Friday, December 30, 2005
GUIDING LIGHT was pre-empted today, due to CBS' coverage of the Sun Bowl.

Thursday, December 29, 2005
New Year's Eve in Springfield found Dinah hitting a bottle of whiskey. She opened a letter from her dad, Ross, and immediately began sobbing. Dinah called Mallet but got his voicemail. She reported that Ross said he's resigning as mayor and taking a job in Washington, D.C. Dinah took the news hard, lamenting the fact that he didn't call or come to see her before moving (he's in Llanview, honey. Those Buchanans are so insistent...). She then hung up and threw the phone against the wall, beating herself up for reaching out to anyone. Later Mallet caught her trying to break into his room, so she could erase her message. Dinah locked herself in her bathroom and told him to go away, but he could tell that she was hurting and he stood firm. She finally came out of the bathroom and dissolved into his arms, and they both dissolved into the bed.

Reva ran into Tammy on Main Street. Tammy told Reva that Cassie called the cops on Jonathan. Harley and Gus got dressed after their pre-New Year's romp. She made plans for midnight while he hid the letter to her under her pillow. When he left, Mallet walked up and told him he needed help with a problem at the station. Then he promptly locked Gus in a cell. "Maybe I need to save you from yourself," said Mallet. He was afraid Gus would do something stupid at Alan's competency hearing. Jonathan was in the next cell, and Tammy and Reva came to visit (Reva used her press pass to get them in). Gus cut a deal with them: use his spare keys to break him out, and he'll get the guard to look the other way as Jonathan and Tammy stay together until midnight. Reva did as he asked, and he ran out to the hearing.

Coop and Lizzie made plans to meet at the penthouse later. Beth and Alex grabbed Lizzie and hauled her down to the courthouse to Alan's hearing. Beth insisted the three of them testify. Lizzie called Coop and told him she was tied up with her family, and probably wouldn't make their date. Coop was disappointed as Ava listened in. Alan looked shocked when Jeffrey told the judge his family members wanted to testify. All three testified against him (!), saying he was still mentally unstable. Gus then burst in and demanded to testify as well. A crazed Gus screamed that Alan was determined to hurt Harley. Alan helped the guards constrain Gus and saw the gun in his waistband. Instead of taking it, he let Gus go and pleaded to the judge to ignore the outburst. He said Gus had a gun because he's a detective, and he was passionate because he blamed Alan for his brother's death. The judge overlooked Gus' ranting, and soon told the stunned courtroom that he found Alan of sound mind and was releasing him tonight. A triumphant Alan pointed at the clock — five minutes to midnight — as he walked out of the courtroom a free man.

Coop overheard Ava trying to get her car out of the pound, and she wailed that she won't have a place to sleep without it. Coop offered her a room at the boarding house, which she could afford with her new raise at CO2. Harley and Cassie talked on Main Street, where Cassie lamented her bad relationship with Tammy.

At midnight, Reva went to confront Cassie about turning in the kids, who were busy making out between the cell bars. Dinah and Mallet were indulging in round two. Harley was on Main Street alone, wondering where Gus was. Ava kissed Coop at CO2. Alan climbed into his chauffeured car, cigar in hand, but the celebration was short-lived — Gus was his driver. He locked his father in and peeled off into the night.

Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Harley warned Frank to be careful on his date with Olivia. Gus arrived and a marshmallow fight erupted with Buzz and Harley on one side and Jude and Gus on the other. During a lull in the war, Jude wondered if Gus was sad, but Gus deflected that he was remembering happy moments. Gus blindfolded Harley (With the belt from her coat, crafty!) and led her to the bedroom, filled with rose petals and champagne, and they made love. Afterward, Gus got out of bed a wrote a note to Harley, while Alan circled New Year's Eve on his calendar. Meanwhile, Frank prepared for his date with Olivia. He fretted over to Buzz about whether to buy his date flowers. Buzz counseled that Frank was not "Phillip Spaulding, not even Bill Lewis." He urged Frank to romance Olivia the Cooper way. When Olivia arrived for the concert and Frank presented her with roses, she was stunned to find herself on a date but gamely agreed to go into the concert. Poor Buzz was reduced to making drinks for his son and Olivia after their "date." Frank had to cut the evening short to deal with the Jonathan situation at the police station. Olivia immediately left a message for Josh. Buzz counseled that Frank, or someone like Frank, could be the right man for Olivia. She should be with someone who could commit. Olivia agreed with Buzz: If Josh didn't want her, it was his loss. Frank would make a great distraction.

Cassie worked to convince Tammy that Jonathan was dangerous. Tammy announced that she would only consider going home with Cassie if Jeffrey had Jonathan released, but Cassie refused. Tammy accused Cassie of not loving her. Cassie compared Jonathan to Tammy's father, but Tammy insisted that she couldn't be Cassie's do-over. She had her own choices to make. Cassie used the "c" word: Cousins. Tammy believed that eventually people wouldn't care that she and Jonathan are related. Tammy announced that Reva was on the side of the new couple and had been since before the wedding. Tammy planned to sell her wedding gifts to raise bail money. (What would Emily Post say?) Meanwhile, Reva arrived at the police station to see Jonathan. A cop warned her that Jonathan was in a "truckload of trouble." Folksy. Reva bribed a guard to get back to see Jonathan. Jonathan accused Reva of taking back his alibi, but she insisted that she had done no such thing. Reva promised to get Jonathan out, but her son had a more pressing concern: He wanted Reva to take Tammy in. Frank burst in and accused Reva of giving a false statement. Reva left the cell block and promised Tammy that she and Jonathan would be okay as Cassie looked on. Reva offered to let Tammy move in, but Tammy wanted to be alone...to sniff Jonathan's jacket. (She did not, however, choke out, "I wish I knew how to quit you, Jonathan.") Cassie dropped a family photo, and the glass shattered.

Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Cassie worried about Tammy being taken to jail. Josh arrived at the farm with a horn for RJ's new bike, and Cassie spilled about her role in Tammy and Jonathan's arrest and Reva's role in the cover-up. Josh assured that Cassie had done the right thing, and he offered to take the blame for the anonymous call to the police. Cassie claimed that she had to take responsibility for her own actions. Alone, Cassie wondered if Tammy and Jonathan's relationship was her fault, since she pushed her daughter towards Sandy.

Gus spotted a man lurking behind Harley and assaulted him. Harley explained that the man Gus had just attacked was one of the Spaulding interns who was shadowing her. Gus revealed that Alan's upcoming competency hearing was putting him on edge. Harley assured that Alan couldn't take anything away from them. Gus left and Harley had a heart-to-heart with Cassie. They discussed Tammy and Jonathan's romance and Alan's possible release. Harley promised Jude that 2006 would be a great year.

Beth visited Alan in the institution, where she found him packing a suitcase. Alan announced that on New Year's Eve, he would be a free man. His lawyer had guaranteed his release now that he was "no longer a threat...to most of society." Beth wondered what he was planning to do to Harley. Alan promised that once he was out of prison, his wife would have all of the power she deserved. On her way out, Beth encountered Gus. Beth warned that Alan was after Harley. Alan vowed revenge on Harley to Gus, but Gus countered that he'd see that Alan wasn't released. Gus arranged for the Spaulding jet to be ready to take him and a second passenger to a mystery location.

Frank interrupted Jonathan and Tammy's tryst by arresting the lovebirds for arson. At the police station, Jonathan urged Tammy to keep quiet. Frank explained to Jeffrey, Tammy and Jonathan that he had received an anonymous call claiming that Reva had provided Jonathan with a false alibi. Jonathan attempted to take responsibility for the fire, but Tammy piped in that it was an accident, and she was at fault. Jeffrey ordered Tammy not to say anything else. (Not that his involvement in the case would be a conflict of interest or anything, JEFFREY.) Tammy asked to see her mother, and Jeffrey began the paperwork to have her released. Frank promised Tammy that she would be released if she turned Jonathan in, but she refused. An officer grabbed Tammy for processing, and Jonathan punched him. Now, in addition to being held for suspicion of arson, he could add assaulting an officer to his list of charges. Jonathan was taken away, and Cassie shocked Tammy with the news that she had turned them in.