Folks, I had a busy day on Friday. Easter is always hectic, but this year especially so because I have a two-week home renovation project slated to start the day after Easter, so I'm not just getting ready for the holiday with baking and cleaning, but I'm also packing stuff up to get it out of the way for when the painting begins. Oh, and I still have some Easter baskets to put together despite my children being grown.
According to my darlings, I would be the worst parent ever if I neglected to shower them with Easter candy every year until the end of time. Apparently, it was in the kid/parent contract that I entered into when I had them. That teaches me for not reading the fine print on their birth certificates.
I had planned on watching Friday's episode in the evening, so I could get the things that I needed to get done done then kick back, watch the show, and type up my column. My DVR was set to record, but I happened to glance up while dusting just as Mike entered Sonny's living room and picked up the photograph of Sonny and the kids.
The next thing I know, I'm sitting on the sofa and violently sneezing because I had inadvertently wiped a tear away with my dust rag when Sonny explained that he had transformed Metro Court Restaurant into Luke's for the night as a surprise for Mike.
I think that was the sweetest thing that Sonny has ever done.
I loved everything about the episode, including when Bobbie stopped by Maxie's place to share some words of wisdom about loss and grief. It was a particularly poignant moment because we were also treated to a flashback of when Felicia found a grief-stricken Bobbie at the hospital and realized that Maxie had received B.J.'s heart. All these years later, and that moment still leaves me eviscerated.
Each of the flashback scenes was perfect.
I howled with laughter when Mac and Kevin reminisced about their days as Norma and Eva. Also, when Monica recounted one of her epic fights with Alan to Michael, and Ned recalled touring as Eddie Maine and inviting the press to his room only to discover a scantily clad Alexis waiting for him in bed with a rose between her teeth. Audrey meeting Steve for the first time was a bit before my time, but it made me smile nonetheless. And, of course, I cried when Sonny and Anna talked about Stone and Robin.
Finally, what is an anniversary episode without a nod to our beloved Edward and Lila Quartermaine? They truly were the heart and soul of the show, and I dearly miss them.
Friday's episode was a beautiful tribute to General Hospital's history. Bravo and thank you.
I love Mike, so I have no problem with Andre tweaking his memory-mapping technique and giving Mike a second lease on life. Max Gail's Mike makes Sonny more likeable, and his storyline shows Sonny's vulnerable side. Mike's disease is something that Sonny can't charm, bribe, or browbeat into submission. It is completely out of Sonny's control, which puts Sonny on the same level with the rest of us mere mortals.
My dad has been in congestive heart failure for several years now, and he's undergone three separate open-heart surgeries and developed a host of other health issues. As a parent, I know that a parent never wants to outlive their child, but as a child, I'm never going to be ready to say goodbye.
I think that's why Jason and Monica's sweet exchange on Friday was so touching. Jason and Monica have had a rocky relationship through the years because of Jason's loyalty to Sonny and Carly, but they did manage to forge a bond despite all the hurt and pain. It was nice to see Jason acknowledge that he loves his mom.
A mother's love was front and center several times this week. Betsy arrived in town, determined to tell Franco everything, but she was so distraught and in such a fragile state that Kevin decided Betsy would greatly benefit from some rest in the hospital before she opened a vein and shared her long-held secrets.
It's clear that Liz has a good inkling what Franco is repressing. It's written all over her face whenever he mentions Jim and talks about what Betsy might be hiding. I'm also certain that Franco already knows what Betsy is going to say about Jim, but his conscious mind isn't ready to deal with it, so he clings to the tattered veil of denial just a bit longer.
Liz isn't pushing Franco, but she realized that she needs to safeguard her sons by putting some distance between her and Franco until he deals with his demons. It was a wise move, and I was proud of Liz for making that difficult choice because she does love Franco.
I also applauded Franco for figuring out that he needed to take the last part of his journey alone. I believe that he genuinely wants to be a better person, but he needs to do that for himself, not Liz, because people can't change for others. It doesn't last if they do. Unfortunately, I don't think that Liz is going to escape this unscathed. It's a soap opera, so things are never that simple. And they shouldn't be, because where would the drama be in that?
I'm looking forward to the climax of the story when Franco talks to his mother. Fingers crossed that Drew is present at the time because I'm eager to see his reaction to learning about his past. Will it trigger Drew's memories to return? At the very least, I would like for Drew to recover his early childhood memories because I think it would do both Drew and Franco good to be "brothers." Don't get me wrong, Drew and Curtis are great, but Franco needs a bromance. Desperately.
I want to feel bad for Sam, but I just can't. She put herself in this situation when she refused to listen to everyone as they implored her to take a step back and figure out how she feels about Jason's return. Sam was adamant that she would always love Jason, but her life was with Drew. She insisted that she was no longer the woman who had said goodbye to Jason all those years earlier, which made sense because she's been through a lot.
I don't buy Sam's excuse that she was trying to make everyone around her happy. From what I saw, she was running from having to make a choice by hiding in the life that she had built for herself. By her own admission, she knew the minute she laid eyes on Jason that he was the real Jason -- and that she still loved him.
I don't blame Sam for running scared, and I certainly understand why she would want to avoid making a choice right after learning that Jason was alive, but she took things too far when she married Drew. She was the one who pushed Drew to get married. She was the one who asked Jason for a quick divorce. And she was the one who promised Drew that she knew her heart and that he was the one she wanted a life with -- all the while yearning for daily glimpses of Jason and knowing that her love for him wasn't in the past.
It would serve Sam right if she returned and found that Drew had moved on with Kim while Jason had found a new damsel in distress to rescue.
I enjoyed the scenes between Drew and Jason on the docks because Drew is in the unique position of understanding what Jason's thought processes were when Jason made the choices that he did. Could that be at the root of Jason's animosity toward Drew?
I'm a bit baffled about Jason's attitude toward Drew. Why exactly does Jason think that Sam is better off alone than with Drew? Drew didn't do anything to Jason. In fact, Drew is just as much of a victim in all of this as Jason. Sure, Jason lost his family, but Drew lost everything -- his life, his memories, and now his family.
It also irks me that Jason keeps encouraging Sam to be herself again, as if the person that she's become is not the real Sam. Jason has no idea about what Sam has been through over the past five years because he's never asked her about it. Sure, various people have skimmed over the history with him, but that's not the same as knowing what she went through, what it was like for Sam to watch her miracle child, and her last link to Jason, cling to life. Jason has no clue about the ordeal she suffered when she gave birth to Scout or the hallucinations that tormented her. I also doubt he is aware that she almost married Patrick Drake or that she fell in love with Silas Clay.
Sam's life went on without Jason, and it shaped her, while Jason remained frozen in time. It's ridiculous that he thinks he knows what Sam should be like when he's had only a handful of tentative conversations with her since his return.
It's for that reason that I will always believe that Drew, not Jason, is better for Sam. Drew truly does love Sam because when he was faced with the choice between Sonny and Sam, Drew chose Sam. I hope Sam remembers that.
While Drew was getting his heart crushed by his wife, Kim was finally moving on from him by hooking up with Julian in Julian's office. It was a strange love scene because one moment, Julian and Kim were having a flirtatious conversation about Julian's pull-out sofa then they were suddenly tangled in the sheets and in a passionate embrace before cutting to commercial. All the while, the mayor was holding a town meeting in the next room about rebuilding the Charles Street district.
What I would have given to have had Olivia walk in on Julian and Kim in flagrante delicto. Judging by the side-eye Olivia gave Julian and Kim as he walked Kim out, I'd say that Olivia's head would have exploded if she knew what had gone on in Julian's office.
I like Julian and Kim's friendship, but I don't ship them as a couple, so not seeing their love scene was fine with me, but still, I know they have their fans who must have felt a bit cheated by the five-second love scene.
One of the most powerful scenes this week was Carly talking to Jason about Morgan and how she still grieves for her son. What Nelle is doing is particularly cruel, but I believe it's doomed to fail because Jason will always believe Carly, even where there's no reason to. What confused me, though, was why Carly would cut Sonny out of what is happening. After all they've been through, all the lies and secrets that have nearly destroyed them time and again, it doesn't make sense.
If the shoe were on the other foot, Carly would see that as a betrayal and lack of trust.
Yes, Sonny is going through a difficult time with his dad, but that's life. There's never a "good" time to share troubling news, and given Sonny's line of work, it seems wise to report strange phone calls and gruesome reminders of their son's tragic death suddenly appearing and disappearing. Sonny isn't a businessman, he's a gangster, and this is something that would be right up an enemy's alley.
That said, it's highly unlikely that Sonny will remain in the dark for long because the only person that Jason is more loyal to than Carly is Sonny. One or two more moves, and Nelle is going to have Jason, Sonny, and the entire Corinthos organization on her tail. She's slick, but she's outmatched against Sonny, Carly, and Jason.
I hope the writers delve further into Nelle's history because I'm interested to know what has led to this unhinged behavior. I'm certain there's a fascinating story there. We know so little about Nelle's early life beyond that her parents were willing to sell her kidney. It's long past time that we learn what is driving her.
Moving on, Max Holden is a cad!
It was my worst fear, but not completely unexpected. Shortly after things with Alexis fell apart, and upon David's return from a recent trip out of town, I started getting a creepy vibe from his interactions with Kiki. I remember the exact minute I thought, "Well, now, this isn't right."
It was when David bumped into Kiki at the Floating Rib and he bought her dinner. There was something about the way he laughed and looked at her that seemed somehow less than genuine and more than lecherous. I love James DePaiva, so I'm sad that Dr. Bensch has turned out to be a pig, but I get why the show decided to tackle this subject.
It's a sensitive matter, and I hope the writers treat it with the utmost respect. I'm already a bit leery that it's merely being used as a vehicle to throw Kiki into Griffin's orbit now that the writers have cultivated a friendship between the two that even sparked Ava's jealousy. Will Kiki's troubles with David send her into Griffin's arms? I hope not because I wasn't a fan of the mother/daughter triangle when Morgan was at the center, and I certainly don't want to see it again with Griffin as the prize.
Speaking of Griffin, he finally has proof in his tightly clenched mitts confirming his suspicion that Peter is Faison's son. Will he share the paternity test with Anna, who is desperate to find Faison's son? Technically, there's no reason to tell Anna, since Griffin knows that Peter has tested negative for Huntington's disease. However, I want Anna to find her son.
Wes Ramsey is a handsome bugger, so it's getting harder and harder not to be pulled in by Peter's charm. I'm trying to keep an open mind because there's always a chance that he's as bad as his dad, but it's looking less and less likely. I think Anna's genes prevailed, and I hope that there's going to be a good explanation for Jason's treatment while Jason was under Dr. Klein's "care."
Then there's Maxie.
As a decades-long viewer and fan of the show, it's been my experience that if a character feels compelled to explain their very strange and out-of-character behavior, it's a sign that things are being forced. Such was the case when Maxie told Peter that she gravitated toward him because being around Nina, Liesl, and her parents compounded her pain. Later, she confessed that some of Peter's mannerisms reminded her of Nathan.
I like Peter, but there is no way that I'm ready to accept a romance between him and Maxie. Nathan isn't even cold in the grave. Heck, he's still receiving packages of stuff that he ordered.
Maxie's friendship with Peter is sweet, but I'm far more interested about Peter's past and his connection to Valentin. That's the story, not his dalliance with Maxie. I'm also looking forward to Peter learning that Anna is his mother because she's one of my favorite characters and deserves some happiness. Having a son around will do Anna a world of good, especially with Robin and the kids living on the other side of the country.
Is the Harbor Master on Drew's payroll? I ask because Drew apparently thought nothing of getting plastered a few feet from the office door and tossing his empty beer cans around the dock like he owned the place.
If Andre can get his job back at the hospital, then why can't Liesl?
Why didn't Carly change the locks on her office door after she fired Nelle? She should have anticipated that someone like Nelle would have made a copy of the keys.
Maxie: "You're 'Lulu Spencer!' Immune to 'rules' and 'consequences!' Nothing is EVER your fault, and you don't take accountability for the damage you do!" Go Maximista, GO! That sums Lulu up PERFECTLY! -- Scrimmage
As usual, this show is messing with my Valentin/Nina heart, giving me more loving scenes between them while simultaneously showing what an a-hole he really is. I know they're doomed once the truth comes out, so I'll hold on to and enjoy the little scraps they give me. -- MG Eberhart
I like Chase. I think he's a cutie, but the writers made a big mistake making him Finn's brother. I was hoping Chase would have ties to someone else in Port Charles but not Finn. Finn saying his brother is boring is like a turtle calling a snail slow. He's the last person to be calling anyone boring. It's time for Hayden to come back to the show because clearly the writers don't know what to do with Finn. I'm tired of seeing him with Alexis and he doesn't have a chance with Anna. Who the hell wants to be with a guy who has a lizard for a pet? -- Renee
Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts. I love hearing from readers, so please feel free to email me or leave
Take care and happy viewing,
Liz Masters
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