Commentary: The Starting of a Brand New Day

It's a brand new day at AMC. The birds are singing. The sun is shining. Mr. Pratt and his almost complete annihilation of AMC is gone. Like the Six Million Dollar Man, we can rebuild it. Most of the steps taken to do that are steps in the right direction.

Brooke is back. An absolute no brainer. Brooke faded into the Martin attic back in 2006 when AMC decided not to renew Julia Barr's contract. At the time, the actress didn't want to stay on in a recurring capacity. Fans were in an uproar that such a classic as Brooke (and Julia) could be discarded the way she was. Quite honestly, the uproar never ceased. It got quieter now and then, but Brooke has always been missed, has always been one of the first mentioned when talk of characters returning happens. Many fans rejoiced when it was announced she would be on the anniversary show. And then popped the corks on the champagne when, shortly thereafter, it was announced she would be returning to AMC in February. Right now, the term of her return is short. But it's a step in the right direction. I hope she has sharpened her claws because I want to see some classic Erica/Brooke catfights! Meow!

Jack is back. Fans cried foul when Jackson Montgomery was basically forgotten about. His marriage to Erica fizzled. He had a brief affair with Erica's prison BFF. And then, nothing. He was gone. Liza was brought back as a lawyer so he wasn't even needed for lawyery stuff. Walt Willey has classically said on many occasions that he will leave Pine Valley when he leaves in a pine box. Well he didn't leave that way, but still he was gone. And while I'm one of the few who is really digging the Erica/Ryan May/December romance, I think she truly belongs with Jack at this point. The diversion of Ryan has been fun. And seriously, when I'm 63 I hope I can attract a smokin hot younger dude too! But it's time for Jack to return, remind Erica about their love and show her that Ryan was exactly what I said... a diversion until the real man of her dreams was back. Their history, their long long history pretty much makes their story simple. Two hearts that lost their way and need to find a way back to each other. Personally speaking, I think that Erica and Jack should never have gotten divorced. I can't even remember why it happened now (although I'm sure someone will remind me lol). It's time for Erica to settle down. It's time to make Jack and Erica the anchors.

Greenlee is back. Nice lead in huh? Jack is back and he needs to be back with Erica. That leaves Ryan alone. Or does it? Rebecca Budig has returned to the role of Greenlee. She clearly never lost her love of Ryan. How could she? She woke up a year later believing it was still her wedding day. She's just as much in love as the day she "died." And I definitely believe that Ryan never fell out of love with Greenlee either. Sure he grief sexed Kendall over and over and over again. And now he's trying to move on for good with Erica. Not going to happen. Greenlee will be back. And I'm sorry Ms. Kane, you don't stand a chance!

And alas, Dixie is back. I can't even pretend to be happy about this development, my Dixie hate is rather notorious. But I am happy for the fans who have wanted this. Death by poison pancakes has been the thorn in the side of many, Cady McClain included. And then, out of nowhere, it was revealed that the Satin Slayer did not poison the peanut butter that was put in the pancakes that were to be fed to Babe but that Dixie ate instead. So who wanted Babe dead? No one knows. The story was dropped. Should we assume that Alexander Cambias was lying? Is Dixie's return going to center around finding out what the real deal behind her death was? Is she a ghost? Has David been hiding her too? What's the deal!? We'll find out in March!

So how do you get back the fans you lost when you hired a hack who ruined your show? Well you bring back the characters people love. The tried, the true. You get back to honest storytelling from a character driven point of view. You stop changing characters personalities to accommodate idiotic plots. You get rid of characters no one cares about... like Bailey and Damon. Yeah OK, Bailey's going and Damon isn't. It's a head scratcher for sure. But he's a young guy and maybe something will develop between him and Colby.

The new writing team is said to be announced within the next few weeks. With my optimism in full swing, I have high hopes that this too will be a step in the right direction.

For the first time in several years, the future of AMC looks bright. I feel good. I have hope. I want to see what's going to happen. Yeah, a new day is dawning at AMC. It's no longer the winter of our discontent. It's springtime in the middle of January! Break out your shades and pass me a Margarita!