Sometimes you love someone completely but find the love weighs heavy because the situation seems impossible. The planets never quite align, a dizzying list of circumstances stand between you, obligations have you imprisoned; miscommunications and crossed signals send your heart into despair.
But the heart loves who it loves. What is, is. Years can pass. Miles can separate. But in your quietest moments, your heart is always with that person, lingering in the promise of a love so true and powerful that nothing could ever hope to extinguish the flame.
Sonny and Brenda have such a love. They have tried to make a relationship work and failed many times, and yet they can never quite put their love to rest and move on. They have been married to other people; they live on different continents. There is a whole list of reasons why they haven't been able to make thing work, but bottom line -- Sonny loves Brenda and always will. Brenda loves Sonny and always will. No one can fill that space in their souls that belongs to one another.
This past week as their paths crossed again -- which of course is not as random as it sounds because in order for their paths to cross, Sonny had to cross the ocean -- it was clear as soon as their eyes met that they were where they wanted to be. I think that kind of love is like a power source -- the batteries of your heart have drained and the only thing to revive you is to plug into that beautiful and magical life-giving power source.
Readers, did you see "the look?" The instant their eyes first met? It was sensational viewing. It took my breath away. Do you remember how that feels? Seeing someone you love appear unexpectedly before you lifts your heart and you get the feeling you might just spontaneously lift off the ground and go airborne?
But, this being General Hospital, guns were firing before they even got to have a decent conversation, and they were on the run from mobsters about twelve seconds into their grand reunion. Sonny said a line meant to amuse, but I swear it made me cry because I am a giant girly sap: "Looks like I finally got the timing right."
When they finally escaped the thugs, Brenda asked Sonny point-blank why he had come to Rome, and he said, "I had to come to Rome just to know what it would feel like to see you again." Their banter still sizzles. I could watch an entire hour show with just the two of them talking.
I am eating up those flashback scenes. I can't get the scene that aired last week out of my head, where Brenda said to Sonny when they thought they were going to die: "You know, of everything that's ever happened in my life, your love was the best. I couldn't let go of it even when I wanted to. It's the strongest thing in my life."
The conversation that transpired between them this week was equally powerful. Sonny launched into a brutally transparent confession to Brenda, detailing all of his crimes and sins. That really got to me. It was as if he'd been holding everything inside, just waiting to see her again. There are some things you can only tell to the person that loves you unconditionally. There are some things you can only divulge to someone who can know every rotten thing about you and still look at you with love in their eyes.
As a single tear rolled down his cheek, he confessed to Brenda that he had tried to kill Johnny with a car bomb the same way his first wife Lily died. He looked at her with shame and remorse in his eyes, but also... hope. "Do you regret being with me now?" he asked, and without a beat, she said "No, I don't," with such love in her eyes, it seemed like his darkest sin made her love him even more, instead of scaring her off. Wow.
Sonny wasn't alone in his confessions. Brenda confessed some things of her own. She said to Sonny "I know why you left me." She said she would have given up anything and done anything to stay with him, but he knew it would cost her to love him so he gave her up "for her own good." Dear everyone who is contemplating such a choice -- Stop it. Seriously. If someone loves you, let them love you. Life's too short to make such a ridiculous sacrifice when the other person doesn't want to be protected from you.
Before they parted, Brenda stopped and surveyed the room. I wept openly as she did that. I understood that scene completely; it was an "I want to remember every square inch of the place I was last with Him," moment. She was etching their encounter in her memory for posterity. *Sigh.*
They said their goodbyes and he left her standing along in the garden, in the rain just as he had done before. And without any bodyguards the night after someone had tried to kidnap her. How unlike him! Seriously, why hasn't he sent Max or Milo to tail her already!
If you can't tell, I seriously love this couple. (Or should I say Super Couple?) For years, I have watched them try desperately to be happy, and for years they have failed. One thing or another always got between them and the Big Scary Love they share. So, was Sonny correct? Is the timing finally right?
That remains to be seen. After all, Sonny is about to be tried for attempted murder unless Dante and Jason can find the proof that he acted in self-defense. The video I saw the guy play for them on Friday wasn't all that clear on my TV screen. Readers, could you see Johnny's gun in that clip? Not to mention that the mysterious "Balkan" is out to kill Brenda, because apparently spokesmodels are ever so threatening. Frankly. I liked this new villain better when I thought they were calling him "the Vulcan."
Speaking of the Balkan, it appears he had an Irish hit man as an acquaintance, who was a doppelganger for Lucky Spencer, which means Jonathan Jackson can dust off his Lucky Charms accent again. As you may recall, that accent wasn't even good enough to fool the Cassadine bodyguards at Helena's palace of doom, much less a savvy international gangster or Interpol. But, I like to see Lucky getting a storyline that doesn't involve him mooning over Elizabeth and might pair him with his scallywag father, Luke.
You know which storyline is driving me insane right now? The Lisa Niles debacle. Do you know why? Because it's so true to life. No seriously, it is. There are crazy people who pass themselves off as sane every day. I once had an encounter with a Lisa-esque woman. She had the whole world convinced she was totally normal and was going through a horrible situation. She had churches praying for her, people donating things to her, a community who rallied around to support her -- and when it all came down, she had made the whole thing up.
It was stunning. She seemed like a nice normal lady, but she was, in fact, an insane compulsive liar. So when I see Lisa looking like the sane person while Robin comes off as the basket case, it sends chills up my spine. When Robin slugged her in the face, it made me love Robin in a way I haven't loved her in years.
I was also moved by Robin and Mac's heart-to-heart talk about disillusionment and trust -- a very sweet scene that gave a nod to the history of both characters. On a side note, I hope they revisit the Mac/Alexis budding romance one of these days if they can squeeze them into all the shootouts.
Hey, readers, have any of you seen My Fair Lady? Of course you have. So, is Nikolas doing a good Henry Higgins to Brook Lynn's Eliza Doolittle? Nikolas trying to teach Brook Lynn etiquette is hilarious. Maybe Pretty Woman can come to Port Charles and show Brook how not to fling a snail across the room. In my humble opinion, this is just a time killer while Rebecca Herbst is on maternity leave. I'd rather see Brook duke it out with Olivia for Johnny Z. But, I'm keeping an open mind; I guess it could be fun.
The best line of the week was when Lulu launched into her diatribe to Nikolas about Brook and asked Brooke if her "job hooking for Carly hadn't panned out." Ha!
Spinelli needs a new love interest, but it needs to be a Georgie type of girl instead of a Winifred. Spinelli is such a unique personality that you need a somewhat normal person to balance him out. Maxie showed up all in yellow and told Spinelli that he showed her "what real love is" and then promptly flounced across the hospital lobby to flirt with Matt in front of him. I love Maxie but she's just so self-absorbed!
Michael had a live one on the line this week, a very skinny friend of Kristina who apparently never ate a cookie in her life who thought that Michael's prison ankle monitor was cool. But, Michael is damaged and unable to accept advances from babes at this point in time. The therapists in Port Charles could make a lovely living just treating Sonny Corinthos and his extended family and "business associates."
But the impromptu therapy between Spinelli and Michael was very sweet as they both shared their self-loathing with one another. I wanted to hug them both.
What will happen tomorrow, dear readers? Will we find out why Dante was wearing the symbol of Isis around his neck? Will Sam eavesdrop on more conversations, trying to overhear nice things about herself, since Jason isn't much for pillow talk? Will Lisa boil Robin's HIV meds or take Emma out for Slurpees? Will Alexis reminisce about her almost wedding to Ned now that Brook Lynn brought up the Runaway Bride incident? Will Ronan O'Reilly forget and talk like an American mid-scam like Costner's in and out British accent in Robin Hood? Will Lulu give Austin Powers his groovy shirt back? Will the PCPD start charging meeting room rates for the Interrogation Room?
