II. Sonny Tells Carly That Jason's Gone (1/18)
Johnny: "Mr. Corinthos doesn't want to be disturbed."
Carly: "Mr. Corinthos will get over it."
Carly: "He's not gone. I saw him this afternoon."
Sonny: "You don't listen, do you?"
Carly: "Well, he wouldn't just leave. He told me he loved me today. Just a few hours ago, this afternoon."
Sonny: "So what?"
Carly: "Sonny, why are you being like this?"
Sonny: "You ever think maybe he was telling you good-bye?"
Carly: "No. You know what I think? I think that Jason and I have a real chance, whether you like it or not."
Sonny: "Oh."
Carly: "You need to deal with it. And I think you know where he is and you need to tell me and you need to tell me now."
Sonny: "Jason left you."
Carly: "That's not true."
Sonny: "Not that I blame him."
Carly: "When did you see him?"
Sonny: "What difference does it make?"
Carly: "When--well, what did he say? Did he tell you where he was going?"
Sonny: "So I can tell you all about it? No."
Carly: "No, because, you know, you'd know where to find him if you wanted to."
Sonny: "But I don't want to."
Carly: "Sonny, I know how you feel about me, ok? I know exactly how you feel. But we're the same, you and me."
Sonny: "So is that why you want me to find him? So we can tear him up again?"
Carly: "No, because I--I just really need him."
Sonny: "You're too late."
Carly: "Jason understands me and he would not do this to me."
Sonny: "He's gone just the same."
Carly: "Sonny, I'm in a lot of trouble. I really, really need you to help me. Please."
Sonny: "Sorry. I can't help you, little girl."
Carly: "It's really worse than you could even imagine. Please?"
Sonny: "Jason doesn't want you to find him."
Carly: "Yes, he does, ok? In his heart, I know that he does."
Sonny: "Jason left because of you!"
Carly: "Jason didn't leave because of me."
Sonny: "He told me himself."
Carly: "Well, you know what? That's funny, because you know what he told me out on the docks just a little while ago? That I was strong and brave and that we'd always be the best of friends. So--"
Sonny: "Don't you know good-bye when you hear it, Carly?"
Carly: "Jason would never just leave."
Sonny: "He just did!"
Carly: "You don't get me and Jason, ok? Nobody does. When I screw up, when I'm wrong, I do things that are crazy, he understands. You know, he forgives me. He just does. I know if I could just--you know, if I could just see him--and if you know where he is--"
Sonny: "Why would tell you? So you can drag Michael to him, huh? Make him come back where he doesn't want to be?"
Carly: "Jason loves me. We were just starting to get back, you know?"
Sonny: "You ruined Jason's life."
Carly: "Is that what he told you?"
Sonny: "Just when Jason got close to what he wanted, you took it away. You made him want a family, then you wouldn't let him have that. You gave him Michael, then you took Michael back. And just when Jason started to love you, you had to mess that up."
Carly: "What? I didn't go up those stairs by myself, now! Did I?"
Sonny: "At least Jason got away. Michael can't. If not for you, Michael would be with Jason on the island right now, on the beach, swimming in the ocean. You'd be there, too, you know? One big happy family."
Carly: "That's all I want."
Sonny: "That's all you want? But you can't have it! Neither will your son. That kid doesn't stand a chance in hell with a mother like you. You're going to ruin his life, if you haven't already."
Carly: "Huh."
Sonny: "Jason didn't want to stand by and watch that happen. I don't blame him. Now, get out of here."
Carly: "If he calls, you know, just--"
Sonny: "Jason's not going to call. Not today, not tomorrow, not--"
Carly: "Well, if he does, tell him that I need to--"
Sonny: "You're the reason he left. I told you that a thousand times."
Carly: "You need to stop saying that to me. Please."
Sonny: "All right. I'll tell you--I'll give you this. You had a little help from me."
Carly: "Honey, you have no idea."
People complained that Carly and Sonny blamed everybody else but themselves, but I saw something slightly different. I saw them both blaming themselves, but, as a defense mechanism especially against each other, lashing out by blaming anybody else. Sonny can't let Carly comfort herself with reassurances about Jason because he doesn't believe that he deserves those reassurances. And the beat goes on. Here are two hurting people determined to hurt each other. But what interests me is that Carly would continue to insist that Jason loved her in the face of Sonny, leaving herself open to more accusations and denials. At one point, however, Sonny would admit that Jason loved her. And because of scenes like those above, that quiet admission held more power for Carly and for me.
A small thing. Carly put the box for her pregnancy test in the trash, then took it back out again, hiding it from AJ. I couldn't help but remember her positioning another test "just so" so Tony couldn't help but see it.
III. Carly Goes to the Clinic (1/19)
Tony: "Why did you want me for this case?"
Val: "Your warm bedside manner. Your gift of being supportive--"
Tony: "And the fact that you're being pulled in 15 different directions?"
Val: "Well, that might have something to do with it. She's over there."
Tony: "So, we have your test results back, and you are definitely going to have a baby, Caroline."
Tony: "Another baby, Carly. I mean, haven't you done enough damage with the first one?"
Tony: "It just never stops with you, does it? I--I can't even imagine what you're trying to cover up this time."
Carly: "Do you think we could just--just try not to tear each other apart just this one time?"
Tony: "I doubt it."
Carly: "Ok. Look, we both know that I have a tendency to mess things up. And that's--that's why I'm here. I'm trying to fix that."
Tony: "Go on. It's--I'm intrigued."
Carly: "Well, you know, the Quartermaines would love nothing more than another heir to their family fortune. And if I--I told them that I even suspected that I thought I was pregnant, they would have a new nursery built before I even got the words out of my mouth."
Tony: "So you just came here to spare their feelings. That's highly unlikely."
Carly: "I need some time. You know? We both know anything--anything could happen in the first three months."
Tony: "You got a point."
Carly: "So will you keep my secret?"
Tony: "You know, what's really sad here is that you have lied so many times that I no longer have faith you're telling the truth."
Carly: "Well, Tony, you know, you've lied a lot, too, and, you know, I've seen you change and I've changed, too."
Carly: "So, maybe I'll tell him, you know? But maybe I'll just find an excuse to go on a vacation."
Tony: "I don't want to hear this, and I certainly don't want to be a part of it, you know? Just listening to you--it just brings back every single lie that you ever told when you were pregnant with Michael, how you tried to manipulate me into marrying you, how you just sort of failed to tell me that you slept with A.J. and how you took the child that I thought was mine and you gave it to Jason like some kind of houseplant that you didn't feel like watering anymore. I have a lot of scars from you, you know? And I'm not going to do to someone else what you did to me. Thank you."
Tony: "Have--have you ever had any thoughts in your mind about birth control, anything like that?"
Carly: "I'm not exactly what you'd call a good planner. You know that."
Tony: "And you have an obligation to tell him."
Carly: "I will tell him, but, you know, I don't have to tell him right now."
Tony: "Why not? What's the difference?"
Carly: "Because he's under a lot of pressure at work and, you know, I don't want to make it worse for him right now."
Tony: "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. You--you want me to believe that you are thinking about somebody else instead of yourself?"
Carly: "You know what I think? You know what I think this is about? I think you're jealous. You're just jealous because A.J. and I have something real. We have a life, something that you haven't managed to find yet. All I'm asking you to do is not tell anybody I was here. Can you do that?"
Tony: "It's my duty as a physician to protect the privacy of my patients. So if you want to keep this a secret, I'll go along with that."
Carly: "Glad to hear it."
Tony: "But I'll be watching you, Caroline."
I couldn't help but think that Carly must have picked up the hat Faison tossed on the docks before he blew up. There sure are a lot of black hats running around Port Chuckles!
While the others talked about Jason leaving, Carly was at the clinic. I wasn't sure why she'd go there, to the very clinic at which Tony works (wouldn't she know?), but I didn't mind the convenience. These scenes may have been a bit heavy-handed, and Tony just a means to let Bobbie in on the secret, but I still enjoyed them. Some of our thoughts before these scenes aired:
Terry: "I dread the online response to Carly's pregnancy, especially if she contemplates what I assume she'll contemplate. Here's what has surprised me about speculations about her response to the bunny dying so far--everyone's wondering if she'll claim the baby belongs to Jason or just sleep with AJ and try to pass off a cuckoo in the nest. Well, have we become so committed to 'family values' on daytime that no one can possible consider abortion anymore? It seems the logical thing for Carly to consider. I would assume she'll think about abortion and Sonny will find out and stop her."
"Does that make sense to anyone else, or have I missed something that would make Carly unable to even contemplate that option? I vaguely remember her saying something about being glad Bobbie didn't abort her instead of having her adopted, and can imagine that might color her thinking."
Amy: "I don't think that she will consider abortion, though she certainly should. I'm not saying she should do it, but it's a viable option, and it's out there. And I believe that she would finally not be able too abort the pregnancy. I've always believed that she loved Michael and was a good mother to him, but lots of people don't agree with me. I think she'll have to scramble to cover the truth, but that she'll end up keeping the child."
"Actually, wasn't abortion an argument Luke threw up in her face when she complained about Bobbie not keeping her? My vague memory is of him telling Caroline to thank Bobbie for her life, since Bobbie could have had an abortion (he may have even said that he voted for that option). The conversation I would like to see is Carly telling Bobbie that she can't imagine aborting this child--and then realizing that the reason Bobbie chose adoption was that she couldn't imagine aborting Carly. It would be nice to see Carly consciously realize and articulate that Bobbie's decision was made from love, what with all the anger Carly's had over it."
"Somebody suggested that she might think of this as a child of rape, but that thought would mean she wasn't taking the blame, which I believe wholeheartedly that she's doing. Rather, I'd like to see her really strut her mothering stuff with this second child, who maybe nobody's going to want (though I don't know if Sonny could pass up a child, if he knows about it, whoever the mother--if he doesn't sue for custody, or even mention the option, I'm going to laugh that he's the one guy who hasn't made that threat to Carly). I also hear that she's going to find out she's pregnant at the clinic, and Tony's going to be in on the secret."
"I just dread her trying to find a way to use this new child to her advantage in the Q house. Personally, that's the worst-case scenario--for Carly's sake. I'd like to see her rise above the accusations Monica and others throw at her about using her children. Sure, she capitalizes on them sometimes, but I'd hate to see her using the new kid as a bargaining chip."
"But I agree. It's an option, and it's out there, and I don't remember Carly breathing word one about it with Michael either. At the same time, I wouldn't expect Carly to make that choice, no matter whose child it was."
IV. A Visit From Mama (1/21)
Bobbie: "Hi. Don't blame Reginald. I had to apply a lot of pressure before he cracked."
Carly: "I've been busy. Michael's been really fussy, you know?"
Bobbie: "Carly, I found out. You don't have to hide it from me."
Carly: "You found out what?"
Bobbie: "About Jason. Monica told me. And as much as I was sympathetic to her, I couldn't stop thinking about you. Are you ok?"
Carly: "How do I look?"
Bobbie: "Like you haven't been sleeping."
Carly: "Jason was the one person I could always go to, you know, when I messed everything up. What am I going to do without him?"
Bobbie: "What happened?"
Carly: "I guess I always counted on him to forgive me. We had a connection, and I--I destroyed it."
Bobbie: "By doing what?"
Carly: "Just being me. I guess I panicked, you know? I mean, I do that, mom. I just--I always do. What am I going to do? Who am I--who am I going to count on, and who's going to be there for me?"
Bobbie I will be there for you. I'll do my best."
Carly: "No offense. I don't think you're up for the job."
Bobbie: "Carly, what happened?"
Carly: "I blew it. Big time."
Bobbie: "Carly, I can't help you fix a problem if I don't know what it is."
Carly: "You know what? That's where I keep making my mistake--in looking to other people to solve my problems for me. It's like, you know, it wasn't fair of me to dump all my junk on Jason. And I'm not going to do the same thing with you and watch you bail on me."
Bobbie: "I wouldn't do that."
Carly: "Well, you know what? Jason said he wasn't going anywhere, either."
Bobbie: "What happened with Jason?"
Carly: "I guess he couldn't take something anymore. And what timing, huh? Because I really, really need him right now. But, hey, you know, maybe this will turn out to be one of those great learning experiences, you know? What does not kill you makes you stronger. Anyway, I'm going to just--I'm going to deal with this on my own."
Bobbie: "Carly, I know you. And I can tell when you're psyching yourself up to do something."
Carly: "I'm just taking stock, you know? I have to find a way to make my life work and to do what's best for my child."
Bobbie: "Don't look to Sonny to help."
Carly: "You got that right."
The lines about Jason saying he wouldn't leave and then leaving were heartbreaking. I want so much for mother and daughter to get in synch with this storyline, and for Bobbie finally to be able to be on Carly's side--for Carly to realize that she is. Of course, I kept waiting for Bobbie to hand Carly a Kleenex, her nose was running so badly! Sonny arrived and smiled one of his little mean smiles at Carly, prompting the last exchange above. I also notice that, while Carly's blouse is black, her pants are hot pink vinyl, while her mom's in the same dark hot pink/rose color. Sonny, meanwhile, is in a mauve color shirt.
From Terry's update: "Across the way from the mixed marrieds, Carly sits alone, drinking tea and looking miserable and having flashback snippets of sex with Sonny and Tony's confirmation of her pregnancy. Her nostril flares show her unhappiness, and she's joined by Bobbie, who has tracked her down. 'You don't have to hide it from me,' Bobbie tells her daughter. 'I found out.' We cut to Sonny at the penthouse."
"We pick up on the cliffhanger line from earlier. Bobbie asks Carly how she feels, now that Jason is out of town, although it is clear from her brimming eyes and red nose that Carly's not holding up well. Bobbie wants to know what happened and Carly says she and Jason always had a connection 'but I destroyed it.' (She is sniffling and pulling at her fingers throughout this conversation.) 'By doing what?' 'Just being me,' Carly answers sadly, which breaks my heart. 'Who'm I gonna count on?' she weeps. 'Me,' Bobbie assures her."
"Carly says she has to stop looking to others to solve her problems. Bobbie notices Sonny, and tells Carly not to expect him to tell her where Jason is. 'Actually, I wasn't going to ask,' Carly deadpans, before leaving."
More of my speculations:
Amy: "Carly's going to consider and abortion, go through counseling, and still make an appointment to have one. Bobbie will figure out that she's pregnant, that she's planned the abortion, and will go to her. The teaser is: 'Will she get there on time?' My answer? Of course she will. This, on the heels of Jason's departure, will be the thing that lets Bobbie really come to help her daughter, and hopefully they'll address Bobbie's own choice of adoption for her daughter."
"But I'll bet that Carly loses this baby. Soap law punishment for both of them for screwing around behind Jason's back, but the loss will bring them together as a couple. She'll carry it long enough to convince AJ that its his, and for Sonny to find out that its actually his, and perhaps, just perhaps, when she throws it in AJ's face that its Sonny's, AJ will do something that causes her to lose the child--thereby serving to make AJ the ultimate bad guy. Carly will get her divorce, at least partial custody of Michael, and Sonny will go after the Qs. AJ will lose ELQ, and Ned will come back just as the mixed marrieds reconcile (though whether Gertrude will find out or they'll win, I'm not willing to speculate on at this time--nor whether they'll all actually end up with their 'right' partners)."
"I also wonder how reluctant they are to saddle such a young character with two kids under the age of 5. It means it'll have to be figured into every storyline with her from now on, and for a character so young, with so much to work out, I don't even think I'm happy about the prospect, as much as I hope that this little tyke could be the way for Carly to work some things out."
"Besides, a miscarriage would be fairly harsh soap punishment for Carly's mis-deeds, but could be good drama worthy of Sarah Brown--even though Guza might use it to re-inscribe her in those same tired scenes we see over and over."
"Then again, I keep expecting Brown to leave, now that Burton is gone. The Sonny/Carly story could be interesting, but it seems like a major, long-term thing to undertake. And if she wants out, now seems like a logical time. It's for certain that the AJ side of things is just a waste, in my opinion."