**The Week in Review: March 31-April 4**

I.  Sonny and Company

Sonny:  "The only reason Harry was still around was because I let him live after what he did to Lily.  My mistake makes it my responsibility."

Sonny and Jason opened the week with Jason informing Sonny that the heroin has hit the streets again and Sonny taking responsibility.  While some people fault Sonny for his stance on drugs in light of what he does for a living, I find it interesting.  He can take such a politically correct stance on drugs and then not see any conflict with the methods he uses to fight the drugs, or the way his method of business might be contributing to the drug problem in some way.  At any rate, he and Jason are on the tail of Dorman, though they didn't make progress the rest of the week.  Sonny's concern about Ruby being angry was pretty cute.

Sonny:  "Do I baby-sit you?"

Jason didn't want Sonny out in the open on Monday, and has been nervous about him for a while.  I think Jason was right to ask whether he was being smart about taking risks, and whether he was reacting to Brenda's absence, and I thought it was sweet of him to say Sonny meant something to him.  But I think Sonny's right about Dorman (though he doesn't know that it's Dorman) when he says that he has to get up close to kill.  That doesn't mean he should dismiss the possibility of danger completely.

Sonny:  "When you walked out, you made it my problem to solve, and I am gonna solve it without your help."

Sonny and Mike fought over the books on Friday, then Jason showed up with some news about Taggert.  He's found out the connection between Deke and Taggert, and Sonny decided he had to see Taggert then.  I was glad he asked Mike to stay--a show of trust, but also a willingness to put up with his disapproval?  But then he didn't let him speak.  I wondered about his motives for letting Mike stay, and almost thought that it was a kind of punishment for Mike to be able to know what was going on but to be kept from doing anything but worrying about it.  But rather than punishment, maybe it was just Sonny proving a point.  I felt so much for Mike when Sonny walked out that door.

The phone call between Jason and Taggert was a riot. 

Sonny:  "Because just like you I decide what risks to take."
Jason:  "Just don't get killed."

Then Sonny wouldn't let Jason go with him.  I loved that he didn't ask Jason to lie to Robin, but not to worry her--as if that were possible.

I wasn't as impressed with the Friday Sonny/Taggert scenes as I expected to be from Real Andrews comments about it in the press.  But the scenes were good, and the look on Sonny's face at the end of the episode when Taggert claimed he had beat his mother?  I didn't know if Sonny was going to manage not to do something stupid or not.

Taggert told the story of his connection to and dependence on Deke.  Someone on ratsa commented that this makes Taggert look foolish for not seeing the truth about Deke, but I'd bet Deke was good at covering his real nature and that Sonny's mother would keep quiet.

Sonny:  "And what about the people who don't have girlfriends?  What happens to them?  Do they trust the system?  Justice isn't blind, she's a whore, and civil rights are just pretty words on a piece of paper.  They don't mean a damn thing at the wrong end of a billy club."

Sonny claimed Taggert learned his methods from Deke, and that he was a violent cop.  I always find it intriguing to hear his reasons for moving outside the system, and this stuff about Deke is fascinating to me.

Sonny:  "Why do you need it to be me?  So Deke will be right for a change?"

I think this is the truth.  I suspect Taggert (and this comes in part from Monday's show, so more next time) knows somewhere deep down that Deke's methods were violent.  But he has to hold on to the idea that he spoke the truth and was a good man because that's the way he pulled himself out of the road he was on.  If he credits Sonny with anything other than being the bottom of the scum barrel, then he has to face the truth about Deke.

So actually, I think this thing with Taggert is more about Taggert than it is about Sonny, but seeing what both of them reveal through this should be interesting.

Sonny's right.  Taggert has nothing on him.  I loved the image of Sonny at dinner at the Curillos!  But Taggert can't face that.  He's got to keep egging him on to fight him, to try to kill him, almost as if he simply wants to push Sonny into giving Taggert a reason to kill him.  And now, Taggert's given away his hand, as long as Sonny can keep his cool, while Sonny hasn't told Taggert anything but generalities about Deke's treatment.

Mike:  "Maybe I want you to know."

In the meantime, Mike and Jason chatted about Jason's not asking questions.  Hearing Mike tell his story, even though it is a story I knew already, was so moving.  I love Alan Hale.

Watching Jason trying to figure out these things is interesting as always.  And he was good with Mike, I think.  And Mike appreciated his words, I think.

Jason:  "Plus they all had accents, it was like two-and-a-half hours of Jax.  Please."

Robin arrived, and their little scene with Mike was cute.  I loved hearing about Jason going to the movies.

II.  Brenda and Pals

Brenda:  "I've done things to hurt people who I love, and I can't even tell them."

Brenda finished up with Kevin on Monday.  She feels guilty about so many things and towards so many people, and I'm glad and feel bad for her all at the same time.  I was pleased to see that she recognizes she's doing the same thing she faulted Jax for (and rightfully so) in lying to him--and treating Sonny the same way.  Her attempt at humor to cover her pain was very transparent, and painful to watch, actually.

Kevin:  "Are you sorry you made love to Sonny?"
Brenda:  "No.  I could never be sorry about that."
Kevin:  "Does that mean he's the one you'd like to be with?"
Brenda:  "I don't know."

Brenda:  "I love them both."

Brenda doesn't know if she wants to be with Sonny again or not.  But somehow I think that she may not be able to decide that he's not what she wants without seeing if it will work this time around.  If she chooses simply to go back to Jax without trying it with Sonny, I think they'll continue to have problems.  The thing is that if she goes back with Sonny, she won't simply be able to forget Jax either.  Of course, I'd love to see her by herself for a good long while.  And I've decided that Jax isn't the clear mental health choice in all of this either, because his business tactics are starting to show again, and because he has let her be co-dependent on him in the past and would again, I'm convinced.

Before she left Kevin's, she was still talking about having a pill, which was, I think, realistic.  But I'm rooting for her to stay off the meds and see this thing through until she figures out what she wants to do.  Even if she makes mistakes, at least it will be clear-headed.  I'm glad she took Kevin's advice and let her send her to a drug counselor.  And I was glad that Kevin helped her keep her mind on the main problem, which is indeed her dependency.  I'm just not sure she's going to be able to keep the other choices and problems at bay while she finishes getting the stuff out of her physical and mental system.

Brenda:  "You gave me something to believe in, including myself."

When Brenda came back, she immediately started talking about the roses and her father.  I was glad she didn't let the birthday celebration go on and she told him straight out what was going on up front before she lost her nerve.  His reaction that he would be there with her through her therapy was the sign to her, I think, that she couldn't do this and live with him at the same time, even though it did mean something to her.

Jax:  "No!  You can't move out!  Nobody leaves, remember?"
Brenda:  "I don't want you to think of this as me leaving you."

It hurt her to leave him, and I hurt for her, actually.  But his initial response (above) was, again, the sign that she was making the right choice.

Brenda:  "It's been so easy for me to let you just make everything ok for me all the time and I can't do that this time."

I believe her when she says she's not leaving him for Sonny; I don't think that's her intention.  Her pleading him not to hate her reveals so much about her--that she indeed overvalues the opinion of the men in her life, that she's not confident in their love, and that she's insecure about the move she's making even as she makes it.  At the same time, she's planning to freeze the cake and have a future together, which seems to me as if she's banking on--or at least comforting herself with--a choice she may not make.

All in all, Brenda (and Vanessa Marcil) floored me in all of these scenes, and I hope they continue this way with her.

Robin:  "What you are doing right now takes a lot of courage."
Brenda:  "No it doesn't.  It's desperation, and I have no choice."

Robin showed up on Friday, so we got to hear more of what Brenda's going through.  Not much that we hadn't heard before, though, except that she's worried about telling Sonny that she's on her own.  She admitted to Robin that she feels like maybe Sonny is an addiction as well.  And she decided that she had to tell him herself that she needs some space and is not choosing him...yet.  I just hope that Sonny listens to what she has to say.

She called Jax, who neglected to mention his meeting with Justus ;), and talked about how he realized that the pills have affected everything for the past nine months.  He also asked who she has seen, and I know he was asking about Sonny--and I think she did too.

At the end of Friday, Brenda showed up at Sonny's door, while Miranda showed up at Jax's.  Sadly, the coming-next-week-scenes negated this cliffhanger.

III.  Kevin and Lucy

A.  Kevin with Brenda

Kevin continued to be good with Brenda on Monday.  He asked straightforward questions so she could see exactly where the problem answers lie.  I really like him in psychiatrist mode, and I'm glad they've found ways to let him counsel people despite his new espionage storyline.

Brenda was cute, asking about Kevin in return.  I was glad he didn't go off on her for asking about his personal life and glad that he turned it into a moment to encourage her.

B.  Kevin

Kevin:  "No, Kevin's not here, but you can speak to Raymond.  (pause)  I don't know, I just wondered how it felt to be Raymond.  You still at the office?  (pause)  No no no, don't worry.  I uh, I picked up some ribs at that place Luke told you about.  (pause)  What do you mean?  I like ribs.  (pause)  Well Lucy, messy is good under the right circumstances.  (pause)  No, I'm just going to hang out tonight.  I'm going to paint.  I have an idea for another canvas.  (pause)  No, I haven't finished the other canvas yet, but is there a law against starting one canvas when you haven't finished the other canvas?  (pause)  I'm not being crabby and don't call me bub.  (pause)  Alright, stay as long as you have to.  I'll save you a couple of ribs.  (pause)  I love you too."

I just liked this scene of Kevin on the phone with Lucy.  The writing made me know exactly what Lucy was saying--especially the bub line--and the timing and performance was good.  It was a phone scene not just because we needed a phone scene to tell us Lucy was out until late, but was good in and of itself.

C.  Kevin and Lucy

On Thursday, Lucy wore the much-discussed blue outfit.  I liked it, personally, but I didn't approve of her tape measure technique.  ;)  Lucy called Oxford, Oxford pretended not to know anything, and Oxford called Kevin.  The Oxford guy knew Kevin's number, and it seemed to most of us that he had spoken with Kevin before.

Kevin:  "Hey.  You know what I realized today?  I've never told you my favorite joke."
Lucy:  "Oh!  Right, right, right.  The one about the guy who goes to a bar and he finds a chicken and he brings her home, only to find his wife in bed with another chicken."
Kevin:  "Ya."
Lucy:  "Oh.  Uh-oh.  Does this mean that we have been together much too long?"
Kevin:  "No, I think it means I need a new favorite joke."

Obviously Kevin hasn't come completely clean with Lucy, and is lying again now about his trip (although he might have been supposed to go on that trip for Stefan, we don't know) to Oxford.  He faulted Lucy for keeping secrets even as he kept them himself and was willing to keep them again?  And I'd bet she wasn't going to tell him about her call to Oxford.  These secrets are sad to see, and I'd bet they'll continue to be a problem into the new show.  I find it fairly realistic though, the way they're negotiating their new relationship.

Lucy:  "No way.  Because people don't work all the time.  And besides, I happen to know for a fact all those flowers in the desert are in bloom, so we could rent a car and we could go out for a hike and we could look for one of those...you know those natural hot springs where we could soak ourselves like big fat teabags."

Kevin was completely cool about lying about where he was going, and Lucy was predictably irritated.  But that was a fun scene, despite the lies.  I loved the above lines.

IV.  Jax

Oooo, I wasn't happy with Jax calling up Justus.  While others enjoy Jax when he's in corporate raider mode, I don't like him at all.  Justus was smooth, not giving up anything, and though I would have loved to tell Jax that Ned had dropped the blackmail as quickly as he started it, I think Justus did the right thing in not giving him any information at all.  Personally, I'd like to see Justus feel Jax out then report back to Ned on everything.  Then not only could Ned tell Brenda Jax was working on overheard information that was between them, Ned could also blow him out of the water before he began.  Not that I'm biased.

Justus:  "Or, maybe I just live to do Ned's bidding."

I thought Justus handled Jax well, though, not giving any straight answers and hearing him out so he could find out what was up.

Of course Jax went straight from scheming to sweet-talking when Brenda got home and found all the party stuff.  He's reminding me of a pale version of Stefan lately, shifting between work and woman so easily and buying his wife all these presents to keep her from doubting him.  I know, it's a bit of a stretch, but the comparison struck me, somehow.

After his initial response to her leaving, I thought Jax handled things well.  I think he had every right to ask if she was leaving him for Sonny, even if it meant he was asking her if she was lying.  But he bounced back and dealt with it all in stride, appearing strong for her sake when it was really tearing him up inside.  That's what she needed, and I'm glad he came through.

Justus:  "Let's go easy on the we pronoun, OK?"

Jax and Justus met again on Friday.  I almost felt like we were seeing the same scene again.  Finally, though, they got down to business.  Jax leveled the charge that Tracy married a mob boss, and offered the plan that they blackmail Ned with that information plus Sonny.  Justus wasn't convinced, but agreed to look at his offer.  Personally, I couldn't believe Jax put it in writing.  I agree.  This is personal, against Sonny, for Jax, not about Ned.

V.  The Quartermaines

A.  Monica

Monica began the week worried about both A.J. and Emily, since she was nowhere to be found.  She also began the week angry with Ned for being in on keeping the secret of A.J.'s drinking from her.  But she was also angry with A.J. for not coming to her, and at herself, for not recognizing his problem and for not being there for him.

I completely understood why Monica sent A.J. out of the house.  While it was hard for her to do it, letting him stay would make things worse since everybody was angry and yelling at everybody else.

I was glad Monica reprimanded Ned.  She's right.  It wasn't fair to anybody not to tell her.

On Wednesday, Monica met with Ned and Alexis about her appeal, but she was distracted.  I was glad to see Alexis still optimistic about proving that Rebecca's lying.  Monica called Alan about A.J., but he had heard nothing.  Ned said he didn't think A.J.'s condition would affect the case, and I wonder if that was subtle foreshadowing that it actually will affect the case.  Alexis and Ned worked on the PR campaign while Monica worried, but finally Alexis mentioned A.J., then saw him enter, looking like someone who had slept on the dock.

Monica:  "Don't you ever come between me and my son again."

The scene between Monica and A.J. ran the gamut of emotions.  Monica stopped Ned from chastising A.J., then apologized for her behavior from the night before, and for her failure to be sensitive to him during the trial.  They had such a touching scene, and she vowed she would help him, even in the face of Ned's accusations and declarations.

Monica:  "That is enough.  I have listened to you rip into A.J. for the last time.  I have let you get away with it and I'm ashamed of myself, but no more.  I know my son has a serious problem.  He is an alcoholic, and he can be self destructive, but that is not the sum total of what he is.  He can also be very loving, caring, and a vulnerable human being."

Monica:  "You think whatever you want.  You keep it to yourself.  Now, I'm sure I'm going to make plenty of mistakes, but I am going to stand behind A.J.  I'm going to love him, and I'm going to help him anyway I can."

After this, I couldn't understand why A.J. was so quick to discount what he heard his mother say, and what he knows to be true of her feelings for him.

B.  A.J.

I agree with everything Ned says about A.J.  While I don't agree with his throwing it up in A.J.'s face all the time, I think everything he says is justified.  A.J.'s insecurities have led him to find a way to get out of responsibility and the chance that he'll fail as well as get him attention in a negative way when he can't get positive notice.  I believe AJ likes his position when he's drunk, because it lets him say all manner of things to his family that he couldn't say otherwise.  He blames his family for making life hard for him, for setting the standards so high, and can't face the fact that his failures, as he perceives them, are his own responsibility and fault.

That's not to say that his family is blameless.  Their secrecy, bickering, and lies all enable him to be the way he is, and gives him grounds for his complaints about them.  They make it easy for him to do the things he does, and their lack of support makes staying an alcoholic the easiest and best option.

A.J.:  "Please, mother for once, just look at me and be honest.  And tell me that you...you're sorry you ever gave birth to me."

At the same time, I think A.J. spoke the truth when he claimed Monica was really mad at him.  I was sorry to see him drive her to the point where she asked him to leave, because of course he can now blame her for that, as well.

A.J.:  "She was worried about me.  Can you imagine that?"
Ned:  "Well she's young.  She doesn't know you like we do."
Monica:  "A.J., there isn't one of us who didn't start out loving you.  And there isn't one of us who wasn't proud when you stopped drinking."

Alan:  "I am so tired of listening to you excuse your behavior by putting us down."

A.J. was right about Emily handling this better than anyone, in one sense.  It seems that she is, because she worries about him, rather than blaming him--and that's good for him.  What he doesn't realize is that he has, in fact, contributed to her own substance abuse, and he can't even see that.  Instead, he throws her reaction up in his family's face for his own benefit.

Keesha:  "But I will not be a substitute for alcohol any more.  I can't."

A.J. then turned to Keesha, who turned him away.  That's a harsh thing to do, but I applaud her for taking the tough path.  She has to protect herself, and I think the best way to help A.J. is not to enable him to get away with either his excuses or his drinking.  And then A.J. told her he didn't want to hear that she went to Al-Anon and said they didn't need it.  It's because he's scared of facing that, and he needs her to be on his side unquestioningly.  And I'm glad she's not letting him get away with it.

C.  Emily

Emily began the week high on a heroin-laced joint she got from Matt.  They were joined by 3-4 of Matt's friends, looking for drugs.  The guys laughed at her zoned condition, but I was glad none of them laid a finger on her--if the storyline went that way, I'd be upset, because Emily's been through so much as it is.

Emily:  "Well if you're so worried, why'd you kick him out of the house?"

And yet again, no one sees anything wrong with Emily when she comes home.  It's way obvious to the rest of us that she's looking and acting weird, but not her family.  Her line above was the best of the day in the Q world.  She can't understand the way these people work, even though she tries to be adult and work in the same ways.

D.  Justus

Justus:  "Well thank you, Ned.  I'm feeling more like a Quartermaine every day."

We went from Justus and Jax to Ned's praise of Justus and claim that he relies on him.  Justus could be such an interesting character as he negotiates his place in this family on his own terms, but it seems like tptb don't have time to figure out how what to do with him at this point.  That's too bad.

E.  Ned

Alexis:  "You don't have to explain the difficulties of family dynamics to me."
Ned:  "No, I suppose not."

Just a short scene with Ned and Alexis to let him know Alexis thinks Katherine won't be taking the job after all, and to provide a contrast to the next scene with Katherine and Stefan.  But they really are being blatant about the comparable situations these two are in with their families.

We had a scene with Ned and Monica, with Ned blaming the alcohol while Monica tried to blame herself.  Actually, I applauded him for throwing Jason up in her face to make her face the fact that she couldn't--and perhaps can't--change anything.  The story about Jason was very touching.  And I think he was right.  A.J. drinks despite all the people it hurts, and it was a nice rhetorical ploy (though I think he really meant it) to claim he was hurting Lila as well as the rest.  Finally, Ned's truth was, as always, laced with a bit of selfishness, which came out both when he was claiming he would bear A.J.'s burden as head of the family and when Monica claimed he took Tracy's treatment of him out on A.J.  But mostly, I agree with Ned, even if I don't always like his presentation.

VI.  Tony and Carly...and Luke

A.  Tony and Carly

On Tuesday, we found out that Tony can't make smiley face bananas like mom.  Lucas' questions about his mom are painful even to me; he really seems not to understand what's going on.  I think he's in denial about his mom's marriage and his move to Wyndemere.  We then saw a montage of clips of Bobbie at home in the brownstone, which was nice, actually (except I didn't need to see that twister game again).  Tony's not admitting, I think, what he's feeling about losing Bobbie, though he may be about to.

Tony:  "But life can't ever go back to the way it was."

Tom and Felicia showed up with the kids, and the donuts were one of the biggest discussions on ratsa--I checked the audio, and yes, there was a sugarless one for Lucas.  :)  Felicia was fishing for any sign of a Tony/Bobbie reunion, but Tony was adamant that as good as things were when they were good, he couldn't (or wouldn't ?) go back.  Nice moment with Felicia and Tom, though.  I like that they're back to normal, or getting there.

Carly, on the other hand, was distracted, and Katherine had to reprimand her gently for not paying attention.  When she got home to no Tony, she was angry and upset all at the same time, and told herself to calm down and not call him because she didn't want to drive him away.  I'm sad for her, because it's clear the only value she finds in herself is that Tony loves her, and that's a sad thing to me.  The crushed leaf was a little heavy handed, though, as was another flashback.

Carly:  "Bobbie's got her family, and you've got your son, and....  Well, sometimes it just seems like everybody in the whole world has somebody except me.  Tony, you are it.  You know, you are all I have in the entire world, and I don't know what I would do without you."

When Tony came home, Carly alternated between trying to be positive and putting in jabs at Bobbie.  Tony's good to her, because he always thanks her and tells her the positive things about her, instead of getting put out with her.  But I just don't know how long he can keep it up.

All of this made it hard for me to buy the after-they-made-love scene as a sweet scene.  I found it really kind of sad.  It was cute, though, for just a minute before Carly was disappointed again by Tony telling her that she shouldn't bribe Lucas into liking her again.  Then she snapped at Tony for leaving again so quickly, and just as quickly took it back and cried.  Sometimes it pains me to watch her.

Then Carly cried to Tony's song on tape while Tony took Lucas to Bobbie at Wyndemere.  Bobbie's crack about staying away from certain things sure seemed pointed at Luke, and I'm glad Tony noted that.  Bobbie sure seems at ease around Tony, if not the other way around, but I wonder if it's simply the act of happiness she puts on when he shows up.

Carly:  "Why didn't your perfect mother wrap it better?!"

Lucas demanded that his parents celebrate Tony's birthday with him, so Tony stayed and went out to eat with them.  Tony and Lucas were cute talking about the package Lucas had sent to him, playing Q&A about what it might be.  We cut from that to Carly, insecurely opening the package, realizing it was Tony's birthday, then breaking it finally, just before she got the news that her mother had had a stroke and might be dying.

For Tony's part, I wondered whether it was hard for him to spend his birthday with his old family when Carly had so clearly forgotten, as far as he knew, or if there was some relief in the familiar feelings.  He did try to go home to Carly, and lay down the law that he isn't always going to be with Lucas, but he gave in fairly easily.  He used every excuse in the book, but both he and Bobbie caved quickly, and he appeared to be having such fun with the old family, until he was left alone with Bobbie.  Then he just seemed nervous and worried, and justifiably suspicious of Bobbie's raving about her new husband and his "proof."  I couldn't believe Bobbie (ok, I could believe it) that Bobbie forced this information on Tony, and that she stands behind it so strongly.  I think she so very much wants to believe Stefan that she'll take any little shred of proof he gives her as gospel.  It's a sad thing.  But instead of just telling Tony it's none of his business, she wants to prove it to him, as if that's the test, whether he'll believe it and whether she can prove it to him.  Then we had that weird moment where Tony told Bobbie that Dr. Winters was dead, and she started doubting all over again.  I'm getting whiplash.

Carly:  "Ya, tell her her daughter's on her way."

With Carly, I felt very bad for her, thinking that she had to lie about anything and everything to stay on Tony's good side--and Lucas's.  We had that weird voice-over of her thoughts in this scene too.  Akin to all the flashbacks, I suppose.  That scene, for me, dragged on too long over her trying to put the pieces of the whatever-it-was back together and screaming "why" all those times.

B.  Carly and Luke

I was so glad Luke showed up at this point.  He's the only one that knows everything about Carly's situation, and even if they don't get along swimmingly all the time, they've been negotiating towards some kind of relationship.  But because Luke knows everything, Carly can tell him anything, and that must be a relief for her not to have to lie.

Carly:  "You are really twisted, man."
Luke:  "Thank you, it's a gift."

Carly:  "Now I need to thank her.  I need to tell her that I love her."

Carly:  "Luke, if she dies before I get the chance to tell her how I feel about her I am never going to forgive myself for the rest of my life."
Luke:  "Hey, hey.  Hey, pull yourself together kid.  Pull yourself together.  You gotta plane to catch."
Carly:  "Are you gonna let me go?"
Luke:  "Ya.  I can't keep you from Virginia at a time like this.  She needs you."

Carly:  "You know, it's...it's funny.  When I first got together with Tony, I was so happy.  I thought I was going to burst.  You know, I just figured we were in love and everything else would just fall into place.  It didn't happen like that, though."
Luke:  "Never does, baby."
Carly:  "That is sad, isn't it?

Carly was frustrated at first, both that Luke was demanding information, and, I think that Katherine didn't trust her.  For his part, Luke realized she was upset, and assumed she had had a fight with Tony.  When he heard the truth, that Virginia Benson was dying, the look on his face changed drastically, and he immediately shifted into something like comforting mode.  No hug, but he held her arms and then touched her face as he saw her crying over the mother he knows is the only one she's ever known.  And I think he smiled partly at her belief that he could stop her from going, or that he would try.  She doesn't know him yet, or she would know that he wouldn't stop her, under these circumstances.

I'm sorry for all the VB fans out there that she's dying, possibly, but hopefully we'll get a few scenes with her soon.

C.  Luke and Tony

Luke:  "Well maybe he can make you another one."
Tony:  "That's not the point, Einstein."
Luke:  "Happy Birthday!  Doc-ex-bro-in-law!"
Tony:  "You remembered it was my birthday?"
Luke:  "Does that surprise you?"
Tony:  "No. Wrapping paper."
Luke:  "Just cause I'm observant doesn't mean I don't wish you the best."

Tony:  "Don't take this wrong, ok, but, uh, God, this is a depressing way to spend a birthday."

Luke:  "And if you play your cards right, there may be dinner in it, and afterwards, who knows, I'm a helluva date."

I love these two together.  I was sad Tony wouldn't take him up on the offer to go out to the club!  They would have been a riot to see.  I don't think that Tony dropped that news about Katherine's new job for no reason.  I think he knew Luke's face would light up at that one.  While he doesn't approve of Luke's methods, I think he's halfway counting on him.

Luke:  "Well sure she is, because now she gets to work up close and real personal with her main squeeze."
Tony:  "Her what?"
Luke:  "Tony, they got it goin' on."
Tony:  "According to whom?"

Luke:  "It's kind of odd, don't you think, seein' as how he shot her and all?"

Luke:  "What is it about this guy?  Is it that charming undertaker thing he's got going?  Is it the black suit?  Is it the snappy repartee?  I mean, you know, Katherine Bell used to be one of the Chuckles most formidable women.  And now she's acting like, uh..."
Tony:  "Bobbie."
Luke:  "Well, that train is revving up to jump track.  My sister is only momentarily gullible, Tony.  She's too smart to miss all the signals of a wandering husband.  Oh.  Ya.  Well, let's rethink that."

Luke:  "Like I need you to tell me what I already know."
Tony:  "Apparently."

Luke:  "And she just gets pig-headed.  She won't listen to the truth."
Tony:  "And that must be so difficult for a great communicator like yourself."
Luke:  "I got feelings."
Tony:  "Oh, I know.  And I know how deep they run for Bobbie.
Luke:  "Well that's something we have in common.
Tony:  "You miss her, don't you.
Luke:  "I do.  Don't you?

This was fun, though.  I thought Luke had told Tony of his suspicions about these too.  Again, I think Tony was interested though doubtful.  I loved that he floored Luke with the news that Bobbie admitted why she was looking for Lesley's records.  Too bad his optimism was framed with those scenes of Bobbie and Stefan, or I might have hope.  And then Tony corrected his methods with Bobbie.

Luke:  "Oh, get in here, Barbara Jean, I won't bite you where it'll show."

Then Bobbie herself showed up, and the fun began again.  She didn't want to see Luke, and while she thinks it's because she doesn't want to fight or thinks he's written her off, I think it it's because she doesn't want to hear what he has to say because it hits too close to home--and she'd just had that "reconciliation" with Stefan.

Luke:  "Sometimes I go to far."

Luke:  "Alright, I am sorry that all we do is fight anymore.  I am not sorry for speaking the truth."
Bobbie:  "The truth?  My husband is not romantically involved with Katherine Bell.  That's the truth."
Luke:  "Ok.  Now try my dog plays French horn for the Boston Pops."
Bobbie:  "Oh, go away!"
Luke:  "Hey, you can't kick me out.  This isn't your house."

But Bobbie went to far when she asked him to apologize for his insinuations about Stefan and Katherine.  If she didn't want to him to talk about Stefan, this wasn't the way to do it.  She was asking for it.

Then Justus showed up--bad timing indeed.  Luke was appalled that Tony's slowing down the custody suit, and I am too, since I was ready to see that hit the fan.  I know it's better for Lucas, though, so I guess I should applaud him.  But for action, I'm sorry to see that possibility go away for now.

Luke:  "Well, I wonder how Carly's gonna feel about it."
Tony:  "Hey.  I don't want any advice from you about Carly.  Do you want my advice about Laura?"
Luke:  "Hell, no!"
Tony:  "Alright then."
Luke:  "Fine."
Tony:  "Fine."

Cute.  And I love when that Spencer music kicks in at the end of Luke scenes.  It makes me smile.

Tony:  "You know something?  You're ok with me."
Luke:  "Thanks, doc-ex-bro-in-law.  I wish my sister felt the same way."
Tony:  "So it didn't go well between the two of you."
Luke:  "Well, what do you think?  You know?  I can't play her game, Tony, and I, I, I got the chronic disorder called 'gotta speak my mind'."

I loved them commiserating about Bobbie not listening to anything bad about Stefan.  And I still wish they'd have gone out together.  Ha!

VII.  The Cassadines

A.  Nik

Nik:  "You're a Cassadine now.  Ok?  We take care of our own.  Right Uncle?"
Stefan:  "Yes we do."

Bobbie came home to Wyndemere on Tuesday, to Nikolas and Stefan coddling her and Nik's present of the amulet to keep her safe.  I really like Nik and Bobbie together.  His hesitation over the word aunt, when I think he wanted to say mother, was very telling, and very touching.  And I don't think Stefan missed it.

Stefan:  "Crush?  Oh, do you really think so?"

Nik was cute, all embarrassed about his present for Katherine.  Stefan played dumb about the crush, but you know it had to be a hard thing to hear that Nik's feelings were so obvious to someone else.

Nik:  "And believe me, my uncle won't let anything hurt her ever again."

Nik showed up with his book of pictures just as Miranda and Katherine were talking about Katherine's plans to get Stefan.  Nice timing.  :)  Of course Miranda was there to watch all of it, and his present and presence reminded Katherine of the obstacles that lay before her.  Nik is the obstacle she's most worried about, and I'm glad to see it.  But the longer this drags out, the more hurt he's going to be.  And Nik's obvious concern for Bobbie and confidence in his Uncle reminded her of that.  Nik's comment above reminded me a lot of Lucky, for some reason, who learned this winter that his dad can't take care of everything.  I think that Nik's got that same revelation coming to him about his uncle.  Because for all his doubting his uncle, he doesn't realize that Stefan's not always in control of the things he should be.

B.  Stefan

Stefan:  "So I have to ask you, Barbara.  If you don't trust me, if you're not willing to stand by me, then what kind of a marriage can we possibly have?"
Barbara:  "You're right.  Maybe it's time to stop the game."

Stefan gave Bobbie the Lesley Webber file she had been looking for on Tuesday.  The conversation that followed was incredible, and I was again amazed at the subtlety of Stefan's manipulations.  He led Bobbie to declare that she trusted him, that she believed he didn't start the fire, etc.  He asked her if what she said was true, and laid out her next doubts before her before she even had them.  His anger at being doubted was an act, and then he named her as one of the people who really knew him: Nikolas, Alexis, and Bobbie.  The ones he didn't mention?  Laura and Katherine.  And Bobbie doesn't know him at all.  The line above floored me, because I truly think he was trying to give her an out--give himself an out--from their marriage.  And I suspected that he was sorry she didn't take it, because it would have relieved him of any responsibility.  I'm so glad she didn't take it.  :)  Even though it means pain for her down the road, I love that tptb aren't making this an easy thing for Stefan to do, because watching him struggle with this is the most interesting thing we've had (with him) since Laura left.

Instead, she suggests that they go away--the complete opposite of what he wants at this point.  To watch him talk her out of that without ever saying that it's what he wanted was incredible.  His only reasons for staying were Lucas (which I'm shocked Bobbie would write off as so inconsequential), Nik, and the fact that they shouldn't be forced out.  And he came off as utterly reasonable and she came off as flighty, so he still came off looking the best.

Bobbie:  "You were a hundred miles away just now."
Stefan:  "Not that far."
Bobbie:  "Yesterday was a lot harder on you than I though."
Stefan:  "You'll never know."

On Tuesday we got another of those damned vision scenes with Stefan talking to a beatific Katherine walking through white light.  While I appreciate hearing Stefan's thoughts on what's going on, there's got to be a better way than this.  Ick and double ick.  We went from that to Bobbie calling him out of his vision to her sexual advances.

Stefan:  "Things were said by both of us that aren't so easily dismissed."
Katherine:  "I'd call that a draw."
Stefan:  "You were angry.  You, uh...accused me of lying, and worse."
Katherine:  "And your reaction to that was to kiss me and walk out?  What did you expect me to make of that?"
Stefan:  "I don't know."
Katherine:  "I hate to contradict you, but I think you do know."
Stefan:  "I don't think you hate contradicting me."

Katherine:  "You left the ball in my court.  My serve."
Stefan:  "Does this mean you're no longer suspicious of my motives?"
Katherine:  "Oh, no.  I'm very suspicious of you."

Stefan:  "I've never known anyone quite like you before."
Katherine:  "The feeling's mutual."

Katherine:  "I know what I'm doing.  And I know what I want."
Stefan:  "And what is that?"
Katherine:  "You."

Stefan was greeted at the end of Tuesday's episode with Katherine, showing up for work.  Stefan didn't seem upset to see her, and pleased that she insisted on taking the job.  I actually liked seeing her lay down the ground rules and take control of the situation, at least to a certain degree.

Stefan:  "In one terrifying moment, I changed your life.  But you changed mine too.  And there's no place in the world I'd rather be right now than right here with you."

Stefan claimed he wished sometimes that she would tell the police so he could prove that he had no ulterior motives--and I thought that the grandest gesture he could make for her would be to admit what he had done.  He claimed that she had changed his life too--she has.  But then he was foolish enough to get caught in a compromising position with her again.  He caressed her cheek in a public place, for Pete's sake.  He's got to muster up some self-control over the PDA.  While the scene was actually quite sweet, and one of their more convincing ones, that ruined it for me.

Stefan:  "Are you saying I need a reason to bring flowers to my wife?"
Barbara:  "Well, that's usually how it works."
Stefan:  "I was at the hospital, and I missed you.  That's all there is to it."

If Katherine were out of the picture, I would have really loved this scene.  As it is, I still enjoyed seeing Stefan as the stereotypical husband, bringing flowers home when he needs a favor--as if Stefan could be stereotypical?!  But I hated seeing him manipulate Bobbie into going to that conference, since I assume he's doing it to either A) see Katherine while she's gone or B) have some time to ponder how he's going to keep this balance up.  I love how he encourages Bobbie, and I love that she thrives under his support.  I hate that it's all based on lies, even if what he says is true.

Stefan:  "There was a time when I believed asking for help was a sign of weakness."
Bobbie:  "And now?"
Stefan:  "Will you help me?"
Bobbie:  "Well, when you look at me like that, how can I refuse.

Stefan:  "How about in town, over dinner, at the restaurant of your choosing?"
Bobbie:  "Huh huh huh.  Any restaurant?"
Stefan:  "That's what I said."
Bobbie:  "Hmmm.  Even the Bombay Star?"
Stefan:  "Alright.  For you, I will even eat Indian food."

Indeed.  This is, of course, what I tell myself.  Bobbie can't see the truth, because all she can see is Stefan.  And sometimes I think, who can blame her?  ;)

Stefan:  "In one breath you say you trust me completely and the next the interrogation continues."
Bobbie:  "I do trust you, Stefan, with all my heart."
Stefan:  "Well then how will that trust manifest next?  Polygraph testing each time I return from the mainland?  Sworn affidavits as to where I've been?"
Bobbie:  "Stefan, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you feelings."
Stefan:  "No, it's alright Barbara.  You know, if you need to know anything more about Dr. Winters of Lesley Webber or anything else that happened decades, I would be happy to tell you."
Bobbie:  "No, stop.  I don't care."
Stefan:  "No, you want me to answer your questions; that's what I am willing to do."
Bobbie:  "Alright.  No.  I'm sorry.  There will be no more questions.  Alright?"

Stefan:  "Barbara, I want you to know that I don't blame you for having doubts about me.  How could it be otherwise?"

Nice kiss, but then he ruined it--I'd say deliberately--because Lesley's file was out.  They had another confrontation about Lesley, and he told her to bring forth her questions.  She asked about the death of that doctor, which I really didn't see the point of, unless she was going to actually ask him if he killed the doctor, which she wasn't going to do.  Basically, because of this, he had the grounds to get her to agree to stop asking questions by framing them as suspicions and making her feel guilty for asking in the first place because it was stuff from the past.

Bobbie:  "I can't pin any blame on you.  I have to fix myself."

Bobbie:  "Cause you deserve me and I deserve you.  And that's all there is to it."

Finally, she claimed that she was the one making up the doubts because she's not the wife he deserves, and I hated to see that.  For all his support of her, his manipulations have led her to doubt herself again.  And despite his kind words, I hope he knows he didn't make up for that.  She seemed comforted though, and her words about the two of them together being all she needs were met with nothing from him about his own emotions.

Bobbie:  "What am I supposed to do without you for days at a time?"
Stefan:  "Miss me more."

Have I mentioned how sexy Stefan is?  :)

C.  Alexis

Alexis:  "You gave me your word you were breaking things off with Katherine.  You misled me.  Again."

Stefan:  "You don't try to do anything, Stefan, you either do it or you don't."

Alexis:  "Alright then.  I guess we move on to plan B.  I forgot.  Do we have a plan B?"
Stefan:  "I can't turn away from her.  Not after what I did."

Alexis looked none to happy to catch Stefan bussing Katherine's cheek.  She held it together fairly well, I thought, until she got Stefan out into the hall, and I'm surprised Katherine thought anything was wrong, for her performance.  I think that what hurt her most of all was not that he was acting in this manner and could have been caught by someone else, nor that he wasn't taking her advice, but that to all appearances, he had lied to her.  I'd have been mad too.  But then they made the peace again, but only because Stefan pleaded his guilt in the accident.  Kind of a low blow, but the truth.

Stefan:  "I have two priorities right now.  One is to help Katherine.  The other is to see that Barbara does not get hurt in the process.  Now, I feel that I know how to handle the situation for the immediate future, and I promise I will be more discrete from now on.  Trust me."

While I believe him when he says he cares about and will care for Bobbie, I still worry about her.  I don't trust him to be able to pull this off for long, since it's becoming clear that he's willing to take risks and manipulate her to see and to stay near Katherine.

Stefan:  "We can trust Alexis."

I think Stefan can trust Alexis, but I also think that sometime soon Alexis is going to start confiding in Ned.  We had one of those false attack things again when Ned came up to her in the hallway after her scene with Stefan.  But she seemed very tempted to tell Ned what had happened, at least in generalities, and I think (and hope) that she will soon.

Alexis:  "It's just that when you really care about someone it's hard just to hang in there and watch them make mistakes.  Because sometimes a mistake can affect so many people's lives."

I'm wondering now how that secret person Alexis has been in contact with will be affected if Stefan blows plan A.

VIII.  Katherine

Katherine:  "I know what I want, and I know I'm gonna get it."

Katherine:  "I have found my man.  And I know that some day, somehow, we're going to be together."

On Tuesday, Katherine was gung-ho about doing her exercise.  Not nice that she threw Tony's opinion up in Carly's face.  I'm glad she's getting better, though.  I'm hoping she'll be back to normal when she's walking again, and we won't have anymore of this victim/self-pity stuff to watch.  I like her better when she's strong.  I noted the close-up of the crystal tree around her neck here and throughout these scenes.  I love that she wears it now, in plain view, forcing Stefan to see it in light of her declarations.  Miranda seemed purposefully dense about not immediately knowing she was talking about Stefan--and then she commented that he was a married man.  But she supports Katherine in her determination to take action, and I applaud that.

I still really have a problem with this storyline--no, not in the Stefan/Katherine pairing.  That is a given now, and I'm willing to go with it.  But I have a problem with yet another woman-as-victim storyline, first of all, and even more of a problem with the woman falling in love with the man who shot her.  Now, that's simplifying this a bit, because both K and S know this was an accident, and if they had met under other circumstances they probably would have been attracted to each other, even if their relationship might have taken longer to become so intense.  In general, though, I get a little worried about this storyline when it becomes the pattern (this storyline will always be present in soaps, I think, and I don't worry about it as an isolated occurrence).  And it does seems that woman-as-victim has become the usual thing on GH--the stalking, Lesley Webber, Bobbie, etc.  At least we have Brenda becoming stronger in the midst of all of this, and at least Katherine's taking charge again.

Miranda:  "Do you always get what you want?"
Katherine:  "Usually.  Eventually.  I don't always keep it, but one thing at a time."

Miranda questioned Katherine as to what her relationship with Stefan would be.  The thing is, she was so angry or disappointed or something that he had married Bobbie without loving her, but now she sees that as a positive point?  Miranda's right, that doesn't mean he's going to leave her, and I suspect that what Stefan's trying to do right now is figure out how to have both of them without hurting either.  It's impossible, and part of me wishes that he'd go ahead and face up to things and let Bobbie off the hook, while the other part of me is pleased to see that he wants to protect her and realizes his own responsibility in her precarious position.

Katherine sees Nik as the main problem in her plan, and I'm glad to see it.  But it strikes me that she's not worrying about doing something wrong--she's worried about how she might be punished, and then calls that her moral instinct.  While Miranda claimed she should go ahead and fight for what she wants, Katherine's right that Nik would be hurt at losing Bobbie.  Miranda's answer, that Nik would get to see a real relationship, doesn't hold water with me.  And of course, Miranda's hiding her Cassadine connection again.

Miranda told her not to wait too long because things could change and she'd lose her chance, and at the end of Tuesday's show, Katherine showed up in Stefan's office (in this really awful green suit) and announced she was ready for work.  I was just wondering if it was really her or another dream--but the wheelchair gave her reality away.  ;)

I noticed that Katherine never said she loved him, never said she was drawn to him or felt close to him, but that she was using him to inspire herself to walk again--a selfish reason.

On Thursday, Katherine told Tony she was going to walk again, no question.  But I laughed when she said she had gotten caught up on this month's magazines while waiting--since when does a doctor's office have recent mags?  And since when do doctors go around proclaiming the power of love?  Moreover, Katherine hasn't said anything about love, nor has Stefan.  They've said want, need, can't stay away, never felt like this before...everything but love.  Not that I think they could know that they love each other yet, but I hope this doesn't rush that way before we get to see them do some more negotiating.  She then told him about her job, and complimented Carly, making him uncomfortable--on both counts, I suspect?

More flashbacks on Thursday from Katherine.  Even flashbacks to that day.  Sigh.

IX.  Tom and Felicia

As I said, it was a nice moment with Tom and Felicia with Tony, and though the game playing was silly, it was a nice light moment in the middle of a lot of somber stuff this week.  This newfound money in Felicia's account seems out of nowhere, and I assume it'll be linked to one of the existing storylines--I'm betting the Cassadines.  At the same time, it is nice to have something going on that is light-hearted, and maybe it will explain what that thwarted road trip sequence was all about at some point.

Anyway, she found the money in her bank statement on Tuesday.  Tom wanted her to keep it, but she did the right thing and called the bank.

On Thursday, we had Mac and Felicia in the bank with the snobby bank guy.  Again, a light scene in the middle of a tense week, but it didn't quite do it for me.  I'm betting I know who's behind Goodheart Incorporated....  And then the scenes of her shopping from catalogs and him joking about them being an old married couple.  Just didn't do it for me.  And I generally like them.  Maybe it's because those scenes were so out of sync with the rest of the plots/scenes right now.  But I know we need light scenes. 

X.  Other comments

The pacing of the show has been slower, despite the quality scenes we're getting in the middle of things.  More flashbacks than ever before, more dream sequences (yuck), and even the phone scene with Kevin was a kind of filler.  I'm willing to overlook that for the time being, since I know tptb are figuring out how to schedule and produce an extra half hour, but once they get PC up and running, this better not continue at this same level.

At the same time, I liked the closing musical montage on Monday.  It's been a while since we had one, and I think it was a nice moment to do so.  Kevin painted (and looked very sexy when he pulled his hair back distractedly), Alan and Monica felt a distance between them, Sonny and Jason found Emily's bracelet, and A.J. was left alone.  But we ended with Brenda in her new hotel room, huddled in the floor, while the song said, "And oh life, you took my friend away.  Now I don't know how to say I miss him so much more.  And oh life, he is yours."  And I cried.