lovebirds. Alas, fate would deal them one blow after another, culminating in a plane crash that left Edmund with nothing but bittersweet memories. (SID 10/31/2000)
