The Week in Review: February 9 - February 13

It was a good week on General Hospital, especially for Spencer fans. Terry, doing her first update
on Friday, called it the second best week in recent history--after the Greek flashbacks week last
Spring. I'd put it right on up there as well, and at the time, I'd put it first. By the time I'm writing this, I
have another week in mind, but I'll get to that one eventually.

There were lots of wonderful things this week--good performances, good monologues, and good
interaction. The list goes on and on. The Mac and Felicia storyline was picking up steam, while the
Spencer family regrouped after the revelation of Carly's parentage. Carly herself--and her portrayer,
Sarah Brown--was fascinating and emotionally charged. And, finally, we saw the beginnings of some
storylines that would begin to develop in the weeks to come: Tony's reaction to the Carly revelation,
the rape, Luke's secrets, Carly and Bobbie, and Tess's plan...whatever it is.

I. Mac and Felicia

Gee, it's been...never! since this group of characters led off a week. Well, maybe at some point since
I've been doing this column, but not that I remember off the top of my head. The scenes on Thursday
and Friday of last week and these scenes from Monday were really fun, and I hope this storyline
continues to pick up.

Monday began with Mac and Jimmy fighting in the stairwell while Felicia and V put their heads
together elsewhere over the revelation that Mac was not Mac. Felicia said she would string Jimmy
along until she could find out what the Un-Mac wanted. Robin interrupted them, asking Felicia why
she agreed to marry Mac when he was acting so strange. Felicia didn't give a straight answer, and
felt badly that she had to lie to Robin. Out in the lobby, meanwhile, V ran into the real Mac, who
was trying to pretend to be the fake one. V sent him into the grill to Felicia. I think we were
supposed to be confused at this point as to which Mac V was seeing, but it was quite clear to me
that it was the real one.

The real Mac found Felicia and told her the story, saying how worried he was that she had been in
danger. She was wary and even flippant, pretending at first not to believe his story and then asking
him how she was supposed to believe that he wasn't Jimmy. Meanwhile, upstairs after her
conversation with Jax, V found Jimmy tied to the stairwell in different clothes. Again, I think we were
supposed to have a hint of doubt as to which Mac was the real one, but this had to be Jimmy. Of
course, he convinced V that he was Mac and she untied him. He said that he had to find Felicia in
the grill, and it dawned on her that this one knows where Felicia is, and therefore must be the
imposter. She promptly knocked him out by hitting him over the head with a fire extinguisher and
heads off to find Mac and Felicia. Too funny.

Felicia and Mac found Jimmy before V could find them. Felicia had to determine who's who. So she
breaks out the kiss test. Jimmy kisses her longingly, while Mac gives her, as Nina put it in her update
for the day, "a brief impatient smack on the lips." Felicia smiled at Mac and welcomed him back.

Jimmy moved to plan B, insisting that his feelings for Felicia were the real deal. But they wanted to
know about the plan. He said he knows nothing. Mac and Felicia decided to keep up the
charade--the engagement, the whole thing. Mac would pretend to be Jimmy pretending to be him.
But they had to decide what to do with Jimmy.

On Tuesday, they agreed that they would figure out what Tess is up to before they call the police...or
let Jimmy go. Mac asked why it took them so long to figure out that Jimmy was an imposter (I was
wondering that myself), and was not at all happy to hear about Jason and Robin as Felicia filled him
in. V weighed in with a very practical suggestion that they get Jimmy out of there before anyone
happened upon them.

And in a scene that was even more of a hoot than those preceding, Mac and Felicia went back out
to the cabin to make it look like Mac had broken free and that he and Jimmy had fought. As they
broke furniture, they each said how much they had missed the other. Finally, Mac told her to do the
finishing touch, saying it would look more real...so she slugged him. She left, leaving him to face
Tess.

On Friday, Mac spoke to Felicia on the phone, hanging up as Tess arrived. Mac convinces her that
he's Jimmy, that Mac broke free, and that, in the ensuing struggle, Mac fell and hit his head...and
died. Mac-as-Jimmy had dumped the body in the river. Tess bought it. She said that his contract to
pretend to be Mac was now prolonged indefinitely, and warned him that he shouldn't be too excited.

After he left, Tess called her boss with the news. There was still a fall guy, though, for after the
trigger is pulled. Jimmy will simply take the blame. Tess commented on the fact that the target hadn't
been killed long before this, and as she spoke of him, she showed us the file she was
holding...including a picture of Jax.

Mac, in the meantime, joined Felicia at Ruby's and filled her in.

I liked this storyline better now that we weren't having days on end of Mac stuck at the cabin and
Jimmy acting stupid. I love the addition of V, and I like the mixing and matching of characters in
different scenes. I still don't know what the plan is, other than to kill Jax and set up Mac to take the
fall--I'm wasn't sure why we had to have a stand in and this elaborate set up. I also wasn't sure who
I thought was behind it, but I put some net.money on Tracey Quartermaine.

II. Carly and Jason

A. Tony

Lorraine: "God, why would she even bother to steal you away from anybody?"
Tony: "It's a good question. Why me, Carly?"

On Monday, Tony sent Lorraine away. She left, after telling him what a loser he was and how many
reasons Carly must have been desperate before she could have sex with him. And again, Tony
wondered the same thing. Why did Carly take up with him?

B. Carly and Bobbie

Carly: "It's...it's true, Bobbie. I'm your daughter; I'm Caroline."

Monday found Bobbie still in shock from Carly's announcement that she was Bobbie's daughter.
From the initial look on her face, I really didn't know what to expect--a hug or a slap. But two
seconds later, she made up her mind. She asked Jason to take the baby away from Carly; he took
Michael out of the room while everyone fixed their eyes on the two in the middle of the room and we
could hear the wind howling outside--nice sound effect.

Carly: "Look, I...I can see that maybe you hate the idea of having me for a daughter. But it's true."
Bobbie: "The truth! Ha! From a pathological liar."
Carly: "Bobbie, I was not gonna tell you this but I have seen how much you love Michael. And the
way that you helped me get here tonight...it just suddenly didn't seem right not to tell you that he's
your grandson. Why would I lie?"
Bobbie: "Because of the pleasure you get from hurting and humiliating me."

Bobbie admonished Carly for lying--for using her own dead daughter against her. She said that this
was just another way Carly had found to ruin Bobbie's life. If she thought about why Carly wanted
to hurt her so badly, however, I think she would have to see that the story made sense. Carly
responded that there was no reason for her to lie about this--that she only wanted Bobbie to know
that Michael was her grandson.

Carly: "Why didn't I just tell you who I was from the beginning? Maybe you would have been happy
to see me and everything would have worked out. I don't know. But instead I made sure that wasn't
even a possibility. I was angry at you for abandoning me, ok, for loving your little boy and the girl
that you...lost more than the little baby that you gave away. I was stupid. And I did everything
wrong, and I'm sorry. And I know it's probably too late to make it up, but I wanna try."

She continued, recounting her days in Port Charles. She said she had learned young to fight dirty,
and that she had come to Port Charles not knowing what she wanted. All she knew was that she had
been angry with Bobbie.

Carly: "I'm not the only one that lied to you."

Bobbie still didn't believe her. She insisted that her child was dead. Carly started to respond, saying
that she wasn't the only one who had been lying, but stopped herself. I applaud that. Because if she
admits Luke knew, Bobbie would have more pain. And Carly wasn't putting the blame or the anger
off on anybody else. She was taking it all. And she was taking it at a time when she herself was
hurting at her mother's disbelief and hoping for some understanding. Taking it because she was
hoping that Bobbie would see her desire for reconciliation. That said, I couldn't blame Bobbie for
her reaction. She always admitted that she hadn't forgiven Carly of everything, and her help was for
Michael's sake, not for Carly's. And why should she believe this? It would be too painful to believe
it, especially if she were to find out later that it was another scheme.

At one point AJ interrupted, announcing that Bobbie was right and Carly was lying. Carly yelled at
him to stay out of their discussion, and I had to agree. Whatever was going down was going down
between these two women, and everybody else had sense enough just to back off.

Bobbie: "You can't manipulate us. Not any more. Right, Tony? She's up to her old tricks? She's
trying to play us against each other. She's lying."
Tony: "What makes you think she's lying?"

Bobbie: "You believe her. Why?"
Tony: "Because there's so much that didn't hang together. Her moods, her behaviors, the stories--my
God, all the stories. And they never stopped coming."

Tony entered at this point, and Bobbie pulled him to her side and told Carly to tell her story again.
Carly looked worried, and Tony looked like he was just bracing himself for the next round. When
Bobbie told him what Carly had said, she expected Tony not to believe it. But Tony realized that this
explanation made everything else fall into place. He understood now why Carly had been after
them--after him--and why she had done the things she had done. He ran down his new
understanding of her actions since she arrived in PC, and the understanding dawned in Bobbie's eyes
as well. Not that understanding meant forgiveness. If anything, I'd think this made Carly look worse,
since it was not random, but aimed at her own mother--at least in their eyes and in others. And
finally he turned to Carly, telling her that at last he understood what he had seen in her. He had seen
Bobbie.

At that point, Carly was just hoping for an exit. She said that if Bobbie ever wanted a daughter,
she'd know where to find Carly. And at that moment, Virginia Benson entered, addressed Bobbie,
did a double take, called Caroline's name, and then Carly ran into her arms, happy and relieved that
there was one person in the room who would love her no matter what--who was glad to call her
"daughter."

And the looks on the faces across the room--especially Bobbie's, as the truth of the matter set
in--said it all.

There has been lots of talk on the newsgroup in recent days about Carly. My reasons for liking her
are simple. She's a well-written character with lots of juicy psychology and motivation. She's also got
lots of good family connections and relationships with other characters (though most are bad). And
Sarah Brown is absolutely wonderful. Carly's done some bad things. And she'll probably have to
pay for them at some point--of course, I would argue that she's paying for them now. But I can
understand them and sympathize with her without excusing them or thinking she's blameless. Carly is
desperately insecure and in need of love from the one person she's pushed farther away than
anybody. And she's paying for that every day--she's her own worst punisher, just like her Uncle
Luke. And what I would like to see is her progress to the point where she can find some peace...just
like her Uncle Luke. And most of all, I want more scenes with...you guessed it...her and her Uncle
Luke.

C. Jason and Robin

Jason: "Robin, you can't keep a person. I love Michael. And I want him to stay with me; as long as
he does I will protect him."
Robin: "Can you try, just a little, to protect yourself?"

Jason took Robin home after the roads were clear. She repeated herself, telling him that he should
tell AJ the truth. She asked if the reason he wasn't telling was that he's grown too fond of Michael to
let him go. She does have that correct. She was worried that he was growing too attached--that
Carly would hurt him by taking the baby away. But he declared that he would love and protect
Michael for as long as he could.

D. Carly and her Mothers

Bobbie: "My daughter?"
Virginia: "Isn't it wonderful?"
Bobbie: "You little bitch."

On Tuesday, Carly disengaged herself from her mother's embrace and tried to send her out of the
room. But Virginia insisted on introducing Caroline to her birth mother--she had no sense of what
was going on in the room she had just entered. She thought Caroline had come to find her.

Bobbie's reaction was a sometimes quiet, usually sarcastic, always seething rage. She proceeded to
outline Caroline's transgressions one by one. Carly tried to get her to stop, but Bobbie insisted that
Virginia should know the truth. While I could understand and sympathize with her reaction against
Carly, I slapped her for doing that to Virginia (my life story since I'm both FGC Bobbie and a
member of the PBSDT). Sure, the best way to punish Carly right at that moment was to tell her story
to her adoptive mother. But it was hurting Virginia as well to have to hear all of the details in one
unmitigated lump of bile. And Bobbie never stopped to think of that, nurse that she is.

Carly: "So naturally I decided to go and see if all the stories I had told myself were true...that...that
she would know me the minute she looked into my eyes.... She didn't. She didn't, and a matter of
fact she really didn't notice me at all. She was too busy with her work and her son that she had
adopted. Because I thought of course, you know, she'd rather have any child than me."

Carly's reaction was, alternately, pleading and defiance. And she told the story of how she took her
dead friend's name, how she found out where Bobbie was, and how she came to Port Charles,
hoping beyond hope that her birth mother would recognize her on sight. Instead, Bobbie had no
reaction to her at all, and Carly found her with a doctor for a husband, a great house, and a child to
replace the one she had lost.

As Bobbie listened, you could see the pain replacing anger for brief instances, but she remained cold
and aloof. Tony listened to the story and commented that Carly decided not to tell Bobbie the truth
at the same moment she decided to steal her mother's husband.

I've liked very much the monologues on GH recently--the retellings of past stories. I'm always
fascinated by that--what a character chooses to tell, what they choose to leave out, what they
remember and don't, the words they choose, the interpretations they had then and those they have
now. We've had nice monologues from Bobbie and Carly these past days, as well as Jason with the
baby, and I was looking forward to more.

Bobbie: "You're not telling this story to me. You're telling it to your mother."
Carly: "Right. So right. A position you never wanted and obviously still don't."

At this point, Carly grew angry again, admitting to everything but asking if she and her mother could
leave. Bobbie asked about Michael, and Carly ranted at her to shut up, asking if she could tell her
mother at least one thing in private. Bobbie apologized to Virginia at this point--small consolation
and too little too late. Virginia said that she had raised Carly better than this. Finally, Bobbie asked if
a drunk driver had killed Caroline's friend, Carly Roberts. When Virginia confirmed, Bobbie realized
who else had been lying to her. But she calmly shouldered all of her newfound burdens, wished
Virginia luck, and left.

Monica tried to stop her on her way out, but Bobbie announced that she was angry and had to see
somebody. Oooo! The super siblings were due for some great scenes, and I couldn't wait.

After Bobbie had left, Virginia admonished Carly for her behavior. Carly was not impressed, saying
that Bobbie still had a house and a son and should be grateful to be rid of Tony. Of course Tony had
to respond in his own defense and Virginia reprimanded him for blaming his own choices on Carly--I
was absolutely thrilled that somebody had spoken that truth to him. I only hoped he would hear it.
He didn't. He replied by announcing that Carly had a son. Carly was enraged again, but this time,
Virginia was angry too, as well as disappointed and shocked. She said that she knew that Carly
would never have told her. Carly insisted that she would have, but Virginia knew better. For all of
her Southern fragility, Virginia Benson is not stupid.

But she is indeed fragile. And Tony respected that even less than Bobbie. But I didn't have time to
slap him; I was too concerned for Virginia by that point. Carly pleaded with her mama to go and
meet the baby. She insisted that everything bad was behind her now and Virginia asked her if she
would take any responsibility for what she had done. Virginia, it turns out, is a truthteller
extraordinaire, and I only wished that she could stick around. But it was not to be. Because at this
point, Tony announced Carly's worst transgression of all--leaving her baby behind in the hands of the
mob. Carly hit the roof, screaming at Tony for playing the victim and ranting at Virginia for taking
sides against her. Virginia said that she didn't like Tony, but that Bobbie was an honest woman and
didn't deserve Carly's treatment of her. Virginia didn't deserve Carly's treatment of her either. She
insisted that she was not to blame for what Carly had become, and Carly attacked her one last time.
For when she turned her rage on Tony, Virginia fell to the floor, unconscious.

E. Carly

Monica awoke Carly from a fitful sleep on the lounge sofa on Wednesday to tell her that the doctor
needed to speak with her about her mother. Carly was angry with Monica for not waking her earlier,
but soon all of her thoughts were for Virginia. She realized that what they were telling her was that
her mother was dying...was dead. She ran into the room to find Virginia's face covered with the
sheet. The doctor and Monica tried to explain and express sympathy, but Carly sent them away.

Carly: "Mama? Mama, I'll be good. I promise I'll be good. All...all the horrible things I said...all the
horrible things they said about me...no...no. You never minded me. You just overlooked it...all the
bad things...they...they weren't even there. You always did that for me. I never thanked you. I never
thanked you for that. Mama please don't go. Please don't go now. There's nobody else in the world
who loves me."

She sat on the edge of her mother's bed, weeping, and I wept with her. She had lost the only person
who had ever been completely on her side--completely accepting of her. And it won't be easy for
her to find another...and it's all her fault.

That truth was highlighted by the fact that Keesha was the social worker on duty sent to help Carly
make plans for her mother's funeral. Carly angrily sent her away as well, and then turned her
anger--which was primarily for herself at this point but needed to be sent outward at easy
targets--towards Tony. She insisted that he was responsible for her mother's stroke. There was an
angry scene between them. Both of them blamed the other and denied all responsibility. It was one
last (?) lashing out.

Carly: "What are you gonna do? You gonna kill me?"
Luke: "No Caroline, I'm not gonna kill you. It was time; it was past time. You did the right thing."
Carly: "Well, if I got you off my back it was the right thing."
Luke: "No, little girl. Now you're a self-professed Spencer. One thing that means is you never get
me off your back."

Luke: "I heard about Virginia."
Carly: "Ya, so tell me it serves me right."
Luke: "Serves you right? Excuse me, Caroline. Virginia's death happened to her, not you."

Carly: "Look, if...if it hadn't been for her, I would have been raised in an institution. No thanks to you
and your sister. She's the only person in my whole life that ever loved me."
Luke: "Whose fault is that and what did it get her? Maybe that baby of yours could love you, if you
gave him a chance. If you hang around and give him a chance. Maybe. Who knows, huh? I guess
we'll see."

Carly left and headed for the elevator, but Uncle Luke was stepping off at the same time. I was so
hopeful that he would give her one kind word, but he was cross and sarcastic as usual, though he
called her family and offered to help with the funeral arrangements. What I would have liked would
have been a hug--with Bobbie looking on. But we're not to that point yet with Uncle and Niece,
although I hope for a storyline that puts them together in defense of one another. I wondered if Luke
will be the first Spencer to forge a bond with Carly, but then I doubted if he would forgive her
quickly for what she had done to Bobbie. Not that she was happy to see him either, mind you. But
as FGC Carly, Keeper of her Relationship with her Uncle Luke, I look forward to the day they're on
the same side.

F. Bobbie and Tony

Bobbie: "What's a little incest among friends?"

Bobbie arrived and heard the news of Virginia's death from Monica. I think there was a point where
she looked on at Luke or they exchanged a glance or something, but I'm working off audio and
updates and don't have it in front of me. She did run into Tony, and they noted the wacked nature of
their familial configuration.

G. Carly and Jason...and Bobbie

Carly got back to the penthouse on Thursday. She looked tired and on the verge of tears, but she
quietly told Jason that her mother was dead. Virginia, that is. She told him about the guilt that she
was feeling for being ashamed of Virginia and for all the things she did to her. She'll bury her mother
in Florida, and then she will return, because Jason asked her to.

Bobbie: "I came here to resign as your patsy, Carly's punching bag, and Michael's nurse."

Bobbie stormed in after Carly had gone upstairs. She had brought a bag of stuff for Michael, but she
was there to announce that she wanted nothing more to do with any of them--Michael included. And
I didn't believe it for a minute. That child will draw her back in, even if her bond with Carly doesn't.

Bobbie: "Michael will have no grandparents."
Carly: "Don't worry about it. I'll make sure he hears all about his grandmother. Maybe I'll even take
him to her grave in Florida. This is not your family, Bobbie. You did me one great favor in my life.
You made Virginia Benson my mother. Searching for another was the biggest mistake I have ever
made."
Bobbie: "At last. We agree on something."

Carly came downstairs holding her child--nice touch. She asked why Bobbie was there, and Bobbie
repeated her declaration, saying that she would never see any of them again. The thing is, Carly's
question wasn't accusatory; it sounded as though she was hoping Bobbie was there for her. But
Bobbie was still too angry for that, and well she should be. Mother and daughter ended up in one of
their trademark screaming matches about Virginia, and as Bobbie gazed at Michael before she left,
Carly told her that she'd never see him again. Bobbie looked struck, for a minute. But then she left,
coldly.

I think that both of these people are angry about what happened in the past--Carly is angry at her
mother for abandoning her, Bobbie is angry about what Carly has done. But I think that neither of
them, finally, will be able to face another round of pain. Once they recover from the impact, I think
that Bobbie won't be able to leave her daughter again, no matter what she feels about her actions.

H. Jason and Robin

At Kelly's on Valentine's Day, Robin met Felicia for lunch. She talked of Jason and of the struggle
not to think about him--but I'll spare you the mush. Afterwards, Robin went to the bridge, where she
threw a note into the water. After a flashback, she was startled by someone walking up behind her.
It was Jason.

They spoke of missing each other, and Robin told him that she had thrown a wish into the water.
Jason said he hoped that it would come true. She knew it wouldn't, because she had wished for
things to be different. Jason asked her if the ache would ever go away, and Robin admitted that she
had thought it would but could find nothing to help it. Then she kissed him, leaving immediately
afterwards. Jason stood there stunned and hurting. Strike one for V-Day.

III. Jax and Brenda

A. Jax and V

V: "Ok look, I, I know it's none of my business, and I, um, I, I don't mean to bring up ancient
history, but, um...as I recall, we almost had a, uh...for lack of a better word a, um, 'thing' last
summer?"
Jax: "Uh, I, I recall it that way too. I also remember you declined quite nicely, though."

V: "Sometimes a friend is just...you know, waiting, they're biding time...they were in love with you
and they're waiting for you to come back to them."
Jax: "And sometimes things are what they seem."

On one of her trips through the PC Hotel, V ran into Jax and Ashley. After he sent Ashley upstairs,
V reminded him of their...shall we say...near encounter in Malibu. She told him that the reason she
shied away was because of his feelings for Brenda--feelings he still has. He told her that he and
Brenda are just friends, and I was glad to see that V is smarter than that. But instead of contradicting
him, she told him that a friend is sometimes a person who loves you and is waiting for you to feel the
same way. And she wasn't talking about Brenda. You go girl! I still would love to see a V and Jax
flirtation instead of this awful Ashley person, who was, at this point, snarking at Brenda again. Of
course, they always bring in these other women to snark at Brenda so that she can look put-upon.
And I resent that too. Perhaps the reason they didn't put V up against her is because they feared the
playing field would be too level.

B. Brenda

Later on, Brenda went upstairs to see Jax and found Ashley in his apartment. She was very sad.

Wednesday found Brenda and Robin at home, with Brenda speaking of Jax and then Jax with
Ashley. Brenda then told her that she had a new modeling job, but would give no details. Later, at
the hospital, Robin was wearing one of Brenda's coats and found a flyer for the auto show in the
pocket. Brenda was, we found out, the new model/spokesperson for Genie Motors (nice touch),
and the job came complete with costume. After a few awkward scenes with customers, Brenda
turned and saw Robin.

C. Jax and Ned...and Brenda

On Friday, Jax and Ned talked over business at the Quartermaine house. They were working on the
docks project, and arguing over how to deal with Jason. Jax was advocating roughness, but Ned
said he would handle it. Brenda entered, and agreed with Jax--big surprise. She quickly changed the
subject back to herself, saying that the company she was working for was considering hiring her to
do their commercials. The only problem is that darned lawsuit. So she's come to Ned. He offered
her a spot at L&B again, and Brenda and Jax exchanged a look. Then she told him she had to do
this on her own.

Ned left the room to take a call, and Jax and Brenda are left alone on Valentine's Day. Brenda said
that she was thinking of Robin, who was without Jason on V-Day. Jax suggested that Brenda was
trying to make it on her own as well, and Brenda said that some days it felt really good.

Ned returned with some stuff for Brenda about the lawsuit. He headed out, offering Jax a ride, but
Jax didn't take the hint. Brenda asked Jax to dinner once Ned had left, but her turned her down. He
had other plans. Again, she was sad. Strike two for V-Day.

IV. The Quartermaines

A. Alan

Somewhere in the middle of the great revelation, Alan realized that he was short on pills and snowed
into the hotel. Finding the pharmacy locked, he found the hotel doctor and asked for key so he could
get some aspirin--for a patient, of course. On Tuesday, inside the pharmacy, Alan wiped sweat from
his brow and tried to calm his shaky hands while he tried first one key and then another in the lock to
the prescription medicines cabinet. Realizing that none of them fit, he wrapped his handkerchief
around his hand and bashed the glass, taking the pills. I find it a very nice touch that it was Alan's
hand that sent him down this road and that every time he takes another big step in his downward
spiral his hand comes into play--punching Dorman, breaking the medicine cabinet doors, etc.

Alan left while the alarm kept ringing, and returned to Monica in an almost giddy mood. She
convinced the clan to leave the scene behind.

B. Edward

Edward: "If this fairy tale is true, that means that my great grandson is part Spencer."
Monica: "We could do a lot worse than Bobbie for a grandmother."
Edward: "With Luke for a great uncle? It's bad enough that my grandson's a partner in her club.
Now we're going to be expecting Uncle Luke to stop by for holiday meals."
Alan: "Nobody in their right mind would come to our house for a holiday meal."

In a lovely dose of SWATCH, Edward grumbled about his new great grandson being part Spencer.
But he set in immediately to figure out how he can use this news to his advantage. And I thought that
some Carly/Edward scenes would be simply delightful.

Later, Monica expressed her surprise that Bobbie had never told her the story of this lost child.
Edward simply pondered what he could offer Carly that Jason couldn't. Monica was appalled, but
Edward told her that greed was what got her in the Quartermaine door all those years ago. Touche.

Monica: "So we need someone to go to Carly and offer to pay for her mother's burial."
Edward: "Hm. That's the least we could do."
Monica: "We need someone to gain her trust. Maybe even her love. When in fact, all we really want
is the kid."
Edward: "That's about the gist of it."
Monica: "We need someone ruthless."
Edward: "Well I would hope so. Um-hm."
Monica: "Someone completely dishonest."
Edward: "Well, let's call it creative."
Monica: "And utterly manipulative."
Edward: "Only if they do it right."
Monica: "Well, the person who does it right...is you."

Edward's scheming continued on Thursday. He called AJ into the room, complimented his suits, and
then asked AJ to cozy up to Carly and offer to pay for the funeral. AJ refused to go anywhere near
Carly, but Edward insisted. Monica entered and reprimanded Edward for suggesting that her son go
anywhere near Carly after what she did to him. For his part, AJ said that he wouldn't run Edward's
errands until he got a serious piece of ELQ business. Edward then turned to Monica, trying to get
her to move in on Carly. He told her that Bobbie was the competition and they should move while
she was still angry. Monica said Justus was right about the way Edward through the word "loyalty"
around, and told him that he should work on Carly himself. And that's not a bad idea.

C. Ned and Alexis

Alexis: "I'm actually more impressed that you managed to bring that up six flights of stairs without
dropping anything."
Ned: "Well, with the right motivation I'm unbelievably dexterous."

Alexis: "You're good. Is there any limit to your talents?"
Ned: "You have all night to find out."

Ned: "What can I say. You bring out the best in me."

Ned: "One should never lie. Unless they have to."
Alexis: "Let's never have to. How do you feel about a pact of mutual non-disclosure?"

Ned: "You're the only lawyer I know in the world who can make 'mutual non-disclosure' sound
attractive."

In the midst of all of the excitement down below, Ned showed up at Alexis's suite bringing a little
excitement of his own--along with snacks. He was ostensibly attempting to get her to work for ELQ,
but their mixture of business with pleasure was delicious. They addressed the problem of keeping
business and pleasure separate, nonetheless, and as FGCO Ned & Lois, Keeper of the Separation
Between Business and Marriage, I would say that Ned and Lois never really managed that division
very well. As FGCO Ned & Alexis, I'd bet that they'd be better able to keep the private and
personal spheres separate. And when they can't, they at least share priorities that would make the
blend easier to manage. All in all, I look forward to watching whatever mix of the two they come up
with. My favorite moment was the pact of non-disclosure. After that line, "Let's never have to," a
less business minded couple would have spoken some rubbish about never keeping secrets. But not
Ned and Alexis. I love them together, and I was very happy with these scenes as my GH Valentine's
Day treat.

So they came to an agreement that private family business would not be discussed between them.
Ned asked if that meant her Cassadine connections would be leave ELQ vulnerable. She promised
not to act against the company or the family and to resign in any conflict of interest. They agreed that
the would not mix business and pleasure, but admitted that they were too attracted to each other not
to see each other. Ned said that he had it all under control, and then they got started on the pleasure
part with a lovely kiss.

V. The Spencers

A. Bobbie

After leaving the PC Hotel, Bobbie went to Wyndemere to meet with Stefan. And it was indeed the
old Stefan, the Stefan who knows things, the Stefan who takes advantage of existing situations.
Katherine was nowhere to be seen.

Bobbie: "Once you've been lied to by your child and by your brother, where else can you go for the
truth but to your mortal enemy?"
Stefan: "I warned you, Barbara. Blind faith in Luke was ill-advised."

She asked if he knew that Carly was her daughter. He did. When they were married, he didn't tell
her because it would have hurt her. When they were divorced, it was a weapon he would keep in
reserve. He had also known that Luke knew the truth and offered her the report on Luke's trip to
see Virginia Benson. Bobbie claimed it could be a set up; Stefan said that she already knew the
truth. He claimed to regret her pain, given her goodness towards Nikolas, but I swear I could see
the light in his eyes as he thought of how this would affect the Spencer family--affect Luke. But
Bobbie had one last question. Had he sent her to find Carly with Tony at the cabin that night? But of
course--in not so many words.

Bobbie was left to know the truth about her brother and have it confirmed by their enemy. She went
to the Spencer house and sat in the darkened living room and waited.

B. Bobbie and Luke

Bobbie: "Lucky's dead. How does it feel, Luke?"

Luke entered on Wednesday, calling out for Bobbie and hearing no response. He opened the
curtains, then turned to find her sitting there. She told him Lucky was dead, waited a second, and
then asked him how it felt. I didn't like that line on the trailers and I didn't like it in execution, although
I did think that the delivery--she couldn't wait any longer than that to tell him it was a lie--highlighted
a difference between the two siblings. Luke's reaction, however, was beautiful--his face simply froze
until he heard the rest of it. Luke often waits until he knows as much of a situation as he can before
he reacts, especially when he's dealing with family. She stood and started pounding on his chest, and
he knew then that she had found out the truth. He said that if Carly hadn't told her, he would have
(she was unhappy to find out that Jason knew as well).

Bobbie: "I refused to believe it. Why would I, when I knew from my big brother that poor Virginia
was addled? Why would I even believe Carly when I knew from you that...my little girl was dead?"

Bobbie: "And Jake and I had to laugh, cause we figured, 'Hey, that's just one of the ways they, uh,
cope with things in California, by making earthquakes one of the last things that they ever think of.
You lying to me is one of the last things I ever think of. Though God knows why, because it happens
all the time, just like earthquakes in California."

Luke: "I knew Carly was your daughter the first time I came back from Florida. And I went to the
brownstone totally prepared to tell you but you had just found her in bed with Tony. And I didn't
want your search to end at your own pillowcase. I thought it was better if the girl was dead, so I
killed her. Barbara, I don't regret that. And then when Carly was pregnant I figured it was a sign that
I had done the right thing, because at least you'd be spared having to hear that your little lost baby
was having your husband's baby."
Bobbie: "Now see, this is my even less favorite lie that you never get tired of telling me. That
whatever it was and however it looked, you did it for me. That you're my big brother and that your
job to protect me. And that you've been protecting me all of my life and that I damn well better be
suitably grateful."

Luke: "Look, I'm no saint. I never claimed to be. But you always had something to eat. You always
had a place to sleep. Almost always. And for the rest of that, Barbara, we were kids. We were
trying to survive. We had some hard decisions to make and nobody to make 'em for us."
Barbara: "Oh, I had someone. I had you. To decide what was and what was not allowed for me.
And apparently I still do."

Barbara: "Luke Spencer doesn't do apologies."

That didn't matter. She described the scene for him (retelling alert!) and told him that she had gotten
through on sheer denial--that she had refused to believe her brother was lying to her. And she
started to list the things that he had explained away that she now saw as proof of his lies. Then she
asked him to choose something other than death, next time he lied to her to protect her. He told her
the story of why he didn't tell her, and insisted that he didn't regret it. She started to talk about how
he had always tried to protect her--and how he never succeeded. How, instead, he would play
cards with the Johns waiting for her downstairs in Ruby's brothel. He insisted that he was playing
cards with them to try and win their money so they couldn't pay for her.

I was riveted by their stories of those old days, because we know so little about them; neither sibling
ever cares to remember much of them, at least verbally. And through this story we understood more
of why Luke finds it imperative to protect the women around him--when he doesn't, they are
sexually violated, from Bobbie's days as a hooker to Laura's multiple rapes. The relationship
between the siblings, as well as with L&L, fascinates me. Luke has to be the protector, because he's
convinced it's the only way he has value, deep down inside--and because he's doing penance for the
many times he's failed. And while he fears that Laura might leave him--might choose somebody over
him or decide that she doesn't need him--he and Bobbie are stuck for life, as she acknowledged as
they continued.

Luke: "What would you have done if I had told you the truth the day I learned it? What would you
have done? Huh? Would you have said, 'Well, what's one more husband more or less' and opened
your arms to your little lost girl? Or would you have hated her guts but found some inner peace
knowing that Tony wasn't with just any little slut he was with yours? Or would you have blamed
yourself for the mess she made of her life? And Tony's, and yours. Caroline is psychotic. Not
because you gave her up for adoption, baby. But because that's the only thing that appealed to her
on career day."
Barbara: "Everything she did you did. She couldn't have wrecked my marriage. She couldn't have
made me doubt...everything I ever believed in. She couldn't have sent me spinning off to Stefan
Cassadine...if you hadn't helped. And then there's Michael. Was I supposed to go through my entire
life never knowing I had a grandson?"

Luke: "There is nothing I could have done that would have made any difference."
Bobbie: "No Luke, there's nothing you can do right now that's gonna make any difference.
Understand that. You know something, the day is gonna come when we're all sitting around the table
at Thanksgiving. And you're carving the turkey--or trying to get out of carving it--and you're gonna
look down the table and you're gonna see me sitting there. With Lucas and Ruby and Lucky and
maybe even your own wife and daughter. And you're gonna think to yourself, 'Bobbie and I are over
it. We're alright now.' But we won't be over it. We will never be over it. I won't."

He told the rest of his story, but she wasn't impressed that he and Jason had decided what she could
know and when.

So I'm now pondering what that means about his protector role where she is concerned. He has to
be protector, still, because he's always been--and because he loves her. And he lies because it
protects her--but also because it gives him the power to protect. And power is where it's at for
Luke, because he's so afraid of not having it.

He may realize this at some point, though maybe not in so many words. I don't know if he can ever
change it though. At the same time, I think it's good that Bobbie's started to understand it. She's
realized that letting Luke protect her has kept her from becoming stronger in her own right. And she
realizes that his protection isn't always good. Right now it's her brother hurting her--but I think she
could understand at some point the reasons why he lies and acts this way...and why he rarely says
he's sorry. That's an admission of weakness.

I was waiting for that moment, from the time Bobbie mentioned that Luke never said he was sorry
and she'd die waiting for it. I was so sure that as she walked out, he would simply say, "Barbara
Jean." And she would turn. And he would say, "I'm sorry." She would still leave, and she would still
be angry. I knew we wouldn't get that moment, because it would rush things--that moment may
come, but it will come much later. I was hoping that maybe he'd say it after she had left, but that's
not even right for Luke. It would have been a moment where he let himself not be the one with the
power in their relationship. And he's not ready for that yet.

With all of this crashing down around him, he was not going to bring on any more weakness himself.
And I was pleased to see that he tried to explain, but he didn't actually give the entire Luke Spencer
response to situations like this--he didn't play the other injured party, didn't give the same responses
that she knew he'd give, at least in degree. He didn't know it was coming; he simply held back,
listened to it all, gave an explanation to test the waters, and now will ponder.

As for Bobbie, she was wonderful. She wasn't overly emotional--that would have made Luke think
she was being reactive and would get over it sooner. No, she was in complete control, announcing
something, rather than pleading or punishing.

Truly the super siblings will be different from here on out. And I love this new thing that has come
between them. It will force them both not to take the workings of their relationship for granted and
will, in Guza's hands, make them stronger. And in the meantime, we get remarkable performances.

And they were remarkable. I'll note that all of my theorizing about Luke and Bobbie's relationship
came after the fact. I forgot I was watching a show for a few minutes--the running
commentary/criticism/evaluation in my head went off. And that is so rare for me that when it happens
it really means something. And it's even more rare when it's an actor I heavily identify as an
actor--like TG. The fact that after all this time I can forget that it's him and really think it's Luke? That
I can forget my theories about the super siblings' relationship? That I can actually forget I'm watching
a soap? That's wonderful fun.

One last thing. The close-up of Luke at the end of the sequence? That was the *best* shot since the
8th of December. Not that I'm biased. ;) But it was almost too close, and that willingness to get in so
tight was precisely what made it so effective. Very nice. And as Terry pointed out to me in email, he
was left sitting alone in the aftermath in the same spot in which Bobbie sat at the end of yesterday.
They were both right in the heart of Spencerdom (in that house that he so hates but so perfectly
represents that family), but alone.

Delicious.

After she had gone, Luke listened to the answering machine tape and heard that Virginia was back in
town. I wondered if he thought that if he had been there, he could have averted this disaster, or at
least mitigated it. But his thoughts were interrupted by Amy's call, telling him that Virginia had been
hospitalized. And I wanted nothing more than for him to go to Carly, knowing that he was one of the
few that would be at least a bit on her side, since he was family...and knowing that he wouldn't
because she had hurt his sister, whom he had failed to protect yet again.

C. Lucky and Luke

Lucky: "You can never have too much family, right?"
Bobbie: "Oh yes you can. I've had a belly-full."

Luke: "Somebody's hurt Barbara real bad."
Lucky: "Well, maybe we ought to introduce their head to a cinder block."
Luke: "Yeah, maybe we should. Take your best shot, Cowboy."

Luke: "As sure as dead bodies float, I knew it would, uh, you know, wash to shore."

Lucky: "Hey, there's nothing you could say about her that would surprise me."
Luke: "This will."

Lucky: "Carly and her kid are family?"
Luke: "Technically speaking, ya."

Lucky: "Bobbie had a right to know and so did I."
Luke: "Why?"
Lucky: "Because we're family, that's why."
Luke: "Well that's a good point. But, uh, I mean...when you didn't know you felt fine. Now you
know; how do you feel?"
Lucky: "I don't know. Worse."
Luke: "Worse. See, that's, uh, why I..."
Lucky: "That's too easy, Dad."
Luke: "Ya, I know it is."
Lucky: "Keepin' secrets is one thing. But keepin' secrets from family? It's wrong."
Luke: "I've heard that somewhere before. But in this instance I don't agree. A secret isn't a lie. It's a
truth. That you keep to yourself and usually for damn good reasons."
Lucky: "So what other secrets are you keepin' from me. Hm?"
Luke: "I don't know; not too many. Maybe about as many as you're keepin' from me."
Lucky: "Ok, you got me."
Luke: "You are maturing very nicely, my boy."

Lucky ran into Bobbie at Kelly's on Thursday. Bobbie told him it was a bad day and that he should
ask his dad about it. Lucky did. Luke told him that he had been keeping a secret from Bobbie and
she had found out about it. Lucky didn't see anything wrong with that; it was for her own good,
probably. Luke agreed, but he said that he'd been keeping the secret from Lucky as well. When he
told Lucky about Carly, Lucky changed his tune (I love how this secret coming out has
foreshadowed so well things to come) and said that Luke taught him not to keep secrets from family.
But he wasn't too upset. Personally, I loved Luke's distinction--Carly is technically family. He's a
strong believer in blood, though, and I hope he doesn't get to keep that distinction for long. And I
loved their discussions about lying--more foreshadowing.

D. Tony and Luke

Luke hadn't seen the last of the aftermath. At the beginning of Thursday's show, Tony shaved his
head. I didn't see the scene, but several people on ratsa said it was quite good. I just thought it was a
Taxi Driver reference, and began to worry about Tony in earnest.

Luke: "Oh. It's only you."
Tony: "Ya. It's only me."
Luke: "You oughta make more noise when you follow somebody. Especially somebody with a hair
trigger like me."

Tony: "Ya. That's right. You're supposed to tell me if I'm sleeping with my wife's daughter. Yes."
Luke: "Well as a matter of fact I was about to tell you and everybody--Bobbie, Oprah."
Tony: "And what stopped you."
Luke: "Well, you see, my sister happened to find her husband in bed with what turned out to be her
daughter playing doctor, and it wasn't neurosurgeon. And at that moment I thought Bobbie had had
enough betrayal for a lifetime."
Tony: "Well she didn't have to know, you know. You could have told me very quietly the next
morning and I woulda put a stop to it right there and then. She would have never known."
Luke: "You think...you think that's how it would have gone, Tony. Come on. You were hooked.
Anybody with half a brain saw it. You and Carly were leaving secrets around town like a little trail
of..."
Tony: "And you were just gonna let me sleep with my stepdaughter. That's great."
Luke: "Sure. Why not, huh? I mean, with all the misery in the world, who am I to rain on somebody's
sex life?!"
Tony: "Luke, I put everything I had...everything I dreamed of having into my life with Carly, alright?
And the life had no chance because you knew that."

Luke: "And I don't blame you. Because I know you were thinking not with this head. You were
thinking with another...."
Tony: "Shut up! Shut up!"
Luke: "No, I won't! I will not shut up. You put the quarter in you get the whole song."

Tony: "Well you know what? I've been pushed around a lot this year and I don't like it either!"

Luke: "Oh, man! Why do you make me do this twice now?! We're supposed to be friends."

Luke: "Why don't we just stick to what we do best, alright? You make people feel well; I make 'em
hurt. And I don't wanna practice on you!"
Tony: "Go to hell. I don't need your sympathy."
Luke: "No, you need your own. But mine will have to do."

As Luke left Kelly's after talking to Lucky, Tony followed him. In the park, Tony accosted him,
demanding to know why Luke hadn't told him about Carly and insisting that if he had known, he
wouldn't have slept with her. He even said that Luke could have told him and he wouldn't have told
Bobbie and would have put a stop to it. Luke wasn't buying that for a minute. He pointed out that
Tony had known what Carly was and that he had escaped just in time. Tony was blaming Luke for
his own actions, as he continues not to take responsibility, but at the same time, Luke's honesty might
have changed things. What I liked most about this scene was the little reference to the fight Tony and
Luke had on Halloween a few years back. Tony started pushing on Luke and Luke told him that he
didn't want to have to hit him again...but then he hit him. Tony remained on the ground as Luke left.

I'm always fascinated by the Tony/Luke dynamic. They're not family anymore, and they're barely
friends these days. But they have some sort of bond. For a while I thought it was because they were
opposites--Tony was the safe one and Luke the unsafe. With this night, their similarities began to
show very strongly.

E. Lucky's Dates

Meanwhile, Liz was speaking to Audrey at the hospital. They talked about lots of things, but the
bottom line is that Liz wants to go to the school's Valentine's dance with Lucky. Audrey suggested
that she should simply ask him. She did. Well, kind of. She asked Lucky if they could "hang out" at
the dance--technically not a date. But Liz was completely thrilled, coming back to tell Audrey.

Lucky: "The real thing. Rose to last dance to good night kiss."
Sarah: "Well maybe two out of three."
Lucky: "Hey, you wanna give up the rose that's cool with me."

And in the meantime, Sarah and Lucky chatted at Kelly's (she only mentioned Nikolas about 10
times) and Sarah invited Lucky to go with her to the dance. It was clear to me that she was doing it
to get back at Nikolas. He said yes--because his only plans were to hang out with friends. But he
made sure that it was a real date, and she agreed.

Audrey: "If there is one thing I've learned this last year, you're not a pastel person."
Elizabeth: "That should go in the yearbook--Elizabeth Webber, not a pastel person."

On Friday, Lizzie and Audrey came home, having purchased a red dress for Lizzie to wear. Lizzie
was surprised Audrey hadn't suggested something pastel. And Audrey showed us that she knew
Elizabeth better than Elizabeth though she did. I love these two together, and I was glad to see them
happy for once this week. Audrey continued, telling Liz that Lucky would love the dress and how
nice she would look, then went upstairs to get something for her.

While she was upstairs, the doorbell rang. It was Lucky, asking Liz if it was ok for him to bring
somebody else along to the dance, since they were just hanging out with friends. He told her it was
Sarah, and tried to brush it all off as a friends kind of thing. Lizzie put up a brave face and announced
that she was going with a basketball player and would just see them there. Lucky knew exactly what
he was doing, and I think he grabbed at the relief Liz offered with the story of her other date when it
was quite clear Liz was disappointed.

Lizzie: "And you're lending it to me?"
Audrey: "Um-hm. Yes I am."

When Audrey came back downstairs, Liz tried to back out of the dance, feigning illness, but Audrey
reassures her and tells her how much she admires Liz for being "indomitable." She had brought Lizzie
a bracelet that Steve had given her. Lizzie was very moved, and asked if Audrey was afraid that she
would lose it. Audrey said that the clasp was very strong and that she trusted Lizzie.

In the middle of everything, Sarah called to say she was staying at a friend's house that night. Then
Audrey called for a cab and Lizzie came downstairs, looking beautiful. She didn't want to go, but
Audrey sent her off with another word of encouragement.

Sarah: "Uh, wasn't this supposed to be sort of a date?"
Lucky: "Oh, don't tell me you're gonna miss me."
Sarah: "Why do you say that?"
Lucky: "Look, no offense Sarah, but you've been going on about Nikolas all night and it's not my
idea of fun. Just keep eatin' your pie."

Later, Lucky and Sarah showed up at Kelly's with Deenie. Lucky wondered why Elizabeth never
showed up, but Sarah was too busy playing "their song" on the jukebox--hers and Nikolas's, I mean.
Lucky was peeved that she had spent the whole night talking about Nikolas and left her to ask the
basketball player where Lizzie was. The basketball player had no idea. Lucky grew concerned, but
Sarah dismissed the whole thing. Lucky grew even more disgusted with her (yay!) and went off to
look for Liz, ignoring her pleas that they're on a date and he should take her home.

The final scene of the show was one of the most chilling I've seen--and it was only to be the first of
many. Lizzie walked through the park carrying popcorn, and sat down on a bench. She looked at
her watch and sighed--not time yet to go home. She didn't want to have to tell Audrey the truth.
Suddenly, a man in a ski mask grabbed her from behind. She dropped the popcorn, struggled and
flailed, trying to keep hold of the bench. The camera came up tight on Audrey's bracelet and on
Lizzie's hands clutching the bench, her feet kicking at the snow, the hand on her mouth. And in the
end, she was picked up and taken away. We were left with a shot of the empty bench standing in the
snow.

Strike three for Valentine's Day indeed. Guza is the King of Irony, and that he would choose to
stage this attack on that day both impressed and pleased me. The set-up for this storyline was
brilliant, and as next week continued we would start to see exactly how smart it had been. But I'll
save that for next week, saying only that here began what has become, perhaps, my favorite storyline
in all the time I've been watching GH. Certainly the most painful to watch and one of the best
performed and written. Bravo to all of those involved.

VI. The Cassadines

A. Stefan and Katherine

On Wednesday, Stefan received word that Laura was in North Carolina--and that Helena might
know where she was as well. At the time, he was down in the wine cellar staring at the portrait of
Laura. Left alone again, Stefan spoke to the absent Laura, reminding her of the consequences for
returning. Katherine then knocked at the door, asking to come in.

He let her in and told her that he was looking through Nikolas's children's books to see if he could
find something that he could read aloud. Again with the conversation about Nikolas's speech. But
this time, Stefan cut it short by saying that Nikolas had spoken to him. Katherine was ecstatic...until
she found out that it had happened last week and he hadn't told her. I found this moment very telling.
Stefan knew that Katherine would have a very noticeable and intrusive reaction to the news, so he
didn't tell her so that she wouldn't fawn over Nikolas. That tells me that 1) he doesn't think she's the
best thing for Nikolas, and we see what he does with people like that, 2) that he wants some kind of
distance between them--something unshared to keep her out of his life a bit, and 3) that they are
never going to be a matched set because he is never going to be completely open with
anybody--perhaps because he was in the past and was hurt by the very woman in the painting.
Now, somebody could make the argument that Stefan could still change. That's true. But I simply
don't see him changing for Katherine.

The matter-of-factness in his tone made her angry. And they had an argument over what she should
and shouldn't be told. Personally, I think that if Nikolas wanted her to know he would have told her.
But she thought it was Stefan's responsibility to report on his nephew's progress to her. Translation:
she was hacked off that Nikolas hadn't confided in her, and I think she was a bit jealous of the bond
between uncle and nephew. Because of course when he turned his attentions back to her, suggesting
a nice dinner in the guesthouse, she was positively purring with delight.

B. Nikolas

Stefan took Nikolas to his appointment at the hospital and Nik asked why Bobbie had been to the
house the night before. Stefan told him that she was having trouble with her family. He left Nikolas
and went to do some work. Just as he returned, Robin came up and introduced herself, much to
Stefan's displeasure. And there was Sarah, exchanging pained and avoiding looks with Nikolas.

I was sick of Sarah by this point, and lots of people on ratsa pointed towards this scene as
foreshadowing of some sort of relationship between Nikolas and Robin. They were not wrong. But I
won't get ahead of myself.