05/28/2009 Remembering Stuart



"Alone in the chapel, JR told Scott that he wasn't sure how he'd be able to get in front of a roomful of people and talk about Stuart without breaking down. He asked an unusually composed Scott if he had any advice. Scott shrugged and informed his cousin that he would not be speaking at the funeral service. JR was confused, and warned Scott that he'd regret it if he didn't speak at the service. An angry Scott told JR not to tell him what he should do. "He should still be alive," Scott snarled, "and it's your father who is supposed to be in this box."

Before getting ready for Stuart's service, Amanda asked Jake how she'd gotten to a point in her life where she had to devise schemes to fake her son's death in order to hand the baby over to complete strangers. Amanda confessed that she was slightly jealous of Liza because Liza had gone the uncomplicated route -- she'd gone to a sperm bank, picked a donor of her own choosing, and didn't have to worry about paternity battles. Jake quickly advised Amanda not to be jealous of Liza. In fact, he said that Amanda should be watching her back around Liza.Amanda was perplexed because she'd thought that Jake and Liza were old friends. She asked why would Jake be telling her to be wary of his supposed friend. Jake reflected on the conversation he'd had with Liza when she revealed that she was faking a pregnancy in order to help Amanda pass off her baby to Liza. "You need to know that Liza Colby's first priority is always gonna be Liza Colby," Jake told Amanda with a slight laugh. Amanda turned her attention to Stuart, recalling him as the "magical grownup you couldn't wait to go see." Her voice cracked as she realized that, like her dad, he was gone.

Despite doctors' orders to get some rest, Tad decided to put on a puppet show for Jenny and Kathy. The skit involved a witch puppet, a prince puppet, and lots of knock-knock jokes. Opal arrived to pick up the girls and admonished Tad for not resting. Tad argued with his mom, telling her that there was nothing that could keep him away from Stuart's funeral.

Liza told Jesse that when she'd first returned to Pine Valley, she slept with Zach. She then lied and said that she'd devised her story about seeing Kendall with a gun at the Chandler mansion because she'd wanted to get Kendall out of the picture so she could have Zach to herself. Kendall stormed over and attempted to slap Liza. Jesse grabbed Kendall's arm before it could come into contact with Liza and announced that he was placing Kendall under arrest. As a crowd gathered, Jesse told everyone that he was arresting Kendall for the murder of Stuart Chandler. Adam asked Liza what she had told Jesse to get Kendall in trouble. Colby stepped up and accused Liza of killing Stuart. Liza denied that she'd murdered anyone. Adam demanded that Jesse leave, saying that the day was already difficult enough without a police presence. Kendall told Jesse that she'd wanted to kill Adam, but that she couldn't. She told Jesse to talk to Ryan. He told her that he had, and that their stories did not match up.

Natalia led Ryan into an interrogation room where a furious Erica asked Ryan what he'd told Jesse. Ryan had no idea why Erica was so angry. Ryan told Erica that Jesse had a witness that placed Kendall at Chandler Mansion the night of Stuart's death. He explained that he'd admitted to seeing Kendall there because he thought it was better to tell the truth. Ryan said that he did not expect to be held in a jail cell until Jesse could talk to Kendall. Ryan wondered why Jesse couldn't just "let it go," since Zach had confessed to the shooting. Erica pointed out that Jesse sensed that something wasn't quite right and that he'd press on until he finally got to the truth. Erica and Ryan each asked each other if they thought that Kendall had pulled the trigger and killed Stuart. Both said that they were sure that Kendall was innocent. Erica informed Ryan that Liza was back in town and Erica believed Liza might been involved in Stuart's death. As they talked, Erica saw Kendall being led into the station in handcuffs.

Jesse confronted Ryan about his lies about what happened the night Stuart was killed. He told Ryan that the lying was getting on his last nerve. Later, he told Erica that he didn't need any of her "A-list drama." Kendall told her mother that she'd be wasting her breath if she tried to plead her case to Jesse. Erica persisted until Jesse asked her if she'd like to be arrested too.Erica called Jesse's bluff, but Kendall urged calm. Kendall told Erica that she'd be fine and instructed her to go to Stuart's memorial service. Kendall was later led to a cell, where she found a familiar face greeting her. "The first day's the hardest," Annie said as she smiled warmly. "I'll help you through it."

JR and Adam stood silently at Stuart's coffin. As they did, Scott led Marian into the chapel. Through her tears, she looked to the front of the chapel and saw Adam. "Stuart?" she asked weakly. Adam turned and approached Marian, as a distraught Marian wrestled with the reality of seeing someone who looked just like her husband standing a few feet in front her. Adam apologized to Marian and blamed himself for Stuart's death. "I know 'I'm sorry' is meaningless," Adam said softly. Marian assured Adam that she did not blame him for Stuart's death and told him that she knew he was hurting. Adam said that he didn't just lose a brother; he'd lost the better part of him. Marian forgave Adam because she knew that it was what Stuart would want. She also told Adam that his brother forgave him and always loved him. The two shared a tearful embrace. Adam regretted not telling Stuart that he loved him as much as he should have. Adam wondered if he could make it up to Stuart by being a father to Scott.

Marissa arrived at the chapel and told Scott that she wanted to be there for him. She admitted that it might seem a bit odd to show up for the funeral of someone she didn't know, but she said that something told her that she needed to be there. Scott smiled warmly and told her that she could stay. Scott explained the differences between his mother and father's funerals to Marissa. With Cindy, Scott's mom, Scott said that he knew his mother was going to die because she had AIDS. With Stuart, no one saw his death coming... and there was no time to say goodbye. Marissa recalled the funeral for her parents and the opportunity the service afforded her to express her gratitude to them.

Pete tried to convince Colby not to walk out on Stuart's service. Colby admitted that her objections to being there were probably due more to not knowing how to say goodbye to her uncle than they were to her mother's presence. Pete was touched, calling Stuart a "one-of-a-kind" guy who didn't treat him "like a dork."

JR eulogized Stuart first, remembering how Christmas was Stuart's favorite holiday. "My uncle had an amazing way to get people to believe in possibilities... to believe in themselves because he believed in all of us," JR remarked. As he fought tears, JR said that he knew Stuart wasn't really gone, and that he'd always be there standing just behind him.

Tad was the next to speak, offering a holiday anecdote about Stuart. He remembered when Stuart pretended to be Adam one year around Christmastime and gave out millions of dollars to folks in need. Every dollar given away was actually Adam's money. Tad then turned humorous and led all those assembled in a rousing rendition of one of Stuart's favorite songs -- "High Hopes." He'd even gone as far as to create cue cards so that everyone would know the words. As the group sang along, a montage of some of Stuart's memorable scenes was shown.

JR was in the process of thanking everyone for attending the service when Scott stood up and announced that he wanted to say something. Scott said that he wasn't planning to say anything, but that the love everyone had expressed made him need to say something. He recalled being at film school at New York University on September 11, 2001. He said that he'd lost all faith in the world until his dad showed up on a surprise visit. "What's the point of living if you're just going to die?" he'd asked Stuart. "Your love doesn't die when you do," Stuart replied. "Love is in your soul and your soul doesn't die. We don't live to die. We live to love."

After the service, Ruth asked Liza how long she planned to be in town. Liza said that she was planning to stay especially since her mother needed her. Marissa told Scott that the story he'd told about Stuart was beautiful. Scott, in turn, thanked Marissa for encouraging him to get up and speak.

Back at Tad's house after the service, Amanda told Jake that she believed she was going into labor.

When the time came to go to the cemetery, Adam asked for a few moments alone with his brother. Aloud, Adam said that nothing would ever be the same again. "This hurts so much," Adam cried. "I have never felt this alone in my life." Adam collapsed in tears onto Stuart's casket.

Liza watched Adam from the vestibule area. A cold look washed over her face as she slowly reached into her purse. Suddenly, Erica walked up and asked Liza if she was going for her gun in order to "finish the job.""

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