imgoingslightlymad

I'm not sure that Zach has really been sacrificed yet; the drug test is a significant problem, but with sufficient doubt/resources/legal intervention etc thrown into the mix, it seem unlikely to be fatal to his career. The arbitrary destruction of his career idea would ring more true of the pictures had been released, and ED's specific motive for wanting to harm Zach (aside from adding to a smoke screen) seems missing. I like to think that ED is slightly too objective to be deliberately cruel without a significant personal benefit (aside from the sort of long-standing personal ABC-style feuds); it seems more like Zach disobeyed her, and her insurance policy had to be cashed. The photos are something she can still hold over Zach and, by extension, Will and his family, whose guilt/sense of responsibility is likely to motivate to sacrifice a lot to protect Zach. It's interesting that Trevor is so easily implicated; if this whole thing is a sideplot then ED is unlikely to sacrifice someone so easily linked back to her, and if it has some crucial importance she'd be more eager to cover her tracks. She might want Trevor to be found/implicated for whatever reason. ME was given access to $50 Million as part of the dowry arrangement (I think?), despite ED losing her warchest etc, it seems hard to believe that Nana managed to leave her penniless when she's likely to have had significant amounts in her own personal trusts, and to have salvaged large amounts from the divorce (from original dowry & to offset the value of Goodwell)

I don't think Im trying to suggest that ED's doing anything for ME alone, and to be honest, I think it's more like this whole ME drama is part of something far more serious with ED at the centre; there's something in ED's plans for ME rather than the other way around. I'm not suggesting she's bailing, but rather that a powerful card in her hand is unlikely to be wasted to save a fucked-up diversion with no real significance to her. I agree in thinking it is just a distraction, and something that's served its purpose now. ED knows when to cut losses she would have thought likely from the start.

'Just a thought, but I wonder if ED will threaten to attack Zach/Will by releasing the photos of them unless charges are dropped against ME' I think if that happened (and if it is all ED etc. [all the usual qualifications]) it would be bluffing, in the respect that ME (person whose interests that blackmail would be in) doesn't, as far as we know, have anything valuable enough to give ED to sacrifice just about her most significant card for. Even if the two have quietly allied, it will be in the interests of both parties, with neither likely to make any sort of sacrifice for the other.

mmike1969, on 17 Aug 2015 - 01:03 AM, said: To be fair, this is fiction, and in most fiction coincidence is as unlikely as it is likely in nonfiction. ED might have changed her MO, I read an article about Donald Trump's PR man being known in the business as the 'bomb thrower', so perhaps she's just adopting that strategy ahead of her time, apparently doing loads of damage, and then just raking what she wants from the ashes.

Hi Guys! Looking at Tim's last post with regard to the one year ban, it seems to me far more likely that the failed drug test is an attempt by ED to drag Zach back under her thumb; an opening salvo to demonstrate her ruthlessness/capabilities, whilst still holding the prospect of the photos (which, in my naive, UK-based understanding) would actually end his career permanently, over his head. She (as, if not a people-person, at least a ruthless psychologist), is likely to hope that this flexing of muscles is sufficient to centre the importance to Zach of his football career once again, when he's consulted a lawyer and worked out that the situation as she's let it stand isn't necessarily fatal.

Hiya! 1st CAP review Another fantastic chapter, and finally one that begins what I hope will be lots of juicy conflict to come. Nice to see the possible return of Lizzy D (ED's rap name). Difficult to see the immediate motivations of Elizabeth (although maybe the amorphous 'Black Widow' isn't her after all), but she seems to enjoy long, complicated, multi-faceted schemes so it seems entirely likely that everyone will be sitting around with her making all the moves on her chessboard of life before actually being able to respond to her inevitable plans to subjugate everyone we love and rule the world. Just to defend Zach from Tim's vicious and wholly unwarranted attack; ED, as far as I remember, was never on Zach's radar, so an attack from her is entirely unexpected. For him, there really is no other way to respond to the incriminating pictures, no way to fight back or remove the threat, short of giving up the football career that has alwaysbeen his ticket out of a boring provincial existence. Even if the logical part of his brain registers the ability of the blackmailer to hold the photos over him permanently, the idea that it's Will's family (who would presumably otherwise be his only reasonable source of defence against a blackmailer) is behind it automatically strips away a huge amount of his security. Hope to see Will and JJ counter-plotting together, because I love both of them, am bored of Brad and Matt, and can't really see anyone else actually doing much until ED pushes too far and Wade bitchslaps Mummy again before remembering she's family and inviting her over for Christmas. Lots of love, Tom

Seeing as someone's just done a similar thing for the new CAP instalment, I thought I'd dedicate my first ever forum post to listing the ages of the main Bridgemont characters as of the moment (Dec 1799), before the century turns. Hopefully my recollections are fairly accurate, (~) indicates a hypothesised age. I've stuck in some titles, but not all. George III- B. Jun 4th 1738 - 61 Frederick Granger, 1st Duke of Suffolk- B. ~1750 - ~49 Rear-Admiral Baron Nelson of the Nile- B. Sep 28th 1758 - 41 Captain John Travers- B. 1770 Frederick 'Freddie' Granger- B. ~1770 - ~29 Lord 'Iggy' Calverton- B. ~1770 - ~29 Sir Philip Kerry- B. ~1770 - ~29 Albert 'Bertie' Granger- B. 1773 - 26 Lord Peter Chartley- B. ~1773 - ~26 Captain Somers- B. ~1774 - ~25 Captain Frances Calvert- B. ~1775 - ~24 Captain George Granger- B. Jan 1776 - 23 Prince William, Duke of Gloucester ('Silly Billy')- B. Jan 15th 1776 - 23 Caroline Granger- B. ~1776 - ~23 Lord Frederick Cavendish- B. Jan 1780 - 19 Winkler- B. 1781 - 18 Prince Genarro- B. ~1783 - 16

1st Review Interesting that the last couple of chapters have actually made Lady Elgin seem somewhat sympathetic, not just the possibly kinky, definitely noisy, abuse, but in a sort of broader victim role, being taken advantage of by the Guild as a convenience, on the other side of the equation. Just a touch of curiosity about how Lady Elgin was planning to ensure Valiant visited Tenedos? Particularly when her plan thus far seem to have centred around not going anywhere near anything past Italy. Nice to see Jardines again, and to have the prospect of some closure for his character, possibility of tying up another of George's loose-ended lovers. Anyway, many thanks for the chapter, and hope I don't seem greedy as I beg for more.