Comments through May 30, 2003
(Spoiler free again.  I’ll try to do better next week.) 

Pssst!  C’mere.  No, closer ‘cause I really don’t want this getting out.  I don’t want to ruin my cheerful reputation.  OK, you know the columns by JenJen and Carolyn where they talk about what’s wrong with General Hospital?  Ahem, (promise you won’t tell) I agree with some of what they’ve written.  I wouldn’t give up my GH, but a few items have really tweaked my hot button lately.  My major personal peeve being the dumbing of the woman.  Currently, the only women with “a life” meaning they do something other than make ga-ga eyes at their man or scheming to steal a baby are Gia (soon to hit the GH broom closet, I hear), Penny (who deserves a Supporting Waitress Emmy), and Big Alice (I’ll get to her later).  Then there’s the dialogue.  One day the dialogue is sharp and on target and the next day my mental pen whips out to rewrite the confusing words that sound like aliens have invaded the characters.  I hate whining so I’ll stop now, but I’m callin’ it like I see it.  To offset the groans and eye rolls that threaten my happy little sphere I focus on the funny.  And a lot of funny crosses my screen. 

Certainly, the biggest funny this week was presented by Big Alice and Dobson.  Big Alice is fast becoming a favorite character.  The woman is hot!  Hot attitude, hot dress, and needing a sensitive man to ease her loneliness, Big Alice rocks.  I like that she’s not Hollywood perfect.  Isn’t that amazing?  She’s not a size 0 with a perfectly flat stomach, she doesn’t have a wardrobe to speak of, and I’ve never caught her flipping her hair.  What she has in spades is the inner confidence to carry her part.  And look, she does comedy too.  “I find you to be such a very attractive man.”  “Open your mind to the possibilities.”  “Let’s just do something crazy.”  “Let me help you feel like a man again.”  Didn’t you love when Dobson revealed to Big Alice that she’s tragically attracted to criminals, preferably with dark hair and dark eyes?  Oh, if Alice only knew.  All I have to say is when Dobson is exposed as Alexis, she better let Big Alice down easy! 

Betcha never been loved like this before, Ale…uhhh, Dobson. 

And then there was Zander at the window as Dobson and his Dad clinched.  Comedy doesn’t fall in Zander’s direction often but he’s no slouch with the facial expressions. 

 
Daddy gets a liplock and Zander gets an eyeful. 

Edward and Luke hit their marks as the chatted in Kelly’s.  Luke, out of kindness towards his fellow man, offered Edward the opportunity to float him $5 million to take down the Cassadine’s. 

Edward:  Oh, I have to give this some thought.

Luke:  Why?  What’s to think about?

Edward (as he exited):  I have to think about whether I want to be crushed between barbaric trailer trash and inbred Russian maniacs.

Luke (nodded with understanding):  Well, there is that. 

Good lines! 

I’m not sure what tickled me more on Friday, Alice smitten with Dobson saying, “I’d do just about anything for you.”; the horror on Alexis’ face as Nedly leaned in and kissed Skye (though how he could overcome that black dress held up by white beads is beyond me); the expressions chasing around Courtney’s shower as women with nothing in common sat in the same vicinity drinking tea; or Janine creating new depth and meaning for the word crass. 

I planned to write a paragraph about Penny having the best job on General Hospital.  A paying gig on a prestigious show that looks good on her resume, make up and wardrobe, and no lines to memorize make up her job description.  But then wha-la! on Friday she showed up at Courtney’s bridal shower with a 100-watt smile and words flowed out of her mouth.  How cool was that!

Wardrobe and lines, what more could a girl want? 

Poor Emily experienced her first round of chemo.  She came home wan and tired and then did everything but rest.  Zander visited, she discussed her dream with Dobson, Zander visited again with soup, Emily ran out to proposition Nicholas, and then she defended Zander to Scotty at the hospital.  I felt bad for her.  Let the girl go home and rest for goodness sake!  

Who called to Nicholas as he stood on the docks with Emily discussing their fake-out-Zander-love-life?  Which won’t work by the way since Emily runs to Zander’s side whenever he stumbles on a sidewalk and stubs his toe. 

How many times has Zander caught a bullet on this show?  Proving that he can obtain info for Jason and deliver with blood dripping, Zander staggered to Jason’s penthouse to tell him “Miami”.  Doesn’t it state in the MOB rule book that any injury obtained through gunplay elicits a measure of good will?  In other words, doesn’t Jason owe Zander at least a little?  Zander’s charged with murder again and probably medical bills and Jason didn’t even blink.  As in, shut up we’ll get a lawyer for you and pay your hospital expenses.  I bet if Zander said he was working for Sonny, the hospital would treat him for a discount since Sonny sends so much work their way.

Zander’s got an owie.  Courtney thinks he’s gross.
Ewww.  Blood. 

Parental indignation swamped me when Sonny told Michael at the hospital don’t do as I do, do as I say regarding Michael’s first Sonnyism.  Daddy breaks glass on a regular basis and Mommy doesn’t get upset, why shouldn’t Michael?  Carly told Michael, “I know you’re angry and you get frustrated, but we need to come up with other ways to handle it.  OK?”  To which Michael responded by saying, “Daddy does it.”  What didn’t sit well with me was Sonny’s response that it doesn’t matter that Michael has seen Sonny throw destructive temper tantrums; Michael knows better and mustn’t do it.  Sonny worried to Carly about his failure to set a good example since he’s the adult and Michael’s role model (good Sonny, now you’re moving in the right direction) and Carly comforted Sonny telling him that he’s being too hard on himself.  At no point was Michael presented with the innovative idea that Sonny’s behavior is wrong. 

Like Father, Like Son 

Maurice Benard demonstrated why he retains his daytime popularity as a romantic lead when Sonny told Carly why he loved her.  Carly, whose new giddy personality keeps throwing me off, was happily informing Sonny of his wedding duties – help Jason write his vows and set up dance lessons.  Sonny, in a meandering conversational kind of way began with “I am not an easy man.  You know that.  I wouldn’t expect anyone to share a life with me.  And then you came along and I realized what I was missing.”  He went on to say what he admired about Carly and why he loves her making my heart melt in the process.  Yeah, Sonny, it’s alll about you, but sometimes that’s OK, because you’re pretty darn good!   

Three cheers for Mike who refused to be relegated to the back of the room by the Fab Four.  As an afterthought Courtney asked Mike to give her away while Carly happily informed Mike, “Isn’t it great?  Sonny’s given his blessing.”  In Fab Four world nothing matters more than Sonny’s blessing.  I cheered as Mike forced them to acknowledge his place in Courtney’s life.  No matter how much power Sonny wields, he’s still the brother and Mike’s the Daddy so he should be granted the respect he deserves.  I know, I know, Mike’s far from perfect, but he hasn’t messed up in recent history.  Besides, by forcing Jason to ask for Courtney’s hand in marriage and granting his blessing, hopefully he’s secured a few more scenes for this year.

 
Mike says, “Make my doggy day.” Jason pleads, “Just give me a chance Mike.”

Not really, Jason respectfully asks Mike for Courtney’s hand in marriage. 

My favorite part of Courtney picks a wedding gown and Jason tries on tuxes was the guy named Biff.  Biff looked so marvelously nervous in Sonny’s presence.  When Sonny ordered him to “come up with something now”, I laughed at his concentration with his tongue out.  Except when he finished sketching the perfect designer gown, he never showed the picture to Courtney. 

Nervous Biff, tries to keep his tongue in his mouth. 

Do I need to write about this?  Sigh.  I love romance! 

As much as I loved Jason and Courtney stating their vows in the empty church, I couldn’t help but note how incredibly rude it was of Jason to bail on his bachelor party hosted by THE FIVE FAMILIES not even staying long enough to drink a beer.  Same goes for Courtney who dumped Carly at the bridal shower leaving her to deal with the Q’s, strippers, and the drunk Mother-of-the-bride-from-Hell.  Yeah, yeah, I understood Jason and Courtney’s reasoning, but tough nookies, sometimes you have to buck up and deal with what you don’t like for short periods.  

Dontcha wonder if the real reason Courtney ventured into AJ Land was to rub it in that she’s got a storyline and he doesn’t? 

Apparently, coats depleted Courtney’s wardrobe budget so now she’s wearing off the rack by K-Mart.  It wasn’t exactly ugly; it definitely looked comfortable, just not her usual well fitted fare.

Unusual wardrobe choice. 

Who was that man who called out Carly’s name as Carly and Courtney left Kelly’s on Thursday? 

Jason took Courtney to his special place on her first studio motorcycle spin.  And I thought, “Oh, that special place.”  Happily, I noted that it looked like Lookout Point where he used to meet Liz.  For a moment, I was afraid he’d taken Courtney to the bridge where he met Robin.  Jason and Robin retain a special place in my heart as my favorite romantic couple and I surprised myself with my protectiveness regarding their bridge. 

How fast do you think he rides this machine in the studio.   

Skye told Ned, “I’d given up on children until Kristina.”  I couldn’t help talking to my screen as I informed the deluded mama wanna, “News flash, Kristina isn’t yours.  And it’s pretty darn pathetic to plot to steal another woman’s baby when the mother’s still in the picture.  So you can’t have children.  You’ve got Q bucks – ADOPT!”  Skye didn’t appear to be listening. 

Maxie was dealt another self-esteem deathblow by vile Kyle this week.  And don’t say Mac made him do it, because he could have broken the prom date without trashing what little self-respect Maxie had regained.  I thought for a few minutes that Georgie was going to be the teen to watch as she worked at making good decisions.  Wrong.  Mush brain Lucas asked her to the prom 10 seconds after he learned Maxie preferred Kyle to him and Maxie threw her arms around Lucas’ neck deliriously happy and planning to throw her virginity into the deal.  Where is nurse Bobbi to discuss STD’s and long-term emotional consequences with these dingalings?

Kyle’s best cry face so far. 

Remember the dumb conversation between Liz and Sonny on Friday?  Well, it went from dumb to dumber between them at the hospital.  First, Liz knows that Sonny with his protectiveness towards women and children wouldn’t push her down the stairs.  Why would she even ask him such a ridiculous question?  Second, the doctor just instructed her to lie still and she struggled out of bed to what?  To insist face-to-face that Sonny’s going to hurt her husband?  Pfft! to that girl!  

While JenJen thought the shots of Carly and Sonny, concerned about Liz miscarrying at the hospital made the drama about Sonny, I thought the cutting back and forth between couples added to the swirl in Ric’s mind.  Most folks burn daylight, burn the midnight oil, burn with passion.  Ric, however, burns with vengeance, burns toenail clippings, burns the tail feathers of parakeets.  The man’s mind twists down scary paths and jumps into wicked holes.  Ric showed me a mind leaping to scary conclusions regarding blame as the shots moved between Liz in pain and crying, Sonny and Carly offering sympathy, and then Carly talking to Dr. Meadows regarding her prenatal vitamins.  He’s a scary kinda guy.

 
Hear the clicking?  That’s Ric deciding that Sonny owes him a baby. 

So I thought Liz was a dummy and Ric’s a menace to society until Ric carried Liz into their apartment when she came home from the hospital.  They mourned the loss of the baby and Ric showed Liz tenderness, kindness and understanding.  I thought, if these two could just stay in their little world and not interact with others, I’d like them.  Of course, that can’t happen with Faith trailing Ric like a lost puppy, and then the realtor knocked on the door.  Ric stepped out into the hall to speak with her about the house he’s seeking to purchase and his mind swirl surfaced as he asked for a sound proof panic room.  Psycho!   

Carly nicely expressed her sympathy to Liz at Kelly’s over the loss of her baby, but that’s as far as her sensitivity reached because she promptly proceeded to hold up and gush with Penny over cute baby items.  And Ric’s mind swirled a little tighter as he stole the crib mobile that Sonny chose.

Has anyone else noticed that Faith’s hair keeps looking thicker and fuller?  When she first hit my screen, I thought her hair was even thinner than mine, but it keeps getting bigger.

If her chest starts growing, she’ll be the Dolly Parton of daytime. 

As far as we know, Kelly’s only has one waitress now, Penny.  Liz ran out on her shift to play homeowner with Ric.  Conveniently, Summer is considering life as a waitress.  What odds should we give her over how long she’ll work before leaving in the middle of her shift? 

It’s a bit silly of Summer to run to Nicholas and then Luke trying to convince them to drop the Spencer/Cassadine feud.  Hello?  If they are willing to traipse all over the world trying to one up the other, your little crush on Lucky won’t even scratch the surface of their enmity.  

First Lucky ran through his standard lines to Luke about not fighting with Nicholas anymore.  Luke spoke to Edward regarding his plan to topple the Cassadine’s and even insensitive Edward recognized Luke’s pain.  Empathizing with another of the walking wounded, Sonny also advised Luke to give up his quest for vengeance.  By the time Luke reached the hospital, I wanted to cry for him and with him over his anguish at Laura’s condition.  But the scene quickly took a turn towards intrigue as Luke received word of Stefan’s return to Cassadine corner.  Hurry up, Stefan!

I sure hope Genie Francis returns because Luke’s been hurting for a year now. 

I had every intention becoming a painting dervish this week.  However, my life as Mommy the Taxicab kept interfering.  “Mom, can I…”  “Mom, will you…”  “Mom, I need…(usually cash).”  I at least have to paint the upstairs bathroom because I informed my husband that I would and he’s not to do it for me.  Generally, I decide we need to paint, I select the color, I buy paint, brushes and whatever else looks interesting at Home Depot and then I keep him company while he does a bang up job.  Whatever possessed me to assert myself and say I could do this all by myself?  ‘Cause now I’m stuck with a home project that I feel honor bound to complete.  Did I mention that I don’t like to paint?  Oh well, next week we become Hotel Hardeman as family visits so maybe I can enlist the aid of my unsuspecting relatives.  I’ll say no one can flush until the room changes color.  Have a wonderful week.  Thanks for stopping by. 

http://www.internetbumperstickers.com/

Photo credit for this week:  http://groups.msn.com/GHWorld3

Totally cool GH site!

The poor quality pics are mine.  Sorry, I haven’t mastered digital yet.

In a perfect world there’d be a cabin nestled at the end of this road with horses in a barn out back.  And I’d be there next week riding and hiking.  The cabin would have cable of course, so I wouldn’t miss GH.  A girl has to keep her priorities straight.

Kathy  

http://www.internetbumperstickers.com/

Photo credit for this week:  http://groups.msn.com/GHWorld3

Totally cool GH site! 

www.freefoto.com

Meet me by the lake with a picnic basket, a Frisbee, and a paddleboat.