Thoughts & observations of Port Charles happenings.

 Alexis & Julian, Molly & TJ, Ric
I love it when things shake up with the Davis girls as a whole! Alexis and Julian have been having heart-to-hearts and near sexual encounters, Molly is being fast, Ric is back in town and Sam is oblivious to it all (I can’t wait ‘till she finds everything out)!

I really like how the writers have developed ‘JuLexis (Alexis and Julian);’ they’ve gradually built the pair and given context for their closeness and chemistry, unlike with Britt and Nikolas (they’re supposed to be madly in love, but you don’t know why and their entire relationship has been on fast-forward). I also like how I feel completely conflicted about them as a couple: I love and hate the JuLexis concept, which translates into me keeping close watch to see which side wins out. Loves: the characters gel very well interpersonally and it’s sweltering. Hates: Julian (William Devry) is 90% snake and Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn) has been written as a hypocrite long enough (about 10 years or more). She’s cried ‘slut’ at other female characters and vilified organized crime, but she can’t resist easily dropping her panties at the whims of a mobster or shady Grady (not to mention she’s a mob lawyer). I’m still hoping there will be a scene where Alexis’ ex, Sean, who got dumped for being Sonny’s hitman, calls her out for playing with Julian. After which, she should get chewed out by her eldest daughter, Sam (Kelly Monaco), as Julian selfishly bartered with Danny’s (Sam’s infant son) life to avoid Sonny’s bounty for his head (Julian’s marrow donation cured Danny of cancer). It’s been all quiet on the western front for Alexis and Sam after years of turbulence, but smoke is bound to fill the air again with Julian and Alexis’ ex-husband, Ric (who cheated by having a 1-night stand with Sam), on the turf. The thought of Ric brings me to their precious daughter Molly….

Following a good year of not-so-subtle hints, TJ (Tequan Richmond) finally got his way: Molly (Haley Pullos) said she was ‘ready’ to have sex. With the help of an overly relaxed Olivia, TJ rented a room at the Metro Court and the teens were ready to start their engines. Rafe (Jimmy Deshler), who’s unsuccessfully vied for Molly’s heart, spotted them in the lobby and ran to Alexis’ home to give her the 411. Alexis dashed out of the door with Julian and arrived at the hotel room before any sex could occur. Molly had the nerve to stand in her teddy (I tweeted “Oh look, it’s an infant in lingerie”) next to a shirtless TJ and disrespectfully challenge her mother, bringing up Alexis’ youthful indiscretions. Alexis took Molly to task and thankfully didn’t back down; it was a fantastic scene. When the shock of Ric’s (Rick Hearst) presence wore off (he’s been away from PC for 5 years), Alexis hoped to get some parental back-up with Molly, but Ric decided to brown-nose and pretended to support Molly’s actions (which included lying about going to SAT prep with a female friend). Just as I was basking in the glow of Alexis asserting herself, it was in the script that she backpedal and start to believe everyone else’s opinion that she overreacted. “UGH! I hate how they always have Alexis feeling bad for doing her job and being a PARENT. She shouldn’t regret her actions at all,” I tweeted. I have so many frustrations with how this great character, portrayed by an incredible actress, is scripted. Alexis rarely stands up for herself, and when she does, she ends up bemoaning it. 

Thoughts & observations of Port Charles happenings.

Well…I was going to post this on January 20th, but not a whole lot happened, so I waited an additional week and…things are still in the same position, so forgive me if this edition of LIPC seems abbreviated. You would think I had plenty to say since a psychopath is now the hospital’s Chief of Staff, an exciting gay love triangle is brewing and Carly (Laura Wright) has been kidnapped and drugged, but as noted in “Why 'General Hospital's' 50th Year is its Least Remarkable,” bombs explode in such a settle fashion in Port Charles, it’s like there wasn’t a bomb at all.

Michael, Carly, Franco & Heather
In this corner of the show, I eagerly waited for 2 things: 1) For Carly to tell Michael (Chad Duell) that she’s dating Franco (Roger Howarth), the man partly responsible for his rape in prison, and 2) For Carly to find out that Franco killed his mother, Heather (Robin Mattson). I was raring to go for these plot-points because I expected a great fallout, but as I have to say too often in my articles, no such thing. Michael’s reaction to ‘Farly’ or ‘Carco,’ or whatever Carly and Franco are called, was good, he was angry, but not angry enough. It didn’t quite go over the hill. There were great lines like “I thought you were smarter than this” and “I’ll make you [Franco] pay for what you did to me,” but I really wanted Michael to nearly renounce Carly. He should feel hurt and betrayed that his mother would desire a man who’s harmed him so and caused irreparable damage. Let’s think about this in the context of real life: its 1 thing to forgive because of the tumor, but to sleep with?! Date?!  I’d have so much rage towards my mother! I’d be in tears (in addition to worrying about her safety, which Michael was)! Oh, and why was Kiki there? Why did Carly invite her to such a personal, mother-to-son moment? All she did was make offensive comments that should’ve vexed Michael more, like “You’re not being fair at all” and “He [Franco] saved your life.” Maybe trouble in ‘Miki’s’ paradise as it relates to Franco will arise, as Kiki (Kristen Alderson) lied to Michael about harboring Franco in their apartment to protect him from arrest. As usual, Ava (Maura West) stole a scene that wasn’t even about her when she put Carly in her place just before Michael sat down with his not-so-dutiful mother. I was giggling with delight. I heart Ava. So much.

After Carly’s failed lunch with Michael, she was kidnapped by Heather, who Franco doesn’t know survived his murder attempt. Heather’s goal was to kill Carly and frame Franco for it. I rolled my eyes. Just when I thought Michael and Carly would have this severed relationship (at least temporarily) and Franco would go back to being interesting, that was blown to smithereens and the writers cooked up another story where Franco will likely come out victorious and we’re supposed to feel sorry for him because he’s been victimized. Michael will no longer care who Carly is dating, because he’ll just be glad to have her back. Carly won’t be concerned if Franco still has a taste for the morbid, because she’ll just be glad to be alive. Franco stabbing his mother in the stomach will be looked at as chivalrous! Oh, my knight in shining armor! Michael will end up apologizing to Franco for accusing him of kidnapping. My stomach is turning already. I don’t know how many times I have to say it, but Franco is better as a villain. Will I hate him less? No, but it’s more aggravating to me to watch his forced sanctification! Also, him moping around and gushing over Carly is just plain boring. Another missed beat within this frame? Sonny (Maurice Bernard). Everyone else is frantic with worry that Carly’s dead, but Sonny’s been chill and having sex with Olivia. Lastly, how hard did you laugh when Carly told Michael he’s the “fairest person” she knows? Right, because “fair” people steal their brother’s girlfriends. Yes, I’m still on that.

Thoughts & observations of Port Charles happenings.

Robin, Patrick & Sabrina
December 1-6 had a lot of “first time in a long time” moments. For the first time in a long time, I was glued to my screen for an entire week of “General Hospital” as Robin (Kimberly McCullough) finally reunited with her husband and daughter, Luke Spencer and Jerry Jax (Anthony Geary, Sebastian Roche) had a face-off (with Bobbie in the middle) that ended in falling over the Metro Court roof and Anna and Robert (Finola Hughes, Tristan Rogers) brought Robin’s prime captor to a dark fate of justice (loved all the action!). Starting with Robin’s return (long story short, she was held captive to brew a cure for an ill villain and her family thought she was dead for 2 years), the second “first time in a long time” was that a drawn out episode was (so) worth the wait. On 12/2, we watched in agony for the whole hour, as Robin stood outside of the chapel doors and quietly gazed at Patrick (Jason Thompson) going on with his wedding vows to Sabrina (Teresa Castillo). Just before they were pronounced husband and wife, Robin’s daughter, Emma, saw her and said “Mommy??” The little bundle of cuteness ran down the aisle into her mother’s arms (in slow motion of course; it was a nice GH history nod to Anna reuniting with a young Robin years ago) and Patrick looked on frozen in shock. Sabrina, although happy for Patrick and Emma, was devastated and collapsed into Felix’s arms on 12/3, assuming that Patrick would leave her; especially after the passionate kiss he and Robin shared. Robin literally had to remind Patrick that he was in the middle of getting married. When she mentioned it, he had this “What? Getting married? Oh, yeah…” look on his face. Very little was wrong with how these episodes were written and it gave these fabulous actors an opportunity to earn some Emmy nods (Jason Thompson rocked that ish like no other!). Every minute was so emotional; I was on the floor and couldn’t take any more! I was elated to see the writers come up with a happy medium (it was past a happy medium; it was gloriously joyful) to Robin’s reunion that didn’t A) drag the storyline past the ceremony, B) involve a cliché` wedding interruption, C) have Patrick coming off like a butthole and D) involve unnatural reactions from the characters (except for the very unusual calmness the wedding guests had to a beloved “dead” woman appearing and the lack of consoling offered to an audibly sobbing Sabrina).

My heart still broke for Sabrina (as anticipated) and I loved the tender, relatable friendship scenes between her and Felix (Marc Samuel). Felix said everything I could imagine my friends saying in that kind of situation. I particularly liked “You’re allowed to hurt. This isn’t fair, you can say it: This. Isn’t. Fair.” There were so many lines that made me feel worse for Sabrina than I already did; the most rending one was “After everything we had to overcome to get here, Patrick still isn’t mine and he never will be!” Patrick eventually spoke to both Robin and Sabrina privately and told them he needed time to think about what and how he was going to do things; obviously he couldn’t be with both of them. I about died of laughter when, despite not making a decision, Patrick expected Robin to come home with him and Robin flatly told him no. I don’t blame her a bit for saying that! Dr. Drizzy also got a snapback from Sabrina when he tried to have his cake and eat it too, which I have to say, I like this sudden feisty and assertive side of Sabrina (a side that also came out in a woman-to-woman talk with Robin, which I’ll get to). It’s understandable that Patrick wouldn’t make a choice instantaneously, but to try to have 1 woman come home with you and convince the other there’s still a chance is just wrong.

On 12/19, Patrick showed up at Sabrina’s apartment after having a conversation with Sam about how he already knew what to do, he just had to do it (I like the friendship the writers have built between them, by the way). It appeared he had chosen Sabrina (effective holiday cliffhanger), but he was there to inform her that he was going to be with Robin (it was sad, but yay Scrubs!). Just when we thought the worst was over, Sabrina abruptly got nauseated on 12/27 and thinks she may be pregnant (Patrick just asked Robin if she wanted to have another child too). It wouldn’t be a soap opera if Scrubs (AKA Patrick and Robin) didn’t encounter immediate drama, but a romantic tug-of-war with Sabrina is not the way to go for a couple of reasons: A) if the writers wanted us to believe that Patrick’s heart is close to split even between Sabrina and Robin, they should’ve laid the ground work much earlier. Out of nowhere, Patrick repeatedly said “things weren’t the same” in regard to Robin and that he couldn’t just start where he left off with her, but up to the minute of his attempted marriage to Sabrina, he was looking for Robin and hoping she was still alive. He only removed his old wedding bands, ripped up plane tickets for a trip never taken and proposed to Sabrina after pressure and boasting from her rivaling ex, Carlos (Jeffery Vincent Parise), and disappointed glances from the young nurse. Robin practically had to make Patrick go to Sabrina to talk when the wedding crashed and burned. B) We didn’t wait all this time for Robin’s arrival for her to not be with Patrick and C) this isn’t a real love triangle. The best triangles are those in which both pairings are viable, unique, significant, have history and create fierce debate among viewers.

Thoughts & observations of Port Charles happenings.

The Corinthos Clan & The Jerome’s
I am tired of the imbalanced writing between half-brothers Michael (Chad Duell) and Morgan (Bryan Craig) Corinthos. The siblings have been in discord since Michael started a romantic relationship with Morgan’s girlfriend and former wife, Kiki (Kristen Alderson), and it’s only heightened since Morgan joined a rival crime family, the Jerome’s, to take Papa Sonny (Maurice Bernard) down for revenge. Angry that Morgan’s actions could’ve gotten their father killed, Michael met Morgan on the docks on 11/11 and the pair physically fought. Michael beat Morgan to a pulp while deeply insulting him. Once Kiki arrived and distracted Michael, Morgan decked Michael, he hit his head on a pole and fell unconscious in the water. Morgan refused to help Kiki get Michael out. Later, Michael lied about how he obtained his injury to his mother, Carly (Laura Wright). Kiki was stunned and noted that Morgan would’ve left him for dead (which wasn’t rue; Morgan was hiding around the corner). Michael expressed he still cared about his brother’s safety and was worried about him being in the mob. Such irritating scenes to watch.

Morgan has a gambling problem, lied to Kiki about her parentage, pulled Sonny into his deceit and is now conspiring with his father’s enemies. Michael did indeed steal his brother’s mate and obnoxiously thinks Morgan should just be okay with it and get over it. Michael is indeed entitled; the lines “Did you ever think that we (he and Kiki) belong together and you didn’t deserve her, not at all?...why would she love you anyway? …a little sniveling, back-stabbing traitor…” said it all. How is he more deserving of Kiki? Those sentences showed he believes he’s inherently better than Morgan. I wonder what Kiki would’ve thought of Michael then, had she heard that and seen his teeth; see him pulverize his brother. Michael thinks he’s done nothing all that bad, telling Morgan he has “pathetic jealousy” and that two kisses were “all we did to cheat on you.” That’s all? Oh, okay, it’s fine then. Another sign of Michael’s oblivion: “what happened to the brother I used to love?” You broke his heart. That’s what. You really don’t understand that (when Michael argued that he’s tried to protect Morgan, Morgan yelled “from everyone except yourself!” I thought those 4 words were so powerful and I wish there was more time given to explore the emotional layers of them)? Michael is indeed favored by his parents (there are too many examples of that to mention). All of these “indeeds” and facts, and yet, the writers are still pushing this one-sided, “good guy, bad guy” concept and trying to get the audience to buy that Michael is on the higher road because in his brushes of faux-brotherliness, he doesn’t rat Morgan out and worries about him a little. There’s been speculation that the writing team is trying to reinvent A.J. vs. Jason, which wouldn’t be fair to do to these characters. Not to mention, A.J. had no real reason to be spiteful towards Jason. What valid reasons Morgan has for his anger are being downplayed and dismissed in writing, making him seem like a bratty villain without a cause. I shook my head at Michael being the overwhelming winner of the fist fight. This “Michael, the Revered” thing is patronizing to the audience because we know that both brothers have their share of sins and most of Morgan’s were birthed from Michael’s. If things were written more evenly here, viewers might be more invested in this part of the show because they’ll feel conflicted and won’t know whose “side” to take, like in the Maxie vs. Lulu storyline.

In discussing whether or not Michael vs. Morgan is A.J. vs. Jason 2.0, a friend of mine said “Michael should’ve been the bad one, if someone had to be.” For anyone who knew there’d be a future feud the moment Morgan was born, I think that’s what we all pictured. Michael had such a dark side when he was young; he played with guns, wanted to join the mob, suggested Sonny kill people if there was trouble and he tried to suffocate A.J. to death with a pillow. His parents worshipping and awing at his every breath, we thought Michael would be Damien on wheels and maybe eventually become at white collar criminal at ELQ. He was raised by Sonny Corinthos and has A.J.’s DNA. Michael should’ve been spewing venom from his head, so it’s interesting that he’s being put in the angel role right now, while the son who was adopted the sleek Jasper Jacks and sent to boarding school is in the mob.

Thoughts & observations of Port Charles happenings.

Maxie, Spinelli, Dante & Lulu/Brad
It’s been a daunting month for these characters. After Maxie (Kirsten Storms) gave birth and Spinelli (Bradford Anderson) discovered that the child she bore was biologically his, the two struggled with keeping the secret that the baby wasn’t Dante and Lulu’s (Dominic Zampronga, Emme Rylan) embryo as planned to avoid breaking their close friends’ hearts. They didn’t have to struggle for too long; Brad (Parry Shen) outed them at the baby’s christening, with the goal of “doing the right thing” to impress Felix (Marc Samuel). Another long-awaited reveal done all wrong. Like a Grade-A steak presented on a garbage can lid (“Cosby Show” reference), the writers have a horrible habit of ruining whatever great plot-lines they’ve developed with poor and cheap execution. A life-changing secret like this should’ve been exposed by someone closer to the situation to provide both logic and emotional poignancy to the scene. The paternity secret was just blurted out with no context. If Brad really wanted to impress Felix, he should’ve outed Britt (Kelly Thiebaud), or at minimum, that he wasn’t the father of Britt’s child (she’s been telling gradual truths, so why not?). Why it would matter to Felix if Brad told something he overheard about people Felix has no affiliation with? How would Brad appear to be a do-gooder if he’s still telling lies himself? It was fast-food execution. An outsider swept in, dropped a bomb without significant or logical cause, and exited. I was also dissatisfied with how Lulu’s reaction was written.

Considering her relationship histories with Maxie and Spinelli, Lulu’s response should’ve been a balance of anger, confusion and brokenness, but it was excessively venomous instead. Verbally throwing dagger after dagger, Lulu slapped Maxie and called her a selfish, cruel human being and accused her of being devoid of love. Even if Lulu’s retort was deemed realistic and fair to the story, the fact that she has yet to ponder Maxie’s reasoning isn’t. When people feel betrayed, they often try to decipher what drove someone to their choice. Maxie almost died on the birthing table, and even after that, she was willing to let go of a child that was biologically hers. There has to be more to Maxie’s choice than just being cruel. I’m not saying Lulu should be ready to forgive (if ever), but this black-and-white approach to what should be an emotionally complicated tale is mismatched and isn’t believable. Believable was further out of reach when Olivia (Lisa LoCicero) called Maxie and Spinelli every name in the book upon seeing them in the Metro Court in the most childish of manners. Yes, Olivia would be heated on behalf of her son, Dante`, but being an older and wiser person whose kept a paternity secret herself, I expected her to be more motherly: chastise them and then ask why they did what they did. It was annoying. Lastly on this point, I so desired that on 10/22, when Lulu pressed Spinelli on why he was with Maxie on having their child back, he would’ve passionately said something to the effect of “I found out I have a child. I’m a father. She’s my daughter. How can I just walk away from that?” and emphasize how he was in the dark too. Anything to try to soften Lulu to him and get her thinking. It’s one thing for her to want to keep the baby from Maxie, but Spinelli? He is a victim of Maxie’s lies too and Lulu hasn’t realized that she’s denying parentage of a child he has just learned of.

Thoughts & observations of Port Charles happenings.

Sonny
I usually organize my storyline comments by groups or duos, but the un-medicated edition of Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Bernard) caused so much entertaining damage this month, he gets a section all to himself. The death of his on-again, off-again love, Connie Falconeri, was the icing on the loss cake for Sonny. After interrupting his suicide attempt at the Haunted Star, Olivia (Lisa LoCicero) tried to get him to take the lithium prescribed for his bi-polar disorder, but Sonny emphasized he wanted to feel the guilt (he was at odds with Connie before she died) and pain and refused to take it. Let’s talk about the suicide scene. Any opportunities for a Maurice Bernard monologue or soliloquy should be taken, okay? The writers bypassed what could have been one of the most popular moments in Sonny’s history when they had his sons, Morgan, Dante` and Michael (Bryan Craig, Dominic Zampronga & Chad Duell) show up to help Olivia talk him down.

Sonny has 20 years of demons, guilt, loss and anguish that we really haven’t seen him unload in this decade. Incident after incident, he’s emotionally packed it away, never making the changes required to improve his life for himself or for the ones he supposedly loves. His obsession with power and control and his connections to organized crime lead to the death of his 1st wife, Lily, and the unborn child she was carrying, Connie’s rape and subsequent multiple personality disorder, his son’s (Michael) coma-inducing gunshot wound to the head and his daughter Kristina’s near death from a car bomb, just name a few. He took in an impressionable young man suffering from a brain injury (Jason (Quartermaine) Morgan) and pulled him into the mob, which lead to bloodshed and suffering in his own family and ultimately cost him his life, leaving behind a widow (Samantha) and a fatherless infant. Sonny has a lot of blood on his hands and just as he seemed to be ready to smear himself in every drop instead of washing it away, the Corinthos 3 halt the show. After that missed boat, I thought I’d catch the next ferry when a formerly disheveled Sonny was dragged to Connie’s funeral and he charged at her portrait, but no; only the processional was televised (which I thought was very strange). Maybe we’ll get our beautiful, Emmy-friendly monologue when Michael, his most worshipped and beloved child (we’ll get to that prick), dies.

Only Carly (Laura Wright) could do what Olivia couldn’t, finally getting Sonny to pop a pill (9/24). Why aren’t Sonny & Carly back together, again (more on pairings shortly)? I have to say, I’m kind of going to miss Sonny being off of his rocker. He was heartbreaking and hilarious with tears, random sly grins, inappropriate flirting and sudden jubilance. Did I mention what a brilliant actor Bernard is? I agree with the person who tweeted: “Maurice Bernard says more with just one look than other actors do with 500 pages worth of dialogue.”  

Thoughts & observations of Port Charles happenings.

Carly (The Mother of the Year) & Franco,
Morgan, Kiki & Michael
If you’ve kept up with my articles about “General Hospital,” you know I have qualms with how the character of Carly has been written since Laura Wright (who’s a fantastic actress) stepped into the role. There have been several instances where the dialogue didn’t align with what we’ve come to know of Carly and the most divergent of these instances is her current relationship with Franco. Over the last few months, Carly worriedly monitored Franco’s health reports, consoled him and gave him pep talks in the wake of the revelation that Kiki isn’t his daughter and tried to convince people that he just might be a changed man and to extend him grace because he had a brain tumor that caused his past deviances. The icing on the cake was when she escorted Franco (Roger Howarth) to his pre-trial murder hearing and volunteered to get on the stand in his defense. She mentioned having reservations and doubts, but emphasized that since Franco’s tumor was removed, she hadn’t seen any alarming behavior and believed he could change.

It makes me Sonny Corinthos-godfather-angry when the writers don’t keep characters in true form or dismantle storylines just to forge a duo. As I said in previous pieces, the writers are trying to re-create the magic Howarth and Wright (sounds like a law firm) had when Howarth was portraying Todd Manning. Fans enjoyed them on screen together, but we don’t need to see their electricity so bad that the script gets sacrificed and stops making sense. Do I really need to reiterate why she and Franco don’t work? Carly worshipped, possessed over and relied on Jason Morgan more than any man in her life-including Sonny. Her firstborn Michael is such a prized and precious jewel to her, that her other son, Morgan, accuses her of favoritism (more on Carly’s Michael adulation soon). Franco lived to make Jason suffer and in the process of his sick blood feud, Michael was raped while in prison. Her daughter Jossyln was also harassed by Franco. Tumor or no, the reasons why or how shouldn’t matter to the usually unforgiving and contemptuous Caroline. She should abhor Franco more than she does AJ, but Franco has seen her softer side of Sears more this month than AJ ever has. I wonder how sweet Michael is going to feel when he realizes Carly now has warmth for Franco. Carly is usually obsessed with her children; all bets are off when it comes to them, and yet, she’s making friends with their terrorist. The writers need to see they’re making vast changes for no good enough cause. Moreover, if part of the writing goal is to make Franco somewhat more tolerable, he has. To. Suffer. Throwing in a tumor doesn’t erase the memories or pain he’s caused to character favorites. If he gets off from these murder charges, there’s going to be a riot. Even criminals who claim mental insanity serve time-be it in an asylum or prison on lesser charges.

Carly continued her exemplary Mother-of-the-Year conduct when she learned that Morgan (Bryan Craig) rushed Kiki (Kristen Alderson) into a courthouse wedding before Kiki could learn of her parentage and run into Michael’s arms. Carly expressed condolences to Michael (Chad Duell) that he didn’t successfully snag his brother’s girlfriend with an “Aww, I’m sorry” and said she was going to put a stop to Morgan “causing trouble.” For the love of Britney Jean Spears, will someone please explain to me how Morgan is the bad guy, here?! I’m so sick of these lines and scenes that imply Michael is the one we should feel sorry for. When Olivia professes her regret of being on the outs with Connie before she died, she encourages Morgan to resolve things with Michael. I thought “Can someone give Michael the same speech, please?” While Morgan contemplated Olivia’s words and stared sadly at a picture of him and Michael, Michael was indicting him with trying to setup AJ for murder! And Kiki? I’ve had it with her Michael Kool-Aid drinking. AJ presumably killed Connie (more on that in a sec), her father-in-law’s girlfriend, and the likely homicide weapon was found by Morgan on her premises (how is it that Morgan, Kiki & Ava still live at the Quartermaine mansion anyway? They’re not Q-affiliated anymore). She nearly suggested that Morgan not turn the gun in because it would be too hard on Michael to see AJ brought to justice. WHAT THE HELL?! Now you’re willing to obstruct a homicide investigation for Michael?! This is too much, writers! It’s too ridiculous! She deserved every bit of Morgan going off on her. It’s amazing how guilty she doesn’t feel about being the center of this brother’s quarrel. 

Thoughts and observations of Port Charles happenings.

It’s been a hell of a few weeks in Port Charles (the week of August 12th was kind of slow, but it was a refreshing break from Franco, Kiki, Morgan & Michael); this was the most gasp-causing, eyebrow-raising, “OMG!” worthy and entertaining material we’ve seen since the Nurses Ball. Let me break it down and give my two cents. I try to organize my storyline comments by character groups (ex. AJ & Tracy), but there was so much over-lap (a writing style that I kind of like), that I might have to individualize things slightly. Bear with me; I’ll try keep it organized enough to where you can find your favorite storyline ;)

Morgan & Sonny/Michael & Kiki
The Morgan vs. Michael war didn’t ignite the way I preferred (a love triangle vs. a dynasty war), therefore, Morgan’s eventual "you love Michael more than me & he's not even your biological son" speech to Sonny didn't happen the way I envisioned, but it came (7/30) and it was decent soap TV. Morgan (Bryan Craig) admitted to Sonny (Maurice Bernard) that he was rushing to marry Kiki (Kristen Alderson) because he knew that if she discovered her true paternity (Dr. Silas Clay is her father, which means she’s not a Quartermaine and related to Michael), she would make a bee-line to Michael (Chad Duell). Morgan asked Sonny to keep the secret, and when he refused, Morgan let loose and went in. Using every example he could, Morgan well-argued that Sonny & Carly were guilty of favoritism towards Michael and that it puzzled him because Michael isn’t Sonny’s child (by the way, ever notice how anytime Carly says “our son,” Sonny automatically thinks she’s talking about Michael?). Once Sonny went into his usual “I’m pissed off” shouting mode, Morgan backed down and apologized (I wouldn’t have done that, but ok).

Sonny of course refuted Morgan’s claims, but he gave the boy more proof when he said Michael deserved to know the truth and have a “fair fight” and chance at his brother’s girlfriend. What a way to be neutral, papa *shakes head* Encourage your sons to fuss over a girl, as long as Michael wins. Ironically, Carly (Laura Wright) was the only one who cared how this mess will affect Morgan. Everyone else in their circle, including Connie, was worried about poor little Mikey. It’s maddening to watch; does anyone care about this kid? I don’t agree with his choice to keep things from Kiki, but I can see why he’s so desperate. No one is in his corner and the one person he thought was his partner in crime wants to jump his brother’s bones. It broke my heart to hear Morgan beg Sonny to “for once put him first” and “let him have this.” I had all kinds of choice names in my head for Kiki in that same episode as she sweetly explained how she & Morgan had a mystical connection that only strengthened when they met in person and ended with “only until you [Michael].” Michael’s pimp-juice ain’t enough to bring on amnesia, honey; come on. I had hope for the chick when she seemed get her memory back after Morgan wined and dined her, put a ring on it (shout-out to Sonny’s Beyonce` reference) and they made love (8/6), but again, Michael’s mere presence stopped her in her tracks.

Morgan’s attempt to marry Kiki at the courthouse before she got word of her parentage (more on that in a few) was almost interrupted by Michael, who barged in, ready to spread the news and run off with her. Kiki got misty-eyed as she told Michael it was too late (she wasn’t even upset that Michael was more concerned about hooking up while she was in shock about her real father, ugh). Pissed he was tardy, Michael tried to flip it on Morgan and bust him for knowing in advance about Kiki’s father, but Morgan cleverly deflected. Michael is so self-righteous; it didn’t occur to him that he’s the reason Morgan took a low road. Michael could get Kiki without outing Morgan, but he tried to throw his brother under the bus for reinforcement anyway. Shame on you Michael, but that’s what happens when you listen to the king of brother-backstabbing, your biological father, AJ (Sean Kanan). If Michael doesn’t pay for this, Sonny & Carly won’t be the only ones guilty of Mikey-worship; the writers will too.

Thoughts and observations of Port Charles happenings.

Shawn & Alexis/Britt & Nikolas
Awhile back, someone tweeted either the writer (Ron Carlivati) or the producer (Frank Valentini) of “General Hospital” and complained that Alexis Davis & Shawn Butler’s (Nancy Lee Grahn, Sean Blakemore) romance wasn’t going anywhere. The reply was that it would be going somewhere really soon. I guess nowhere was considered “somewhere.” When Shawn declared his fervor for being a hit-man and refused to stop working for Sonny (Shawn makes a terrible Jason), Alexis broke it off. Once again, Alexis and Shawn lose a romantic counterpart. Fans seemed to really like the concept of them of as a couple, particularly seeing an older character (Davis should be around her 40’s or 50’s) have love scenes, but alas, they were pulled apart; likely to make Alexis available for Sam’s father when he appears (the rumor on the street is that “Days of Our Lives” star Peter Reckell has been recruited for the part). Alexis & Shawn’s breakup was written without much context and it was very rushed. Given that Shawn experienced a personal tragedy while being a soldier in Afghanistan, he shouldn’t even want to be near a gun, much less thrilled and invigorated by the idea of working for the mob. All of the sudden, mob gooning is his life’s passion? Huh? Where did this come from? If it does give him a sense of purpose, why? In my opinion, that was a hole in the writing. Excellently played scenes where Shawn called Alexis out on her hypocrisy (she not only had a child with Sonny, but has gotten him and his men off for murder several times) and gave her the ultimatum of dropping Sonny as a client were cut short. Alexis got away from Shawn’s challenge too easily and without having to answer for it. Shawn was made out to be the bad guy for “choosing” the mob over Alexis, but she didn’t try any harder to maintain the relationship. She has plenty of clients, but for some reason, wouldn’t let go of Sonny any quicker than Shawn. It was an opportunity for great dialogue and for the actors to show their chops, but it was passed over.

Meanwhile, Nikolas Cassadine and Britt Westbourne (Tyler Christopher, Kelly Thiebaud) keep having friendly, flirtatious chance meetings, leading the audience to assume they’ll be the next Port Charles couple. Who saw that coming? I didn’t. I’m kind of here for it. It’s so nice to see Nikolas have a chance to be the charming, well-mannered and fine prince he is. Although Britt is far from the golden-hearted Emily Quartermaine, if Nikolas is going to move on, I rather he do it with someone he didn’t betray his own brother for (i.e. Elizabeth Webber). On the note of Nikolas and Elizabeth (Rebecca Herbst), I’m sorry, but I loved it when Britt had Liz fuming with jealousy. The line about having buyer’s remorse over AJ? Ha! I hope the writers have exciting plans for this burgeoning match-up. Another great “Britch” moment was her recent confrontation with Sabrina where she makes the excellent point that it’s bitchy of Sabrina to keep at her, given she’s successfully with Patrick (Jason Thompson). I’m generally team Sabrina (Teresa Castillo), but Britt had her with that one. *Kanye shrug*