<p>Didn’t watch many episodes this past year (due to scheduling conflicts), so the whole premise that it was all taking place in one weekend was completely lost on me. While I was aware of The Mother and agree that there was a fantastic chemistry between the actor who played her and the rest of the cast, I had little investment in her as a character (I also can’t help thinking what a boost this is going to be for her career!) If it’s true that Carter Bay and Craig Thomas had much of this already in the can nine years ago, then hats off to them. That had to be one of the best kept secrets in the history of Hollywood. Manipulative? Certainly. OTOH, it makes the syndication version even more interesting as an entire cottage industry develops around trying to find clues to the finale in the early episodes. </p>