Dear readers, I think we all have that one person in our lives that, no matter where we are or what we are doing, they show up, primarily uninvited, and insinuate themselves into our lives.
Everywhere Carly looks, there is Nina. Carly never had much use for Nina, even before Nixon Falls. Since Sonny's return from Nixon Falls, when Carly discovered Nina was singlehandedly responsible for Carly's entire family and half the town grieving for a man who wasn't dead, their animosity has grown.
Nina took Carly's husband. She works in Carly's hotel. Nina tried to access Wiley by painting Michael as an abusive murderer. Carly hates Nina with good reason.
But for whatever reason, Sonny has been endlessly mesmerized by Nina and has ignored her shenanigans, bringing pain and chaos to his family.
I think that may be about to change. When Nina bought Carly's half of the Metro Court this week, supposedly to give it back to Carly, I did not think Carly would receive her gesture well. And frankly, just like Carly, I didn't buy that Nina did it out of the goodness of her heart. Nina wanted something to get a crack in the door with her obsessions to see Wiley. If Carly accepted the hotel (and I honestly wish she had), Nina could go to Michael and Willow and say, "See, I saved Carly. Doesn't that buy me a ticket to play Legos with Wiley weekly?" She would have held it over the family for years to come.
Carly was too proud and perhaps too wise to fall for that deal, but now we must endure Nina terrorizing Olivia and the hotel staff. Maybe Nina bought Carly's half of the Metro Court to try to make peace with Carly, but after Carly rejected her offer, I can only imagine that Nina is staying out of spite. She said to Olivia, "I have a lot to learn about the hospitality industry. Can you train me?" Ugh. Puke. Next, she will probably change the name to the Metro Nina and put a giant billboard of her face in the lobby.
Perhaps Sonny is starting to see Nina for the selfish opportunist she is. I like seeing him mad at her. Perhaps, his hypnotic infatuation with her is starting to wane. At least, I hope so. I know some of you will want to fight me on that, but if you see a man alive who is supposed to be dead, and you don't tell his family but instead seduce him, doesn't that make you an opportunist? I think it does.
I pity Olivia, and I pity us as viewers because it seems we will have to endure rounds of catfights with Olivia and Nina fighting over hotel decisions. Olivia generously offered to buy Nina out at 5% over the rate she paid, and Nina declined within earshot of Sonny. He did not look pleased. I want Sonny to go OFF on Nina. I want him to say, "No wonder my son doesn't want you around his kid, you spiteful bitch!" and then throw a bottle of Merlot against the wall. Is it just me?
Okay, writers, you've had your fun with Carly; you took away her best friend Jason, her ex Jax, her husband Sonny, and the hotel and the job she cherished. Are you done kicking her around yet? I hope the scenes are coming where she rises like a phoenix from the ashes, all by herself, and emerges triumphant. Carly is still withholding the evidence that Nina is Willow's birth mother, and when she eventually must share it, there will be one hell of a soapy catfight. Carly is just as wrong to keep that info from Nina as Nina was to keep Sonny from his family. Carly should at least tell Willow the truth about her mother and let her decide if she wants to reach out to Nina or not.
The best part is that no matter how they write these scenes, Laura Wright will dazzle us with a powerful performance. She always does. I know some of you think she gets too much airtime. While I agree that sometimes the show seems out of balance and some characters don't get their time front and center often enough, I never, ever fast-forward when Laura Wright is on-screen. She consistently gives powerhouse performances; I understand why writers use her so often.
With that being said, Rebecca Herbst is also a fantastic actress, and she hasn't been on enough lately, so I hear your cries for more Liz, and I agree. There are many things I don't understand about how the writers storyboard and plot things out, but I keep watching, hoping they have something unique for her around the corner.
But let me tell you, if they rewrite history and make Jeff Webber a bad guy, I will be enraged. Liz had some adverse reactions to her kids talking to their grandparents, but Jeff Webber left town to go to Doctors Without Borders and save the world. He wasn't a fiend or a villain. He was fighting for a noble cause. If the writers decide to make him a creep who can't talk to his grandkids, I will be furious. Now, if Liz is just mad that he dumped her on her grandma 25 years ago and never came back, that I will understand.
Another thing I don't understand is the slow burn of Austin's storyline. I know that you, as my readers, are probably saying, "Oh, Lord, here she goes again." And I get it. But they killed off Franco and gave us Austin, and he barely has a storyline. Until this week when things started to get interesting. Who was on the other end of that phone? My best guess is that his dad, Jimmy Lee Holt, is not dead and has guided his son's actions since he got to town. But Austin hasn't obtained any Q fortune for Jimmy Lee, so what scheme does Jimmy Lee have up his sleeve? That is assuming I am right and it is Jimmy Lee on the phone. I suppose it could be anyone. Maybe he has a twin brother named Franco!
Due to all the preemptions, it was still the Fourth of July this week, and we got some great scenes of loving couples and fireworks, including Sam, in a gorgeous sparkly dress, and Dante watching fireworks from their bed. My husband and I lived in an apartment next to SeaWorld, and we could watch their fireworks show from our bedroom every night. When the first firework exploded, our little Jack Russell terrier would start barking like crazy and run up the stairs and onto our bed. The three of us would lie in bed and watch the fireworks show. I don't think Bushi liked the fireworks, but he did like us all being in bed together. That scene brought back some happy memories for me. I miss that dog.
With their own fireworks, Trina and Rory kissed under the light of the fireworks as Spencer watched in pain. But Trina explained to Rory that she couldn't even think about a relationship until her trial was over. Tabyana Ali has been doing a fantastic job with all the twists and turns of Trina's case. I was so proud of the GH writers this week for giving us scenes discussing the reality of racism in the justice system.
The scenes with Stella and Portia were so moving as Portia told Stella that she thinks she shielded Trina and didn't prepare her for what she was up against in life. Over the past couple of weeks, the news has highlighted the discrepancies in how people are treated. A black man in Ohio was shot at by cops 90 times over a supposed traffic stop gone wrong. A white man in Highland Park was casually arrested and put in handcuffs after slaughtering people at the Fourth of July parade.
The white suspect committed mass murder. The black suspect had a taillight out. This is not political. I am not making a grand statement about any political party, guns, or anything else. I am just pointing out that black suspects and white suspects are treated differently in our justice system, and the conversations that GH portrayed this week were justified, and I hope they make people think.
We all know that Trina is innocent. But if this were a real case and Trina walked into a courtroom almost anywhere in the USA, some people on the jury would automatically assume she was guilty before the lawyers presented a single piece of evidence. I am thankful to the GH writers for writing those conversations so realistically. The pain in Brook Kerr's eyes as she said those lines was gut-wrenching. She and Vernee Watson tore up that scene.
Trina tried to talk to Joss (the fantastic Eden McCoy) about the same thing. Joss is convinced that justice will prevail because she knows Trina is innocent. But Trina is trying to keep her expectations down and keeps telling Joss that she might actually be convicted.
I am anxious to see how this plays out. Will Esme confess her crimes in exchange for the fake DNA test that Spencer will dangle in front of her? Will the burner phone sleaze guy testify? And readers, I don't understand that one. Can't you buy single-use phones at Target and Amazon? I see prepaid telephones hanging on the wall in the electronics department at Walmart. I mean, why do we need a black-market phone dealer? I don't get it.
One of my favorite scenes this week was Esme seeing Sonny and feeling sheer terror. I am glad there is someone that Esme genuinely fears. I wish Sonny would kidnap her again and stare her down until she breaks.
Nicholas Chavez and Maurice Benard had a powerful scene where Spencer vowed to Sonny that he would never do anything to disappoint his uncle and sealed it by swearing on his mother Courtney's grave. Spencer has the best intentions, and I am anxiously awaiting the day Trina realizes Spencer has been working for her behind the scenes all along.
Readers, I must confess I abhor violence in real life. I am not a fan of criminals. But in a fantasy world, I love fictional soap mobsters. I have fantasized about having a mob friend like Sonny who would offer me his protection and keep me safe from anyone who was tormenting me. Think about someone who has made it their aim to terrorize you. Then imagine how amazing it would be if Sonny had one of his toadies pick them up and have a little talk with them: "Am I ever going to see you harassing Tamilu again?" and watch them shudder as Esme did at the mere glimpse of Sonny. I want to see Esme go down.
I am not mad that Scott got called out of town, because if Diane gets to take Esme down, it will be epic. I wish Diane was on a lot more. I know Alexis doesn't drink anymore, but can Diana and Alexis go drinking at a Kava bar or something? And if Diana doesn't take down Esme, I would love for it to be Ava, but I know that means Esme would tell Ava about Esme's affair with Nikolas and destroy Ava's life. But that's coming, anyway. I think Nikolas needs a visit from ghost Emily telling him to do the right thing and confess his sins.
Okay, readers, what is your take on Cody? Is he a bad guy or a good guy working undercover? Will he be a love match for Britt? Sam and Dante keep including him in their dates, so I want him to find another friend so Sam and Dante can get some alone time.
I am curious as to what is going on with the rotating Michaels. One day it's Robert Adamson; one day, it's Chad Duel, and then Robert again. Is Chad on vacation? Is he sick? Is he leaving? Are they screen-testing Robert Adamson to see if viewers like him better? What is going on? I know that Michael and Willow made Grandma Carly very happy this week when they announced to her that Willow is pregnant. They didn't tell Sonny, but he will find out soon enough. Will seeing Willow pregnant be the thing that propels him to make up with Michael?
Readers, you know I adore Valentin. Every day, I see my beloved Valentin trying so hard to be a better person. He almost poisoned Laura and then knocked the drink from her hand. Valentin saw a rooftop sniper and knocked her out of the gunman's way. Valentin is in too deep with Victor, trying to both help him and sabotage him in equal measure.
We still do not know what Victor's master plan is or what his evil scheme is that will impact the entire world. I want to see if Valentin or Victor burned down Great-Grandma Lesley's house in Italy. Why did they want Laura out of town? While Laura is in Italy, do you think she will fly over to Ireland and see Lucky? It's only a few hours away by plane and under $200, according to Google. Does Laura even remember her other son and her comatose daughter? I rarely hear her mention them. I think it's time for them to come home to help their mom with the impending Cassadine showdown.
Another showdown this week was Gladys and Brando trying to convince Sasha that she needed rehab, and she said, "No. No. No." Sasha still can't admit she's an addict. "I just needed a little help to deal with the stress last Tuesday when I got a run in my pantyhose." "I just needed a little help last month when I saw a Cabbage Patch Doll that reminded me of Liam." She has convinced herself that she has it all under control, and she clearly does not.
I enjoyed the scene when Sonny told Gladys that Mike would be proud of her. Gladys has gone from a gold-digging opportunist to a genuine mother to Sasha and excellent support for Brando and his family. Bonnie Burroughs gets all the credit for transforming Gladys from a background character into a main character, much as Kathleen Gati turned Liesl Obrecht from an evil villain into a beloved core character.
What will happen tomorrow, dear readers? Will Sam take it personally when Dante falls asleep during their dates? Will the Q horse kick Cody in the face and scare Leo? Will Spinelli stop focusing on his stupid dating site and get back to solving crimes? Will Laura bring Lesley home and have her move into Monica's house for a Port Charles version of The Golden Girls?
Will Drew get paid for babysitting for everyone? Will Curtis and Marshall open their own P.I. firm, since they both like sleuthing so much? Will Chase become a rock star and pitch a show to ABC called Cop Rock? (Oh, wait, that's been done.) Will the acting bug bite Tony Geary after his foray into web series, and will Luke track Laura down in Italy for one more adventure on the run with the old carpet bag?
Only tomorrow knows, dear readers, and I will tune in tomorrow as long as there are tomorrows.
Tamilu
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