From: susanm@hp-and.an.hp.com (Susan Margulies)
Subject: AMC: Thursday Update 12/24/92
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 92 10:40:37 EST
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AMC Update, Thursday December 24th

Susan M substituting for Susan L again!
Sorry this update is a week late and probably 
very sketchy due to my bad memory - I was
supposed to update New Year's Eve instead,
but here goes!  By the way, I can't remember
if the train part was on Thurday's show or maybe
it was on Wednesday's show.  At any rate, please
forgive me if I included stuff from another day!

Featuring:	The Christmas Pageant
		starring Charlie, Hayley, Junior, Adam, Gloria,
		Stuart, Dixie, Ruth, Joe, and Brian

		Lovebug II Debut
		starring Palmer, Opal, Joe, Ruth, Gloria, and the
		little one

		I Can See Clearly Now
		starring Timmy, Trevor, Natalie and way too many
		random guests

		All Aboard
		starring Edmund, Dimitri, Nola, and Ted

		When You Wish Upon A Star
		Ted and Dixie


Lovebug II Debut
----------------
Palmer and Opal are getting ready for Junior's Christmas Pageant at
Courtlandt Manor when Opal has her first labor pains.  She tells PC
not to worry - that was not a contraction, but judging from her
grimacing, it was.  PC goes to bring the car around (Excuse me, but
didn't he used to have someone to do that for him?) and ends up
putting it into a snowbank.  By the time he makes it back, Opal is
making noises from hell and saying "somebody doesn't want to miss
Christmas!"  PC and Opal realize they will have to deliver this baby
themselves!

Palmer calls Dr. Joe at Dixie's (see Christmas Pageant) and
announces that they are getting ready to have the baby!  Joe says he
will be right over, but Palmer warns him that he won't have any
better luck with the icy driveway than Palmer did!  And besides, the
baby is coming NOW!  Joe sends Gloria with his little black bag over
to Courtlandt Manor so that someone will be there when the baby is
born, and he stays on the phone to coach Palmer through delivery.
Ruth, too.

The birth scene was pretty painful to watch - not that I would know,
but it seemed like Jill Larson wanted it to be relatively realistic
with all the sounds she was making.  I kept cringing!  Opal did have
a few good lines like, "You'd think *you're* the one doing all the
work here!" to Palmer while he was chatting with Joe.  Palmer
delivers the baby no problem, but of course it isn't crying and they
go through the typical why-isn't-the-baby-crying cliffhanger through
a commercial sequence.  Gloria arrives in time to suction fluid from
the baby's throat and voila!  He starts crying, and I guess so did
all the viewers.  (Personally, I wasn't too choked up - probably
because I was still grossed out from the labor.)  Stuart was there
too, I think. Palmer and Opal gush about their baby son - maybe now
they will be able to forgive Gloria - how conVENient.

I Can See Clearly Now
---------------------
Over at Barbie's (Nat's) Dream House, Timmy is upset because his
wish for snow ruined Christmas Eve - no one can make it over to the
house now.  Also, he is mad that his selfish wish came true, rather
than his wish that his mom could see again.  Timmy can't hide his
disappointment from everybody and ends up spilling his guts about
everything - breaking the angel, meeting the strange Santa who knew
his name, and all the rest.  Nat and Trevor try to cheer him up but
the kid is bummed.

Somehow everyone manages to make it over to the house despite the
blizzard - guess they just strap the snow tires and chains onto the
teleporter!  [Romper Room Voice On] And I see Lucas and Derek and
Mimi and Taylor (what the heck is *she* doing there?) and Terrence
and Livia and Tom and Galen and Steven and Brooke and Jack... 
[Romper Room Voice Off]  Basically, everybody was there whether 
they belonged or not.  All except Hayley - why don't they disown her 
at this point?  Bitch punted them for Thanksgiving AND Christmas!  

A couple of conversations which didn't really have far-reaching effects
on the plot ensued.  Derek and Mimi kiss under the mistletoe while
Taylor looks on dejectedly and Terrence makes fun of her.  Taylor
tells him to shutup and walks off (not the greatest comeback we've
ever heard from T2, eh?)  Brooke and Jack talk about their ruined
love lives (my roommate asked if they were going to get together; I
said nope, it's been done).  Everybody talks about how they are
going to nail the racist real estate developers.

And then 'tis time for the traditional tree lighting.  The room is
black as Trevor throws the switch.  Suddenly we are looking at the
tree from Natalie's point of view.  She is beginning to see a
blurred image - it is the Christmas angel that Timmy gave her.
Magically, the angel comes into focus along with the entire rest of
the room.  Natalie gasps and looks around at everybody - her first
comment is about Trevor's tie and reindeer hat.  Everyone is
overjoyed - Tim, Trevor, and Nat have a group hug, and the guys take
Nat upstairs to see Amanda.  Aww...  Oh, Dr. BJ is on hand to check
her out and pronounce Nat officially not blind anymore.  And I
wondered what the hell he was doing there! :]

All Aboard
----------
At Wildwind (is it just me, or is this place just not the same
without Helga hiding behind doors and making odd faces?) Nola is
resting and Edmund and Dimitri are bonding.  Ted announces that a
package from Angelique has arrived.  The package is a train set, and
Angelique wishes that in putting it together, Edmund and Dimitri
will appreciate each other and the fact that they are together as
family at Christmas. Somehow they manage to do it, with only one
little altercation - Edmund, "When are you gonna realize you can't
make the pieces of the track go the way you want them to?"  They end
up fighting and making up, and eventually admit that Angelique was
right about being a family at Christmas.

Meanwhile, Ted watches the train go round and round, and he has a
flashback of watching a train going around a Christmas tree.
Cross-fade to Dixie's where Joe and Ruth are watching a train going
around Dixie's tree.  Apparently Ruth gave Dixie the train that Tad 
loved to watch because it was too painful to keep around.  Joe and
Ruth get misty about Tad.

Ted visits a resting yet restless Nola who is anxious to fly the
coop.  They have one of their usual talks about getting home and
Ted's memories and how Pine Valley has affected him.  Sorry I didn't
pay better attention.  If anyone remembers anything significant,
please speak up!

Ted announces to the Marrick brothers that he is going for a walk.
Edmund observes, "Is it just me, or does that guy take a lot of
walks?"  (see Trish's post and my followup for related annecdotes)
(also see When You Wish for details on Ted's walk.)

The Christmas Pageant
---------------------
At Chandlerland, Adam is trying to give Junior the best Christmas
ever, but the little guy just wants Mommy and Brian - and that
really burns Adam's butt!  Hayley, Charlie, Gloria, and Stuart are
all gathered together before leaving for the Christmas Pageant.
Gloria cannot stand listening to Adam blow off Junior's pleas to
spend Christmas at Mommy's, and she has a few biting little remarks
to share.  Adam takes Junior upstairs to get his costume, announcing
that when they return he hopes everyone wil have found their
Christmas Cheer (glares at Gloria who glares back!).

Gloria says something stupid like, "I don't know about you Hayley,
but I can't take anymore of seeing Adam pretend like everything's
fine."  Now why would she assume Hayley would be her ally in this
one?  Stuart offers Gloria that they can go separately.  Gloria
feels bad to separate the brothers on Christmas Eve, but it is for
the best - they head over to Dixie's (see Lovebug II).

Charlie praises Hayley's grace under pressure and they talk about
her plan to keep Dixie in the forefront of Junior's mind.  Serious
bonding going on between these two.  Good chemistry.  As they head
out of the mansion, they are caught under the mistletoe - they kiss
somewhat awkwardly, but I'm sure they will do better on New Year's
Eve!!!!

At Dixie's, Brian, Joe and Ruth are all getting ready to leave for
the pageant with her when Dixie announces that she needs to do this
alone!  Brian takes it quite personally.  Dixie asks them all to
stay around so they will be there for her when she gets back since
she will need their support then.  Joe and Ruth are understanding - 
they stick around to decorate Dixie's tree for her (See All Aboard
and Lovebug II).  When Gloria and Stuart get there, they tell
everyone how life is at Chandler's.

Meanwhile at the pageant, Junior looks adorable in his angel
costume.  The kids are doing a nativity scene and they all sing
something together (like maybe Silent Night?).  Then it is time for
Junior's solo.  Hayley and Dixie are on the edges of their seats
bursting with pride - Adam has taken up the entire first row with
people while Dixie is seated in the back of the room very
inconspicuously.

Adam Junior freezes, and despite his teacher's prompting and the
piano player's starting signal, nothing happens.  Then Dixie stands
up from the back of the room and begins to sing, "Oh Little Town of
Bethlehem."  Junior, feeling comforted by his mother's presence,
remembers the song from practicing with Dixie and joins her in song.
There are no dry eyes in the room (well, except maybe Adam "Grinch"
Chandler whose heart is 3 sizes too small) when Junior finishes and
Dixie runs up to the stage where she hugs him and he says, "I love
you, Mommy!"  Hayley is totally bawling.  Junior gets a standing O.

When You Wish Upon A Star
-------------------------
In a park somewhere, Ted is walking around trying to sort things
out.  He sees a star and begins wishing, "Star light, star bright,
first star I see tonight..."  Cross-fade to another park (or 
possibly the same one - they didn't really give us even a hint as 
to how much they missed each other by), where Dixie is walking 
around trying to sort things out.  She continues, "I wish I may, 
I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight."  

Ted asks for answers about his past, some kind of a sign to explain
why everything is the way it is and why he feels strange since
arriving in PV.  Dixie asks for help in dealing with Junior being
away from her and some sort of sign that everything will work out
OK.  After much cross-fading, the show ends with a superimposed
shot of Dixie and Ted each wishing on stars.

[cliffhanger]

--------------------------
Happy New Year, guys!
Party hard tonight - I know I will!

Susan
--
Susan E. Margulies       |  So many bad drivers,
HP Imaging Systems       |  so few hand gestures.
508-681-2153 (work)      |      o o 
susanm@hp-and.an.hp.com  |     \___/
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