4. The Cassadine/Spencer War

In a nutshell: Helena thinks Nik's turned to the dark side, but Stavros isn't so sure. Tony tells Luke to use the Force to find the answers he seeks. Stavros lurks and leaves mementos at Laura's house and then hits Luke over the head. When the going gets tough, Laura takes a business trip. Helena gets annoyed at Stavros's cavalier attitude, but he ignores her, singing: "Churls Just Wanna Have Fun!." Nik kicks everyone out of the cottage, and then goes to live at the yacht. Luke realizes that Stavros is for real. Lucky injects Luke with the biotoxin, while Helena and Stavros laugh maniacally. And Stavros weaves a path of seduction through the town.

As interested as I've been in the Cassadine/Spencer dynamic since Stefan came to town, it's not surprising that this story, of all the current ones on the canvas, held the most promise, for me. Sure, I know folks object to the far-fetched thawing of Stavros, but how is the plausibility of this story (or lack thereof) any different than that of the Ice Princess saga, upon which it's based? No, I have no objections to the cheesy sci-fi element backing this story; what I do object to, however, is the glossing over of the wonderfully twisted Cassadine/Spencer family dynamics that should be the real star of this show.

I don't care about the biotoxin, and what it can or cannot do; it's a superfluous complication, in my opinion. What I do care about, and what I was hoping to see, was some sort of epiphanic explanation (brought about by Stavros's resurrection) of why Stefan is the way he is, why Helena worships Stavros (when it's clear that he's not the perfect son she says he is), and what kind of man Stavros really was: the real man, as opposed to the paradoxical image created by the contrary memories of Helena and nearly everyone else who had contact with him during his first time around. But thus far, Stefan and Alexis have been sidelined in this story, and there's been very little for Helena to do other than chide her unruly firstborn and cackle gleefully when things go her way. Even Luke and Lucky, who have been given some nice scenes together, seem stuck in the same roles, saying the same lines, day after day, with precious little emotional exposition. And as for Laura, she's on a business trip.

It took a while for me to warm to Robert Kelker-Kelly as Stavros, but now that he's given up the caveman-speak, I like him! As "Lucian Cain," he's wonderfully smooth and deliciously evil with the ladies, and as the maniacal Stavros, he's fun to watch opposite Constance Towers and Tony Geary. One of my favorite scenes this month was his chilling recap of Laura's rape, which finally convinced Luke that he was indeed the real article. Stavros clearly relished the memory, retelling the event as one would a great victory, and it made for a twisted complement of Luke's haunted confession of the time he raped Laura. The two men may have deeds in common, but their consciences exist on entirely different planes.

The big drawback, for me, is that Stavros provides Helena with a confidante, usurping the luscious Andreas's role, in that regard. I imagine Helena still uses dear Andy for her "other needs," but alas, that's been happening off screen. I was relieved, however, that it was not Andreas, but one of her nameless goons, who served as guinea pig for the biotoxin test. Still, I miss seeing Landon Wine, and I'd rather see him in peril, than not at all. (And there's always that triplet waiting in the wings...)

Stefan and Alexis are back in synch, both equally concerned about Nikolas, which makes me happy. Still, their relationship today is but a shadow of the one they shared back during Guza's first tenure, and I'd like to see more scenes with both of them. I had high hopes of some great reveal about Alexis's past when she started talking about her mother again (and the necklace), but so far, that appears to be just a vehicle for Jax's return. Incidentally, I'd love to know the singer who provided "Kristen's" voice in Alexis's dream. I've read that Jensen Buchanan has had opera training, and while that lullaby wasn't done in an operatic style (thank goodness! The poor baby'd get her ears blown off!), the voice sounded as if it could've been hers.

Of all the players in this tale, I think Nikolas has had the most turbulent month. (Sure, Lucky's had a lot of bad days too, but at least he's not been fully cognizant of them.) Not only did he have to suck up to Helena, but he had to isolate himself from his family and friends, and dump his girlfriend in the process. Nik's a pretty lonely and despondent guy right now (when he's not pretending to be an ass, for Helena's sake), and I think Coltin Scott's done a good job communicating Nik's pain without inundating the viewers with it. Particularly impressive was the scene in which he admitted to Gia that he'd been attracted to Liz all along, and intended to make her his. He came off sounding remarkably like his father, at that point. I've also been impressed (perhaps for the first time) with Marisa Ramirez. She's improved a lot since Gia was introduced.

But alas, not even the best acting or the best intentions can make me interested in stories that seem determined to babble on without saying anything. There's a lot going on, but little or no depth. To be sure, there were some really good single episodes in July, like the July 3rd "dream day" that Joan discussed in the last issue (though the "good" days seem to be getting fewer and farther between). But taken as a whole, GH has become a confusing jumble of fantastic events (and I don't mean the "good" fantastic), and now, instead of being generally bored with GH (as I was during Guza's last year), I'm confused and bored.

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