impunity

Ah, but Will would never do this. Too much to lose...like all his recurrent older lovers.

I think the only way the charges can truly be dropped is if JJ admits to lying about having had sex with ME, which would again damage his own image. Once the allegations have been made, it is the duty of the authorities to investigate a potential case of "child abuse".

Fantastic action both on and off the field! I enjoyed Steven's reaction to Neil's presence on the field. And the revelation of Kevin's true identity was priceless! Doug is still being an irredeemable arsehole with his churlish comment to Alan and Joe; sooner or later he's going to have to figure out that it's not all about Liam, and that doing decent things for the wrong reasons is not a whole lot better than not doing them at all. The cliffhanger ending was expected but no less unwelcome for it. Now anxiously awaiting next week's conclusion.

I love the JJ has shifted the focus from himself as "home wrecker" to victim. ME can't even claim that Alex was also involved with JJ after the Tatler feature.

I don't think you can equate testifying in court with a further attack on JJ. I expect everything ME says in the courtroom will be carefully scripted by the Granger lawyers. However, keeping her at Bridgemont limits her contact with both ED and the media, either of which could escalate the war and further damage her reputation. (Interesting to consider the parallels of George and Caroline several generations earlier. ) They had sex on 30 November.

My South African aunt while in Canada invited her small son to du-du (no idea how to spell) on her friend's couch. It means sleep.

We haven't had Brad's POV in this book, have we? I am quite enjoying watching Brad be disfunctional from Will's, Wade's and JJ's perspectives, without actually hearing from Brad. He'd only bitch about Will and be sappy about Marc, anyway.

I never did manage to don a tinfoil suit, mostly because of lack of the skill to make one, but I just realized that with all the speculation about Will's plans, ME, ED, and the BW, we never managed to speculate about JJ. I'm kind of glad because it was brilliant when it happened. Personally, I don't think ME is going to get a chance to retaliate; the Grangers will sequester her at Bridgemont and try to contain the damage.

Sorry, should have provided the translations. pants and a vest: in the US, would be trousers and a waistcoat; in the UK, underpants and an undershirt (or tank top). flapjack: in the US, pancake; in the UK, a baked oat square, sort of a cross between a brownie and a granola bar.

In South Africa, traffic lights are called robots.

Have you thought about what you'd look like on either side of the pond if you wore pants and a vest? Btw, most obscure UK/US word disparity: flapjack.

Wow! JJ is vying with Will for my affections! When the paparazzi turned up, I wondered if he'd spilled the beans on ME's premarital pregnancy. But that would have hurt Alex and little Ricky, and what he did was so much better. And funnier! Of course, Will was awesome, too. I love how he ripped Brad to shreds, which was no more than Brad deserved. Also, very glad Stef liked the new paint. Phew!

I agree. That was a truly excellent chapter! On a plane that's about to take off (sadly, not as nice as Stef's ) so will have to review later on.

How is Mark defining "early", btw? Has anyone figured out a discernable pattern? For a while he was posting this and Valiant on Thursdays and Fridays but the early chapters have thrown off the rhythm.

You're going to need a tinfoil TENT if you're making paranoid speculations about the grand old...well, Grand. But as loopy suggestions go, this is one of the best!

I think we may be getting a little sidetracked in the definition of "black widow" here. Metaphorically, a black widow is a woman (I think we can extend to gay man here) who engineers her (or his) own widowhood by seducing then killing her (or his) husband/lover/partner. Therefore, we shouldn't be looking for someone who is already a widow(er), but rather someone who is looking to become one. I'm still voting for Marc! He insinuates himself into Brad's life as the perfect (and vulnerable) boyfriend, gets Brad to alienate the family (especially his sons/heirs), gets himself inserted as a major legatee in Brad's will...you get the picture.

I agree! Our young Grienne is definitely not subscribing to our "don't reach too high and let others do the work" philosophy. Oh wait, that's kind of the point of it. Yes! 1) You mean there's more? 2) His is definitely fancier. Yours seems to be going more for function than form. 3) More lessons from your dubious past. 4) Ok, it has to be said...Italian beef! (Sorry, couldn't stop myself.) Thomas Hartford! Introduced back into the story, surprise dinner guest, (sex with Stef and JP?), then...nothing. Maybe he's doping JP with anti-Viagra so he can steal Stef back? Now there's a paranoid speculation. Ha!

Yay! "Not loopier than others" is something I can definitely set as an achievable target.

Ok, now I really want to know. Couldn't you just emulate Mike and spill all your dirty secrets? This I agree with 100%! And I can't wait to see what JJ comes up with.

Ok, I would buy the Duke's trying to split up JJ and Alex, but not with the paparazzi. I think a scandal of that sort, that brings into question Alex's sexuality, his marriage and, by extension, the legitimacy of his son, would be far too dangerous to invite onto the front lawn. Not to mention that it'd be in poor taste. I also agree that Nana has the money and influence to target ED, but she wouldn't do so at the expense of anyone in JP's family. Love the suit! Now you are both protected and stylish shiny! I should probably start working on one. Or find someone more creative (and crafty!) to make it for me. Very interesting idea about Brad. I hadn't considered that, but it certainly has merit. I personally am sticking with the theory that Brad is another target, possibly the primary one or co-primary with ED, of an as yet unidentified villain. But Brad as the BW(er) definitely warrants more speculation. Edit: Also, am I the only person here who doesn't trust Marc?

Someone should probably wrap this entire forum in tinfoil!

Thanks again for catering to our neediness. I love that JP and Stef have correctly interpreted Will's actions with respect to Brad and are willing to let his plan play out. Wade's visit to Bridgement should prove interesting. I agree with Gary that we haven't seen the full scope of the BW's machinations...although I'm still not convinced it's ED. As much as Will and Zach are adorable together, I am happy that Will has decided to stop playing second fiddle to football in Zach's priorities. And speaking of adorable...JJ and John are too cute in their roles as mutually supportive roommates. Poor JJ's dilemma (sex vs. self respect) had me giggling.

You know, you don't have to take us seriously. But thank you! Feel better soon.

Is it us? Have we not been entertaining enough?

Probably. But that's never stopped us before.