Friday, January 5, 2007
Dinah and Marina argued while shopping. Dinah told Marina that Mallet had quit THE LAW. Marina snapped that Dinah loved rubbing it in her face that she didn't already know about it, then reminded her that she was just Mallet's partner and said Dinah needed to stop feeling threatened. Then Dinah snarked that Marina needed to "find her light." Later, as Mallet got ready for the station party at Towers honoring (and screening) the shows, Marina approached him and chided him for not telling her he had quit THE LAW.

Meanwhile, Vanessa told Mallet that his ratings for THE LAW were amazing and urged him to not back out of the show because it was huge hit — and great for the station. Mallet said the little competition he had going on with Dinah was fun, but it was over. When Vanessa inquired if it was about the money, he said no. Then she realized he was quitting because he loves Dinah and wants her to be happy. Mallet tried to convince Vanessa that Dinah's "Find Your Light" episode made far better television than THE LAW. Vanessa admitted that her daughter was very lucky to have Mallet in her life. As Mallet turned to leave, he said the "find your light" episode of LIGHT OF SPRINGFIELD had a tremendous effect on Dinah and he wouldn't be surprised if she turned around and did something good for someone else. Later at the party at Towers, the final episode of THE LAW showed Mallet and Marina being flirtatious and cozy; Dinah grimaced.

At the baby shower, Lizzie overheard Jonathan telling Tammy that he needed to end his marriage because he loved Tammy, not Liz; she freaked out and ran to Beth who told her she needed to do whatever it took to hold on to him. Lizzie exclaimed she didn't know what to do, but Jon couldn't leave her. She rummaged through her purse and pulled out sleeping pills that Rick had prescribed for her postpartum depression. Beth suggested that Liz take action, even if it meant tricking Jonathan. Lizzie agreed, saying she always got what she wanted. Then Liz faked a panic attack and told Jon she wanted to leave. Outside on the balcony, Jonathan tried to talk to Lizzie about his feelings, but she claimed that all she really needed was him. Then she said she felt light-headed. Jon stepped inside; Liz admitted to herself that she couldn't keep the act up much longer because Jon was too smart. Alone, Liz slipped a sleeping pill into Jon's drink. Once he returned, Lizzie made a toast to Jonathan for standing by her, telling him to "drink up!"

Josh and Cassie went to meet Reva at Cross Creek for their "sit-down" but there was no answer at her door. Cassie listened to a voicemail from Reva, saying it didn't sound good. Josh listened and heard Alan's voice. It sounded as if he had snuck up behind Reva and then she dropped the phone. Back at Outskirts, Cassie discovered that Alan had been released from Ravenwood and told Josh that something must have provoked him to go after Reva. Josh assured Cassie that Reva could handle Alan, but she disagreed. Later, Josh went to Billy's to ask him for help in finding Reva. Billy said he'd go alone because Josh needed to not get so involved with Reva's life. Meanwhile, Cassie waited for Alex at Outskirts and demanded to know where Alan was. Alex informed Cassie about the situation with Lizzie's trust fund and Cassie surmised that Alan would indeed take it out on Reva.

Tammy went to Cross Creek and spotted the movie that Lizzie was mimicking. After watching some of it, she was shocked and noted that she couldn't wait until Jon found out. Beth suddenly arrived and asked Tammy what she was doing there; they exchanged some harsh words, Beth started chasing Tammy, then they had a full-on catfight. Beth attacked Tammy, who slapped her back. Tammy told Beth Liz was faking; Beth said Tammy needed to move on and demanded she leave Liz alone. Tammy told her about the movie and Beth said no one would believe Tammy and she would just end up looking like the jealous girlfriend. Outraged, Tammy snapped, "Jonathan is mine. And as for your little psychopath? She's toast!"

At the end of the episode, Lizzie carried a woozy Jon back to Cross Creek. As he was passing out, Lizzie set up candles, took off his shirt, took off her clothes and laid across him; Tammy saw them through the window. Meanwhile, Josh was still on the hunt for Reva when he spotted Alan's car outside of a church.

Thursday, January 4, 2007
Coop arrived at Ava's door; her new contract with Spaulding was also at her door. Coop begged Ava to let him in (and to trust him again), but she turned him away. Meanwhile on Main Street, Reva ran into Cassie. They made amends for their little argument over Sheila from the night Cassie bailed Reva and Josh out of jail. They agreed to see each other at Lizzie's baby shower.

Mel and Jeffrey met to discuss their new law practice together at Towers. Jeffrey was gung-ho about getting the business off the ground. Mel told him to slow down because he did have a life— and a daughter. He curtly replied, "work is my life." She continued to urge him to build a relationship with Ava, but Jeff said he thought Ava was better off without him. Ava called Mel to ask her to look over her Spaulding contract and they agreed to meet at Towers. When Ava showed up, Mel was gone but Jeffrey was still there. Ava told Jeff she knew about the fight at Outskirts that left him in the hospital. She thanked him for standing up for her and protecting her. He reluctantly agreed to look over her paperwork and noticed some bizarre clauses.

Still in jail, Alan plead with Rick to let him go. Alex arrived to deliver news from Spaulding's lawyer informing Alan that with Lizzie's pending birthday, she will have access to her trust fund as well as voting rights for various Spaulding matters. Outraged, Alan was more concerned with Jonathan’s position as Lizzie’s husband and getting his hands in company matters, too. Alex demanded that Alan not show up at the shower. Later, Alan imagined his worst fear — Jon and Lizzie controlling Spaulding money and wasting it by opening a chain of tattoo parlors. Rick shook him out of his daze to tell him he was finally free to go.

At Outskirts (fully decorated with pink balloons), Jonathan cooed at Sarah while preparing for the baby shower and said he hoped the party would put Lizzie in better spirits. Tammy showed up; they kissed and discussed Liz’s condition. Tammy said she couldn’t imagine a mother not being able to love her own baby. Meanwhile, Lizzie watched I Hate My Own Baby: The Janie Walker Story, a movie about a woman with postpartum depression. As she watched, Lizzie began mimicking the words of the actress who was describing the symptoms of her condition. Liz took notes, memorized a few lines, then headed to the party saying, "Time to go get depressed!" Then Liz showed up at Outskirts and lovingly cooed at Sarah, who was left alone while Jon and Tammy fetched wine. Tammy reappeared and spied Liz’s curious behavior, unnoticed. Later, the shower was underway and Cassie questioned whether Tammy actually believed Lizzie’s postpartum depression. Tammy said it was far too serious of a condition to fake, despite her reservations. Meanwhile, Lizzie admitted to Beth that she saw Jon with Tammy. They began to argue and Lizzie declared she was taking care of the situation and was convinced that spending more time with family would make Jon realize that is where he belonged. Lizzie feigned interest and tried to act happy while opening her gifts. When she showed excitement for one particular gift, she immediately attempted to cover up her exuberance; Tammy noticed and was livid. Then she told Cassie that Liz was faking the whole thing.

As the party ended, Reva tried to make conversation with Cassie. They started arguing again, this time over their conflicting views about Lizzie and Jonathan. Cassie suggested they sit down together to clear the air — with Josh. Later, Liz pulled Jon aside to tell him she was having a terrible time, but that he was her rock. Jon told Tammy he had come to the conclusion that Lizzie needed to be with the people, like her mother and grandmother, who would be honest with her, noting that he would never be someone she could count on. His heart was with Tammy and it was unfair to string Liz along so he needed to end the marriage.

At the end of the episode, Reva was outside calling Cassie then was suddenly interrupted by a sinister-looking Alan who asked her if she had a good time making fun of him at the party.

Wednesday, January 3, 2007
Gus and Harley shared their New Year's resolutions on Main Street; Harley vowed to not yell at her children so much. Then Jude and Zach found a duffle bag full of money near a bench. Everyone on Main Street was stunned at the amount of cash inside the bag and began inquiring where it might have come from. Drug money? Was it stolen? Did someone go to the bank and just forget it there? Harley surmised that it MUST belong to SOMEONE. Unbeknownst to everyone, an envelope left near the money was addressed to "The People of Springfield."

Mallet and Dinah mused over their shows' ratings together. Mallet was shocked that his numbers were so high; Dinah was bummed that hers weren't. Then they decided the numbers didn't really mean anything after all because they weren't the final ratings. Dinah said she wanted Mallet to be happy, but not at her expense mdash; even though her show might get cancelled. Dinah bitterly tore up the ratings sheet and informed Mallet she was going to win next week.

Back on Main Street, a crowd appeared wondering about the money. Frank and the police tried to calm everyone down as they decided what to do with it. Ashlee told Dinah she thought the story would be good for LIGHT OF SPRINGFIELD and of course, Dinah agreed. Then Dinah uncovered the envelope that informed the residents of Springfield that the money would help them "find their light." Instead of handing over the note to Frank, Dinah started doing her own detective work. She interviewed Zach first, but got nowhere. Next, she snagged a security camera tape that she hoped would identify the man who left the money. Meanwhile, Ashlee tried to distract Mallet. Later at CO2, Mallet was amazed that Dinah wasn't seizing the opportunity to use the mystery money story for her show. She shrugged and concluded that it was just a bunch of dead ends. Then Dinah spotted an article in the newspaper about a wealthy computer programmer named Gil Robson who was in town, she recognized him from the tape and went to find him. He said she was mistaken, then after further prodding, he agreed to tell Dinah his story as long as there were no cameras. Mr. Robson explained a story, flashbacked to New Year's Eve and told her about the very bad day he had after his flight was cancelled. A man had overheard his trouble, offered his private plane then told him to "find your light." It was Alan Spaulding!

Dinah visited Alan, who was still locked up in a holding cell. Alan said he couldn't tell Dinah who or what "find your light" meant. He flashbacked: Rick had generously offered to let Alan out for New Year's to see his family for the night as long as he returned the next day and told him to "find your light." Dinah continued to follow her leads and visited Rick, who told her about HIS New Year's Eve. Jonathan showed up at the hospital on his motorcycle with Leah, who was desperate to see her father. Jon told Rick to "find your light." So, Dinah went to Jon who told her it wasn't that big of a deal, but offered to share his tale. Dinah followed the trail all through Springfield and interviewed everyone to find the source of "find your light," but she was still at a loss. Finally, after visiting a homeless woman who pointed to Buzz as the source of the phrase, Dinah was informed that it was actually Zach who coined it for a school project. His idea was for people to find their light by doing good and paying forward good deeds to others.

On Main Street, Mallet informed an excited crowd that he knew where the money came from and that it had been donated to the people of Springfield and relayed what the note said about finding the light.

At the end of the episode, Dinah's TV show segment explained the story behind the "find your light" mystery and she revealed how she had started a Web site for people to share their "find your light" stories. Mallet was so touched by the show that he decided to quit THE LAW because he knew Dinah deserved to win their little competition. The people of Springfield decided to use the money to start a Find Your Light foundation.

Tuesday, January 2, 2007
While Josh tried to referee, an angry Reva demanded to know why Sheila was going through Billy's wallet. Sheila claimed she was merely searching for a business card at Billy's behest, but Reva wasn't convinced. Billy showed up and angrily vouched for Sheila. He then ordered a security guard to call the police. "Hasta la vista, babies!" crowed Billy as Reva and Josh were led away.

Marina showed up at the police station, dressed like a hooker for her undercover assignment. Mallet said there was no such assignment and she realized she received a phony memo. Dinah showed up to behold Marina. "Love the new updated uniforms," cracked Dinah. After Marina left, Dinah taunted Mallet that his show is destined to bomb. Gus appeared and worried about the custody hearing for Sydney. Dinah volunteered to be a character witness; she was hurt when Gus turned her down.

Lizzie was shocked to see Jonathan and Tammy in the throes of passion. "They're doing it in the sand on my beach," she wailed and proceeded to trash her honeymoon suite. After they were done having sex, Jonathan lamented about sneaking around and vowed to tell Lizzie the truth. "If she can handle Alan, then she can take the truth about us," he noted. Jon returned to the suite and was surprised to find it wrecked. Lizzie broke down in tears and confessed that she felt out of control whenever she was alone. Jonathan immediately wanted to return to Springfield so Lizzie could "talk to somebody" and she agreed. Tammy later returned and was shocked to find the suite vacant and messed up. Meanwhile, Jonathan and Lizzie showed up at the Springfield hospital (that was fast) and consulted Rick about her erratic behavior. Lizzie stopped short of confessing that she saw Jonathan and Tammy having sex. The doc recommended that Lizzie see a professional for postpartum depression. Tammy arrived in time to hear Rick suggest that Jon spend more time with his wife.

Harley fretted about the upcoming custody hearing. "You're a wonderful mom," Cassie assured. Harley couldn't help but feel guilty for shipping Susan off to boarding school. Josh then called Cassie and asked her to come down to the police station to bail out him and Reva. Cassie went down and sprung the convicts, then pointedly reminded her sister that Josh is no longer her husband.

Gus tracked down Judge Green to assure that he was a fit parent. The judge got angry at Gus for his inappropriate behavior. "No wonder they call you Mean Joe Green," a frustrated Gus slipped. The judge was not amused. He stormed away and ran into Harley, who began to sing Gus's praises. Mr. Green was put off by Harley's grandstanding and ordered her to wait for the hearing. Harley went home, where she and Gus were afraid their actions might cost them custody of Sydney. "We fight until we win," Harley rallied.

Monday, January 1, 2007
Happy New Year from Soap Opera Digest and Weekly. Our offices are closed today. Recaps will continue on Tuesday.

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