From: Marni Centor <marni@panix.com>

GUIDING LIGHT UPDATE -- THURSDAY, JULY 25, 1996

                      HAUNTED BY THE PAST
                             -or-
                      FLASHBACKS "R" US

Written by Ralph Wakefield and directed by Matthew Lagle

Highlights:
* Amanda's past demands its pound of flesh.
* Gilly blames past lies on her mother & bonds with her brother.
* Dinah looks back & moves forward.
* Bridget schemes to recapture a past that never was.
* Vanessa reminisces & worries about her future.

SPAULDING MANSION: Alan on the phone with a reporter, says it would be 
"ungentlemanly" of him to comment on the alleged affair between Griffin 
Williams & his daughter, but it seems "the conscience of a curious 
nation wants to know." Amanda looks on with glee. Alan hypes his 
redevelopment of 5th St. & expresses his sadness that a national hero 
has proved to have feet of clay. He hangs up & smiles at Amanda.

SPRINGFIELD INN: Gilly & Griff revile Vivian for going to the press with 
their sordid private drama. Viv can't believe that they think she did 
this. Griff vows that Viv will be sorry.

CAYMAN ISLANDS: A bellhop helps Dinah to her room & welcomes her to the 
Caymans. She prattles about mixing business with pleasure & asks 
directions to the bank where her money has been held hostage. She also 
asks about messages & the bellhop says the light on her phone would be 
on if there were any. Since the light is out, she assumes that Hart is 
right on schedule. Once he gets there, she'll have everything she wants.

BOARDINGHOUSE: Bridget hangs up the phone with a satisfied smile. Nola 
thinks Jet is trying to keep Hart away from Dinah, but Jet denies it. 
Nola claims she heard the tail end of Jet's conversation, but Jet just 
says she's entitled to her privacy. 

Channel 2 News interrupts with a special report on TWA 800 -- actually a 
NTSB news conference. If I missed anything important, I hope others will 
fill in the blanks.

SPRINGFIELD INN: (scene already in progress) Viv has apparently just 
denied giving the story to the press, which Gilly & Griff don't believe, 
since they can't think who else would have done it. Viv points the 
finger at Alan, causing Gilly to explode over Viv's loose lips. "How 
tell Alan Spaulding about my mistake?" Griff says it was Viv's mistake, 
not Gilly's. He's totally disgusted with Viv, but finds her actions in 
character. Viv claims to be Alan's victim too. Griff says Viv is just as 
bad as Alan. Gilly thinks Viv is even worse.

SPAULDING MANSION: Amanda speculates that once all the furor over Griff 
dies down, no one will remember a thing about 5th St. Alan adds that 
Reva will then know what it's like to lose something you care about. 
[And that's all Reva ever was to Alan -- some "thing" he wanted to 
possess.] Nettie announces Mr. Robert Scott, who Alan assumes is a 
reporter, and is delighted to meet. But Mr. Scott is from the IRS & he's 
come to see Amanda. He says the IRS has finished its investigation & 
suggests that she call her lawyer & accountant PDQ.

CEDARS: As they walk through the hall, Rick explains to Vanessa how a 
CAT scan works. She thinks it's an awful lot of technology just to find 
nothing. "Scan of Vanessa's brain shows nothing; film at 11," quips 
Rick. He says the whole thing should take about 45 minutes & not much 
longer to get the results. He suggests that she give Matt a call, but 
Van shrugs this off. She's still looking for other possibilities--maybe 
she needs to get her eyes checked. Rick promises to schedule an 
appointment with an ophthalmologist right after the CAT scan. Van says 
Rick is as big of a pain as his father. The technician arrives to escort 
Van to Radiology.

SPAULDING MANSION: Amanda is appalled at what the IRS says she owes. 
"Whole countries don't owe that much in taxes!" Alan agrees that the 
amount is exorbitant. Scott 6 years of back taxes, plus 15% penalties, 
plus compounded interest adds up. Still, complains Alan, how could it 
come to $12 million? [I'd like to hear this myself! Do you think they'll 
let her work out an easy payment plan?] Scott says it actually comes to 
a little more than $12 million, but he rounded it off. "What a bargain, 
thanks," replies Amanda sarcastically. Scott points out that the hearing 
is scheduled for tomorrow & while her lawyer can ask for a delay, it 
won't be granted. Alan vows they will dispute every penny. Scott is 
unfazed. "The IRS rarely loses," he states. Amanda chokes up & says she 
can't breathe & thinks it's her heart. She falls to the floor in a faint 
& Alan yells for someone to call 911.

SPRINGFIELD INN: Viv begs Gilly to believe her. Gilly can't see why she 
should. "You've lied to me my entire life!" Viv claims she was only 
thinking of Gilly, but Gilly thinks Viv was only thinking of her 
investment with Alan. "You cheated on Daddy to get information out of 
Griffin." Viv says it was never about that & she would never do anything 
to intentionally hurt someone she loved. Gilly says you don't lie to 
someone you love. Viv cries that she did the best she knew how. Gilly 
says Viv did what was best for Viv, because she wanted to forget that 
she cheated on her husband & had another man's child. 

Gilly doesn't think her mother ever loved her. "I reminded you of 
Griffin & you hated me for that. You can deny it for the rest of your 
days, but that is the way it was. And we have all had to pay a terrible 
price for it." Gilly says good-bye & walks out. Viv tries to go after 
her, but Griff won't let her. 

Out in the hall, Gilly runs into Marcus. She stares at him wordlessly, 
tears rolling down her cheeks. He looks at her sadly & quietly says that 
he knows what's going on because he read the newspaper. She tells him 
not to go in the room because her mother is there. Marcus slips his arm 
around his sister & walks her away from Griff's room.

BOARDINGHOUSE: Hart is holding Peter & Bridget brings Petey a drink. She 
feels badly for Marcus & says he needs his friends to stand by him. "At 
least he knows who they are," comments Hart. Nola wants to know what all 
the fuss is about Peter being sick. She didn't know anything about it. 
Hart says he has to get going; Jet hopes he doesn't catch whatever Peter 
has. Nola checks Peter out to see if he might have anything contagious. 
His glands are perfect & his temp feels normal. She asks if there's 
anything he wants to tell her. He whispers in her ear & she thinks it's 
very interesting. She prescribes bubblegum & sends Petey into the other 
room, then tells Hart he can go. Hart is confused--is Peter sick or not?

Hart says he has no problem staying with his sick son if Jet has to 
work, but he wants to know what's going on. Nola says Peter isn't sick, 
but after a look from Jet, she guesses it's probably some "kid thing" 
that will be fine by dinnertime. She adds that she's around to help out, 
so Hart doesn't need to stay. Hart is relieved & asks to use the phone. 
Jet tells Nola to go check on Peter, since she knows so much about him. 
Hart finds out that there are no more flights to the Caymans tonight, so 
he makes arrangements to charter a plane, thanking Henry.

Jet wonders if it's smart for Hart & Dinah to spend time together in the 
Caymans. Hart doesn't think anyone who knows them will see them there. 
Still, Jet says it's a big risk, because if anyone does see them & goes 
to the judge, they'll be in big trouble. "Love makes you do crazy 
things," he says, and leaves. "Yes it does," replies Jet to herself.

CAYMANS: A steel band plays as Dinah, dressed in bright Caribbean 
colors, opens a briefcase & revels in the sight of so much cash. She 
pick up a packet of bills & riffles it by her ear, loving it. She tells 
her grandfather that she got it all back. Then she wonders why Hart is 
late. She calls the front desk for messages & there are none. She tells 
herself that Hart is on his way & will be there. She lays back & flashes 
back on telling a sleeping Hart that she loves him. She remembers the 
late-night conversation with her mom about love and worries about 
whether Hart loves her back. She remembers telling Hart that he's not 
like his father. She remembers her conversation with Vanessa from just 
that morning. [You know it's bad when they're showing boring flashbacks 
from yesterday.] She stares out the window & tries to convince herself 
that Hart will be there.

CEDARS: Van replaces her earring as Rick enters the exam room. She 
thinks he looks very serious. She asks if she's going to see the 
ophthalmologist now. "Not exactly," replies Rick. She asks what the CAT 
scan found. Rick says it showed an "area of suspicion" and they need to 
do an MRI to find out more. Van asks Rick to tell her whatever he knows. 
Rick swears that he doesn't know anything yet & suggests calling Matt to 
pick her up. Van says until they know what's up, she's not going to 
bother anyone in her family about it. She makes Rick promise to keep 
this to himself. Rick thinks Van should share with her husband, but Van 
says she'll worry about herself. She wants to do the MRI today, but it's 
not available. The hospital will call her with an appointment. She tells 
Rick to have the call go to her office.

As she's heading for the door, Amanda is wheeled in. Fifi screeches at 
Vanessa, blaming everything on Van & her friends from 5th St. Alan tells 
Amanda to save her strength. Rick tells the EMTs to "haul `er in."

SPRINGFIELD INN: Viv bemoans that Gilly doesn't believe how much Viv 
loves her. Griff finds Gilly's take understandable. Viv says whatever 
mistakes she made with Gilly had nothing to do with Griff being her 
father. She pushed hard because she knew Gilly's potential. Griff 
believes this. He realizes that every rotten, dishonest thing Viv has 
done was aimed at him. She's been silently raging at him for years 
because he refused to make a commitment to her when he was 20. And she's 
still making him pay for mistakes he made as a kid. Why? "Because I 
loved you. Because I still love you," she answers. 

Griff says she doesn't know what love is. He's been berating himself for 
months for leaving her behind & choosing the cause over her. He actually 
thought he had made a mistake. "You did," says Viv, encouraging him to 
think of what life would have been like as the happy Williams family. "I 
shudder to think," he replies. He thinks Viv would have been totally 
miserable. She's too selfish to have ever shared him with his work. "All 
you care about is you. What you want & what you need." He wonders how 
much she's used her stories of her days in the Civil Rights movement to 
impress people. Viv says she's never spoken of her work in the movement. 
Griff asks if she was afraid her country club friends wouldn't approve. 
Viv realizes she can't win no matter what she says or does. Griff shows 
her the door & says he doesn't want to see her face. Viv hesitates, then 
leaves Griff alone with his thoughts.

BOARDINGHOUSE YARD: Marcus tells Gilly this is a place she can relax 
without having to worry about reporters. Gilly says she's not in the 
mood to talk. Marcus says he comes here when he wants to think. Gilly 
doesn't want to think; she just wants to crawl into a hole. Marcus 
understands that she's not up to facing people yet. He says she needs 
time. She doesn't think time will make her feel less stupid. "None of 
this is your fault," Marcus insists, as he has done so often with 
Dahlia, and in just the same tone. He says Gilly is the wronged party, 
along with their father. She should be mad at her mother. 

Marcus suggests that Gilly should sue all the people spreading trash 
about her. Gilly says there's truth in what's been said. Marcus doesn't 
believe it. "Nothing happened, but it's not because I didn't want it to. 
God help me, I almost seduced my own father." Marcus cradles her head 
against his shoulder.

BOARDINGHOUSE: Nola tells Jet that Petey's temperature is normal & he's 
made a miraculous recovery. Jet says she's glad he's feeling better. 
Nola says Peter told her about their little game. "What kind of game are 
you playing?" she asks. Jet says she was trying to protect Hart. Nola 
says it's Hart's business. "Why should *she* get him?" demands Jet. If 
not for Dinah, Jet could have given Peter a real family, she believes. 
Nola says scheming won't get her what she wants. Jet doesn't think Nola 
is one to talk. Nola says she's the perfect bad example. 

Jet shakes her head. "You know, you want something, you have to grab it 
with both hands and hold on. How can I let something that seems so right 
just walk out the door?" Nola: "Because sometimes you have to let it 
walk away. I know it's hard Bridget. I *know* it's hard." Jet tells Nola 
to butt out of her life, or she will shove her out.

CAYMANS: Dinah looks out the door to see if Hart is coming. Nope. 
Practically falling out of her top, she calls his hotel in Springfield, 
wondering if he left any information about where he could be reached. 
They give her a number that she angrily recognizes as Bridget's. 

BOARDINGHOUSE: Jet tells Nola to do what she wants with her own life, 
but if she can't stay out of Jet's then she'd better move out. Nola 
agrees that she has enough problems of her own to worry about, but 
promises that she's there if Jet needs her. Jet says they still need to 
talk about the renovation of Company. The fight is over. 

CEDARS: Rick listens to Amanda's heart & says it sounds fine. From her 
described symptoms, he thinks Amanda had an anxiety attack. He suggests 
rest & a good psychiatrist. Alan is appalled that Rick is releasing her. 
Rick points out that he's not even admitting her. Alan plays the 
Spaulding Foundation card, mentioning the new cardiac wing they are 
funding. Rick is undaunted "So you're going to take your wing & go 
home?" he challenges. Alan just wants to be sure his family receives the 
best care. Rick says he might reconsider.

VANESSA'S HOUSE: Van stands on the front porch & removes her earrings. 
She remembers Henry giving her away at her wedding to Matt. "I'm scared. 
I'm scared, Daddy," she whispers.

CEDARS: Rick writes in Amanda's chart & says since he's admitting her 
for observation, he's scheduling a number of tests, so they can check 
her out thoroughly. Alan & Amanda are both pleased that Rick has come to 
his senses. "I have my moments," smiles Rick. Alan, convinced that 
Amanda will get the care she deserves, leaves her to Rick & tells her to 
do whatever Rick says. She asks Alan to stay, but he has things to do. 
After Alan's gone, Amanda drops her sweet & innocent act & asks what the 
first test is. An EEG? EKG? Rick says no, she's getting an "O.W.W."  He 
tells her to get comfy while he checks her in. "OWW?" wonders Amanda.

BOARDINGHOUSE YARD: Gilly says she & Griff didn't sleep together, but 
not because she didn't do everything in her power to make it happen. 
Marcus says there's no way she could have known. Gilly says everything 
she knew her whole life, everything she believed in, is gone. Her dad is 
devastated. Griff has been kind, but she can't look him in the eye. And 
she doesn't want to think about her mother. Marcus says it's not true 
that Gilly doesn't have anybody. He may be new to the little brother 
thing, but if she'll give him a chance, he'll give it his best shot. 
They hug.

BOARDINGHOUSE KITCHEN: Bridget thinks & gets an idea. "Why not?" she 
asks herself with a little grin. "What's the worst that could happen?"

CAYMANS: Dinah calls for a taxi to the airport & says she's checking 
out. She tells herself that she has her money & her life back, so she 
doesn't need Hart.

AIRPLANE: Hart is about to make a cell phone call to Dinah when the 
pilot tells him they're about to begin their descent so he shouldn't use 
any electronic equipment. He shrugs, figuring he'll be on the ground 
shortly anyway. 

CAYMANS: Dinah shuts her suitcase. We freeze on her face, then Hart's 
face fades in opposite, for GL's signature tacky double freeze frame as 
the screen mercifully fades to black.


--Marni (marni@panix.com)


