Previously…
– Molly was shocked to learn that, during a secret meeting, the Objection board had voted to suspend her from the company.
– Diane discovered that Jaq was framing Tempest for leaving the threatening notes — but Jaq blackmailed her into remaining quiet.
– After being arrested for the threats against Jaq, Tempest was mysteriously bailed out. Claire urged her to come home, but Tempest insisted she had something to take care of.
4:48 PM
“Sorry to barge in like this,” Claire Fisher says as she enters her ex-husband’s office at Vision Publishing.
“No need to apologize,” Tim replies as he rises from his chair and comes out from behind the desk. “I’m done with meetings for the day, anyway.”
She stands in the middle of the office with a helpless expression on her face. Tim can see how overwhelmed she feels and recalls her frantic tone as she told him about Tempest‘s arrest over the phone.
“I didn’t want to bother Travis,” she says, “since he has the baby, and–“
“Claire, it’s okay,” Tim reassures her as he shuts the office door, both to seal out the loud conversation two junior editors are having mere feet away and to give them some privacy. “Have you heard from Tempest yet?”
“She returned a few of my texts, but all she’ll say is that she something to take care of. She won’t tell me what it is, or where, or even when. It’s been hours since she left the jail.”
“Maybe she just needs some space.”
“This isn’t how she sounds when she needs space. She seems… determined.”
Claire goes to the large window, which overlooks downtown King’s Bay but faces away from the water. She watches the traffic trudge by in fits and starts on the next street over.
“She’s out of jail. She’s safe,” Tim says. “I know you feel guilty that you weren’t there for her earlier, but you are now. And whatever she needs–“
“I’m worried she’s about to do something stupid,” Claire says suddenly, whipping back around to face him.
“Stupid how?”
Claire’s expression grows even graver. “I’m worried she’s going to go after Jaq herself.”
5:02 PM
“Mom? What’s going on?” Samantha Fisher asks as she stands at the open door of the Brooks family home, which she, Jaq Pearson, and Finn Campbell have been renting.
“I’m sure you’ve heard by now,” Diane Bishop says as she storms up the driveway in her Louboutin heels. “How are you and Jaq doing?”
“We’re okay. A little… shellshocked.”
As Diane arrives at the door, she gives her daughter a pointed up-and-down scan.
“Have you told Jaq that you had… concerns about Tempest?” Diane whispers.
Samantha shakes her head. “I thought it would be better not to…”
With a nod of affirmation, Diane moves past Sam and comes inside the house.
“It must be a huge shock to both of you,” Diane says. “To think that Tempest was the one leaving those threats…”
“It is a shock,” a voice says, and both Diane and Samantha look to see Jaq turning the corner from the hallway that leads back to the kitchen. They regard Diane with wary eyes. “What brings you by?”
“I wanted to check on my daughter, obviously.”
“We have everything under control here. I promise,” Jaq says.
“I’m sure you do.” Diane gives Jaq the briefest but most pointed of glances before returning her attention to Samantha. “As long as you’re both okay.”
“Mom, I promise we’re okay,” Samantha says, “but thanks for coming by.”
“Would you look at that?” another voice announces. All three of them turn to see Tempest standing right outside the door.
Samantha, who is standing closest, grips the side of the door, as if ready to slam it closed. “What are you doing here?”
“Stay where you are,” Jaq says, “or I’m calling the police.”
Tempest holds up both hands. “You don’t have anything to worry about right now. I just came to talk.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. Not right now,” Samantha says.
“I think you’re gonna want to hear what I’ve got to say.” Tempest levels a stare at Samantha before shifting it over to Jaq. “You might call it… a little ditty about Jaq and Diane.”
5:04 PM
Paula Fisher sets a steaming mug of tea down on her coffee table.
“Have some of that, honey. It will relax you,” she says.
Molly Taylor sits on the family couch, her face covered by her hands, emitting the occasional sniffling sound — which, Paula notes, are an improvement from the plaintive crying of several minutes ago. When Molly does look up, her makeup is streaked and smeared, and her eyes are puffy and red.
“It’s going to take something a little stronger than tea to fix all of this,” she says. “Do you have any magic potion?”
“This is all going to work out.” Paula moves around the coffee table to join her oldest daughter on the couch. “Today is just a particularly tough day.”
“They’re all tough days lately.”
“And you’ve been through a terrible loss. A traumatic loss,” Paula tells her, placing a comforting hand on Molly’s arm.
“It feels like I can’t catch my breath,” Molly says. “My grief over losing the baby is bad enough… and then I have to face charges for trying to get Dr. Longo to tell me the truth… and now I get my job taken away from me.”
“It’s only a suspension. When things calm down–“
“What if they don’t calm down?” Molly asks, a sharp edge to her voice.
“They will.” Paula picks up the tea and holds it in front of Molly’s hands, which finally — reluctantly — accept it. Small tendrils of steam climb up from the mug and trail off into the air.
“Everything feels like it’s spiraling out of control,” Molly says.
“Try and look at this as a blessing. It’s time to refocus yourself. Spend time with the twins–“
“Caleb will barely even look me in the eye, and Christian… he just seems to feel bad for me. I hate that my own sons see me this way. And Brent — it was barely a year ago that I thought we’d be back together, and now…”
Overwhelmed, she takes a cautious sip of the tea.
“One thing at a time, then,” Paula says in a soothing tone. “Focus on your sons. Do what you can to make these legal charges go away. Continue seeing your therapist.”
Molly nods along.
“And you know what else?” Paula asks. “You have someone watching out for you.”
She points across the living room to the mantel, at a photo of herself and her late husband.
“I hate the idea of Dad seeing me like this,” Molly says with another sniffle.
“He isn’t judging you. He’s there to guide you. Even if you can’t see him — he’s there. It’s like that old poem. You know, the one about the person walking on the beach–“
“–and they question why God isn’t walking with them during the hardest times. I know.”
“And what does God tell that person? ‘During your times of trial and suffering… when you see only one set of footprints… it was then that I carried you.'”
Molly lets out a heavy sigh. “I’d like to believe that he’s here with me.But everything is such a mess right now.”
“It won’t always be this way.” Paula wraps an arm around her daughter.
“And I don’t understand how things could have gone so wrong at Objection. It’s almost like…”
“What?”
“It’s almost like it was the perfect storm,” Molly says. “First those sample orders got messed up, and then we had the calamity with the showcase scheduling, and then this last-minute board meeting happened right after I got sent to that warehouse.”
“Do you think someone planned this all?” Paula asks with concern.
“I don’t know how they would have — but it feels like it. Like someone has been trying to sabotage me.”
Paula looks aghast. “Who would do that?”
Molly bites her lower lip. “I do have one idea. But I’m not sure how to prove it.”
5:05 PM
“Mom?” Samantha asks with confusion, whipping her head back to face Diane. “What’s she talking about?”
“Yes, Tempest,” Diane says as she folds her arms in front of her body. “What are you talking about?”
Tempest offers an exaggerated shrug. “Don’t you wanna be the one to tell Sam?”
Jaq holds up their iPhone. “I’m calling Commander Taylor. You shouldn’t be here.”
“Do you see me coming any closer to you, Jaq?”
“Hmm,” Diane says, tapping a long fingernail against her chin. “Should I start with how it would have been impossible for Tempest to beat Jaq back here after the wedding? How there’s no way in hell Tempest could have left that note or dropped that hair clip?”
“What are you doing?” Jaq asks with wild, flared eyes. “Remember–“
“I guess I should rewind,” Diane says.
Samantha’s gaze flies frantically around the entryway, attempting to land somewhere stable but failing over and over.
“What is going on?” she asks.
Diane takes a few steps closer to her daughter. “I did something I’m not super-proud of.”
“Diane,” Jaq cuts in.
“Shut up,” Diane barks. “Sam, I know you might hate me for this… but I might have pulled a few strings to get you and Jaq together. The first time you met — that wasn’t a random coincidence.”
“So you wanted to set us up?” Samantha responds, face scrunching. “I wouldn’t hate you for that–“
“Maybe not, but you’d probably hate me for giving Jaq the weekend off work when you were going to Idaho — and tipping them off that you were planning to bring Tempest along.”
Samantha’s jaw drops. “What?”
“I’m sorry,” Diane says, her voice growing softer than the showy tone she has been using up until now. “You have every right to be upset. But I saw you throwing your relationship away for an ex — an ex I admit I haven’t exactly liked over the years — and I interfered.”
“What are you doing?” Jaq interrupts.
Diane snaps around to face them. “I’m coming clean. I’m cutting whatever shackles you have on me. I’m done, Jaq.”
“Whoa,” someone else says from just outside the front door, and now all four people inside look over to see Claire standing there, with Tim right behind her.
“What is this?” Claire says. “Tempest, you shouldn’t be here–“
“She’s all right,” Diane announces.
Claire regards Diane with trepidation and then grasps Tempest’s hand.
“Whatever is going on here, it’s a bad idea,” Claire tells her. “Legally–“
“Legally, she’s going to be in much better shape once this is over,” Diane says.
“Diane, what are you talking about?” Tim asks.
Claire’s voice drips with annoyance: “Why are you even involved in this, Diane? What could you possibly have to do with this?”
“Because,” Tempest says, “she’s the one who bailed me out.”
5:07 PM
“What are you grinning at?” Spencer Ragan asks as he strides into the well appointed kitchen of the home that he shares with his wife, son, and mother.
Loretta Ragan, who is stooped over the island, intent upon her cell phone, glances up.
“I’m reading a particularly amusing news article,” she says.
Spencer lifts one eyebrow. “Do I want to know what kind of news you consider amusing?”
“Oh, Spencer. Don’t be such a cynic.” Loretta moves to the table and picks up her designer purse from one of the chairs. “I do have to be going, though.”
“Going? Where?”
“I have a number of errands to run,” she says, “and I’m making exceptional headway on a business deal. I need to check on it.”
“Business deal? What kind of business deal?” he asks.
She waves a hand through the air. “It’s nothing to concern yourself with. I might be a bit late tonight. Don’t wait up!”
With that, she exits the kitchen and proceeds down the short hallway to the front door. Spencer listens as she unlocks it and leaves the house.
“What the hell are you up to?” Spencer mutters.
5:08 PM
“I am so confused,” Samantha says, dropping her hands to her sides.
“You’re no fan of Tempest, and that isn’t exactly a secret,” Claire tells Diane. “Why would you bail her out?”
“Because this has gone too far,” Diane says. “And it ends now. I’m not letting Tempest be punished for something Jaq has done.”
With a hateful glare at Diane, Jaq bounds over the wood floor to stand beside Samantha.
“She’s losing it,” Jaq insists, placing a hand on Samantha’s arm. “Your mom is– I don’t even know. She’s talking crazy.”
Samantha searches Jaq’s face for a long moment, then looks to Diane.
“Mom, what are you talking about?”
“I was with Tempest at the wedding when you texted me that Jaq had left,” Diane explains.
“You were with Tempest?” Samantha asks her mother.
Claire catches Tempest’s eye. “You were with Diane?!”
“Long story,” Tempest says.
“And Jaq here assumed Tempest had left out the back door and then took off for home,” Diane continues. “What they didn’t know was that Tempest was still out back — for a long time. And when Tempest left the parking lot, she went left. There isn’t any place to make a U-turn on that road for over a mile–“
“Because of that median,” Samantha says as realization dawns on her.
“Exactly,” Diane says. “I’ve mapped it. I’ve driven it myself. If Jaq left out the front of the bar at or before 8:52, there is no way Tempest could’ve beaten them back here, left that note, dropped a hair clip along the way, and been gone by the time Jaq arrived.”
All sets of eyes shift to Jaq, who shuffles their feet nervously.
“I don’t know what she’s talking about,” Jaq says. “She’s making things up.”
“What about how my purse up and went missing for a hot minute at the wedding?” Tempest says. “My purse that had those hair clips in it.”
“Oh my god,” Claire says, glaring at Jaq. “You framed Tempest? Why?”
“And then tried to blackmail me when I confronted them about it,” Diane says.
A tense silence blankets the entire house.
“Jaq, tell me what’s going on,” Samantha says with a shaky voice.
The quiet persists until, finally, Jaq yells, “Because I saw you kissing! Outside Travis and Rosie‘s — I saw you and Tempest.”
The color seems to drain from Samantha’s face.
“I saw you!” Jaq blasts. “You were kissing your ex, and you were planning to bring her to Idaho, and– I love you, Sam. All I want is to be with you. And I thought– if she would just go away, we could have a chance — a real, fighting chance — at making this last.”
“I moved in with you because I was so worried about you,” Samantha says, taking a step backward. “I first said, ‘I love you’ because I was so scared that you might be hurt. And the whole time–“
“I love you, too!” Jaq says, lunging for Samantha. But Samantha throws out her arms, pushing Jaq backward.
“Get off me.” Samantha grits her teeth. “I don’t want to see your face right now.”
Samantha breaks for the stairs. “I need to be alone.”
“Sam,” Diane says.
“No,” Samantha replies forcefully. “Not now. Not after all this.” She bolts up the stairs, and then a door can be heard slamming. Diane gazes forlornly after her, as the slamming door reverberates through the house.
No one moves for several seconds. Then Jaq breaks for the door.
“Not so fast,” Tempest says, grabbing their arm.
“Get your hands off me,” Jaq says. “I’ll call Commander Taylor and tell him that the woman who’s out on bail for stalking me showed up at my house–“
“Not if I call him first,” Tim says as he uses his own phone to place a call.
5:22 PM
In the headquarters of Objection Designs, up on the eighteenth floor of Winston Tower, Finn Campbell cautiously approaches the office suite that, until earlier today, belonged to Molly Taylor. In the anteroom, he finds Tori Gray standing over her desk, loading items into a cardboard box.
“You, too?” Finn asks with surprise.
“H.R. told Ashley and me that our services are ‘no longer needed’ while Molly is suspended,” she says. “So I guess I’m outta here.”
“That sucks. I’m sorry.”
Tori picks up a framed photo of herself and her younger brother. “Thanks. I don’t get how this all went to hell so fast.”
“Gia seemed pretty excited about Molly being out,” Finn says.
“She’s been waiting for this for years.”
“No kidding.” Finn leans against the doorframe. “What are you gonna do now?”
“Damned if I know,” Tori says as she places the photo in the box with a sigh.
5:39 PM
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but thanks,” Tempest tells Diane as they linger in the living room of the Brooks house.
“You’re welcome,” Diane says. “I wasn’t going to let you go down because of Jaq’s sick scheme.”
“Why all the secrecy, though?” Claire asks.
“Honestly? I wasn’t sure if Tempest would accept the bail if she knew I was the one posting it.” Diane hesitates before adding, “And I kind of didn’t want there to be a record of it, in case Jaq somehow caught wind before we’d worked out a plan.”
“I wish you had told me what you were up to,” Claire tells Tempest. “You had me so worried.”
“Sorry about that,” Tempest replies. “But we were trying to keep it low-key.”
She is about to say more when she stops, seeing Samantha appear on the staircase. Tim is beside her, carrying a rolling suitcase.
“I’m sorry I doubted you,” Samantha says to Tempest after a long, loaded pause. “I had no idea Jaq would do something like that.”
“Me neither,” Tempest says, unable to take her eyes off Samantha. “Where are you going?”
“Sam’s going to come stay with me for a little while,” Tim explains. He carries the suitcase down the stairs. Samantha follows, giving Diane a pointed look.
“Can we talk?” Diane asks, her voice thick with apprehension.
“Not now. I need time,” Samantha says curtly. She quickly descends the stairs and takes the suitcase’s handle from Tim. “I can take this. Let’s go, Dad.”
She moves for the front door, and Diane’s heart aches as she tells herself, over and over in rapid succession, to give her daughter the space that she needs.
5:41 PM
“I’m going to need you to come down to the station to give an official statement,” Brent tells Jaq out in the driveway.
“And then what?” they ask, staring straight down at the cement.
“Then we’ll see how the D.A. wants to proceed.”
“I want a lawyer with me,” Jaq blurts out.
“You have every right to have one. You can call someone when we get to the station, or we can arrange for a public defender to join you.”
“Can’t I find a lawyer and then make an appointment to come in?”
“I can also put you in cuffs and hold you on obstruction of justice charges, if you’d prefer,” Brent says. “Jaq, the best thing you could do for yourself right now is cooperate.”
Jaq draws a nervous breath in through their nostrils. They watch as Samantha walks through the front door of the house, rolling a suitcase behind herself.
“Please,” Jaq calls out. “Can we talk?”
Samantha averts her eyes and walks to the subcompact Audi SUV parked by the curb. A moment later, Tim follows. He unlocks the vehicle, and Samantha tosses her suitcase into the trunk and then quickly gets into the passenger seat.
“Sam! Please!” Jaq yells, but it is no use. Samantha closes the car door and stares straight ahead, refusing to acknowledge Jaq.
11:59 PM
In a grand suite at the King’s Bay Metropolitan Hotel, Loretta paces over the burgundy-and-gold printed carpet.
“Exceptional work today,” she says.
Her accomplice, who is seated on the edge of the king-sized bed, nods. “Everything went off without a hitch.”
“And now Molly has lost her job on top of her child, her sanity, and — we can only hope — her freedom,” Loretta coos as she stops by the large window, which overlooks the lights of downtown and the bay itself.
“You really do hate her,” the other person observes.
“Hate is too mild a word. She drove my son to madness and then let that mother of hers take his life. She deserves everything she has coming to her.” Her lips curl up at the edges. “You must be pleased, too. One step closer to taking what’s rightfully yours.”
The person seated on the bed lets out a loud sigh. “Finally. It’s been so long. But Objection Designs is supposed to be mine.”
“And it will. Give this all time to play out. But you — you are the special one,” Loretta says. “Don’t forget that.”
“Oh, I won’t,” Finn replies as a wicked grin breaks out across his face as he watches the digital clock on the nightstand flip over to midnight.
END OF EPISODE 1100
Why are Loretta and Finn conspiring together?
Will Diane be able to mend fences with Samantha?
What comes next for Tempest and Sam?
What will losing her job mean for Tori now?
Discuss it all in the comments below — and thank you for your support!
Happy Anniversary!
Thank you for so many years of consistent, quality entertainment! FP is literally better than some soaps on the air that I watch so I truly appreciate all of your time, energy and creative juice that you have given me over the years! Here is to 24(at least) more! 🥂🍾
Alright, the episode … I am stunned that it was Diane that bailed Sam out but I can also see her point of seeing how far it had gone to once Tempest was arrested. She really called out Jaq and now Sam will be left picking up the pieces. I am curious as to how what will become of Jaq now because her only real tie was to Sam and Finn on a smaller level. It will also be interesting to see if Tim reacts to Diane as this isn’t the first time he’s been roped into her schemes. I do hope Sam is able to recover but I could see her needing time away from all parties to get her head on straight.
And FINN! Damn. That was a twist. I think we all saw Gia or Zane as being the culprit of trying to take Molly’s company but not Finn. Now his attraction to Trevor is even more amplified because of Alex’s connection to Jason and the Fishers. This has the making of being a huge umbrella storyline. I love the twist! 🍿🍿
Thank you, Dallas! You know how thankful I am for your continued readership and support. It’s so nice to have a little community, after all these years, to share this passion with.
I loved the idea of this story culminating in Diane and Tempest forging an unlikely alliance to take down Jaq and protect Sam. My inspiration was Kate and Sami on Days grudgingly teaming up years ago, and it really does seem like the perfect full-circle moment, considering that all of this began with Diane and Tempest clashing over Yvette’s pregnancy. This has really been one long chain of events that these two strong-willed women set in motion, and now they’ve been forced to team up to stop a mutual enemy.
You’re right that Jaq doesn’t have a ton of other connections, other than their friendship with Zane, but there’s some fallout yet to play. And Samantha is once again in the position of having to forgive a bunch of people. We’ll see if she has it in her this time around.
I’ve been dying to drop that Finn twist! If you look back, it all fits together — I’ve known all along that he was the mole — but Gia and Zane both made great red herrings. And you’re right in that Finn’s personal connection to Trevor and Alex makes this even more of a sprawling tale. I really love these kinds of stories that spread out this way — Loretta’s got her fingers in a bunch of pies that touch so many different sets of characters. We’ll learn more about Finn’s alliance with Loretta soon.
Thank you so much!!
Who knew finding Footprints via Twitter on one Halloween morning nearly five years ago would change my life in terms of my go-to entertainment as well as giving me the inspiration to create my own web-text soap opera. Often times I’ve come to the series more interested in the going’s on of King’s Bay and the Fishers and their associates than the soaps I’ve watched for decades. Thank you so much, Michael, for still being able to share your creations with the online community. You don’t know how appreciate I am for it. I know it’s tough with a full-time job and other obligations, but glad you have made it work.
I love how you featured long-running connections throughout this episode i.e. Tim/Claire and of course Paula/Molly which goes all the way back to the first episode of Footprints. That scene with Paula telling Molly about Bob always watching over her got to me because I remember in the first episode the three of them were in that kitchen as a young Molly was starting out in her professional career. And now, 24 years later, she is dealing with a crisis of her top position at Objection. The poem about Footprints got to me a bit. 😢🙂
I did not expect Diane to be the one to bail out Tempest, in fact she was the last person I thought who would do that. I had thought it was either Jaq, Isaac, or even Sam. Though, I do like Diane being the one to end this scheme gone wrong, since in a way she was the one who started by luring Jaq into it by wanting her to hook up with Samantha. It is going to take some time to her head clear, but I totally why Sam would be upset at her mother once again meddling in her life. I also love how you had Tim/Claire/Diane in these scenes since the show also started out with their complicated history. I cackled when Jaq was like “I’m going to call Commander Taylor” and Tim was like “Not if I do it first!” 😁 I wonder is this is going to be Jaq’s exit story? Or will they be back for the next round. Either way, Samantha is living with two people she shouldn’t trust.
And speaking of that…
I thought it was going to be Gia, who was Loretta’s co-conspirator, so, I was surprised to find out it is Finn. I’m quite curious as to how their relationship begun, let alone why is he doing this? Financial or professional gains our two of my guesses.
Happy 24th Anniversary to Footprints!!!
Great Episode and hope for another 1100 episodes!!!
🥂🥂🥂🥂
Thank you, Bre! I’m so grateful that you not only discovered Footprints, but found it compelling enough to get caught up and to continue reading and sharing your thoughts on the story. And I love doing this so much that I’d do it anyway, but it’s a huge honor that people such as you take time out of your lives to participate.
I wasn’t sure if anyone else would get some of those throwback moments, such as Molly and Paula discussing Molly’s career at the Fisher home just like in the pilot, but I always love harkening back to the origins of the series. And I had meant for them to reference Bill during that scene, but the opportunity to integrate the Footprints poem only came to me as I was actually writing! Sometimes you just stumble onto something that fits so perfectly that you can’t believe you didn’t think of it sooner. I’m so glad you enjoyed!
Diane bailing out Tempest and then sacrificing herself to expose Jaq was a big moment for her character — and for Tempest, who’s had so many conflicts with Diane over the years. Will this allegiance last? Is it just a momentary thaw borne out of necessity? Samantha’s going to have a lot of assessing and thinking to do in the next few weeks to figure out where she stands with various people, particularly her mother. And what’s funny is that I also hadn’t planned to have Tim and Claire at the scene of the big reveal originally, but once I added in Claire going to him to talk about what was going on, I figured I needed to get them there. I love a soapy climax with a bunch of onlookers! As you point out, it also got the original big triangle of Claire/Tim/Diane all involved in this major reveal involving the child whose conception was one of the first big stories in Footprints history.
Jaq finally got outsmarted, but it remains to be seen if they have any tricks up their sleeve. This wasn’t their last appearance or anything — there is still fallout to be played, and I want to make sure I do that justice! This is one story where I don’t want to rush the tail end, because there are so many compelling dynamics at play.
Gia was quite the red herring as the Objection mole, but I figured this reveal that Finn is working with Loretta would be even more shocking. There really is a new mystery now, though: why is he doing this? How did they link up? And is one of them using the other?
Thanks again!! I really appreciate the time you take to share your thoughts.
The cleverest thing you do in your writing, Michael, is letting us think we know what is going to happen next. There’s so much that has happened this week that has made me sit back in astonishment after I felt like I knew exactly what was going to happen.
These last few episodes leading up to the week of dailies I was going on about how much growth we’ve seen from Diane and how she’s grown to be smarter with her decisions. I almost felt like I betrayed Diane by not expecting it to be her who bailed Tempest out of jail. This was such a clever decision you made Michael. I always thought that Tempest and Diane teaming up could really prove to be a hoot and you showed us just that! It just makes so much more sense to have these two women compare notes as opposed to pit each other against one another once again. Although, I doubt this really is water under the bridge between the two, Diane is still quite a pebble thrower when she wants to be. Diane sacrificing herself for her daughter’s best interest is still very in character for the woman. I am interested to see where their relationship does go from here as it seems that this is once again another hurtle for Sam to have to get passed.
What I do like about Jaq in this situation is that she’s not exactly a one-dimensional villain here, as she has shown so much regret and remorse throughout the course of this unraveling. Jaq really does love Sam, she, however went about this in the most wrong of ways. I do think that Sam will forgive her because that’s just who Sam is in her core, but I doubt she will ever forget and this will only bring her back to Tempest.
Side note: I really did think that Jaq and Finn were working together here in trying to get their respective partners. They had such a genuine friendship right off the bat that I thought they were somehow friends — or at least acquaintances at some point before Kings Bay!
Molly’s unraveling has been such a mess!! As much as I feel that Molly is the type of person to handle her own, I don’t think she’s on the right track as far as proving who is behind all of these chaotic incidents. I was one of the ones thinking it was Gia! I really did think that Laura Wright was in your right ear here Michael, I was for sure thinking she was more of a mastermind than what is playing out. I never suspected Finn in the least — don’t get me wrong! I knew he was sneaking around and plotting something, mostly with Jaq. But this new twist will be so much more better than I could’ve imagined. He seemed so genuine with his interactions with our lovely Trevor that I thought maybe we’d get more depth to his character. I am sure that Trevor will still fall into whatever trap the Finnster has for him, I do hope that it’s not as life-threatening as we now know Loretta is involved with the dastardly young man.
Can we talk about how much growth Tempest has brought to Claire? I doubt we would’ve seen an outburst like this towards Brent if Tempest wasn’t in her orbit. I get where Claire is coming from and I also understand that this is more out of distress than anything else but that fire she once had around Ryan is still there under the surface and I’m glad that Tempest is the one that’s brought it out.
Of course Paula is by the gold child’s side.
I think Tim is running a boarding house at this point. How many bedrooms does he have anyways? I’m sure there’s still room for the son that Loretta is keep away from him!
Why does Spencer even ask where Loretta is going? Or what business she’s taking care of? What a ludacris question to ask, pinky. We are taking over the world! Seriously though, she is such a devilish woman and revenge is her favorite platter.
There’s so much that you gave is this week. Happy Anniversary and thank you!
Thank you SO much for continuing to read and leave your feedback after all these years!
I really spend a lot of time not just figuring out WHAT is going to happen, but HOW — making the execution surprising is at least half the fun of writing a soap like this. So I’m thrilled that you were kept guessing during the week of dailies! I debated a lot about whether to have Tempest step out of the police station and see Diane waiting for her, or to make a mystery of it, and I think it worked out well to have the readers realize along with Jaq that Tempest and Diane were in cahoots. But you’re right in that Diane essentially sacrificed herself here — which represents growth, putting someone else’s safety and freedom over her own concerns! — and now faces Samantha being angry at her again, which loops us back around to where they were right after the whole Yvette/Chase thing went down. There’s going to be a lot of fallout to play with this group as everyone sorts out their feelings. And I’m glad that you aren’t seeing Jaq as some disposable villain. They’re operating from a place of insecurity and hurt, and although the mistakes they’ve made are pretty undeniable, I don’t think they’re a raving psychopath. Shannon Parish, Jaq is not.
That’s funny about Jaq and Finn — I hadn’t even thought that it might come across that they had a prior connection they’re hiding! But it’s great that him seeming to have a secret agenda made you think he was helping Jaq, when in fact, he’s helping Loretta. We will delve more into his motivations and what the stakes of this are for him, but this felt like the right time for a shocker to reveal what’s really going on at Objection. This has been a fun slow-boil of an umbrella story, beginning with Tori being accused of the screw-up and everyone assuming Zane had framed her, and now it’s taking a left turn into something that I hope will be surprising in a whole different way.
Molly really is melting down. We haven’t seen her challenged emotionally like this in, well, ever — usually she is able to press onward, but all these factors are conspiring to push her to the very brink now. It remains to be seen if and how she’ll pull it together. She and Brent really should be leaning on each other more right now… even if it pisses off Claire, whose outburst was so satisfying to write. She’s been fairly restrained in reacting to them since their affair came out, but this was her tipping point. You’re so right that Tempest’s presence in her life has probably inspired her to stand up for herself a little more boldly.
LOL about Tim’s house! He’s actually been living there alone of late, but now Samantha will be there again, and the “Tim’s house set” is going to get some renewed focus in coming months. I like having these hubs for different characters to live in together — it makes interactions so much more organic.
And too true about Spencer/Loretta! You’d think he would be better off not knowing, at this point.
Thanks again! I really appreciate your support.