"Daddy hates it when I'm emotional. He always says there's no reason for sadness. Daddy's had a long life, a good life, a life filled with laughter, adventure, happiness...a life filled with love, good fortune, friends, and family, though not without pain, loss, sadness, or regret. He wouldn't change a thing and if this is his time, he's gonna be reunited with the woman he loves." -- Tracy Quartermaine
Those poignant words were spoken during what turned out to be John Ingle's last appearance on General Hospital, when Tracy explained to Patrick why Edward had chosen to give the last dose of life-saving antiserum to Emma. I remember being choked up with emotion as I watched Edward sitting in his wheelchair, wearing that jaunty ascot cap, which had become as much a part of him as his devilish smile, while giving Patrick the thumbs-up.
I will forever carry that image of John Ingle in my heart, because it captured the essence of Mr. Ingle, as well as Edward. His body might have been frail, but his spirit clearly was not.
I have no idea what they plan to do with the role of Edward, and I have no desire to speculate at this time. This is our period of mourning for the actor, who became a part of our lives in 1993. There were others who had played Edward, but John Ingle was the only one who had owned the role. So much so, that when Jed Allen stepped in for a couple of years in 2004, I just couldn't accept him.
There was something so endearing about the way that John Ingle played Edward, that even when Edward did the most outrageous things, which he often did, you couldn't help but smile. He was deliciously dastardly, but utterly charming. That dangerous combination gave us countless hours of entertainment and some pretty memorable storylines and scenes.
I had the honor of being a guest this week on Soap Central Live's tribute to John Ingle, along with Tamilu, so please be sure to check it out. Dan had some wonderful clips of John Ingle's performances.
It's really sad that Mr. Ingle won't be around for Sean Kanan's return, because the Quartermaines are finally getting their spotlight back. Yes, Steve Burton is leaving, but Jason pretty much cut ties with the Quartermaines long ago, when he went to work for Sonny, so even though he's technically a Quartermaine, he hadn't been a part of their lives in decades.
I admit that I'm not really sad to see Jason leave. I used to love Jason, but lately not so much. I hate how he sends Liz mixed signals, by kissing her one minute and then pushing her away the next. I hate how he leaves it to Sam to make all the decisions about their marriage, yet continues to keeps his nose firmly planted in all of her business.
I also hate that Jason is the one who is figuring out that Sam's baby is alive, instead of Sam being the one to put the pieces together. This is the 21st century, folks. Women don't need knights in shining armor anymore, because they are perfectly capable of picking up the sword themselves and slaying the dragon on their own.
I see where this is headed. Jason is going to reunite Sam with her son, so she is going to once again fall under his spell, only to lose him yet again, leaving her with a broken heart and in need of succor and solace from John. Meanwhile, Liz is going to be nursing a similar broken heart, because she, too, got sucked back into the vortex that is Jason Morgan.
My only consolation is that I actually like Sam with John, and Liz will be free to explore an interesting relationship when Sean arrives as A.J. Quartermaine. I know some would argue that it's wrong to pair her with yet another brother, but let's remember that there are only so many possibilities for pairings on a soap with a limited cast. That's why Sam, Carly, Alexis, and Monica have all been paired with brothers at one time or another.
There is little doubt in my mind that Sean will be returning as A.J., because that's who he played in the past, and A.J.'s return would have a much greater impact on the people of Port Charles than the appearance of some Joe Schmo. How will they explain A.J.'s return from the dead? Easy; he wasn't really smothered to death by Dr. Feelgood. It was all an elaborate ruse designed to spare A.J. from having to face charges for kidnapping and attempted murder.
I'd rather see Liz with A.J. than Patrick, because I like the friendship between Liz and Patrick. Besides, I suspect that Patrick is going to have his hands full with Britt, the evil troll-bitch doctor who has set her sights on him.
How does Patrick keep attracting these crazy stalker-like women? I couldn't understand why Patrick didn't tell Britt to pound salt when she decided that any old person would suffice to watch over precious little Emma, while Britt sank her claws into Patrick over dinner and bowling. It's just good fortune that the person that Britt picked was Sabrina, the awkward young nurse whom Britt has taken to bullying by piling oodles of work on.
I liked Sabrina instantly. I think it's because she bears an uncanny resemblance to Anne Hathaway's character Mia Thermopolis in The Princess Diaries, both in appearance and personality. This storyline might be predictable, but I'm a sucker for it anyway. My only concern, though, is that Patrick might be a little too old for Sabrina. I hope that she turns out to be older than she looks, because it would be creepy to think of Patrick falling for a teenager.
This week heralded the return of Anna. I have no idea where she was, but she seems to be focused on finding Heather. I'm not sure why, because one would think that it was more important to make sure that Jerry is really dead, given his history of faking his death. Yes, Heather is dangerous, but Jerry is a bigger threat to a greater number of people.
I find Jax's claim that he had spent the night hanging onto a piece of debris from the boat that blew up in the marina, and then swimming to shore at the break of dawn, highly suspicious. If Jax had been floating around in the water for hours, then why was his suit bone dry and his skin smooth, not wrinkled like a prune, when he appeared at the hospital? Inquiring minds want to know, but not Anna's.
I suspect that Anna hasn't quite closed the case on Robin. It would make sense, since I'm fairly certain that Ian Buchanan didn't return for one measly appearance as Duke Lavery.
Meanwhile, Heather scored points with me when she tried to decide whether to start a new life in Corinth, Pigeon Hollow, or Pine Valley with the baby who now has more names than a royal prince. I love the ongoing nods to ABC's rich soap opera history. Now, if we can just get one of those soaps back on the air, instead of these mundane talk shows.
I confess that I watched an episode of Katie, to see for myself if it had the potential to be a success. I tuned in on the day that she interviewed E.L. James, who wrote that Fifty Shades series, but I was not at all impressed. Perhaps, in time, Katie will get comfortable as a television host, but the truth is, I'm not really interested in another talk show. Judging by the initial ratings for Katie, neither are many other daytime viewers.
Moving on, I was relieved that Tracy decided not to take Joe back. Yes, there is an undeniable chemistry there, but Joe is a pig. The difference between Joe versus guys like Todd and Luke, who had also raped women, is that Todd and Luke took responsibility for what they did and showed genuine remorse. Joe doesn't appear to be the least bit sorry, and he still blames Kate for what happened that night. There is no doubt in my mind that Kate was raped, because those flashbacks that we saw, combined with the terror in her eyes as she remembered that night, were genuine.
I'd rather Tracy be available for Luke, when he returns, than to see Tracy saddled with a guy who blames his victim and shamelessly uses his son without one smidgen of concern about the position that he's putting Trey in. Joe has no remorse for what he has done to anyone, including John's sister, whom he murdered in cold blood.
I despised Trey when he first hit our screens, but this week, my heart bled for him as Connie tore into him so cruelly, calling him a bastard son and a little worm. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to hear your mother tell you that, if it weren't for Catholic guilt and a priest sermonizing, you wouldn't have made it out of her womb alive, and then brag that she could have put you in a dumpster rather than abandon you in a dresser drawer at a low-rent boarding house. How Sonny couldn't see the tears in Trey's eyes and hear the pain in his voice is beyond me.
Honestly, I don't think that Trey deserves to be stuck with an idiot wife like Kristina. Please, Cartini, put me out of my misery and send Kristina back to Yale. I implore you, because it's just too painful to watch her. The character and the actress are a hot mess. I said it before, and I'll say it again, not every actor is cut out for daytime television. Ms. Morgan is one such example.
Finally, there's the Johnny/Carly/Todd triangle going on. I'm not thrilled with the idea of Todd hooking up with Carly, but I can't really see him with any other lady currently on the canvas either. Carly's relationship with Johnny has run its course. It's become repetitive. Carly expects honesty, a joke given that she has a tendency to lie like a rug, and Johnny is always keeping things from her. It's time to put a fork in this relationship, because it is done.
Now that Kirsten Storms is back, I wouldn't mind seeing Johnny and Maxie explored. I know that Spinelli and Maxie have a lot of fans, but I like this new, more mature, version of Spinelli, so it would be nice to see him end up with someone a little more grounded than Maxie. Sabrina immediately springs to mind, or even that lab tech that he met last week.
My fear is that if Spinelli and Maxie end up back together, they will revert to their old childish antics. Let them be friends for now and have relationships with other people. If they find their way back to each other after that, then I would be open to it. However, right now, I just feel that it would be too easy for them to fall back into their old patterns.
And please remember to tune in to watch General Hospital in its new time slot, which started Monday, September 10, at 2:00 p.m. ET/1:00 p.m. PT/CT
