JuLexis & The Davis Girls
What Happened: Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn) is accused of killing Carlos Rivera because her prints are on Julian's murder weapon, A.K.A. the dagger Helena used to murder Alexis' mother (6/17). Julian (William Devry) wants her to stand trial, promising to get her off (6/20). Alexis teams up with the PCPD and wears a wire, hoping to coax a confession out of him in the homicides of Duke Lavery, Rivera and a court witness (7/6). Julian finds the wire, takes her to the docks and nearly slits her throat before Sonny rescues her and she's able to stab him (7/8). As a result of working in Julian's favor while she was Carlos' lawyer, Alexis is temporarily disbarred (8/17). Leading up to being a star witness for the prosecution in Julian's trial, she has hallucinations of him and ends up freaking out on the stand (9/15). This, coupled with Paul Hornsby doctoring documents so that the wire recording is inadmissible (Ava blackmailed him; she knew he was the hospital killer), sets Julian free (9/20). After all the distress and failing to rebound with her career, Alexis develops a dependency on alcohol (9/27). She blacks out while cookies are burning and Danny is in her care (11/8). While drunk, Alexis accidently hits Julian with her car and flees the scene (11/23). Desperate to reunite with her, sober her up and hide from the latest mysterious crime-lord stepping on his neck, Julian hangs the hit-and-run over Alexis' head to move into her house and force her to nurse him back to health (12/6). He is being controlled by the sister he thought he executed in 1990, Olivia Jerome (Tonja Walker; 1/17). Olivia made Julian carry out his 2016 misdeeds to avenge herself and Duke, whom she loved. She also wants the hospital building to be turned into condominiums. She threatens Julian's family to keep him in line. Tom Baker tried to sexually assault an intoxicated Alexis at knife point over Christmas, but she got away. She thinks she stabbed and killed him (1/9) until her full memory returns while talking to the police (1/30). Alexis joins Alcoholics Anonymous (1/11) and tells Sam what's been going on (1/24). Kristina (Lexi Ainsworth) cheats on Aaron and has sex with Parker (Ashley Jones) when she reveals she may be getting a divorce (7/20). Sonny sees Kristina kissing Parker (7/22) and they have a heart-to-heart about her sexual orientation (7/26).When Alexis confronts and reminds Parker that she has no long-term intentions with Kristina (7/26), she sends a "Dear John" letter (7/28). Kristina blames Alexis for Parker's change of mind and throws Julian in her face (8/12). Parker tells Kristina she's going back to her wife, proving Alexis right (8/25). Molly (Haley Pullos) and TJ (Tequan Richmond) get a place together (6/16).
 
My Commentary:  The downward spiral of 'JuLexis' was exciting, entertaining and fascinating, and anytime Grahn is given sordid material it's a good day because she slays it, but it was also another example of detrimental short-term writing. Julian was written into a such a hole, that it would be virtually impossible to get him out or restore the coupling in the way that wouldn't be utterly absurd. Take his trial verdict, for instance. Within the story, it's detestable and ludicrous that he got away with his crimes. Externally, however, he's a front-burner figure that's 1/2 of a popular pairing. There aren't a lot of viable options to keep him on-screen while serving an acceptable sentence. I knew whatever  "fix" to reconcile Julian with Alexis wouldn't be justifiable, but geez, recycling Fluke was the best they could do? If Alexis doesn't turn him away for any other reason, it should be he's so easy to puppeteer. Many 'JuLexis' fans are criticized on social media for still wanting them together, but I understand their reasoning; they view the events of the past year as they are--the product of stunt scripting. I don't know if I agree with their assertions that Julian was pulled out of character, though. It was so aggravating to see so many in PC question and harshly chastise Alexis before and after her botched testimony, as if she didn't just have the most harrowing experience of her life and had the most to lose if Julian was found innocent. I knew what the jury outcome would be, but I was still shaking my head in disbelief. Grahn had me devastated and shocked with her. By the way, where the hell were the Davis girls and Diane then? I hate when necessary people are missing from important scenes. I very much enjoyed Carlos being some sort of morbid Jiminy Cricket (6/24); Jeffrey Vincent Parise is so fun and I miss him. It also made me smile watching Lucas (7/18) and Sam (8/5; 9/20) take turns disowning their father. I got my entire life when Julian used Danny yet again to manipulate to Sam, and not only did she let him know that Danny doesn't need his bone marrow anymore, but that she'd sic Jason on him or kill him herself. As I feared, Kristina's saga with Parker was summarized and cut short, but there was great beginning discussion about sexuality and heartfelt father/daughter action. Also, many points where Kristina was finally given the business by her mother and sister (i.e. Molly 8/17) for being so destructive, bratty and disrespectful. I jumped up and cheered when Alexis told her "You're not the only person with a problem here, so stop being so damn self-involved and grow up!" Of course, Alexis didn't do this without being reprimanded (8/24). *Rolls eyes* Is she ever allowed to parent?? I passed out when Parker cockily told Alexis she slept with her daughter (7/26). I thought "This is the wrong time to test this woman. Alexis' ability to take B.S. has diminished," haha. I love pissed-off Alexis. Why are Molly and TJ moving in together?! Why did no one object to this?! She's a college freshman! If it isn't having her off-screen most of the time, it's hurling her light-years ahead. 

Paul, Sabrina & How It's Painfully Obvious the Writers Are Winging It
Soap-fans are used to a fair amount historical revisions and logic-defying tales, but rapid plot and characterization changes are happening so frequently now, consistency is non-existent and you're left wondering if the writers are fully mapping out concepts before they air. This was no more apparent than with the return of Paul Hornsby (Richard Burgi). First, he came to town wanting to take over Sonny's territory and use Ava Jerome as a lackey. Then, when the writers seemingly considered pairing him with Anna Devane, he was an undercover good guy that was trying to stop arms dealers. Though Paul took TJ hostage to bait and shoot Sonny (he was paralyzed and wheelchair bound for months after), this was never addressed. Finally, Paul was made the hospital serial killer, whose motive was to avenge his daughter's rape, with expectations she'll come out of her post-traumatic state. It was evident that he wasn't the intended culprit initially, as the attempted murders of Lucas Jones and Bobbie Spencer didn't fit into the payback score and were put on Heather Webber. Somehow, she quietly escaped a super-max prison with the goal of keeping suspicion off her son, Franco, and returned. It was more than a possibility that the murder mystery was just as whipped up as Paul's arc. I felt sorry for Burgi; it was such a hot mess and he ended up without a job. He went out swinging: his performances were so emotionally grabbing (especially on 9/27 and 9/28), that you had sympathy for Paul, even when he strangled sweet nurse Sabrina (Teresa Castillo) to death (9/14). He convincingly conveyed grief and ruefulness in Paul's final attack, as Sabrina was an inadvertent witness that had to be eliminated. The scenes were particularly hard to watch because she begged for her life for several minutes and was on the brink of rescue the whole time. At one point, she even pulled the blinds up on the medical room window and banged on it. As if that weren't agonizing enough, her best friend and boyfriend (i.e. Felix and Michael) giddily talked about an impending marriage proposal right outside the room where she lay dead. Then, in what felt like multiple episodes, we saw her pale corpse be photographed and grieved over before going to the morgue. Michael even put the (gorgeous and unique) engagement ring on her finger! The icing on the tear-jerking cake for me was when Felix (Marc Anthony Samuel) stopped the gurney for a last goodbye (9/16). His monologue closes with "I am going to miss you for the rest of my life," and a beautiful BFF montage played. I was done. Also, kudos to Sonya Eddy with Epiphany lamenting her treatment of Sabrina on 9/21. It was ridiculous that Felix, Epiphany and Lucy were all sitting on rows further back at her funeral, while Michael and both sides of his family were perched up front (9/23). Even her killer was front row! Her cousin Juan (who was on GH long before she was), Joe Rivera (Carlos' twin brother and Sabrina's ex), and other mentioned connections were absent. Sometimes they don't get this kind of thing right. Many of those that were aggrieved by Castillo's exit felt she and her character were never given proper wings to fly during her 4 year stint. Like Burgi, Castillo went out shining and showed what could have been. I discussed the lack of support I feel actors/characters are given on the series and how it affects the future here. On 10/3, Paul is taken down by Anna in front of Dillon before he can inject Tracy, who found out about the homicides, with a fatal syringe. It was a pretty tense and sad episode. I go on to pinpoint other chaotic and slapdash plots throughout this article.

Thoughts and observations of Port Charles happenings.
 
Julexis, The Davis Girls, Corinthos Clan & Jeromes
What Happened: Kristina (Lexi Ainsworth) tells Sam (Kelly Monaco) she was suspended from college for offering sex to a professor named Parker in exchange for a grade (1/18). Kristina questions her sexuality (3/16), as Parker is revealed to be a lesbian (1/19). Her parents find out about the suspension and confront her (3/17). When Kristina admits to Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn) that she may not be heterosexual, she assumes Kristina was influenced by Parker and that her past with men is the root of her confusion (3/30). Molly (Haley Pullos) has sex with TJ (Tequan Richmond) off-camera on 2/12 after being taunted by Kristina for remaining a virgin and accused of being gay, and gets outed by Kristina before Alexis and Julian's wedding (2/19). Morgan (Bryan Craig) intentionally interrupts an enemy gun deal on Sonny's territory (2/22), where Kiki (Hayley Erin) is shot trying to shield him. When police show up, one of the ringleaders, Dixon, runs into the church and holds the wedding guests hostage (2/23). Dixon shoots Nathan and tries to kidnap Kristina before Sonny (Maurice Benard) jumps him; everyone sees he's no longer paralyzed (2/24). Morgan blames himself for Kiki's injury and nearly jumps off a building (2/26); Sonny and Carly decide to have him committed for thorough treatment of his bipolar disorder (3/4). Ava convinces Morgan to break up with Kiki for her own good (5/19), and Kiki's budding relationship with Dillon leads to a kiss (5/26). To save his and Ava's necks, Paul says Ava was a cohort for the gun bust. Julian (William Devry) rejoins the mob to protect Ava (Maura West) from the organized crime groups, who think she's a rat (1/7). Sonny teams up with Anna to bring Carlos to justice for killing Duke on Julian's orders (4/13). Julian enlists Alexis to defend Carlos (4/25). Julian snoops through Alexis' papers to locate and murder a prosecution witness (5/2), and later stabs Carlos (Jeffrey Vincent Parise) to death with the dagger Helena used to slit her mother's throat (5/12). She keeps Julian's bloody shirt and considers turning him in (5/17). Carly (Laura Wright) gets a hold of Ava's sex tape with Paul (Richard Burgi) and uses it to retain custody of Avery (5/25).
 
My Commentary: As it relates to diversity, GH has always been sadly behind the curve. Though we've seen more minority-race and LGB (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual) characters in recent years than in the last decade, most have been given back burner plots or used to prop others. Hopefully, Ainsworth being a popular actress and Kristina being the child of two major figures in GH history will mean the story of our first (possibly) bisexual female will gain the traction and attention it deserves (even though the last we saw on 4/27, she was going out with a guy. *Rolls eyes* They better not get chicken). It's been written extremely well so far, with detailed discussion about sexual development and usage of important terminology, such as "polysexual" and "queer" (3/23). When Parker visits Kristina, she argues that Kristina subconsciously fixated on her as opposed to another woman because she was essentially inaccessible--Parker is both married and her professor. The odds of them really being together were next to none; no realities to deal with (3/25). I said, "Ooh, psychology. Thoughtful." It appears that this isn't just about the sensationalism and drama of a hidden secret, and that the writers actually want to teach us something. Ainsworth superbly captures the fear, confusion and frequent deflection that comes with the journey of sexual identity. I was a crying mess with the suspension confrontation; she was using her entire body to emote, down to the point of visibly quivering.

Ava, Morgan & Kiki, Who Killed Silas?
What happened: Silas (Michael Easton) was murdered (7/31) before he could tell Kiki (Hayley Erin) that her mother, Ava (Maura West), was alive, disguising herself as a long-lost aunt (Denise Demuccio) and sleeping with her boyfriend, Morgan (Bryan Craig). Scotty grilled Ava as a suspect during the subsequent trial and she blew her cover (8/24). Madeline Reeves turned out to be the real killer; she wanted to forge Silas' signature to have access to Nina's (Slias' ex-wife) money (8/31). Kiki swore Morgan and Ava off once she learned the whole truth from Franco (Roger Howarth; 9/1). Scotty became Ava's lawyer and got her off for killing Connie, having the 1 shred of evidence in his possession: a recorded confession (9/16). The recording was stolen by new district attorney Paul Hornsby (Richard Burgi), who wanted to use Ava as the face of his mob ring while he tries to dismantle Sonny's organization (9/22). Ava finally regained custody of her daughter, Avery, by goading Sonny into threatening her and taping it for the judge to hear (11/10). Nina and Franco moved into Silas' apartment to look after an alcoholic Kiki, who later ran Carly off the road in a druken stupor (11/3); Carly dropped the charges (11/24). Michael and Carly had an intervention with Morgan (11/23) to get him treatment for bipolar disorder, of which he showed signs starting on 9/2. 
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​My commentary: I love a good "who dun it?" murder mystery and a Friday cliffhanger! The clues were well-placed and properly misleading (Morgan, Ava and Nina were all at scene and had motive; the Madeline factor was introduced later), and the investigation and trial didn't go on for too long. 1 of the stand-out moments was when Nina (Michelle Stafford) left for Silas' apartment in a rage after learning he let her stand accused of kidnapping Avery to keep up Ava's 'Denise' rouse. "Once again, he's chosen Ava over me!," she yelled (7/31). The lines were great and I enjoy watching Stafford's 'heat to an exploding boil' anger work. Hell must have frozen over on 8/4, because I felt sorry for Franco when got pegged as the killer in trying to protect Nina. Around this time, there was a lot of excellent dialogue about Ava's flaws and desires (ex. when Silas' ghost haunted her on 8/12); character psychology is a rarity. West rocks everything given to her; she's so emotionally animalistic and convincing. It's awful and ridiculous, for example, that a grown woman would weep like a teenager over her daughter's boyfriend (8/28), but West will break your heart, make you sympathize and...get hot and bothered over it. Ava was speaking to Morgan from behind jail bars, but fogged up the place reminding him of their chemistry (8/27): "...the way I touched you, my breath on your neck, the way I bit your lip when we kissed...you know my body blindfolded and I know yours just the same." Which writer was responsible for that erotica, haha? Kiki finding out that her mom wasn't dead should've been stimulating, but it was underwhelming. The Denise thing was fun at first, but I was glad when it was over. I like that Ava's in a position to be a mob queen again and has a new love interest, but I don't like that it's all at the mercy of a man who's stepping on her neck. I want her to finally be in complete control. It's backwards to me that she sleeping with Paul. It was fun to see her back in action at the 5 families meeting on 9/28 and put little Michael, who's always trying to sit at the big boy table, in his place. As for this custody business, I'm sick of Avery being bounced around and fought over. I'm also sick of it being painted like Sonny is Ava's victim and she's uncompromising, as if the baby wasn't literally ripped and kept from her since birth. I love Carly, but I clapped when she called herself Avery's mother and Ava snapped " You're not her mother...bitch (9/24)."

Thoughts and observations of Port Charles happenings.

Guys, I'm trying a new format this time; please let me know what you think of it! :)

The Spencer Clan
What Happened: Luke's long-lost sister, Patricia (Dee Wallace), told Bobbie and Tracy that his mental breakdown was likely the result of repressed memories of murdering his parents, Lena and Tim, as a teen (4/1). Luke (Anthony Geary) fatally hit Lena in the head with a bat on accident, trying to guard her from the abusive Tim (Bobbie was too young to remember this). When Tim berated a devastated Luke after a hospital call confirming Lena's death, Luke snapped and struck him dead. Patricia and Bill Eckert covered up any remnants of the event, and she sent Luke and Bobbie (Jackie Zeman) to live with their Aunt Ruby. After this was explained, Patricia, who was already ailing from multiple sclerosis, presumably died from shock (Luke bound and gagged her) and Luke was sent to a psychiatric hospital. Patricia's daughter, Valerie, who was also attacked, nearly slit Luke's throat for revenge (4/8). Later, Luke is cleared for release by a doctor. Laura (Genie Francis) returns to town and alerts Luke that Lucky and Ethan have been kidnapped by Frank Smith and they're commanded to tell no one (6/15). Lulu and Dillon find out and demand to help in the rescue. Tracy is led to believe that Luke dumped her for Laura (6/9) and Dante (Dominic Zampronga) is told Lulu is visiting her grandmother. Dante assumes Lulu and Dillon (Emme Rylan, Robert Palmer Watkins) are having an affair when he discovers she actually booked a hotel room with her ex-lover (6/30). Dante kisses Valerie on 2 separate occasions and they ultimately have sex (7/6). When he learns the truth, he only cops to kissing Valerie (Brytni Sarpy) and makes her vow to keep the rest quiet. Tracy (Jane Elliott) feels that Luke doesn't see her as an equal and he needs time to heal from his childhood revelations; they agree  to separate (7/21). Lucky (Jonathan Jackson) finds that Helena Cassadine has had his adopted son, Jake, on Cassadine Island since 2011, when he was thought to have died after a freak accident where Luke hit him with his car (7/6).

My Commentary: The multi-episode flashback arch revealing Luke's parricide was beautifully done and directed, and a sight for sore eyes with continual, in-depth storytelling. It had my heart and caught my tears. It was a sweet thrill to see Laura Wright (who portrays Luke's niece, Carly) as Lena, and Jason Thompson and Rebecca Herbst as GH genesis characters, Dr. Steven Hardy and Nurse Jessie Brewer. The arch was great independently, but within context of the "Fluke" storyline, it still left a lot unexplained. Why break now, after all these years? If the drugs Heather's Miscavige men gave him caused the memory to come back, why would it bring out an evil side? The deaths didn't happen callously. The implication is that Luke is inherently evil, but he assumingly showed no symptoms of this before the trauma. Most of all, this incident doesn't explain the inclination towards womanizing and sexual assault (in addition to raping Laura, Luke attempted to do the same to Kiki and threatened Julian with it against Sam), or logistical details, like being in WSB custody with Julian Jerome. I did like how the writers connected the parricide to Bill Eckert's final words: "forgive yourself for what you did to your mother." Geary suggested last June that this year-long journey (that fans found arduous, by the way) kept him from leaving GH, but allegedly after having a post-surgery epiphany, he opted to go anyway. Rather conveniently, the double-homicide unveiling  provided a built-in exit, but the writers wanted to take Luke down the corner of Ridiculous Lane and Unnecessary Road one last time. Jennifer (Frank's daughter) wanted to blackmail Luke into sleeping with her to get "closure" from their broken engagement 35 years ago (6/22). Frank, who's supposed to be dead, wanted to avenge being shot 21 years ago (7/3). A retro villain was resuscitated (and recasted) to be shot again after about 4 episodes (7/6). Oh, and he has something to do with Little Jake (who wasn't born until 2007) being alive, though we won't be told how! It was silly and pathetically underdeveloped. What was the reason for it?! To reunite Luke with his off-canvas sons and ex-boos, Laura and Holly? Him severely needing psychological care was sufficient enough. Was it to bring back Little Jake? Geary theorized the Jake scenario was to redeem Luke from being a child killer, but I think it has nothing to do with him and everything to do with making things more complicated between Liz, Jason and Sam, once Jason regains his memory (more on that in a bit). It would be nice if Jake wasn't killed in the first place or was resurrected to right a wrong, but instead he's being used as a plot device, which I always hate. Luke and Tracy's parting scenes were well-scribed and bright, with Elliott being the queen she can't help but be. The dialogue about how Tracy needs to feed her spirit after chasing Luke and ELQ, and how he needs to recover and can't pick up where he left off gave a powerful and sensible conclusion to their romance that didn't feel hurried or unnatural. The ghosts of Luke's youth reappeared on 7/24, giving him resolve and perspective; again, beautifully done and thorough. Why kill Patricia though? We just got her! I hate when phantom characters are finally brought out of the shadows, only to die almost instantly.

Thoughts & observations of Port Charles happenings.

Note: Guys, I'm raising money to attend GH Fan Club Weekend, which falls on my birthday this year, for the 1st time. I'd greatly appreciate any donations you'd like to offer; just follow this link: http://www.gofundme.com/oi2rm8. Thank you in advance.

Nikolas
On 1/13, Nikolas (Tyler Christopher) was revealed to be behind the rigging of the mayoral election in which Felicia was the true winner. Nikolas got Janice Lomax in, who promptly fired Anna (Finola Hughes) as police commissioner and replaced her with the shady Kyle Sloane (Grayson McCouch), so Nikolas can have someone to execute his dirty deeds and evade law enforcement. At first, I thought this was all a rouse to convince his grandmother, Helena, that he was conceding to her threats to his inheritance, but after he secured his assets under her nose and banished her to Cassadine Island (2/20), he began following through with the plot she hatched to acquire controlling interest of ELQ, which involves keeping the secret that Jason Morgan is alive and well. What broke the noble prince's moral code? Getting dissed by Liz and deceived by Britt. Sigh. Again, something I long thirsted for came in a disappointing and anti-climatic form. I've always wanted Nikolas to one day go to the dark side of his genes, but not like this. All of the sudden, he went from "No, grandmother, you won't extort me into evil-doing," to "You don't have to extort me. My post-widowing love-life has sucked, so I want to wreak havoc on PC." He went on about how goodness died with Emily and how much he loved her, but he's targeting her family's company and hurting the brother (Jason) she worshipped, who also happens to be the husband of his beloved cousin, Sam. This for ELQ? Nikolas doesn't need that company, he's a prince! He has his own island! Wasn't ELQ Luke's target anyway? When did it become of Cassadine interest or necessity? *face-palms* I need real goals with real motives. Additionally, anytime he expresses guilt over his actions, he hardly mentions Emily as a factor, which is a writing oversight. The best part of this so far was Nikolas holding a knife to Helena's neck on 2/5. In another random event, Lulu had faux beef with Nik and held him responsible for not alerting everyone that Helena and Luke were putting their heads together. *rolls eyes*Meanwhile, Spencer's (Nicholas Bechtel) hilarious and entertaining 10th birthday party (I couldn't with his Rocky entrance) went left in an accidental fire caused by Cameron (2/25) that resulted in Spencer needing the care of Shriner's Hospital.

Ric, Liz, Jake (Jason), Sam & Patrick
I've said many times that I can't stand how Elizabeth (Rebecca Herbst) is written to have a fair-weather heart and that the character is worthy of more. Once again, she questionably drops a guy-without even sweating-to explore an illogical option. Ric (Rick Hearst) survived being framed, hidden away in police protection, kidnapped from police protection and nearly killed to get back to Liz and his child, and she's given up on trying to make it work with him (3/13) for a stranger with amnesia that could be married (i.e. Jason, who thinks his name is Jake and required facial surgery after an accident, so no one knows his identity). Right.... that makes sense. She's already super jealous too; nosey and in JakeSon's (Billy Miller) grill every time he has a moment alone with Sam or Carly. She was going to take him to bed on 3/20 when a woman claiming to be his wife showed up on her doorstep (Rebecca Budig, formerly of AMC). I about died! They said Budig's role (Hayden Barnes) was going to be a doozy (hey, girl, hey! Welcome back to daytime)! Wait, I just realized something. Hayden Panettiere's character on Nashville, which is on the same network, has the last name Barnes. That's funny. Anyway, Liz's reaction to Hayden was intensely accusatory, borderline angry and territorial, when she should've been written as devastated, but concerned, to make sure he was going with the right person. Liz spoke to her like she was an evil intruder (which she is, but Liz doesn't know that), instead of a woman who's loved one's been missing for months. The audience knows that Jakeson's true wife is Sam (Kelly Monaco), so either Hayden was nuts (ala` Mary (Connor) Bishop) or a con sent by Ric. It was option B for $200, Alex (3/24). This is a fun angle; I just hate that Ric is digging himself in deeper ultimately with Liz and proving he hasn't changed much. 

I enjoyed the Haunted Star bomb scenes in early February; any day we have action, which GH is known for, it's a good day. It was supposed to be Luke's show, but the exchanges between other characters, like Jason and Sam, were more interesting. Miller and Monaco play off each other well; I loved their deliveries on 2/3 and 2/4, as Sam went from angry and afraid, to concerned and compassionate, learning that Jason was under Helena's mind control when he held her hostage to free Faison, broke into her home with the intention to kill her and planted a bomb on the Haunted Star. 1 handcuffed to the table and 1 free, Jason tosses Patrick into it when he shows up trying to be a tough guy, which made me moist (it gave me happy memories of him doing the same thing to Carlos too). The break-in was also nicely done (1/19 & 1/20); Jason nearly had a memory breakthrough, pacing around the familiar surroundings of his home and seeing photos of himself. The swaps between Sam and Patrick making love and Jason having a hallucination of Robin as he last saw her was a great directing/editing choice. Jason recognized the Dragon and Phoenix figurines he and Sam received on their wedding night and took the Phoenix. Sam was naturally distressed when she realized it was missing. Despite her explaining the sentimental value of it to Patrick, he referred to it as a "knick-knack," and she didn't check him. In fact, he practically convinced her that she was overreacting (as usual when she has a hunch) and she used the phrase herself. Totally out of character. She would've been extremely insulted by Patrick's passivity. Full of resentment towards Robin, Patrick (Jason Thompson) has been on this "screw my ex" tour and wants Sam to buy a ticket. It's as if he wants Sam to be as dismissive of all things Jason as he currently is of all things Robin. On 3/24, when he suggests Sam move in with him and she asks if it would be weird for her to come in the house he shared with Robin, he says it would be no weirder than the time he's been spending in Jason's home. Patrick is so pressed to move on (literally and figuratively) that he didn't think twice about how such a decision would affect his daughter Emma; Sam had to bring that up. Sam mentions that Emma (Brooklyn Rae Silzer) lost the presence of her mother yet again and a live-in girlfriend with a baby might be a hard adjustment for her. Patrick shrugs this off and emphasizes that Emma likes her, as if that changes the situation. In just 3 years, this little girl has endured 3 serious girlfriends and 2 failed pregnancies right along him. That's a lot of changes. I love when Sam's motherly instincts are displayed, like when she was able to soothe Spencer into telling what he knew about Luke last September. 

Thoughts & observations of Port Charles happenings.

Patrick, Rafe, Sam, Silas & Nina

This paragraph is mostly plot summary, so you can skip to the 2nd one to read my thoughts on this crew. Sam’s (Kelly Monaco) nifty detective work lead her and Patrick (Jason Thompson) to the person who ran his family off the road and caused the premature birth and subsequent death of his son, Gabriel. It was Rafe (Jimmy Deshler). As the clues pieced together, everyone close to Rafe learned that he was responsible for the accident and was using cocaine (laced with heroin as later learned). When he went to Silas’ apartment to get his things and go on the run, he heard a standing Nina (Michelle Stafford) plotting against Silas. To keep Rafe from exposing her plans to make her husband suffer (he had an affair with Ava Jerome before she went into a coma 20 years ago), she reminded him of his dyer situation and gave him money and a car to get away (7/2). Molly (Haley Pullos) came across him and got in the car, insisting on a drug intervention. Rafe revealed that he wasn’t on drugs the night of the accident and that someone put him up to it. Before he could say who that someone was, he collided with a police blockade (7/7). Both he and Molly had head injuries. Molly recovered, but Rafe’s condition was life-threatening and required immediate surgery. Given it was the 4th of July (and it’s soap-opera land), Patrick was the only surgeon available. Silas (Michael Easton) feared Patrick would seek revenge and not properly work on Rafe, but chief-of-staff Dr. Obrecht persisted and the procedure happened. Patrick’s darker conscious appeared to him (Thompson’s characterization of “Bad Drake” was fantastic), arguing that he could cut a vein and no one would know, but Rafe bled out anyhow and was declared brain-dead. Silas instantly accused Patrick of intentionally trying to murder Rafe. Patrick later confided to Sam that he thought about hurting Rafe, but didn’t follow through (7/11). Hoping it might deter Silas from taking his claims to the press, Sam shared Patrick’s secret while Nina was eavesdropping around the corner (7/17). To protect the hospital and beat Silas to the punch, Dr. Obrecht (Kathleen Gati) launched a press conference. Nina told a journalist about Patrick’s private thoughts and he was cornered on camera. Obrecht closed the conference and fired Patrick as a precaution (7/22). Sam didn’t give Silas the benefit of the doubt, charged him with breaking confidences and telling Nina what Patrick said, and blamed him for firing. This further angered Silas about Sam’s unwavering trust of and loyalty to Patrick. Overwhelmed by all the gradual discord and hurdles, Sam broke up with Silas.

Ok, now that I’ve told you the story, time for thoughts.  I was disappointed that Rafe was killed. The kid was finally getting interesting and he was axed. Rafe needed to stay on canvas if for no other than 2 reasons: 1) There aren’t enough teenagers as is, and 2) he was the last major link to the Port Charles soap spinoff. All of Silas, Sam and Kiki’s “shoulda, coulda, wouldas” about paying more attention to Rafe were like scripted representations of how the writers neglected him themselves. I hate when characters like Rafe are brought on, used to propel others and then done away with. Clearly his death was a tool for this insanely fascinating Patrick vs. Silas vs. Sam storyline, so I can’t say that it was unnecessary, but I can’t help but wonder if there was another way to make the 3-way tension happen. Could there have been the same amount of conflict if Rafe was comatose or on-trial? I think so and longer term too. Rafe didn’t have to die for the Luke secret to stay buried either; car-crashes are great at erasing memories in soap-land. After all, Molly herself couldn’t remember that Rafe was put up to the accident. Speaking of Molly, Pullos stole the scene where Silas had to pull the plug on Rafe. Rafe’s uncle, cousin and adoptive mother were in the room and his crush had me most in tears. One of the longer-term conflict points could’ve been Molly throwing her all into helping Rafe recover and beat criminal charges, while her boyfriend TJ continues to fester with resentment.

You have to admit, Nina emphasizing Sam’s lack of suspicion in Patrick to Silas and creating distrust by giving the journalist that tip was well-played and pretty smart. I’m eager to see what she’ll do to Ava (Maura West). Nina is kooky, eccentric and calculating; I’m enjoying her so far, really. Although Sam’s hunch that Nina is up to no good is accurate, it’s largely unfounded and just comes off childishly jealous. If the writers wanted to show Sam’s keenness, they should’ve given her something more concrete to go on. On the other side, the dialogue between Patrick, Sam and Silas has been great. When an appalled Silas defended himself against Sam’s assumption that he squealed on Patrick, every other line I was like “Checkmate!” “Checkpoint!” Sam quickly believed Patrick when he said he only thought about killing Rafe, but refused to consider the plausible possibility that someone overheard her conversation with Silas on the hospital roof. Then, she believes the wheel-chair bound Nina (as far as Sam knows, Nina can’t walk) listened in when there’s no elevator to the roof (making Sam look even more jealous, foolish and desperate)! I cackled when Silas said “When I said that to you the other day [that someone could’ve eavesdropped], you said that was impossible…Now, all of the sudden, of all things, someone confined to a wheelchair overheard us?” Silas asked Sam when she stopped trusting him and she gave some B.S. answer that they’ve spent so much time apart lately. Being involuntarily away because of unusual and pressing circumstances makes you untrustworthy? When you met him, he was the twin brother of a serial killer and a viable attempted murder suspect himself in incapacitating a wife you didn’t know about right away (that he also cheated on), but your trust is shook now? Laughable! If you’re familiar with my writing, you know I that I’m not the biggest fan of the SiAm pairing, so prepared to be shocked: I thought the breakup was kind of whack. I understood Sam’s decision from the angle that they’re currently on divergent wavelengths and their lives are over-complicated, but to hinge so much of her reasoning on Nina was ridiculous. Silas is so obviously not interested in being with Nina and he’s assured Sam of that multiple times, but she’s convinced somehow that Silas is secretly pining. Ok, girl. It’s more like your insecurity is getting the better of you. Before I move on, how funny was it that they had the press conference in the middle of the hospital? Guess they didn’t want to build a separate set. Oh, and Patrick and Sam’s conversation about her being a “bad ass” (8/1)? So cute (that is, if you can put “cute” and “bad ass” in the same vicinity)!

Thoughts & observations of Port Charles happenings.

Patrick, Sabrina & Baby Gabriel
On 5/27, I was really confused as to why Sabrina (Teresa Castillo) would give her son, Gabriel,  her last name instead of Patrick’s and how Patrick didn’t flinch at this, but baby names would be the least of my ‘Patrina’ concerns as their story developed over the month. For 6 WEEKS, Gabriel was in NICU, being prematurely born after a hit-and-run car accident on 4/24 (current suspects are Luke and Rafe). We saw all of these gentle moments; everyone connected to Sabrina and Patrick had their hearts invested and just when it seemed like we’d finally see the child recover, he died. Ay, yi. In the DEC 2013/JAN 2014 edition of “LIPC” , I argued that Sabrina shouldn’t have been pregnant in the first place, but since she was and Castillo soon had to go on maternity leave, I suggested that, at a speedy pace, Sabrina miscarry and maybe go into a depression and want to leave town for a while. I made this suggestion with the assumption that Sabrina’s child would be used as a tool to keep the impossible love triangle with Robin going. Once it seemed that wasn’t the case thankfully, I was more open to the idea of a Patrina baby as the writers put some cards on the table to improve the situation and make it convenient. Sabrina gradually toughened up, detached from Patrick and became Carlos’ savior, setting the stage for a Patrick-independent storyline and at last, some sort of joy. Maybe this baby would actually be more about her than him (especially when the writers played with Carlos being the father; I’d love for Jeffery Vincent Parise to get more camera time). Castillo’s exit was set as Carlos worried Ava made good on her threat to harm Sabrina: she could’ve been forced into police protective custody, which would’ve driven Patrick (Jason Thompson) insane.

Oddly, the writers blew all their cards away; why I’m surprised, I don’t know. Sabrina gave birth, briefly lost touch with reality after watching Gabriel die and went back to Puerto Rico with Juan to regroup. I’m sure the rationale for this was the tragic drama and Patrick having another reason to resent Robin because she wasn’t there to support him (actress Kimberly McCullough isn’t currently on the series). Was there no other way to keep the emotions high? Killing Gabriel felt like a cheap stunt. The 6 weeks had no payoff, coming off like filler until Castillo’s exit date and a possible longer-term storyline (and a new character for the next generation) was relinquished for temporary commotion. You might ask: well, what about Patrick and the vehicular homicide charge? That’s not temporary? Patrick has enough cause to be angry with Robin; that fire isn’t in desperate need of gas at all. As for the “Who done it?” part of the story, that would still be there and the culprit would still face serious charges worthy of a soap courtroom. Yes, the grieving and funeral scenes were powerful (I was in tears multiple times; Castillo and Thompson did great work), but I still question the necessity of the death and debate which outcome would be more lastingly useful. Last month, I expressed my surprise that this new (circa 2012) writing team would kill A.J. Quartermaine, knowing that Quartermaine deaths were the most complained about story facet of the 2000’s. Child deaths are also on the list, most notably Jake Spencer (the son of Elizabeth Webber and Jason Morgan, adopted by Lucky Spencer) in 2011. I’m not sure what they’re thinking about, especially after being on a baby-boom roll.

Sam, Silas & Nina
On 6/3, Silas (Michael Easton) went to Danny Morgan’s birthday party and was surprised to find his wife, Nina (Michelle Stafford), who he thought died after being in a 20-year coma. At first, his current girlfriend Sam (Kelly Monaco) was gracious, seemed to understand the gravity of the situation and tried to conceal their relationship so Silas could have a moment to get Nina settled and wrap his head around the revelation. Prior to Nina being hospitalized, Silas had an affair with Ava Jerome. Nina resolved to work on their marriage and was soon pregnant. Around the same time, she was supposed to inherit assets from her father’s will. Her mother, Madeline, didn’t want Silas around and tried to drug Nina to induce a miscarriage. The baby died, but Nina unexpectedly went into a coma. Silas didn’t know Nina was pregnant until recently. Nina woke up decades later, learning what her mother did and that Silas had a child with Ava, who now lives with him and his nephew Rafe. She has no money (so she says), requires around-the-clock rehabilitation care (not true, but we’ll get to that) and has next to nowhere to go. Kind of a big deal, right? Not really, says Samantha! 

Thoughts & observations of Port Charles happenings.

Sonny, Ava & Morgan
So…I thought Michael (Chad Duell) was going to find out that Sonny (Maurice Bernard) shot AJ, hate his guts and then Morgan (Bryan Craig) would have a shot at really being part of the family, but instead, Sonny’s relationships with all of his sons were shot to hell. I’m not totally mad about it either, in a twist. In a well-scripted, intense and beautifully performed scene, Sonny and Ava discussed their shared, mob-head burden of guilt, lies, loss and blood-shed and it emotionally peaked into sex. Tomb sex. After AJ’s funeral. “Well, that’s it; Sonny has officially screwed the Quartermaines,” a fan hilariously tweeted. Sonny had sex with Ava (Maura West) in front of Emily (whom he used to date) and Jason’s buried bodies. That’s not creepy at all, haha. Anyway, that scene got a standing ovation from me: Ava calling herself pathetic for being jealous of Kiki, smacking her head at the haunting thoughts stirring in her mind, her stone-wall defense mechanisms coming down- West is queen!! Although they were dressed when Morgan found them, he still realized what happened; he was angry, betrayed and heartbroken once again. 1st his brother Michael steals his girlfriend, and then his father sleeps with his new one. Sonny tried to keep his indiscretion from his current love, Olivia (Lisa LoCicero), but she got wind anyhow and was shattered; their son Dante (Dominic Zampronga) was naturally furious with his papa. I found it so annoying that Olivia wasn’t mature enough to just leave Dante out of it, knowing that he already has fickle relationship with Sonny. This leaves Michael, who again, will undoubtedly be enraged when he learns how his biological father, AJ, died. A son-less Sonny (which is an interesting concept) presents another great opportunity to bring back his only daughter, Kristina, but hey, I guess I’m asleep.

Morgan once again underestimated the nerve of mobsters and told Julian (William Devry) that Ava was working as an informant for Sonny. Sonny whisked Ava away to his private island to escape threat and told her she could come home once Julian was arrested and his organization was taken down by collaborating with the PCPD for a drug bust (more on this in a moment). Little does Ava know it will be far from safe to come home, as Julian’s boss, presumably Luke Spencer (he may be being impersonated), is still at large and Carly and Franco have evidence that she killed Connie, Sonny’s former fiancé`. For the last few editions of LIPC, I have wondered what’s going to become of Ava with all of her resources rapidly running out. I love the character and definitely adore the actress, so I hope Ava Jerome isn’t leaving Port Charles anytime soon. As for Morgan, the other character I’ve been rooting for, there is still no justice. Sure, he’s had plenty of camera time and been a part of major storylines, but none of them were really centralized on him and established him as an eminent figure. Since his aged return (AKA SORAS) last year, Morgan has been used chiefly as a plot device and propelling stool for other characters. Additionally, there’s been no legitimate recompense for the wrongs done against him, unlike for other characters. Without earning it, Michael received Morgan’s forgiveness and Kiki, his confidence and physical protection. Despite this, Kiki (Kristen Alderson) denied Morgan somewhere to stay when he moved out of Ava’s home (5/6), and when he was reluctant to keep the tomb-sex news from Michael, she still had the nerve to say “He [Michael] takes care of you all the time…for once…take care of your brother.” What?! As if Morgan owes Michael anything! Also, last time I checked, stealing your brother’s girlfriend is not taking care of him. Outside the motive of turning the holy son against his father, I don’t see why Morgan sought to move in with Michael and Kiki in the 1st place. The lesser evil would the large and frequently abandoned home of his mother Carly (Laura Wright), or at best, his 1st-cousin Molly’s house, but I guess I’m in a deep sleep. Like Sam was a few months ago, Carly’s too busy running around with her ill-matched beau, Franco (Roger Howarth), to be written into her family affairs (more on that in a moment too).

Nurses Ball 2014
The glitz! The glamour! The fun! The guaranteed storyline punch! I love the Nurses Ball! I’m convinced the guy that does the red carpet interviews is the one impersonating Luke: he’s seems to have an uncanny knowledge of everything that intimately happens in Port Charles and is always throwing shade at Sonny. I’m kidding; I don’t really think it’s him. The opening (5/8) was one of the best ever! Dr. Obrecht (Kathleen Gati) slayed! She gave me sex, she gave me Broadway and she gave me “Cabaret!” It was delightful! I felt sorry for her during “You Were Always on My Mind” (5/13) when she was pleading to her kids, Britta and Nathan, who recently discovered they were siblings after nearly sleeping together. How cute and endearing was the scene where Nathan tells Britt she was his sister? The way Britt walked away was priceless. I know this is for the sake of the story, but Nathan (Ryan Paevey) having so much hated for Obrecht doesn’t all the way connect. Should he be horrified and apprehensive to be near her? Yes, that would make sense, but he hates her as if she did something personally awful to him. I was stunned to see Britt (Kelly Theibaud) give her mother such a sudden cold shoulder, given all the bonding they were doing a short time ago. Bi-polar writing there. I love the new BFF-ness between Britt and Brad (Parry Shen). The scenes where they, along with Nikolas and Spencer, took turns consoling each other when seeing their respective loved ones partying at the ball were really sweet and funny. I also enjoyed Britt telling Felix and Lucas what for about forgiving Brad (5/9). Oh, and Victor Cassadine might be Nathan’s dad (5/1). Yeah, mm-hmm. The plot thickens. Back to Obrecht’s 2nd performance, I cackled when Obrecht was introduced as “Adele Dazeem,” the Oscar-flubbed John Travolta translation of actress Idina Menzel’s name. 

Thoughts & observations of Port Charles happenings.

Guys, I’ve been doing a lot of traveling as of late, so this edition of LIPC includes about 2 weeks more of storyline than normal. I’m going to try to keep things concise and make sure to comment on the major plots. Thanks for reading.

Which one of Sam’s pairings is the best? Nikolas or Ric for Liz? Should Britt and Ava pay? Vote in my polls here! :)

Sonny, Ava, AJ & The Anniversary Episode
In case you missed it, AJ (Sean Kanan) eventually put it together that Ava did in fact shoot and kill Connie Falconeri and it wasn’t him. Feeling cornered and in a pickle (like she did when Connie threatened to out her and Julian’s plan to take Sonny down), Ava (Maura West) turned a gun on AJ and told him she couldn’t afford for the truth to come out. When she pulled the trigger, it wouldn’t fire, leaving AJ an opportunity to wrestle with her. He had her by the throat when Sonny (Maurice Bernard) walked in, which gave him instant flashbacks of AJ’s 1st attempt on Connie’s life. Sonny lost it, picked up Julian’s gun and shot AJ in the chest. To cover her tracks, Ava told Sonny that AJ became irate and tried to kill her after being denied a job with the Jerome’s. Instead of selling this same tale to the cops (for whatever reason), Ava encouraged Sonny to come up with an alibi (she already had one) and set up Julian (William Devry). Julian was cleared as a suspect and tensions built as Ava and a guilt-ridden Sonny (he vowed to Michael he would never harm AJ) hoped the comatose AJ would die and never identify them as involved. AJ did die (3/31), but not before telling Carly (Laura Wright) that Sonny shot him “because of Ava.” ‘CarSon’ channeled, Carly reluctantly promised Sonny she’d keep quiet.

I have a few thoughts. We know that when Michael (Chad Duell) finds out AJ (his biological father) died at the hands of Sonny (his adopted father), he’s going to hate Sonny and Carly with a fiery, burning passion. As a fan who was always annoyed with CarSon’s Michael worship/favoritism, I can’t wait for this to happen; maybe their true son, Morgan (Bryan Craig), will have an opportunity to get closer to them.  As a CarSon fan, however, I feel bad for them; this is going to suck. I also really like Ava, so I’m dreading the fallout with her character. Hopefully, she isn’t being written into the hole she seems to be, with no allies or reprieve. Now, let’s talk about AJ’s death. The character of Alan James Quartermaine Jr. had been off canvas for almost a decade, and in less than 2 years after his return, he’s dead again?! I never liked AJ, but I loved to hate him. Killing him again was such a poor and unnecessary decision on the writers’ part. One of the biggest complaints and sore spots for fans before the new writing team arrived in 2012 was that the Quartermaine family had gradually dissipated, death after death. There was so much optimism that the Q’s would get a second wind with the contentious son back from the dead, ready to reclaim his child and ELQ stake by finding a lost heir. Except, the battle for ELQ became arduous and silly, the mystery heir plot had disappointing results and Connie’s murder trial was stunningly brief. This outcome was reportedly the catalyst for Kanan’s decision to go back to the “Bold & The Beautiful” on CBS, as he told TV Guide magazine. GH head-writer Ron Carlivati tweeted that Kanan’s comments had “no class,” but in my opinion, Kanan didn’t say anything harsh; he just expressed disappointment over his storylines. Was that really that wrong to do? Anyway, Kanan leaving shouldn’t have affected the plot to where AJ had to die because everything was ridiculously convenient: AJ was in a coma, the usual soap exit-strategy. Escorted by a ghost Emily, Alan, Lila and Edward, AJ walked up the hospital stairs into a heavenly light on 4/1, GH’s 51st anniversary. Fans on Twitter were overwhelmingly dismayed: “Happy anniversary! We killed another Quartermaine! Is this really how we’re going to commemorate it?,” one fan posted. @Aislyn3 said “That last shot was a travesty. It shined a HUGE light, literally and figuratively, on GH’s worst mistake in 51 years.”