Comments through April 4, 2003
(Only one old, little spoiler)
What a great week – an extra helping of GH for me to absorb. And like a sponge, I soaked it in. Then I enjoyed even more as GH actors visited other shows to promote the 40th Anniversary celebration. The actual celebration consisted of three 30-second spots of memorable moments at the end of the show. What? You missed that? How could you miss the 90 seconds of tribute to 40 years of drama? I appreciated the extra episode on Wednesday, but had to laugh at the oh-so-brief nod to history.
Did you blink? If so, you might have missed the history.
Yep, it was a fun week, but by Friday an ugly niggling voice kept whispering in my ear that I’d gone a bit overboard. Like when I eat a slice of cheesecake then another and another until most of it’s gone and I’ve reached that sugar saturation point. Then I promise myself that I’ll refrain from all pie for the rest of the year in a ridiculous attempt to sooth my conscious - and tummy and thighs where all good cheesecake resides. Anyway, the niggling voice made me wonder if I have a GH saturation point. Sherry, of Mecurical Mercurio, found her can’t take another moment of GH level, has admitted her problem and joined GHA. (General Hospital Anonymous for those of you who haven’t read her comical story of GH withdrawal. Click HERE to check it out.)
I began pondering my behavior as an admitted GHaholic and came up with some ways to evaluate if you’ve got it bad for a soap.
1. You tape every episode.
2. Television, cable and VCR problems cause you unspeakable anxiety.
3. You throw temper tantrums when your soap is interrupted or pre-empted with breaking news that doesn’t involve mass tragedy or epic destruction.
4. You seriously consider missing work for a special episode just in case the VCR doesn’t tape correctly.
5. You tape on network television and then watch again later that night on SoapNet.
6. You’ll miss a meal or skip errands to be sitting in front of the TV during your soap time.
7. Your children, husband and friends know not to ask questions or call during soap time.
8. Your spouse and close friends know the names of your favorite characters and are used to you bringing them up in conversation on a regular basis.
9. Yelling at the TV is acceptable, common behavior.
10. You surf the ‘net searching for information on actors and spoilers about the show.
11. You have a circle of ‘net pals with whom you discuss plot twists.
12. You’ve engaged in animated conversation with complete strangers about your soap.
13. You’ve wondered how much money you’d be paid for donating a kidney so you could attend a Super Soap Weekend.
14. Regularly, you scan the magazine racks at the grocery store to see if the latest issue of your favorite soap mag has been displayed.
15. And lastly, you regularly check in at EOS to see what’s been written about your favorite soap.
Hmm, the fact that I can think of this many soap habits has me worried. And I admit to every one of them at times, except for the kidney donation idea, but not all of these behaviors at once. Welcome to the fun filled world of Soapland. If you’ve experienced one or all of the above a few times, you’re probably involved in some healthy escapism, which might keep you sane in a frantic stress filled world. However, if you’re feeling embarrassed or trapped, you might consider seeking help.
CALL 1-800-I’MADDICTEDTOSOAPS
Or e-mail Sherry and perhaps she can assist you in finding the nearest chapter of Soaps Anonymous in your area.
The week rolled out strong with several emotional hits. Anger, terror, joy to name a few. Peaks were scaled and valleys tumbled into. First folks gathered in Kelly’s to express their various woes and complaints. A little mad to go with that pie? It was like a whirlpool of weird psychic energy swept in and affected patrons. First Gia and Taggert debated Gia’s future as an intern to political corruption named Scotty. Next the teenagers aired their angst regarding Maxie’s tumble down the reputation scale and Georgie defended her sister to that meany Kyle and his cohorts. Finally, Jason and Courtney staged The Big Public Breakup to fool Faith and her silent partner who just happened to be sitting at a table with Liz.
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Terror reared its ugly head several times.
- Pregnant Carly fell through the ice.
- Jason held a gun to Sonny (I think he removed the clip first. Did anyone else catch that?)
- Sonny was faced with Carly having a stroke or Carly lives and the baby dies.
- Alexis planned to kidnap baby Kristina only to discover an empty crib because someone beat her to it.
Anger popped up as usual to wreak havoc. Let’s see…
- Sonny’s currently living anger so I don’t even need to note the cause. He’s just ticked off.
- Faith seemed to attract anger like a magnet as Ric, Jason and Sonny took turns alternately threatening and demanding information from her while she lay, white as the sheets on her hospital bed.
- Luke growled and prowled around Nicholas and demanded power of attorney for Laura. Nicholas didn’t appear intimidated, just annoyed at Summer for not distracting Luke.
- The teenagers cut their teeth on dramatic airtime as they faced the dragon of soiled reputation. My favorite line was Georgie’s when she told Maxie, “You went upstairs to party with him. What did you expect?” I wish they had followed this conversation so I could find a footing to care about these guys.
Joy appeared in brief flashes as happy soapy moments must be savored and then promptly stomped under the heels of drama.
- Carly’s baby survived the dip in the lake.
- Alexis found her baby and kidnapped her from the kidnappers.
- Sonny sorta made up with Jason (he did smile a few times).
- Sonny and Carly saw their baby on an ultrasound.
- Zander and Emily reconnected for a moment before they remembered that they’re broken up. (Hope the writers fix THAT little problem fast.)
What to say about the teenagers… No comment about Maxie’s regrets and soiled reputation. No comment about Georgie’s and Lucas’ defense of Maxie. Except to note that watching them makes me glad I grew up. No way would I choose to endure the drama and trauma of my teenage years again. Whew! There are benefits to maturity even if I do have to fight areas of my body which appear smooth and firm one day and saggy, baggy the next.
Emily returned to P.C. looking remarkably like her old self and she spent the week checking out the town. I decided that I might want to temporarily impersonate Emily if it means Zander will scoop me in his arms and twirl me around. I loved the spontaneity of their reunion. I loved how Zander stroked her hair. Why can’t Emily and Zander be our young love for the summer? I can buy into them. Emily’s shot and drug bit has me confused. I checked with my brother, a doctor, and he said the only condition or disease that would require the patient to administer medication with shots is diabetes. Unless the patient was using illegal, unproven cancer drugs imported from Mexico. Implied, but not stated, I gathered that Emily believes she will not live a long life so perhaps cancer isn’t too farfetched. A mistaken diagnoses, of course.
I hope we get lots more of this!
I received a few e-mails asking me what I thought about Tyler Christopher’s return as Nicholas Cassadine. I liked Tyler before so I’ll probably enjoy him again. More interesting would be Guza’s take on TC’s reprisal as Nicholas.
Listen closely and you’ll hear Guza humming, “Hail, hail, the gang’s all here…”
Baby, baby, who’s got the baby? Let’s run down the list of baby keepers and nappers.
Alexis allowed Ned to take Kristina to the gatehouse to live.
Edward had A.J. arson the gatehouse, paid off the nanny, and grabbed the baby.
Alexis tiptoed into the Q house to kidnap Kristina only to find her already stolen.
A.J. and Skye snatched Kristina and stashed her at Brenda’s cottage.
Alexis figured out who had the baby and successfully snatched her back.
Following Alexis, as usual Dr. Cam appeared at Wyndemere where Alexis was hiding and convinced her to turn over Kristina to him so Alexis could remain in Port Charles and fight for custody.
I believe that sums up the saga of Kristina’s life since leaving the neonatal unit about a week ago. Talk about hitting the ground running - I mean crawling - uhh, crying and kicking. Whatever. With this beginning, her life promises to hold a lot of excitement. And just think, Sonny doesn’t even know about his paternity yet. Don’t need a crystal ball, I envision big storylines for this little one.
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Skye with Kristina made me smile. That’s how those mommy urges kick in. Hold a baby, talk to one, successfully change a diaper and soon you’ll be rocking, cuddling and falling in love. You won’t even mind when baby throw up soaks your beautiful white suit. Skye handling diapers and burping tickled my funny bone.
Dontcha think it must chafe A.J.’s shorts when he commits arson for his grandfather who then refuses to grant him any ELQ power? But A.J. was raised on the milk of manipulation and betrayal, so he immediately jumped into action and kidnapped Kristina to use as a bargaining chip. A.J. said it best when he told Edward, “Payback’s a bitch, Old Man.” Doesn’t look like A.J. will be climbing out of the gutter any time soon. In fact, it appears that A.J. has decided to embrace the gutter and wallow in his contemptibility. Would you like some bubble bath in your sewer, A.J.?
Any day at the Q’s with Big Alice and Reginald is definitely a good day.
Big Alice Reginald
I love how these small characters create so much entertainment.
Maybe Liz should try a dating service since she’s not having much success in the guy department. Let’s see…Lucky loved her but after his Ice Princess brainwashing he wasn’t able to connect the dots, except with Liz’s sister, Sarah. Jason cared about her but she had a hard time with Jason’s MOB girlfriend rules, which state that he can do whatever he deems necessary and not have to offer explanations. Period. No questions will be answered either. And now slimy Ric has oozed under her defenses. She’s gonna be maaaad when Ric’s agenda, whatever it is, finally comes to light. Plus, he takes advantage of drugged women. Slimeball. Which brings her back to nunuLucky whom I like. He’s calm, which makes a nice change from angry, pouty and whiny.
I’ll pay money to see an episode where Jason finally punches Ric’s lights out. Who’da thought Ric would enter our cast of players and compete with A.J. for lowest guy on the totem pole? So, I’m really disliking Ric and at the same time dying to know why he’s hanging out in Port Chuck, how he’s connected to Sonny, and what’s the length of Rick Hearst’s contract? Guess I’m hooked.
Sonny wallowed in his paranoia as he conjured Faith pushing Carly down the stairs in his dreams. Carly spent her time soothing her husband and making a “plan” with Jason and Courtney. Oh goody, Carly’s got a plan. It’s been way too long since we’ve experienced one of those. The plan didn’t work but Courtney and Jason gave it a good hurrah. Courtney told Jason a bunch of mean stuff and all I could think was how mad Liz was going to be if she figured out that Jason and Courtney were faking the break up because she was so obviously rubbernecking their spat.
Carly soothes Sonny by rubbing his head and chanting
My job as a soap viewer is to suspend reality and soak up the emotional drama. Got it. Tried it. Didn’t work. Carly fell through the ice into freezing water. Hypothermia was mentioned and then her blood pressure rose? Excuse me, hypothermia means blood pressure drops. Also, high blood pressure is routinely treated in pregnant women so administering medicine to lower her pressure would not kill the baby. Now that I have that off my chest let me state that Sonny’s reaction to making a decision between his wife’s life and his unborn child’s pulled me right in. This character retains his popularity for a reason and I saw it this week. In recent weeks he’s showed us out of control, irrational, unreasonable, and cruel behavior, but when the chips were down, he fought for his family. I know many fans are not appreciating Sonny’s breakdown but I think it’s been portrayed very well. Sonny beat up Ned and then taunted Taggert at the PCPD, which demonstrated how far out on a flimsy limb Sonny has tiptoed. In the chapel Sonny told God that the blackness had returned and he promised to protect his family - an excellent scene.
Sonny discusses his life with God.
Sonny had the good sense to make up with Jason proving that he hasn’t lost all of his MOB survival skills. And any Jason’s a good Jason but intense Sonny and Jason make my day. Big sigh of relief because now Jason won’t be torn between tough guy staring and shopping for home décor with Courtney. Spoilers say power will shift between Sonny and Jason with Jason moving onto footing that is more equal with Sonny. This should lighten Sonny’s load because the guy seriously needs a few days off!
Last week I bought John Mayer’s CD entitled “Room For Squares”. Reading the lyrics, I came across Sonny’s Song. John Mayer called it “Not Myself” but really, that’s just a cover. It’s definitely Sonny’s Song. Sonny must’ve written it for Carly and Jason when he felt himself slipping into the dark irrational place that says Courtney will only be safe if she leaves town, Jason must promise to throw himself in front of a speeding bullet for Carly and the new baby that has already been mentioned 8,692 times.
Suppose I said
I am on my best behavior
And there are times
I lose my worried mind?
Would you want me when
I’m not myself?
Wait it out while I am someone else?
Suppose I said
Colors change for no good reason
And words will go
From poetry to prose.
Would you want me when
I’m not myself?
Wait it out while I am someone else?
And I, in time, will come around
I always do for you.
Suppose I said
You’re my saving grace.
Maybe I DO need a GH vacation because it’s a bit pathetic that I read lyrics and equate them to soap characters. Sometimes I scare myself.
Gas prices are down, the temperature is up, and the skies are blue. Life is good in my little corner and I have much to be thankful for. Can you hear the rattling? That’s me breaking the chains that bind me to my desk and this computer. I’m outta here - donning my headset and going for a walk during which I’ll probably ponder characters and plot twists. Thanks for checking in. Happy viewing this week.
Kathy
Photo credit for this week: http://groups.msn.com/GHWorld2
The pictures are great. Lots of hard work and dedication goin’ on here.
http://www.internetbumperstickers.com/
Kathy checked out Steve Burton!!!
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