Dear readers, do you know that song? "Someone You Loved" by Lewis Capaldi has been in my head all week. But there's a reason. My office has a radio station that plays the same 20 songs on a loop, and in my 40-hour workweek, I have probably heard this song 300 times. But I'm okay with it. I love it, and I'm the kind of girl who obsesses over songs like that. Music is at my core. I've been singing all my life, sometimes at karaoke bars for fun and sometimes on the road for livelihood, and sometimes in church choirs in pursuit of holiness, but singing all the same.
Once I get a song stuck in my brain, it's hard to shake. When I was particularly smitten with a tune back in the '90s, my husband made me a mixtape (when people did such things). But it was not really a mixtape because he filled it with only the Blues Travelers' song "Runaround" over and over again for 90 minutes. I loved it so much! The song was so peppy and fun to sing -- and so many words!
But I digress. My current obsessive song came into my mind when I watched Friday's GH and the powerhouse performance by Laura Wright. I'm crying, just trying to write about it. As Carly slowly comes to terms with the idea that Sonny might not be coming back to her, she weeps into Jason's arms and sobs out, "I don't know what made me fall in love with him." I cried with her, and I cried even knowing that there's no way Sonny isn't coming back to her eventually.
I know that some people have very definite opinions on all of the couplings on GH. I sometimes do, too. But in the Carly/Sonny/Jax/Brenda quadrangle, I admit I liked all the pairings. I loved Sonny and Brenda. I loved Jax and Carly. I loved Jax and Brenda. And I genuinely do love Sonny and Carly, 2021. They have both matured and grown and gotten healthier over the years. They are still passionate but not as reckless, which is the same way I'd describe myself, I guess. The writers have matured them and made them more reliable. Sonny started on GH as a two-bit lowlife criminal who ran a strip club, and Carly came to town and slept with her stepfather to break up her mother's marriage. But now, they are highly flawed pillars of the community and are at the heart of so many storylines.
Maurice Benard and Laura Wright are both so...watchable. I admit that I tune out a little when certain characters come on who irk or bore me. I tune out a little. I play a game on my phone during their scenes and only half pay attention to them. But I never look away when Laura and Maurice are on the screen. I don't want to miss their eyes, expressions, or glances (and of course, the moss).
So, when Carly was crying, this song, as mentioned earlier, was running through my head.
"Now the day bleeds into nightfall, and you're not here to get me through it all.
I let my guard down, and then you pulled the rug,
I was kinda getting used to being someone you loved." Gut-wrenching.
Seeing Sonny's limp body in the snow has me concerned. How many days have passed since he's been out there? Is there any way he would not have frostbite or be dead from hypothermia? Will he know who he is, or will he end up in some cabin with Mary Bishop's twin being called Connor? I'm intrigued to see how it plays out.
Sonny's absence leaves a wide hole in Port Charles's mob life, and Laura's new brother Cyrus wants desperately to fill it. Carly stepped into Sonny's void and apparently kidnapped Cyrus' mom Florence, and now he is seething with rage. Her actions were well-intentioned but may escalate the already contentious relationship they have with Cyrus.
He immediately went to his new sister, the mayor, to demand justice. It's kind of a soapy shame that Laura and Cyrus are siblings because they have such explosive chemistry on-screen. Laura's angry "I don't give a damn" speech to Cyrus, reminding him that his little explosion left her daughter in a coma, was exciting to watch. Genie Francis can cry like no one else, and she can grit her teeth and be enraged like no one else, too.
I liked this storyline already, and then they upped the game and added Denise Alexander, and I'm over the moon. Her opening scenes reminded me of just how fantastic she is and of GH's rich history. She can be funny -- when Cyrus called her the "tramp that seduced my married father," and she said, "Can you narrow it down? There were a lot of married fathers I slept with," I howled and screamed, "YES!" at my TV. Oh, Lesley, welcome home. When Cyrus leveled some particularly harsh accusations, Lesley maintained composure in front of him but then privately sobbed. She knew that a careless decision she made years ago put her family on the path that ended up with her beloved granddaughter Lulu in a coma. I'm so happy she is back.
Okay, readers, I will toss out an idea here, and don't be too harsh... what do you think of Dante and Sam? Two single parents having a little cocktail, talking about their messed-up, mobbed-up families? He's on the right side of the law (or at least he thinks he is, pen clicks aside), and they both have seen the ugly effects of the mob life. Is it too borderline incestuous? Sam slept with Sonny, so there's the "Eww factor" to consider, and, of course, Dante's mom also slept with Sonny (and Sam's father), but hey, they aren't technically related. Since Sam has sworn off Jason and Lulu is in a coma, I don't think I'd mind if Dante and Sam spent a little time together. What do you think? (I'm already anticipating the mean letters.)
I think Martin Grey is about to learn what I've known all along. Valentin has a heart. He offered Martin his help finding Martin's mother. Of course, if they don't find her, Valentin could just pick a nice-looking lady and pay her to pretend to be Martin's mother to cheer him up.
Next up. Ryan is totally faking. Did you see the creepy smile after Ava jabbed her razor nails into his one remaining arm and made him bleed? So, they are putting a maniacal serial killer into a minimum-security facility, and I predict that he will be out and murdering people again by February sweeps. Ava taunted and toyed with Ryan like a cat batting an injured mouse around with her paws. Still, that particular mouse is a serial killer, and she will regret leaving those scars on him.
I am all for the switchback. Seeing Chase and Willow almost kiss and remembering how adorable they are together make me want to campaign hard for a Chillow reunion. I hope that Katelyn MacMullen is as sweet in real life as Willow is. Can you imagine finding out that the angel-faced princess we call Willow was a mean girl or something? I know actors don't like to be thought of as their characters, but if Katelyn is half as sweet as Willow, I doubt she'd complain about the comparison. I want Willow to be happy, and although Willow and Michael have grown closer and, of course, fallen into bed together once, I think her heart still beats for Chase.
Likewise, let's get Sasha through rehab and reunite her with Michael and let her go back to being a smart, confident, feisty young lady. I understand her character's trajectory, but time to wrap up the drug addiction and let her be whole again.
The most festive scene of the week was the mother/daughter reunion of Britt and Dr. Obrecht. Those two crazy, complicated women hugging it out just made my heart happy. Sure, they can both be conniving and treacherous, but I can't help myself; I love them. Kelly Thiebaud and Kathleen Gati are a delight together. Will Britt help her mom bring down her brother Peter? I don't know, but I hope so.
Taking down Peter has been going on way too long. Maybe Wes Ramsey has a contract they are trying to run out. Maybe Laura Wright said she'd quit if they fire her boyfriend. Of course, that's just a joke, but I am trying to find some rational reason why this storyline is dragging out so long. Is Peter going to get his comeuppance at the big double wedding? Is Franco going to remember what Peter did as Drew's memories resurface? Will Drew himself come back to town with a fully restored memory and turn Peter in? Will Maxie catch Peter trying to do harm to Franco? There are so many ways this could end, and all I am saying is it is time. It hasn't dragged on as long as Fluke did, but we are getting there.
Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike Wes Ramsey. I don't even dislike Peter -- sometimes he can be quite a nice guy. But I can't unknow what I know about his character and just pretend he's a good guy. I mean, after all, I'm not his fake mom Anna. If GH wants to keep Wes on board, give Peter an identical cousin or something and bring him back as someone new. This is not unheard of; Sarah Joy Brown, Tamara Braun, Michael Easton, Natalia Livingston, Chloe Lanier, and Roger Howarth have all played multiple GH characters. Are there others I am forgetting?
I also want to give kudos this week to Briana Nicole Henry. Her scenes this week with Jeff Kober were powerful. As Jordan finally had no "forks" or secrets left to give and unloaded on Cyrus, I was impressed with her passion and power in those scenes. The brewing catfight between Jordan and Portia "It's Dr. Robinson" (Meow!) was pretty entertaining, too. As you know, I had a hard time with Vinessa Antoine's recast, and it took me a long time to see Briana as Jordan, but her scenes this week have me sold. Bravo.
I am still sad that Réal Andrews isn't on hand to utter the lines that Taggert spoke today -- touching words about the long rivalry between him and Sonny and how, in the end, Sonny stepped up to protect him. That line out of Réal's mouth would have left me in tears -- just because of their long, contentious history. No fault to Asante Jones, of course -- he's terrific. It's just hard to ignore a decade of history with Maurice Benard and Mr. Andrews. It would be like if, on the last episode of The Office, they said, "Michael Scott will now be played by Jim Carey." Not that Jim Carey isn't funny, but he's not the guy you watched as Michael Scott for years, so the goodbye scenes wouldn't pack as much of a punch. All that to say, I miss you, Réal.
What will happen tomorrow, dear readers? Will Alexis bring a Thermos of vodka to Julian's funeral? Will Ava and Nikolas make a baby brother or sister for Spencer? Will Scotty fall for Obrecht as a blonde? Will Joss, Cam, and Trina have a memorial for poor, forgotten Dev? Will Franco ever just hear his own voice in his brain? Will Lesley make a Google Doc of her conquests? Will GH be preempted again by another attempted overthrow of the US Government? God, I hope not.
Only tomorrow knows, dear readers, and I will tune in tomorrow as long as there are tomorrows.
Tamilu
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