In the course of all life, there is always a date, an event that marks people far beyond anything we can imagine. This moment shapes us, determines us, permeates us with another one, or another personality that sleeps in us... We could imagine when we see all the love that unites them to each other, that it is her meeting with Cruz Castillo that shaped young Eden Capwell. It is obvious for Eden : her real life as a woman began when, not when her eyes fell on Cruz, but when Cruz's eyes fell on her. And, if at that moment she became alive, another event of the past (much more than this encounter) conditioned her to be the woman she is.

Act 1 : May 2, 1969 or an end for Channing Junior

Sensitive to the slightest changes of Sophia's behavior, the elders of the Capwell children, in this month of May 1969, spend their days following their mother, almost watching all her gestures. It is as if they are guessing that a tragedy is weighing on their shoulders. C.C. went away on business in San Francisco, and Sophia entrusted her children to Rosa. Ted and Kelly, far too young, cannot follow Eden and Channing Junior. They managed to follow Sophia, who went on the family yacht.  Used to the yacht, Channing Junior and Eden quickly find a hiding place, an excellent hiding place from which they can see and hear their mother. Because Sophia is not alone on the boat. A man joined her. This man is none other than Lionel Lockridge, but it is hardly if Channing Junior and Eden pay attention.

Hidden behind one of the yacht's armchairs, Channing Junior and Eden stack up against each other. On the bridge, behind a white curtain, they guess the silhouettes of the adults. First of all, they don't understand what's going on; they don't seem to be interested in this grown up game. But suddenly, the tone rises and the name of their father is pronounced. Deep down, Channing Junior and Eden feel that this moment is important. And, suddenly, the words make them both switch into another reality... "Channing Junior is not C.C.'s son, but Lionel's !".

The world collapses for Channing Junior : he is not who he thinks he is... He is another one. Another one who worth maybe a little more than Mason, his half-brother. He who believed himself the chosen one, the beloved son, the heir, he realizes that he is only an usurper. At the age of 8, Channing is pierced by the violence of this truth, by the violence of this betrayal. He is no longer Channing Capwell Junior, he is another. Even if it does not fully measure the weight of this truth, this day marks an end and a beginning. And already, perhaps in his head, and this is quite normal for a child of this age, the face of the culprit is drawn : Sophia, his own mother, becomes this culprit, the one because of whom the evil fell on him.

Act 2 : May 3, 1969 or a beginning for Channing Junior

At the Capwell Villa, the tension is extreme. Channing Junior struggles to silence the words that resonate in his head. Eden, still much too young, does not manage to understand the words of the day before. Surely she's trying to hide the truth from herself, fearing that the only world she knows would be destroyed. Moreover, she still promises today to herself to follow her mother's every step : to move away from her is to let her world collapse without doing anything. Kelly is unhappy; she has just understood that her mother has came back on her promise and that she will not be able to drive her to the zoo. Desperate, she takes refuge in her bedroom, squeezing as hard as she can one of her dolls. As for Sophia, she still takes advantage of her husband's absence to return to the port, to meet her former lover. She is determined to close the Lionel Lockridge page forever.

The tragedy then hits the Capwell clan. The whole family is slaughtered; the world, their world, has just collapsed with the disappearance of Sophia. Apart from everyone, only Channing Junior has different feelings. Yesterday, his life of before died. Today, his life of after awakens... Sophia's secret, no his secret, will never be revealed. No one will know that C.C. is not his father. That he is only a bastard. Especially not Mason...

Act 3 : From 1969 to 1984 or a new personality for Channing Junior

The years pass. If Eden, Kelly and Ted suffer the bites of lack and absence, this is not the case for Mason and Channing Junior. Channing Junior exploits the disappearance of his mother : he gets closer to C.C., to this man whose, by the will of his mother, he shares the same name. He forged for himself another personality. He excelled in everything : studies, sports, riding... He marks the city of Santa Barbara with his imprint and this one, supported by the strength of the Capwell patriarch, begins to extend its ramifications, well beyond the borders of the State. Channing Junior becomes all powerful. And when, deep down, the specter of the truth of his filiation and of his mother's betrayal come back to make him suffer, he becomes another... This other one is built in hatred and in need of revenge.

Of course, he hates Mason because he is the first born; but concerning C.C.'s love for him, Channing Junior knows that his brother is not a threat. It is moreover with ease that he attracts Santana Andrade to him, simply because he knows that Mason has a weakness for her. And more than anything, Channing Junior hates his biological father and mother. More than anything, he hates them both. He has nothing but contempt for one or the other. Today, his mother is no longer there, so he concentrates his hatred on this biological father : Lionel concentrates all his anger and frustration of being an impostor. So, to end it once and for all, he summons Lionel Lockridge to his big party, this July 30, 1979. There, in front of his father, his family, his friends, he will be able as a Greek hero to overcome his tragedy and become who he really is by killing his father.

But fate is played out by the Capwells as well as by everyone... Channing Junior will not face Lionel. Channing Junior will not put his father to death. Channing will not be able to spread his mother's affair with Lionel Lockridge. Channing Junior, that day, will become a shadow. An omnipresent shadow, but still a shadow. And it is in the darkest corners of the study where he died, that Channing Junior will hide in the hope that another one will come to help him in his revenge. And if this other one could be the sister with whom he has been sharing this secret for decades...

Act 4 : 1991 or the time of revenge for Channing Junior

The years have passed and the Capwell Villa has found a certain peace. In the study, the shadow of Channing Junior lurked in a corner, waiting for his time to find the light. The little girl that was Eden has grown up since that July day when she lost her brother. Separated from her family by her father, Eden has won France and the French Riviera. Both independent and rebellious, Eden took advantage of it to grow up, to gain confidence. But, despite her, the memory of May 1969 opened a wound in her that never really healed. And just like Channing Junior, Eden grew up with another in her. Lisa very quickly became her double, her alter ego, able to give her the necessary strength to keep away the memory of Sophia. It is thanks to Lisa that in Monte-Carlo, Eden overcomes the reunion with her deceased mother. It is again thanks to Lisa that Eden faces and accepts Sophia's return in 1985. And it is still thanks to Lisa that Eden begins to take revenge on Sophia...

Because Lisa was born from Eden's thirst for revenge. And this revenge, although omnipresent, does not weigh heavy against the strength of Cruz's love. Cruz's love, despite Lisa's fall in the ocean, managed to let Eden choose her destiny. And, with all due respect to Lisa, Eden's destiny is and will remain Cruz Castillo. Eden then invents another personality, Suzanne Collier, with the sole objective of giving back a heart to love, a woman to embrace for Cruz... That is why Suzanne is not of size to confront Sophia. That is why Suzanne is not able to push back the memory of Channing Junior. When Suzanne dreams of him, she lets herself completely invaded by his shadow, drunk with revenge. In her dream, Channing Junior happens after Suzanne danced with C.C., then with Mason. The irruption of Channing Junior, the bloody torso, frightens Suzanne as much as it allows the big brother to interfere in his sister's spirit. It's time for revenge for Channing Junior.

Who of Eden, Lisa, Suzanne or Channing Junior guided the hand that drew the sketches of Sophia's death ? Which personality then faces Sophia when she looks at them ? Which of these personalities is actually the most revenge-hungry ? We will never know, although Eden admits that she is the one who faces her mother. If Sophia is happy and relieved to know her darling daughter alive, Eden is still angry with her mother. She won't let her touch her, take her in her arms. Then, she terrace her with a terrible blow assuring her that Eden is dead, like Channing Junior... And all this tragedy is her fault, the starting point of so many misfortunes being her affair with Lionel Lockridge. Sophia collapses and no doubt that in a dark corner of the study of the Capwell Villa, Channing Junior smiles. Every new word spoken by Eden, every new gesture made by Eden, takes part in her revenge against Sophia...

Guided by the shadow of Channing Junior, Eden / Suzanne reaches the Capwell Villa. She takes place in front of the large fireplace of the villa and lets Eden slowly surface. She takes off her glasses, gets rid of her brown wig... A page turns. Eden then burns her sketches, certain that tonight the voices that live in her will be silent. Forever. First, she looks at a picture of Channing Junior. It's like a compass that attracts her. Then, as an evidence, she calls the Oasis to reach Sophia. Gina, who answers, has no other alternative than to look for Sophia and to drive her to the phone. Sophia immediately understands from the exchanged words that it is Eden who is on the other end of the line. Eden only says a few words : "Sophia, come home. I am here and I am waiting for you".

Then, Eden breaks one of the greatest bans of her father by entering Channing Junior's former bedroom; the latter having been closed shortly after his death. There, she takes a tux in the wardrobe with gestures filled with real confidence. No doubt about it. Then a shirt. Slowly, the personality of Channing Junior is imposed to Eden's. And when a hand pulls out the gun hidden in her back, Eden knows that she is no longer there, that once again another one has awakened in her.
In front of the vestiges of his life before (the many cups won), hair pulled, dressed in his tuxedo, Channing Junior / Eden trains to aim with the same revolver that was used to kill him, years earlier. Channing Junior who took control of Eden gives himself a second of respite before letting his anger explode and overthrowing and destroying the remains of his old life. Everything passes : the cups, the medals, the curtains... That's the end of appearances. What's the point of leaving the imprint of an ideal Channing Junior... Of a Channing Junior that does not exist and never existed. Today the moment of truth has arrived, the masks will finally fall, and Sophia will have to pay for all the evil she has done.

The meeting place could have been on the Lockridge yacht, but it is in the study of the Capwell Villa that Channing Junior decided to face his mother. It was there, within these walls, that one evening in July she played him, shooting him coldly with a bullet in the heart. Sitting behind the desk, Channing Junior / Eden replays the past. On a piece of paper, he writes a message to his mother : come to the study, mom. Then he puts it on a silver tray. Just as the word passed one evening in July 1979 from the hands of Dominic to those of Philip, then to those of Channing Junior. The word is placed on a table at the entrance. The relay will be done this time in the opposite direction : from the hands of Channing Junior to those of Sophia. After having placed the note on the table at the entrance of the villa, Eden and the shadow of Channing Junior face each other in a mirror, as if to give themselves the last directives before the coup de grâce... And as the spirit of Channing Junior whispers : it's time...

The Capwell Villa is plunged into darkness, when Sophia gently pushes the wooden door. Among the shadows, Sophia looks for another shade. Her eyes wander between the arches, go up the great staircase and then she goes towards the living room while, hidden behind an arch, Eden / Channing Junior watches her. Sophia's words are lost between the arches, the villa seems empty, almost dead... Sophia first looks for Eden. Then after finding the remains of Suzanne's sketches in the fireplace, she imagines that the personality that awaits her will be this one. Because she knows that she has no other choice, Sophia calls her : "Suzanne..."

All her calls remain unanswered. Sophia no longer understands anything. Her steps bring her back to the foot of the great staircase where, after Suzanne, she calls Eden. Sophia cries out to her that she wants to speak to her, that they must speak to each other to close this page of their past. But nothing happens. Eden / Channing Junior remains hidden, murmuring from time to time «Mom», as for better torture poor Sophia. And while watching Sophia's anxiety rise, Eden / Channing Junior, impassive, screws a silencer to her revolver.

Suddenly, an object on the stairs catches Sophia's eye. It is a medal won by Channing Junior. An intense emotion seizes Sophia : interspersed with the terrible grief of Channing's death, the guilt of a mother who killed her son pours into her. Sophia does her best to repress the tears that rise in her eyes. She is certain that in order to find peace and save her beloved daughter, she must overcome every hardship that Eden, Lisa or Suzanne imposes on her. So, she climbs the steps and searches the rooms for her child. She eventually pushes the door of Channing Junior's former bedroom and discovers the ravages left by Eden.

A call from C.C. intercepted by Eden herself makes Sophia come back in the entrance of the villa. C.C., who does not realize that he is talking to his daughter, leaves a message to warn Sophia of Santana's accident. While talking with her father, the hand of Eden / Channing Junior caresses the butt of the revolver. In the hall of the villa, Sophia can no longer wait for this face to face, and demands Eden to come. But the villa remains silent, cold and obscure... Until Sophia finds the word for her : Come to the study... No doubt that these words awaken in Sophia a terrible wound. It was with these words that, years earlier, she had unfortunately lured her son into the study instead of her former lover. If at first Sophia panics, she quickly finds her mind and a little courage. She knows that this is where the tragedy began; obviously that's where it has to finish, too.

Resigned, Sophia slowly reaches the study by going under the large staircase, while sitting behind the wooden furniture, Eden / Channing Junior turns the black leather armchair, the weapon in her hand. Sophia stops a fraction of a second in front of the door. Then, slowly, she pushes it. She steps forward slowly. The room seems empty. Her eyes remain focused on the chair that turns her back. Suddenly, the chair pivots. Sophia discovers the person facing her. Channing Junior... the silhouette or the shadow of Channing Junior behind which one can still guess the features of Eden's face. Without the slightest hesitation, Eden / Channing Junior points the revolver at Sophia. Eden / Channing Junior approaches her mother while explaining that all of this is her fault. She is the culprit, she and she alone. The tension in Sophia is extreme when she or he approaches her, puts the weapon against her breast and caresses her cheek. Sophia feels that the outcome can only be terrible. Terrible and violent.

Sophia tries to speak to Eden through the other personality when suddenly, she understands through the spoken words that she faces the spirit of Channing Junior. Sophia can try to reach a way to find Eden behind the shadow of Channing Junior, nothing works. Channing Junior is there. Channing Junior wants his revenge. Channing Junior is playing Sophia. And, when he goes back to sit on the chair, he points the revolver at Sophia again. And...

And, he shoots. Sophia collapses on the carpet. Sophia collapses on the exact place where years earlier, Channing Junior himself collapsed, mortally wounded by a shot fired by Dominic. It is hardly if Eden / Channing Junior looks at Sophia's body. Eden / Channing Junior approaches a mirror : the doubles face each other. Eden's reflection slowly changes and takes on the features of Channing Junior. Brother and sister face each other. It is as if the shadow of Channing Junior leaves the spirit of Eden to find a semblance of consistency. There, Channing Junior explains to his sister that he executed Sophia for her, to free her. Eden answers her that she does not want Sophia to die. Channing Junior becomes more insistent and tells Eden that he does not want her to call for help, he reminds her that years ago, they both watched their mother drown and, at the time, neither he nor she had tried to save her. They wanted her dead.

Still motionless, Sophia asks Eden to help her, to call for help; but Channing Junior is still there. While Sophia calls her, Eden seems to be shedding the spirit of Channing Junior : the shadows dissipate. Eden begins to realize what she has just done and tears begin to flow on her cheeks, while anger gives her strength. Angry at this brother whom she has never really known, she tells him that she does not want her mother to die, she shouts to him that he is only a selfish man who has never loved anyone. Her words seem to free Eden from the weight of the past, while the reflection of Channing Junior in the mirror disappears. Eden's face comes back.

Freed from the hold of her brother, Eden approaches her mother and whispers to her that she is sorry and that she loves her. In return, Sophia promises her that she forgives her, that she understands (after all, years ago, she also took a similar path). Eden manages to warn the rescue and, by going back to her mother, she takes away Channing Junior's ring. Sophia plunges into unconsciousness and cannot hear Eden's last words. Then, Eden leaves the study and, after a last look at the villa of her childhood, she leaves the property on board of a limousine. One moment later, Kelly and Craig Hunt arrive at the villa. They reach the office study and discover with horror Sophia's lying body. Very quickly, they are at her bedside and, before being taken to the hospital, in a moment of semi-consciousness, Sophia whispers to Craig a single word : Channing... Plunged into a coma, Sophia is taken in charge at the hospital and she relives the terrible moment when Eden shoots her. Lost in another world, she does not see the new upheavals that agitate her family : Kelly believes that it was Santana who shot her to avenge the death of Channing Junior; as for Mason and C.C., the gap widens a little more between them.

Act 5 : A restored peace

Brought back to the study, although she is still in a coma, Sophia confronts her last demons. She hopes for peace. She hopes for life. For her. For Eden. The memory of her darling daughter never ceases to haunt her. One day, in her coma, Sophia dreams that she opens her eyes. She slowly gets up and sees coffins on both sides of her bed. She looks at the one on the right : Channing Junior. Sophie turns away and closes her eyes as the pain is still present. Then, slowly her eyes go on the left : Eden is lying in a coffin. Sophia utters a howl, a cry so deep that C.C. seems to hear her and rushes to her bedside.

Freed of Lisa, freed of Suzanne, freed of Channing Junior, Eden can finally let the past become the past. Old memories fade away slowly as if carried away by the wind blowing over the cliffs of Peeble Creek. The shadows of the past dissipate and a certain inner peace seems to win Eden. She followed Cruz, her great love, to New Orleans, in search of Suzanne Collier. Eden is confident. Eden trusts Suzanne, she is almost certain that Suzanne could be the only one to soothe Cruz's pain. And when through the window of Suzanne's house, her last look is on Cruz, Eden knows that a future for Cruz is possible.

Then, Eden's footsteps make her leave the United States... A new path awaits her, a path that could lead her towards reconstruction. Because Eden knows that the one she was no longer exists. The Eden that Cruz knew, that Cruz loved, was broken when Lisa, Suzanne and Channing Junior left her mind. She has to rebuild herself. She has to go through new trials to find peace and perhaps one day to find Cruz's love. She knows the road will not be easy. She knows the road will be long. But she has confidence. She has confidence in herself. She trusts Cruz. She trusts the love that unites them. And more than anything, Eden has confidence in the ocean, in the waters that rocked her childhood, in the ocean that accompanied the vows exchanged one day of April 1988...

Eden knows that one day she will come back to her family, to Cruz, Adriana and Chip, when the time of the restored peace will have come...

A page turns with Eden's departure from Santa Barbara. The Capwells find themselves deprived. And Cruz's world knows the imbalance. His heart is beating only by half... Only Adriana and Chip force him not to give up. And yet... Yet deep in his heart, hope persists. With Eden's departure, the ellipse around the murder of Channing Junior closes. As the saying goes : "the circle is complete". Even if this conclusion had certainly not been originally foreseen by Bridget and Jerome Dobson, it is in continuity with the personalities of Eden, Sophia and also of Channing Junior. Eden had to fight to survive the trauma of her childhood, and Lisa bandaged these wounds. Suzanne, the least defined personality, is the double that will lead Cruz to a new love, to a new hope... Finally, the personality of Channing Junior allows Eden to free herself from her guilt, her anger and her resentment towards Sophia. The new Eden who is reborn after having shot Sophia is neither stronger nor weaker; she is only more at peace with the past. Peace, this is what Eden tries to find and she will surely find it by closing in an unexpected but coherent way the great plot of Santa Barbara : the love between Sophia Wayne and Lionel Lockridge and its consequences...

It is the famous television producer Stephen J. Cannell who plays Eden's driver. It is in fact a wink to Marcy Walker's departure from the show for a new Cannell's production, Palace Guard.

Text written for this site by Lilian

Read also : Eden's real byes . Santa Barbara's special guest star Stephen J. Cannell . Psychological disorders at the Capwells . And one day... Eden becomes Lisa