VI. Stefan Questions Andreas (1/24)
Stefan: "Where's mother off to, anyway?"
Andreas: "Leave. Now."
Stefan: "You can tell me. I'm family."
Andreas: "I'm loyal to Mrs. Cassadine, not you."
Stefan: "Your brother was loyal, too."
Andreas: "Yes. Above all else."
Stefan: "Is that why she killed him?"
Stefan took his gloves off, as if to stay, and I was reminded of his deliberately taking his gloves off to shake hands with Roy, using the time to glare a little bit.
Andreas: "Ari devoted his life to Mrs. Cassadine."
Stefan: "So she stabbed him in the back with an ice pick."
Andreas: "That's a lie."
Stefan: "It takes a long time to bleed to death. Do you think -- do you think he was afraid? Did he wonder why you didn't come and help him?"
Andreas: "I wasn't even in this country. I -- madam has warned me about you. Get out."
Stefan: "You can help Ari now. You can get revenge."
Stefan: "What do you think will happen when Helena's finished with you?"
Andreas: "Madam is very pleased with me."
Stefan: "She can't risk another murder. Perhaps a car accident. Or you might take a nasty fall off the yacht, get trapped under the ice. I can protect you if you tell me what you know."
Andreas: "You have no business here. I can't help you."
Helena: "A wise choice, my darling. Hello, Stefan."
Helena: "Andreas? I know how difficult my son can be. Thank you for treating him with courtesy."
Stefan: "You came all the way back here for a scarf?"
Helena: "You know how I can't take the cold."
When Helena entered, I was reminded of Sonny coming in on Roy's test of loyalty. I wondered how long she had been listening in to see if Andreas was going to live up to her expectations. Andreas glared at Stefan as he left. But with that last line of Helena's, I laughed out loud. Mikkos, after all, couldn't stand the cold either...when it came right down to it.
These scenes appeared opposite the scenes of Laura and Felicia sniping over Luke at the club. It interests me that now, even before the search for Lucky had begun on screen, Laura's scenes were on Spencer territory and concerning Spencer things, rather than primarily being with the Cassadines.
VII. Alexis v. Helena, Round I (1/26)
Alexis: "What if I told you that I know every dirty little secret?"
Helena: "Really?"
Alexis: "You've been exposed. The empress has no clothes."
Helena: "I should have had you disposed of years ago, but you were so pathetic I allowed you to survive."
Alexis: "Well, I'll send you a thank-you note. In the meantime, why don't you find someone else to do your bidding?"
Helena: "My, my, your bravado is most impressive and touching, if transparent. You see, behind those expensive clothes and the law degree, you're still my husband's dirty little secret."
Alexis: "See, now you've gone too far. Brace yourself for the fall. You shouldn't play with knives. You could kill someone."
Helena: "I don't care about inconvenience. I want lucky moved immediately."
Andreas: "Are you all right?"
Helena: "Well, it seems that Alexis might know more than is good for her."
Andreas: "About what?"
Helena: "Lucky Spencer."
Andreas: "How could that be?"
Helena: "I have no idea."
Andreas: "Is it possible you're mistaken?"
Helena: "Yes, it is possible. But I have too much at stake to take a chance. Now, we have to act quickly. Alexis must be neutralized."
This was an awkward set up for an even more awkward end to the mixed marriages. While I enjoy Alexis standing up to Helena, I thought that the escalation of their quarrels was a bit out of the blue, since Alexis hasn't been involved with her family for a while, and since I didn't buy for a minute that Helena would come to ask Alexis to represent her since it was clear she had everything under control.
I did enjoy the blocking, not only with Alexis taking the table knife out of Hel's hand and dropping it down to clang on the plate (Helena picked it up thoughtfully afterwards--ha!), but even more the moment where both Alexis and Helena were sitting with their hand to their face and one finger pointing up towards their temple. The similarity between these two has never been played out, but Alexis is the kinder gentler version of Helena at times: family, scheming, wanting to win. But let's not forget Andreas. He arrived and came to kiss Helena on the cheek before the above lines. Oh, and Helena was in gorgeous purple velvet.
VIII. Alexis v. Helena, Round II (1/27)
Helena: "Well. Still trying to make this place look better than the second-rate restaurant it used to be."
Alexis: "Oh, shoot. I forgot to put up the barbed wire. You stay here while I get the killer dogs."
Helena: "Oh, Alexis. It's time we set aside our differences."
Alexis: "We have no differences, Helena. You just plain old don't matter."
When Ned came into the room upstage, he just stopped and listened for a bit, as if to see if Alexis was going to need his support. Or maybe to gauge the danger.
Alexis: "Oh, I get it. You're scared, aren't you? I scared you yesterday, didn't I? You're all worried about what I know. You should be worried. I know all kinds of things."
Helena: "Whatever shred of power you imagine that you have has obviously gone to your head."
Helena: "You're making an obstacle of yourself, Alexis."
Alexis: "I know. And it's really fun."
Helena: "Obstacles must be removed."
Ned: "Is that a threat?"
Helena: "Do you defend all of your hourly help with such passion?"
Ned: "You Cassadines can pick each other off from now until eternity for all I care, but Alexis has walked away. She has nothing to do with any of you."
Alexis: "I think she misses me."
Ned: "Well, she can push somebody else around."
Helena: "Now, how does such a little mouse inspire such loyalty from men? Mr. Ashton, Mr. Jacks. One has to wonder."
Ned: "Would you like me and Jax to clear it up for you?"
Helena: "And how would that work?"
Ned: "If you keep bothering Alexis, we'll just have to hit you where it hurts, right in the heart of the Cassadine Empire. Jax will raid, and I'll pillage."
Alexis: "And I'll do the paperwork."
Helena: "I'm beginning to understand why you feel so confident. But don't fool yourself. You're not invulnerable."
Alexis: "Neither are you. And you know exactly what I'm talking about. Don't you?"
Helena: "I'm afraid I do."
Alexis: "Then why don't you fly away and leave us alone, you old bat."
Helena: "You're toast, Alexis."
It just got worse and worse (though I liked, again, the dual scenes of Ned and Alexis sticking up for each other against their family members), and when Helena actually said that last line, I rolled my eyes almost out of my head. I just don't think Helena would ever say such a thing! And Alexis seemed very unwilling to admit that she could really get herself into trouble with this game she was playing; I was pleased that Ned reminded her of the consequences. All in all, a really bad set up for Chloe's accident.
IX. Helena Goes to Stefan (1/27)
Helena: "Well, why did I imagine you'd be on time?"
Stefan: "What do you want?"
Helena: "Muzzle your little attack dog."
Stefan: "I'm too busy to speak in code."
Helena: "Oh, must I explain every little nuance? Alexis, Natasha, Mikkos's bastard child."
Stefan: "You're concerned about Alexis."
Helena: "Alexis is beginning to annoy me."
Stefan: "Good."
Helena: "And you're putting her up to it."
Stefan: "Why would I do that?"
Helena: "That's what I'm wondering."
Stefan: "Alexis thinks for herself. Especially these days. But if she does have her sights on you, I'm sure she has good reasons of her own."
Helena: "And why should I believe you?"
Stefan: "Are you really frightened?"
Helena: "Of Alexis? No."
Stefan: "Then what is this about?"
Helena: "Alexis is insignificant. She always has been. My only concern now is in protecting Nikolas. When you look at him, you see Stavros, and you hated your brother so much. How can you help but hate his child?"
Stefan: "I didn't hate my brother. I pitied him. And as for Nikolas, I raised him as my own. I could only love him."
Helena: "You don't love Nikolas. You never have. I see you as the weak, ineffectual man that you are. Perhaps Alexis does, too. But Nikolas can't, and that places him in great danger."
Stefan: "I don't have time for your insane ramblings."
Helena: "Because you know they're true."
And why would Helena give away the fact that she was having trouble with Alexis? Why would she assume that Stefan was behind it? I would much rather have seen her on a fishing expedition concerning what she thought Alexis knew. If she suspected Stefan was behind it, wouldn't she then be worried that he knew about Lucky? All in all, not a good set of scenes for the Cassadines.
X. And Stefan Goes to Andreas (1/27)
Stefan: "Ah. I see madam has been shopping again."
Andreas: "I can't speak with you."
Stefan: "Wouldn't it be easier to simply have the merchandise delivered?"
Andreas: "Madam let it go once, but now --"
Stefan: "Tell me what she's up to."
Andreas: "I don't know."
Stefan: "Then why do you care if she sees us?"
Andreas: "I've been warned."
Stefan: "I wonder if she warned your brother."
Andreas: "I can't take the chance."
Stefan: "Then you leave me no choice. I'll wait here until she arrives, make sure she knows I'm here."
Andreas: "Please. Don't."
Stefan: "Doesn't Ari deserve better than this? You know Helena killed him. How is she deserving of your loyalty?"
Andreas: "Helena's leaving town."
Stefan: "Where is she going?"
Andreas: "Please. That's all I can tell you. She's supposed to be here now."
Stefan: "Your brother would be proud. I'll be in touch."
Andreas was toting shopping bags at this point, I think. Too cute, and very appropriate, given the conversation about Hel's treatment of her servant-companions. It was weird to see Stefan put his hand on Andreas's shoulder and neck just as he does to Nikolas in some of their more intense scenes. But then, you can read the girls' interpretation of that below....
XI. Alexis v. Helena, Round III (1/27, 1/28)
Helena: "Oh, poor Andreas, out here in the cold. That is the last package, I promise."
Andreas: "I don't mind."
Helena: "You are the first person I've been happy to see all afternoon."
Andreas: "Thank you."
Helena: "Yes, that unfortunate son of mine and that little ungrateful guttersnipe in one afternoon -- that's too much for anyone. But I'm going to change that soon."
Andreas: "May I ask what madam has in mind?"
Helena: "Stefan is not a problem yet. But Alexis knows something about lucky Spencer. She has to be eliminated."
Andreas: "Madam means to kill her?"
Helena: "Tomorrow."
Just in case we didn't get it. And tomorrow:
Helena: "You're not getting squeamish, I hope."
Andreas: "Shouldn't you rely on a professional for something as risky as this?"
Helena: "You are getting squeamish, aren't you? What a pity."
Andreas: "My only concern is for you, madam."
Andreas was the bright spot, actually. We adore him:
Judy: "I'm so pleased to see that Helena hasn't killed off Andreas yet!"
Terry: "Heck, Andreas is getting regular screen time, in a continuing relationship with Stefan that I swear puts me to mind of the 'love that dare not speak its name' chemistry of Sonny and Jason and/or Luke. Andreas and Stefan have undercurrents, I tells ya."
Judy: "Crack me up! I've only seen them together once (on Friday), but I immediately thought the same thing. How long have they been meeting clandestinely? Has Andreas given a reason as to why he's betraying Helena? Does he know about Helena killing Ari? *sigh* Seeing those two men share the same screen is wonderful! I hope dear Andreas can stick around for a while..."
Joan "Hah! And I thought I was the only one who was seeing the other kind of Greek flashbacks. Talk about your subtext! Stefan's got poor Andreas so confused he forgot to wear his accent yesterday. Have we considered that when Andreas tells Stefan intensely (these two do everything intensely, and clandestinely, natch, therefore heightening the intensity) that he can't leave yet because he has something to do, that something is to try to kill his dear Madame to avenge his equally dear twin? (I say try because I don't want to live in a soap world without Helena.)"
Judy: "But I was wondering about accents. I actually thought I heard more of an accent creeping through on Friday (of course, it could be any number of American accents too
Joan: "Actually, it was more as if The Actor Playing Andreas Who Used To Play Ari, hereafter (or maybe not) known as TAPAWUTPA, was so intent on being intense -- and doing a bang-up job -- that the accent simply couldn't get through the force field."
Terry: "Crack me up! I'm tellin' you, the boy is a find. If only he were playing Nik, and NuNik were playing Juan, and Mr. Salcedo were sent to Henson Productions to play gelflings for the rest of his days. The casting director still has an eye for talent, after all, he just isn't plugging them into the right holes, I tell ya."
"I wondered about the 'yet' as well, and about the 'now you must do something for me' bit. This is getting yummy."
Judy: "Well, perhaps they saw what we saw and thought better of casting a son for Stefan that had...um...too much 'chemistry' with dear old Dad (or Uncle, as it were...)."
Joan: "This is so true, Terry. I told a friend about your idea last night, Terry, and she must have been sleepy. She kept saying 'Leave it to Guza,' while I tried to tell her she also was looking in the wrong hole -- Mark Teschner, formerly my Platonic Ideal of a male casting director (poor Betty Rea being the womanly one), is responsible for mismatching these actors with their roles."
Judy: "Man, I hope there's a way to keep both Helena and Andreas around for a good while. Helena may have shortened her lifespan considerably by going after Chloe (although I think she deserves a medal *g*)."
Joan: "Oh, Please, please let them stay and flourish and form yet another of those wonderful soap dysfunctional made families. Devoted servant of a mass murderer who bides his time until his worm can turn. (Oh. Migod. Even that become double-entendreville because I'm thinking of TAPAWUTPA!!!!)"
From Terry's Update: "I don't need no stinkin' professional: Helena and hunky Andreas are talking on the docks about some unspecified plan to 'remove Alexis as an obstacle.' He thinks they should call in professional help, but Helena is all set to do the job herself--today."
XII. Stefan Seeks Out Luke (1/28)
Laura: "Looking for me, I hope."
Stefan: "Do you know where Luke is? Or more to the point, what he's doing?"
We cut from this line to Luke telling Roy about Lucky.
Laura: "Why do you want to know about Luke?"
Remember this scene, will you? Remember that Laura gave Stefan, or was willing to give Stefan, information about Luke. You'll need it for a later comparison. We cut from this scene to a Felicia and Luke greeting each other with a big, big hug.
The line I got hung up on here was the "I have nothing to gain from endangering Luke," spoken with his hand on her cheek. It suggested arrogance, the fact that he already had gained Laura, and I added a mental "now" to the end of the sentence. Terry addressed Laura in these scenes, and gave a different reading to that line:
Terry: "The Laura/Stefan scene didn't bug me as it did others online, who saw it, natch, as another case of Laura being more concerned with Luke than Stefan and not caring about Stefan. I thought Laura made the right emphasis, telling Stefan she didn't want anything to happen to Luke, the father of her children (corrected to child, to underscore the Lucky business for those of us in the audience who need to be spoonfed, I guess)."
"Mostly, I think Laura is troubled that the old Spencer/Cassadine feud could reheat and she wants no part of that. I think she's worried about Luke but also ticked at Luke, and may well wind up feeling the same way about Stefan. In other scenes, we've seen that she's worried about Stefan, as when they talked on the docks about Helena being freed and her first response was 'she'll come after you, Stefan.' She worried about both her men and wants neither one in danger. When one does something that puts himself in danger, or endangers the other, she's gonna be pissed, because she wants to keep all the rest of her loved ones intact, having already, she thinks, lost Lucky."
"Now she sees the potential for a renewed Cassadine/Spencer problem. She knows something is up with Helena, that Helena was involved with Faison, that the Cassadines are due for some infighting. Stefan has now reminded her that Luke was also involved somehow with Faison, and he told her that Luke went to Europe. Stefan correctly surmised Luke was in Europe to find out more about Faison. Laura can play connect the dots and start to worry about Luke nosing around in Cassadine affairs. No wonder she pleaded with Stefan not to do anything that put Luke in danger. I noticed she didn't ask Stefan not to hurt Luke directly; I don't think she imagines he would do that. She asked him not to put Luke in danger, which isn't the same thing exactly."
"I liked Stefan's response-- that he had nothing to gain from harming Luke. He thinks Laura's future is with him, not with her soon-to-be-ex-husband, I think. He has no desire to re-ignite a pissing contest with Luke. Thank goodness, although I fear things will change when Lucky turns up."
Arda: "Stefan was inquiring about Luke, so it was appropriate for Laura to express concern about Luke. I didn't read more into it. If Luke were asking Laura about Stefan's whereabouts, I imagine she'd then be concerned about Stefan."
"But Stefan can afford to be charitable since he isn't as threatened by Luke (as Laura's love) as he once was. Stefan is not the cause of the L&L breakup, but he's certainly been the beneficiary."
Amy: "Although I'm surprised he's not beginning to consider himself threatened. If he's jealous of Roy, after all, even a little bit... *g*"
From Terry's update: "As she exits from her talk with Bobbie, Carly literally crosses paths with Stefan, who is stepping off the elevator. Laura, conveniently enough, is coming down the hall at that very moment, and he wants a word with her."
"Nothing to gain, in fact, much to lose: Laura want to know why Stefan is asking about Luke. He tells her that Luke 'may have information that affects your safety and Nikolas's.' He knows that Helena and Faison were connected, as were Luke and Faison. He wonders about Luke's trip to Europe after Faison's death. Laura asks Stefan for a promise. 'Anything,' he answers immediately. She asks him not to do anything to put Luke in jeopardy. 'He's the father of my children. LONG PAUSE He's the father of my child.' (We need to start counting these little reminders that folks think Lucky's dead but we in the audience know better. They are coming fast and furious these days.) 'I have nothing to gain from endangering Luke,' Stefan says, gazing into her eyes. 'Thank you," Laura says. He goes and she looks worried.
XIII. Stefan Quizzes Andreas Again (1/31)
Andreas: "You're going to get me killed."
There's a running joke on ratsa that when people die, they go to Canada. So at this point, we just about died laughing.
Stefan: "Yes. Do you have a minute?"
Stefan: "Laura, listen to me. Luke may have information that affects your safety and Nikolas'."
Laura: "What information?"
Stefan: "Helena was connected to Cesar Faison in some way. Faison had intricate dealings with Luke."
Laura: "But how is Luke involved in that?"
Stefan: "I'm not completely sure. But his trip to Europe, he may be trying to uncover that connection between Helena and Faison."
Laura: "So you mean he's in danger, then?"
Stefan: "We're all in danger until Helena is stopped."
Laura: "He didn't tell me anything. He just said that he had to go see -- he said he wanted to check on something even if it didn't pan out and that he had to see it through anyway. That's it. Does that help?"
Stefan: "Perhaps."
Laura: "Stefan - will you promise me something?"
Stefan: "Anything."
Laura: "I don't care what happens to Helena. But I do care what happens to Luke. He's the father of my children he's the father of my child. Don't do anything to put him in jeopardy. Please."
Stefan: "I have nothing to gain from endangering Luke."
Laura: "Thank you."
Stefan: "I can protect you. I can make it possible for you to disappear."
Andreas: "I don't want to disappear. Not yet. If I tell you something, do I have your word that when I come to you for help you'll give it?"
Stefan: "Yes. Where is my mother going?"
Andreas: "Nova Scotia."