The Greatest Love of All
Tad asks Dixie, the love of his life, to marry him—again.
Ever since Dixie returned to Pine Valley, AMC fans have been clamoring for a romantic reconciliation between Tad and Dixie. But for months, all they saw were glimpses of the timeless love for which the couple is renowned, as Dixie kept tad at bay due to her health problems. Last week Tad viewed the video that Dixie made, explaining that she was going to die. Now that her "illness" is out in the open, tad pulls out all the stops to reclaim Dixie’s heart—and the actors couldn’t be happier.
I’ve been waiting for these scenes since I came back," smiles Cady McClain (Dixie). "Tad and Dixie have a special sort of love, and I’m excited that we are finally back together."
"Cady and I have been together a long time, and Tad and Dixie seem like a natural," corroborates Michael E. Knight (Tad). "There’s a lot of chemistry there. The audience seems to dig it, and we’re having a good time together, so I think it plays out well."
The week begins when Tad "kidnaps" Dixie and brings her to the same New York hotel rrom wehre, a few months ago, they made their An Affair to Remember agreement to meet on the roof to assert their love.
"The last time they were here, it almost worked out beautifully except that fate stepped in, and she got sick," Knight reminds. "He has the idea to go back, do it again, and do it right. Tad takes her out of their situation in Pine Valley because there are so many people there, and their sons are involved; he needs a neutral place for them to be together."
"She thinks Tad is pulling a major romantic move by bringing her to New York," McClain grins, "He knows that she still loves him. She’s been sabotaging all his dates, making him breakfast, picking fights…it’s obvious she’s still nuts about him."
Tad tells Dixie that this is the one place where they can speak the truth and that he wants to return to that night of the deal. Tad starts to unbutton her blouse, but a confused Dixie resists his advances. As she turns away, the alarm on Tad’s watch goes off. He goes to her suitcase, gets out her medication, and lets her know that he saw the video and knows everything.
"He sort of throws it in the conversation very poignantly," Knight previews. "He wants to let her know that she’s not fooling anybody and that he doesn’t care because for good, for bad, or for worse, she is meant to be with him."
"I don’t want to suck him into my illness and have him fall in love with me, only to have me die on him," responds McClain with regard to Dixie’s trepidation. "I don’t want him to feel sorry for me or do this out of pity. I want him to know that he’s going to have a lot of pain, loving me with an illness."
But Tad is able to convince Dixie that he’s in for the long haul. "The fact is, he’s a little hurt that she didn’t come forward with this, because his attitude is that it’s not a time to be brave, it’s time for them to be together," says Knight. "He wants her to know that she should be relying on him, not hiding from him."
A relieved Dixie confesses all and explains to Tad that she kept her sickness a secret because she didn’t want to hurt him or the kids by giving them only a short time together. Tad proclaims his undying love for Dixie and asks her to marry him. Dixie is overwhelmed by Tad’s proposal and accepts. "She’s madly in love with him and lonely without him, so she’s extremely happy," McClain smiles.
The happy couple pledge they will be together forever, and Tad vows a life full of love and good health. Tad then places his Grandma Kate’s engagement rind on Dixie’s finger, and Dixie promises him her heart forever.
"The ring stands for the best part of himself because it shows his place in the Martin family," Knight explains. "When Tad was a small boy, his grandma was always supportive, and he could do no wrong, so the ring is very, very special to him."
Tad and Dixie then enjoy a romantic night of lovemaking. After consummating the renewal of their love, Dixie tells Tad "I’ve come home."
"I think the journey has been since she left, so it’s taken about two and a half years," McClain says. "It was devastating for her to leave him and lose him—he’s like her left arm. She’s just so happy that they’ve finally returned to this point where they can be together."
After a joyous night in New York, Tad and Dixie decide to return to Pine Valley and tell everyone the good news. However, before they leave, Tad prepares a romantic candlelight breakfast for Dixie, and the two wind up in bed again, reluctant to leave the insular safety of the hotel.
Tad and Dixie finally return home and blurt their news to Brooke, Jake, Jamie and Junior—and everyone is ecstatic. "They wanted to tell the kids right away because they are the other limbs of Tad and Dixie," McClain smiles. "Now there’s an opportunity for them all to be together. It’s paramount to her, and she wants to get back to is as soon as possible."
Jake and Tad slip out of the house, and Tad asks his brother to help him check out David’s records about Dixie. The Martin brothers sneak into David’s office, but David catches them in the act and offers to show them Dixie’s file. Jake looks at Dixie’s file and concludes that the doc is treating Dixie properly. Not convinced, Tad warns David to do right by Dixie and leaves.
"Tad doesn’t trust David, and he wants to make sure he’s completely on the level," Knight says. "He’s going to keep an eye on him and make sure Dixie’s getting the best care possible."
Meanwhile, Dixie learns from Brooke that Liza was the one who showed Tad the tape, so Dixie heads to Liza’s for a little chat. Liza assumes Dixie is there to yell, but Dixie surprises her by thanking her for acting as a catalyst for her reconciliation with Tad.
"Dixie always saw Liza as a threat, but now that she knows Tad wants to be with her, she finds a way to tell Liza that she’s no longer threatened by her—without going so far as to say she wants to be her best friend," McClain previews. "I tell her I can deal with forgiving her now and that I can let her off the hook a little."
Will the third time be the charm for Dixie and Tad? What will happen when they discover that Dixie’s "illness" is really just a scheme orchestrated by Palmer to keep the lovers apart? The actors aren’t sure what lies ahead, but they sure are looking forward to the trip there.
"I think it would be fun if they did something really crazy and romantic," McClain smiles. "Maybe getting married at the top of the Empire State Building."
"Tad may not be thinking that far ahead," Knight contributes. "He just wants to plan their life together and help her get through everything, because whatever happens, they are going to fight together."
-Keith Loria