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Snippets on Dimitri's Death and the Aftermath

The Count's Down (SOD 12/21/99)
"Dimitri collapsed on the day he returned from Europe with his suprise bride, Alexandra Devane. The count was soon pronounced dead. When Edmund accused his sister-in-law of foul play, she admitted that Dimtri was actually alive. Neurologist Alex was treating the proud Dimitri, who didn't want his family to see his debilitating condition. After experimental stem cell therapy, Dimitri rallied, but then fled the hospital and apparently walked into the sea, again devastating his family."

Pine Valley Mourns Dimitri's Death on AMC (SOU 10/26/99)
"The death of Dimitri was compelling and ever so sad on All My Children.  As the sick and dying Dimitri, Michael Nader was mesmerizing; arguably it was the veteran actor's best work. We believed that Dimitri was ill and in pain, both physically and emotionally. Nader showed us Dimitri's dilemma beautifully. Here was a strong and proud man who had to decide whether to let his family see him suffer, or simply to have them believe that he had died. He chose the latter.
    However, not everyone was buying it. Always the journalist, Edmund couldn't help but be suspicious of his new sister-in-law and the fate of his brother's body (she refusted to allow an autopsy). He dug and dug into her past before finally getting her to tell him everything- from the fact that she is a doctor, to the stunning news that Dimitri was alive. With that bombshell, the family was given a few days of hope. Unfortunately, the stem-cell treatment didn't work, and the family lost him all over again.
    Dimitri's death also set the scene for the arrival of Alexandra Devane, played by the luminous Finola Hughes. AMC clearly wanted a wonderful story to introduce the character, and this was it. Her initial secrecy intrigued us, while her grieving beach scenes won us over. It's too bad that Nader had to leave the show just when he was demonstrating such wonderful chemistry with Hughes.
Being hit twice with Dimitri's 'death' (they still haven't found the body; we know what that means) was doubly difficult to deal with. John Callahan was quite convincing as Edmund, who was blinded by rage. The scenes also provided the lovely Esta Terblanche a chance to show us how Gillian has matured into a serious young woman."

Dimitri's Final Surprise (SOD 10/12/99)
"Dimitri may be dead, but the count still has some power, as in willpower. this week on All My Children, Dimitri delivers one final surprise from the great beyond.
    As the week opens, the widow Marick (Alex) informs Edmund that she's returning to London for the reading of Dimitri's will and won't come back. This doesn't sit well with suspicious Edmund, who plans to fly to Europe to hear for himself what's in his brother's will. 'Edmund thinks he knows what's going to be in there, whereas Alex seems to think she knows everything about the will,' previews Executive Producer Jean Dadario Burke.
    But neither Dimitri's sib or widow have the whole story. That distinction belongs to surprising Pine Valley-ite. Burke explains: "Along the way, Jackson got involved. It was when Dimitri rallied.'
    This new wrinkle comes to light during a clash between Edmund and Jackson. Edmund voices his mistrust of Alex and is perplexed when the lawyer keeps defending her. Jack finally admits that Dimitri summoned him to his Seaview Hospital bedside and added a codicil to his will. But that's all Jack will reveal. 'It's very interesting. You really want to know what Dimitri could have wanted,' grins the exec.
    Alex, who remains in the dark about all this, is unnerved when Edmund turns up in London. But it's during the reading of Dimitri's will that she is really thrown for a loop. Jackson unexpectedly strides in and drops the bombshell about the codicil, hinting that the revised document could have a profound impact on Alex. 'Once again, we will find out that Dimitri rules from the grave,' chuckles Burke. So will this development draw Alexandra and Edmund closer or add fuel to their animosit? Burke teases: 'Both things will happen. And I won't tell you in what order!'"

AMC's Alex Plans to Leave Pine Valley (SOW 10/12/99)
"Now that her husband has died, All My Children's Alex sees no reason to stay in Pine Valley any longer. Although Edmund and Alex have come to a truce of sorts, especially at their private beach-side memorial service for Dimitri, Edmund is still wary of the woman who arrived at Wildwind this past summer.
    This week, she tells Edmund she's heading back to London for the reading of Dimitri's will, and when that business is completed, she'll remain there. Edmund makes no attempt to change her mind. Alex says her goodbyes to Gillian and Eugenia.
    Jack sees no reason for Edmund to still be suspicious of Alex, and he says so. Jack's pro-Alex stance annoys Edmund. Other Pine Valley residents- Stuart, among them- try to get Alex to stay; she refuses to change her mind, claiming that she knows that Edmund doesn't want her around.
    What Edmund does want is to be present for the reading of Dimitri's will. Jack then tells Edmund about a conversation he had with Dimitri before his death. Edmund is stunned and insists Jack accompany him to England. Jack hints that there are changes in the will that could have an impact on Alex's and Edmund's lives forever."

Is Dimitri Really Dead? (SOD 10/5/99)
"When All My Children's presumed-dead Dimitri turned out to be alive- if not well- optimistic Michael Nader fans hoped it meant that the ousted actor had been granted a reprieve. But now the brooding count has vanished and is again thought to be a goner. What gives?
    'I had died,' reveals Nader. 'But they thought it was better for all concerned that I come back and do a couple of days so that Dimitri does leave alive and well.' Is he? An AMC insider teases: 'He's presumed dead by all his family and friends, but there wasn't a body found...'
    'They decided to do a Shakespear in Love exit,' laughs Nader, referring to the film's final moments when Gwyneth Paltrow's character survives a shipwreck and emerges from the sea to wander ashore into the unknown. 'If he's not dead, he's a damn strong swimmer,' quips the actor.
    Clearly AMC decided to leave the door open for the popular actor. But for now, Nader is off the New York-based soap and back in Los Angeles- and keeping mum about the possiblity of a future return. As for AMC, 'We have no plans to bring Michael Nader back at this time,' reports a show spokesperson.
Internet gossips have speculated that Dimitri may turn up again in the form of Hunt Block (soon-to-be ex-Ben, GL) or Ian Buchanan (ex-James, B&B; ex-Duke, GH). Although AMC won't respond to those rumors, a setsider confides, 'There is absolutely no truth to that.'"

Edmund Investigates Alex (SOW 8/7/99)
"Edmund enlists David's help in trying to uncover what really happened to Dimitri, this week on AMC. David eagerly tells Edmund all he knows about Alex- the doctor- and speculates, negatively, about her treatment of Dimitri. This only fuels Edmund's distrust of his sister-in-law, and causes him to vow once again to find out what killed his brother.
    On the other hand, Edmund is constantly hearing Alex's tender memories of Dimitri, which makes it hard for Edmund to believe that Dimitri died at her hands. Conflicted, Edmund continues to watch Alex; he sees her with a strange-looking vial. He manages to get some of the contents and give them to David, who is more than willing to run a test. The results of that test rock Edmund to the core."

AMC's Alex Makes a Confession to Edmund (SOW 8/31/99)
"Alex levels with Edmund about who she really is, this week on All My Children. It's been increasingly difficult to keep her medical background a secret since she ran into a former colleague- the nefarious Dr. David, who is eager to reveal her true identity to the residents of Pine Valley.
    'He corners her and taunts her,' executive producer Jean Dadario Burke explains. 'So finally she feels she has no alternative but to admit that she's a neurologist. Edmund has just uncovered one lie after another, so it seems all of her lies are catching up with her.'
    If Alex has learned one thing since coming to Wildwind, it is that you can't keep the truth from Edmund. She thought tearing her photograph from a medical journal would keep her professional life a secret. 'I guess you do desperate things at desperate moments,' Burke adds. 'Every time she thinks she's covered something up, something else pops up. Obviously this catches up with her. 
I think in a way she admires his tenacity and the fact that he smells something, but in another way, because of the story that has yet to be told, she's desperate to keep things quiet, secrets that she has,' Burke explains. Despite Edmund's persistance, and the fact that he thinks she may be behind Dimitri's death, she still has a fondness for her brother-in-law. 'Dimitri loved Edmund so much, he (through flashbacks) does explain how he feels about Edmund, and I think she respects that,' Burke adds."

AMC's Dimitri Dies- Who is Alexandra? (SOW 8/3/99)
"Dimitri dies in the emergency room at Seaview Hospital this week on All My Children. Friends and family- especially his half-brother Edmund- are devastated and shocked.
    Enter Alexandra Devane Marick. She comes into the hospital at the very moment Edmund is demanding that an autopsy be performed. She refuses to allow her husband's body to be touched. In fact, she says she's taking the body back to Vadzel, the Marick home in Hungary. Edmund and Jack jump into action to prevent this, but they soon learn Alexandra is a force to be reckoned with.
    Edmund is not the only one overcome with grief. Brooke and Erica are distraught, and Gillian can't believe her cousin is gone. Immediately, the mourners fall into two Alexandra camps- those who believe she is really who she says she is, and those who don't trust her.
    'The fallout promises to be cataclysmic,' executive producer Jean Dadario Burke says. 'It's obviously a shock, first of all, that he's dead, and then, who is this woman? We're going to have a great journey here, of who she is, and what's happened to Dimitri.'
    'I'm damaging these good people,' Finola Hughes (Alex) says in character. 'In another situation we would be family and I would be in love with them.' Alex immediately comes to loggerheads with her new brother-in-law, Edmund. 'This relationship is going to be very tense and difficult. There are a lot of barriers between us. If my character were able to just scream and cry and gnash her teeth in grief, then I think Edmund would feel more sympathetic. There's a grit to this character that sort of makes it difficult for people to access her. Alexandra does have a heart, and she does see what she's doing; however, she has an agenda, which she has to follow through, and in the process of doing that, she is indeed hurting a lot of people,' Hughes adds.
    During the week, viewers will be seeing plenty of Dimitri flashbacks, which 'will explain some of the journey,' Burke says. Burke remains cagey on Alexandra's relationship to another Devane- General Hospital's Anna. 'I think we're putting it on hold for a while,' she says. 'It's a soap opera; you never know.'"