The Week in Review: March 23 - March 30

This week was pretty good.  The kidnappings drove most of the plots, bringing in Jax and Brenda, V, and Mac and Felicia and continuing to involve the Qs and Bobbie.  Jason and Carly were at the center, of course, as were Tony, Robin and Michael.  The other story that drove the week was the aftermath of Lucky finding out about the rape. Luke (and Geary) was fantastic in every scene, and he had conversations with several people.  Each one revealed something different about the way he was dealing with his past--and his present.  At any rate, there was some dead weight, but the week, for the most part, was good.

I.  Jason and Carly

A.  Jax and Brenda

Back from their gambling on Monday, Brenda was disappointed and worried to find that Robin hadn't taken care of breakfast the way she had said that she would.  Jax cooked breakfast instead, and Brenda bored me with more promises to win him back.  Keesha called, interrupting them (who ever thought that I'd be thankful to Keesha for entering the picture) and asking where Robin was.  They were supposed to meet for breakfast, and Robin hadn't shown up.  Brenda grew more anxious, and when she found out that Robin wasn't with Mac either, she immediately concluded that Robin was dead somewhere because of Jason.  Jax tried to calm her down and assure her that he would do something about it.

B.  Robin

Robin, who had been coughing mildly in the park on the picnic with Nikolas last week, was coughing more harshly on Monday.  She reassured Michael that all would be well.  Tony entered, smiling, and asked if everything was alright.  Robin insisted that she was scared and said that she couldn't believe he could do this to her and to an innocent child (I wished that she would remember that indignation later).  She said that she needed her medication for HIV, as well as treatment for her illness. In the most ludicrous moment of all, Tony came back with *aspirin!*  At this point, I couldn't believe that he was still managing to justify his behavior to himself.  And neither his promise to get Robin's medicine for her nor her apology was enough to stop the outrage expressed on ratsa.  Nor should it have been.

C.  Jason and Justus and Carly

Carly:  "I don't believe this.  Wha....  My baby is missing and you two are gonna stand here and make negotiations and deals?  Whose movie did I stumble into, anyway, cause it sure as hell isn't mine."

As Monday opened, Jason and Justus talked about Moreno, who had made a move on some of Jason's turf.  Perhaps this meant that he had taken Michael and would make a demand.  Carly again showed up and complained about business, but quickly backpedaled and apologized.  Justus left and headed off to talk to Moreno.  Meanwhile, Jason told Carly that he would do anything necessary to bring Michael home, and his conviction silenced her once again.  Personally, I was left wondering why we had this same scene again, since we had basically had the same one last week.

D.  Carly and Bobbie

Bobbie:  "Hope can be a very powerful thing.  Not only for the one doing it, but for the one hoped for as well."

At the hospital on Tuesday, Carly made a phone call to the police about Michael.  There was no news.  She told Bobbie, but grew angry hearing Tony, who had interrupted, and Bobbie talk about the birthday party and tore into Bobbie.  Bobbie tried to explain that it was for Lucas, that she was trying to keep some normalcy and safety in his life and let him see his father on his birthday.  But Carly didn't buy it.  Instead, she took it as a snide reminder that Michael disappeared while in her care--that she couldn't keep her child safe.  Of course that's not what Bobbie meant, and she had the good sense to try and patch things up later.  Her willingness to do this now speaks volumes, since before she found out that Carly was her child, she would have simply struck back.  Mother and daughter both apologized and reassured each other, but Tony arrived to ruin the moment with his slams at Carly.  Personally, I wanted to see Bobbie go off on him, but instead she talked him into keeping his date for the birthday party, which he was trying to get out of.

E.  Tony

Tuesday found Jax and V at Brenda's house (ratsa commented on the darkness of his hair, but I would point out that he's always only had blonde highlights on the top of dark brown hair underneath--at least as long as I've been watching).  Jax was put out that she had gone to see Jason, both for her own sake and because when Jason found out about Robin's absence, war could break out.  He had plans to get Robin back safely on his own.  He had V stay behind and check the house for clues while he went to get Brenda.  While she was upstairs, Tony snuck in to get Robin's medication.  He wasn't quiet enough, and V came downstairs while he hid in the closet.  Once she was gone, he left, unable to get the medication.

He went to the hospital next, and after the above scene with Bobbie and Carly (I know that he interrupted to find out if there was sign that he was suspected, but he took such a perverse pleasure in offering his help), Tony had a guard let him into Alan's office.  He was looking for Robin's file, but Alan entered and he had to come up with some story about a patient and not bothering Alan.  Alan was just happy that it had nothing to do with his drug use that he let the incident go by.  Tony played the sympathetic friend, blamed Jason, and tried to assure Alan that there was a chance the baby was with somebody who would take care of him.  Alan insisted that anybody who would take a child was incapable of caring.  I was convinced that I saw a flinch on Tony's face as he left that said he was realizing that he was hurting his friends, but I think now that he was simply disgusted that Alan didn't understand his point-of-view.  Alan, for his part, took more pills.

F.  Jason and Brenda

Brenda:  "Oh, I see.  Now you want me to leave because you don't want to be reminded of the fact that I told you that this was going to happen and you didn't listen."
Jason:  "You say a lot of things and I try not to listen to any of them."

Brenda came to Jason's, meanwhile, to inform him that Robin was missing and that it was all his fault.  She wanted to harp on the blame, and he wanted the details so that he could do something about it.  Brenda did answer all of his questions, and Jason called Benny to check on the guards.  For some reason, they weren't on Robin or Brenda, and Jason told Benny what he thought of that.  Brenda, of course, was enraged to find out that he had guards on either of them and went off again on the fact that it was his fault.  Jason tried to get her to shut up so that they could work together; she kept ranting, bringing in Sonny and the mob and herself, etc.  And she asked him to find Robin (with all of that power she despises) and then stay away from her.  Jason again told her that they had broken up, and even though he still loves her, he's stayed away from her.

At some point, he'd had enough (as had I), and he took her arm to lead her out the door.  Jax arrived at that point, heard her scream, and tried to rush in--but couldn't get past the guard without Jason's say so.  Crack me up.  He glared, and Jason simply said that he had no time for either of them.  Jax and Brenda said they would get Robin back and deal with Moreno (wait, didn't she just ask Jason to do that?).  Ya, right.  Jason asked for 24 hours, and surprise, Brenda agreed with him, knowing that Moreno would deal with Jason only.  Jax's only recourse is to tattle on Jason to Mac and tell him that Robin's missing.  After a final plea from Brenda, the terrible twosome finally left.

They returned to Brenda's house and checked in with V, who had found no sign of a struggle or anything else.  She insisted on exploring all of their options, despite B&J's conviction that it was Jason's fault.  The phone rang, and Brenda picked up, rambling on about doing anything to get Robin back.  It was Tony, who hung up upon hearing her blabbering.  If she had just answered "hello," perhaps he would have said something that would have led V to figure things out.  Brenda did hit *69, but to no avail.

G.  Carly and Jason

When she got home from the hospital, Jason told Carly that Robin was gone and that he was moving on Moreno that night.  He told her to stay there so that she'd be safe.  She told him to be careful because he meant so much to her and to Michael; he promised he would be.  After he left, she thought of her son and of telling him that Jason was the best friend she'd ever had.

H.  Tony

At the birthday party, Tony smiled and tried to behave as usual while Felicia's family, Mac, Lucas, and Bobbie brought out the cake.  In the strangest cut I've seen in a long time, Brenda and Jax showed up, told Mac that Robin had been kidnapped, and then we never went back to that scene.  Did Tony overhear?  Did Mac not react?  How did they explain their presence?  What was the reaction from the others?  Who knows.  Meanwhile, Robin grew sicker at the cabin.  But she tried to stay positive, telling Michael that either Tony would come to his senses or Jason would find them.  I only had faith in the second option.

I.  AJ and Carly

AJ approached Carly at the hospital on Thursday and sat next to her.  He gave his condolences about Michael and said that he understands (how?).  Carly told him exactly where she thought the kidnaper should go, and we cut to Tony and Robin.  AJ told Carly that he was helping with the search, and she asked him if he would still take the child from her if he were the father.  He said that he wouldn't.  Carly was clearly pondering her choices, and she looked relieved to hear his answer.  But this would be another of those moments like when she told Bobbie the truth, I feared, where she expected a positive response to her announcement and the person would turn from her.  I just hoped that when she told him, someday, that AJ would be able to forgive her as Bobbie had done.  I remembered, in this scene, how much I loved the two of them together last summer.  I've hated the writing for AJ lately, but Warlock and Brown could pull off an AJ and Carly pairing.  But, I also like the prospect of Carly with Jason.  I don't know where we'll end up down the road, but for now, I totally enjoy the Carly/Jason stuff and wish we had a few more scenes like this.  It would help us sympathize more with AJ to see him outside of his family--and I don't mean with Keesha.

J.  Robin and Tony

While Carly and AJ talked, Robin pleaded with Tony to let her go, as she was doing much worse.  Tony actually looked like some emotion approaching concern, but I figured it was because his plan was in danger.  He declared himself not a bad person, and reminded her he was a doctor.  Then he proceeded to head out for antibiotics and speed up his schedule.  Oh, ya.  That'll make up for it.  At the hospital, he raised the suspicions of Amy and Alan with his weird behavior and then got a flat tire on the way back.

K.  Finally, Some Help

On Thursday, Jax was on the phone telling somebody that Sonny might be the one behind Robin's disappearance (doesn't he stop to think that the two kidnappings are related?).  Jason arrived, and Brenda took off on him again, demanding that he tell her where Robin was.  He told her she didn't understand, and finally got her to answer his questions about the details of that morning (Gee, didn't we already do this?  This was a very repetitive week; most of the storylines simply tread water.)  As Jason heard about Robin's refusal of Stefan's money, he decided to visit Nikolas (Gee, Jax.  Jump to the most difficult answer first, why don't you.  Do you just want to make use of your large holdings, so you skip the obvious course of action?).  After he left, we had Jax blaming himself for Robin being there and a rehash of Brenda's breakdown, etc.  They thought of Robin and the first time he met her, and reassured themselves that she was a survivor.  

Meanwhile, instead of talking, Jason acted.  He went and visited Nikolas.  He had to get through Stefan, who snorted fire and threatened to eat him, but Kat came down in the middle and told him to let Jason see Nikolas.  Nikolas himself arrived, making all discussion moot, and described the last time he'd seen Robin, at the picnic in the park.  He told him about the receipt, and Jason knew it was Tony.  Nikolas couldn't believe it, but Jason knew that he was right and took off.

L.  Bobbie and Carly

Bobbie showed up at the penthouse on Friday.  She said that she was there to ask a favor of Jason (ask him to check on Luke, perhaps?), but I think that she was just as happy that he wasn't there.  Carly, though, wasn't happy to see her, and told her that she was insensitive to put something else on Jason when he had enough troubles of his own, especially now that Robin was missing as well.  I guess we were to assume, then, that Brenda and Jax had spoken quietly to Mac and nobody else at the party had heard, though what excuse they would have given to leave the party I don't know.  Their discussion was ended when Taggert arrived to take the tap off the phone, which totally undid Carly as she thought that meant they were giving up.  Taggert assured her that they weren't, but after he left she was in a state over whether or not she had gotten the picture of him right.  She was afraid of forgetting him, and berated herself for not memorizing him when she had the chance.

M.  Jason Finds Michael and Robin

Jason arrived at Tony's cabin, meanwhile, and slipped inside.  Tony, you'll remember, was out with a flat tire.  Terry pointed out that Jason would have passed Tony on the road and that he wouldn't have gone in quietly without men this time when he had burst in last time.  He looked around, perhaps hoping to sneak her out if nobody was there, and heard her call him from the back room.  He went to her first--shame on him--and then picked up Michael and said a Hail Mary.  Lots of people didn't like that--didn't like Jason doing something religious, or didn't think that prayer was fitting.  But I liked it.  No, Jason isn't a religious man.  We know that Sonny took him to church, at least on occasion.  And in a moment where Jason didn't know how to explain or express his response, I thought it right that he would fall back on some form that he had learned from Sonny.  And I had no doubt that he meant every word.

He then gave Robin the medicine Tony had left and commented on her condition (again with the medical knowledge).  She assured him that it wasn't aids-related pneumonia, but he knew that she needed to go to the hospital regardless.  Tony arrived at that point (where were the guards??) and Jason came out of the back room.  Tony's eyes went even colder, and he dropped any pretense of a smirk.  He simply said that Jason could have Robin, but that he was taking Michael.  Ya, Tony.  We believe you.

Tony picked up a gun, though, and aimed it at Jason.  He said that he wanted Jason to get into the room with Robin, but I wasn't at all sure that he wouldn't fire.  Jason noted that he better make the first shot count, and then rushed him and got the gun away from him.  He then smashed the barrel down onto Tony's hand (good blocking) and raised it to repeat the action.  But Robin appeared in the doorway and quietly asked him to stop.  She said he couldn't hurt them anymore (remember you said that, girlfriend), but Jason didn't buy it.  He knew that Tony would try again.  Robin asked Tony to promise not to do it again, but Tony remained silent (pay attention, chickadee).  Robin collapsed, and Jason left Tony (could have turned out to be a stupid move) and rushed to her.

Jason:  "What do you think your chances are of living one moment longer than she does?"

From out of nowhere (where the heck were they, anyway?) Rinaldo and the guards showed up.  Rinaldo took Michael to the car while Jason carried Robin. Another man stayed behind to watch Tony until the police came (Wouldn't they want everybody to stay at the scene?  I suppose not since she's ill.).  Jason's parting line was tremendous.

In the car, Jason called Taggert to let him know what happened.  I was grumpy that he didn't call Carly first, but I suppose he wanted the police out there ASAP.  Robin meekly apologized--I assumed for not telling him where she was going--and then said that she knew he would come.  But others thought that the second comment was related to the first--a response to his "why"--and that she was apologizing for being in his life again, for depending on him, etc.  I really didn't care.

Bobbie:  "You know, I only held you for a few minutes, but I remember every inch of you."

Carly:  "Mama...he's alive!"

Carly was still worried (he should have called her first!) back at the penthouse, worried that she would forget her son, and Bobbie did the most beautiful thing that she could have done.  She described Carly, as a baby, in detail--and she had only seen her for a few moments.  Then she asked Carly some questions about Michael, and she got every answer right.  Gradually, Carly smiled through her tears.  Bobbie turned to go as the phone rang, and Carly asked her to stay, perhaps because she thinks it'll be news, perhaps because she wanted to say goodbye.  It's Jason, calling to say that Michael's alright.  She dropped the phone and started crying in earnest.  Bobbie looked concerned, and then shocked...as Carly flung her arms around her mother and told her that they had found Michael.  Bobbie was surprised, and then just held her.  And I wept.  Heck, I'm crying now.  These two are currently (in Laura's absence) my favorite women on the show (Adrian never thought he'd hear me say that, even when I joined FGC Bobbie), and I love their relationship.  It's being handled so well!

II.  The Spencers

A.  Luke and his Visitors

Bobbie:  "How long did this take?"
Luke:  "Oh, not long.  It was my personal best.  5.5 for technique and 5.9 for presentation.  Ha."
Bobbie:  "Feel better now?"
Luke:  "No, not really.  But somehow I doubt you care."
Bobbie:  "Actually, I've been trying very hard not to, but...here I am."

Bobbie:  "I just couldn't bring myself to keep your son's whereabouts from you."
Luke:  "Ouch.  Barbara, maybe I'll go back to that nightmare."
Bobbie:  "Doesn't look like your personal best did you any favors."
Luke:  "You know, I don't usually dream.  Some people would say that's cause I have no conscience.  Probably true.  I certainly haven't walked through life as a guilty man; I have nothin' to be guilty about.  But it's different when you see blame starin' you in the face through your son's eyes.  Let me see your eyes, Barbara.  I can't read you."
Barbara:  "What do you want me to do?  You want me to put my arms around you and tell you none of this is your fault?  Cause I can't do it anymore, Luke."
Luke:  "Well'n maybe you'd just better tell me...what you think."
Bobbie:  "Alright.  Twenty years ago I thought you could do no wrong.  You were my adored older brother.  And I thought you would always be there to protect me.  And I woulda staked my life you would never betray me.  But you did.  Well, you're still my older brother.  And I still adore you.  But your halo's a little tarnished, alright?  You see, you make these sweeping decisions about what is right for someone--what they should or should not know, what information they should have--about their own lives.  And you assume control.  You did it to me, and you probably did it to Laura.  Not that she's blameless.  I remember the way she used to lead you on and then she'd go, 'Oh Luke, whatever you were thinking, I'm a happily married woman.'  God, the two of you were hard to take.  Anyway, does that answer your question?"
Luke:  "I'll think about it and get back to you, I guess."

Monday found Luke sleeping fitfully on the sofa with an empty liquor bottle beside him.  He was dreaming of that night.  Bobbie entered, letting the door slam behind her, waking him up, and, spying the bottle, asked him if he felt better.  The answer was clearly no.  She told him Lucky was staying at the brownstone but didn't want to see him; she was only telling him so that he wouldn't worry about that, at least.  He noted that he had nothing to feel guilty for (clearly a defense mechanism or a denial-remember this one for later, kids) but that he saw blame in his kid's eyes and that was the hard part.  He looked into Bobbie's eyes--she shied away from his breath--and said that he couldn't tell whether there was blame in her eyes as well.  She simply said that she couldn't hug him and tell him things were alright anymore; he asked for the truth.  Her answer was indeed honest.  She admitted that there had been a time she believed that he could do no wrong--at least where she was concerned.  She told him that he was controlling of her and probably was of Laura as well, though she held Laura partly to blame as well, given their nauseating "come here/go away" courtship way back when (I loved the SWATCH on that one).  He said that he would try to wait and see Lucky.  She left him (he called after her, softly, saying her name, and I wondered what he would have said had she turned) to his thoughts and he took something for his hangover.  From the look of it, I would rather have stayed hungover.

Luke:  "Are you afraid of me?"
Lizzie:  "Ya."

Luke:  "Well, for whatever it's worth, I'm no threat to you."

Luke:  "And I'm very glad that my son has a friend with such courage and grace."

Lizzie was his next visitor.  Again, all she was thinking of was Lucky, but the fact that she could stand to be in the same room with Luke spoke volumes about her capacity to forgive, or at least to reserve judgment--and to love, where Lucky's concerned.  She told Luke about her desire to help Lucky in return for what he had done and is doing for her.  Luke knew she was anxious, and told her that he already knew that Lucky had told her.  He asked her if she was afraid of him, and she said that she was--I think that struck him.  Luke reassured her that he was no threat to her--and his honesty and reassurance was probably the best thing he could have done to enable her to say what she needed to say, even though she sped on from that topic to what she was saying.  Elizabeth told him that Lucky did need his family, even though he was currently angry because he was in pain.  And she said that not to make him feel better, but to ensure, I think, that Lucky's family didn't give up on him.

Lizzie:  "That's funny.  We don't look alike at all."

Luke:  "Elizabeth, no.  Absolutely not.  Rape is about control.  It's about bending someone to your will...because of what drives you--rage, desperation, obsession.  But it's not about you.  It's not about the way you walk or talk or dress.  It had very little to do with you."
Lizzie:  "Thanks."

As she turned to leave, she saw Laura's picture sitting on the end table (I suspect Luke had placed it there by him before he slept).  She picked it up to look at it, and Luke seemed to wonder why, but didn't ask.  Lizzie commented, quietly, that she didn't look anything like Laura.  Luke asked what she meant, and she said that she wasn't sure.  She asked Luke if had seen anything about her that would have made somebody think it was ok to do what they did to her.  Did she send out a signal?

Now, in real life, a rape victim might never visit the home of a known rapist alone or otherwise.  But in literature, the writers can contrive that situation (and in a very believable way, I might add) so that they can work out what might be said.  Elizabeth needed to ask those questions.  And she needed to ask them of somebody who had been involved in a similar situation.  Perhaps the best person to talk to would have been Laura, but Laura wasn't available (I do want to see them have a talk at some point).  And actually, Luke's point-of-view might be the very one that could reassure her.  And her asking him was simply part and parcel of Luke's penance, to my mind.  He answered her with a caring and concerned voice, telling her that she did nothing to bring this on--nothing wrong.  And when she left, he took the picture and held it to his chest, as if he couldn't look into her eyes while he contemplated what he had done to her.  He was seeing her in Lizzie, and realizing all of the affects of his actions--everything she had been living with all of these years.

Luke's fond of making up nicknames for people and using those outdated endearments that I love so well.  But I love more the fact that he always calls her Elizabeth...because she asked him to.

B.  Lizzie and Lucky

Lucky:  "I trusted 'em.  I trusted both of them.  You know, it's not just that I loved them.  I liked them.  I never went through that teen rebellion thing.  There's nothin' to rebel again; I mean, my parents were...the coolest thing in town.  That's all gone now.  Another reason never to forgive them."
Lizzie:  "But Lucky, your mother has."
Lucky:  "So?"
Lizzie:  "So it happened to her.  Maybe what went on between your parents had nothing to do with you."
Lucky:  "Elizabeth, it has everything to do with me.  It made me hate them."

Lizzie found Lucky at the docks on Monday.  He was calm now, and sad because he had lost his parents, or at least his understanding of them.  He claimed that he would never forgive them.  Lizzie tentatively reminded him that Laura had forgiven Luke, and that what happened back then had nothing to do with him.  But it's the reason he hates them now, he said.  Again, the logic doesn't work, but Lucky is beyond logic right now.

Lucky:  "Elizabeth, rape is rape.  It's exactly the same."
Lizzie:  "Your mother would have never married him if it were.  Maybe you should let your father tell his side.  And this time, really listen."
Lucky:  "I...I don't get it.  W...why are you flying his banner?"
Lizzie:  "I'm not.  I'm flying yours."

Lucky continued, pointing out that his father did to his mother what the man in the park had done to her.  Lizzie insisted that it wasn't the same--and if she of all people can see that, well, I hope that Lucky can come to see what that means.  But Lizzie, like Bobbie before her, was only thinking of Lucky.  She was searching for ways to help him come to terms with this so that he wouldn't lose his family by his own choice.  She wasn't excusing Luke; she wasn't defending him, although Lucky accused her of doing so.  She was simply admitting that they didn't know everything that had gone on and it wasn't their place to judge.

C.  Lucky and Helena

Helena:  "I make it my business to know the Spencers.  How is that clever father of yours?"

Helena:  "Oh.  Blunt.  Almost rude.  But too charming to be truly offensive.  You do take after your father."
Lucky:  "That's not much of a compliment.  Or an answer."

After Elizabeth left, Helena approached.  Lucky told her that he'd been waiting for her.  He wanted to know about her trip to Switzerland when he took Lulu's stuffed toy and left it for Lucky to find.  She gave some sugary sweet answer, and Lucky asked her point blank if it had been a threat.  She told him that he didn't understand the games between their families.  He noted that there were a lot of things about his family that he didn't know, and she offered to explain it to him over lunch on her yacht.  One of Helena's MOs is that she picks up the apples that fall from the tree.  She didn't plan Lucky's separation from his father, but she was most certainly going to attempt to capitalize on it.

D.  Lucky and Nikolas

On Thursday, Lucky was at GH talking to Amy.  Nik approached, and apologized to him for the way in which he told him about the rape--apologized for telling him at all, actually.  Lucky said that he had done him a favor.  Nik then asked that Lucky agree that they hate each other because of themselves, not because of their families.

E.  Lucky and Luke

Luke:  "What just happened here.  Did I just thank you for allowing me to give you money?"
Bobbie:  "Actually, that's an old hooker trick.  Very effective, isn't it?"
Luke:  "Very impressive."

Luke:  "Hopefully to take the sting off his next preemptive strike.  I don't mind telling you they're...startin' to hurt."

Bobbie:  "Well, you know, we all get angry and confused and disappointed.  But you know what?  That's called life."

Luke:  "You strong like a little bunny wabbit with marshmallow heart and rainbow sprinkles."

On Thursday, Luke came to the Brownstone with Bobbie.  He was carrying groceries, and offered to pay, since it was his kid who was eating most of the food.  Now, he knew that Lucky was living there and he knew that Lucky didn't want to see him.  He was hoping to run into Lucky, and Bobbie let him wait, even though he told her that he wanted to stir Lucky up into a confrontation so he could get rid of some of his anger.  He told her about the music at the club, and Bobbie was outraged, though Luke tried to explain it.  He then asked about Michael.

Luke:  "Come on, cowboy, whatdaya say.  We...we can beat this out of each other and then we can bury it forever."
Lucky:  "You'd like that, wouldn't you.  But I said no.  That's a word you don't understand, isn't it."

Luke:  "I haven't dragged your mother into this crap because it's not an issue between me and her.  It's an issue between me and you.  And we can slug it out on our own."
Lucky:  "Well, don't be so sure about that.  Cause I may just pick up one day and go someplace where you can't knock on the door and barge in on my day."
Luke:  "There is no such place, Lucky.  Remember that."

Bobbie:  "Lucky, hold it right there.  Your father may allow you to blow him off, but that is not gonna fly with me!"

Bobbie:  "And as for the rest, you don't get to judge.  Luke and I have earned the right to behave however we want.  You have not.  And we are not gonna be your emotional hostages.  So you found out something that threw you for a loop.  Something that nobody ever bothered to tell you.  So what?  Nobody owes you explanations for things that happened before you were born.  You need to get that through your head and stop treating your father like dirt.  Because he doesn't deserve it."
Lucky:  "What does he do that makes women defend him no matter what?"
Bobbie:  "He loves, Lucky.  With all of his heart.  And sometimes it gets him in trouble.

Lucky arrived and demanded to know what he was doing there.  Bobbie said that she wanted him to know where his son was.  Luke told him not to take it out on Bobbie--and that he wanted to come home.  Lucky said no.  At first he was calm and quiet, and Luke moved to leave.  But Lucky wasn't done.  Still calm and cold, he launched into another rant about the rape, this time saying that Luke wasn't telling Laura what was going on because he was a coward.  He also told him about Nikolas's near-apology that morning.  Luke left, and Bobbie had a few words with Lucky.  She was criticized for this as well, but I thought she was right to do it.  Lucky's been spewing stuff for days, and he has chosen to have no parent figures at all.  Bobbie's his aunt, and she has the right to discipline him while he's in her home.  But when she told Lucky to follow those rules or leave, Lucky left.

F.  Luke

Luke left Bobbie's house and went to the club.  He angrily cleared everybody out, set his gun down on the bar, and started drinking.  Now, I didn't think for a minute that he was going to kill himself (kill a Cassadine, more like).  But I was reminded of his line to Lucky about that night of the rape being the closet he'd ever been to putting a gun to his head.  I was also reminded of a conversation Luke had with Sonny about their contemplating suicide at various times in their life.  Before, when Lucy's shoe swung wildly over the broken mirror when Luke busted up the club, I longed for a Lucy/Luke scene for them to compare troubles.  But now I realized that the person Luke really needed with him at this point was Sonny.  Finally, I like the fact that Luke goes to the club at these times.  I'm not glad that he has easy access to all that alcohol there, but I find it appropriate that he can't go to the home he shares with Laura and their family.

Luke:  "Well, don't worry.  I wasn't shooting at you.  I only shoot at people I know."
Tammy:  "Ya, well them you got rid of."

Tammy:  "I'm supposed to be meeting somebody here.  Please tell me that you are not him."

Luke:  "Well, don't take it to heart.  Some guys just wanna know they could get a date.  They wanna know they could cheat on their wives.  They wanna know that somewhere, somehow, there's a woman who wouldn't say no.  So, you wanna little, uh, shot of somethin' to warm you up?"
Tammy:  "Well I guess that's the least you could do for springin' that cardiac stress test on me.  Unless you really are crazy."
Luke:  "What are my options?"
Tammy:  "Drunk, p.o.'ed, let's see...broken hearted?"
Luke:  "I ain't crazy.  And neither are you.  The name's Luke."
Tammy:  "No kidding."
Luke:  "Oh, did that neon sign over the door give me away?"
Tammy:  "You were mayor when I...I was in high school."
Luke:  "I was?  Oh my God, what kind of drugs was this town on?"
Tammy:  "One of your wives, she died, right?  Two of your wives."
Luke:  "Ya, two of 'em.  But she was the same wife, and she's feeling much better now."

Tammy:  "Ok, so, what d'ya have in mind?  And could we keep it a little simple, please, because I don't usually handle this end of the deal and I embarrass easily."
Luke:  "Sure.  I understand, darlin'.  Well, I was figurin' maybe you could tell me the truth."
Tammy:  "Oh, honey.  Are you that drunk?"
Luke:  "No.  But you know how it is.  When you get to know somebody and you like 'em...or you love 'em...or hate 'em.  And they get to know you, like you, love you, hate you.  They never tell you the truth again."
Tammy:  "Sure they do."
Luke:  "Well, alright, maybe they do, but how do you know it's the truth?  How do you know they're not just telling you whatever they think you wanna hear?  Or how do you know they're not just tryin' not to hurt you, or tryin' to hurt you?"
Tammy:  "Ok, I see your point."
Luke:  "Ya, you see my point is...that as long as you don't know them, they're trustworthy.  A stranger is totally trustworthy.  But as soon as they...say they love you or...call you Dad or...vote for you for mayor, you never know again."
Tammy:  "So what exactly is it that you want me to tell you the truth about, huh?  I mean, this isn't gonna involve anything like a hidden scar or some...something to do with a measuring tape, is it?"
Luke:  "Judge me."

The best scene for Luke came on Friday.  Still alone in his club, he continued to drink and started waving his pistol around.  He began shooting glasses, and it was as if he was in some bizarre practice session for something that he was intending to do--a rather bleak target practice, if you will.  As he turned and fired at the wall, a woman entered.  He missed her; she let him have it verbally for almost hitting her.  She's upset that the club is closed, since that's where she was supposed to meet a customer.  Luke offered the working girl a deal.  He'd pay her to sit and listen to him...and then judge him.  She took the money, thinking it was going to be an easy job, I'm sure.  How wrong she was.

Luke:  "So, I married a woman and we had a couple of kids.  It was a mistake."
Tammy:  "She didn't understand you."
Luke:  "No, she did.  But maybe I didn't want her to."
Tammy:  "So it was the kids; they made you feel trapped."
Luke:  "No, the kids are portable, you know; they're light on their feet, for the most part.  They're ok."
Tammy:  "Hmm.  So then what was the mistake?"
Luke:  "Well, see, I've always known as long as I knew anything that this wasn't gonna last.  This...this, this this...all of it, the...the five oceans, the seven continents, the nine planets, the theory of thermonuclear dynamics, the fifty-whatever states, the interstate highway system, the IRS, the ozone layer, the continental drift, you name it.  I mean, you're born for reasons that have nothin' to do with you, somebody slaps your butt, and suddenly people are talkin' at you, right?  'There's a chair; sit in it.  There's a line; stand in it.  These are your parents; do what they say.  Don't touch anything that doesn't belong to you and nothing belongs to you.'  So, I knew from the cradle, if I had one, that this life wasn't gonna fit me like a glove.  More like a dry cleaner's bag over my head.  But my wife, Laura, made me forget that.  She made me want to forget it.  But it was a mistake to think that I could ever live like other people."

Tammy:  "You don't know until you try."
Luke:  "I knew.  I knew.  And she should have known.  How could she say she loved me?  How could I believe that?  Even if she believed it, how could I?  How could I believe that?"

Luke:  "How much time do I have left?"
Tammy:  "Where is she now?  Your wife?"
Luke:  "She's not here."
Tammy:  "Home?"
Luke:  "NO, she's not home.  She didn't leave me, exactly.  I mean, she's gone, but...well, it's complicated.  There were reasons; it wasn't easy for her.  But then again she's been gone so long, it must be getting easier."
Tammy:  "You disrespect her."
Luke:  "No.  I never said that."
Tammy:  "You doubt her and you accuse her of lying."
Luke:  "No!  No, no, no, no.  You misunderstand.  No, I, I, I encouraged her to stay away.  I couldn't blame her for...."
Tammy:  "No.  No, no, no.  I'm talking about loving you.  You don't believe she loves you.  Or you don't think she should love you.  She married you.  She gave you your children.  And yet you say this is all a big mistake?"
Luke:  "Before she loved me, I...did somethin'."
Tammy:  "Kay."
Luke:  "I hurt her."
Tammy:  "Hurt her how?"
Luke:  "Hurt her bad.  I hurt her in a way that you don't recover.  In a way that I coulda gone to jail.  But she took it upon herself, she made it her problem to solve, see.  She blamed herself for pushing me too hard and not realizing that I was obsessed with her.  And she believed that because we loved each other, everything would be okay and she painted the whole thing pink like a fairy tale.  And I let her.  Because I felt like a guy who'd fallen off a ten-story building and lived.  You know what I called our first kid?  
Tammy:  "Hmm?"
Luke:  "Heh-heh.  Lucky.  But I didn't hurt her because I loved her.  I hurt her because...I was weak...and I couldn't control myself.  And I was a coward.  And I wish she would hate me for it.  Because if she won't, as her husband, it's my job to."

Luke:  "I thought all this was buried...in an unmarked grave so deep nobody'd ever find it.  But then, see, my son decided to take a stroll down memory lane with a battering ram in his hand.  And lo and behold, he discovered he hated my guts.  Which is fitting and proper, I guess.  I mean, what did I want?  Him to idolize me?  He used to.  He used to wanna be just like me.  And I encouraged it.  It's insane, isn't it?  I should open the pricey stuff.  This rotgut is givin' me a headache."
Tammy:  "People don't love you because of how you treat them, you know.  They love you cause they do.  They love you because they need to.  They love you because...who knows why.  And there's no rule that says that you have to know.  But there is one rule.  That one rule, in my opinion, is this.  If someone, if...if your wife tells you she loves you, it's a bad idea not to take her at her word.  You wanna start wondering, "Did I earn it, did I not earn it?"  You are gonna be up all night.  Not that I'm an authority on anything, except maybe...bein' up all night.  And uh, no.  In case you're wondering, this was not the easiest hundred bucks I ever earned."
Luke:  "Hey, where you headed?"
Tammy:  "I'm headed home, down on River Street, down by the docks.  And thanks.  You know, you may seem kinda sober, but, um, I'll walk."
Luke:  "No, no.  You won't walk alone.  Not in this neighborhood; not at this hour.  No ma'am.  A lady should never walk alone."

I've transcribed most of this retelling--a broader retelling than the one he gave Lucky--and so I'll just say that I thought these scenes were tremendous.  Not only did it validate my own understanding of Luke and his relationship with Laura, but also it was fantastic to see him verbalize so much that he never has before.  It was painful to watch, and I might choose this as the second episode for Geary's Emmy reel next year, given the year so far.  But perhaps that would be too similar to the scenes with Lucky--and I look forward to more and more wonderful stuff as this year goes on (what a change from last year at this time!).

These scenes were so pessimistic, so cynical.  It was if Luke wanted to cast away from himself all hope for happiness, wanted to punish himself as he had never done before, at least since Laura forgave him and said that she loved him.  This is the side of Luke that underlines everything else about him.  The only faith and hope he has he draws from Laura; he depends on hers, because he has none of his own.  I loved that Tammy was able to poke all the holes in his logic, and to point out that he was doing a disservice to his wife.  But most notably, I loved that Luke blamed himself--never blamed Laura--through most of this dialogue.  It was his fault for letting her pretend that all was well and everything was going to turn out well--for promising them both the happy ending.  And it was his fault for believing it, because that's not the way the world works.  I thought it was interesting that, to a stranger, he would never say the word "rape."  It was as if he couldn't bring himself to make that admission again--or as if this time he was working through not the action itself, so that the word didn't matter, but the things that followed.  Finally, he protects her by hating himself, so that she won't have to even though she should.  His logic is whacked, but his emotions and guilt are real.  And even as he criticizes his wife, he doesn't really.  She was the innocent then, and so she has always been the innocent, at least in the big things.  I'm wondering if the upcoming revelations concerning Stefan and Nikolas will level that field, somewhat.  I would love nothing more but for Luke to be able to let go of some of this guilt and to come to a more confident view of himself--come closer to the version of him that Laura sees--as well as lose some of his vision of Laura.  If he could allow himself to feel the anger at her that he often feels, they could deal with it and move on.

He didn't blame Nikolas either, I note.  The Cassadines never appear in his story.

And I absolutely adored Tammy.  She was so smart and witty, and the performance was great.  Lovely writing all around, and not only for Luke.  Personally, I think Tammy should become a recurring character--she can come into the club every so often and chat.  As they left, and he walked her home, I thought of My Fair Lady.  Eliza tells Higgins that she will always be a flower girl to him because he always treats her as such.  But to Col. Pickering, she will always be a lady, because that is how he always treats her.  As ironic as it was for Luke, the professed rapist, to walk a prostitute home in the neighborhood in which she lives and works, it fit, somehow.  It fit both of them.

G.  Lucky

Lizzie:  "I don't give a damn about your father, ok?  He scares me; he's nice to me.  That about sums it up.  But what I don't wanna happen is for you to go away, and I don't see why I have to keep saying it, like it needs to be explained or something.  Obviously it doesn't mean the same thing to you, and obviously it's easier for you to walk away than it is for me to let you."
Lucky:  "It isn't easier for me.  Are you listening?"
Lizzie:  "Ya."
Lucky:  "Do you believe me?"
Lizzie:  "Yes."

On Friday, Lucky approached Liz outside of her house and told her again that he was leaving so he could get out of his father's orbit.  She still didn't want him to.  She asked if he was upset with her for talking to Luke; he hadn't known, but he was upset now that he did.  But she told him she did it for selfish reasons, because she wanted to make things right so that Lucky wouldn't leave.  How could he stay angry with her after that?  She told him that she knew he cared for his family, even after everything that had happened, and that he couldn't pretend with her.  He misinterpreted her meaning a bit, and asked her if she would ask her rapist's son to forgive his father.  All that mattered to her was Lucky's friendship.  This was a nice scene, and Terry described it in her update as follows:  "At this point, I should note that this scene was blocked beautifully.  The two teens stand almost back to back, angled out from one another, so that we could get a full view of both but they were not looking at one another.  It allowed them to have a certain level of intimacy that might have been uncomfortable if they had looking in each other's eyes, and it was very nicely done."  And the best part came at the end of the segment.  The lines above were tremendous, and I looked forward to more and more of Lucky and Lizzie.  Both Jackson and Herbst are doing tremendous jobs, and the writers are handling their growing relationship so well.

Lizzie wanted to go with Lucky, but he said that she hadn't the experience of living out of a duffel bag.  She insisted that PC wasn't her home, and she won't stand to hear him tell her that she should stay there to heal from the rape.  She told him that she tried to go to group counseling but didn't make it.  But if he left, who would she have to talk to?  He agreed that he'd come up with another plan, and headed off, leaving his bags there (Lizzie's suggestion--insurance?)

Helena:  "Well.  Aren't you well brought up."
Lucky:  "Yeah, I have very good manners."

Helena:  "But first, you have to explain that dolorous phrase, minimum wage, to me."

On the docks, he met with Helena.  He thanked her for lunch, and she complimented his upbringing; Terry noted the distinct difference in the above lines, taking his parents out of the picture (good call, Terry).  He proposed an alliance.  He claimed that he could "open doors" for her, but I think he meant that he could get information.  In exchange, he wanted information about his family.  Helena agreed, offering him minimum wage.  All the while, Luke was watching from the shadows, unseen.

III.  Mac and Felicia

On Tuesday, we learned that Felicia can pick a lock faster than Mac as they broke into an office to find information on Tess.  They hid under the desk to avoid being seen by the security guard, and then they went through the files, finding background information on Jax and some on Mac as well.  They also found a picture of Jerry; Felicia thought he was cute, much to Mac's chagrin.  Finally, they found phone records that showed that several were made to The Outback and one to the Quartermaines.  Of course, they've now decided this has to do with the Qs.   I didn't buy that for a minute, and they never did explain that call.

Mac and Felicia were at the police station on Wednesday with the news about Robin's disappearance.  They had to admit that they had waited, at Jason's request, and Garcia wasn't at all happy.  Taggert entered next, saying that Jason had slipped past their people, and Mac went into action, behaving as if he was commissioner all over again.  (Any doubts that he will be?)  Felicia helped out a bit as well, btw.  Dara came in for no apparent reason and sent Taggert to the Qs.  And in the middle of it all, Felicia and Mac bonded.  (Any doubts they'll end up together?)  In the end, Taggert got a call saying that Jason had moved on Moreno.

IV.  The Quartermaines

Emily and Ned had a nice (if a bit heavy-handed) scene on Tuesday.  They talked about Michael, and Emily admitted to him how scared she was.  They bonded, and she told him that she thought that he was the only one who understood.  Alan, in the heavy-handed part, overheard.  Later, Monica and Edward entered, and the talk turned back to Edward's hair-brained scheme.  Edward was still going strong, and now he was confident that Jason would be ruled incompetent and they would have Michael.  Emily simply grew more and more agitated.  We had more of AJ v. Ned, and AJ accused Ned of only caring about business.  Gee, maybe he should have overheard Ned and Emily instead.

Instead, they continued.  AJ ranted about Ned leaving town on business in the middle of a crisis, and Edward ranted that it was necessary and of no relevance to AJ.  AJ flaunted the fact that he had done some good work in ELQ, solving some problems by sending Alexis to Jakarta.  And so Ned ranted about the Cassadine spy.  I couldn't wait for AJ to find out about the Ned/Alexis plan.  But for now, Emily broke up the fight and demanded to know if they cared at all about Michael being missing.

AJ:  "Excuse me, but does anyone care that these thugs just took off with Emily?"
Edward:  "You're right AJ.  Call the police!"
Ned:  "He can't.  The phones are all tied up with crackpots trying to get their hands on your five million dollars."

Later, alone, Ned told Emily about seeing Brooke Lynn on his way home.  Alan returned, asking about Michael.  Ned said that he had faith in Jason.  I want more of Ned and Jason, actually.  But Edward didn't want Jason to find him; he wanted to save Michael himself to help their custody case later.  Then, in a hysterical scene, Reginald announced visitors for Lila and Emily.  Four huge men entered, moving to stand around Emily.  Jason had sent bodyguards, which Emily thought was peachy (I would to, from the looks of them), but Edward was irritated and AJ thought they're spies.  Of course, there were no guards for the rest of them.  Emily took them upstairs to introduce them to Lila.

On Wednesday, the bodyguards had breakfast with the Qs--too hysterical, and a nice light note in the middle of a fairly dark time on GH.  Edward's quips towards the burly foursome cracked me up: "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse," "Hazelnut," etc.  But mostly, this was repetition.  AJ took a call that was a possible lead, but Ned didn't believe it was real.  AJ checked it out anyway.  Ned then chided Alan for not being supportive of Monica through all of this, and in response he downed a drink, since he was out of pills.  He did offer Monica some kind words, but she responded by asking why he wasn't around the night before to help.

Taggert then showed up, asked about the new recruits, and then informed them about Robin.  Everybody was duly upset, especially Alan, who was worried about her medication, though he said that things would be well if they could get her back on it soon.  Emily was devastated, and they sent her out of the room to inform Lila.  Taggert sniffed at Alan's coffee and got his head bitten off by Alan and Ned, who showed him the door.  Alan had another drink, then caught Monica up on everything Taggert had said about Moreno and Jason.  Ned announced AJ's return; he hadn't found Michael, but he had seen another mother reunited with her child.  Yawn.  They ended talking about Jason: AJ against, Ned for.  Duh.  Just give me more of Ned and Jason!  Actually, I'm not sure I knew Ned was such a Jason supporter until recently--did we just boost his support for this storyline?

V.  The Webbers

On Wednesday, Lizzie told Sarah that she was backing out of a school trip to the planetarium for what I thought were obvious reasons.  Reclining in a dark room of acquaintances and strangers and looking up at stars wasn't appealing, after all.  Audrey entered and chided Sarah for dragging the incident up again, and after Liz went upstairs, Sarah confronted her about her attitude.  She starts thinking out loud, and finally asked her grandmother if she had been raped.  Audrey didn't respond at first, but Sarah knew she had it right.  She spoke some kind words, and Audrey dismissed it as being too long ago.  Sarah said that she should tell Liz because Liz believed that Audrey was ashamed of her--blamed her, somehow.  Audrey was upset to hear that, and when Liz returned, she found Audrey crying.

She asked what was wrong, and Audrey told her everything.  When she had split once from Steve, she married Tom Baldwin.  Baldwin had a temper, and she told Lizzie how abusive he was and that one night he had raped her, claiming that it was his right.  Audrey had gone away to have the baby and told everyone when she returned that the child had died at birth.  Audrey acknowledged that the circumstances were different, but assured Liz that she didn't blame her.  She coped with her rape differently, but she told Liz that she supported anything she needed to do.

This was a lovely scene, and I'm giving it pretty short shrift.  I loved Audrey telling this story, but I was taken aback to hear that the actress had to be reminded of this piece of her character's history.  What a contrast to Geary and Francis.  But I loved that this story had such a lovely retelling from a non-Spencer quarter, and that the generational approaches to rape were being addressed a bit, as well as the differences between rapes.

VI.  The Cassadines

A.  Kat and Nik

Kat got back into town to find that Stefan had left town.  Nikolas only said that he was out of town, giving no explanation, and left to go to school.  There, he ran into Sarah and we were treated to another awkward and boring scene between the two of them.  Break up, already!  He told Kat about it back at home, and Kat launched into some "wisdom" about the temporality of young love.  YAWN!

B.  Kat and Stefan

Katherine came downstairs on Thursday and eyeballed her presents from Stefan.  He entered, having been watching her for a second (as if he were contemplating how his news would affect her), and told her that he had been to see Laura.  He told her that he had gone for Nikolas's sake, to explain what had happened when Nikolas had told Lucky about the rape, and, I assumed, to appeal to her to rein in her husband.  But he had seen her from a distance, and when she went inside, he left.  She would know in time.  The presents were riding clothes; Kat had been talking about learning to ride, but now she said that she hadn't been serious (I was reminded of Jax and Brenda, since presents seemed to make up for everything and distract Kat from any questions she might have had).  She went upstairs to change.

VII.  35th Anniversary

Geary:  "It'll be cool.  Don't miss it."

The show ran a bunch of great promos this week, my favorite of which Terry updated on Friday.  I'm including it here as well (I edited just a couple of words to match the audio ;) ), but I'll point out, Terry, that that he wasn't wearing my jacket in the talking part of the promo.  Sorry.  It's the jacket from the return in 1993, brown leather with a lamb collar.

"COMMERCIAL Break, which includes a wonderful "Thirty-fifth anniversary moment" which I liked so much, I decided to "update" it as well.  It opens with the song from the Wyndham's episode, "Fascination," which plays under the clips as Tony Geary, looking gorgeous in McAmy's jacket (or its replica, anyway) talks.  There's the dancing in Wyndham's clip, my fave L&L moment.  Geary:  "You know, love scenes are like fight scenes.  You can throw the greatest punch in the world but if the guy can't take the punch right, its not gonna to look right.  And the same thing goes for a kiss"-- as we see a kiss from that episode-- "or a look."  We see L&L clinking champagne glasses.  "I can rev up every ounce of romantic Valentine I can find in myself, and it won't mean a thing if the person can't take the hit."  As we see the reunion on the lawn of the mayor's mansion.  "Ms. Francis takes a hit better than anyone I have ever ever known."  The wedding kiss shot closes the commercial.  I loved it."