| Tragedy is a word often used to describe events in soapland, and no term could better define GL's recent car accident. Where this tale diverges from many others is that it embodies the very essence of tragedy: The heroic Josh's tragic flaw --- his myopic drive to see his son Shayne succeed in sports --- spurred a chain of events that left his son paralyzed and his marriage on the rocks.
It all began (this phase of it anyway) when the fog and slippery roads contributed to an angry Josh slamming into another car, which happened to be carrying Shayne and Marina. (Special praise needs to go to the GL crew for creating such a realistic crash scene.) A disoriented Marina crawled out of the wreckage to get help for Shayne. When she came face-to-face with a bruised and dazed Josh, the horrible reality came crashing down on them. The frantic pace of Shayne's rescue from the mangled vehicle contrasted sharply with the agonizing wait required of friends and family who had gathered at the hospital. They paced as they searched for news and answers, both of which were in short supply. While Reva wondered why this happened to her child, Marina railed at Josh for getting behind the wheel when Shayne missed a baseball meeting. "Why couldn't you have just waited?" she asked bitterly. "Why couldn't you have just trusted him? I mean, my God, don't you even know your own son?" News finally came: Shayne's injuries had caused paralysis and affected his ability to speak. Ed informed a devastated Reva and Josh that it was too soon to know if Shayne's condition was permanent. Guilt and fear blanketed Josh's every move; anger blew open Reva's shell-shocked veneer. After Reva avoided Josh during the immediate aftermath, he forced her to admit she blamed him for the accident. "If I hadn't pushed him into the big leagues, right?" he queried, almost rhetorically. "Just say it to me." With anger distilled and concentrated, Reva lashed out with words and her fists. "You did this to him," she cried. "See what you did, you son of a bitch." The unforgiving lens of tragedy shone a light into many dark corners of Josh and Reva's epic love story. Has their relationship been based too much on forgiveness? Can it withstand another absolution? Josh maintained that he didn't need that from Reva, but can their marriage continue without it? Josh and Reva's choices have often thrown someone else's life into chaos. Is this karmic payback? GL recognizes these deeply rooted and complex questions and the possibility of answers is the reason viewers continue to watch and invest in these characters we've known for decades. With a masterful touch, and Emmy-caliber performances, GL didn't craft just another sad story, but one seeped in dramatic resonance and repercussions. We give it a standing ovation. |