From The Past

Gabriella's discovery of a submerged SUV in the waters of Witch's Cove Inlet, the connection to Muneca Lake for the town's many small streams, has brought Lynch and Carol to the park. 

Gabriella: I just caught a glimpse of something odd from the corner of my eye.  Had to use my phone's camera and zoom in to tell what it was.  But I didn't take a picture.  I ran back over here to tell Dad. 

Lynch: You were on your way to the restroom? 

Carol:  I didn't know you could see down into the inlet from this side. 

Gabriella: Usually, you can't, but part of the underbrush is all smashed down.  I think that's what I noticed.  I did go back over there, to use the restroom, while we were waiting for you to arrive.  I had to go pretty bad. 

Lynch: I'll make a note of that.  (To Carol)  They keep the underbrush thick to keep people from going over the edge, either by accident or on purpose.  Amusement park is an easy swim across from here, if you can get to the water.  

Carol: An SUV driving through, especially at speed, would crush the undergrowth.  We should have CSI check for tire tracks from the parking area.  

Ryder: Man, Tate, you just keep running into those good looking cop ladies.  If this was a chick flick, it'd be a sure sign of... 

Tate: You watch chick flicks? 

Ryder: I live with three sisters, two of which are teenagers.   Who do you prefer?  The cop or the fed? 

Joe: The cop is happily married with three kids.  

Ryder: I guess it's the fed, then. 

Joe (rolls his eyes):  And they say women are chatty.  Y'all talk more in an hour than any female employee I've ever had did in a day.  

Tate: With my luck, if I find a lady, she'll be buried under 50 years worth of newspapers in my uncle's attic or basement.  (To Joe)  It's all him, man.  I swear. 

****

At Windu Acres, Candy catches Pike up on her recent reunion with Dawn Lung. 

Pike: I think I remember her now.  The girl I called your little sister?  Her dad got busted for bigamy and her parents both sucked so bad she ended up in the system?

Candy: Right.  When wife number two found out Dawn was going in and out of foster care, she stepped up.  Figured Dawn was her daughter's sister, so they should be together.  Funny she ended up here, too, isn't it?  

Pike: That's just how cool Barbieville is.  What's Dawn doing these days? 

Candy: She and her sister have a business called Tailoring by Halfsies. 

Finnick: Hey, you should see if she can give Taylor a job.  She's recently rediscovered how much she loves sewing.  Has Grammy's machine set up in her room and everything. 

Candy: I could ask her.  But I think we should talk to Taylor and Rose-Grace first. 

Finnick: Step-Mom just pulled in.  I heard her car. 

Rose-Grace (on phone): Excellent.  Keep me updated,  Lynch.  I want this nightmare over. 

Pike: Hey, when you're -- 

Rose-Grace: Honey, you know it take me a while to switch from Mayor Mode.  Do you need Wife Mode or Mom Mode?  

Pike: Since it relates to Taylor, definitely Mom Mode. 

 

Meanwhile...

 Candy and Dawn meet at Sunburst to catch up on the last few years.  

Dawn: These are all your kids?  You've been busy. 

Candy(laughs): No, the big twins, the girl in camo, and the little boy are mine.  The other two girls are Pike's stepdaughters and the babies are his with Rose-Grace.  

Dawn: So your ex is married to the mayor?  Do you two get along?  There's no bad blood?

Candy: We had a amicable divorce.  He wanted to put down roots, I didn't.  We do a pretty good job of co-parenting - none of that playing the kids against each other crap.  

Dawn: You know I was in and out of the system because my parents proved each other unfit?  Well, Dad's other wife said she'd take me and raise me.  I'd met her and Iris a few times and we always got along great.

Candy: I do remember your Dad was a bigamist.  What's the age difference with you and Iris? 

Dawn: Just a few months.  I met a little boy the other day who told me all about how he and his sister are the same age, but not twins, because they're both adopted.  

Candy: That had to be Bobby.  Were you at the greenhouse? 

Dawn: The day care.  We're opening up shop in the same building, just a floor above.  

Candy: I hope John rescued you before Bobby could tell you his life story. 

Dawn: He did.  Handsome fellow. 

Candy: Happily married fellow.  What kind of shop do you have?

Dawn: Tailoring by Halfsies.  Because we're half-sisters.  

****

At Doll County Correctional, Paris Malfoy meets with his lawyer. 

Andre: I'm afraid I don't have good news, Mr. Malfoy.  The case against you is solid.  

Paris: How?  They don't have the vehicle, any fingerprints or DNA, not even a witness. 

Andre: They have video.  Candy Pike was wearing a GoPro, and from the video they tracked the license plate and identified you as the driver.  I've had the video sent to an independent lab to see if it's been tampered with, but this does not bode well.  The car belongs to your daughter and was reported stolen years ago. 

Paris: Zenobia can't press charges against me.  I'm her father.  And there's plenty of men around who could be mistake for me in a blurry GoPro video. Hell, even the first victim's husband looks so much like me it's rumored that he's my bastard brother. 

Andre: Zenobia can and probably will testify against you.  It's entirely possible you'll be charged with car theft on top of everything else. James Potter has an alibi for all three incidents, and the video is very clear - Ms Pike is a professional photographer and uses top-of-the-line equipment.   Now, you can come clean with me and we can work out a defense, or I collect for the time I've wasted here and move on to my next case. 

*****

The Montez Contracting crew meets in the park for work.  They're installing playground equipment. 

Gabriella: I'm going to hit the restroom before we get started, Dad.  I'll meet you at the site. 

Joe: Okay.  (teasing) Don't be slacking off just because it's your last day on the job. 

Ryder: Why's it her last day on the job? 

Joe: Back to school tomorrow.  

Tate: Oh?  What's her major? 

Joe: Major?  She's in high school, she doesn't have a major. 

Ryder (amazed): High school?  She's underage? 

Tate: We though she was just petite. 

Joe (chuckles): I'm not sure if I should be complimented on my parenting or angry that you two were apparently lusting after my daughter.  She is very mature for her age, but yes, she's underage. Wait a few years before asking her out. 

Gabriella sprints across the park, shouting.  

Joe: What is it?  

Gabriella (panting): There's a car in the water, down behind the restrooms.  I think it's the one the cops are looking for.  Green SUV, right? 

Frozen 2 Doll Set

I've had my eye on the Frozen 2 Forest Expedition Set for a while now.  It's been on the clearance shelf at my Walmart, and I waited until the price fell to the "less than ten bucks a doll" point because I knew the dolls have only five points of articulation.  Ten dollars is my limit on these dolls because I know I'm just gonna bring em home and body-swap them.

WARNING! NUDE DOLLS AHEAD! ALSO HEADLESS NUDE DOLLS! 

 

The packaging shows the sisters with Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf.  No dolls of those three, though!  Instead, we get new characters Ryder and Honeymaren.  I've not seen the movie, so I know very little about these two, but their faces are charming. Honestly, if they'd been available single, I woulda bought them that way.  Anna and Elsa I can take or leave.  Disney dolls tend toward Vapid Face. 

In this set, though, the sisters have a little smile.  They don't look particularly smart but at least there's a bit of personality.  Ryder looks like a lovable goof and Honeymaren has a smirk.  They're gonna be fun and I already have a plan in mind for them.  My plan for Elsa fell through, but more on that later.

Anna's boots are black with vaguely Germanic detailing.  Elsa's are white with (of course) an ice motif.

Ryder and Honeymaren's boots are rustic looking.  Detailing on hers makes them look so warm and fuzzy!  I think his are meant to be leather.  I love the tassels.

Ryder and Honeymaren have belts.  Nice molded details and more tassels.

I was worried their hats might be molded to their heads, but they are not.  Ryder's hair is molded, but it actually looks like hair, so I'm okay with that.  Honeymaren's is rooted and way longer than I expected.  For some reason, I thought it was barely past her shoulders.  

Since these are Hasbro dolls and most of my donor bodies are Mattel, matching skin tones proved to be a challenge.  Honeymaren (who I'll probably just end up calling Honey or Maren) gets a Liv body. Which is neither Mattel or Hasbro.

Ryder's face is a shade darker than his new body (Disney Descendants), but he can be one of them silly people who never puts sunscreen on his face.  He lost a good bit of bulk, but he's okay with that. Now he can change his pants and move more than five joints.  

Elsa is almost a perfect match for the Comfy Disney Princess.  Probably because they're both Hasbro.  I was gonna run with the whole Ice Queen thing and make her the prosecuting attorney for Doll County, but now she's, like, fourteen.  

Poor Anna.  Her closest matches, a Disney Descendants and a 90's Barbie, were too far off.  Her face is too dark for one and too light for the other.  So for now she's stuck on her original body.

The packaging had this scene in it.  You know you'll see it again.  If nothing else, it'll become a mural in the hospital waiting room.  

My Froggy Stuff has a video for making storefronts out of the big boxes - so far I've got this one and the Barbie Grocery. Grocery came with a good background, too, but it got damaged when I was removing the goodies.  Might be within my skill set to repair.  It's been on my to-do list since, like, Valentine's Day or something.

Back in their original outfits.  Elsa and Ryder are swimming in theirs and Honeymaren can't close the velcro on hers.  That's okay, though.  All my dolls share wardrobe and these pieces will fit somebody!