Comments through June 27, 2003
(I can’t help myself, a couple spoilers.) 

At the beginning of the week, I intended to write about the extreme storylines making GH look like a sad attempt at slapstick instead of a daytime drama.  Alexis masquerading as Dobson, Carly in a little room in the middle of a house, and Stefan feeling a need to murder Emily not because he doesn’t like her, but because he prefers Lydia for Nik.  The thought crossed my mind that these outrageous storylines were planned for the summer to force us into accepting the (yawn) teen rollercoaster, which makes no effort to attach itself to history or other characters, except maybe Mac.  Have TPTB made me care?  No.  But they have caused my eyes to roll several times.  That was at the beginning of the week.  By Friday, I remembered why I love GH and how fast the tide can change.  I encouraged Nicholas as he used emotional blackmail to make Emily attend the meeting, cried with Emily in the Breast Cancer Survivor meeting, felt the chill from Lorenzo Alcazar’s eyes as he explained to Carly about his brother’s foibles and why Sonny must pay, and cheered for Jason as grabbed Ric by the throat.  But then I always cheer when Ric gets a beat down.

Emotional Blackmail                                                Emotional Pain

Lack of Emotion                                              Emotional Overload 

Feeling introspective this week, I contemplated what draws me towards a character, even when he or she doesn’t behave well, and repels me from others.  I reached the conclusion that for me, like or dislike, love or hate, has to do with my perception of the goodness in their heart and whether or not I can empathize.  It’s no secret that Jason, Carly, and Sonny do not play well with others.  However, even with twisted motives, usually they are protecting those they love.  On the occasions when revenge dictates their actions, they have enough history for me to know what brought them to that point.  I like them even when I don’t approve of their actions.  Some characters begin badly, Skye, Zander, Gia, and gradually work their way into a good place through glimpses of vulnerability, explanations of what brought them to their low point, and of course good ol’ wholesome daytime romance.  Stefan makes a good example.  Since his return, he’s behaved as an arrogant, unscrupulous Cassadine and anyone just tuning in would have no reason to invest in him.  Because I was around to see his devotion to Laura and Nicholas, I know that still waters run deep and I can hold on to hope that pieces of goodness will make an appearance. 

Love him	Hate him.	Love her.
Hate her.	Love her.	Undecided.

See how that works? 

So, what makes a character irredeemable?  For me, it’s when evil twistedness comes from the heart, which overlays any good they do or explanation of motives.  Helena certainly fits into this category along with Ric and Faith.  Dr. Cam skates the edge of the murky bad pond but I’m willing to cut him a break since he’s only been handed wackos to work with and his own story flared for a few seconds and then sputtered out.  Ric, no matter how his motives are revealed or how often he professes his love to Elizabeth tears and all, hits me as evil and emotionally damaged.  I admire Rick Hearst the actor for creating such a character.  However, if a bolt of lightening suddenly struck Ric, I’d miss the drama he creates, but I wouldn’t mourn his passing.  Same goes for Faith, who entertains me with her blatant dance on the dark side.  I’d miss the plot twists and great dialogue, but she doesn’t pull empathy or cheering from me.  Except when she wouldn’t let Liz smack her last week, because no one should be hit that many times on TV. 

If I could select best actor/character for the week I’d choose Faith and Nicholas.  Faith for her ability to portray a ruthless, amoral woman caught in the snare of her obsession for Ric.  Nicholas for not breaking a sweat or facial expression no matter what ploys Lydia and Stefan throw his way and then giving us tender, caring friend with Emily.

                               True love means…                                 True friendship means…
         Never having to drink poisoned lemonade.    Dragging your friend to a Support Group. 

Don’t you hate when two characters have a whole conversation and when the scene ends you’re wondering what the heck they were talking about?  Luke and Lucky held a final angry confrontation before Luke ran off for his summer break in which Lucky demanded to know whether Luke threw Summer over the cliff and Luke angrily discussed Lucky’s acceptance of Cassadine machinations.  The conversation ended with Lucky doing his usual “Oh, I don’t know what to do or what’s right” routine and Luke falsely promising not to search for Laura.  So, Luke’s taking his choleric self off to Switzerland (to find Laura of course) while Lucky runs around searching for Darius, Stefan’s lackey who pushed Summer.  As far as I could tell, neither of them communicated a darn thing to the other.

They were lookin’ at each other.  They spoke in full sentences.
But the conversation made no sense. 

Scotty’s faulty reasoning and forensic conclusions over Summer’s death made me want to slap the funky color right out of his shirt for a minute.  One set of boot prints means Luke pushed Summer?  Emily told Scotty that she saw Luke leave so if Luke pushed Summer he would have had to return making TWO sets of boot prints.  And did Darius float from behind the bushes when he pushed Summer leaving no footprints?  I refuse to waste energy on the absurdity of Scotty’s illogical conclusions just like I don’t ponder the faults of Carly’s little room or I’ll be reaching for the Tylenol, but I do expect some great storytelling drama payoff if I have to suspend this much logic.  Let’s hope it’s a good month in the imagination station at GH.

See Lucky?  If you connect this dot to this blade of grass, it makes an “L”
which obviously means that Luke pushed Summer off the bluff. 

Luke and Lucky would be crushed to learn that Stefan returned to help Nico save the family fortune and not to control comatose Laura.  Apparently, it’s beyond their comprehension that a Cassadine could entertain ideas and activities not connected with the Spencer’s.  Maybe Dr. Cam can help Lucky understand this revelation since he seems to be following him around now.  Why did he show up on Spoon Island to tell Lucky it’s not his fault that Luke’s obsessed and how did he know where Lucky was?   

I have two comments regarding Stefan.  First, his reiteration to Scotty of Luke’s preoccupation with Laura underscored his own obsession with Laura.  He had to know where Nicholas and Lucky had moved Laura and then he had to make sure that Lucky knew he’d discovered her whereabouts.  Second, where is the love?  No matter how dysfunctional and arrogant Stefan became previously his love for Prince Nik shined through.  I’m not feelin’ any warm fuzzies from him so far. 

Lydia had my attention until the end.  Her routine of poor little rich girl taken advantage of by powerful Stefan and being forced to marry Nicholas was believable.  Though I guessed as soon as Stefan slapped her that it was a set up.  She played it well and even tugged at my sympathy until she rolled her head on Nicholas’ shoulder and looked at him with the puppy dog eyes.  Overkill.  And I love how Nicholas has maintained his distance with his expressions and excusing himself to attend to his other duties, like Emily.  Lydia’s going to have to work hard to climb over Nik’s wall of suspicion and indifference.

“Oh, handsome Prince Nik, please save me from evil Stefan.
I see you are looking down my dress.  Can you feel the wuv?” 

On Friday, Lucky hid among the rocks listening to Stefan and Lydia’s conversation.  He discovered the same spot where Darius hid the night of Summer’s death.  Perhaps hiding among boulders is a previously unmentioned Spencer specialty.   

Ollie, ollie, outs ‘n free. 

What a welcome relief to see Alexis walking, talking, and dressing like Alexis on Monday and Tuesday.  The tough smart woman I love to watch showed up to perform damage control because another poor sucker took a dive on Spoon Island.  I keep waiting for her to make a mistake such as forgetting to remove one eyebrow when switching from Dobson to Alexis. 

Look who came to dinner?  The real deal. 

My favorite lines this week this week were spoken by Faith.  She defended Ric to Sonny saying, “Well, he may be your brother but you sure as hell don’t know him.  He is smart, and complicated, and capable of more than you ever dreamed of.  He’s thoughtful and passionate and fiercely protective of the people he cares about.  He deserves your respect.”  Sonny and Courtney gazed at her like she had spinach in her teeth or a zipper unzipped.  Way to play your hand Faith.  Let Sonny and Courtney see your loyalties and attachments. 

Sonny and Courtney try to make sense of the alien called Faith. 

My recommendation to Carly is to sign up for a sleep defense class.  What’s that you ask?  That’s when she learns to wake up swinging to prevent men from restraining her as she awakes.  Ric loomed over her holding her arms down as she realized she’d been kidnapped.  He pinned her again in the doctor’s office and then the doctor held her down as he lyingly reassured her that he’d call Sonny.  The wake up one, two punch might be hard on Sonny when Carly finally comes home, but for Carly’s peace of mind she needs to break this pattern. 

Carly really needs to learn how to throw a punch! 

When the fallout finally happens and Carly gets free of the maternity cell, Ric’s a goner.  One life lesson he obviously hasn’t learned is not to tick off a pregnant woman.  Carly’s stuck in a room with monitors for company compelled to witness Ric and Liz’s couch festivities and no magazines or books to read.  In addition, he’s committing the major sin of forcing Carly wear ugly clothes.  He’s gonna get it and I’m betting Carly’s the one who will think up an appropriate punishment like being chained to a bed and having to watch alternating Martha Stewart shows and Fashion Updates.  Yep, Ric your lifespan isn’t looking good, because it doesn’t pay to torment a mama to be.

Nothing to do but lay around in ugly clothes and watch the monitor. 

Courtney has endured a lot since hitting P.C.  She’s traveled a rocky path but the writer’s nailed the four-way relationship between Sonny, Carly, Jason and Courtney by allowing Sonny to finally offer his blessing to Courtney and Jason and by making Carly and Courtney friends.  So how does Courtney fit in the fearsome foursome?  She’s the babysitter, of course.  When Sonny’s in trouble, Jason asks Courtney to sit with Carly and keep her calm.  Now that Carly’s disappeared and Michael’s traumatized, Courtney spends her time babysitting Michael.  When Michael and Leticia left for the island, Courtney babysat Sonny trying to moderate between Sonny and Faith.  I’m glad to see she’s discovered her special niche.  It’s not like she works, wants to work, or has any stated concrete ambitions in life. 

Don’t you think Leticia could write the best Nanny Diary ever?  She could write and tell but then she’d probably have to kill whoever reads it. 

The odd part of the FBI’s deal with Sonny is their request that Sonny allow them to plant “one of their people” his organization.  Are we to believe that “one of their people” is Faith?  No way!

Does this face say FBI to you? 

Did any one else notice that Ned swept Skye off her feet and carried her upstairs on Monday implying a romp in the sheets and they haven’t been seen since?  Now that’s an affair to remember! 

Tears anyone?  I welled up as Emily walked into the Cancer Survivor’s Group and declared up front that she doesn’t belong there because she’s going to die.  As the women discussed their trials and experiences with breast cancer Emily shredded a Styrofoam cup trying to wear a politely interested face and barely hanging on to her composure.  I hurt for her and realized that this could be tough to watch.  

Nico uses the emotional blackmail card and Emily plays the I’m gonna die card.
I pulled out a tissue. 

GHH2 reports that Faith throws herself first at Sonny and then at Alcazar.  Sonny scares the heck outta Faith then he sics her on Alcazar.  Good stuff ahead!  Faith and Alcazar could be a deadly team and we know that Faith will sell out Sonny and the Feds in a heartbeat for a powerful good looking dope dealer.  Should Lorenzo be warned about Faith’s penchant for poisoning? 

Also at GHH2 - 7/11 Liz gets an unpleasant surprise when she finds both the panic room…and Carly.  Scott’s interference prevents Jason from seeing her make the discovery via the spycam.  Liz keeps a secret only as long as it takes her to find someone to tell.  I hope she tells Jason or sets Carly free and Carly of the vituperative mouth owes the waitress she despises.  I’m excited to see how this unfolds.  

One spoiler says that Alcazar hires Dillon.  I guess since he’s already tried dealing drugs to teenagers, hiring Dillon isn’t too low for him.  Lorenzo better watch out for the Q’s because the whole clan will rise up against him if another of their cubs slips over to the MOB dark side.  

The scent of charcoal or wood beginning to burn starts the process of the all day hunger.  BBQ in Texas is serious business that on a holiday like the 4^th of July begins early in the morning.  Pits will proudly smoke throughout my neighborhood as guys stand around checking meat and holding the weight of actual food preparation on their manly shoulders.  Yes, it’s serious business as they wander from backyard to driveway checking cooking techniques, flavorings, heating tools (charcoal, wood or a mixture of both), and cooking time.  Women gather to chat, wander inside to fix potato salad, pasta salad, fruit salad, pie, cake, etc., and then regather outside in a flexible, mobile socializing chatfest.  Children from two to twenty play basketball in driveways, baseball in the street, ride bikes, seek any form of water to play with, and wait impatiently for dark, fireworks and sparklers.  It’s a relaxing, inexpensive, eating, low stress holiday.  And I’ll be in the middle of it until 2:00 p.m. when General Hospital airs.  Then for one hour, I’ll step into my imagination as I soak in the drama.  Have a great week everyone.  Thanks for reading. 

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

No matter how you pass the 4^th of July, I hope you’ll pause a moment

to appreciate the wonder that is the United States of America.