This week was a mixed bag of nuts for me. There were stories unfolding that I found myself warming to and others that left me with a decided chill -- and not in a scary way.
The writers continue to play fast and loose with time, as days span out over weeks and people pop into faraway places within nanoseconds. However, there are enough twists and turns to keep things interesting that I can overlook the confusing timelines.
Let's start with our gang of rapscallions on Cassadine Island, where Jason channeled his inner Hulk and smashed the chair he'd been bound to when his fair Samantha face-planted on the floor after a little catnap in one of Helena's elegant chairs. Sam blamed it on dehydration, but I've been watching soap operas long enough to recognize the signs of an impending visit from the stork.
I'm certain that wedding bells will be in Jason and Sam's very near future.
Once free, Jason went full-throttle badass by quickly securing a gun, neutralizing the guards, and sending Valentin scurrying into the tunnels under the compound.
I know Valentin is a bad guy, but I've enjoyed him so far. For years, I've heard tantalizing hints about his evil black heart, and he was the one person who gave even the queen of diabolical treachery, Helena, the shivers. I was disappointed that Jason had easily turned the tables on him, but Valentin quickly reclaimed his dastardly reputation by easily wrangling his hostages into a trap.
While Jason and Sam were off combing the island for an escape route, Laura was forced to do some field surgery on Kevin by digging out a bullet with a knife that Dante had the foresight to snatch from a guard and using a spool of fishing line that Lulu plucked out of a nasty old tackle box. Despite Ava's efforts to disinfect the wound with a discarded bottle of ouzo she found on the ground, Kevin developed an infection within minutes after Laura sewed the wound up.
Luckily, a young local woman named Daphne passed by on her way home. Daphne happened to live up the road in the only house on the street. For reasons that completely escape me, the address was 13 Amiklon. Lulu's Spidey-senses immediately went off because that was the return address on the mysterious empty envelope that Helena had left to Lulu.
At this point, major alarm bells should have gone off for everyone, but Daphne managed to persuade everyone that it was an innocent coincidence and that she'd barely known the evil matriarch of Cassadine Island. Laura decided that they'd worry about the link between Helena and the address on the envelope later because Daphne offered to help them. Only Ava distrusted Daphne, but her companions brushed it off as her being paranoid.
Honestly, I loved all the interactions between the characters during these scenes, especially Kevin and Laura. It's clear that he's head-over-heels in love, and Laura is equally smitten with him. It's sweet, heartwarming, and wonderfully romantic.
My heart melted when Kevin told Laura how beautiful her eyes were and how she'd given him back a passion for life. That was by far my favorite scene of the week.
After Daphne returned with antibiotics and a bottle of booze to dull Kevin's pain, Jason led everyone to a jet that he and Sam had stumbled upon during their search. Naturally, Jason knew how to fly it. The only person to express any reservations was Ava, but everyone ignored her -- fools that they were.
It was at this point that I got a little frustrated with the story because Laura, Lulu, Dante, Jason, and Sam have all had numerous interactions with the Cassadines. They, more than anyone, should have known that nothing is ever as simple as it looks -- for example, finding an unattended jet sitting on a tarmac while a madman is running loose with a small army trying to kill you.
At the very least, Jason and Dante should have done a quick lap around the jet to make sure there weren't any booby-traps. Had they, perhaps they might have smelled -- or stepped in -- the jet fuel hemorrhaging from its tank. Alas, they didn't, so no sooner had Jason fired up the jet and lifted off into the wild blue yonder than he and Dante realized that Valentin had set them up and the jet was doomed to crash.
It's unlikely that anyone will die, except perhaps Kevin. Jason, Sam, Dante, Lulu, Laura, and Ava are all major characters, so if any of the actors were leaving the show, we'd have heard about it. Fingers crossed, though, that Kevin isn't like the poor sap who beams down with the Star Trek crew and gets zapped by hostile aliens.
Like I said, I love the romance blossoming between Kevin and Laura, so I don't want it to end. They both deserve to find someone who makes them happy and can appreciate them for who they are without all the crazy drama.
Back in Port Charles, Sonny realized that Kristina had kissed a girl -- and liked it.
To Kristina's surprise and delight, Sonny handled the news perfectly. He didn't rant, lecture, threaten, or disown her -- he listened and told her that he loved her. However, he was hurt when he realized that Kristina had told Alexis first. Sonny felt a little betrayed because Alexis hadn't shared the news with him.
I loved Alexis' response when she reminded Sonny that they were each obligated to their grown daughter, not each other, and that it had been Kristina's place to tell him. That -- and the added jab of pointing out that he'd said that Alexis was dead to him -- was perfection.
Folks, I have to be honest -- I don't see any chemistry between Parker and Kristina. What I see is a great big mother issue going on because Parker reminds me of a blonde version of Alexis in countless ways. Therefore, like Sonny and Alexis, I was happy that Parker broke it off with Kristina and left town. I was equally pleased that Kristina did the right thing and told Aaron the truth about everything, including that she'd slept with her ex-professor.
A part of me expected Aaron to morph into a raging homophobe when he realized that Kristina might be -- at the very least -- bisexual, because this is a soap opera and that's often what happens in these situations. It's rare that someone does the right thing and rationally explains that they need some time to process everything. It was a refreshing twist -- until my mind started wondering if Aaron actually went home or if he hotfooted it to the Freedman Clinic for an emergency session to keep from snapping.
I still have a lot of doubts about Aaron because he's like that jet on the tarmac -- too good to be true.
Liz is thinking the same thing about Franco. His actions and words tell her that he's sane and genuine, but there's a part of her that's screaming that it might be a carefully constructed façade.
It certainly didn't help when Franco took Liz to his old warehouse studio and then very slowly and pointedly locked her in as he flashed a creepy smile at her.
However, I suspect that Franco's suddenly questionable behavior is merely another red herring in the murder mystery unfolding at the hospital.
I jokingly said in one of my previous columns that I think the killer is Amy, but after Friday's episode, I'm actually seeing her as an actual potential suspect.
No one pays attention to Amy because she annoys everyone -- including me -- and her behavior was mighty suspicious on Friday. Not only was she on shift and had ample opportunity to inject the patient with derisifol, but she also seemed pretty determined and quick to condemn Franco, and she fetched the test results of the medicine vial that Valerie had sent to the lab. Amy is inserting herself into the investigation, which is a big flag.
Also, that comment about Griffin not being God, but rather being closer to Him than the rest of them, seemed odd because Any had said it with a snide tone.
If Amy isn't the killer, then I hope she becomes the next victim while Franco is sitting in jail. I would find it poetic if her death freed the man she had tried to convict.
I'm pretty tickled that Liz appears to be involved in two big storylines, because not only is she dating Franco, but apparently Naomi knows something about Liz that even Liz doesn't know.
My theory is that Hayden and Liz are twins, separated at birth and raised Parent Trap-style by Naomi and Jeff. Jeff got Liz, while Naomi took Hayden. This would explain why Liz's "mother" has never shown any real interest in Liz and why Liz had had such a strained relationship with her that she ended up running away to Port Charles to live with Audrey.
The numerous mentions of Jeff Webber's name raises hope that Richard Dean Anderson might reprise the role and make a guest appearance. Although it will be somewhat of a sting if Hayden, rather than Liz and three grandsons -- each of whom has been through hell over the years -- is the reason that he finally rears his deadbeat head.
It's unlikely that anyone, including Heather, would ever allow something incestuous to happen between Franco and Liz, knowing that there's a romantic spark between the two, so I'm not concerned that the secret is that Franco and Liz are biologically related.
Naomi's remark about Hayden's real father, Naomi's almost motherly interest in Liz's life, and her desire for Liz and Hayden to get along all scream that Naomi is biologically connected to Liz. Plus, Naomi seemed pretty determined to make sure that Heather keeps her mouth shut. Naomi appeared more driven by fear than malice when she threatened to make things difficult for Heather if Heather failed to comply.
My feelings for Hayden have shifted. Getting her away from Nikolas and that web of lies she was caught in has done wonders to turn things around. I enjoy the dynamic between Hayden and Finn, and if Hayden turns out to be Liz's sister then it will be interesting to watch the sisters forge a relationship. It's inevitable, despite how they feel about each other now.
The problem is what to do with Griffin. I love Matt Cohen, but Griffin seems lost in the shuffle and pigeonholed. He's a young, charming, handsome, celibate priest who saves lives as a doctor and is relegated to being everyone's cheerleader and spiritual advisor. He forgives all and gives everyone the benefit of the doubt. It's sweet but boring.
The writers are dragging things out way too long with the reveal that Claudette is in town and he was the lover that Nathan shot. I'm ready to see Matt sink his teeth into an emotionally charged scene that pushes the character to and even past his limits. I want Griffin's head to explode when he sees Claudette and angrily exposes her for the manipulative lying shrew that she is.
I don't know how Claudette did it, but I'm certain that she somehow arranged to be stranded on the side of the road with Nathan. I don't for a second believe that it was a happy accident because I don't believe that Claudette ever intended to leave town.
As for Nathan, I have absolutely no doubt that he's completely and utterly devoted to and in love with Maxie, but that man is probably the biggest bonehead to walk the planet. Why in the world would he have a song on his playlist that had special significance to his relationship with his ex-wife who had cheated on him with a man that he shot during a drunken rage?
You'd think that any reminder of that nightmare would make Nathan break out into a cold sweat.
I hope the bear catches Claudette before she sinks her claws into Nathan.
As the third week on Cassadine Island drew to a close, I couldn't help but wonder how ripe the hostages must smell at this point.
We finally know where Heather is -- across the street from the hospital at a place called D'Archam Facility. At least I assume it's across the street since it took Franco and Naomi mere minutes to pop over for a visit with Heather -- and -- in Franco's case -- return to the hospital.
Did anyone else notice that Claudette turned on the radio before Nathan had a chance to turn the key in the ignition?
Ava is my spirit soap opera character
Jason: "I found an old jet about a quarter of a mile from here."
Ava: "Well," [Chuckles] "That's great. Does anyone know how to fly a jet?"
Jason: "Yeah, I think I do."
Ava: "What do you mean you think? You either know or you don't."
Jason: "I don't have a memory of learning how to fly a jet, okay, but I know that I can fly it."
Ava: "So we should all get on a plane with you, because you think that you know how to fly it?"
I would like to see the storyline of Parker and Kristina explored more than it has been. It's something different and I think Kristina is more obnoxious when she dates a guy. A sweeter Kristina emerges when she talks about Parker. -- Mary Annolora McGarth
Port Charles must have been sucked into a wormhole or something because time, space and continuity are all loopy. -- redboy70
Now, I turn the spotlight on you, dear readers. Please, share your thoughts about the show in the comments section below. I love reading what everyone has to say.
Until next time, take care.
Liz Masters
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