Back to Laura, now. I wanted so much to believe that Scotty's return heralded a great storyline. I enjoyed his scenes with Luke on trial so much, and I have enjoyed the few scenes we've had with him and Laura. I will even admit to loving the fact that Amy, as in days of old, has been trying to get them back together (loved her scene with Luke at the hospital)--though I'd like to see more of Lesley in the mix as well.

But their relationship hasn't really been shown very much, and still feels underdeveloped by the end of February. There hasn't been as much reference to history as I thought there might be; they've never had a serious conversation about their past and possible future. Instead, they flirt and Laura insists that they aren't flirting, etc. Arda has complained that the writing has seemed to whitewash their past, a little bit. Scotty was not nice to her after she left him; he was not always the knight on the white horse that rode in to save her. In fact, he tormented her (and Luke) for some time when he returned from Mexico where he had lived in self-exile for a while after Luke and Laura's marriage. I'm not asking that Laura still hold a grudge; I simply want their relationship to be more complicated than it is, and for the writing to pay more attention to the past. Laura may wonder whether or not to start dating Scotty, but it's not just because of Amy's interference; it's because of the rich and varied history these two have.

One of the editors pointed out to me that Scotty sees Laura in a more everyday sort of way than Luke and Stefan due. I think that he and Laura idealized their married life together until Luke came along. Scotty then saw Laura more clearly, yes; I agree, though, that his understanding of her is less grandiose than that of the other men. But because their scenes are so sporadic, the feeling is still there for me that he's idealizing her a bit, even now, as his first love. I want more, and I want it slightly more complicated.

Key Scene: Winter Fest, 2/22/01

Luke and Felicia:

On the flip side, Laura has had to deal with the beginning of Luke and Felicia's official dates. The Winter Fest scenes may have been contrived, and Laura may have appeared to be surprised all over again, but I liked them nonetheless. While I have complained about her perpetual surprise and pain at seeing Luke with Felicia, I think it makes sense, and I like the way it's been played out more recently, sans drinking binges at Jake's. A seemingly obvious, throwaway scene--Scott and Laura seeing Luke and Felicia kissing--resonated with everything we know about these characters, but left Felicia on the outside of the chemistry, for me.

Felicia, since testifying for Luke back in the fall, has had little direction. She wants Mac; she wants Luke. She promises not to leave her family; she does illegal breaking and entering that could get her arrested. She asks Maxie's permission to date Luke; she looks guilty when Laura and Scotty see them together.

I have enjoyed the scenes with Luke and Felicia when they're alone--most particularly the homecoming scenes in his new apartment early in the month. But this couple has never really worked for me when they come into contact with the real world and with other people. From the beginning they were an escape from something, and it seems to me that they still are, in certain ways. They don't work for me as a long-term deal, and I want to start seeing them consider what they have. Lucky has it right; Luke's never going to get the families together for dinner. They won't, in the end, want the same thing. They are a temporary escape, a way for both to figure something out about themselves, and I want to see them start to figure that out.

One of the key moments for me here was when Felicia left Luke to go to Mac; it's a reversal, and Luke wasn't particularly pleased. But how wonderful is it that Roy's going with Luke this time instead of Felicia?

At the same time, the Cassadine threat has never seemed so unthreatening. We go so long between plot points that it amazes me Luke actually remembers what the plan is. His opening scenes (at Geary's return) at the bank as Darius were pitiful, and the search for the key for the box that holds the Ice Princess was filler. Enjoyable, but filler. By the end of the month, the quest for the Princess was chalked up to the need for fast cash, with nary a whiff of Cassadine intrigue.

The hint that Lucky is still programmed was the only thing we really learned this month, and Luke seemed to drop it too quickly in his talk with Gail. Meanwhile, this seems more like a game to him than true retribution--a mere shadow of his former dealings with the Cassadines. I want to see him fighting for his son's sake (a way, as I have said before, of holding on to family while he assures himself he's moving forward), but I only see him wanting to stick it to Helena by stealing the diamond back. Stefan has almost completely fallen out of his motivations, and I wonder if that's because Luke can't think of him because it reminds him of Laura. That said, I want to see him still in denial over his continued connection to Laura, but I don't. When he and Felicia first got together, it was clear that he was escaping thoughts of Laura. Now he just seems horny. Give me some good, meaty scenes with Helena, at least!

Key Scene: On the Yacht, Take Two, 2/26/01

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