I just wanted to comment on last nights epi. It was nice to see the father/daughter relationship with Mark and Rachel. The interaction was great and the actress who played Rachel (sorry..dont know her name)seems to have grown out of the whiny voice she used to have. I'm proud of the writers giving Mark some good family support now.

-- Jen (kidwelj@aol.com), May 12, 2000

Answers

Yeah, she seems to have become a lot nicer since the last time we saw her. That episode around Thanksgiving when she was eating dinner with Elizabeth and David, she was just plain snotty!

At first I couldn't tell if it was the same girl who had played her before, but then later I could tell that it was. I'm glad they still have the same one. (I hate it when TV shows make a child character grow up TOO fast in a short amount of time, then get another kid to play the part.) But it was nice to see them finally getting along. I wonder if she still lives in St. Louis with her mom?

-- Melanie (msintn@hotmail.com), May 12, 2000.

really ...shes no longer a discrace to the rachel name. she has become more mature since thanksgiving,although i wonder how she reacted to elizabeth's coming over and she having to sleep on the couch. and by the way the actress's name is yivonne zima. i think she will appriciate the pearls,now that she is more mature

-- rachel (thehilfigergirl@aol.com), May 12, 2000.

I wanted Elizabeth to keep the pearls that David gave to her. When Mark was standing there with Rachel, I just knew he was going to give them to her and I kept saying, don't do it...don't do it...don't...but he did. I was so disappointed. If David had wanted Rachel to have them, he'd have given them to her himself or to Mark to give to her. I didn't find Rachel annoying but this scenario sure was.

-- Diana (dilynne@juno.com), May 12, 2000.

Be fair, guys--remember poor Rachel got her first menstrual period at Thanksgiving! The girl was probably suffering from PMS and had no idea! I remember my first period, and I was miserable.

-- Cecelia (evilstoat@hotmail.com), May 12, 2000.

Okay, wait, let me get this straight...(cause I haven't seen the epi yet) *Mark* gave the pearls to Rachel? How did he get them back from Elizabeth? Did he actually ask for them? How awkward. Ugh, I agree with the one who said that was an annoying scenario. If David wanted Elizabeth to have them, Mark should have respected that. I'm sure he has lots of other things that were his mother's he could give to Rachel. I know when my grandmother died, my mother divided her things among herself, me, and my brother.

-- Jennifer M. (jenbird@earthlink.net), May 12, 2000.

jennifer, elizabeth insisted that mark take the pearls back from her and suggested that he should give them to rachel.

-- Marcia (mlg244@is9.nyu.edu), May 12, 2000.

Jennifer: Elizabeth gave the pearls back to Mark, insisting the Rachel should have them. She said something like "I was 12 once, I know what that would have meant to me." She then assured Mark that he oughtn't to read much into this....

Personally, I was offended when she did that. I really believe that deathbed wishes ought to be respected whenever possible, whether we agree with them or not.

But then, when Mark gave the pearls to Rachel, it obviously meant so much to both of them that I thought maybe Elizabeth had done the right thing after all. Maybe it was the best of all worlds. In a way, David's deathbed wishes were still respected -- Elizabeth took the pearls when he asked her to, put them on, and wore them until his death. But thanks to Elizabeth's thoughtfulness/generosity, Mark also got to pass something very precious along from his parents to his daughter, and that seemed to be of great importance to both of them.

-- Elizabeth (ebs42@yahoo.com), May 12, 2000.

I was SO glad when Elizabeth said "Don't read too much into it," because before she did I was thinking how heartless it was to give the poor guy a "break-up sign" right after his father died! I hope their relationship continues to progress, because I feel so bad for poor Mark! He needs someone in his life.

-- Carla (chloe4293@netscape.net), May 12, 2000.

Mark should buy Elizabeth a new set of pearls or if she doesn't like pearls perhaps a diamond ring!!

-- maryann (map5860@aol.com), May 12, 2000.

I agree w/ Elizabeth; David gave them to her and she should have kept them. But then, it did make sense for them to go to his only granddaughter...I love Mark and Elizabeth together, but we don't know they'll stay together, though personally another breakup for both these characters would be too much right now. So anyways, I am torn between what I think should have happened with the necklace.

-- Elaine (mrsclooney78@hotmail.com), May 13, 2000.

Hey, I'd have been pretty ticked if I was Rachel and Elizabeth got Mrs. Greene's (who has no name?) pearls. And yep, Rach was definitely suffering from PMS at Thanksgiving, much nicer Thursday- sidenote, was Kerry suffering from the same ailment last Thursday?. :) Yvonne Zima isn't as annoying and Rachel's more mature, also. Kewl.

-- Monica (Moni4987@teen.com), May 13, 2000.

right on maryann!!!!!!! elizabeth needs a diamond ring!

-- rachel (thehilfigergirl@aol.com), May 13, 2000.

I just want to mention, I am SO glad someone else thought Rachel Greene was annoying. I didn't want to mention it because it seems kind of mean, but she's always been too whiny. I liked her when she was younger, but as she got older, she seemed kind of bratty. She was okay last night though.

-- Elaine (mrsclooney78@hotmail.com), May 13, 2000.

I totally disagree. Yvonne Zima, who plays Rachel, is not doing a good job of acting. she seemed kind of retarded and had emotionless last night when she was talking to Mark.

sounds mean, I know, but it's true. her voice still has that annoying, shrill quality to it, and I never liked her except when she was younger...

-- Katie (writegrl@aol.com), May 13, 2000.

Maybe the whiney (sp?), annoying behavior is on purpose. Remember that her own grandmother said that Rachel had a sour disposition like her mother. Remember what a little twirp she was when Mark and Susan took her skating with them and little Susie. I don't think one epi of good behavior is enough to think she's past the former disposition, PMS or not.

-- Diana (dilynne@juno.com), May 13, 2000.

Monica, if you recall, Mrs. Greene's name was mentioned on the epi when Carol had the twins. She named the first one Tess and then asked Mark to name the second one and he said his mom' s (who had just died) name was Ruth (I think) and Carol kind of made an ugly face and then he said her middle name was Katherine and that was how Carol came up with Kate!

-- amanda (amanda.rehm@home.com), May 13, 2000.

Give the kid a break already! Think about what a rocky time she's had as a child from a divorce. Between remembering how to be loyal to both parents, she has to keep a relationship with a father she rarely sees. She's also at that awkward age that can be pretty tough between fathers and daughters. Mark is right to try to increase communication with his daughter, he's repairing/preventing the mistakes his father and Mark made with one another.

-- Karen Barry (KarenBarry@aol.com), May 15, 2000.

Not that I'm one to nitpick, but...

Rachel Greene's birthday is supposed to be February 16th 1989, so she was 11 in this episode...and Elizabeth said she was 12. I was reminded of this because she was 10 in the episode where she got her period, and that was only Thanksgiving.

-- Rosie (happymoron@hotmail.com), June 18, 2000.

Here is a fun fact: Yvonne Zima, the actress that plays Rachel Greene has two older sisters, Madeline (Gracie on the "Nanny") and Vaness (a movie actress)

-- sponge (iluver@hotmail.com), June 20, 2000.

isnt it kind of abnormal to get your period at age 10?

-- ALexis Springer (lexicat1@webtv.net), June 21, 2000.

No, its not abnormal. Its on the early side, but not abnormal at all. I got mine at 11 and many other girls in my grade also already had it

-- JLS (ewwhatevr@aol.com), June 21, 2000.