Spauldingfan's Perspective December 29

Overall it was another good show.
I still very glad they chose to cast Branson in the role of Shayne. In my opinion he is the best to play the role yet! He's got the whole package. He is good looking, and he can act!

Today, Lillian shakes up Beth when she tells Beth that Coop isn't Phillip. Beth is extremely upset by her mother's remarks as they strike a real nerve.

Alan continues to try his best to prove that he loves Beth and that he can be a family man, but she is doing everything in her power to cause him to snap! Lillian provided a little comic relief as the tension built today when she referred to Alan as "sleeping beauty."

I was glad to see Beth finally admit to Coop that she does love Alan in her own way. I cheered as he stormed out as Buzz arrived and Coop said to Buzz, "She is going to marry him." Buzz of course is relieved to see his son in one piece and appearing to finally becoming to his senses. Later, when Beth looked in the window at Company as Coop and Ashlee are sharing a moment, I was glad to see her finally begin to see what a mess she is making of things. It is probably far from over, and while I have had a tough time watching Beth and Coop I will say that at least there is a story here with a lot of conflict and a lot of tension. For once, Alan isn't the bad guy in the story, and they are giving him his human side back after the mess with Jonathan--which by the way I blame Beth for. I keep thinking if she had just helped Alan grieve after losing their first child, perhaps he would not have gone overboard with Sarah. Beth turned her back on Alan and hurt him, and it began that dreadful baby-obsession/Jonathan storyline.

I think we are going to see a similar situation develop as Alan discovers the truth about Beth and Coop. He is going to crack, but I hope this time they do it in a more believable way. I don't want Alan to be one dimensional. I liked seeing the family man with Peyton and the guy who does want a woman in his life that appreciates and understands him.

At any rate, the writing does seem to be improving at a pretty steady rate these days. While I know there are many upset with the idea of cutting some of the younger actors from the show, I think in the end, it is going to be a positive step toward the overall improvement of GL. Focusing on the characters that so many of us have invested many years in, should help strengthen the show overall. December focused on some of the core characters much more than they had been, and the reward has been an increase in ratings after bottoming out.