Dear Readers, I've been writing about GH for over a decade, and there are certain scenes that really hit a nerve with viewers, and my mailbox and Twitter feed fill up with Very. Strong. Opinions.
This week, the thing that got all of Soapdom in an uproar was Liz finding out the secret that Jake was Jason and not telling anyone. You were maddened and infuriated! You Liz-bashed into the wee hours of the morning. You were incensed!
But, at the risk of having you hate me forever, I am going to admit, I understand Liz perfectly.
First, I can't even begin to discuss these scenes without saying that Rebecca Herbst was solid gold this week, and she should take the scenes she had with Nikolas and submit them for Emmy consideration. It's the most powerful work she has done in ages. Not because she isn't capable of doing it every day, but because they just don't write those scenes for her every day. She gave a powerhouse performance, and her dilemma tugged at my heart.
Review your life. Think about that one guy that you were completely wild about. The one who was beyond any doubt The One. The man in whose arms you happily would have died. Did you marry him? Or was there some reason the two of you couldn't be together, or a reason it didn't work out? Okay, do you have that picture in your mind? Do you feel that ache and longing in your heart? Good.
Now imagine if a circumstance fell into your lap whereby you could be with that person. Imagine if every obstacle was removed, every wall torn down, every barrier that kept the two of you apart vanished, and you could reach out and claim his as your own and live the life you had been dreaming of for twenty years.
Are you so holy, righteous, and good that you wouldn't take that chance and embrace the opportunity to have that love with both hands?
That's what Elizabeth did. She claimed the man she has loved for years and couldn't be with even though it was not the honorable thing to do.
Could you argue with her reasoning to Nikolas? She said, "Looking at all those people in the ballroom, it became very clear to me. Half this town lies and cheats and does horrible things to get what they want. And they succeed. They hurt people, and there are no consequences. And then there are people like Patrick and Sabrina, who are good and honest and are constantly made to suffer for it, just like me. I have tried doing the so-called right thing my entire life, and where did it get me? You know. You're the one who said it to me. I get the rug pulled out from under me again and again and again. But not this time. This time, I'm gonna do what I have to do to just be happy."
I know 2/3 of you will write me hate mail, but I have to side with Liz on this one. Is it terrible? Of course! But do I understand why she is doing it? I do. And I refuse to judge her.
It will probably all blow up in her face. Jake/Jason will finally get his memory back, remember who he is, remember he is married to Sam, and hate Liz for not telling him the truth. But for one brief, shining moment, she will get to live out her dream of being with Jason. That happiness, however brief, will probably be worth it to her when it all vanishes into the air. My only hope is that when they made love yesterday, she got pregnant and will at least have a new child to share with him.
Now, on to something less controversial. The GH cast is magnificently talented. My favorite thing about the Nurses Ball each year is getting to see the cast of GH sing and dance and showcase all their other myriad of skills. Teresa Castillo, ddy, Wally Kurth, Jason Thompson, Bradford Anderson, Brooklyn Rae Silzer, Finola Hughes -- or should I just list the whole cast? They are all amazingly gifted performers. I am a fan of song and dance, and am always wowed by how much talent resides in Port Charles. And special mention to Lynn Herring for being gorgeous in every freaking outfit she wears and whichever costume designer dressed her for the ball! Every number was a delight, but special kudos to Kathleen Gati for her rendition of "99 Luftballoons" and the pin she brought along to pop them all. That made me howl!
Handy tip... if your water breaks at a party, it turns out you can't really substitute a brain surgeon for an obstetrician. Olivia went into labor following the commotion of Julian confirming that what he has long suspected was true -- he's the baby's father. Olivia got herself all worked up, collapsed, and went into labor much too soon. The baby was born, but it hasn't cried yet. If this baby doesn't survive after all this drama about its paternity, I will be extremely displeased with the writers.
I know that Lisa Locicero is pregnant in real life, but if you have to write in her absence, have her take her healthy baby and go on the run with Ned to protect the baby from the mob rather than kill it. Please, I am begging you.
I am slightly disappointed that Courtney only returned as a ghost. I loved the scenes with her and Spencer and that she was the one who convinced him to take off his mask, but I wanted more than ten minutes of Courtney. Maybe this will open the door to more heavenly visits from Mom.
Speaking of surprise visits, wasn't it a delight to see Kelly Thiebaud show up at Brad's door? I was delighted that Britt returned to watch the Nurses Ball with her buddy Brad. They got to laugh at people tripping and eat ice cream, and she even managed to sneak into Wyndemere to persuade Spencer to go to the ball and be the Phantom of the Nurses Ball, which was hilarious.
I hope that her return isn't over yet. Although Nikolas has the blackmailing, conniving Hayden in his bed, I loved him with Britt, and I'd still like to see the two of them reconcile someday. I'm glad she got to at least have a scene with Mama Obrecht. And for the record, I don't think I'd ever hear anyone calling Faison "Papa".
Nikolas needs to make Alfred retire and hire someone new to work for him who will notice all these people sneaking into his castle. Shouldn't an actual prince have some sort of security, or a moat or something?
As for Hayden's blackmail, the one part of this story that falls short for me is that Nikolas has any interest at all in taking over ELQ. That doesn't ring true. He's a prince. He has money, he has power, and he's never cared about either of them. To have him now allow himself to be blackmailed just to hang on to ELQ makes no sense.
First, he's in love with Elizabeth, and if the secret came out that Jake was Jason, it would free Liz up for him to try again to woo her. Second, he is letting a woman who is a stranger, but certainly a criminal, live in his house with his child, which just seems dangerous.
Elizabeth is not in short supply of men who love her. I have to say I felt a little sorry for Ric. Everything he did was shady, and we knew he would get caught, yet when Carly publicly humiliated him by bringing Fake-Jake to the ball, I cringed a little on his behalf. It's bad enough when our sins are discovered, but 100 times worse when it's in front of the whole town! Carly came up with some reasons as to why she revealed the truth so brutally and publicly, but in the depths of my heart, I believe she did it for one reason: Panic Room Revenge.
In a happier public display of affection, sometimes you get to celebrate in front of the whole town instead, like Brad and Lucas did for their engagement! GH can play this storyline two ways: the safe way or the powerful way. I'm hoping they opt for the powerful way.
Right now in the U.S., there is a battle waging over gay marriage, the Supreme Court is set to rule, and the country is talking about it. Don't let this be a fluff piece, GH. Open the discussion in Port Charles. Let us see Brad and Lucas face the struggles that real same sex couples face when trying to marry. While same sex marriage is legal in New York, that doesn't mean they wouldn't face obstacles when trying to buy a cake or book a reception hall. I'm rooting for you to play this story out in a raw and meaningful way. Open up the dialogue. Soaps have the power to be groundbreaking, and GH has a long history of this, just as Robin and Stone brought the AIDS discussion to soap viewers across America and changed minds.
In other news of the heart, I am glad that Spinelli, Ellie, Maxie, and Nathan all swapped back to the right pairings. When Spinelli came back to town I was torn because of his and Maxie's deep, rich history. But shortly thereafter, I was rooting for everyone to go back to his or her correct match. I hope that Ellie and Spinelli will stick around town, mostly because I want Spinelli to be on hand when the Jake/Jason reveal happens. He knew from first sight that Jake was Stone Cold! Maxie and Nathan are so beautiful together. And after all, he did save her from Levi Dunkleman.
I know Jake has brain damage, but he seems to have common sense in spite of it. That is right up until he decided to pick up a gun he found next to a pool of blood. Seriously, what would possess a person to do that? If you walked out into your parking lot and saw a pool of blood and a gun, would you pick it up? Of course you wouldn't. But Jake made that fateful choice, and now he's being arrested for a crime he didn't commit.
Carlos committed the crime and went to Sabrina's door, seeking shelter. I swear to you, if you shoot someone, do not come to my house to bleed. I have a peephole, and I'd never even open the door. I'd call 9-1-1 and say, "Hey, there's some bloody guy I used to date on my doorstep. You should come and arrest him." I don't understand why Sabrina feels compelled to help her ex boyfriend out of his criminal jams all the time!
Oh, right -- that thing Elizabeth said way back at the beginning of this column: Sabrina is on this list of people in Port Charles who are always good, and kind, yet terrible things always happen to her to prevent her happiness.
Although it seems she is on the road to happiness with Michael. The two of them have connected in a real way and kissed a few times, and she even managed to get Carly's seal of approval, which is unheard of! My only worry is that Michael will soften, go back to NuKiki, and leave Sabrina alone again. I swear, BFF's Sabrina and Felix should just get married for the tax break.
Readers, is this really the end of Duke Lavery? I hope not. I know he's leaving the show. I know he's been shot, And yet, part of me hopes he lives and just flees town to keep Anna safe rather than killing him off. The scenes of Duke and Anna's new and old tango weaving back and forth between past and present were so beautiful.
Besides, I already got the news I've been dreading for ages: Tony Geary is retiring. I might have to get counseling when that happens. I am already writing him some giant weird fan girl love letter, which may pass as a future column. I've been watching GH since 1977, he joined in 1978, and the main thing that kept me tuning in all of these years was Tony. Will I quit watching when he leaves? No, of course not. GH is in my blood now. But the reason it's in my blood is because he mesmerized me for decades.
What will happen tomorrow, dear readers? Will Jordan make another Pillow Jordan the next time someone tries to kill her? Will everyone admit I was right when I called Bruce "Ensign Ricky"? Will Sloane let Anna know he's crushing on her once Duke is out of the picture? Will Olivia name her baby after the Jeromes or the Quatermaines -- maybe a combo name like "Victor Edward"? Will Lulu ask Valerie why she said she was a professional dancer but barely danced in the Haunted Starlets number? Will Lucy ever admit she digs being in her underwear in public? Will Magic Milo get to be on the show more than once a year? Will Mac and Felicia realize they weren't invited to the ball because everyone hates Mr. Marbles? Will Hayden, Britt, and Valerie have a catfight over Prince Nikolas?
Only tomorrow knows, dear readers, and I will tune in tomorrow as long as there are tomorrows.
Tamilu
What are your thoughts on General Hospital? What did you think of this week's Two Scoops? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
