Easy Come, Easy Go: DOOL

With the Parker paternity storyline now coming to a close, DOOL seems to be giving GH a run for their money in how to bungle the endings of perfectly good storylines. I, like many viewers, assumed that once it was discovered that Philip cheated on Melanie and fathered Chloe's child, and that Stephanie was keeping this from Nathan, there would be a Melanie and Nathan reunion. However, two very important things happened last week that will undoubtedly make that impossible. First, it was announced that Mark Hapka had been fired. Then DOOL released a promo which shows Melanie finding out she is pregnant, presumably with Philip's baby (unless of course they find a way to write in that she slept with someone else).








DOOL has been teasing its viewers for months about a Nathan and Melanie reunion and to suddenly drop that as a possibility seems like such a waste. Where is the return on the viewers' investment in watching this show? Of course there is always a chance that there will be a recast in the role of Nathan, but if Melanie really is pregnant with Philip's baby that seems unlikely. I certainly hope this poor excuse for a plot twist was not why Mark Hapka was fired because how many infants does Philip really need? Remember this is the guy who looked confused during Victor's contraceptive lecture.

Mark Hapka's exit from DOOL is reminiscent of Drew Garrett's exit from GH. Both actors were fired right at the end of a major storyline. To be fair, recasting the role of Michael hasn't been a complete catastrophe. It was a shame that GH let such a talented actor go, but Chad Duell is also talented and seems to have won favor with many viewers. Of course given the way he joined GH it could have gone either way. I just hope DOOL and its viewers are as lucky with their casting changes.

Potential calamity aside, the ending of this storyline does have one major high point - the discovery of Stephanie's part in all of this. It was such a relief that Nathan finally saw through her lies and said goodbye. The only thing better than that would be if everyone found out that she had hacked into personal medical records with the intention of changing paternity results. In fact Kayla should be careful about placing blame on Carly considering everything her daughter and mother are guilty of doing. I must say though I was almost embarrassed for Stephanie today when she realized that Nathan knew the truth about her. She went from defending her actions to pathetic groveling in about two seconds.

Before watching this I never realized it was possible for something to make you laugh and cringe all at the same time. However, the funniest part came at the end when Nathan left, closing the door behind him. Stephanie reacted by desperately beating on the door before falling into a lifeless heap of chiffon and tears, because clearly his exit meant he had escaped through some sort of portal, making it impossible for her to find him even if she opened the door.