Alexis: "Don't you ever contemplate just giving up?"
Jax: "I don't even acknowledge the possibility."
Alexis: "Oh, come on."
Jax: "It's called optimism, Alexis. It's a powerful thing."
Alexis: "Yeah. Well, forgive me if I can't relate. Having your mother's throat slit when you're 5 doesn't encourage a hopeful outlook."
Jax: "Perhaps not. But in spite of that, you're more optimistic than you think."
Alexis: "Oh, is that so?"
Jax: "Yeah. And you're smart, you're self-reliant, a well-respected attorney. Those things didn't happen on their own. They took commitment and conviction, which require a healthy dose of optimism."
Alexis: "Yeah, try desperation."
Jax: "No, you wanted to succeed so you could get out from underneath the Cassadines. You wanted to prove that you were as good or even better than the lot of them. You believed that you could do that, and that's why you prevailed."
Alexis: "Can I try? I'm excellent at picking up stations on my car radio."
Jax: "Be my guest. Be optimistic."
Alexis: "It's just an experiment. What do I say?"
Jax: "A seaweed wrap?"
Alexis: "It happens to be an excellent skin conditioner."
Jax: "Oh, you don't have to sell me on the value of seaweed. I put it in my protein shake every morning."
Alexis: "Oh, so you'll drink it, but you won't wrap yourself in it?"
Jax: "Yeah, that's right."
Alexis: "Why not?"
Jax: "Well, once you cross that line between food and clothing, there's just no turning back."
Alexis: "You're serious?"
Jax: "Deadly. Today, seaweed jockey shorts. Tomorrow, a brussel sprout hat."
Alexis: "Hmm. I'd give pretty much anything to see you in a brussel sprout hat."
Jax: "About as much as I'd give to see you in a--in a pea coat."
Alexis: "Now, that's pretty funny."
Jax: "That's pretty funny."
I really enjoyed the "pea coat" conversation. I just struck my funny bone. And if I forget to mention it, I found it delightful that Luke and Felicia started chatting about fruit when they were in the Mexican desert recently, while Jax and Alexis chatted vegetables. I'd theorize about the choice of food and the differences in humor between the couples, but I'll just leave that up to you. *G*
Ned: "Alexis makes her own decisions about which risks are worth taking and which are idiotic. I wouldn't dream of going behind her back. I wouldn't."
Jax: "Well, that's because right now she's leaning towards walking away from her claim on the Cassadine fortune. But, you know, she's waffled before. She might even change her mind."
Emily: "Yeah. She was trying to prove to me how normal everything is now. I know that because that's what I did after my mom died."
Nikolas: "Did it help?"
Emily: "Some days. And then there were times that I just didn't understand why the world hadn't stopped turning because my mom wasn't in it anymore."
Nikolas: "Yeah. That's how I'm feeling right now. And all of this work in front of me on my desk piling up, and none of it means anything. All I can think about is my brother being dead."
Emily: "You know, I never wanted to be an expert on what to do when people die."
I. Mac and Felicia Talk about the Fire (4/27)
Mac: "How can they print this?"
Felicia: "I hope Luke doesn't see it. He wasn't so good last night."
Mac: "The arson report isn't even in yet."
Felicia: "'The Herald' is taking the worst thing that ever happened to Luke and Laura just to sell a couple of papers."
Mac: "I put the arson report as top priority in all departments. It should be out soon. When Luke and Laura find out how that fire started, maybe it will help."
Felicia: "Knowing the facts does help. At least it did for me when you were shot. But nobody could say anything to me. All I wanted was you back."
Mac: "Why do you think I woke up?"
Felicia: "Lucky was Luke and Laura's miracle, and losing him, that kind of grief, dealing--they're probably doing things they never thought they would."
That's an understatement; this came on the day Luke and Bobbie found Lucky's bedroom in shambles after Laura tore it up the night before, the day after Luke and Tammy slept together. I was interested in the fact that Felicia mentioned Luke "last night" and Mac didn't ask a follow up question. I assumed that she had told him about it before.
Felicia: "I don't think that he's going to do anything incriminating right this very second."
Mac: "He never does. Wouldn't want to get any ashes on that suit."
Felicia: "You're going to feel a lot better when you get the arson report. Oh, that sounds so terrible."
Mac: "The night of the fire, Luke was just standing there, looking--looking at where his kid had been asleep, completely alone on the worst night of his life. I mean, the guy had a family, a home. Somehow it all just slipped away from him. I spent too many years running from the idea of a family, Felicia. I'm not going to do that with us."
Felicia: "You can't get away from me or the girls because we are going to follow you anywhere and everywhere you go--to the outmost ends of the earth. And we're going to take all of our stuff with us."
Mac: "Oh, well, they do have a lot of stuff."
Felicia: "No, I'm not talking about now. I mean in the future. Not just little stuff, like the little computer games and jackets and things. The really important, serious stuff like hot rollers and 11 pairs of shoes and little silky dresses and three kinds of colognes. All those kinds of things, the important stuff. You can't get away from us. We're going to always be around, and you can't run."
Mac: "Who's trying? But guess what--I got to run."
Felicia: "Me, too."
Mac: "Oh, really? Back to the Quartermaines?"
Felicia: "Today, I'm going to ask Lila about how she met the man of her dreams--something I can relate to."
Oh, how I loved this conversation. I talk about it in the Spencer section as well, in terms of stuff; this conversation came at the same time we had all the scenes about Lucky's room, about destroying stuff or getting rid of it. Things became a way to talk about relationships. Besides, I always like the thought of Mac in a house full of girls with hot rollers, etc. I imagine that he and the girls play dress-up sometimes, and that he looks really cute.
II. Mac and Taggert Talk about the Fire (4/28)
Taggert: "I wanted to know if you knew Corinthos and Morgan were back in business again."
Mac: "What business is that?"
Taggert: "The only business they've ever been in."
Taggert: "I thought maybe we could get a warrant and find out what they were having delivered."
Mac: "And why is that, to find out if those beans are regular or decaf?"
Mac: "This department does not run on what you believe will happen next, Taggert."
Taggert: "My apologies, commissioner. But, you see, I have been cursed with having too good a memory, and right now, I cannot forget the look on Elizabeth Webber's face when she found out her boyfriend had been fried because somebody had it in for anger boy and his little puppeteer."
Mac: "The arson report came down today. The fire has been ruled an accident."
Taggert: "They're wrong."
Mac: "No, they're not. The arson investigator had proof. This case is closed."
We keep seeing hints of the tension between Mac and Taggert, but it never really goes anywhere. I'd like to see it develop into a real PCPD story. But as Judy will tell you, that ain't ever gonna happen!
III. Felicia Goes to London to Meet Chloe Morgan (4/30)
Felicia: "Excuse me, I have never been to a prince's trust concert, but I happen to know these would come in handy. If you would give me five minutes of your time, I would consider it an even trade."
I wasn't sure if I would like this memoirs story or not, especially when it moved away from Lila. The scenes with the assistant did not amuse me. And when Chloe walked on my screen, I was certain I would hate it. And that I would hate her. Over time, the actress has softened from the forced delivery of lines in these opening scenes, and her genuine charm has shone through a rather poorly conceived, good-girl type of a character. I think that the first five-minute walk-on must be very hard for a new actress, or at least a new actress to a show (since I don't know what Tava Smiley has done before). But I'm finally convinced of her potential (Joan saw it all along), despite this lame start to her tenure on the show.
Here, though, are some of our comments on her first appearance, contrasted to Hannah's:
Terry: "Don't know what to think of Chloe just yet. Felicia's shoes though, were to die for--the ones she offered Chloe for five minutes of her time. I don't usually get too excited about shoes, but those were great. [Note: we would figure out on Monday that those were Chloe's shoes. Too bad. It was better Terry's way!]"
Amy: "I love Felicia and her shoes--the ones from Lucy's strip, the ones she mentioned in her litany of objects to Mac, and now these. Lovely."
"I think that the first, 60 second walk on must be the hardest thing for a new actress--or a person new to the show. I had the same flinch when Hannah walked on, so I'm interested to see the next day's episode so I can see if I see the potential in Chloe that Joan assures me is there. She's not nearly half as bad as that model chick, already."
Terry: "Speaking of Hannah, if there is no other shoe, if the fact that she's a ringer for Brenda and hits all the right notes, attitude and opinion-wise, is not part of some plan but just a cool coincidence, then I will get turned off quickly."
Amy: "I think that there's more going on and that Guza will spin it out just as the initial furor is over and people are settling in. They're a nice contrast, though: good girl, bad girl; blonde, brunette; etc."
Here again, Terry's description of these scenes from her ratsa update:
"Felicia appears at a London hotel suite where Chloe Morgan is staying. Chloe's assistant, an older lady named Therese, attempts to shoo her away, insisting Ms. Morgan has no time to speak to writers."
"Felicia continues to fight with Chloe's assistant through a couple more scenes. Therese threatens to call security. A huge vase of flowers, from 'Tom and Nicole,' arrives and Felicia gets into the assistant's good graces by preventing them from falling over onto a pile of sketches on the desk."
"Felicia waits and waits for Chloe to emerge from the other room. Finally, Chloe enters the room, on her way out to a Prince's Trust concert. She's wearing a long blue evening gown, and announces hat she's going barefoot because is unable to find her shoes. (I suppose we're suppose to label her a 'delightful flibberty-gibbet.') Felicia immediately displays a pair of shoes--absolutely to-die-for mules--and offers them in exchange for 5 minutes of Chloe's time, a gesture that makes the mystery woman smile. (Me, too. At first, I thought they were Filly's own shoes and that her quick thinking had led her to offer them, but that wasn't born out by Monday's episode. Guess I got carried away.)
"So, what do we make of the new GH addition? Hard to say from this brief glimpse. She's pretty, small, bears a passing resemblance to Felicia, in that she's small-boned, has tiny nose and even features, high cheekbones, a long neck. The simple blue silk evening gown shows off her shoulders to advantage."
I. Jax Makes Katherine an Offer for Her ELQ Stock (4/28)
Katherine: "You're attention span isn't what it used to be, Jax. I thought you were going after the Cassadine empire."
Jax: "I'm a businessman. I enjoy dismantling companies, not human lives."
I hoped that this didn't mean Katherine was infiltrating another storyline. As much as I comment on the isolation of characters on the show these days, she's not my choice for Miss Integration.
II. Jax Makes Peace with His Family (4/28)
Jax: "Well, obviously I'm never going to get out of here, so, in 50 words or less, why don't you tell me what's going on. Mom. Dad."
Jerry: "That's two."
Jax and Jerry: "You've been sending them money?"
Jane: "You mean you never discussed it?"
Jerry: "I thought he'd be angry with me."
Jax: "Yeah, that's right. I thought you'd accuse me of hypocrisy."
Jerry: "Hypocrite."
Jax: "Hey."
Jane: "Well, there's no use fighting about it now. But since we're no longer under obligation, perhaps we can become a family again."
Jax: "Yeah. Well, the woman I was with, Alexis Davis, she was certain that we were going to die. I was equally certain that Jerry would find a way to rescue us. Sitting out there with nothing but sky and sand around me, I realized that, despite my disappointment in all of you, the strongest belief was that my family would come through for me. I love you, mom. And you, too, dad. I always will."
I don't really enjoy the Jacks clan. They always fall rather flat, for me. Jerry's the only one I took a shine to, so I wasn't really invested in this reunion. It seemed contrived, after all, just so we could have the dinner scenes, below. But as the mixed marrieds storyline got underway in the summer, I found myself wishing that we could have a bit more about the Jacks brothers/Jacks family, as a point/counterpoint to the discussions of Ned and Alexis's families. We did get some, on towards the fall, but it was mostly Jax talking about his family, and we haven't seen enough of them for the conversations to resonate in the ways talk about the Cassadines and Quartermaines does.
III. Bobbie has Dinner with the Jacks (4/29)
John: "I know we've met ms. Spencer before, but apparently we weren't paying attention. What's she like?"
Jane: "Well, I certainly hope she has more personality than that last insipid--oh, what was your term for her?"
John: "Airhead flagpole."
Jane: "That's right--that airhead flagpole you dated."
John: "At least ms. Spencer speaks English, unlike those belly dancers you brought home that time."
Jax: "Well, let me assure you, dad, she speaks perfect English. Admittedly, with a bit of an accent."
Jerry: "I can assure you there's nothing insipid about her."
Jane: "You know, I never thought I'd say this, but my eldest appears quite smitten."
Jax: "Smitten. Yes, you're smitten."
Jerry: "You know what? Just wipe that grin off your face and behave or I'm going to smite you--the lot of you."
Jax: "'Smite.'"
Jane: "And I assure you, I thank god every second that both of you are safe. But I don't see what any of this has to do with how Jerry met Bobbie."
Bobbie: "Well, actually, the first thing I met was his coat. It fell on the ground in front of me as he was climbing out the window of his hotel."
John: "And you didn't run screaming in the opposite direction?"
Jerry: "Bobbie's a woman of rare courage."
Jane: "Or questionable judgment."
Bobbie: "Oh, no, on the contrary. I assure you, I have very good judgment where your oldest son is concerned. I liked him from the start."
Jerry: "Didn't act like it."
IV. The Jacks Boys Plot Against the Cassadines (4/30)
Jerry: "How'd he take the news that you're withdrawing from the game?"
Jax: "Well, I think he bought it. Yeah, I laid it on pretty thick, how intimidated I was by Helena. And once he learns that I've been making inquiries about the E.L.Q. stock, I'm sure he'll be convinced. With any luck, so will his mother. Then she and Stefan will turn on each other, fight to a standstill. And then once they've made each other nice and vulnerable--"
Jerry: "We blindside them. Perfect strategy."
Whatever happened to this little plot? I was looking forward to some cross-family stories, but this has just faded away with Nikolas's medical files.