**The Week in Review: June 2 - May 6**

I. The Cassadines

A. Ned and Alexis

Alexis:  "Caught you."
Ned:  "Caught you first."

Alexis:  "Hmm.  Never assume anything.  I'm a Cassadine.  Hostage situations make me positively chatty."

We opened the week with a scene from Ned and Alexis in which Alexis recounted the events from the premiere episode of Port Charles.  Alexis wins the prize for most entertaining exposition quite easily this week (and not just because Luke and Sonny didn't have anything to expostulate).  NLG's retelling of the events was well delivered and completely in character.

Ned:  "The Quartermaines are always grateful for the Cassadine support."
Alexis:  "Oh, and we're confident that you will rush to our collective defense if the situation is ever reversed."

This little exchange was almost a throwaway in the middle of their conversation, but I wondered (and hoped) that it was subtle foreshadowing.  If Stefan's plan for that virus ever gets to rolling (and obviously it did by the end of the week), will the Cassadines end up needing the Quartermaine support?  And will the Qs give it willingly?

And, as always, I loved the interaction between these two.  I don't care if they ever become romantic; I simply want lots more of their developing relationship.  With NLG on contract and the seeming promise of their storyline, I'm hoping that Wally will sign on for another year.

B. Stefan

Stefan called Laura on Monday demanding to know what she had told him on the phone.  Laura assured him that she was just as worried and had no idea where he was.  When Nikolas walked into the room, Stefan hung up on Laura (after giving her an *order* to call him if she heard anything), letting her assume Nikolas had come home.  That was his first error on Monday's episode, and a rather humorous incident at that in an ironic kind of way.

Stefan:  "Nikolas, I admit I should have told you the truth."
Nikolas:  "About which part?  Huh?  About which part?  The part where you shot and paralyzed an innocent woman or the part where you were gonna let Luke Spencer go to jail for it?  Which part?!"

His next error was much greater, and I actually caught myself muttering "b------" when he pulled his next stunt.  Nikolas claimed he was saying good-bye and leaving.  In the face of his rage, Stefan tried everything.  He declared his love, he admitted his mistakes, and when met with Nikolas' refusal, he struck a very low blow:

Stefan:  "Nikolas!  What about Katherine?"
Nikolas:  "What about her?"
Stefan:  "She needs you."

I didn't get to see the rest of their conversation on Monday because of the OKC bombing verdict.  But Nikolas agreed to stay, if only for Katherine.  The following lines ran Thursday in the opening clips:

Nikolas:  "You're the one who put her in that wheelchair, and now you want me to feel guilty."

Stefan:  "I won't attempt to come near you or influence you in any way."

Obviously Stefan's going to play by that rule at least for now, because he was very hesitant to even speak around Nik on Thursday, not wanting to say anything that would make him leave.

C. Stefan and Katherine

On Thursday, Katherine was all business, listing the things she'd need to cover in her PR.  (Of course, as TJ pointed out (I think) on ratsa, she left that all-important list on the table after she left to go to PT.)  Nikolas showed up to take Katherine to PT, and Stefan was polite, pretending as if nothing was wrong.  Basically, everyone was on their best behavior trying to pretend that the emotions under the surface weren't there.

D. Stefan and Alexis

Alexis:  "So is he better?"
Stefan:  "Well, he still has very little to say to me, but at least he's not leaving."
Alexis:  "Was that a possibility?"
Stefan:  "Yes it was.  When he found out I shot Katherine."

Stefan:  "He'll come around eventually, don't you think?"
Alexis:  "Oh, you don't wanna know what I think.  Let's talk about business."

I don't know for sure if this was the first time Alexis heard that Nikolas now knows everything, and I'm not sure if she knows what happened in Switzerland.  Whatever she knew or knows, she wasn't happy, but at the same time she wasn't lecturing, and wasn't mad enough to turn her back on Stefan.  When the smoke clears from their setting the plan in action, I hope Alexis has a good long talk with Stefan about what he's done and how he's handled things.  And I hope he listens.

She moved on to talking about the project, admitting in a throwaway line that they were behind Felicia's computer troubles after all.  Alexis described the situation saying that Cooper infected the GH computer and that this was the time to act.  I inferred that she meant they could act now leaving the prime suspicion on Cooper; others believe that this program is an anti-virus, a theory I just can't buy.  Alexis and Stefan call this thing a virus; there's no intention they want to do the hospital any good.

Stefan:  "It's for him.  All of it.  Without him it would have no meaning."

Nikolas:  "No one asked me if this amazing legacy is something I want."
Alexis:  "What if Nikolas doesn't want the keys to this precious kingdom and your pushing it on him only makes him more angry and more rebellious and then he'll retaliate by telling everything he knows about Katherine's shooting.  Now that is not impossible.  And I do know how much he loves you.  But how can you be so sure that he's gonna do what you want him to do."
Stefan:  "I have to believe in him.  In his strength.  His loyalty.  If I'm wrong, then none of it matters anyway."

Stefan:  "I fought Helena for that boy's soul from the day he was born.  If I hadn't done it, nobody else would have.  He would have been hers; he would have been lost.  I have never, for one moment, regretted it or resented him.  He is the heir.  He is the future I have given up everything to secure."

At the end of Thursday's episode, we got some quick cutting between this scene and the scenes between Katherine and Nikolas.  Stefan spoke of Nikolas' loyalty, while Nik spoke of giving up the family.  Stefan claimed this was all for Nikolas, but Nikolas doesn't want it.  The scenes went on for a while, and the juxtaposition between Stefan's faith in Nikolas and his willing himself to believe in the step he was about to take (and, I'd say, his delusion about the ease of the outcome) and Nikolas' doubting everything about the way his family and his uncle work was striking.  Nice work and a fitting prelude to the outstanding Friday episode.

In a post on the Stefan mailing list, which she has given me full permission to re-quote here, Terry said the following about these scenes, speculating on motives and possible developments:

What I found most revealing and entertaining was the well-done bit at the end of the show where Stefan's conversation with Alexis about Nik was being intercut with Nik's conversation with Kat about Stefan.  I was particularly struck by Stefan's remark when he was talking about battling Helena for Nik's soul and doing all he'd done, giving up all he'd given up, for Nik's sake.  He said something like "I never regretted it and I never resented him for it."  I'm not sure if he was trying to convince Alexis or himself of that, but I think he wants to mean it.

I also felt that his lack of resentment of Nik might change, ironically, if Nik ever actually walked away from the family, as he's threatening to do.   After all, that's what Stefan himself has been daydreaming about (but I won't dwell on the specifics of that particular daydream, thanks).  Having given up so much of his own desires (and I personally would like to think that might have included giving up the possibility of following Laura off the island) so that Nik could be THE Cassadine, how would he react if Nik, free to follow his own dreams in a way that Stefan never could, threw the honor back in Stefan's face?
	
Stefan wants to give Nik the gift of power, but power is not really something you can give another-- Stefan can only give Nik the opportunity to wield power as The Cassadine, and Nik does not seem interested in the position at the moment.

But at the end, Alexis was nervous.  She went out for a few minutes break at the end of Thursday.  I'm intrigued that she's been in on this from the beginning.  Obviously her loyalty to Stefan outweighs a lot of concerns.  But I'm interested in seeing if there were other reasons she went along with this.  I'm also hoping that we've reached the point where Alexis is going to have to start reevaluating a lot of things.

E. More on Stefan

It all comes back to the two understandings of Stefan.  From the beginning, I've had no trouble seeing him as a man out for revenge.  That revenge might have been tempered at first with the hope that he could get Lasha to come to him and be a family with Nikolas and himself, but that qualification is gone.  No, I don't think he is a monster, especially when it comes to Nikolas.  But this whole plan, as I understand it so far, is about Nikolas.  Stefan will do all he can to give Nikolas the power Stefan feels he deserves as head of this family, and I wouldn't be surprised if he wants to take care of settling scores now so Nik won't have to.  No, he shouldn't do such things by terrorizing GH, which is a place Nik has come to care about, but Stefan is seeing things with the eyes of a man obsessed, and, I would argue, he always has.

Stefan has never seen clearly.  Yes, he is (or was, some would argue) a man who knows things.  But his fault is that he doesn't see himself clearly, most of all.  He couldn't see that he could lose; he couldn't see his own obsession(s); he couldn't see his own minor mistakes.  Now those minor mistakes have led to a series of bigger ones, and he's desperate to regain control.  But that desperation has led him into another obsession, and he's making more and more errors.

The big debate about Stefan going on right now is whether he will become another villain that has to be done away with like Dorman.  I don't think so.  I see this current storyline as bringing to a head all the hints of faults that were in Stefan from the beginning.  It's escalated in ways that bring to light--to us, to Alexis, to Bobbie, to Katherine, to Nikolas, and hopefully to Stefan--those very faults.  But these people don't relate to him as a villain, even now.  They all had to face these things about him, as does he.  But I have full faith that after the catharsis that seems to be coming soon in this storyline that Stefan can come to some self realization and can go on to create a new kind of Cassadine family with Nikolas and Alexis.  And as Alexis would say, that's the Cassadine family I would like to see.

Finally, I think that we've had to go through this so there can be a new kind of Cassadine family.  The Cassadines as we know them are indeed simple villains, and Stefan has had to put to rest that vision of the Cassadines even as he shows the possibilities of a new one.  And along the way we've been treated to the revelation and understanding of a multi-layered character who still fascinates me.  Yes, we've lost the mystery to some degree.  We've seen faults and failings we didn't recognize in Stefan at first.  If we hadn't, Stefan would still be the MIB waiting in the shadows and we wouldn't have gotten to see his growth and interaction with so many people.  As I said elsewhere, static characters, not just villains, are the ones who end up on the cutting room floor.  Dynamic, changing, multi-sided characters who interact with various people in various ways do not.  Stefan and Stephen Nichols are too much a part of Port Chuckles to be thrown away so easily.  And Stefan is not, in my opinion, a simple anything.

F. Katherine and Nikolas

Nik:  "He's lucky I'm willing to be in the same room with him."
Katherine:  "The way you're behaving, I think that you should consider yourself lucky he hasn't thrown you out on your adolescent bratty butt."

When she pressed him, Nikolas told Katherine that he was disgusted with Stefan and that he was only staying for her.  As I said elsewhere, I think that Katherine's response is, oddly enough, the one that is tempering all of Stefan's actions right now.  Aside from my other complaints, the fact that she will not condemn him completely in the face of all that's happened is the thing that's keeping all the other reactions to him in perspective.

The tone she took with him didn't please me completely, but it did serve to get his attention.  I think I agree with Nikolas that there was a touch of condescension in her attitude, but her points were sound.

II. The Quartermaines

A. Monica

On Monday, Monica visited Audrey in the hospital, encouraging her to live and to fight.  Jason was awaiting her in her in the hall and paused in his business long enough to inquire after Audrey and offer his sympathies.  He then told her that he had to tell Sonny about the incident at the hotel, and Monica asked him why.  But she stepped aside when Sonny and Brenda got there, as did Brenda, but was relieved that Jason didn't tell him there and then, and not in front of Brenda.  I thought it was a sweet gesture, well intended.

B. At the Mansion

On Tuesday, Edward tried to contact Tom while Lila asked after Audrey.  Ned, on the other hand, asked Monica why she was so happy in the face of all of this.  I love that he could read her mood so easily and recognized that something was up.  She told him it was Dorman, and told him that she had stopped letting him bother him.

Monica got a call from Mac, and went out into the hall to answer it.  Emily overheard the conversation and found out Dorman had read her diary.  At this point we saw where the week was headed.  Monica felt badly already that she hadn't asked Dorman where the drugs were while she had the chance, while the shock on Emily's face was very telling.

C. Alan and Tony

Alan:  "Are you kidding?  There's a huge contingent of them right in front of the main entrance, as if our next terrorist is gonna announce himself and say, 'Hello, I'm a terrorist.'"

On Tuesday, we had a scene with Tony and Alan outside of Audrey's hospital room where Amy was reading to her.  Mostly exposition about the Joe Scanlon stuff from the Port Charles show, but again we were treated to something more than an exposition in the above line.  It's also clear that Alan isn't happy that Joe has to go up in front of the review board.

Finally, Alan asked Tony why he hadn't told him that A.J. had moved in next door to him.  For Alan, this is a matter of loyalty, and I didn't think that was fair and was glad Tony told him so.  Tony also pointed out that while Alan thought A.J.'s being at home would be good for everybody, it might not be good for A.J.  Unfortunately, Alan made a crack about saying the same thing to Tony when Lucas left home.  But Tony took it alright and caught Alan up on the situation.  I especially appreciated Alan's response to the fact it was Carly.  But Tony said again that he could almost understand her and didn't know if it was over with them.  I like these two together, and I hope we continue to get them working out their respective problems together.

The smile that crossed Alan's face when Amy came out again and told him she hadn't heard from Dorman was delicious!

D. Emily

Emily called A.J. as Ned and Monica left the room.  He wasn't home, so she left a message.  On her second try, after she hung up, she whispered, "I'm sorry."

Alan:  "Don't tell me she's run off again.  What are we going to do with that girl, just chain her to the stairpost?"

In the meantime, Ned couldn't find Emily after telling Monica he'd spend some time with her.  Edward couldn't help because he had to go to the all-faith prayer breakfast with Lila.  That exchange was a hoot.  Ned ran across Emily a little later and tried to be friendly, but she didn't want any of it.

At that moment, A.J. showed up.  Emily immediately burst into tears and started rambling about everything being her fault.  Ned and A.J. had no idea what was going on, but Emily's sobs were heartwrenching.  Emily blamed herself for writing everything down so Matt and Dorman could find out the secrets.  On Wednesday she continued to outline everything she thought she had ruined, and A.J. and Ned continued to try to assure her that she was not to blame.  But they couldn't calm her down, and she wouldn't listen to their alternate explanations.

Ned:  "Emily stop right now!  You're gonna tell me and tell me right now.  What did you take and when did you take it?"

Unfortunately, Ned was quick to assume that Emily was on something.  Actually, I understand that assumption, under the circumstances.  Ned didn't know what was going on and couldn't believe Emily could be this upset without the help of some substance.  A.J. saw more clearly, understanding better than Ned, but it was too late.  Emily retreated into some kind of catatonia, and they took her to the hospital.

Amber Tamblyn was wonderful throughout these scenes, at home and at the hospital.  This must be a hard storyline to play, and she's done beautifully.

When they got to the hospital, Alan asked if she was on drugs as well, but Ned told him A.J. said she wasn't.  Monica blamed herself for talking to Mac where Emily could overhear her.  Emily didn't respond to anybody, but her whole family--Jason included--stayed around her.  But she was admitted, and remained unresponsive.

Brenda assumed it was a drug thing too, and comforted Ned while Sonny and Jason consulted.

Ned:  "There were no drugs in her system."

Ned:  "Apparently she was protecting herself from jerks like me."

Everyone was wonderful with Emily.  A.J. understood her and let her know he understood, while Ned apologized and kept his distance a bit (although he did finally go in to see her) to make sure he didn't upset her further.  He blamed himself, and again I felt for him (he didn't even have a come back for A.J.--he just knew A.J. was right).  I hope that we get to see more of Ned and Emily reconciling and working through these things.  Brenda brought a locket with Brook Lynn's picture in it, and Emily took it.  But Jason didn't go to Emily right away, thinking he couldn't help her.  Alan and Monica were good too, although when Jason came in, Monica had to leave before she started crying.

Ned:  "I love you Emily.  And I can't wait to hear you tell me that you love me back.  Because I need you.  We all do."

On Thursday, everyone came to visit Emily again, and the family bonded a bit over her plight.  Alan thanked Jason again, and A.J. brought her doughnuts.  The doctor said that if she didn't change soon they would have to take action.  But after A.J. and then Ned left, Emily came out the door to meet all of her family.  I thought that was a nice thing, rather than having her respond to one of them first.  But I still like the fact Ned was the last one to talk to her, even if she did ask for A.J. as she came out.  ;)  And I'm glad she hugged Monica the longest of all.

A.J.:  "So what, he just walks now?"
Everyone else:  "No."

E. Monica and Alan

Alan:  "Why do I get the feeling I'm not gonna like this?"
Monica:  "Actually, you just might."
Alan:  "Monica, come on."
Monica:  "Ok.  The reason Pierce isn't here is that a couple of days I kind of kidnapped him, locked him in a motel room, tied him up and tortured him for two days."
Alan:  "That's great, Monica.  I've dreamed about doing the same thing myself."
Monica:  "I really did it."

When Monica met Alan at the hospital, she told him Dorman was in jail.  Even though she told Jason she didn't know if she would tell Alan or the family about this, she told Alan at this point so he could keep it quiet long enough for Mac to find the evidence he needed.  Faced with the details, Alan couldn't believe she would do it.  Then he heard that Jason showed up and thought she had gotten him involved.  Throw in Mac arresting Dorman, and Alan was completely confused; he even insisted that this was illegal.

Alan:  "Are you telling me that the drugs that Matt gave to Emily were supplied by Dorman."

Monica:  "I haven't been exactly rational, Alan.  I thought that was fairly obvious."
Alan:  "You have been more rational than you know.  Because if I would have ever found out that Dorman supplied the drugs that caused Emily's overdose, I guarantee I would have killed him."

But when the fact that Dorman was behind Emily's overdose sunk in, as well as Matt's death, all reason left Alan's responses and his voice turned ice cold.  He asked why she hadn't told him before, and her response above made me laugh even in the face of all the seriousness.  His response, however, had my full attention, and after being reminded so clearly of Alan's coldness when it comes to revenge in the first week of DTR episodes, I looked forward to seeing him confront Dorman one last time.  We didn't see it, however, because the end of the week--and the end of Dorman--came before Alan got a chance to confront Dorman...unless he did confront Dorman.  More on that speculation at the end.

Alan:  "Ya, well if Dorman has walked, I'm going after him."

At the beginning of Wednesday, Jason joined Monica and Alan at the hospital.  Alan called Mac and found out he was relieved of duty.  Jason took off to find out what was going on.  Monica was worried, and blamed herself for not asking Dorman where the drugs were.  Alan, on the other hand, was determined not to let Dorman escape again.  When Jason returned, he told them Dorman had walked.  Alan threatened to fire him, but then Emily showed up in A.J.'s arms.

Monica:  "It is not enough that Dorman is behind bars; I should have killed that bastard when I had the chance."

And out in the hall after Monica left Emily, one more threat against Dorman.

Monica:  "For all our sakes, Alan, do not let Dorman come near me or Emily again."
Alan:  "I won't."

Or was that two?

F. Monica and Amy

Amy:  "Can you imagine going all the way through med school and nobody even realizes you're a psycho."
Monica:  "Yes, imagine that."

We had our first hint of things to come with Amy's manic screensaver on Wednesday's episode.  Apparently this was the effect of Cooper's virus from the hostage situation, because Stefan hadn't set off his own virus at this point.

III. Sonny

A. At the Hospital

Sonny showed up to see what Jason wanted, and Jason told him about Dorman's arrest.  It was fun to watch Jason not wanting to tell Brenda to leave but also not wanting to say much in front of her.

B. In the Country

Sonny:  "I got a romantic soul."

Sonny took Brenda to the country for a picnic on Tuesday's show.  A very sweet set of scenes as far as I'm concerned.  Sonny was criticized for taking off in the middle of things, but as far as he knew Dorman was locked up.  And he's just gotten Brenda back, for Pete's sake, so I think a little escape would be in definite order.  Now, I'm not going to even try to defend the two of them back together; I think that people's opinions on this subject are loud and many.  But I liked this scene, cheesy sex scene notwithstanding.  I loved Sonny out in the country in that light-colored suit and I loved his little toes poking out from under the blanket.  And I loved to see him smile.  Brenda's codependent nature aside, I like these two together when things are good, if only for the fact that she makes our Sonny happy (sorry Roo).

Brenda:  "Field yes, wall yes, cows no."
Sonny:  "Well it's still early; they'll show up."

Sonny:  "I wanted it for a lot of reasons, Brenda.  Because I can have it, because there's peace to be found here, and because of the way I feel about you.  I wanted to see you in it and offer it to you."
Brenda:  "I love you."
Sonny:  "I love you.  End of story."

But I get ahead of myself.  Sonny described the view to Brenda, telling her the story of how he found this place back when he came out to camp one summer and promptly got sent back home for fighting.  It was nice to hear him talk about his mother again, and he was cute making Brenda bend down to get the eight-year-old perspective.  More entertaining was the fact that he has now bought this land because he could and because for some reason he wanted to see Brenda there and trusted they would be back together.

Now, if this is the way they plan on writing Sonny off--by making him a gentleman farmer--I object.  ;)  But the scene worked for me.  Sonny wanting a life away from the one he's chosen and claims he loves so vehemently worked for me.  Can't explain it, but there it is.

Brenda:  "I don't care about the details of your business.  And anything that you cannot tell me, I will try and understand.  Because all I want is to be with you.

On Wednesday's episode, Sonny and Brenda made love on the picnic blanket.  The above quote came from one of the episodes--I believe last week--that I missed, so I include it here.  They went right from that clip to Sonny and Brenda, which I thought was a telling transition, suggesting that this one line, this one change, is all they needed to get back together.  I don't think that's the case, nor do I think anyone involved does.  But I found it interesting that they chose that clip to replay at this particular moment.

Note:  I really like that musical theme that came on during their lovemaking; I think they may use it as a kind of Brenda's theme, since I think they've used it in Jax scenes as well.

Brenda:  "Who knew that when I went off to find myself I'd end up here with you."
Sonny:  "I did."

Sonny:  "What I wanna know now is, did you finally get what you were lookin' for?"
Brenda:  "In terms of myself?  Not completely.  But I'm not gonna stop lookin'.  I think I finally realized that that's what it's really all about, you know?  And I also realized that I don't wanna wait 'til either one of us is perfect to be together.  Not you or me."
Sonny:  "Perfect is not an option or even a hope with me."
Brenda:  "Being with you is the only thing that's ever really made me happy."

That's what we're all wondering, actually.  Finally, I think that Brenda's whole going off to find herself thing was a defense mechanism, not the real thing.  She didn't want to be with Jax anymore; she wanted Sonny.  But she couldn't face that decision, so she decided to be without both of them.  Sad, though, because with Kevin she had faced some harsh truths about herself.  Unfortunately, while I think she still might do some good for herself with Sonny's help, I don't think tptb are going to have time or inclination to deal with those things about Brenda right now since they're riding on a S&B reunion.

At the same time, while I was pleased with Sonny's honesty, his lines above disturbed me a bit.  I knew what he meant; he's never going to be anybody's version of perfect.  And while I think it's sad that he realizes that, it almost sounded as a declaration rather than an admission or a regret: "I'm not going to try to be better or perfect, so know that now."

Note:  Terry's already pointed out Sonny's cute toes poking out from under that blanket, but I couldn't let them go by without commenting on them again.  ;)

Brenda:  "You are the coolest."
Sonny:  "Why, because I'm fearless in the face of cows?"

You know, with all this talk of cows, I could see a Sonny and Mike farmer number at the nurses' ball....  :)  Or maybe a "farmer and the mobster should be friends" ditty from Oklahoma?

Aside: As I worked on this, a song came on the radio that reminded me of a question I've long wanted to ask.  I don't know the title, but you should recognize the words; let me know if I've got them wrong.  "Some people call me the space cowboy, some call me the gangster of love, some people call me Maurice...."  Coincidence?  I think not.  :)

All good things must come to an end, and this picnic came to an end with Jason's phone call that Dorman was out of jail.  Sonny and Brenda headed back into town.

C. Back at the Hospital

Jason told Sonny that Dorman had to go down now.  Sonny said that Dorman would try to grab the drugs and run and that they would be waiting for them.  One more threat against Dorman on the record.  Jason confronted Rebecca, but Sonny told him she didn't matter.  Sonny went off to see Dorman, although he didn't say that.

Brenda:  "Your fine doctor sells drugs to kids.  Do you realize that, you idiot?  He's making you look like a fool."
Rebecca:  "That thug you were just talking to beat himself up and almost killed him."
Brenda:  "Well, too bad he didn't because somebody should."

Add to all of this Brenda.  When she came from seeing Emily, she flew in Rebecca's face, telling her all about Dorman.  Yet another threat on the record; and Amy heard this one too.  Amy calmed her down, though.

IV. Bobbie/Tony/Carly

A. Bobbie and Tony

It amazed me that Bobbie, after all their recent confrontations, could be so everyday about asking Tony about Audrey's prognosis.  She actually apologized for snapping at him at one point.  I found Tony's aloofness more believable.  Tony then told her he knew who sent the papers, and Bobbie snapped right back into being angry with him.  Tony did tell her though, and the look on her face was great.

Bobbie:  "You picked yourself a real winner, didn't you?  But then, I did try to tell you that a long time ago, didn't I."

Then Bobbie slipped into prime b---- mode, mocking Tony's judgment over the whole Carly thing and badmouthing Carly.  Now, I know she has every reason to do so (and will have more reason still when she finds out the last of the secrets), but Tony's admission should have counted for something, in my estimation.  She insists that she won't forgive Tony for writing up the papers, but for the first time she actually seemed to hear his reasons and his description of his fear even though she dismissed them.

Bobbie:  "Tony, I think you oughta take the blinders off."

I laughed out loud.  Pot?  Meet the kettle.

Tony:  "People do incredibly dumb things when they're frightened.  You of all people should know that."

Bobbie:  "Look, Tony.  If you want to justify your relationship with that twisted little tramp so that you won't have to admit what a mistake you made, then you go right ahead.  But don't you dare compare me to her."

For his part, I thought Tony was very generous about Carly, admitting that he almost understood her actions even though he didn't condone them and was furious with her.  And I loved the above reprimand to Bobbie for her condemnation of Carly.  And he must have hit pretty close to the mark to garner a response like the above.  ;)

At the end of what I saw of Monday's show, Bobbie was making claims about Lucas and Tony was telling her not to punish him at his son's expense.

B. Carly

Radio Voice:  "It's late night, and this next song is dedicated to all you lovers out there who can't sleep for wondering."

We cut from Tony telling Bobbie that Carly sent the papers to Carly alone at the apartment, and I laughed out loud at the above transition.  Instead of Tony coming home, it was A.J., and we had another scene with the two of them.  While I like their chemistry, their scenes have become repetitive: he encourages her while not asking for the whole story, she cries on his shoulder even as she fears he's going to remember that night.  If they don't pick up the pace soon, the chemistry isn't going to do a lot of good.  And we may or may not lose the chemistry; we'll have to see how well Sean Kanan's replacement can pick up in media res.

Carly:  "I'll do anything to make this up to you and Lucas."
Tony:  "Well my advice to you right now is stay as far away as possible from me."

Carly headed off to GH when A.J. mentioned the hostage situation, fearful for Tony's safety, I guess.  She was greeted with coldness, rather than the hint of understanding Tony expressed when talking to Bobbie.  I think he's got every right to remain good and angry at her actions, and I can't believe she thinks she can go back to anything near to the way things were so easily.

On Tuesday's episode, A.J. stopped by to see Carly again.  More of the same at the first, but then A.J. told her that he was starting to remember things from their night at Jake's.  He was afraid that he had come on to her and made her uncomfortable and that was the reason she didn't want to talk about it.  Carly tried to sideline the situation, but A.J. insisted on talking about it.  Ironically, he asked her not to tell Tony.

It seems clear that A.J. will remember (although with a recasting, I wonder if we'll get flashbacks anymore?).  I think he'll understand, actually, given Carly's obvious love for Tony, and I think maybe that his understanding of her motivation could bring them closer.

On Thursday, after her run-in with Tony, Carly met up with A.J. in the hall.  They made each other feel better, and she got him over his craving for a drink.  A little variation on their recent conversations, because she could help him out this time too.  A.J.'s story about wanting to be a patient so he'd have his parents' attention was very sweet and very telling.

Justus stopped Carly at one point and told her he was going to bring her up on charges.  It was a bad day for Carly, all around.  But A.J. spoke to Justus, and on Friday he told Carly that he wouldn't press charges and that A.J. was the reason.

C. Tony and Carly

Tony came back to the apartment to get some clothes, and Carly tried to be calm.  He told her again that he didn't want anything to do with her, and left.   Later, Carly also showed up at the hospital when Bobbie got the call from Ruby and Tony simply made their conversation about PT reports.  She bit her tongue and offered him some stuff he'd forgotten--gifts from her.  He didn't want them.

D. Tony and Bobbie again

Bobbie:  "But then again I'm thinking about myself and my world.  That's pretty selfish, huh?"
Tony:  "How could you not feel strongly about it though, because you love her.  And your life's been shaken up lately, a lot of it because of me."
Bobbie:  "And Carly."
Tony:  "And Stefan."

On Thursday's episode, we had Tony and Bobbie being nice again over Audrey's condition.  Of course, that niceness was laced with some no-so-subtle barbs on both sides and some passive aggressiveness from Bobbie, but I still don't understand how she can be so hateful one minute and then so sympathetic the next.  And he was understanding as well, but I bought that more easily.  Their conversation quickly degenerated to her inferring accusations where there were none and his trying to make this about their kid.

Their conversation was cut short by a call for Bobbie from Ruby.  Ha!  Jump to the Luke and Bobbie section below.

V. The Spencers

A. Luke and Katherine

Luke:  "You and I need a...moment together."

Luke went to Katherine for information about Nikolas after Laura's worried phone call.  I've had the good fortune to come into some tapes from 1995 recently, and have just been watching Lucy and Luke scheme over bringing down Damien Smith.  I've also been treated to some of Luke's comments about Katherine--or should I say "snake lady?"  Anyway, I didn't realize Luke had so much of a background with Katherine, though I knew he didn't like her, and it made this scene so much more fun to watch.  Leave it to Luke (and Anthony Geary) to bring us SWATCH and to remind us of the typical reaction to Katherine not so long ago (I've also been watching the attempted murder of Katherine, and I have to say she actually lost points in my estimation).

Katherine:  "May I be dismissed now?  If I hear anything I'll make sure and call you."
Luke:  "Sure you will; I'll hold my breath."

Laura:  "Anyway, I think Nikolas walked in and he just hung up on me."
Luke:  "Well good.  Sounds like maybe Stefan's spool is unraveling.  Maybe we can get Bobbie to push him over the edge."

I loved Luke hanging up on whomever Katherine was talking to.  But she refused to give him any information.  Again Tony Geary proved that he can dial a phone and entertain me when Luke called Laura (and somebody pointed out the humor in Luke dialing Switzerland from every phone in town--and not punching enough numbers to charge his own account, either).  Laura told him Nik was back at Wyndemere and about the phone call.

I missed the second half of Monday's show, but apparently Luke had an exchange with Bobbie.  I'm assuming she wasn't receptive--as usual.  But maybe that's gonna change....

B. Luke and Laura

Luke:  "So, there it is, sweetheart, in an excruciating nutshell, our next move.  As always any questions or comments are welcome."
Laura:  "Are you having second thoughts?"

Luke:  "But until I reshuffle the deck this is the only card I've got to play with her, especially after what went down with Tony."
Laura:  "Well then, you've gotta play it."
Luke:  "Ya, I know.  I'd sure rather be there, sittin' on some alp, yodeling."
Laura:  "Ya, well, yodeling won't be the first thing we do when we finally see each other again."
Luke:  "Oh.  You sweet talker.  I can live with that."

Of course we didn't get to hear the next move, but as usual, Laura immediately knew what the tone of Luke's voice meant.  He's hesitant about the next step with Bobbie, but thinks it's the only move he has left with her.  Personally. I couldn't wait to see what it was.

C. Luke and Bobbie

Bobbie:  "Ruby, shame on you."
Ruby:  "I'd do anything to keep the two of you in the same ballpark."

Luke:  "I swear if you listen to one last time you'll never have to listen again."

That call from Ruby was a hoot.  Bobbie turned to leave immediately, but Luke stopped her.  Despite herself, she stayed to listen.

Luke:  "A stupid Faberge egg that Stefan cracked my skull to get his clammy paws on.  Don't you think it's curious?  I mean that he would get so freaked out over a...gaudy ornamental bauble?"

Luke:  "And the enemy had the damned thing long enough for an ignorant slob like me to figure out its secret."

Luke:  "Freezing the world sounded like a tall story, Barbara, but you were here wearin' snowshoes in July."

Luke:  "Alright, look.  One day I'm sittin' around, I'm tossin' that damn thing up and down like a baseball, and I'm thinkin' real strong about pitchin' it against the nearest wall.  I guess I was peeved."

Luke:  "Do you think I would make this up?"
Bobbie:  "Ya."  
Luke:  "Well, ok, ya I would, but I wouldn't have proof."
Bobbie:  "Hmm.  Ok, so is this where you pull out a microchip and tell me it's a copy of the one that's going to run the world?"
Luke:  "If I trusted you I could, Barbara, because I have the copy.  Something is going to go down.  And it's going to have to do with computer shut down--maybe even a global computer shut down."

Luke:  "I mean, you know, proof doesn't always lay itself out in neat little rows; sometimes you have to connect the dots yourself."
Bobbie:  "Ya, then stop trying to do it for me."
Luke:  "You make me so crazy.  You know the only reason that you're still with Stefan is hurt feelings and...and stubborn pride.  That's it, Barbara.  And now you're gonna try to put up this front of a perfect American family so some judge somewhere will, will, will keep you on top in the Lucas sweepstakes?  And what are you gonna win, huh?  Maybe the kid can grow up in the big lie like Nikolas."

Luke:  "I played you wrong from the beginning."
Bobbie:  "You never should have played me at all."
Luke:  "Barbara, I know now.  When I came to tell ya that we were gonna fake Laura's death you beat me to the punch by telling me you'd married Stefan, and I went into a tailspin.  I'm sorry.  I didn't trust your judgment, I...well.  Now look where we are.  Sure.  You can go home and you can blab to Count Vlad that Big Bad Bubba's got his secret bug.  But I betcha he uses it anyway.  It's too late to abandon his plans at this stage.  Barbara, this is his chance, you see.  This is his chance to get back at all the wrongs done to him.  All those imagined crimes against his family that he thinks people like me have committed.  This is his version of the big freeze, baby sister."

Luke:  "Barbara, do what you think is right."

I was very pleased with this conversation, not because it made Bobbie listen not because of its seriousness, but because of the truth behind it.  Luke's tried hinting, tried accusing, tried to play games.  He hasn't wanted to give her the whole truth because he didn't quite trust her.  Now he's taken the first leap of faith and trusted her with the whole truth (even if he doesn't trust her completely yet), even admitting to her that it was his anger that kept him from telling her the truth about Laura's death.  

Aside: And thank God TG tied that thread up; when Luke turned on Bobbie in that scene from last winter he said that she would never know what he had come to tell her, but I wanted so badly for it to be this.  All in all, I'm glad I was right, but I'm more glad that TG's kept this all in character throughout the bad writing and all the loose ends (he also mentioned the *three* slots in the base of the egg, and I'm betting with the person (Terry?) that it was a TG nod at the inconsistencies in this storyline).

But back to Luke and Bobbie.  He made the first move and trusted her with the whole truth, throwing in some past truths for good measure, and admitting his own mistakes in dealing with her (although he didn't admit them without an explanation/defense of his actions).  She couldn't wholly turn that down.  Even though she left him without a reconciliation, I hoped he knew the look in her face to know that he got through.  Finally, his last line (above) to her showed a willingness to let her choose her own way, even though he wasn't yet sure he'd won her trust back.  I know better than to think he'd let this drop.  But his willingness to let her make up her own mind after he answered all her questions and simply laid out the facts should have gone a long way to winning her back.  And on Friday, it looked like he could do just that.

For her part, she was hostile, as always, because he was hitting too close to home, I think.  She wants so badly to write this off as a Luke Spencer paranoia attack, and she wants even worse not to have to admit she was wrong.  The last time she did, it was to Tony, and look what happened, after all.

I guess I'd better outline the plan as Luke sees it.  The chip overrides security codes; it's not necessarily a virus, but it doesn't look to do much good to the systems it infiltrates either.  People want to think that Stefan's not plotting a bad thing; I'm going to believe Luke on this one that it's a program that could take over many powerful systems (since he's got the WSB on his side, after all), even if I don't yet buy that Stefan's out to take over the world.  I suspect that this is a part of Timoria, aimed at General Hospital and Port Charles, and not another Cassadine global control thing.

D. Luke

Luke:  "I already hung up my tights and my cape, you know?  I'm not interested in savin' the world.  I already did that.  And guess what.  The world didn't change.  It won't.  But my family is in that world.  And I have to protect them.  And like it or not, my family includes Ruby and you and Lucas."

Finally, I thank TG for giving us this line.  This line sums up my understanding of Luke Spencer as he is right now, and as he sees the world, so well.  And I am Keeper of the Worldview, you know.  ;)  People ask why Luke is so dark now, and I've tried to explain. I've never seen Luke as a hero, even in the old days (which I've seen only after meeting him now, I'll admit).  I've seen him as a guy who manages to do heroic things when he's just taking care his own.  He's faced a lot of disappointment and a lot of disillusionment.  And there's no reason on earth he should see the world on the whole as a rosy place to live--I doubt seriously that he ever has.  I'm just glad that he's found his own spot of happiness and that he fights for it.  And I'm glad Bobbie's in it, despite herself.  And I'm glad I get to watch.

E. Luke and Laura

Luke:  "Well, Bobbie finally listened to the whole story."
Laura:  "Did she believe you?"
Luke:  "She tried her damnest not to."

Luke caught Laura up, and assured her that Nikolas would be ok no matter what happened.

VI. Jax

Jax:  "I won't ask why you're here, though I am curious as to why you are carrying my shirts."

Jax was greeted at his door by the chick cop and his laundry at the beginning of Tuesday's episode.  While I had heard that their tone was flirty when she first arrested him, I saw only irritation from him.  She, on the other hand, took quite a good look at his chest.

Despite the fact that I've been quick to judge Jax lately, he's gained a lot of points with me over this whole Brenda thing, and I can't fault him for going straight to Mac and demanding his name be cleared.  As to stopping when he heard the door open?  Why should he?  As far as he knew, things were all above board with the police, and since when has he been concerned with protecting Mac?  Contrived revelation, I know, but I can't fault Jax for that.

Unfortunately for Jax (and maybe for us), the chick cop wasn't so easily shaken; she was still at his door at the end of Tuesday's episode.  He called his dad and told him the good news, but I doubt he gets off so easily.  With Dorman dead, things are that much more complicated.

VII. Dorman

D. Dorman in Jail

Lawyer:  "You want a restraining order?"
Dorman:  "Well in lieu of a stun gun, yes!"

Dorman:  "All I care about now is to make sure that the people I care about are safe."
Rebecca:  "Me?"
Dorman:  "Try to stay with me, ok?"

On Tuesday, Dorman ranted against Mac Scorpio and the Quartermaines and demanded a restraining order against Jason.  Of course, that was only so he could get out of town without Jason seeing where he was off to.  He sent the lawyer to the mayor's office while calling in Rebecca and playing her for all he was worth, telling her they were going to take off together.  In the end, Rebecca signed the restraining order as a witness--lying for Pierce again--while Dorman gave an ever so marvelous wink at the lawyer over her head.

E. Mac

Mac:  "You know, I didn't want that badge in the first place.  And if upholding the law means guys like Dorman get to walk the street, then I don't want any part of it."

When Dorman's lawyer confronted Mac, Mac sidelined the accusations for a bit, but then Jax showed up telling him he wanted a press release now that Dorman had been arrested.  The lawyer and the mayor overheard Jax, and the mayor promptly fired Mac for arrest without proof and, it seemed, for being a Scorpio and doing things his own way.  Now, we know Mac had been frustrated with the job for a while, and I'd bet he's quite happy to be done with it.  At the same time, by the end of the week it was clear that the Quartermaines could use a friend in the commissioner's chair.

F. Dorman out of Jail

On Wednesday, Dorman got his restraining order and left the jail.  He didn't leave without taunting Taggert, who wasn't impressed.  Jason showed up and Dorman informed him of the restraining order.  Jason and Taggert had a little exchange, and Jason realized that the only one left to help was Sonny, since Mac was out of town on a private investigation (Serena, actually, but they didn't tell us that).

Dorman:  "You're gettin' pretty bossy, aren't ya, Becky?"

Dorman:  "I promise you tomorrow both of our lives are gonna be completely different."

Back at his apartment, Becky tried to mother him, which was probably exactly the wrong thing to do with Pierce Dorman.  He finally got rid of her by telling her not to let them run their lives and sending her off to the hospital to be proud in the face of the Quartermaines.  I loved his checking his watch behind her back.  Ha!

G. Dorman and Sonny

Sonny:  "But see, the thing is, uh, with amateurs, eventually they screw up.  Like using me as a victim.  That was an error in judgment.  Because, see, you usually pick on kids who can't fight back or women who are too dumb and too needy to know better when they're being used.  But see, me, I'm an old hand at fightin' back.  I'm used to takin' care of scum like you."

Sonny:  "A word to the wise?  You ignore my friendly warnings and leave this apartment?  Don't blame me if you don't get where you're goin'."

Sonny showed up at Dorman's apartment on Thursday's episode.  Dorman was obviously scared, and I loved to see that.  Sonny told him not to leave the apartment.  Of course, it was clear Dorman was desperate enough to leave that I doubted he'd mind very well.  More fun, though, was seeing Sonny playing mob tough guy again.  We don't get enough of this, and I love every minute of it, especially the line I keep--The Offer to Take Care of Someone--especially because this time it wasn't an offer, but a threat.

H. The Prelude to the End

On Thursday, we had a fairly cryptic phone call from Dorman to someone about a death in the family.  I thought maybe he was trying to get a flight based on a death in the family; I wonder if he was trying to get a cheaper fare while he was at it.  ;)

VIII. Friday

I wanted to do Friday's episode all in one section rather than splitting it up amongst the existing characters.  First le me do some general comments, then I'll lay out what happened as I comment on it.

I thought Friday's episode was beautiful.  I've read all the posts pointing out all the little errors and inconsistencies and improbabilities, and I think that the reason I liked GH so much on Friday was because it made me absolutely forget to look for them.  Yes, they were there, but for me the episode was so good overall I was willing to let those minor things pass me by without comment.

The intercutting between the storylines and scenes was fabulous.  They timed Stefan's virus and Dorman's demise to fall on the same day (and this isn't even sweeps!), so we had both things intertwined and adding to each other, with other storylines thrown in for good measure.  In the first half or third of the episode, I was worried it was a bit contrived--especially Brenda's going in to corral the Qs--but it came off ok.  We had everyone spread out and seemingly without an alibi, and it's anybody's guess (and we've all been guessing) who actually did Dorman in.

Now on to the breakdown:

Katherine:  "I'm a lot nicer since I got rich."

Nik:  "You've never talked down to me before, Katherine.  Please don't start now."

Katherine tried to convince Nikolas that she was a bad person, listing all her many faults and failings.  A nice reminder, and I was glad to see she hadn't forgotten.  But Nik didn't buy it.  Katherine did make some more good points about Stefan to Nikolas.  (There was a nice cut from her affirmations of Stefan to the scene of Stefan loading the virus.)  The gym computer went down and Nik tried to restore it, then went to see Stefan.  For some reason, again, I wondered if Nik suspected the truth.  But instead he offered to help inform the people in pediatrics.

Alexis:  "We don't have to go through with this, you know.  It's not to late for you to change your mind."
Stefan:  "Yes it is."

Katherine:  "Crisis seems to bring out the best in your cousin."
Alexis:  "Ya.  He has a way with the unexpected."

Stefan downloaded the virus despite Alexis' reservations.  The hospital shut down.  I was struck by their respective expressions; Alexis looked worried while Stefan actually smiled the entire time.  He did a good job of acting concerned afterwards, especially when Nik was present, but I wondered if Nik saw the truth behind his eyes.  Finally, the only problem with the execution (there were none with the other) of the virus was the timing with Audrey's surgery.  Stefan seemed truly shocked, and we were shocked that he wouldn't double check thing before starting.  Otherwise, Stefan clicked into hospital administrator mode and handled everything.

Bobbie and Tony worked on Audrey again.  They actually were quite chipper about working together, which again, I didn't understand.  Audrey's surgery was interrupted by the virus.  Tony was forced to go blind, but managed to do just fine (did we have any doubt?).  John Beradino Jr. played the intern in these scenes, btw.  Bobbie kept hearing Luke's words echo in her head, and it seems clear she believes him now and will blame Stefan for this when it's all said and done.

Emily:  "I hope you die."
Dorman:  "Ya, that seems to be going around a lot lately."

Emily started out in the hub with the family.  A.J. left for work and Monica and Alan worried over her.  But Monica left her alone for one minute and she was accosted by Dorman, who told her not to tell anyone he was there.  Emily didn't return to her room when the blackout happened; she followed Dorman to the morgue.  She accused him of killing Matt and attacked him.  He manhandled her, causing her to drop her locket.  She ran from him to Audrey's surgery room, where she picked up a scalpel.

Stefan:  "Where did our chief of staff go?"
Amy:  "Where'd the whole family go?"

Meanwhile, Emily was missed when Ned went to see after her.  The Quartermaines then scattered over the building upon hearing Dorman was there despite Brenda's attempts to stop them.  All of them muttered threats of some kind as they went.  Brenda also confronted Alan about his drug use (fine timing, so I wonder if it'll factor in somehow).  As she headed off, even she threatened Dorman.  Monica went to find Emily, and finding her gone, asked if the orderly had seen Dorman; he told her he had seen him headed down.  So Monica knew where Dorman was.

Sonny:  "You know my guys can do things to him your guys can't."
Taggert:  "Just as long as you know you are skating on thin ice."
Sonny:  "Ya, ya, I know.  Somethin' goes wrong, you got me to blame."

Outside, Sonny and Taggert negotiated a precarious agreement to work together, with Sonny's men covering the building and providing "back-up."  Sonny even stopped and searched a woman on a gurney to see if the drugs were hidden on her.  Frustrated by having to explain his actions, Sonny went inside to become a suspect.  And Taggert noticed he was gone.

Dorman:  "What are you waiting for, an elevator?  Take the stairs, you miscreant!"

Emily:  "Is this where they go when you're done with them?"

Dorman:  "What have you been doing?  Were you following me, you little nymphomaniac?  Like mother like daughter, I guess."

Dorman:  "I'm sorry.  I really don't have time for this little psychotic breakdown that you're about to have.  You know it's really not necessary, because to be a real Quartermaine, all you need is a certified mental illness."

Dorman:  "And if you ever mention this little conversation that we just had?  You wont' have to worry about the miserable future you see laying out before you.  Because I will permanently cure your depression.  And since your slut of a mother probably won't enjoy her life after yours has ended?  I just might have to cure her too."

Dorman:  "The world is awash in stupidity!!  Don't talk to me about drugs killing brain cells!  Nobody is using their brain cells anyway!  Don't talk to me about drugs killing kids either.  For what reason do half of these kids grow up the first place?  Matt.  Matt.  My boy.  My dear, doomed, dumb boy.  Why, these were your options.  If you weren't lying here, you'd be sittin' over there!  Because that is the only place in which you are fit!  But you were lucky.  Ah, Matty, you left us when you were so young; you left us when you were still so full of promise.  Nobody ever had to know that you would never amount to a hill of beans.  'You'll never amount to a hill of beans, Pierce.'  Oh ya?  Watch me.  When I was just a little boy, I asked my mother what would I be.  Will I be handsome?  Will I be rich?  Here's what she said to me:  Que sera, sera.  Whatever will be will be.  The future's not ours to see.  Is it Mr. Douglass?  Que sera, sera.  What will be will be."

Finally, Pierce Dorman went down to the morgue to recover the drugs (they were inside a dead body--a very nice touch).  Tuc Watkins went out with a fabulous performance, from his screaming at the orderlies to his threatening to kill Emily to his final monologue.  Left alone and waiting for the orderlies to return, he ranted to the skies about the stupidity of mankind, claiming that none of his actions mattered because everyone was stupid anyway.  He began to sing "Que Sera, Sera," doing a fabulous job, and muttered something about his mother telling him he would never amount to anything.  Finally, while preening in the door of the morgue locker to see where Emily had scratched him, he saw someone come up behind him.  He seemed ready to verbally accost whoever it was, but they stabbed him in the heart with a scalpel before he could speak.  He fell to he ground, blood oozing out of his mouth in the place of mockery.

Aside from Tuc's performance, these scenes were shot beautifully, with the song echoing across shots of the empty, darkened hospital.

We were left with a long list of suspects, and ratsa has no consensus whatsoever.  I'm not going to give my own guess; I don't really have one.  I don't think it'll be Emily; too much has been shown of her and I don't think they'll go with the seemingly obvious choice.  Plus, Dorman's eyes met his killers' too high to be Emily.  The easy way out would be Rebecca, since she's not a regular character.  A Quartermaine or two could be accused and they could try to cover up for each other and then it would turn out to be Rebecca.  That would be disappointing, actually, but at least she would regain some points and not come out looking so silly.  Personally, I think Alan's going to become one of the first suspects because of the clip of a scene with Alexis they showed us in the trailers, but I'm not sure he did it.

I guess we'll all have to just wait and see.  :)

IX. Port Charles: Kevin and Lucy

I don't have the time or inclination to do a review or update for PC, but I can't quite let Lucy and Kevin go so easily without comment.  Just a few lines:

This week, Lucy was arrested for kidnapping Serena, and finally had to admit where she had been and that she was pregnant.  Kevin was very happy, and intimated that they'd be discussing marriage soon.  Their scenes at the police station early in the week were wonderful, and I loved seeing Kevin taking care of Lucy for a change instead of the other way round.

Obviously Lucy's facing a lot of stuff with Scotty, and they'll have to sort things out after Serena's found.  But she's been wonderful about him, and I think her response to him may temper new viewers irritation with him.  It's been so good to see him again, even if he was hit by a car.

I loved the scene where they told Mac they were expecting.  The big ol' hug for both of them and the way he jerked Kevin up to his feet to hug him were wonderful.  Mac's searching for Serena now too.

It surprises me, kind of, that we have received very little backstory on Kevin and Lucy; I assume we'll get more as things move on past the critical stage with Serena.  I'd like a big old flashback montage set to music on the event of their engagement, personally.  :)

Still no Sigmund....

X. The GH/PC Connection

Alexis' involvement with the legal issues following the hostage situation immediately showed us the possibilities for the meshing of the storylines from the two shows in the opening scenes on Monday.  At least for the first little while, GH the show will have to deal with things that happen on PC the show.  I like it, and I think they've handled it well (even if people don't seem to be interested in seeing Scotty).  I adore the crossovers, and hope that they can continue meshing this way.  I especially look forward to the episodes of the nurses' ball this summer.  Clearly the next challenge will be taking Friday's events over to PC.

At the same time, it makes me feel all the more sorry for those who can't watch the show as it airs, and I want to remind everybody about the DuckTape list of tape recipients.  Those of us who get the show are taping a couple of weeks at a time and sending it along to the top of the list and it makes the rounds from there.  Look for posts about it on ratsa.