This will be an unusually abbreviated column this week. I've been battling a severe head cold that has impaired my hearing and has kept me in bed for almost four days. So until I see my doctor and hopefully get an antibiotic to rid this infection from my body, I have trouble thinking of anything else except how to shake the cold from my ears. At any rate, as I watch the custody battle for baby Ace/James/Adam III rage on during both "All My Children" and "One Life to Live," I can't help but throw in my two cents about to whom I think the child should be awarded.
It's been such a treat watching favorites from both AMC and OLTL appear on both shows. Seeing Brooke, Tad, Adam, JR, Kendell, and Bianca show up on OLTL or Dorian, David, Kelly, and Kevin appear on AMC has been the ultimate gift to fans of both shows. This is probably the best way to crossover two shows; a trial affords the ability to continue the action from one hour right into the next hour. Since people on both shows have been severely affected by the actions of Paul Cramer, it makes sense that everyone would be part of this grand trial.
I also love the relationship that Kelly and Babe have shared. Connecting over "their" child, Kelly in particular committed perjury to make sure that Babe's kidnapping charges would be dropped and that she would have a chance to raise the child. Kevin, too, threw his endorsement for Babe into the mix and naturally created stir and anger with the Chandlers. But it makes sense for Kelly and Babe to bond in this way. Kelly helped to raise baby Ace for the first several months of his life. She took very good care of him and made sure that he grew up in a safe and healthy environment. Not knowing that Ace's birth mother was still out there looking for him, Kelly was satisfied in knowing she had a child to whom she felt she would give a good life. Now that she is aware that Ace's birth mother wants him and thought that she lost him, Kelly has done a lot of growing up and maturing in making the hard decision to relinquish her rights and claims to the baby. If Babe ends up with any sort of custody of the child later on, it's pretty clear that Kelly will remain part of the child's life through Babe's insistance.
My thoughts on the custody trial are pretty cut and dry. Under no circumstances do I feel the child belongs with Kevin or Kelly. As much as Kevin and Kelly might claim to love the child, they really don't have a right to him (well, maybe they do legally), but after understanding the bizarre circumstances regarding his kidnapping and supposed "death," how could anyone deny the real parents the right to raising their own child? Consequently, I'm thrilled that Kevin and Kelly have made the decision to turn the child over to the birth parents.
Now, when it comes to Babe and JR, there's the million dollar question. How could someone possibly make a choice between these two lying, deceptive, manipulative people? On the one hand, there is Babe who lied to Bianca for months about her own child being alive. That's cruel and unforgivable. Despite the fact that Bianca never told JR that his child was alive, she still didn't consider her actions enough to make her an ally of Babe's. However, despite the "big lie," Babe took every precaution she could think of to make sure that Bianca would retain custody of her daughter when she revealed the truth. Further, she is as good of a mother to her child as any other I have seen. She's certainly not perfect, and she's certainly no saint, but nobody can deny she is a good caregiver to her child. On the other hand, there is JR who has turned into a creep of undefinable proportions! The signs of his change came as a result of his unfaithful wife, but that is certainly no excuse for the despicable human being he has become. A copycat version of his father, Adam Chandler, JR almost killed his brother Jaime, "accidentally" (yeah, right!) pushed Bianca off a balcony and caused her to go into a coma, and he uses his money like candy when trying to convince others to do him favors. I'll admit that he shared many tender moments with baby Miranda when he thought she was his, but I just never felt his paternal nature coming through.
With all of this said, I firmly stick with Kevin and Kelly in thinking that the child belongs with Babe. Even though JR will ultimately end up with custody of the child (at least for now), I think that Babe will triumph in the end. Any child who grows up in the Chandler household is destined for a myriad of problems. I certainly hope the same fate isn't in store for baby Ace/James/Adam III.
Not a regular reader of message boards, I have spent several minutes perusing them to see what others think of the custody battle. While the scale seems to tip in the direction of JR, I'm curious to hear from those of you who watch both OLTL and AMC what your thoughts are regarding the custody of the child. You don't have to agree with my assessment, but I'm just interested in hearing your own rationale for your own opinion. I hope everyone else out there in soapland is staying healthy!
Enjoy your week,
Ryan
