Oh, Suzanne, why did she bring a knife to a gunfight? We all know Suzanne has mad skills with that switchblade that she used to dissect Brenda's wedding dress and Theo's jugular. But taking on Port Charles' biggest mobster, and an armed cop, with only a knife, is ridiculous, even for her. Who does she think she is, Luke Spencer?
There's a fine line between justice and vengeance. If you don't believe me, just check out any newspaper or political talk show from the last week, as the media dissects and debates the killing of Osama Bin Laden, questioning whether he should have been killed or brought to trial. As the gunshot fired at the end of Friday's show, I was left wondering if justice would be served if Suzanne was killed and if it really was the end for Suzanne? I sure hope not. (Ducking for cover.) Let me explain.
Ripping a child away from the only parental figure he's known in his life is difficult to watch. Yes, I know Brenda is Alec's mother, and she deserves to be reunited with her son, but I can't help but look at things from the little boy's perspective. It has to be brutal. And sorry, Sonny, no matter how wonderful you think Carly is with children, hustling the boy off to the car while you kill the only parent he's ever known, doesn't make this go down any easier.
I'm glad Suzanne was found, so Brenda can finally reunite with Alec. But, I also hope that Suzanne isn't killed or totally removed from the little boy's life. Yes, it would probably be justice, considering she snatched Brenda's child when he was a baby. But, as Suzanne tearfully explained to the Three Musketeers, as they surrounded her with guns, she was trying to protect her grandchild from a life of mob violence, because she failed to protect her son, Alexander, and his fate was sealed six feet under in the pine bluff woods.
Part of me understands what a parent will do to protect a child or a grandchild. I wouldn't want my son growing up in the Port Charles mob either. Even with all of Sonny and Jason's proclamations about keeping their families safe from the violence, we all know they don't and can't.
My heart is breaking for Brenda and for Alec, and yes, even for Suzanne, as she may or may not get to watch her grandchild grow up in Sonny Corinthos' world. Is it justice? Is it vengeance? I'm not sure. But I do know that this is not a black and white storyline, when I feel sympathy for the bad guy (or the knife-packing Granny, as it is in this case.)
Meanwhile:
Poor Spinelli, Jason's leather jacket gets more respect. Sonny Corinthos is a bully, and I can be silent no longer. I knew that Sonny was a tormenter years ago, when he had AJ dangling from a meat hook in a freezer, but as time passed I had forgotten. Sonny's constant degradation of Spinelli irks me. The kid breaks the law every day, saving Sonny's kids, wives, and co-workers, but Sonny treats him like he's useless. Sonny's awkward disdain of Spinelli, at first, was humorous, but it's crossed the line these days to rude and cruel. I'm hoping one of these days Spinelli will have had enough and tell "Mr. Sir" to shove his so-called job. Or maybe Spinelli could just get creative with Sonny's bank accounts. Living well is the best revenge!
Oh, no, he didn't! Jason Morgan needs a time out. When he stopped Jax from taking his daughter home from the hospital, I'd had enough. I haven't felt that kind of disgust toward Jason since he turned his back on the Quartermaines and kept Michael from AJ. Jax, please lay Jason out, if he doesn't step aside. I know Jax doesn't get the upper hand in many fights in this town that worships mobsters, but this is one fight Jax deserves to win.
Who's with me in telling Liz that she needs to get a mail drawer? Leaving important documents, like a DNA test, lying on your coffee table is just asking for trouble. At this rate, the Port Charles local news is going to know that Aiden is Lucky's son, before either Lucky or Nikolas. I don't get why she isn't telling them. Yes, her judgment is skewed lately, due to the death of her son. But, when Maxie and Siobhan both know Aiden's paternity, it's inevitable it will come out.
Is anyone else getting whiplash from the writing of Sonny's love life? A few weeks ago, all everyone could talk about was how Sonny and Brenda were soul mates and that they always end up together in the end. Fast forward to this week, and now everyone is talking about how Sonny and Carly have an unbreakable bond and always turn to one another. Are the writers switching gears and setting us up to phase out Brenda and phase in Carly back into Sonny's life? It sure seems that way.
And if that isn't startling enough, how about the comment from Liz this week that Josslyn looks so much like Jake, with her blue eyes and blonde hair. Are the show runners setting this up to play out that Jason is really Josslyn's father? That would make sense on some level, since Jake's kidney was a perfect match for Josslyn, right? And if Jax wasn't her father, could he really be the father of Brenda's son? No, they wouldn't do that, would they? I feel like I'm in a Dr. Seuss book, where up is down and down is up. Perhaps I'm reading too much into a few simple comments and looking for anvils where they don't exist. Am I totally nuts, here, Scoopers, or did Liz's comment spark curiosity and confusion in anyone else?
Thank you, writers, for finally giving us some quality Liz and Lucky, and Liz and Jason, scenes about the death of their son. More please! I forgot how much I enjoy these pairings. Siobhan, I wouldn't pick out your wedding china just yet, and Sam, you may want to hold off on decorating a nursery.
Lisa just gets crazier and crazier, as the weeks go by. It looks like she's now planning to kill Robin with a home gas leak and frame Patrick for the murder. Has Lisa been watching too much Castle? Lisa can't possibly get away with this, can she? I'm hoping this is the end of the road for this character. I've had enough.
I love it when Maxie gets a love interest, but I'm just not feeling her and the good doctor. I do, however, think she has some crazy chemistry with Lucky. (Please don't send me hate mail. It's only my opinion!)
I've mentioned this before, but it warrants a second comment. Jason seems more like Michael's father than Sonny does, and I find it odd. I'm not complaining, because Jason is Michael's blood uncle, but I do find it strange that whenever Carly or Michael need help with their problem-of-the-week, they both turn to Jason, instead of Sonny. I hope Jason at least gets something for Father's Day this year, considering all he has done for Michael and Carly's kids. I'm sure he could use some new black t-shirts.
I really love the parallelisms of this Michael/Johnny story. Johnny commented that watching Michael try to find his place in a mob family was "like looking in a mirror." Call me crazy, but I would love it if Michael and Johnny got to be good friends. I don't think for one minute that Johnny is trying to hurt Michael and Abby. I'm certain that Anthony is the one behind that crazy plot.
I sure hope Kristina gets more of a storyline soon. I think the possibility of her failing to get into Yale and having to stay in Port Charles and attend a local college will be fascinating to watch. Not living up to your parents' expectations, and acting out because of it, always makes for interesting character study.
Well, thanks, GH. I loved Shawn when he first hit town, but now I can barely stomach him. His anger and disrespect toward Jax, who is just trying to protect his daughter from the mob, is making me crazy. This is no way to make me like a new character.
If I were Brenda, I'd be furious with Sonny, too. There is no excuse for not telling her where he was going and what was happening with her son. Then, taking his ex-wife -- who hates Brenda -- with him was just cold. I think Sonny is missing that infamous Brad Pitt sensitivity chip, too. Brenda signed up for this kind of life, full of secrets and lies with Sonny, but now that she's in it, maybe she'll finally get a clue.
Thanks to all of you who chimed in with comments about the Nielsen ratings measurement system. The one thing we all agreed on was that those of us who DVR our soaps should be counted, too, if we're watching the shows within one week of taping them.
Also, for those of you confused as to why I'm writing this column. No, I have not replaced Tamilu. I only write the column every other week. Thank you for your warm welcome and kind comments, well, except for the one guy.
The Emmy nominations were announced this week, and I'm thrilled for all of GH's nominees, especially Nancy Lee Grahn, Lexi Ainsworth, and Chad Duell. I thought they all did remarkable work during the domestic violence and rape storylines, respectively. And as the former writer for the ATWT Two Scoops column, I have to give a congratulatory shoutout to Michael Park and Colleen Zenk for their nominations, too. Although, I was sad to see that Eric Sheffer Stevens didn't make the list. His Reid Oliver was one of the best characters to hit daytime in years.
(Anthony sees Abby's picture in the paper for her murder charge and tells Johnny about it.)
Anthony: "That Abby is some looker, huh? Of course, she'd have to be. Who wants to watch an ugly stripper?"
(Brenda screams at Sonny, Spinelli, and Dante, distraught over their methods to find her son.)
Spinelli: "She has quite the capacity for fury."
What happened to all the spunky, tough, individual women characters in Port Charles? Brenda, Liz, Sam, Lulu (she was a pain, but at least she was tough). I've been watching the show since the mid -'90s. These characters used to be so independent and tough and cool. Now they cry and hide what they really feel. I think that's why I like Siobhan. She says what's on her mind. Thanks for reading. Awesome insights! ---- Jen from Brookfield, IL
The Nielsen method does measure your viewing habits. The families selected are scientifically matched to a representative cross section of the country. They take a lot of care to make sure that their samples are diverse so that they get an accurate result. I do agree however that they need to fix how they sample in DVR viewing. I'm one of the many people who catches up on their TV shows over the weekend, so I'm disappointed to learn that they haven't incorporated that into their surveys yet. --- Kevin
Regarding ratings, even though you have never been a Nielsen family (neither have I), that doesn't mean Nielsen ratings are not valid. In fact, they are even more accurate than they were 10-15 years ago, due to advances in analytical data. The statistical sampling of the Nielsen ratings is accurate to a plus/minus degree of 3. It's similar to political polling. And I think if there were a device that monitored people's TV viewing 24/7 you'd hear a lot of squawking about invasion of privacy. (And I'm second in line behind you to smack Michael. Then I want to smack Brenda, then the writers for completely ignoring that there was once a MAJOR character named Bobbie Spencer and now it's as though she never existed, even though her brother, daughter, nieces, nephews and grandchildren are still major characters on GH.) ---- Linda
