Folks, I want to live in Port Charles because the dearly departed return with surprising frequency, and the ground is apparently made of soft feathery pillows.
Not too long ago, I likened Port Charles to the Mecca of the walking dead. That is truer than ever since the return of Robin because we now have at least seven people -- Jerry, Robert, Anna, Duke, Julian, A.J., and even Grandma Lesley -- wandering around town who were, at one time or another, officially declared dead.
To date, Katherine Bell and Anthony Zacchara each fell from Wyndemere's parapets and miraculously survived, Heather plummeted from the hospital's rooftop and lived to terrorize the good people of Port Chuck another day, and now Jerry Jacks has once again cheated certain death when he tumbled over the restaurant's balcony and fluttered safely to the ground with a little help from Carly's handy-dandy awning perched over an alleyway entrance.
Sometimes, it's those little extras that make you come back. Metro Court not only has life-saving awnings but a convenient helipad for that international terrorist who needs to check out in a hurry but doesn't have time to stop at the front desk.
Granted, Jerry sustained a few scrapes and bruises from his fall, but he was remarkably unscathed for a man who just fell several stories from a high-rise. It's a good thing for Jerry that Julian and Ava decided to investigate the loud thud from the alleyway and found Jerry before Luke did. That Jerry was well enough to decline an ambulance and crack a few jokes as Julian whisked Jerry off to a yacht was nothing short of miraculous.
At this point, I'm fairly certain that Jerry Jacks is immortal. Not only does he keep defying death, but he's handled the polonium poisoning much better than Sean or Luke had.
Frankly, I'm perfectly content for Jerry to live to fight another day because I enjoy Jerry. He's despicable and villainous, but funny and charming at the same time. He's beyond redemption and knows it, so instead of trying to pretend that he's something that he's not, he simply embraces who he is. We need men like him on the show to keep things interesting and to give the good guys an adversary, so I appreciate that the writers make Jerry entertaining and a character that one can love to hate.
Villains like Theo Hoffman, Manny Ruiz, and Andre Karpov have a short shelf-life because they lack any redeeming qualities and don't have any hope of being saved. From the onset, I had rooted for each of those men to die, so it gave me great satisfaction as a viewer when they got their just deserts.
Jerry is different in that there is a spark, however dim, of hope that he could change. He fiercely loves his brother and mother and we've seen glimpses of his heart over the years. Jerry is damaged, but not necessarily beyond repair.
Unfortunately, not all of the members of the League of Doom survived the latest round of good versus evil.
Faison appears to have met an untimely, although not completely unexpected, end when Anna finally reached her breaking point. The true miracle here was that it took Anna this long to get tired of looking over her shoulder, waiting for Faison to pull another outrageous stunt to win her love.
I'm happy that Robert made an attempt to talk Anna out of killing Faison, but I'm even happier that Robert insisted on doing the deed with her. I didn't want it to be easy for Anna to kill Faison because that would have made her like Faison, but at the same time I think it was appropriate that she and Robert were the ones to take Faison out. They were the ones who had suffered the most at Faison's hands, so they deserved to be his executioners.
Meanwhile, Faison was bound to a chair in the Cassadine stables and gagged, so he couldn't argue his case. I could see in his eyes that he didn't think that Anna would actually carry out the threat until she and Robert raised their guns and took aim at him. Faison was destined to meet a violent end, but I was still a little sad to see him go. He had been an integral part of several key storylines over the years, so in a strange and quirky way, he is a part of the GH family.
It feels like an end of an era with Helena and now Cesar's passing. However, this being a soap opera, there is a very slim chance that Anna and Robert didn't actually pull the trigger of their guns, even though we saw the guns aimed at Faison. The devil is in the details, so I can't help but wonder if there was a reason that we didn't see or hear Anna and Robert shoot.
Anna is acting like a skittish cat in a room full of rocking chairs, so it seems likely that she and Robert did carry out the deed, but she could also be spooked because she had nearly killed a man out of vengeance. Whether Anna and Robert killed Faison in cold blood doesn't really matter to me. It's not going to change how I feel about them because as much as I enjoyed Faison, I love Anna and Robert more. Besides, Faison deserved to die for all of the horrible things that he's done.
This week Sam blasted her father, Julian, for daring to use Danny as a shield to avoid Sonny's bullet and certain death. I can't understand why Sam is so mad at Julian for refusing to bank his bone marrow. Is Julian actually expected to fall on the sword for Sam to prove himself worthy of being her father? What good would it do her or Danny if Julian is dead?
The person that Sam should be mad at is Sonny. Sonny is the one who vowed to kill Julian the minute that Julian's bone marrow is banked for Danny. I wouldn't bank my bone marrow, either, if the alternative is facing certain death at the hands of a mobster.
I understand that Sam isn't happy that her father turned out to be a mobster, but Sam, more than anyone, isn't in a position to judge. I found it quite interesting when Sam coldly informed Julian that she wanted nothing to do with his world. It wasn't that long ago when Sam not only embraced the world that her father is living in, but was happily planning to raise her son in it with her mob enforcer husband, Jason Morgan.
I couldn't help but wonder if Sam would feel the same way if Jason were to return and pick up where he left off as Sonny's right-hand man.
Meanwhile, Carly was at the hotel, breaking the news to Bobbie that Julian Jerome was alive, so it wouldn't be long until Julian heard about Lucas. I loved how Bobbie promptly informed Carly that Tony Jones was Lucas' father in every way that mattered. That's exactly how I remember it, too, so it was a nice nod to Tony and Lucas' history.
It's going to be interesting to see how Julian deals with the news that he has a son who is a fine young man with a respectable career in the medical field and who also happens to be gay. Will Julian be a loving and accepting father, or will he allow fear, ignorance, and possible personal prejudices to push his only son away? I'm curious to see where Ron goes with this because it has the potential to be a fascinating and powerful story.
At the church, everyone was reeling from the shocking discovery that Robin was alive.
Each and every one of those scenes at the church, from Emma running slow motion into her mother's arms to Sabrina's legs giving out as she watched Patrick lovingly kiss Robin, underscore my love for soaps.
My feelings for Robin are complex. I remember watching her as a child when I myself was a child, so I totally identified with her. Except my parents weren't international spies. Oh, and I had a bratty sister. But other than that, Robin and I were exactly alike in that I wished that I could be her.
As the years passed, I watched her suffer heartbreak after heartbreak. She lost her parents, fell in love, lost her first love, found out that she had a disease that could be fatal, and then fell in love again. I rooted for Robin and Jason, and I didn't blame Robin for finally telling A.J. the truth about his son.
I was sad to see Robin move to Paris and thrilled when she returned to help Jason. However, as much as I like Robin, I'm not blind to her faults, of which there are many. She's stubborn, controlling, and has a tendency to be a know-it-all. Robin can also be judgmental and short-tempered.
I was frustrated to no end as Robin refused to speak up as Patrick and Sabrina exchanged wedding vows. I kept wondering if she realized that she was allowing her husband to unwittingly commit bigamy, since he was still technically married to Robin.
In hindsight, I realize that this was all part of Ron's diabolical plot to drive me crazy by building up the suspense for a much bigger and more satisfying payoff.
If I had to pick a standout scene for this week -- which wouldn't be easy because there were so many -- I would have to say Emma crying out "Mommy?" and then running slow motion into Robin's arms was it. I loved it. Sappy me even had to grab a tissue.
It turns out that Emma seeing her mother first was much better than Patrick seeing Robin first. That's not to say that Jason Thompson didn't blow me away with his performance. He did, as did Teresa Castillo. I'm not really a Sabrina fan, but my heart bled for her when she realized that the love of Patrick's life had returned. As for Patrick, I have no idea how anyone can look at him and not see the shock and emotional turmoil that he's going through.
I think that's why I was so irritated with Carlos for harping on Patrick about making a choice. I get that Carlos is into Sabrina, but Carlos didn't score any points with me by kicking Patrick while Patrick was down. I loved that Patrick was able to catch Carlos by surprise and land that wicked punch that knocked Carlos to his knees. Clearly, Carlos underestimated Patrick.
However, I do agree with Carlos about Patrick's heart. Patrick is going to go back to Robin because Robin is the person that Patrick had intended to spend the rest of his life with. I think Patrick loved Sabrina, but not the way that he loved Robin. That is what makes Robin the love of his life.
Patrick's head might be clouded by confusion, but his heart already knows where it belongs. He kissed Robin in the church full of guests because when everything was said and done, that was what had felt right to him.
I feel sorry for Sabrina because Felix is not helping matters one bit by continually trying to give her false hope. Felix doesn't know Patrick well enough to even guess what is in Patrick's heart, so it's cruel of Felix to suggest to Sabrina that Patrick would pick her over Robin. What Felix fails to understand is that Robin didn't leave by choice, so Patrick doesn't feel betrayed by her. Patrick never quite let go of his feelings for Robin, and there isn't any reason for him to doubt her love, so it's only a matter of time before he's deeper in love with Robin than ever.
At the end of Friday's show, Ron answered a question that had been on many people's minds, including mine, since Carlos first appeared on our screens: is Carlos related to Lily Rivera Corinthos or not? The answer is not. Shawn confirmed to Sonny that there is no familial link between Carlos and Lily, which means that it's open season on Carlos.
Poor Julian is not going to have anyone show up for work on Monday, with Duke finding out that Derek is Julian, Carlos being targeted by Sonny, and Maxie aimlessly wandering around contemplating suicide.
Please don't hate me, but I have very little sympathy for Maxie right now, primarily because she continues to paint herself as the victim. Maxie's latest enabler, Robin, only fed into Maxie's unhealthy viewpoint by insisting that Maxie had acted out of love and a deep desire to make everyone happy, not malice, when Maxie had lied about the baby.
I disagree strongly with this because I distinctly recall Maxie repeatedly saying that she had decided to keep quiet about the baby because Spinelli was in love with Ellie, and Maxie didn't want to tell Lulu and Dante that they had been right to question whether or not Maxie was responsible enough to be a surrogate.
Maxie twisted things around to make herself look like a martyr because she didn't want to admit that she was a coward and afraid of rejection.
I really wish Maxie would stop making excuses for what she had done and simply take full responsibility for her lies. Maybe then she can make a real effort to be a better person and perhaps sign up for a parenting class or two. It wouldn't hurt if she also tried to make amends to those she hurt. I imagine that would impress a judge far more than a pretty speech about how sorry she is.
Then again, that might be moot if Spinelli decides to follow through with his offer to pack up little Connie and move to Portland with Ellie. While I'm not particularly sad to see Spinelli leave, I have to admit that I will miss Ellie. I really liked her.
A great big congratulations to Ron Carlivati and his writing team for their 2014 Writers Guild of America Awards nomination. It's well deserved, and I'm certain that they are going to win. Ron has turned General Hospital around and made it must-see television again. The ratings are proof of that.
I am completely in love with the show again and often have to trim down my columns by a couple pages to keep them from becoming the length of an epic novel. I remember a time -- a few years ago -- when I struggled to find something, anything, positive to say about the show, so I'm grateful to Ron and his team for giving me so much to talk about and be passionate about week after week. I will be eternally thankful to the Fates for sending both Ron Carlivati and Frank Valentini to General Hospital. They are to soaps what Santa is to Christmas.
Finally, a special thank you to my friend Dan, who graciously filled in for me the weekend before Thanksgiving, so that I could get a crazy last-minute painting project completed before my family descended on me for an extended holiday visit. Your major award is on its way, big guy.
A few things that tickled my fancy
Julian asks Ava where Morgan is
Julian: "Speaking of simple, where's Morgan tonight? Studying for the SATs?"
Julian suggests that Duke is on vacation and unaware that Derek Wells is really Julian Jerome
Ava: "Please, he'd have to be locked up underground not to know. And how likely is that?"
Julian discovers that Jerry miraculously survived the fall from the top of Metro Court
Julian: "You are one hard man to kill"
Jerry: "I can say the same about you."
Elizabeth welcomes her friend, Robin, back from the dead with a hug and watery smile
Elizabeth: "You don't call, you don't write."
Robin: [laughs] "Seriously, what kind of friend am I?"
Sam and Silas talk about the shocking developments at Patrick and Sabrina's wedding
Sam: "Some wedding, huh?"
Silas: "Tell me about it. And another back from the dead, you know. I mean, is it just me or is there a lot of that going around in this town?"
Maxie believes that Robin is a ghost, so Robin is forced to slap Maxie to get through to her
Maxie: "I can't believe you just slapped me. You're supposed to be nice."
Thank you for taking the time to read this week's column. I love to read your thoughts, too, so click here to send me an email, or scroll down the page to leave comments.
Until next time, dear readers, take care.
Liz Masters
