Changing of the Guard

This week Sabine Singh and Rebecca Budig switched places in the role of Greenlee Smythe (as if you didn't get that message from the 5 gazillion ads ABC ran). By the way, what is AMC's deal with not leaving more time in between recasts? Soap fans frequently practice suspension of belief, why not help them out a little?

Alright, so where do I start? Well, I guess I can appreciate that the powers-that-be tried to soothe disapointed Ailee fans (version 1) with a love scene. I could say it's the thought that counts but good Lord was that awkward or what? "You had me at hello?" "It's called reiki...It's a Japanese term for 'universal energy' that promotes healing on -- on every level?" I mean what is that? And was anyone else completely thrown by this:

Greenlee: And what I said before about another woman, I --
Aidan: Hey, I'm sorry.
Greenlee: No.
Aidan: I overreacted.

Did they cut a scene? If so, couldn't we have saved this discussion for another day? What about a nice little conversation full of double meanings? Something along the lines of "I can't believe how wonderful the last few months have been...I can't imagine leaving you..." blah blah blah. Sometihng that's bittersweet because the actress is leaving and she could probably use that emotion to knock her final scenes out of the park. Sadly, this adieu just fell flat for me, but then again, considering what allegedly went on behind the scenes, I'd have a little trouble selling happy too.

One last note on Greenlee 2.0, I think Sabine Singh has done a good job with the role, especially considering the story she was given to work with:

Girl returns to hometown, tries to take back her ex; considers stealing her best friends child; wrecks car (that contains herself and said child) while correcting an earlier mistake; blamed for child's deafness; becomes town pariah who is set up by former best friend, best friend's mother and husband; goes to jail for a crime she didn't commit; falls into a bomb shelter with a man she hates while making a run for the Canadian border; suffers hunger, thirst, cold, falls, snake bite and claustrophobia while trapped in said shelter for a month; rescued by her boyfriend (who she doesn't know has slept with former best friend); learns she isn't the source of a child's deafness; is forgiven and forgives (too quickly for my taste) her attackers; relives one of her worst nightmares watching a woman fall off a cliff and it now looks like she's about to get sick again.

Yeah, I'm not sure 10 Emmy-winning actresses could spin that into gold.

So the verdict on the new...or old...depending on how you look at it...Greenlee is.........I'm not really sure yet. I wasn't overly impressed with her comeback, but to be fair, as of now, she hasn't been given any meaty material. Also, I'm so annoyed by the overexposure that I don't think I could give her a fair critique at the moment. I need a Greenlee detox. Do they have a rehab for that? I'm down for that as long it doesn't involve an impromptu visit from Dr. Phil...


**On a completely unrelated note, Kendall and Zach as Greek chorus at Tad and Krystal's party was totally amusing. Thank God for small favors I guess.**