Remote Rewind: Picture Perfect?

"You must remember this, a kiss is just a kiss"

Several episodes passed between Michaela and Sully's birthday kiss and it was becoming increasingly clear that this famous song lyric was right. Had Michaela and Sully's first kiss been nothing more than a kiss between friends? It couldn't have been right? The first season finale explored this issue and delved into the meaning of that fateful birthday "gift." Daniel Watkins, a professional photographer, landed in Colorado Springs to take pictures of the beautiful mountains, plants, animals, Native Americans and overall "wild west" lifestyle of the American frontier. But, he was hiding a debilitating health secret. His eyes, the finest tool in his photography arsenal, were failing him. He was suffering from diabetes and back then, there wasn't much anyone could do to help him. He had photographed the Civil War, but was battling his own body to continue doing what he loved with the time he had left. It was tragic and Michaela being Michaela, tried in vain to help him. Everyone quickly decided that there should be a town photograph. This, of course, led to a few (mainly Loren, Jake and Hank) deciding who should, but more importantly, who should not be included in that photo. No "Indians or Blacks" came first, but soon saloon girls and others were added until most folks decided that they wanted nothing to do with the photo anymore. In the end, Daniel Watkins got his photo, with a little help from Sully, of the entire town.

Things weren't so easy on the relationship front. Neither Michaela nor Sully had addressed the night in question since her birthday. They hadn't started a relationship, so what had that kissed meant to each of them? An intimate conversation on the bridge seemed to clarify things, or did it? When Sully finally confronted her about that kiss, she told him that it was, "the nicest gift that I got, but that's all it has to be: a birthday gift." Ouch! Sully seemed to agree (or save face) by pointing out, "If things were different... if we weren't so different..." Michaela quickly agreed and the topic was officially dropped. But, it wasn't resolved. Both showed how vulnerable and scared they were to let the other in or to let the other know their true feelings. Any hope of a future relationship seemed dead in its tracks; the pair had succeeded in derailing that speeding train, but that was before they took a little trip to Boston. There's something about absence and the heart growing fonder and the threat of losing someone to someone else that makes people do things that they would normally be too scared to do. But, I'm jumping ahead, so we'll get to that (incredibly awesome) part of the story next week.

Feeling nostalgic for Dr. Mike, Sully and the rest of the residents of Colorado Springs? Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: The Complete Series is now available on DVD.