The Week in Review: April 27 - May 1

The pace really picked up this week.  Gone was the repetition, and with the coming of May sweeps we kicked it up a notch, as Emeril would say.  Bam!  Luke took advantage of Alexis's position and got her to ask him to sign on to kill Helena while Jason and Brenda went down in a plane.  Stefan proposed to Katherine, and Carly went to the psychiatric ward as the Qs chose up sides around her.  While there were still some dead spots, they were few and far between, and I was again engrossed in every storyline on the board (except Robin and Nikolas).  I had chosen up sides, and was ready for sweeps.

I.  Carly and Jason

A.  The Shooting

As the week began, we had a replay of the scene that ended last week--Carly pulling out Taggert's gun and firing at Tony.  The scene continued now, and we saw Tony fall and Monica rush to him (good for her).  She called for Bobbie, who didn't hesitate either (good for her).  The two women worked over Tony as Alexis backed away, looking at the blood on her own hands (a bit heavy-handed for my taste).  Meanwhile, Carly still held the gun.  She was in shock, and Jason had to ask her several times to let it go enough so that he can take it from her.  Mac cleared the room, then laid into Taggert for losing control of his weapon.  I actually look forward to Taggert going up against Mac, but this time he knew he had screwed up.  Jason just kept telling Carly not to say anything until Justus got there; she had been starting to babble about what she had done and how Tony looked at her.  She promised, but then she wanted to go home because she had promised to put Michael down for his nap.

Justus entered and said that they should cooperate.  Carly stood, unknowing, until Mac started putting the cuffs on her and reading her rights.  Then she began to shriek "no."  Jason calmed her down and told her to stay strong for Michael's sake.  Justus then turned to Dara, who responded to his inquiries coldly.  She would run Carly's case by the book.  She looked over at Alexis as she emphasized that there would be no special treatment.  Taggert was the next to light into Alexis, but she got him back because of his gun.  But he wasn't a part of the incident on purpose, he noted.

Robin:  "When I testified, I wanted him to have the chance at rehabilitation, not to just have nothing happen."

Out in the hall, the Qs regrouped as Felicia and Robin lamented the way things had turned out (I wished she had said the above line to Jason and Carly).  AJ declared that he could understand Carly.  But Edward could only think of pushing for custody while Carly was out of the picture.  Ned and Emily refused.  Robin overheard, and got on her soapbox about what a good father Jason was.  What, is she trying to make up for something?  Ned and Edward next berated Alexis, reminding her that her ELQ career was over.  Alexis rushed into the ladies' room and began to weep.

At the end of the episode, they took Carly away in handcuffs.  She told Jason to tell Michael that she loved him, and she managed to smile a confident smile and wave as she went out the door.  Jason just looked concerned and determined.

B.  At the Hospital

Felicia waited by herself for the news.  Alan came to join her--well, he hadn't intended to, but when Felicia spoke of all the people waiting during the heart transplant and how things had changed, and he sat down with her.  Alan explained that he had stopped caring for Tony when he turned a gun on his son, but Felicia kept holding on to the good things.  She hoped that she could see that part of Tony--the real part--again.  Alan said he wasn't sure she ever would.  Losing a child changes you forever, he said.  But he waited with her, because Tony was once his best friend.  This was a lovely scene--a reflective assessment of the two sides to the question that we had seen before only in anger.  It was beautifully done, and one of my favorite this week.

Bobbie:  "I, uh, accomplished what I wanted to.  I helped save the father of two of my children and I made sure my daughter won't be facing a murder charge.  But don't thank me.  I didn't do it for Tony."

Monica and Bobbie came from surgery and told them that Tony would survive.  Monica and Alan left, and Felicia asked Bobbie how she was doing.  Bobbie said that she had achieved what she had wanted to.  She had saved Tony's life--for the sake of her daughter.

C.  Dara and Justus

Dara:  "I'm busy."
Justus:  "And I'm defending the mother of a kidnapped child on attempted murder charges.  I think you can spare me ten minutes."

On Tuesday, Justus came to Dara's office, wanting to know why she had thrown the case.  She told him that it was because of him--because of the notes and because of her involvement with him.  She would not sacrifice her career for him, and couldn't see him anymore.  But she did let him know that she would request a psychiatric evaluation, as per procedure.  She was going by the book (and more, I noted).

D.  Carly

Meanwhile, Jason went to Carly in the jail.  He told the guard he could stay as long as he wanted, and sat down to check on her and give her the update.  She said that she was scared, but that she was doing what he told her--not talking.  She asked, tentatively, after Tony, and was happy that he had lived so that she couldn't be accused of murder.  She was still in trouble, but Jason said that they could get off with psychiatric evaluation.  Carly wanted out; Jason told her that they had to play this thing out for a while.  He told her about Michael, then asked what happened.  She said that she didn't really remember what had happened.  She remembered hatred and fear...and then Jason pulling something "heavy and cold" out of her hand.  She knew Tony was happy that she was in prison and that they were going to take Michael away.  Jason told her that wouldn't happen, and he told her not to think of Tony, just herself.  And of Michael--think of Michael and focus on him and you will get through this.  He told her to just be calm.

Jason:  "Carly, I don't help people I don't like."

They talked about jail, and then she talked about coming to him.  He told her that he let her in because he owed her for hiding him in her room at Kelly's.  But really, it was because he liked her and knew she needed help.  And he had no reason not to give it.  (In the above comment, he said he didn't help people he didn't like, except one.  I wasn't sure who the one was.  Brenda?)  She knew that she had given him Michael.  He said it wasn't payment, but she knew that Jason had gotten as much out of becoming Michael's father as he had given her.  He went to see Justus and promised that he would come back as soon as he could.  She was cute, saying that even though she had said that he didn't have to that...but he knew what she meant.

Carly:  "That was calm, wasn't it."

Bobbie was the next to visit.  She tried to assure her of Tony's condition, explaining what had happened.  Then Carly asked about Lucas, and Bobbie told her that she had told Lucas everything.  Carly thought that he hated her again, but Bobbie had told him that it was an accident.  Because to her mind, it was.  She understood her emotions, and knew that she wasn't thinking.  Carly was then worried that she'd never get to see Michael--or only once every week or month.  Bobbie told her that she'd help with Michael.  Jason arrived and said that things were going as well as they could be going.   Bobbie left, and Carly waved at her as she left.  But then she waited a minute, looking in at her daughter.

Jason said that Mac had indeed enforced the 15-minute rule, but she knew that Michael needed him.  She just wanted to hear what they were going to do.

E.  Jason and Carly

Alexis:  "For reasons that I can't divulge, the wrongful separation of children from their mothers sickens me."

Jason:  "You did have a choice.  You just didn't have one you liked better."

Justus had to explain what happened to Jason on Wednesday and defend his actions.  Alexis arrived at one point to offer some research that she had been up all night working on.  She wouldn't explain where she got the faxes or why she used them.  But she was trying to make things right--admittedly trying to make herself feel better.  Jason's line above was the greatest response to the standard GH excuse--"I had no choice"--that I'd ever heard.

In a great scene, Tony awoke to find Jason's hard cold stare trained on him.  He desperately flailed around for the call button, and Jason calmly picked it up and laid it on top of the bedclothes.  Never saying a word, he left Tony to his thoughts.  Meanwhile, AJ came to visit Carly in jail.  She asked him to keep Michael away from the Qs while she was in the slammer, and he agreed that she and Jason should have custody of Michael and that he'll do anything he can to make sure that happens.  Jason was surprised to see him, and Carly told him what they'd been talking about (Jason was shocked at one point because she said that she'd told AJ the truth).  Jason and Carly talked until Justus came in with the alternatives: go to trial or get an evaluation and go for a temporary insanity defense.

F.  Robin

Robin came to visit Tony on Thursday, who was having nightmares about Jason.  He scoffed that he had no visitors and said that was why he jumped--but we knew better.  Robin was there to ask him not to try and take Michael again, and when he said that he couldn't, it was as if a light bulb went off over her head.  He told her that he would forgive her for making the request because he knows that she loves Jason.  But Jason would end up being the death of her, just as he'd be the death of Michael unless Tony took him.  Robin couldn't believe what she was hearing, and she defended Jason.  Then Tony told about Jason coming to threaten him.  She went to Jason's next, and when he came home, she was feeding Michael (jealous of Carly indeed).  She told him that he had been wrong to threaten Tony and asked him not to hurt him.  Basically, she was running around town trying to make everything right.  Usually, that bothers me about her, but this time I figured that she was doing it because she felt that she was to blame for Tony getting off--as well she should.

G.  Carly

Jason and Justus were at the jail with Carly on Thursday, preparing her for her transfer to the psychiatric facility.  Justus tried to convince her that this was the best thing that could have happened, but Carly was just upset that she was in the padded cell while Tony was free.  Jason wanted to arrange a last visit with Michael, and Justus said he would ask.  Jason told her that anything could happen: a judge could get sick and another could take his place, etc.  But they had to bide their time.  Justus tried to convince them to work within the system.  Jason said that he was already calling in favors.  They left to see about the visit and Bobbie arrived.  Carly was surprised to see her again, but Bobbie assured her that there's nowhere else she would be.  She would look in on Michael every day.  Carly said that she now understood what Bobbie felt when she gave Carly up as a baby, but Bobbie told her to focus on her own problems--and on getting back to Michael.  Carly couldn't stop blaming herself for things, and Bobbie couldn't stop reassuring her.  It was nice.  Finally, Jason came back with Michael.  She held him for a while, declaring her love, and then they took her from him to go to the institution.

H.  Brenda and Jason

Brenda:  "Ohhhh.  I made an interesting discovery the other day.  Do you wanna know what it is?"
Jason:  "No."
Brenda:  "Ya.  Well, the snow is melting at my house and, you know, I'm trying to change my image a little bit--get a little domestic--so I thought that I would plant this garden outside my cottage.  So I go back there to check it out and guess what I found."
Jason:  "Trees?"
Brenda:  "Cigarette butts."

You know, this exchange epitomizes why Brenda drives Jason crazy.  She doesn't say things straight out, she talks when he doesn't want to listen, she repeats herself...hey, this epitomizes why Brenda drives *me* crazy.

Brenda thought, on Friday, that she was flying back from her business in Manhattan with Ned.  Nope.  He had gone back early on a commercial jet for a board meeting, but Jason was there to accompany her.  He had been working on Carly's case.  Brenda contemplated a commercial flight herself, but the pilot said there were none.  She started immediately in on him, but he read his book and remained, for the most part, silent.  Brenda continued to rant at him about Robin, the guards he put on them, his spying, etc.  Robin had ordered baby clothes, and she blamed it on Jason.  Clearly it was his new scheme to bring Robin in as a new mom for his kid (Terry noted that Robin didn't need an invitation).  At that, he sharply told her that it was none of her business.  They suddenly hit turbulence....

Jason:  "I am so sick of you comparing yourself to Robin.  You wore a wire on Sonny.  You tried to send him to prison.  Robin would never ever do somethin' like that.  She couldn't handle my life; she told me to my face.  She didn't pretend to accept it and then betray me.  She didn't whine and cry and drive me crazy.  She doesn't need your help, Brenda, because she does not lie.  I trust her.  If she wants me to stay away, I will."
Brenda:  "Robin is not the one who I'm worried about trusting."
Jason:  "Ah, you are the exact opposite of her in every way and why she's friends with you makes no sense to me.  But you comparin' you and Sonny to me and Robin takes something away from Robin, and I won't let you do that."
Brenda:  "Oh really, what, are you afraid she's not gonna buy your act anymore?"
Jason:  "I don't have an act.  That's for people like you who spend all their time tryin' to figure out who they are and once they do don't like it very much."

Brenda's responses made no sense to me.  They either didn't follow or were grammatically incorrect.  Jason's had me cheering.  But didn't that remind anybody else of "Singles?"  "I think not having an act is your act."

Brenda is sure that she won't die with Jason--it would be too ironic.  So in the midst of it all, she continued to rattle on about Robin, comparing her relationship with Jason to Brenda and Sonny.  Jason couldn't stand to hear that again, and declared that Robin was nothing like her.  He can trust Robin, while Brenda wore the wire on Sonny.  Brenda grasped at straws, but finally headed up to the cockpit to demand that the pilot land so that she didn't have to ride with him (gee, Brenda, you started it).  But at that moment, the plane started to plunge towards the ground....

I.  Carly

While Jason was out of town, Justus visited Carly to give her the update.  Carly wanted to know how to "play" the evaluation, and Justus was a bit amazed.  He assured her that she should simply cooperate and tell the truth.  When she commented that he didn't like her, Justus admitted that he didn't' think highly of her.  Tony Jones was an honest man, after all, before he met her.

Ned arrived next, much to Carly's (and my) surprise.  He was there to warn her about the family, and especially about Edward's announcement at the board meeting that he would make a move on Michael while Carly was out of the picture.  He was there because he knew what it was like to be separated from a child, and because Jason was his only decent relative (Emily?).  Carly asked if Jason knew of his visit, and he said he didn't.  She tried to get him to stay longer, but he had to go meet Jason.  Was there a message?  Carly wanted some pictures of Michael, and she wanted Jason not to get rid of her decorating stuff--she was coming back.

II.  The Spencers

A.  Lucky and Luke Against Helena

Helena:  "Risking his only son's life to spy on me should tell you how...how desperate and frightened he is."
Lucky:  "My old man didn't risk anything.  You gotta understand something.  If anything happens to me?  Your precious little Nikolas is gonna have an accident and it could be fatal."

Luke:  "Try that again, I'll put a bullet in your face before you can lift your hand."

Helena:  "Well.  Bravo, bravo.  Risking your son to spy on me is either an act of daring or idiocy.  Now, I know which it is.  I just prefer to keep you in the dark."
Luke:  "I like the dark.  It suits me."

Lucky:  "You know, I'd say 'stay in touch,' but I wouldn't really mean it."

Luke:  "I won't forget this.  You know I won't.  That little slap is gonna cost you, Helena."

Lucky:  "Thanks for the save."
Luke:  "Any time."
Lucky:  "I won't need your help again."
Luke:  "Don't bet on it."
Lucky:  "I gave up gambling."

Last Friday, Helena had found Lucky finding the bug that Luke planted and thought that Lucky was doing it.  She wanted to know where the others were, and Lucky cooly answered that he didn't' know.  Helena ordered a search; they were to dispose of the bugs *and* Lucky (you have to think that at this point, Lucky was just hoping his dad was listening in).  Luke's listening device had been left dangling once the bug went dead.  When Lucky reminded Helena that if she harmed him, Luke would kill Nikolas, she slapped him.  And at that point, Luke aimed a gun at her face and told her to let him go.  He and Lucky presented what appeared to be a united front, and it was interesting to watch just how easily they fell back on that synchronicity for just those moments--Helena actually decided that they had only pretended to fight, in order for Lucky to infiltrate her ranks (the Cassadines are always assuming that the Spencers are acting out those fights; they might find a true advantage if they didn't give up so soon!).  But she didn't miss a beat.  She fired Lucky and told him that his final payment was on the desk.  But in the envelope were photos of Laura, created to look as though they were taken after the rape to show her beaten face.  Outside, Lucky thanked him, opened the envelope, and then handed them to Luke, who insisted that they were fake.  Way to go, Helena, looking down the barrel of a gun and still managing to get the last laugh.  Lucky said that while the photos might be fake, the rape was not.  Luke protested that Helena was playing him, and Lucky simply responded that he was done with her and with Luke.  Luke insisted that that wasn't possible.  He took the photos with him, walking away from his son.  Back at the club, he took a drink.  The phone rang, and I suppose he was too angry to remember not to pick it up.  It was Laura, and he pretended that all was well.

B.  Lucky and Liz

Having run into Mr. Murty at the end of Friday's episode, on Monday she had to sit with him and pretend to be calm.  He kept asking her what was wrong, and I thought that it was sick if he was trying to get his kicks by hearing her talk about the rape when he was her rapist.  She had the presence of mind to knock the glass of water over and take his handkerchief while he's not looking.  When she met Lucky on the docks at the end of the episode, she told him that she thought Mr. Murty was the rapist.

On Tuesday, he asked her if she remembered Murty ever doing anything weird--paying too much attention.  She didn't really, but thought how he had treated her when she had stolen that test.  But she said that he fit the description.  Lucky was still hesitant, but then Lizzie showed him about the handkerchief.  Lucky decided that they should do some investigating into Mr. Murty's past, and they borrowed Sarah's computer and Lucky started hacking into school and police records.  Lizzie was both astonished and pleased.  Audrey entered at some point, and they had to explain that they were working on a school project to explain his early presence.  Then they continued, and Lucky found that Mr. Murty had been married and there had been a domestic violence call at one point.  They decided to find his wife.

On Friday, they were at the PC Grill trying to find something they could afford to order and looking for the ex-Mrs. Murty, who they knew worked there.  Contrast that with Nikolas ordering a grand meal for himself and Robin (they talked about Sarah and their own relationship, agreeing to be just friends--things had changed with Jason and she had offered to help with Michael BIG SIGH).  Terry gave this scene the award for the "most contrived" of the day, since Lucky and Liz could have simply called the grill and asked for her.  And what was the point of the comparison?  That Nik has money?  That he knows what to order?  That one brother had it better than the other?  Well, for my money, Lucky has the better deal.  He was eating with Liz, after all.  Lucky went to the time clock to look for the ex's name while Liz stalled with the waiter.  They recapped what they knew, first, and Terry pointed in her update something that I noticed--the domestic violence call happened on Valentine's Day, just like Lizzie's rape.

Luke:  "Operator, by the way, you can drop the attitude."

While Lucky was gone, Luke came to the bar and tried to call Alexis.  He noticed Liz and sat down for a minute to assure her that he wasn't spying on Lucky and to ask how he was.  He told her that if Lucky got into trouble, he would help out, always.  But Lucky returned and Luke left instead of fighting.

III.  The Jacks

A.  Jax and Brenda

On Tuesday, Brenda pretended to be angry with Jax so that she could get him alone to tell him that Jerry was behind the assassination attempt.  Jax had to explain things.  He told her of Jerry's new plan to injure Jason to move him out of the way for the docks project.  Instead, Brenda had gotten hurt.  For that he apologized.  Brenda just took it all in stride, not even noticing that Jax's job was dangerous and involved guns.  She simply announced that was now responsible for his life since she saved it.  Of course, Jax was busy declaring that his way wasn't like Sonny's--that he never would have taken Brenda if he had known what would happen (but he knew there would be shots fired!).

B.  Jerry

Meanwhile, Jerry met with the guy we don't yet know again and promised that Jax wouldn't be an obstacle.

C.  Jax and Brenda

Brenda took Jax on another surprise date on Wednesday.  After an initial present of honey, she took him to an island inn that reminded her of their time in New Orleans.  They went swimming (brrrrrr), or at least wading, and she turned on the charm.  He distracted her for a bit, but Jerry arrived in the nick of time to execute their plan, set up in Jacks code before Jax left with Brenda.  Jax pulled away from the kiss when he heard that there was a problem and then left Brenda and Jerry together.  Ha!  Later, back at the hotel, Jax was irritated with Jerry for causing a real business problem, rather than simply pretending there had been one.  Jerry just smiled.  Brenda entered, announced that she was going to a business dinner and then to Manhattan.  She hugged Jax and winked at Jerry, and was off.

IV.  The Cassadines

A.  Stefan and Nikolas

On Tuesday, Stefan had returned from North Carolina and told Nikolas about his visit.  We had some flashbacks to the visit, with stand-in Laura that never spoke and hardly moved.  But once you got over that, the scenes were good.  Some people adored them, saying that they were the final sign that the old Stefan was back.  Perhaps.  It was indeed good to see him in such a scene, but I realized that no matter how close we got to the old Stefan--the original character Guza created--I wasn't going to feel the same adoration for him, the same investment in him, as I once had.  There's been too much dirty water under the bridge for me.  But that doesn't mean I'm not happy to see the return of the Stefan/Laura dynamic in earnest.

Stefan:  "Nikolas, your mother did ask me to tell you...she loves you."

Nik filled him in on what had happened at the house while he was gone and then Stefan asked to tell him about the trip.  Nikolas went to take care of Sheba first, and Stefan began to remember.  They were in the yard, Laura and Lulu, and he approached them.  He told Nikolas that he had asked her to come home and that he wanted her there so that Luke would have to face up to his crimes, both present and past.  He gave Nikolas the chance to change his mind, but he wanted her home too.  He told Stefan that she was the main reason he could speak again, and explained that day with Robin.

Stefan:  "The circumstances that caused your exile have changed.  Not that I've forgiven you, and not that you would care.  But Nikolas is past his anger, and I have no desire to hold the secret of his parentage over anyone's head.  Whatever our differences, your son deserves better than to be used as an instrument of blackmail."

Back in the flashback, Stefan told Non-Laura that she could come back to Port Charles if she so desired, that he released her from her exile.  And then, Lulu went up to him and gave him a flower.  We saw, in real time, that he had kept it.  He opened a book, took it out, and remembered.

B.  Nikolas and Robin

He left Stefan to go to breakfast with Robin at The Outback.  They quibbled over the bill, and then settled into another conversation I wasn't interested in.  Meanwhile, Sarah hid behind a menu until Nikolas stepped away.  Then she sat down and demanded to know why Robin had stolen her boyfriend.  This I really wasn't interested in.  Bad flashbacks to last summer.  Nikolas came up and put a stop to it, and apologized to Robin once Sarah had gone.  Robin knew that it was hard to face a breakup for no reason; it was easier to believe that the person had fallen in love with somebody else.

C.  Stefan and Katherine

Stefan:  "I forget, sometimes, how much you've given me.  The crimes you've forgiven.  Faults overlooked.  If I seem impatient or distant, remind me of today.  Remind me of that day at Serenity.  Remind me that you came to me because I asked.  Remind me of your generosity.  The open heart you offered without reservation.  But most of all, remind me that you love me...as I wanted you to."

Katherine arrived from spending the night in town, proclaiming that she didn't want to know all--didn't' care where he'd been.  Stefan spoke then as a man desperate to forget things by filling his mind with others.  It was as if he thought that he owed Katherine his love and so he was determined to give it.  Yet again, he never said that he loved her.  And his rhetoric put the entire burden of sustaining the relationship--almost through guilt--on her.  But she was happy.

They made love, and then exchanged mushy lines (more of Stefan's almost talk--he said that this was as close to peace as he had ever been).  But now that the moment had passed, he remembered Laura going into the house and not turning back.

D.  Ned and Alexis

 Alexis ordered a drink at the Grill's bar, and when Ned entered she quickly looked and then looked away.  She headed to a table, but he stopped her.  He asked more questions, and she admitted that she had known about defending Tony when they last made love.  He said that he could have helped, but that was exactly what Alexis didn't want.  After he told her that business tips weren't going to win back his trust, she told him that she had been afraid for her life--still was.  She told him everything, but he got up and left anyway, looking unmoved.  Katherine got in a jab at Alexis, and then warned Ned away from her--if she thought they were having a pleasant conversation, her powers of perception are worse than I thought.  But she seemed to think that this was a romantic threat, rather than anything else.

E.  Stefan and Helena...and Luke

Helena:  "Well, perhaps you were in the guest quarters enjoying the favors of Ms. Bell when it arrived.  Oh, you are pathetic.  Waiting your whole life for the perfect woman, and then marrying Bobbie Spencer Jones, instead?  And then getting involved with this Bovine Peasant.  A cook's daughter?  Please.  Please promise me that you will not embarrass the family by asking her to marry you."
Stefan:  "When and if I require marriage counseling you will be the last person I turn to."

On Thursday, Nikolas found a trunk in the conservatory, labeled for Stefan.  Meanwhile, Stefan was visiting Helena.  She scolded him for not knowing about her present, and instructed him not to ask Katherine to marry him.  Stefan said he would not take marital advice from her, but she protested that he had a long and happy marriage.  He left, but not without telling her why he had come.  He had emptied her bank accounts and she would be on a strict budget now.  She tried to call his bluff by giving him the key to the trunk, but it was clear her mind was racing, trying to figure out her next move.

Helena:  "What do you want?"
Luke:  "Simple, princess.  I'm here to kill you."

Luke:  "The thought of you dead has always turned me on."

After Stefan left, Luke came out from behind the bar.  When Ari returned, Luke tied him up and gagged him.  He smoked a cigar (I love the way he uses cigars: as a trademark, as a barrier, as a threat, as a sign he's been there, as a comfort, etc.) and she chided Ari for smoking until she saw that it was him.  He said that he was there to kill her, and she brushed it off.  But then he told her that he wasn't going to kill her then.  He was going to wait until she didn't expect it.  She returned fire by saying that Stefan had visited Laura in North Carolina.  And in the end, she moved to drink a glass of wine and he spoke of poison...then drinking the glass himself.  She was visibly affected, and had lost that coy smile.

Back at Wyndemere, Stefan told Nikolas that he wasn't going to open the trunk; he was just going to burn it.  Nikolas, I think, really wanted to know what was in it, but Stefan didn't want him to.  Instead, he asked Nikolas if he had any objections to Stefan asking Katherine to marry him.  Nikolas gushed and Stefan was pleased.  And after Nikolas left, Stefan opened the trunk.  It was full of things from the island: baby shoes, a doll, and the ring Laura gave to Nikolas as she left the island--a pledge that she would return.

F.  Stefan

Stefan remembered Laura again on Friday.  He thought of the day that she left Nikolas with him, holding a baby blanket from the trunk.  He remembered telling her that he wouldn't try to stop her, and that he understood why she had to leave for a while.  He vowed to protect Nikolas with his life, and wished for her speedy return.  Then Laura gave Nikolas her engagement ring to hold until she returned.  Terry claimed in her update that the Laura stand in was missing Genie Francis' mole on her hand, but I remember distinctly noticing that they had added one and appreciated the effort.

He went back to the trunk and took out that very ring.  He remembered then a scene (a newly shot Greek Island Flashback) with Helena, in which she was pressing him for information about Laura, not believing that he didn't know where she had gone.  Helena mocked him, saying that she knew everything.  She had arranged for Laura to find out that Luke was alive; she just hadn't guessed that Stavros had gone after her.  He was convinced Laura would return; Helena scoffed at him.  But Stefan knew that she wouldn't leave her child.  Helena pointed to the ring in question, saying that Laura had left behind the symbol of her marriage.  She then told him that even Laura, such a common woman, would never love him.  She asked for her Nikolas, whom Stefan had been holding all this time, and he told her no.  She was appalled.  But he insisted that she would never have Nikolas.  She threatened.

Kathy interrupted his reverie and asked about the ring.  He kissed her passionately, and they must have tumbled into bed, because that's where she was when we returned to them.  And at this point, he began his proposal of marriage.  It was a fantastic example of his rhetoric, which says nothing but allows Katherine and others to hear what they want.  The words were laced with Laura, and with duty, and with a desire to take control of his life and look towards the future.  There was much talk on ratsa about what prompted this proposal.  I don't think that he was simply replacing Laura with Katherine.  I think that at one point he loved her--convinced himself that he loved her--and that he now feels that he owes her marriage.  And since he can't have the woman he wants, he will throw himself into his duty to her and try to make a life for himself.  And I don't think that he intended to give her that ring.  But since it was in his hand, it gave him the impetus to go ahead with the proposal and to attempt to reclaim that piece of his family heritage back away from Laura.  It was an accident, I think, that he gave it to Katherine--the perfect cover for his thoughts.  But at the same time, his later actions would support the idea that he was trying to, as I said before, reclaim that ring from the memories of Laura, just as he was trying to reclaim his life from her.

Here's the transcription of the proposal, done originally by Terry in her update.  Notice what he doesn't ever say:

Stefan:  "Katherine, I realize I'm not an easy man.  I'm secretive.  Driven.  At times belligerent.  And yet you remain committed to me.  I've offered you nothing in the way of security.  And never once have you been less than loving, kind, responsive to my needs.  I can imagine no other woman treating me with the same consistent regard."

Stefan:  "I come from a background of turmoil and violence, surrounded by hatred and cruelty.  Strangely, I've remained a romantic, a true believer in finding that one person to whom I could devote myself body and soul.  You are that person, Katherine.  I offer you this ring as a token of my devotion, with the humble desire that you will honor me by becoming my wife."

Katherine:  "Marriage offers no guarantees, and I don't need anyone to make me an honest woman."
Stefan:  "Frankly, I was hoping you could make me an honest man."

Stefan:  "You will never regret this, Katherine.  Not for a moment."

The honest man line was my favorite--as if he hoped beyond hope that she could make him love her only and thus make his proposal one based in truth.

What I was surprised at was not Stefan's proposal, but Katherine's initial rejection of it.  It wasn't that she was trying to get him to persuade her.  It was as if she was holding back from this thing that she wanted so much because she knew that it wasn't as it seemed.  But she couldn't say that, and she didn't really want to keep herself from being Mrs. Stefan Cassadine.  And so she gave in.  But their faces weren't those of a happy couple.  He was strained and desperate, and kind of sad, as he stroked her hair and told her that she would never regret this.  And her brow was furrowed, not peaceful, as if she knew that wasn't going to be true.

G.  Alexis

After her firing, Alexis returned to her hotel room to find Helena there, playing the music of her mother.  She announced that she was finished running errands for her, and Helena again threatened her life.  Alexis said her quality of life wasn't worth it, but Helena continued until she backed Alexis down.  Helena told her to take some pictures to Katherine Bell, then quipped that she could send along Ari to fill Alexis's bed now that she had lost Ned.

Alexis:  "Oh.  Just when I thought my day couldn't get any worse."

Alexis:  "If death had a face, it would be hers."
Luke:  "Funny you should mention death...that's just what I had in mind."

Luke:  "Somethin's gotta give, Missy."

Alexis:  "Will you help me?"
Luke:  "Help you do what?  Come on, I'm a romantic, I need to hear the words."
Alexis:  "Help me kill Helena."
Luke:  "Oh, baby, I thought you'd never ask."

Luke showed up next, and Alexis let him in, to numb to feel anything.  Luke commented on the change in her--how she'd lost her edge and passion--and drove her to ask him to help her kill Helena.  I'll have more on this decision later, but right now I'll just say that it made sense to me.  This isn't just about retribution for Lucky's slap.  This was Luke capitalizing on a change he might never have again--a chance he'd been working on creating since Alexis came to town.  He had a Cassadine willing to help him take out the matriarch, as well as a welcome distraction from Lucky's hatred.

Nice touch, that romantic business, given Stefan's lines in the above section.

V.  Mac and Felicia

At The Outback on Wednesday, Jerry and Mac drew a line in the sand.  Before he left, Jerry complimented Felicia and V, so Mac kissed Felicia hard.  Both women noted that Mac was jealous, which he denied, and Felicia chided him.  He tried to warn them about Jerry.  Later, Felicia told him that she preferred Jerry's unsolicited admiration meant more to her than Mac's feigned affection.  In reply, he asked V to tail Jerry.

VI.  The Quartermaines

A.  Tony's Visitors

Ned visited Tony on Wednesday.  In the beginning, he saw Tony reaching for the water and asked if he was thirsty.  And in the end, he pushed the cart with the water pitcher even further away.  He told Tony that he was no longer a friend of the Quartermaine family.  But they would be watching him.

On Thursday, Alan visited Tony as well.  He took several pills and then went in to confront his now ex-best friend.  Tony wanted to know if Carly had lost Michael, saying that she was out of her mind.  Alan told him that lots of people thought the same about him.  Tony then started trying to convince Alan that *he* should try to get Michael away from Jason and Carly.  Alan replied that Tony would no longer be a doctor at GH and that he should go see Gail.  Tony said that Alan was the one with the problem.  And finally, we saw the real reason Alan was angry with Tony.  Alan insisted that Jason loved Michael, and that if Tony came near either of them again, he'd kill Tony himself.  He was angry that Tony had made him doubt his beloved son, not only that he had kidnapped the baby.  Tony said that he knew what it was like to lose a child and painted Alan a picture of a tiny coffin.  Alan left, upset, and Tony SMILED THAT DAMNED SMILE!

B.  The Firing of Alexis

On Friday, AJ and Keesha mated in a storage closet before going to the ELQ board meeting that would deal, in part, with Alexis's termination.  Ned said that he had taken Jason to Manhattan with him on the ELQ jet; Jason was going there to work on Carly's case.  Ned thus had Jason's proxy for this single meeting, and Jason would return later with Brenda on the jet.  Alexis showed up, and they were surprised to see her.  I wasn't, and I was glad to see her standing up to them and not letting them get rid of her without her being there.  They voted unanimously to fire her, and Ned wanted to take legal action as well, but Monica and Alan said that was simply too much.  Alexis made her apologies, and Ned assured her that she wasn't being fired because the Qs had been hurt, but for her manipulation of the court system that let a criminal go free.  He suggested that she apologize to Carly and Jason.  Alexis left after she vowed that she would regain their trust.  She had wanted to be a part of their family, since her own was so...something.  After she was gone, Edward bemoaned the fact that they couldn't keep her on, since her cleverness might have come in handy, especially in getting Michael away from J&C.  The rest of the family rants at him for trying to take advantage of Carly's problems, and AJ decided that they should work with Mac to put Jason out of business (there's been no more mention of this since).