As I watched this week's episodes unfold, I had one burning question: why exactly are Jason and Sonny covering up what Sam did?
Don't get me wrong -- I do understand the knee-jerk reaction to protect the womenfolk that some of the Neanderthals in Port Charles have, but in this situation, it's completely unnecessary because Sam has a very well-documented case of toxoplasmosis and encephalitis that gives her an instant get-out-of-jail-free card. Everyone, especially Carly, would understand that Sam hadn't been in her right mind when she followed Sonny to the distillery and shot him.
Instead of letting Sam do the right thing, Jason and Sonny are working overtime to cover up what happened. It's really no wonder that Sam is a wreck and having nightmares of Carly choking her in a fit of rage for trying to kill Sonny. It was a terrible tragedy, and Sam won't be able to heal and move forward until she can make peace with what happened. That's impossible as long as she's forced to cover it up.
I think it's time for Carly to accept that she's married to a pathological liar. Whenever Sonny gets a reset, the first thing he does is lie or keep secrets from Carly. It's become as certain as death and taxes that as soon as Sonny and Carly find happiness, Sonny will do something to muck it up. That is why they've been married to each other six times and have gone through countless breakups and makeups through the years.
Honestly, I no longer care that Sonny lies to Carly. It serves her right. If a person shows you who they are, believe them. Sonny has shown himself a million times over to be someone who will always keep secrets and jump through hoops, lying, because he always -- and I do mean always -- tells himself it's for the greater good. I have absolutely zero compassion for Carly at this point, and I actually look forward to her realizing once again that Sonny betrayed her trust, because it's exactly what she deserves.
I also don't feel the least bit sorry for Sonny when Carly inevitably storms out and tells him they are over. Really. This time for good. Until next week.
Carly should take her upcoming break from Sonny to take a basic parenting class in how to properly ground and discipline a teenager.
In the interim, here are a couple of tips:
#1: Take away all electronic devices, including the cell phone. Josslyn can borrow a friend's phone if she needs to call home for a ride. Better yet, Carly is rich, so she can hire a driver -- Chandler is available -- to make sure that Josslyn gets around. The added bonus, her movements would be monitored.
#2: Live with the kid. Clearly, the honor system is not working.
My jaw dropped when Carly grounded Josslyn then asked Michael to take his sister home where Josslyn would be left unsupervised. Even more astounding was Josslyn complaining as if being grounded had impeded her social life in any way. Since being grounded, Josslyn has picked up a boyfriend, watched fireworks from a footbridge, explored an abandoned distillery, and gone to a concert in the park.
Josslyn sees more action than poor Valerie, who has to resort to being set up on a blind date by a stranger she meets in the park.
Speaking of action, it appears that Griffin is finally getting some -- even if it's in a fantasy realm and he's unaware of it.
I'm so happy that the writers have finally remembered that they had Matt Cohen on the set and that it was time for Duke Lavery's long-lost doctor/priest-son to do something besides loitering on the outskirts of everyone's lives, looking both yummy and tragic.
It was refreshing to see another side of Griffin this week when he was stung by a bee and had a complete meltdown because he was convinced he was deathly allergic and needed a trip to the hospital for an EpiPen. I can't blame Ava for getting a crush on him, especially after he took off his shirt and showed off that spectacular back of his.
Next time I smell lavender, I will be thinking of Griffin -- just like Ava.
Had you asked me what I thought about Griffin and Ava a couple of months ago, before Ava was caught in the fire, I would have laughed and said, "No way!" Nothing about them would have made sense. However, that was then, and this is now.
Watching Griffin offer Ava compassion, spiritual guidance, and comfort has been really sweet. Ava is truly trying to be a better person because she honestly regrets the horrible things she's done. I really do believe that Morgan's death has had a profound effect on her, and if that's the price she pays for the things she's done, I'm okay with that.
Most characters do far less penance for their wrongs than Ava has, so while it might not cut it in the real world, it does in the soap opera realm.
I am rooting for Ava to be redeemed. It's been ages since we've had a storyline like that. Usually, they are redeemed for a little while, then something happens, and before long, they have slipped into their old ways. Few people have truly turned things around for themselves, so I really hope this is one of those times.
Griffin is a great guy, and it will be interesting to see him deal with someone like Ava, who is so very broken and damaged. If anyone is up to the task of helping Ava be a better person, it's Griffin. Unfortunately, Valentin has another agenda, and it's going to be mighty difficult for Ava to say no to having her beauty restored, especially if she's falling in love.
Meanwhile, Kristina spent months lecturing her mother about how toxic Julian is -- and downright threatening Alexis if Alexis even thought about going back to him, yet the minute Parker arrives in town, Kristina couldn't get to her fast enough to hash things out and flirt with the woman who cost her an Ivy League education at Wesleyan and who repeatedly broke her heart. Why is Kristina allowed to make her own choices, but Alexis isn't?
I never want to hear Kristina lecture Alexis again. Ever.
This week, Hayden decided to leave Finn and Port Charles.
The only person who was happy about this development was Liesl. She took great delight in gloating that she led Hayden to the felony well, but Hayden helped herself to the water.
Liesl is right. But it doesn't matter because Monica didn't press charges against Hayden for embezzling the money, and Finn knows everything about the accident that she'd been trying to hide from him. Hayden had no reason to run away, and she took away Finn's rights as a father to their child.
I hate when parents act like the other parent's rights don't matter because the only person they are truly hurting is the child. It's not fair. A child has a right to know both parents, unless the parent in question is a danger to the child.
Sure, Hayden and Finn have no business getting married at this time because they both still have trust issues to work through, but the solution was not to leave without a word. Hayden claimed that she didn't tell Finn about Jared and the accident because she worried that Finn might relapse. What does she think vanishing with his child will do to his newfound sobriety?
The exit storyline was uninspiring. I had hoped that Jared was slated to be part of a whodunit murder mystery, with the prime suspects being Hayden, Finn, Liesl, and even Curtis -- in that order. It would have made sense for Hayden to panic and flee out of fear that her child would be born behind bars. That I could have understood, but not Hayden deciding that if she and Finn can't be together, then she would just disappear without a word.
The added bonus to the mystery is that it would have given the rest of the characters a good storyline because they each would have been trying to solve Jared's murder to clear their own names. Finn would have been doubly motivated because Hayden wouldn't have surfaced with their child until the real killer was captured.
Speaking of Jared. Wasn't he supposed to be on parole? Why was he able to remain in town for days on end, tormenting Hayden every waking moment, when he specifically told Liesl at the onset that he would get in trouble if anyone found out he was there? His parole officer should be fired.
Dante should also be fired because twice this week, he trampled on people's rights.
The first time was when Nelle walked in with Oscar, and Oscar told his story about how he found the shell casing at the abandoned distillery. I realize that Oscar wasn't a suspect, but neither Oscar nor Dante knew that when Oscar started talking. Dante should have stopped Oscar, told him to call a parent or guardian, then waited until that person arrived.
The second time it happened was in the interrogation room when Dante questioned the fence who had sold Sam the gun that she used to shoot Sonny. The man had clearly stated that he had nothing to say without an attorney, but Dante acted like that was merely a suggestion rather than a fundamental right and continued to pressure the suspect to divulge potentially incriminating evidence.
I get that Dante is a tough cop and that he's on a mission to not only find out who shot Sonny but to potentially stop a bloodbath that he suspects will break out when Sonny seeks retribution for the shooting. However, Dante shouldn't even be working the case because it's a major conflict of interest. His father is the victim.
The cops are supposed to be the good guys, not the criminals. I want the writers to remember that when they pen these storylines.
Finally, Franco returned to Port Charles this week, and something seems off with him. He's evasive whenever Liz asks about what happened in Manhattan, and despite his talk with Kiki, I'm not completely convinced that what's troubling him is that he hates what his paintings represented.
Whatever is going on with Franco, it seems likely to affect his relationship with Liz as they get ready to move in and live together.
It seems like all three of Jason's women will be struggling with things when Steve Burton's storyline kicks into high gear. I can't wait.
Did someone forget to remind Olivia that marrying Ned didn't make her the Mistress of Quartermaine mansion? Firing Cook II was way out of line, so Olivia should replace Cook II until she's rehired or a replacement is found. Until then, Monica should host dinner parties every evening.
It's ironic that everyone arranges clandestine meetings on the footbridge, yet there's never a person to be seen during these secret encounters.
I sure hope someone thought to get Sonny's invisible car that he drove to the distillery to meet Garvey. I imagine invisible cars are very expensive, and that place is about to be demolished.
I love the scenes with Spencer & Valentin, and really anything with Spencer. He is a hoot! -- Kymba O
I still suspect that there may be more to James DePaiva 's story than meets the eye but we will have to wait and see if that's the case. Otherwise it was hardly worthwhile. -- Dreyene Smythe
Sam needs to pick up her detective work. She could work for the WSB. What a storyline that would be, especially with the 2 Jasons. -- Samof1969
I said this on soap twitter on Friday and it bears repeating here -- all of this BS with Sam's "ailment" would have made better sense if it had been due to Helena's curse but of course TIIC's managed to get that all wrong. -- Sybil Walton
Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts about the show. I love hearing from readers, so please feel free to email me or leave a comment below.
Until next time, take care.
Liz Masters
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