But as I watched (admittedly thirty seconds after I woke up, which could possibly mean I was still somewhat in a dream state and not seeing clearly) I was thinking, you know, I'm prepared to hate this, but I'm not, go figure.

There were things I liked about yesterday's show. The way Danny burst into Cedars like a maniac at the thought that something really may be wrong with Michelle and immediately put aside his "business" in order to tend to her. So Danny can choose his wife over everything else when push comes to shove, I think this will be important in the coming months.

I really liked Michelle's desperation in trying to put into words just why she wanted to call this off, at first it was because she heard his feelings for her and got confused, then it was slightly altered to a simply not wanting to see him hurt. These are the words and actions of a woman who is dearly confused about what she's really feeling, and really, really doesn't want to admit to that confusion outloud.

I noticed immediately that most of the discussion with Drew was centered around Danny and not TWV (The Walking Vegetable). As a matter of fact, TWV was almost an afterthought, and not a very convincing one at that. Michelle is in a desperate state, at the moment, her brother is yelling at her about the danger she's in, Drew is concerned about the danger she's in, she's concerned about the danger she's in, but first and foremost she's concerned that Danny not be near the docks, that Danny not get hurt in all of this.

She's reaching out from a place of fear and confusion and TWV is a familiar place, she's trying to convince herself she's doing this, solely so Danny won't get hurt, and not because she doesn't want to be the source of that hurt. I don't think it's hit her, that this is the real problem, deep down, she doesn't want to be the one to cause Danny pain, and why? She can't even begin to admit to that.

So TWV comes in like the hurly-burly-useless being that he is, and stumbles over his lines while trying to "comfort" her. I didn't see a flood of relief to have TWV there, I didn't see Michelle stop worrying about Danny because she suddenly had TWV tunnel vision. I saw a girl, who after the storm, was seeking shelter with her friend, clinging to the only solid ground she has, her supposed feelings for TWV. She's held onto this for so long, and rationally it makes sense that she should still be holding on, she should still be focused on her goal of getting away from Danny. But in rationalizing, where does the "I thought I was getting past my feelings" part play into this? That's not part of the rational, well-thought out plan.

It reminds me of Michelle talking to herself in the mirror, convincing herself she simply *has* to go through with this. There is no place for irrationality, and confused feelings in Michelle's world, or else she'll never escape the likes of Carmen. However the heart and mind don't always go together.

And frankly I think Michelle is about to figure that out.

Tracee