Dimitri's Alive!
All My Children's Count Isn't Dead
AFter All. But Don't Throw the Confetti Just Yet...
by Elaine G. Flores, SOD 9/14/99
"Investigative journalist Edmund Grey didn't win that Pultizer Prize for nothing. When his brother, Dimitri's sudden death came on the heels of a suprise marriage to a mysterious stranger, Edmund started sleuthing. This week on All My Children, Edmund learns the astonishing truth: the count is alive- but not well.
Edmund's mounting
suspicions about his new sister-in-law, Alexandra, drove him to enlist David to perform a
secret autopsy. As the week opens, Edmund and David are shocked to find Dimitri's coffin
empty. Edmund's first thought: 'What has that woman done?' cracks his portrayer, John
Callahan. David, who has an ax to grind against Alex, speculates that she is a black
widow, leading a rabid Edmund to confront her.
The showdown comes at the Wildwind hunting lodge. Edmund accuses Alexandra of murdering his brother. 'She says, "I didn't murder your brother, he's not dead!"' previews Finola Hughes (Alexandra).
'Stunned as he is, Edmund cannot believe that all these lies have led to something wonderful, and the wonder is that his brother is alive,' muses Executive Producer Jean Dadario Burke.
'And then it explodes,' reveals Hughes. '[Edmund] wants to know what's happening and then Alex has to tell him that [Dimitri] was becoming debiliated and didn't want his family to suffer along with him. The disease that Dimitri has will tear him apart and make him a shadow of his former self.'
As it turns out, Dimitri is at Seaview Hospital. 'He couldn't bear the agony of being found out by his family,' explains Hughes. 'And the burden to protect him falls on Alex. She's kept him hidden in a hospital and is treating him secretly.'
Okay, Dimitri's furtiveness is understandable, but how on earth could Alexandra let the count's loved ones think he was dead? 'She didn't know what else to do because he was ill when they landed [in Pine Valley]. And the family wouldn't get out of her face,' argues Hughes. 'Alex wanted to turn the plane around and they wouldn't get out of her face. The last thing she promised him was that she wouldn't let anyone see him like this. It's the only thing Alex could think of.'
Though Edmund has never trusted Alex, he quickly buys her latest story. 'It's a total shock to him, and yet, it isn't completely surprising. It only takes [Edmund] half a show to go from incredulity to [belief],' shares Callahan.
Naturally, Edmund insists on seeing his brother right away. Alex tries to explain that Dimitri isn't the same man, but Edmund is determined to see for himself, so they head to Seaview. At the hospital, Dr. Silbert urges Edmund to hold off on visiting his brother, but Edmund won't back down.
As Alex predicted, a weakened but proud Dimitri is aghast that Edmund has discovered his secret and pleads with his bride to get Edmund to leave. As Alex soothes Dimitri, Edmund finds his feelings toward her softening. 'The big surprise comes when he goes to visit his brother and sees how [Alex and Dimitri] feel about one another,' explains Burke. 'That's when he no longer blames her. He knows how insistent his brother is and that these are truly his brother's wishes. And really, all she is doing is trying to follow Dimitri's wishes, which is very difficult with an inquisitive reporter like Edmund around.'
After the awkward reunion, Alex and Edmund have critical decisions to make. For starters, they can't let the family go on mourning, so they share the news with Eugenia and Gillian. The women slam Alex for toying with their emotions, but surprisingly, Edmund comes to her defense. 'She seems to obviously love his brother,' points out Callahan.
The family then turns its attention to Dimitri's care. Alex proposes an experimental therapy that could prolong Dimitri's life without improving it. 'It brings up a whole issue about how you help people when they're terminal,' says Hughes. 'Alex and Edmund have extraordinary things to decide; there are huge issues.'
Though Edmund believes in miracles, Alexandra, a neurologist, isn't so optimistic. 'You know the weaknesses in your own profession,' reasons Hughes. 'You know how much you can do for someone and you know what the end will be. With all that information, she is trying to make the right decision for her husband. It's like she has too much information. A family can say, "We can still hope. We can still hope." A physician says, "No", so it's a double-edged sword for her.'
Notes Callahan: 'I think that we're touching on the quality of mercy versus the quality of life. And it's worth discussing. This is what I like about soaps; you can talk about [issues]. Two people can have opposing sides that are perfectly legitimate, with strong emotional reasons for supporting them. It's a great story.'
At week's end, David suggests a treatment that could save Dimitri's life- and settle an old score. 'David sees and opportunity to use Dimitri to hurt another person on the canvas, as is his wont,' chuckles Burke. Hint: Look out, Adam."
Thy
Brother's Wife
"AMC viewers have
expected Alexandra to become a love interest for Edmund. Now that she's his brother's wife
and not a widow, just how will their relationship develop? 'What do you do with your
brother's wife?' asks John Callahan rhetorically. 'Well, you leave her alone,' he quips,
adding, 'If Edmund were to find someone to engage himself romantically, he wouldn't have
to look very far.'
A romance will have to be handled delicately, says Finola Hughes. 'Their relationship is very complex. On a day-to-day basis, they're just dealing with the problems at hand and are thrust together very closely. It will be complicated. To move forward, it's going to be interesting. The audience has been there with us and they're not going to accept any old [story]. They can't throw us together in a cave or something.'"