Quick Takes
PCPD: Calling Dionne Warwick
by Joan Roseman
What's wrong with this picture? Luke Spencer is under arrest for the murder of
Stefan Cassadine, based on the following hard evidence:
1. Stefan, world traveler, has been absent from Port Charles for (at this
writing) less than 24 hours.
2. Luke Spencer, frequent threatener of anyone who annoys him, made a threat against
Cassadine in Mac's presence.
3. A vial with traces of poison was found in Luke's safe.
4. Chloe had a bad dream.
Now, it's not that people aren't regularly tried for murdering the non-dead
in Port Charles; in recent memory, both Damian Smith and Katherine Bell were alive
and kicking while their supposed deaths were being examined in court. My gripe
is that in those cases, there was evidence at least pointing to the likelihood
of their being expired characters. Here, there's insufficient evidence that Stefan
is a missing person, much less a stiff. Why Mac, even a Mac who'd just love to
fry Luke for watering drinks at his club, would assume Stefan is dead simply because
he decided to give his estate managers the slip escapes me. I can't wait for Dara
to raise the question. "Um, Mac? I don't really have the best record prosecuting
these cases. Shouldn't we even try to produce a body? Please?"
Dark Foreshadows
by Judy Ellison
Lately, a lot of the foreshadowing looks as if it's being done with a big, black
felt tip marker. Did we really need to see multiple shots of Carly gettin' her
gun prior to the Nurses' Ball, and did we really need to hear her oft-repeated
"take care of AJ" pleas to Sonny? After that barrage of Big Clues, I had to stifle
a yawn when Carly (surprise!) pulled the gun (which, by then, had received more
airtime than Brad Maule does in a year) on AJ at the Nurses' Ball. And why the
bizarre, out-of-the-blue encounter with Monica and the late-in-life pregnant woman?
Was anyone shocked to hear her confess to Bobbie that she might be pregnant after
that? (I know I would've liked to have been!) Who needs "spoilers" when we've
got writers willing to give it all away? Who needs to "tune in tomorrow" when
all of tomorrow's plot-twists have been so carefully outlined in advance? And
who needs Sominex when this dramatic equivalent to counting sheep is available?
Center Stage: Grieving Mothers
by Amy McWilliams
My favorite moment of the Nurses' Ball scenes on General Hospital this
time around wasn't an act. It was something unexpected, but not something big.
It was Carly's trip to the stage to accept the photo of the children Sonny had
helped in her name. Not only was the gesture charming, and the fact that it was
a surprise, but Carly knew that he didn't want to go, that she made him, and that
he had done this for her anyway. The moment where AJ rose and applauded her and
she stopped was yet another of Judy's "dark foreshadows," but I liked that Sonny
rose too, and that, when she saw him, she could continue. Her words were awkward
and emotional, even laced with anger. But they were the thing that moved me most
on GH.
Lucy, on the other hand, moved me the most on PC's Nurses' Ball scenes.
As she stood with Carly on stage, she was in the background, the gracious hostess,
and they didn't exchange more than a word or two. The effect of them on the same
stage, however, was a powerful moment because of the unspoken comparison between
them and their current storylines.
Carly has lost a child. That dead child's crib, however, arrived at her door,
and she and Sonny had to deal with it. Sonny smashed the crib; Carly scraped wallpaper.
They have both dealt with the loss of their child through things, through his
room--through representations of him. Lucy has also lost a child. She, however,
cannot get rid of the crib, because there is a chance that Christina will be found
and will come home. On the morning of the ball, we had a lovely scene of Serena
climbing into bed with her and of them both gazing at that little girl's empty
bed. Now, however, Lucy has left the firehouse, and Scott and Serena--and the
crib.
These two women are both known for their schemes. They have both lost people
they have loved, sometimes because of their own actions. They both long for unconditional
love, and somehow feel that they are not deserving of it. The comparison between
them has made each story of loss more poignant for me, and has helped to tie these
two shows together in a small, successful way.
Mind Control: Lather, Rinse and Repeat
by Joan Roseman
For the past few weeks, ABC has been inviting me to Plunge Into Summer. If I listen
to the hype they are peddling, the Summer of 2000 is all about Youth Control,
fed in sizzling single-word bites: AMC's Leo is a Player, OLTL's
Cristian is a Hottie, and PC's Alison is, well, Trouble. My trouble is
that I'm too busy with my own two-word descriptions: AMC's Alex is Not
Herself, OLTL's Nora is Doped and Captive, GH's Lucky is Torn and
Confused and Chloe is Dazed and Clairvoyant. Gee, I remember when summer was about
fun, sun and romance! In the good old days before we knew that sun block was our
salvation, no matter how troubled our summer was, we knew we'd at least emerge
with a tan. Now it seems the most we can hope for from all this mind control is
a complimentary shampoo and blow-dry.
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