The Quartermaines: (cont.)

Sonny: "Hi, Sally."
Sally: "Mr. Corinthos."
Sonny: "Will you get Leticia for me?"
Sally: "I'm not even supposed to let you in here."
Sonny: "Well, either you find her or I will."

Leticia: "Please go. They'll call the police."
Sonny: "Do me a favor. Can you get Michael, pack his bags? Because he's leaving today."
Edward: "Hey, since when do you order my help around?"
Sonny: "It's faster that way."
Monica: "What do you want?"
Edward: "Now, I've thrown you off this property once already today."
Sonny: "This won't take long. I'm here to take Carly and Michael out of here. Today. Right now."

Rather than angry, Sonny entered calmly and coolly and stated his business. He took a seat as the Qs argued, standing up again when AJ agreed to talk. As they went in the other room, everybody ran to the door. It amused me that Carly was smack in the middle of Alan and Monica, but nobody seemed to notice the close quarters in their desire to hear.

A.J.: "All right, Sonny. What is this about?"
Sonny: "Strategy, tactics."
Edward: "What'd he say?"
Alan: "'Plastics'?"
Monica: "'Taxes'?"

Sonny: "Ok, I will. You made a tactical error, especially when you got so much to hide."
Alan: "'Cried'? 'Bribe'?"
Monica: "Bribe who?"
Edward: "How can we hear anything? That man is such a mumbler."
Carly: "Shh. He's not deaf, Edward."

Sonny: "On February 26, you--you paid an arsonist to burn down my coffee warehouse. I got proof."

A.J.: "Who told you this?"

Sonny: "Why would I compromise with the guy who tried--who burned down my warehouse or is trying to take my kid? The way I see it, A.J., you got two choices."
A.J.: "And what is that?"
Sonny: "You sign this. It--it gives Carly a divorce and full custody of Michael."
A.J.: "Oh, man, I don't believe this."
Sonny: "Alexis did it all. It's nice, nice, and nice. You know what I mean?"
A.J.: "Listen to me. I will not sign anything."
Sonny: "Well, that's your second choice because, see, if you don't sign this--"
A.J.: "Yeah?"
Sonny: "Then you go to prison. And, you know, you'll lose Carly and Michael anyway. See how it works?"

A.J.: "I'm asking you again. Who told you this?"

Sonny: "Edward, hang up the phone. Hang up the phone. All right, I just want to say I am taking Michael and Carly out of here."
A.J.: "Let them go."
Carly: "What did you say?"
Sonny: "A.J.'s agreed to give you an uncontested divorce, and he also signed away full custody of Michael."
Carly: "Michael and I can go now?"
Monica: "What did you do to him?"
Alan: "A.J. would never sign away his son."
Edward: "Are you letting Michael go?"
A.J.: "Yeah."

Carly was crying with relief, shocked, and AJ was crying in pain as the backlash from his family began.

I was surprised that we had the humorous stuff with the Qs--and Carly!--listening in at the door together on such a serious plot moment. But I enjoyed it, especially the line about Sonny being a mumbler, a criticism that has been leveled at Maurice Benard from time to time. Somehow it worked, and maybe that's just a little of the Q magic seeping in where it's been so long absent.

Amy: "I think that AJ has really wanted this family to work out, even though I haven't seen him doing the things to get that that he claims to have done. We just haven't been shown that. And I don't think he knows how to love and be with Michael, partly because of all the baggage. But Carly did have that line about AJ never spending any time with him a while back."

"But I do think that this was about Jason, at least in equal part to losing Michael and Carly. He lost to Carly; he lost to Jason; he lost to Sonny. He lost Michael. He lost in the eyes of his family. But the reason I think that Jason was very present in his mind is that as Sonny kept rattling off his proof, AJ kept asking who told him these things. I'm convinced that AJ knew that it was Jason, even though Sonny wouldn't comment."

V. AJ Loses His Family (3/6)

Carly: "Oh, god. Is this real?"
Edward: "Of course not. This man is bluffing."

Edward: "Damn you, A.J. If you've cost me--"
Alan: "Shut up, father!"
Edward: "I won't lose Michael!"
Sonny: "Michael was never yours, Edward!"

Carly: "I can't wait to get out of here. Leticia? Bring Michael down. We're going home."

There was a shot, a couple of months ago, that framed Carly in a doorway, sitting on the arm of a sofa, as Edward exited. He was convinced he had her cowed into submission, and she looked around as the shot emphasized her being trapped there by her own design. This time, Carly was in the same doorway, calling for Leticia to bring Michael. She was shot from below as she looked up the stairs, a shot designed to emphasize her height and elated emotion. Very nice work by the director, but I'm not sure whether he or she did the original shot I liked so much.

Monica: "But Michael shouldn't be uprooted. This is his home."
Carly: "Like hell it is."
Monica: "You sold him, Carly, for a few pieces of jewelry and a nice place to live. Now, if you change your mind, tough. You can't take him back."
Carly: "Really, Monica? Well, this says that I can."
Monica: "Well, maybe Sonny has a conscience after all. Come on. You call Jason your best friend, but you haven't done a damn thing for him. Now you can. Sonny, you can do it right now. Please. Leave Michael here where he is safe and he's loved."
Sonny: "You're right. I owe it to Jason to give him what would be right for Michael."

Lila: "I love you, my darling. I love you."
Carly: "He loves you, too. And I'm really sorry about this, ok, about everything?"
Lila: "Be a good mother, dear, to both your children."
Carly: "I will. I promise you. Ok."

A.J.: "I love you. It's only for a little while."
Sonny: "Let's go. Let's go."
Carly: "Bye, A.J."

AJ kissed Michael as Carly was on her way out; Jason had done the same thing as he left Michael there at the Q house. Carly stopped at the door to look around at the house one last time, while AJ stood over to the side with his head bowed until Edward demanded answers.

Edward: "Can anyone explain to me what just happened here? Why did you let that thug maneuver you into signing away your own child?"
Alan: "That's enough, father. Can't you see what this is costing A.J.?"
Edward: "Well, I am much more concerned as to what it's costing little Michael. That little boy left here at the mercy of Sonny Corinthos. Why? What did he threaten you with?"

A.J.: "Oh, and Jason never torched a building? He never did worse? He's a criminal, a racketeer, and he carried a gun for a reason. Let's not forget about that."
Monica: "A.J., it is one thing for you to hire an arsonist to burn down a building, but what is worse is you seem to find it justified."
A.J.: "I was fighting for my son."
Monica: "Well, so did Jason, but he didn't burn down this house. You almost killed your brother once when you were irresponsible and drunk, but if he had died in that fire, that would've been deliberate and that is unforgivable."

AJ flinched at "unforgivable," but I knew that he was reacting to the fact that they would forgive Jason and not him. It was a nice choice by Warlock, though. AJ looked so stunned, but the moments at which he did respond were very effective. He was crying later at the words "lost a son," and finally broke down.

Monica: "Well, A.J., there were a lot of times when you could have compromised with Jason and done what was best for Michael. Instead, you decided to lie, to make him out as a danger to a little boy that he loved more than anything in this world. You know, I never--I never held that accident that damaged Jason against you. That was an accident, a terrible mistake. But I blame you for this. You've cost this family much more than it can afford to lose."

A.J.: "I'm sorry, grandmother."
Lila: "I am, too."

Alan: "I love you, A.J., but you're scaring me because until you take responsibility for what you've done, nothing will ever get any better."
A.J.: "Don't you get it? There is no better. Every time I think there is and I reach for it, I burn. I crash and burn, all right. What the hell. At least I'm consistent."
Alan: "A.J.--"
A.J.: "Dad, please--go to bed, all right? I'm sure mom needs a shoulder to cry on. I don't. I'm all right."
Alan: "I love you, son."

Edward: "Good, you're still up."
A.J.: "How's grandmother?"
Edward: "Oh, her heart is breaking. One more disaster that you're responsible for."
A.J.: "Is there a reason you're looking for me?"
Edward: "Yes. It's to tell you that, as of tonight, your services are no longer required because I'm taking over as C.E.O."
A.J.: "I'm shocked."
Edward: "Thank you for not wasting our time by trying to defend your work."
A.J.: "It's your company, as you constantly point out. Do what you want."
Edward: "I intend to, A.J. And you know, if you don't have anything better to do with yourself, you could always have your old job back. What was it that Ned used to call you?"
A.J.: "That would be vice president in charge of paper clips."
Edward: "Oh, yes. And that suits you."
A.J.: "I am what you made me."
Edward: "Oh, jeez."

AJ sat with Michael's giraffe--the toy that had figured so often in scenes with Jason and Michael (Carly saw the blood on the giraffe and figured out that Jason was hurt at one point). He hugged it after Edward left.

But did anybody else think of Jack Nicholson's Joker in Batman at this point? "I say you made me, so you say I made you," or whatever that line was? It was an unfortunate thing, since it had me laughing where I was not supposed to be.

Terry: "AJ made me cry on Friday, but that didn't last long. Monday I still felt for him, but despite his behavior, not because of it. And everyone in the Qs reacted so well, so in character. Good Q story stuff, I think."

Arda: "I've been especially impressed by Billy Warlock. His performances have been very moving. He's been reminding me of Sarah Brown who's able to turn an unsympathetic character into someone you care about. He's tapping into AJ's pain of being the unfavored child and letting the audience into AJ's core."

Amy: "Well, hey, this is good news."

Terry: "Yes, they've made me interested in AJ again. I keep wanting to smack him, but that means I care enough to want to smack him. He so stubbornly keeps gnawing at that Jason bone, no matter who comes in to remind him that he is the one who makes it all about Jason and that he is the one who has screwed up. He doesn't get that what he did was wrong. I love it. And I feel so sorry for him because Edward et al. are so quick and so blunt with the putdowns. 'You're such a disappointment,' Edward says. The clincher? Even Lila is disappointed."

Amy: "I loved that Lila did indeed speak to both AJ and Edward after Carly asked her to (but probably not because Carly asked her to, probably for Michael's sake), even though she knew that they'd respond as they did. I loved it when Lila noted that AJ's using Michael as well. But when he replied, 'I love Michael,' she should have said, 'So does Carly.'"

VI. AJ Loses His Job, But Ned Won't Take It (3/7)

Alan: "You ok?"
A.J.: "Depends on how someone who's just lost everything's supposed to be."

A.J.: "There was no one in the building."
Alan: "There were firemen in the building."

Amy: "You know, I had to stop and think a minute about whether Lucas was in that same warehouse fire, or the other one, with Jax and Sonny caught in it and Brenda running to Jax afterwards. Even though it was further away, I had to get it straight in my head for a minute."

"But my favorite moment in all of these scenes is from Alan. Here's Monica ranting about, 'It could have killed Jason,' and annoying me in the process, but Alan calmly says, 'There were firemen.' He points out AJ's flawed defense of himself, but without making it about Jason. Bravo, Alan."

Joan: "I loved Alan for saying that. I'm only sorry it didn't sink in - AJ keeps repeating 'nobody got hurt' like a mantra, and really, that isn't the issue, is it? Someone could have been hurt. How many arsonists wind up being charged with murder because they torched a warehouse where a homeless person was sleeping? Who's to say that that couldn't have been the case with him? It would have been an even better story, in retrospect, if AJ had torched the bicycle shop and been blamed for Lucky's death (the switch would still have been made by a resourceful Helena or Faison, who learned of the plot)."

Edward: "I don't want you around at all. You're fired."

Alan: "Whose fault do you think this is, up to and including A.J. hiring someone to burn down Jason's warehouse? He was following your orders. 'Get Michael back in the house at any cost.' that's what A.J. did. If you don't like it, blame yourself."
Edward: "I am blaming myself--for ever thinking that you had what it takes to head up E.L.Q. and now I'm paying the price. No, even more importantly, little Michael is paying the price. He was ripped from his family because of your ineptitude."
A.J.: "You have any idea how sick of you I am? The one good thing that came out of all this is I don't have to listen to you anymore or worry about impressing you. Now get out of my way."

Edward: "Oh. Hello, Ned."
Ned: "You wanted to see me?"
Edward: "Yes, Ned. The--the family needs you."

Ned: "What's going on?"
Alan: "The devil wants to make a deal with you. I'm going to bed."

Ned: "I'm not surprised junior went down. I'm only surprised he lasted this long."

Ned: "I'm not coming back, grandfather. I've done that dysfunctional dance one too many times. Pretty soon, junior will be sucking up again. And then you'll become frustrated with me and then you'll start using him against me, and I don't want any part of it."
Edward: "Well, I can understand your reluctance, but I assure you I've learned my lesson about A.J. I appreciate you, Ned. I always have. I just wanted to make sure that you appreciated E.L.Q."
Ned: "Well, that's the irony. I always did. Now, grandfather, you created this situation, and now it's up to you to solve it."

Ned handed Edward his glass, put on his coat, and left Edward standing alone in the living room. Very nice blocking, emphasizing Ned's metaphorically leaving Edward holding everything he'd brought on himself.

Arda: "I loved Ned telling EQ to shove the CEO job. Nice parallel with Nikolas not wanting anything to do with the Cassadines."

Terry: "But Ned has more reason to reject the Q job, in my opinion. And I'm glad he did."

Amy: "I loved, by the way, the scenes in the hospital where Edward said he had a offer, but it turned out to be for Alexis!"

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