The Count's Not Down (SOD 5/9/2000)
The Return of All My Children's Presumed-Dead Dimitri Kicks Off a New Mystery

"When All My Children's Dimitri vanished from Seaview Hospital in September, 1999, his bride, Alex, and brother, Edmund, concluded that the proud count had walked into the sea rather than live with a debilitating neurological condition. His loved ones thought Dimitri was dead, but savvy soap fans knew better, since no body was found. This week, after an eight-month absence, the count resurfaces- and you won't believe where.

'Just as Alex and Edmund are falling in love, the audience will be aware than Dimitri is alive,' previews Executive Producer Jean Dadario Burke. In time, promises Burke, 'The details of Dimitri's disappearance will be revealed... along with the depth of his love for Alex.'

Ah, Alex. The count's 'widow' and brother, who are in Wales to investigate her forgotten past, just became lovers. Oh, the timing. Shares Finola Hughes (Alex), 'Last night, my parking attendant said, "Dimitri's coming back, right?" I said, "Yeah." He goes, "You're in trouble!"'

What this means for Edmund (who, thanks to Alex, has made love for the first time since wife Maria's 1997 death) is anyone's guess. Hughes maintains that Dimitri is Alex's great love. 'To Alex, Dimitri was the one. As Maria was the one for Edmund.'

'There will be interesting dynamics,' muses Edmund's portrayer, John Callahan. 'Edmund's going to be very, very happy that his brother's back, but Edmund doesn't want Dimitri coming into his room at night. Finders, keepers,' quips the actor. 'I think it would be in Edmund's nature to just bow out gracefully immediately. The more interesting thing is what happens afterward. To set up a triangle in the beginning would be a mistake. I don't know what the writers are doing, but I'm just speaking my mind.'

The always-frank Michael Nader, who originated the role of the brooding Dimitri in 1991, says, 'For me, triangles are the most boring; they really are. I do hope to pursue some sort of subtle spiritual change, some perception that Dimitri is different. Being away for so long, I hope the entrance material is as nicely conceived as the exit was. Daytime is a very tough medium. There are a lot of good actors. The actors who stand out are the ones that mix it up. I hope to join that team again.'

Burke enthuses, 'We're delighted, of course, to have Michael back. His humor and his professionalism are going to add a lot to this story.'

Though the actor is in the dark about what's ahead for Dimitri, Nader hopes he won't have to thunder those classic soap words, 'You had sex with my wife!' Thank God, I didn't come back and open the door while they were having sex,' he chuckles.

It's likely that Dimitri won't be saying much of anything- he's in a very bad place. On Friday, May 5, a sleuthing Alex is puzzled when a Bryn Wydd housekeeper informs her that the Gothic Wales institution is not a hospital and has nothing to do with medicine. Alarmingly, the place where Alex was once a patient does have an electric shock machine. And as viewers will see at the close of Friday's episode, Bryn Wydd is also where Dimitri has been staying!

Burke believe that fans will buy the story to of how the count got from Pine Valley, PA, to Wales, which she admits is a challenge. 'When you're bringing back a character that has supposedly died, it's tricky because it can get to the point of absurdity and you have to be careful to make it real. I hope the audience will be delighted by the story we're going to tell.'

Down the road, fans can look for an unexpected person to add a shocking twist to this tale.

Great Expectations
When Dimitri was written out last year, Erica/Dimitri enthusiasts cried foul. Some fans of the twice-married couple, who divorced in 1996, had hoped that the Pine Valley pair would one day reconcile. 'I found it sort of odd that they'd move me so far away from Susan [Lucci, Erica],' notes Dimitri's portrayer, Michael Nader. 'They're trying to explore these other themes. I have not watched the show, so I wouldn't know, but I hear. I just heard that Erica's trying to make David jealous. Get me in the same room with them, and we'll see who ends up being jealous,' laughs Nader. 'You got that? Yeah, Erica, Dim's back!'"