Newsgroups: bit.listserv.gaynet
Date:         Sun, 6 Sep 1992 12:17:02 EDT
From:         gaynet@GALLIFREY.KENT.EDU
Subject:      GayNet Digest Volume 6 Issue 10

In this issue:
                        OLTL, Monday, August 31

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From: manz@ee.ualberta.ca (Brett {Druid Queen} Manz)
Subject: OLTL, Monday, August 31
Summary: Plot synopsis for Monday, Aug 31
Keywords: soap, OLTL, plot
Organization: University Of Alberta, Edmonton Canada
Date: 	Sun, 6 Sep 1992 05:09:52 -0600

Well here it is.  Finally, I have gotten around to writing up the
synopsis for the climactic episode to this whole thing.  Hope I
haven't left you all in suspense too long. :-)

Monday, Aug 31

  The confrontation between Billy and his father is replayed at the
opening of this episode.  Just as Walter is about to strike Billy,
Sloan relives a time when Willam was young and Sloan struck him in
anger.  He leaps up and intercepts Walter's arm.

  "Don't do that," he says to Walter.

  "Do all Carpenters put their hands on people?" asks Walter.

  "Only a coward hits a child," says Sloan.  [AH!  Now we get it!]

  Walter walks out of the church.  "Are you allright son?" Sloan
asks Billy.

  "Yes sir," says Billy.

  "Well, I'm sure Andrew is waiting for you and your mother outside.
Why don't you join him."

  "Thank you," says Virginia, and she and Billy walk out of the church.

  "Only a coward," Sloan says to himself.  Vicki, still in the church,
has witnessed all this and hears him repeat his statement.

  "Sloan," she says walking over to him.  "Whatever it is that you're
keeping inside, I can see how terribly it's hurting you.  It won't
stop until you let it go.  Please, whatever it is, you must forgive
yourself."

  Outside, Andrew is getting ready to place William's panel with the
rest.  "Are you ready to come with me Jonathan?" he says.

  "Andrew," he replies, "I've made my peace with this.  It's up to you."

  Andrew takes a deep breath and walks out to the Quilt, clutching
William's panel close to his chest.  He greets each panel by name as
he passes them.  When he gets to the center of the Quilt he says "My
name is Andrew, and I've brought you a brother."  A few sobs escape.

  A woman nearby reaches out and holds his hand.  He continues to the
space designated for the panel and says "Okay William, this is where
you're going to live."

  Sloan has left the church and is coming towards the Quilt.  As
Andrew kneels down to place the panel Sloan calls out "Andrew!
Stop!"

  Andrew looks up.  Sloan walks over to him.  Vicki watches from the
side-lines anxiously.

  "Andrew," says Sloan, "give that to me."

  "No dad," replies Andrew.

  "Please," says Sloan.  "You shouldn't have to do this alone." [YAY!!!]

  Andrew begins crying, and hands the panel to Sloan.

  "What do we do?" Sloan asks.

  "We spread it out," Andrew replies.  "This is called the signature
panel."

  They unfold William's panel together and place it down.  Vicki moves
closer so she can hear what's going on.

  "Kites," says Sloan.

  "Yeah," says Andrew.  "William loved kites.  Even though for a long
time he couldn't even look at them.  He was funny like that."

  "Yeah," Sloan says.  "Did he tell you about the dragon kite?"

  "Dragon kite?  No."

  "In Tokyo I went into a shop, where I saw the most magnificent kite
I'd ever seen.  A dragon with fierce, blazing eyes.  I thought to
myself 'that's for my William.'  All the way home I sat with the kite
in my lap thinking about him; how that kite was going to make his eyes
blaze, and he'd be strong like that dragon."

  "I do remember you bringin that kite home dad," says Adrew.  "I do.
I guess William must have been about eight."

  "The weather was grey and raw," Sloan continues.  "William had the
sniffles.  But there was a wind up, and I was determined to go fly
that kite.  Over your mother's protest I dragged him down to [the]
park and I said 'let 'er rip.'  I was so fascinated by the prospect of
seeing my son master the winds;  On his way to mastering the world.
I didn't pay attention to him when he said he was too cold, he didn't
want to do it.  'Stop whining!  Stop whining, be a man!'"

  "When he did take it he fell down, crying.  The kite ended up in
the branches, a total wreck.  I looked at that shreded wreck, and
then I looked at my son and I said 'Is this a Carpenter?  It's a
disgrace.'  And then I raised my hand and I slapped him."  Sloan
begins crying.  "And then i called him a sissy.  I dragged him off
and I slapped him again.  I knew I was wrong, but I wouldn't
apologize.  I was too proud.  I pretended like it didn't happen.
But you couldn't pretend, could you William?"

  He completely breaks down, "He just looked at me with those grey
eyes.  I saw a veil come over him.  Over the years it became a
shield, then a wall.  I lost you.  I lost you because I couldn't
tell you how sorry...  I am sorry.  I'm sorry.  Oh, my beautiful
boy.  My precious son, I miss you so."  He breaks down into
uncontrolable sobbing, his face in his hands.  He jumps up and runs
off.  Andrew follows.

  "Don't you think it's time you forgive yourself dad?" Andrew asks
when he catches up.  "Don't you?"

  "When I was in Korea," Sloan says, "your mother sent me a photo-
graph of William asleep in his crib.  A few hours later we were hit
hard.  A mortar attack.  Afterwards, I came across a young marine,
just a boy.  He'd just been killed.  They put a tarp over him, but
one of his hands was sticking out.  It was curled up just like
William's in the photograph.  In that instant I knew the horror of
loss.  I knew the feeling of my insides turning to water and just
flowing out of me.  Flowing out, unstoppable.  And I vowed never
to feel that again.  So I became strong, disciplined... distanced.
It just seemed... better to be rigid, than to have to touch the
terrible fragility of this life."

  Sloan wipes at his eyes as he recounts this.  Vicki and some of
the other friends have been watching this from a distance, with
sympathetically pained expressions.

  "And now," Sloan coontinues, "now I have to touch it.  With what
time I have left, if I am to live at all."

  "You are still the bravest man I know," says Andrew, encouragingly.
Sloan smiles.  "I love you, dad."

  They embrace, "I love you, son."

[ At this point I've gone through quite a few tissues.  It was so very
  emotional.  I watched Friday and Monday consecutively.  What a
  draining experience, let me tell you. ]

  At this point the show was interrupted by a live news bulletin which
was really pointless, and pissed the hell out of me.  Not much of the
imortant bits were lost, though.

  Andrew and Sloan have returned to the Quilt.  Andrew hugs Jonathan.
Sloan shakes Jonathan's hand.  There is much weeping and embracing.
Vicki hugs Billy, and then Joey and Alana.  She takes Sloan's hand.

  Another series of closeups of Quilt panels, (prominant feature of
the Ryan White panel) and the people who have come to see and be
with the Quilt.

  They run through a retrospective of the whole sory, from the
beginning with the allegations about Billy and Andrew, through the
hatefull notes and verbal and physical attacks, to the sermon at
the church and the Quilt ceremony, ending with a panoramic view
of all of them standing at the edge of the Quilt.

  Now, here's list of the players in this fine drama.


      Sloan Carpenter ................. Roy Thinnes
      Cassie Callison ................. Laura Bonarrigo
      Alana ........................... Kelly Cheston
      Marty Saybrooke ................. Susan Haskell
      Andrew Carpenter ................ Wortham Krimmer
      Joey Buchanan ................... Chris McKenna
      Billy Douglas ................... Ryan Phillippe
      Clint Buchanan .................. Clint Ritchie
      Vicki Buchanan .................. Erika Slezak
      Walter Douglas .................. Jonathan Hogan
      Virginia Douglas ................ Susan Pellegrino
      Jonathan ........................ Bruce McCarty


  Special thanks to Dion Daly and the Names Project New Jersey Chapter.


      Executive Producer .............. Linda Gottlieb
      Producer ........................ Charlotte Weil
      Director ........................ Noel Black
      Written by ...................... Michael Malone
                                        Josh Griffith
                                        Jean Passanante
                                        Dorothy Goldstone
                                        Kate Rogin
                                        Lloyd Gold
                                        Becky Cole
                                        Neal Bell
                                        David Smilow


  That's the wrap up to the majority of this plot line.  There is some
more to come in the saga of Billy and his parents, but since there isn't
quite so much being dedicated to it I'll be posting weekly synopses
from now on.  The rest of this week will (hopefully) be posted
tomorrow.

  If someone has the address for ABC, so we can all write and tell the
folks responsible for OLTL (Linda Gottlieb, for example), could they
please post it?


-
---------------------------------+-------------------------------------
 My opinions are my own.         |  You can't be proud of who you are
 The truth belongs to everyone.  |  if you're ashamed of what you are.
 Civil Rights Are For Queers!    |  Cruise Men, Not Missiles! - anon

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