The Spencers (cont.):

Luke: "Why did we ever leave British Columbia?"
Laura: "We were being chased."

Felicia: "You're sure we're in the right city and the right country this time?"

Luke: "It's about an hour. We'll go to the old house, see if anything's there. And if that doesn't help, then we'll go to the Triple L. Oh, how's Lulu?"
Laura: "She misses us."

I notice the contrast between Laura talking to Lulu and Felicia not being able to get through to her girls.

IV. A New Friend and An Old Enemy (4/7)

Lucky: "I'm waiting for some folks to show up. My parents, actually. I'm supposed to be meeting them here."
Waitress: "How'd you ever pick a place like this?"
Lucky: "Well, like you said, it's a landmark."

Lucky: "My dad bought that register secondhand. I'm amazed that it still works."
Waitress: "It's on its last legs. No wonder you and your parents are meeting here. What's your name?"
Lucky: "Lucky Spencer. I'm one of the triple Ls."

Katie: "How come you moved away?"
Lucky: "Well, my folks are kind of like that. They're--we were always moving. We never really settled anywhere."
Katie: "I'm glad you came back to visit."
Lucky: "Me, too. You know, it's funny how I got here. But it feels right."

Lucky: "He's going to come in here looking for me. I need someplace to hide. Is there anywhere I can hide?"
Katie: "Ok. Under the counter. Does he have a tight beard and glasses?"
Lucky: "Yes."
Katie: "He's here."
Katie: "Sorry, mister, we're not serving lunch yet."
Stefan: "I just need some information. I'm looking for someone. A young man about your age."

Katie: "Why is he looking for you? Are you in some kind of trouble?"
Lucky: "Trouble is what I'm trying to avoid."

Katie: "Why is that guy after you?"
Lucky: "You wouldn't believe me if I told you. I didn't steal from him or anything. I wouldn't get you mixed up in anything illegal."
Katie: "Well, whatever it is, this has not been a dull day."
Lucky: "I just wish there was some way I could thank you."
Katie: "You could take me to the movies."
Lucky: "I'd like that. But unfortunately I'm not going to be here that long."
Katie: "I'll take a rain check then--if you're ever in town again."
Lucky: "You're on."
Katie: "You know, if you were in trouble, you could tell me. I'd help you, no questions asked."
Lucky: "You don't even know me."
Katie: "It feels like I do. And I bet you'd help me if I needed it."
Lucky: "Yes, I would."
Katie: "I hope you're going to be ok."
Lucky: "Better than that. I'm done living in the past. The future is what it's about now."

Amy: "So...have they explained how the Triple L Diner has mysteriously grown from the size of a mobile home to an actual building? *G*"

Joan: "Just what I was wondering."

Terry: "But didn't the diner blow up? That was before I came back on board GH, so I may be completely lost. But I thought the reason they left Canada was that Smith found them, blew up the diner, and some other people got killed. How far off base am I?"

Joan: "Not very. The diner didn't blow, the car outside the diner did, killing the handyman/friend instead of L&L. They were inside the diner when the car bomb exploded, blowing out the LLL's windows and shattering some crockery. No one was in the place beside L&L (hence the delicious dancing), and Lucky was cycling home, moments from getting smithereened. And, for the record, there is no possible way that camera angles can be credited for this big, square version of a typically linear, narrow diner. There are thousands of them across the country, built on the concept of a railroad car, which is nothing at all like the current version. That's more like Kelly's: a big square box."

Amy: "When Lucky said, 'It seems smaller,' I laughed out loud, since it was clearly twice as big on the inside. I'm assuming they had to redress an existing set, rather than recreate the inside of a train-car-shaped room."

"Somebody on-line noted the comparison to Lucky starting off from the Triple L on his own in 1993. Luke told Laura to make the call to the house, telling Lucky to get there on his own. L&L took off, going by plane, train, and pink Cadillac to get to PC, while Lucky came on his own, making it to Ruby's before them to wait until they arrived. The parallel is lovely. As was the shot on an earlier day of Lucky putting money into his bag--though that should have been a backpack. *G*"

Judy: "That comparison gives me as good a cue as anyway to give my opinion of this new Lucky. As of this episode, I've officially bought into Jacob Young's 'Lucky'; so much so that I think I may like this Lucky better than the old one. This is, in no way, meant as a slight to Jackson's acting talent (I still think he's swell), but I never was really all that interested in Lucky--the character--until now."

"The old Lucky was a tantrum-thrower, a jumps-to-conclusions kind of guy who liked to lord his perfect youth and innocence over others (particularly his very-flawed-but-human parents) in a holier-than-thou manner. (Wow! It must be have-a-hyphen day! *g*) And, despite every other character telling me what a cool, worldly, mature guy he was, I thought him to be very immature--certainly ignorant and narrow (and quite certainly annoying! *g*). He, like Jason, was a Redeemer: one who wanted to 'save' all those around him by withholding his love and approval until they fit some ideal in his worldview. After all, he was the one with the perfect past; no skeletons in his closet...right?"

"Not so with this guy. This Lucky has learned the power of secrets, and the value of keeping them (most likely having collected a number of them this past year). This new, improved Lucky is reticent, content to observe a situation for an indefinite time before venturing an opinion or asking questions. He's learned the value of patience from two of the most patient villains around. He's become wise without being a 'wise-guy.' And, best of all, he's finally learned some manners! (Could Helena kidnap Emily next? Please?)"

"When Helena told him that he was on his own, instead of high-tailing it back to PC (something the old, impatient Lucky would've done), he was content to wait in BC for his parents to arrive, not knowing how long it would be before L&L figured things out. His reaction to Helena's news seemed to be one of trepidation, at first, a quandary he needed to consider carefully before acting upon. His conversation with the waitress spoke volumes of his newly acquired maturity, as well: not once did I get the idea that he was trying to charm her into helping him, seeming almost reluctant to admit that he was one of the 'L's' in the 'Triple L' (a fact that the old Lucky would've probably spouted loudly the moment he strutted in the door). This Lucky's learned the value of humility (perhaps because he's finally acquired a past to be humble about), and I like that in a fictional character."

"Yep, I'll take this quiet, mysterious young man any day over that arrogant, loudmouthed excitable boy."

Joan: "I agree, Judy. He's a distinct improvement on Lucky of old (I'm talking character here, not necessarily Jackson, although I like the new actor too), and he's used his year away well."

"Could have been hypnosis, or it could have been conditioning. What Lucky has learned--and I find it refreshing!--is restraint. He considers his options, weighs the consequences. He is a combination of Spencer memories and the traits Faison started to teach him via chess--the strategist's game--and Helena finished. The interesting thing, of course, is that Faison, my honey, has (or had, yeah, right!) almost as poor impulse control as Luke does. So if Cesar installed the initial wiring that has resulted in the current Lucky Spencer, you can count of their being a few short-outs and sizzles along the way. He is as fascinating to Helena as his father ever was--she watches him with the same kind of lethal affection, almost as if he were a beloved pet mongoose--but she believes she has much better control over his responses. We shall see!"

Arda: "I also like the new Lucky--both the character and Jacob Young. I wouldn't necessarily say I like him better than Jackson, but I'm not uncomfortable with him. I've 'bought' him as the new Lucky, whereas I still have a problem with Coltin Scott as Nikolas. Whenever he's on, I have to stop a second and say to myself "oh yeah, he's the new Nik."

Terry: "I'm liking him as well. And I too took a long time to warm to "old" Lucky. I liked him with Elizabeth after the rape, but for years prior I just thought he was a snot-nose."

Judy: "And I never warmed up to him even after Liz. He got on my nerves, at that point, the same way that Jason did."

Terry: "One of the 'cool' things about the old Lucky was that he was so much like Luke that at first I was put off by Jackson doing what seemed to me to be a TG imitation. I grew to be at peace with it, This new, older, wiser Lucky is pretty quiet now, and reminds me more of--come on, you knew I'd say it--Stefan in his better days, the man who knew things. Different styles of cool."

Judy: "That's exactly what I've been thinking too! Wouldn't that be the ultimate revenge? To Luke, that'd be worse than the actual death of his son. Helena's killed Lucky, but the corpse is still around, acting for all the world like a Cassadine."

"The thing is, even though I like Luke, I couldn't stand his little clone, Lucky, and I'm happy for the change. Luke has all kinds of reasons (that's 'reasons,' not 'excuses') for acting like he does, having had one of the worst childhoods on record. Lucky had no such baggage, and behaved like Luke in the same manner that a teen dresses like and imitates his or her favorite singer or TV star. In other words, his 'cool' was borrowed from his father, and the impersonation wore very thin with me. One Luke is enough! (And I agree: now that you mention it, there is potential for arrogance there. But at least he's not aping Luke anymore.)"

Terry: "Even before he turned around today, I got the distinct impression that the first meeting with his parents would not be a joyful one. After all, he didn't sound excited about them coming, simply expectant. And he didn't try to contact them, let them know where he was, but patiently waited for them to arrive, as he knew they would."

"He is interesting, isn't he? And I just can't imagine this dude hanging at L&B records as Emily was babbling about today, can you? One 'might have been' for me--I'd have loved, I think to see this Lucky with OldNik. Jonathan and Tyler worked well together, but I think there would be a different and equally fascinating chemistry between Tyler and Jacob's characters. Nik always seemed older than those around him, now Lucky does, too, or will, I suspect. Yes, I was always told that Lucky was an old soul, but like you, Judy, I was less than convinced. In some ways he was older than his peers, because of his remarkable upbringing, but in other ways he was just a kid, and sometimes seemed actually less mature than his peers (no, can't come up with an example right off the bat). It would have been interesting to see the two of them face to face and listen to them compare notes about Helena."

Judy: "Actually, the two people I want to hear compare notes about Helena are Stefan and Andreas. I picture Stefan mentally plugging his ears and humming as Andreas lets slip some intimate detail about his (Stefan's) mother *g*."

Amy: "I like him too. Though I laughed out loud when Luke said, 'Looks different' to the diner. Ha! The smile is actually one I can imagine Jackson giving, especially in response to Helena (I liked his laugh of glee when he realized that she knew all along he was hoarding money), and this really seems to be Lucky grown up."

"The telling scenes are going to be the ones with Luke and Laura. In the trailers from today's episode, I thought maybe he was going to respond, 'You aren't my parents'--as if Helena had put a different 'photo' of them in his head or something. But that must just have been a hangover from reading a bit about DOOL in a recent magazine. *G*"

"But I like the voice, like the delivery. He's a bit too cute, but hey. Just so he's not stupid. *G*"

"I adored Jackson. But that Lucky was just at the age that annoys me most. This character seems older--older than Nikolas lately, even, which amuses me. So I'm satisfied too, so far. And I agree about the secrets. We were to the point where Lucky was "holier" than his parents, and it wasn't working well for me (I liked him better when he had his gambling problem! *G*). Though I liked the forgiveness bit with Luke, I was about to the point where I resented Luke feeling like he needed forgiveness from his son, etc. Lucky needed to be complicated up a bit, and this may just have done it. Interesting that he used to be most like his dad--loud and angry, self-assured, opinionated and bull-headed...and now he's more like the Cassadines. Ha!"

"I used to love Lucky mostly because of what he meant to Luke and Laura storylines. Now maybe I can like him for himself more. Because when he was away from them--i.e. with Liz being happy--he was just deadly boring."

"But I'm getting tired of the obvious build up to Lucky and Liz not being just like they were, and mostly from Emily's corner. Shut her up, already, or kidnap her with Elizabeth! I about rolled my eyes out of my head when Nikolas suggested that they go after Lucky too. Blah."

V. Nikolas and Elizabeth Plan to Look for Lucky (4/7)

Nikolas: "I've got a lead on Lucky."
Elizabeth: "Oh, my god. Where is he? Is he ok?"
Nikolas: "I don't know for sure. But I think he's in British Columbia. Mrs. Lansbury told me that's where Stefan went today."
Elizabeth: "Lucky used to live there. I mean, his family owned a diner."
Nikolas: "I've got the name of the town it's in. If we leave now, we can be in British Columbia by tonight."

Nikolas: "Hey, hey, hey. No, Lucky's alive. And one way or the other, we are going to see him. Soon."
Elizabeth: "Ok, if we don't hear anything by tomorrow, let's just go because I can't take another day not knowing something."
Nikolas: "All right, it's deal."

VI. Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? (4/7, 4/10)

Luke: "It looks different."
Laura: "The name's the same. Oh, Luke, he's got to be here. He's just got to be here."
Felicia: "I'll wait out here and watch for Helena."
Luke: "You ready?"

It looks different, indeed. *g* Laura took Luke's arm as they went inside, and as they saw Lucky, back to them, seated at the bar, she took it with her other hand as well, holding on as their son turned to face them.

Luke: "Cowboy?"

Joan: "Lucky appeared to behave fairly normally until Stefan appeared, and then his affect seemed to flatten a bit. By the time L&L appeared, it seemed as if whatever conditioning Faison and Helena had been doing to him kicked in. Very Manchurian Candidate. It is possible that the sight if his parents was a "trigger," and the result was the punch. Speaking of which, I have to say that was one of the best screen punches I've seen on a soap. Usually they are so obvious misses that it looks ludicrous. This one looked almost real."

Amy: "I actually caught myself thinking, 'Oh my god, is Geary's mouth actually bleeding?'"

Joan: "I'm convinced it's brainwashing now. Faison began the process in that silvery room, and continued when he moved him to a location other than the one he and Helena chose. It's fairly clear that when Felicia and Luke were held together and the tape was running, Lucky was nearby. So, presumably, Faison was doing his job all that time. Then when Helena went to see Lucky in Nova Scotia, there was discussion of another team at work on him before she dismissed them to finish the job herself."

Amy: "I still don't buy that Lucky was watching Luke and Felicia. I would assume, on the contrary, that Lucky was not right there, but somewhere else--probably still in the bunker in, where was it, Lybia?"

"But then, I'm hoping beyond hope that we're not in for a brainwashing plot. I'm doomed to disappointment, I know, but it seems like a story of Lucky genuinely feeling this way about his parents, etc., would be much more intriguing than a brainwashing, saved by the love of those who love him, plot would be. The plus on the brainwash, though, is that it potentially gives Helena more to do, and that's always good news."

"Lucky's doesn't have to be brainwashed in the technical sense of the term. In other words, I think Helena simply could have used her own powers of persuasion. Lucky may be mad that his parents didn't come for him sooner, or may have misinformation about his 'death' and people's actions thereafter. But what I saw in his running away was anger and a bit of confusion. He waited to see them, but when he did, emotion took over and he left. The calm cool calculations he's had with Helena all these months made way for the reaction to seeing L&L."

"People pointed out after Lucky's 'death' that Luke and Laura were too quick to believe he was dead. After all, they'd faked Laura's death in a similar way a couple of years earlier. It seems to me Lucky could be angry that they didn't come for him, that they left him to Helena, etc. If they loved him, why did they give up so easily? Etc."

"I would assume that, in the months we didn't see him, Lucky turned from the fighting with Faison that we saw to a wary approach of biding his time. When he realized that Helena wasn't going to hurt him, he waited to escape--we saw him collecting money, etc. But I would think that the thought of going back to Port Charles and all the people who thought he was dead would be daunting enough. Add to that Helena's mind games, and I don't think any drug-induced haze would be necessary."

"Lucky's learned to be wary, to watch first and act second. And while we saw him forgiving and reuniting with his family just before his death, the connections were new and tenuous. I can see how this ordeal--minus any shrink work or chemical alterations--could bring him to this point. But I'm probably wrong."

"I think my main point is that this doesn't have to be medical brainwashing. I could buy Lucky's response based only on the time he spent kidnapped and on conversations with Helena. And I did think Helena meant Faison in that line about experts, rather than any medical experts. They had just been talking about him."

"But Helena did have that line in early February about the 'staff' or something making sure Lucky cooperated--I don't have the line in front of me, but the way it was worded was the only thing I've heard that made me wonder if something that Days-of-Our-Lives-ish was going on here."

On the next day:

Notably, Laura moved to hug Lucky and Luke held back, watching to see what was going to happen. As Laura hugs him, Lucky looks straight at Luke. Luke has almost no reaction to the punch; he just looks at Laura.

Laura: "We are Lucky's parents. We're looking for him because he needs our help. He hasn't seen us in a very, very long time, and it's a complicated situation, but he just may have been shocked--"
Woman: "He wasn't shocked."
Luke: "How do you know?"
Woman: "Lucky said he knew you were coming."
Laura: "He said that?"
Woman: "Look, if you're who you say you are, he expected you. He said he was waiting for his parents."

Laura: "Ok, how long did he wait here?"
Woman: "This time?"
Luke: "He was in before?"
Woman: "Yesterday was the first."

Woman: "I didn't help much."
Laura: "Oh, you did. You did, more than you know. We thought that Lucky was dead. Did you know that? I mean, for almost a year. Maybe Lucky didn't know that. Maybe that's why he's so angry."
Woman: "Well, for what it's worth, Lucky seemed fine."
Laura: "Thank you. He's going to come back here. I know it. He is very, very drawn to this place. You see that second booth right over there? He called that home base. We were really happy here. We were a happy family. I know that's kind of hard to believe."
Woman: "Well, when he said he was waiting for you, it sounded like a good thing."
Laura: "Yeah. I wanted to give you my numbers. Here, this is my business card, ok? This is home, work, and my cell phone. Please, if you see my son, please call me collect and tell him that we love him. Please?"
Woman: "I'll hold on to the card, but I honestly don't think he's coming back. Lucky was pretty clear about moving on."
Laura: "But you said he was waiting for us."
Woman: "Good luck."

Singer: "Tonight you're mine completely you gave your love so sweetly tonight the light of love is in your eyes but will you love me tomorrow? Is this a lasting treasure or just a moment's pleasure? Can I can I believe the magic of your sight?"

Felicia had taken a seat earlier as Luke and Laura spoke to the waitress. This time, Laura takes a seat. When the song starts, Luke walks in, and Laura begins to cry; I believe this is the same song that played in 1993 in that very diner as they danced together. He holds her, tears coming to his eyes too. But after only a brief moment, he brings his expression under control.

Lucky: "Excuse me, sir? You wouldn't happen to have room for an extra passenger, would you?"

Singer: "So tell me now I won't ask again will you still love me"
[engine starts]
Singer: "Will you still love me will you still love me tomorrow?"

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