GH and PC in Review: August by Amy McWilliams

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General Hospital
August 3rd - August 14th

The Spencers

Lucky and Elizabeth

Bobbie

Luke and Laura

Port Charles

General Hospital

• On the witness stand at Stefan's trial, Helena describes all that her son had to gain from Katherine's death and proclaims his love for Laura. Alexis handles her well in cross-examination. Later, Alexis tells Laura that she should stay away from the trial. (8/3)
• Laura confronts Helena about the pictures she had given to Lucky. Helena, in return, notes Laura's awkward position between Stefan and Luke. (8/3)
• Alexis and Luke confer about their plan to frame Helena. (8/6)
• Helena plays innocent with Nikolas, claiming that Dara had tricked her on the witness stand into incriminating Stefan. She then reminds him that she will be his guardian, should Stefan be found guilty. (8/6)
• Helena tells Luke about Laura's presence at the trial. (8/6)
• Alexis convinces Stefan that Helena is the prime suspect in Katherine's death and shows him the forged will. They tell Nikolas later that they have Helena under control. (8/6)
• Nikolas runs into Emily at the docks but is uninterested in her except for the fact she knows Robin. She drops her modeling pictures on the ground so he can see, but to no avail. Of course, he did ask her to help him pick out Lulu's birthday present, just as he asked Sarah last summer.... (8/6)
• Nikolas testifies to seeing Katherine climbing the stairs to the parapet, but the timing he gives doesn't match Stefan's statement. Stefan realizes that Nikolas saw Laura. When Dara presses Nikolas, Stefan yells in outrage. Afterwards, Alexis puts the pieces together and realizes that Laura had been present at Katherine's death. She wants to call Laura to the stand, but Stefan will not allow it. (8/7)
• Stefan admits to Alexis that Laura was on the parapet the night of Katherine's death. He refuses to allow her to call Laura as a witness. Later, Alexis asks Laura to take the stand to clear Stefan and Laura refuses as well. Alexis assumes that Laura is protecting her marriage to Luke. Laura calls Stefan and he assures her that Nik's parentage will remain a secret. (8/10)
• Alexis brings Luke the forensics report that shows Helena's fingerprints on the forged will. Alexis quizzes him about his family but doesn't tell him about her suspicions regarding Laura. (8/10)
• Stefan scolds Alexis for asking Laura to testify. When she stands by her actions, he fires her. She promises to abide by his wishes and he lets her stay on as counsel. Stefan tells her to do anything she has to do to prove that Helena was responsible for Katherine's death. (8/11)
• Alexis asks Justus to become co-counsel for the defense. She intends to take the stand herself. (8/11)
• Nikolas discusses the trial and the night of Katherine's death with Robin. She remembers the timing exactly as he does. (8/11)
• Nikolas is upset that a mob lawyer will be helping his Uncle. Nikolas is also upset that Robin had moved in with Jason, but she gives that same old speech. (8/12)
• Justus calls Alexis to the stand and she testifies against Helena, even revealing the truth about her own relationship to Stefan as she details Helena's plan to bait Stefan with Laura's things. (8/12)
• Thrown by Justus's presence and Alexis's testimony, Dara puts Nikolas back on the stand. (8/12)
• Dara rattles Nikolas into admitting that he thinks Stefan loved Laura. (8/13)
• Off the stand, Nikolas angrily accuses his grandmother of killing Katherine. (8/13)
• Taggert informs Helena that the PCPD will be looking into that little matter of the will. He's greeted with her usual...charm (she prefers Garcia, after all). (8/13)
• Alexis tells Justus that she doesn't think they will win. (8/13)
• After a nightmare, in which she reveals her part in Katherine's death in court (pleading with Luke to say something as he storms out of the courtroom), Alexis pleads with Stefan to let Laura take the stand. He refuses. (8/14)
• In an imagined conversation with Katherine, Stefan realizes that he never really loved her. (8/14)
• Nikolas tells Laura that he fears the consequences of his testimony. When he leaves her house in desperation, Laura immediately decides to testify for Stefan. When she tries to tell Luke, he says he doesn't want to hear anything about her maternal instincts and leaves her in tears. (8/14)
• Laura meets with Alexis. (8/14)

Dara: "Now, when you say "fortune," what would be the estimated value of the Cassadine properties, businesses, precious metals, and so on?"
Helena: "Well, I'm--I'm a woman. I wouldn't know about all that."

Dara: "And how did he become your grandson's regent?"
Helena: "Well, he's self-appointed, at least as for as I can tell."

Dara: "Ah. In other words, he will be living off of charity, except..."
Helena: "Yes, except for what poor, dear Katherine left him, which I do hear is quite a windfall."

Helena's poor, simple widow act was highly amusing. Her comment that she was only a woman had me laughing hysterically, and I realized just how much I loved this iron-fist-in-a-velvet-glove Helena. She's always been a bit that way, but where we've had alternating forceful and ailing Helena's, this one looks like she belongs at some garden party while she manages to convince me--without doing anything, really--that she's just as bad as the Spencers say she is. Of course, I do wish she had slugged Bobbie back rather than just lying there on the floor oh those many weeks ago. Still...

Dara: "The witness is the defendant's mother. Who could know him better?"
Alexis: "My client and his mother have been estranged since he first drew breath."
Helena: "Why, you vicious little beast!"

Alexis: "Your honor!"
Dara: "Your honor!"

Too funny. But the reason I include it is for the comparison Dara's argument makes. Just a few days before this, we had Laura declaring to Lucky that he could never rape a woman. How did she know? Because she was his mother and had seen his soul when he was born. The fact that they used the "she's his mother" argument here was a nice touch, intentional or not.

Dara: "Mrs. Cassadine, did the defendant ever tell you that he was in love with Katherine Bell? Now, I know he proclaimed it publicly at the bacchanalia, but did he ever tell you privately?"
Helena: "No."
Dara: "Thank you."
Helena: "But I don't believe that he's ever been in love with anyone but Laura."
Alexis: "Objection!"

Alexis: " But tell me, has your son ever confided in you about anything of importance to him, say, well, since he was born?"
Judge: "Mrs. Cassadine?"
Helena: "She's just being insolent."

Alexis: "If you would just answer the question being asked, we would all appreciate that. Thank you. Now, you also suggested that it was greed, not love, that may have motivated your son to kill Katherine bell?"
Helena: "Well, I simply answered the questions that were put to me."
Alexis: "Of course you did. I understand that. So answer this. If Stefan were poisoned or pushed off a cliff or, say, put in prison for the rest of his life, who would replace him as regent to Nikolas and sole trustee of the entire Cassadine fortune?"
Helena: "Well, let me think. Well, I suppose I would."

Stefan: "One enduring pleasure in life, be it ever so rare, is seeing my mother made a fool of. Well done."

The tides turned against Helena when Alexis got up to cross-examine. She very clearly turned Helena's words against her and got in a few jabs for herself. Helena didn't look worried, though, and that should have worried Alexis and Stefan. Instead, we got the typical almost-humorous response to the outcome of the questioning, and I was glad that, from what I knew, Stefan and Alexis were going to get a bit of a shake up about Helena and the damage she can cause in the coming weeks.

Laura: "Why hasn't anybody murdered you?"
Helena: "Funny you should ask."

Laura: "Stay away from my son."
Helena: "Lucky? Nikolas? Or some other spawn of some other deceived father?"
Laura: "You have no idea how sick you are, do you? Taking pictures of some other woman's bruised arms and legs to--to make my son think that his father beat me."
Helena: "Yes, of course. Luke only raped you."
Laura: "You have no idea who you're dealing with this time. I am not the frightened little girl that you held prisoner, and I am not about to be victimized by you ever again. You forget how well you schooled me in the family traditions. One Mrs. Cassadine has always been the other's worst nightmare."
Helena: "You little whore. It's dangerous game you're playing, a dangerous line you walk between two dangerous men. But it's only a matter of time until you tumble and fall. I'll be watching."

Finally I got Laura v. Helena over one of her sons, but I have to say that Hel was on a roll and Laura didn't get any many points. Perhaps that's because Helena does have the advantage on this one; Laura recognizes what a precarious position she's in. Her threat about being a "Mrs. Cassadine," however, was very intriguing, and Helena should watch her more closely, I think. For just as Stefan underestimates his mother, Helena underestimates Laura.

Alexis: "You have treated Nikolas as an afterthought his entire life. Now, when the best thing you could possibly do for him would be to keep your distance, why now are you clinging to him like Velcro?"

Alexis: "Are you trying to hurt Stefan? Is that what this is all about?"
Laura: "Just do your job."

Alexis is putting things together slowly but surely, but she's still getting some things slightly off. That said, I do adore the scenes between Laura and Alexis, caught between the same two men though in different ways. These are women who can be extremely strong but who are also very vulnerable at times. And Genie Francis and Nancy Lee Grahan work beautifully together. Maybe someday these two will be on the same side?

Luke: "Dry cleaning."
Alexis: "Just a minute. I need some change."
Luke: "Change? Don't you have a more personal way of showing your appreciation?"

Luke: "How'd it go in court today?"
Alexis: "Ducky. Dara put Helena on the stand as a surprise witness."
Luke: "Ya? Did Helena use the opportunity to serve Stefan on a stick to the judge?"

Luke: "Maybe you should put me on the stand."
Alexis: "Take your dress and get out."
Luke: "I resent your condescending attitude, woman. I went to a lot of trouble to press those clothes, not to mention to put Helena's cloven hoof-prints on the documents."
Alexis: "Ya, well, give me an hour and I'll let you know if you can quit your dry cleaning job."

Alexis: "All righty, then. Well, we'll let you know."
Luke: "Hey, whoa, what, are you crazy? I'm not going to miss this. I'll wait in here."
Alexis: "Well, that's just not going to happen."
Luke: "Well, then I'll wait in there."
Alexis: "Get out."
Luke: "What do you mean, 'get out'?"
Alexis: "Out."
Luke: "Hey, you still owe me for the dry cleaning."
Alexis: "Out."

How I love these two. This time, Luke showed up in hat and glasses as a dry cleaning deliveryman. What a scream. Never mind that it's dark, these two are the main sources of humor on the show for me right now.

Helena: "Well. A lovely young thing from a prominent family. I heartily approve. How does Stefan feel about her?"
Nikolas: "Emily and I are just friends."
Helena: "Oh, pity. A union of Cassadines and Quartermaines would make for a very interesting alliance."

Perhaps we should hire Helena as headwriter. I would love a Cassadine/Quartermaine connection, and since Ned and Alexis are ignored (their relationship never caused much trouble anyway, since the Qs never knew about it), Emily and Nikolas might be the way. Of course, both of them bore me, but the scenes surrounding them would be fun fun fun. Perhaps Laura's interest would pull in the Spencers as well and I'd get some more Edward/Luke scenes.

Helena: "Oh, there is none so blind as one who won't see. My son is in love with Laura. This entire house is a shrine to Laura. You, my dear, are merely the mannequin on whom he hangs her clothes!"

This great line came as Stefan imagined how his mother could have goaded Katherine to her death. I just liked it too much to exclude it.

Alexis: "Well, we need more than a graphologist. What about fingerprints?"
Stefan: "Well, that would be extraordinarily sloppy for Helena. However, in certain circumstances, her ego has proved her undoing."

Leave it to Stefan to recognize the one flaw in Luke's plan. Might it be suspicious that there was only one print on the will? As it was, it panned out that the suspicion went in the intended direction, but I liked the acknowledgement that the plan wasn't so airtight.

Clerk: "Please be seated. Would you state your name for the record?"
Nikolas: "Nikolas Cassadine."
Alexis: "Thank god he left out the royal title."
Dara: "What is your full name, with title?"
Nikolas: "Prince Nikolas Mikhail Stavrosovitch Cassadine."

As much as I enjoy the Cassadine-centered humor, they are, at times, becoming almost too light for my taste. I like my Cassadines dark, and the ironic humor is fine. But too much makes them seem almost like Quartermaines...

Alexis: "This situation is not handled, Stefan. You have alienated the judge. Now, why did you do that? You said it wasn't Katherine Nikolas saw going up the north tower. Who was it? There was someone else on that parapet besides you and Katherine. Who are you protecting? Oh, my god."

And while Luke and Laura snuggled on the front porch, Alexis put 2 more together with 2 more and got 4. She's slowly realizing all that's going on, and I'm surprised that she hasn't put everything together and gotten the truth of Nik's paternity. Plot device, I'm sure, because nobody ever said that gal was slow.

Stefan: "Alexis, there is something you need to understand. I was the reason Laura left Port Charles with her mother. I forced her to go. It may be she felt she needed my permission to return. So I sent her an invitation to the bacchanalia. Perhaps I was feeling generous. Perhaps I was feeling malicious. Her family was falling apart, unknown to her, and I was about to be happy for the first time in a very long while."
Alexis: "And you thought this would be of interest to her because?"

Alexis doesn't buy it. She sees the gap in the information Stefan and Laura are giving her, and she wants to fill it. Stefan didn't want Laura on the stand because he was afraid of what she would say; he didn't trust her to lie for him. He feared the truth about Nikolas would come out. It's funny to me how they both fear that the other will be the cause of the truth coming out for different reasons. And I'm not sure I understand why he just can't tell Alexis. He says he trusts her, but maybe he knows that the more people know the secret the bigger the chance is that one of them will slip up.

Alexis: "Why is he letting you hide behind him? More importantly, what is it that you're protecting? It almost has to be your marriage. You're always willing to sacrifice one of us for that higher good."
Laura: "Look, you don't know anything about me or my marriage. Does Stefan know that you're here? He made me swear that I would never tell anyone that I was on the parapet that night. Did he tell you that?"

Alexis: "Does that include Luke, or was that your decision?"

Alexis was certainly on a fishing expedition. She wants to know how things are with Luke and Laura and she wants to know why Stefan and Laura have circled the wagons. It's nice, however, to see Laura protecting her son, even in this small way of keeping her mouth tightly shut. Whatever he thinks, her secrets have almost always been for Nikolas's sake. And they've almost always hurt her Spencer family. Yet Nikolas doesn't see that; he still sees her choosing them over him. Ironic.

Alexis: "Why don't you let me handle things in the courtroom. I haven't botched things so badly yet, have I?"
Luke: "No, actually. You've held up your end--this time. All right, I'm properly braced. Give me the bad news. When you called, you said you had good and bad news. Let's have it."
Alexis: "Oh, did I say that? Imagine that. There isn't any bad news."
Luke: "There's always bad news."
Alexis: "So things with you are good?"
Luke: "What the hell is the matter with you? You don't care how things with me are. You want me to fall down an open manhole."
Alexis: "Not all the time. I know that we only talk about murder and death and guilt, but I do think about other things sometimes. I sometimes wonder about your son or your family."
Luke: "Ok. Today was my daughter's birthday. Her brother came over, we all had a little cake, some punch, and she blew out her candles--and nobody yelled at anybody. As days go these days, it was a keeper."
Alexis: "That's good. I'm glad. Good. Good night."

I don't think I've had the chance to mention in several paragraphs how much I love these two. Alexis is still fishing; I think she was going to tell Luke Laura was testifying, or that Laura could testify, but she backed off of it. His response to her questioning was hysterical, and I was amazed that she let that crack about her holding her end up this time slide without comment. Or perhaps her not telling him the bad news was payment?

Dara: "Was your uncle in love with Laura Spencer?"
Nikolas: "Yes, he was, but..."
Dara: "No more questions."

While the prosecution's case makes very little sense to me, the drama of the testimonies was great (and was only going to get better). Nikolas on the stand for the second time was truly effective; you have to give it to Dara, she rises to the challenge even though she never wins. And poor Nikolas, now carrying the guilt that he could be the one to send his Uncle to jail. If Helena truly felt anything for him she would have said a kind word, even given his verbal attack on her. She didn't.

Nikolas went to his mother, and that scene was tremendous as well. He was desperate, almost babbling, and Laura couldn't console him. When he left her house, announcing there was only one thing to be done, she had no idea what he was planning. And she decided to testify. Her secrets have protected her son in the past; her words had to protect him now. I liked that there was no decision to be made. Laura simply got her things and left the house to meet with Alexis.

Stefan: "I will not allow it.
Alexis: "Do you want to go to prison?
Stefan: "There are some things more odious.

Stefan: "All of the choices I've made have been in the best interests of the family.

Stefan: "I did love you.
Katherine: "As a substitute. As an imperfect copy of the original.
Stefan: "I never said that.
Katherine: "Of course not. You said what you wanted to be true.

The great revelation that Stefan had never loved Katherine was more like a whimper. This vision told us nothing we didn't already know, nor anything, I thought, that Stefan hadn't already realized. Ah, well. At least it's out on the table in concrete form now, and Stefan has returned to a closer semblance to his old self.

Alexis: "The defense would like to call Laura Spencer."

I wonder if Luke wished that he had let Laura warn him...

The Spencers

• Murty finds the pair just after Elizabeth realizes that she has stabbed Lucky by mistake. Elizabeth accuses him of raping her, and Murty reveals that he had an alibi. He had been acting strangely because he thought Elizabeth knew that he was gay. Murty's boyfriend tends to Lucky's stab wound. (8/3)
• Elizabeth takes Lucky to Audrey's. They tell her the whole story, realizing, finally, that they had done wrong in going after Murty on their own, especially with no proof. Audrey is understanding but firm, and says she will tell Lucky's parents about the stabbing but will also let him stay the night. Liz is horrified that she has stabbed Lucky, but he takes part of the blame for giving her the knife. (8/4)
• Liz and Lucky talk about Lulu's birthday party. They then run into Mr. Murty at Kelly's and they all agree to secrecy. Liz tells Lucky that she wanted to reopen her case and do anything she could to catch the real rapist. Lucky worries about his attraction to Liz. (8/10)
• Elizabeth and Lucky nearly kiss before their dinner date. (8/14)
• Bobbie and Elizabeth talk about her feelings for Lucky and Bobbie assures her that she'll know when she's ready to move forward with their relationship. (8/14)

Richard: "How's your abdomen?
Lucky: "It's all right. It's fine. It's fine. I'm sorry--I'm sorry about the rug."
Richard: "Manners intact. That's a good sign."

Elizabeth: "Oh, tears won't help. Trust me, I've cried enough of them."
Mr. Murty: "Liz, I am so sorry. I had no idea."
Elizabeth: "You're still lying!"
Richard: "It wasn't him."
Elizabeth: "Look, you may think you know him..."
Lucky: "He lives here."
Elizabeth: "So?"
Lucky: "Elizabeth, they're a couple."
Mr. Murty: "I'm gay, Elizabeth."

Richard: "Look, would you people lighten up on yourselves, each other? I look around this room, and I don't see guilty parties. I see injuries."

I liked seeing Elizabeth confront Murty; I liked that she now faces never knowing who raped her. The performances here were very good, and I felt for Murty as well as Liz and Lucky. The speediness with which this scene was set up and the quickness with which we came to this non-resolution didn't sit well with me, however. And while Elizabeth later told Audrey that Mr. Murty didn't do it because he had an alibi, I thought that the explanation of Murty's behavior came out of left field. Basically, I agree with Joan, who talks about this sequence in her floating rib column elsewhere in this issue. And I want Ted and Richard to become the Brian and Claudia of the new millenium.

Elizabeth: "Here. Gram and Richard said that you need to be drinking plenty of liquids.
Lucky: "Did they say a glass every 15 minutes?
Elizabeth: "Just drink it.

Lucky: "You know, my--my dad has used violence his whole life. And all it's done is trash him and the people around him. Maybe it's time I found a better way."
Elizabeth: "Do you think gram's right? Do you think we should have gone to the police?"
Lucky: "If we had, they would have investigated Murty right away, would have found out he had an alibi."
Elizabeth: "And you wouldn't be laying here with stitches in your side. We were pretty stupid, weren't we?"
Lucky: "We were dead wrong. Murty was just as nice as he seemed."
Elizabeth: "You know, when I was in his house and I felt your hands on me, it was like I turned into someone--something I didn't recognize. If it had been Murty instead of you, I think I would have kept stabbing him until he was dead."
Lucky: "No. Elizabeth, you wouldn't have gone that far."
Elizabeth: "I won't deny it. I would have killed him. And as terrifying as that is, that's something I can't ever forget."
Lucky: "You know, all I ever wanted was to turn things around for you-instead I've given you a whole new set of problems."
Elizabeth: "No, no. That's not true. You saved me, lucky. Sure, we made some mistakes, but I'm strong enough to face them now, and that's only because of you. Thank you for not letting me lose myself."

On the 4th, we had an episode that was set in four different rooms with four different sets of people. The conversations, however, were strikingly similar: Lucky and Elizabeth talking about moving forward after finding out Murty wasn't the rapist--realizing that Liz might never know who raped her, Brenda and Jax moving on after finding out she wasn't pregnant, Felicia and Mac moving on with their new family, and Jason and Robin moving on from Sonny's departure and on to their new life living together. It was a nicely structured episode, and since this review format tends to pull episodes apart, I wanted to draw attention to it.

Hearing this conversation, it strikes me just how hair-brained their scheme was. I suppose it's a testament to the characters that I never thought of that along the way. I notice that, for Lucky, it always comes down to his Dad, but for Lizzy, it always comes down to Lucky. I wish I could be happy in that, but it still worries me.

Elizabeth: "Bet if you knew I was going to be this much trouble, you would have just walked away when you first met me. Can't say I blame you. Only...I'd have missed you a lot."

This line was sweet, spoken, I think, to a sleeping Lucky. As if Elizabeth had any reason to fear his response. But she was nervous at his silence anyway. Too cute.

Elizabeth: "I like your house. Well, not your house, but the way you guys all--I don't know--fit together. And even though things are tense right now between you and your parents, you guys aren't tense people. You can all crack a joke or blow off some steam or say whatever comes to your mind. It feels the way a home should feel."
Lucky: "Yours didn't?"
Elizabeth: "My family's different. They're great, but they're serious--and they're blond. I was always the one who had to be explained. I could never sit still. I always laughed too loud at really dumb things. I always used to bring home lousy report cards, and my parents would say, 'Elizabeth, we know you can do better.' And I would think, 'well, sure, but let's face it--it's not like there's big money in passing algebra.' It's kind of like I would've fit in better at your house than I did mine. Do you miss it?"
Lucky: "I miss seeing it the way it looks to you, the way I thought it was before I found out we were all just fictional characters."

I love hearing Liz talk about her family and herself--understanding the way she sees herself. It's a far cry from the way she presents herself for first impressions, after all. I just wish they'd explain why and when she quit smoking (did I miss it?). I think that her vision of the Spencers is fairly accurate, but also says things about her. I just wish Lucky would realize that the bad that has been revealed doesn't mean that the rest of what is the Spencer family is false.

Bobbie: "Well, there's a perfect test. Take this muffin, and if you can eat it, you're not in the throes of young love."
Elizabeth: "Oh, no, I didn't mean me."
Bobbie: "Elizabeth, I'm sorry. It was very insensitive, but, you know, it was supposed to be a joke."
Elizabeth: "No, no, no. It's just--god--in love? I can't even let myself be kissed. Not even by somebody who's just incredibly--who am I kidding? Not even by lucky. Today's special--free angst with brunch."

Bobbie: "Stop me if I'm out of line, but you're tensing up a bit. Could it have something to do with my nephew?"
Elizabeth: "No. No way. Absolutely not. Maybe a little."

Elizabeth: "It can't happen with me and lucky."
Bobbie: "Why not? Because it's not what you want?"'
Elizabeth: "What you want and what you can handle are two completely different things. Ok. I wanted to fly, all right, like the bat people on TV. I used to perch myself at the end of the coffee table, spread my arms like wings. Sarah used to catch me, or my parents, or I'd just chicken out. But one day, I don't know, I must have been, like, 4 or something, I was seized by this batlike feeling. So I leaped. And guess what? Big surprise. Broke my thumb and split my lip."
Bobbie: "I see. So when you asked lucky to kiss you..."
Elizabeth: "That was just a leap. There's no more jumping off the edge for me. I know I can't fly."
Bobbie: "Oh, Elizabeth, maybe not now, but you will some day. I promise you will. No leaping required. One day you're going to wake up--it may be a month from now, it may be a year from now--and you're going to wake up with a weightless feeling and you're going to feel like you are soaring into the sky. And it's not going to be because you dared yourself to jump off of some ledge or because somebody pushed you. It'll be because there is a lightness in your heart. I know this may sound like a fairy tale to you right now..."
Elizabeth: "It doesn't, coming from you. If anyone else had tried to tell me that--but you, I actually believe."

Ruby: "This is no way to run a business."

Another great story from Liz about her childhood. I love her and Bobbie together, but then, I love her with Laura and Audrey as well. There's something about the things she brings out in each of these older women--the things she makes them realize about themselves, I think--that is pure magic.

And, of course, we had a glimpse of Ruby. Liz can even make her smile. I wondered what Bobbie had told her, if anything, about Liz; I wondered what Ruby just knew. But what I wanted was a hug between Ruby and Luke.

Bobbie

• Jerry and Lucas throw Bobbie a surprise birthday part in the Brownstone's backyard. After Lucas goes off to bed, Jerry gives Bobbie a necklace, then leaves her standing alone, wanting more. (8/3)
• Meanwhile, Tony celebrates his ex-wife's birthday with Tammy the hooker...kind of. (8/3)

Tony: "Come in. Lock it. It's amazing. Somebody actually listened to me."
Tammy: "I'm very good at simple commands."

Tammy: "Don't think I don't appreciate your enthusiasm, because, believe me, I do. But lately I've been meeting up with a lot of men who just love to hear themselves talk, you know? And I suppose, for the sake of form, they feel like they need an audience."
Tony: "Oh, trust me, after eight years of marriage and a follow-up year with a self-centered post-adolescent criminal, talk is the last thing I'm going to pay for."

Tony: "To anyone that's whole or healthy, they look at me like it's a meanness, it's a smallness, evil. If the world is a tightrope and the cardinal rule is that you never look down, why can't I stop looking down? Why is that?"

As eloquent as he is when talking about BJ, I'm sick to death of Tony justifying everything he does with the fate of that little girl. I understand if it still haunts him--still motivates him. But he uses it to both prove and excuse his own guilt, and I'm sick of it. I liked the fact that he went to a hooker for Bobbie's birthday because she used to be one. I wish that this would indeed become more about Bobbie. How does he feel about her ability to move on, for example? What does he blame her for? Is he channeling his anger against her and against Carly--and against the fact that they are now family--into the loss of BJ and the lost family she represents?

I do adore Tammy, though, and was pleased to see her handle things with her usual flair.

Jerry: "Aren't we all just a little bit gun-shy? I know you are."
Bobbie: "Afraid of love? No, not me. When did love ever hurt anybody? No. That was betrayal or lack of trust or any one of a hundred other things as common as poison ivy. Those things can get you whether you're in love or not. Without the love I've had and the love I've given away, who would I be? No one. So--I am not afraid of love. But I don't see it every time the stars come out, either."

Bobbie: "Are you for real?"
Jerry: "I'm a ghost. The ghost of your future, come to stake my claim. And we ghosts know about being patient, unlike mere mortals."
Bobbie: "Really?"
Jerry: "Really. Close your eyes. Count to three."
Bobbie: "One, two, three."

The comparison between Tony grieving for the lost family and Bobbie with Jerry was amazing. Having gone through the same things, Bobbie has found her way with strength and determination while Tony has simply floundered. Her explanation of love and what hurts you was fantastic, and stood in stark contrast to Tony's wonderings about others' grief. By this time you know exactly how much I adore the romance between Jerry and Bobbie; this was one of my favorite scenes. And when he left her without so much as a good-bye kiss, I melted.