| When Josh and Reva turned their video cameras on dysfunctional Springfield, Guiding Light spliced together realistic snippets of its characters' lives to make a memorable episode that was a cut above.
Reva and Josh set out to compile their annual video update for Shayne and Marah, and while it has been a difficult year for the soap's residents, GL still found humor amid the drama. With his trademark Okie charm, Hawk cracked that Jonathan had been the "guest of dishonor" at Reva's Christmas party, and Josh tried to silence him from talking about "kissing cousins" Jonathan and Tammy. The writers also included some self-aware winks at the audience, as when Josh struggled with the absurdity of explaining that Cassie was dating her ex-husband's doppelganger - who once had a steamy fling with Marah. But not every moment was played for laughs; the episode deftly shifted gears from humorous to moving. Reva found Billy with a bottle, prompting him to confess gruffly, "Kids, your uncle's a drunk." Tammy vowed to persevere with Jonathan, who dropped his prickly exterior to profess love for mommy Reva and family. But the biggest emotional wallop came when Reva and Josh reconvened to edit their footage. As friends and family hammed it up on tape, Reva and Josh explained that not everything was cheery. Their confession was starkly juxtaposed with the happy images. Robert Newman and Kim Zimmer share such palpable chemistry that it felt intrusive to watch them detail Josh and Reva's breakup, as though spying on a real couple in crisis. Still, "We're a family," Josh reminded his far-flung kin. "That hasn't changed." And, in getting back to the heart of this core family, GL proved that its ability to deliver memorable moments hasn't changed, either. By capturing a slice of Springfield life on video, they helped breathe life back into GL. |