Sonny and Carly: (cont.)

Sonny: "What is that doing here?"
Carly: "More to the left. Isn't that pretty? I just got this. I thought it would look great, and Johnny's helping me to arrange it. Isn't that nice?"
Sonny: "Johnny, get back to your post."
Carly: "He's not your slave."
Sonny: "Well, he's not yours, either. His job is to protect you, not take orders from you or move your furniture. I want that thing gone by the time I get back."

Bobbie: "How much does Sonny tell you about his business?"

Here's one of those moments that made Terry protest all the leather on the show recently. Carly was in another pair of leather pants, and Bobbie was in a brown leather jacket--I suppose she wanted to match Roy. *G*

Oh, and for some reason, it tickled me to death that Sonny used sticky notes!

Terry's update: "We had a relatively new script writer, and it showed. I think this chick has potential, but at the moment, she's feeling her way along. The action was very linear, the lines were usually generic, not unique to the speech of the character giving them, transitions were awkward or poorly conceived (Bobby was at Sonny's, then a scene later working at Kelly's, then leaves Kelly's without a word about who's in charge, although Tammy's nowhere in sight, for example)."

"Sonny's: As these scenes begin, Carly and Johnny are spreading a throw over the world's biggest ottoman. Carly has bought this gorgeous, humongous piece of furniture, which fits perfectly in the room, and the throw is a great touch. Sonny comes downstairs, orders Johnny back to his post and tells Carly to get rid of the new acquisition. He doesn't give Carly time to argue; he's on his way out and passes Bobbie on her way in. She asks Carly, once he's gone, what Sonny tells her about his business."

Bobbie: "I tried talking to Sonny about it--"
Carly: "Oh, let me guess. He opened right up, huh?"

Carly: "Mom, Sonny doesn't trust me as it is. I mean, come on, if he knew that I was going through his personal papers he'd think I was spying on him like Hannah, and then any chance that we had for a truce for the baby's sake would go right out the window."
Bobbie: "Ok, you're right. I know. I understand. Forget I asked."
Carly: "All right. Wait, wait. I guess, if Jason was putting himself in danger, yeah, I'd want to know. There's this key that I know that Jason always kept over here. It was a key to the desk."

Carly: "All right, listen, you know, you have to promise me that you will never, ever, ever tell Sonny that I did this for you."
Bobbie: "I--I won't. I promise. Thank you."
Carly: "Ok."
Bobbie: "I love you."
Carly: "I love you, too."

Terry continues: "Bobbie wants to know where Sonny's private papers are. Yeah, this makes sense, given her history with mob types and her feelings about Sonny etc. etc.--NOT. She's worried about Roy and hopes she'll find some info to assure her that he's okay--yeah, that makes sense--NOT. Carly points out she can't risk going through Sonny's things. Carly relents finally, saying that Bobbie's concern for Roy mirrors the way she used to worry about Jason. She knows where Jason used to keep the key to the desk--it's still there. That's logical--NOT. Amazingly, Bobbie opens the desk, pulls out a piece of paper, and instantly has the information she needs about Roy. Right. She writes something down and takes off."

Terry: "This was not smart. But at the same time it was a terribly contrived plot device: it was Bobbie who asked for the key, opened the desk, dug out the information, used the information for her own purposes. Carly simply gave her the key, reluctantly. At first, Carly simply refused to help Bobbie. But that is her mom, and she does want to please her mom and show her support, as she longs for Bobbie to support her (and as Bobbie sometimes does support her). She was really in a no-win situation--she could refuse to help Bobbie and make her mother mad, or she could help Bobbie and do something she knew Sony would not appreciate. Either way, somebody on the show and many somebodies in the audience were going to think she was wrong."

Amy: "I was actually pleased to see that this was not about her taunting Sonny into letting her leave the house. No matter how warped their relationship is, it was nice to see her concerned that it would make him mad, and some awareness of the trust issue involved."

"And I loved, loved, loved that Carly gave her mother the key. It was a moment where he mother asked her for something, and instead of refusing, saying that Bobbie never does anything for her, she saw an opportunity to help her mother--knowing how worried she was about Roy, which is something she could identify with. She knew she would be in trouble, at the very least, with Sonny if he found out. But she chose to help her mother anyway, even if both of them were misguided in snooping about the desk."

"I can't blame Carly for getting her mother kidnapped, though probably Carly will blame herself. Bobbie asked for the information; Carly hesitantly agreed. It was Bobbie's choice about what she would do with that information. Heck, if it's Carly's fault that Bobbie was kidnapped, then it's Roy's fault too, for not telling her the truth, and that I don't buy either."

"No, we could have had a scene where Bobbie came to the house, waited for Carly to leave the room, and then had her find the key and get what she wanted in some way. The writers chose to have Carly make a choice to help her mother. I love it."

IX. Mike Talks to Sonny About His Family Planning (3/10)

Mike: "So, um, I've heard that we're going to be grandparents."
Bobbie: "Hmm. Tell me something. Does the thought of Carly and Sonny having a baby together scare you as much as it does me?"

Mike: "Wait a minute. Carly is living with Sonny?"
Bobbie: "Oh, Mike, I'm sorry. I just assumed Sonny had told you."
Mike: "Ah, well, sometimes he forgets to mention things like that."

Terry's update: "Kelly's: Bobbie is suddenly behind the counter and they discuss being grandparents together. He's surprised to learn Carly is now living with Sonny. Sonny shows up and Mike wants to know why he's moved Carly in."

Mike: "Face it, Sonny. You can't stand Carly. And everyone knows she drives you crazy. And besides, little Michael has been bounced around enough already. So--wait, why don't you just--why don't you just set her up in a place of her own?"
Sonny: "I appreciate your concern, Mike, but I got to get Carly on my side. If we don't learn to get along, who's going to suffer? The baby is."

Sonny: "My kid shouldn't have to grow up with parents who are always fighting. Carly and I, we're going to work on that."
Mike: "Yeah, well, maybe the best way to work on that is not be in the same room with her."

Sonny: "There's no compromise with a kid, Mike. My kid's going to have a happy home with a full-time father."

Mike: "All right. Sonny, just--take care of yourself, ok?"
Sonny: "That's what I'm doing, Mike."

Terry's ratsa update for these scenes: "Mike suggests Sonny should set Carly up in a place of her own, but Sonny says they need to learn to get along. Sonny won't distance himself from Carly because that would mean distancing himself from the baby-to-be as well. He leaves--so why was he there? No coffee, didn't pick up carryout, never even sat down."

X. AJ Accosts Carly (3/10)

Carly: "What do you want?"
A.J.: "My son. But since that's not going to happen at the moment, I'll settle for the rest of what's mine, starting with those diamonds on your finger."

A.J.: "Now those--those diamonds were meant as a symbol of a commitment that you never intended to keep, and I want them back."
Carly: "I see. Well, see, the thing is, when I packed my bags, I left behind everything that you gave to me. All the jewelry that was yours is in a box on the night-side table in my old room."
A.J.: "Are you deliberately not listening to me? I told you I want those rings back."
Carly: "Well, see, I have a problem with that because you didn't give me these rings. Jason did."

Terry's update continues: "Carly calls the store to pick up the ottoman. AJ shows up, throwing attitude. He's here for his diamond rings. She says she gave him all his jewelry--'You didn't give me these rings; Jason did.'"

A.J.: "Well, did it ever occur to you that I might be worried about you?"
Carly: "No. Didn't matter. I wanted Jason. So I called him, and he came, just like he always does."
A.J.: "Little puppy dog."
Carly: "No, actually, he's my friend. And you know, he brought me home. He treated all my cuts and my wounds. He replaced my pearls and these rings. So these rings are Jason's. He put them on my finger, and they prove that he loves me."
A.J.: "Hmm. That is so sweet. Hanging on to Jason's rings. Really, cute. Why not? Why not, huh, since that's all you're ever going to have. You're never going to have him again. What, did you think that he would still love you after you slept with Sonny"
Carly: "Hey, you know what? Jason does still love me. Who do you think is the one who provided Sonny with the proof that you were an arsonist, huh? Yeah, Jason. Jason proved that you were a criminal, A.J. He got Michael and I away from you and your family, just like he always said he would. So in effect, you didn't lose to Sonny. Actually, you lost to Jason."
A.J.: "That's enough, Carly."
Carly: "No, I mean, you're the one who's always acting like there's some kind of big contest between you and Jason, except you're the only one playing this game, and you're still losing, A.J."
A.J.: "I mean it, I mean it."
Carly: "Well, hey, you know, you couldn't do anything right. You couldn't hold on to anything. Couldn't hold on to me or Michael. I'm sure that Edward probably fired you from E.L.Q. and Jason's still watching out for me, which is more than you could ever say for yourself--"
A.J.: "Stop it."
Carly: "Because you were always too worried about protecting your own skin. You're a big, fat loser!"
A.J.: "Stop it! I said stop it!"
Carly: "Let go of me!"
Sonny: "Hey, let go of her. Let go of her."

Carly actually put her thumb and first finger up to form an "L" on her forehead on the word "loser." Oh, ya. That's mature. AJ grabbed her. Foreshadowing, anyone?

A.J.: "This is good. One of the lowest life forms on the planet living with a life form lower than he is. You do know that Carly will lie, cheat, and steal from you and then stab you in the back and blame someone else."
Sonny: "You through?"
A.J.: "Of course, you could beat her to the punch, pull one of your famous life-destroying head trips like you did on Brenda. Either way, you'll both get what you deserve."
Sonny: "First of all, you're not welcome here. I don't want you to approach Carly or Michael. I don't want you to talk to them. I don't want you to harass them. And you will not insult Carly again. Or I will make sure that you not only go to prison, you'll get very special treatment. You know what I'm saying?"

Sonny moved to put Carly behind him, standing between her and AJ. He moved closer as gave AJ his instructions, quiet but threatening. As AJ left, Carly was still hugging herself, but she gave a little smile.

Sonny: "You all right?"
Carly: "Thanks."
Sonny: "For what?"
Carly: "I'm not used to having people defend me."
Sonny: "Well, maybe you should get used to it."

Terry again: "Carly tells AJ the story of the mugging and the replacement rings. AJ ridicules her for clinging to Jason's rings, since Jason, he says, will never love her now. This gives her the opportunity to inform him that it was Jason who provided the information that brought AJ down. In effect, she taunts, 'You didn't lose out to Sonny, but to Jason.' She calls her husband a big fat loser, and he grabs her arms and shakes her. At that point, Sonny walks in, and demands that AJ let her go."

"There are commercials, and then we get a very well-staged bit. Carly steps away from AJ, they all stare at one another. Sonny touches Carly's arm gently, guides her back beside him so the couch is between her and AJ. Carly keeps rubbing her arms as Sonny and AJ talk. AJ sneers, 'This is good. One of the lowest life forms on the planet living with a life form lower than he is.' (Not terribly musical, is it?)"

"They swap taunts, and Sonny gets in AJ's face (and, for the record, he's a tiny bit taller). They stare at one another, then AJ leaves. Carly stands, arms crossed protectively, and says simply, 'Thanks.'"

Sonny: "What were you thinking, letting A.J. in here?"
Carly: "I thought I could handle him. I didn't--I don't know, I just thought maybe he'd--maybe he'd thought about it and he was ready to compromise on some sort of plan, visitation for Michael. I didn't think he was going to go off on me like that."
Sonny: "Has he ever grabbed you before? Hurt you?"
Carly: "A.J.'s not violent."
Sonny: "No?"
Carly: "No."
Sonny: "Then what did I walk in on?"
Carly: "To be honest, I kind of provoked him."
Sonny: "Well, you know what? That doesn't give him the right to touch you now. That's not going to happen again."

Carly: "Look, you know, I didn't--I didn't buy it to annoy you. I didn't. I just really thought that it might look good here."
Sonny: "Buddy, um, go ahead and get yourself something to eat. We're going to keep the ottoman."

I keep waiting for Carly to admit that AJ verbally abused her, or at least threatened her, while she was with him. She hasn't even told Bobbie about the darkest moments of that marriage, and I wonder if it's because she feels she provoked (and deserved?) that too.

Sonny and Carly looked at each other as the ottoman guy entered, and she gave a big smile when Sonny said they'd keep it.

Terry's update of these scenes concludes: "Carly tells Sonny she thought she could handle AJ, and didn't realize he would go off on her. When Sonny asks if AJ were ever physical with her before, she says he isn't violent and makes clear that she provoked him. That's no excuse, Sonny says (Wow, that's a major change in his attitude toward her. Way to go.), and it won't happen again. Johnny announces the furniture man. Carly apologizes for having bought the ottoman, telling Sonny she really didn't do it to annoy him but because she thought it would look good. Sonny sends the furniture man away, saying they will keep the furniture."

Terry: "While I was not initially happy about a Carly/Sonny pairing, I am enjoying their interaction at the moment I like when Carly is relatively (I said relatively) open with Sonny, as when she told him she had provoked AJ, when she could have scored major sympathy points by letting him continue to think that AJ was completely in the wrong and she was the victim. I liked that she called to return the ottoman, and didn't whine about it, or try to scheme to keep it, even though Sonny was clearly wrong and she had every right to buy the darn thing and move it into the home he insists she live in. I liked that he compromised in the end and agreed it could stay."

XI. Mike Wants to Buy a Present (3/13)

Mike arrived with a single rose for Tammy.

Tammy: "House present. Well, I guess it would depend on who it's for. Is it for a family?"
Mike: "Not exactly a family. It's a small boy, his pregnant mother, and my son."

Tammy: "Well, then those two kids really need to have you around, don't they?"
Mike: "That's why I have to make nice and keep the peace with their mother."

Mike: "Well, either they're going to split before that baby is born or they are going to end up killing each other."
Tammy: "Well, in that case, you need to stay out of the line of fire, ok?"

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