Jax and Chloe

The Cassadines

The Spencers: Lucky, Elizabeth, and Nikolas

The Spencers: Luke and Laura

Roy and Bobbie

Sonny and Carly

The Scorpios

Taggert/Hannah/AJ

The Quartermaines

The Cassadines:

• Nikolas confronts Helena and tells her to leave Lucky alone. She tells him that she brought Lucky back for him. (5/1)
• When Nikolas balks at being pulled away from Elizabeth to sign some papers, Stefan takes him to task for his attitude and tells him that paperwork is one way to get at Helena. (5/2)
• Nikolas meets with Helena to ask her what she's done to Lucky that would make him behave in such a way. Stefan sees them, and steps in. When Helena leaves, Stefan warns Nikolas about her, and Nikolas says that he distrusts Stefan and Helena equally. Called away to meet with Mac, Stefan tells Nikolas that he will regain his trust no matter what Nikolas thinks. (5/3)
• Helena approaches Chloe at the hospital, but Jax tells her to leave. (5/5)
• Stefan and Alexis are not happy to be called into the PCPD late at night to be questioned about Dr. Gladstone's death. (5/9)
• When Jax agrees to help him take down Helena, Stefan asks him to consider more drastic measures than taking away her financial resources. Later, Stefan gives Laura photos of Lucky in Port Charles, but remains politely hostile to her. (5/10)
• Helena stops by to ask Jax about his meeting with Stefan, and Chloe later dreams about their meeting. Later, Helena pays Luke a call and tells him that she did not kidnap Lucky. (5/11)
• Stefan lets Tony know that he will not support him as the new chief of neurosurgery. Bobbie comes to Tony's defense. (5/16)
• When Helena offers her help to Chloe, Alexis gets worried. She asks Stefan to keep Jax and Chloe out of the Cassadine in-fighting. He says that he will, if she works with him to take down Helena once and for all. (5/16)
• Stefan tries to get Chloe to remember the night of her hit-and-run so that she can charge Helena. He also has a run-in with Alan regarding Tony Jones's position. (5/17)
• After overhearing Elizabeth talk about her love for him, Lucky goes to Helena and tells her that he's leaving town to spare Elizabeth more grief. Stefan interrupts their meeting. (5/17)
• Lucky tells Stefan that Helena rescued him from Faison. After Lucky leaves, Stefan warns Helena that she won't be able to keep her control over Lucky for much longer. (5/18)
• Stefan tries again to get Lucky to turn against Helena, while Nikolas confronts his grandmother. Later, Helena tells Stefan that Nikolas will soon be on her side, but Stefan hints that he knows what's going on between her and Lucky. (5/23)
• Helena goes to Jax and Chloe's to offer her help, but Chloe walks out and Jax throws Helena out without hearing what she has to say. (5/29)
• Lucky tells Helena that he's leaving Port Charles so that he can stop hurting Elizabeth, but she objects. Stefan overhears, and tells Lucky again that he will help him get free of Helena. Lucky says Helena has only ever helped him, and leaves. Stefan warns Helena that her plan will fall apart, and then goes to after Lucky to make his offer again. (5/30)

I. To Grandmother's House We Go (5/1)

Nikolas: "Lucky slugged Luke. Did you know that?"
Helena: "Oh. And that's my fault?"

Helena: "Oh. Faison staged Lucky's death. I had nothing to do with it. No, when I realized what he was doing, I rescued Lucky."

Helena: "Lucky needed time."
Nikolas: "Why?"
Helena: "Because Cesar Faison was a brutal man. Lucky was confined for months."
Nikolas: "Was he hurt?"
Helena: "Well, Lucky survived. That's all that matters."
Nikolas: "Is that why you killed Faison--because he kidnapped Lucky?"
Helena: "Oh, really, Nikolas. Must you accuse me of every crime that appears in the evening news?"

I was kind of surprised by the question of killing Faison. Nikolas made it in a rather off-hand way, but I didn't remember him making that connection before. Did he hear that theory from Stefan, or did he come up with it on his own?

Helena: "I'm not even sure that Cesar Faison is really dead. Now, that's one of the reasons that I--I couldn't tell anyone that Lucky was in my care. Now, that's why we traveled so much. He was much safer as a moving target."

Helena: "The one thing that Lucky did not need was his parents interfering, or anyone else or even you, Nikolas. He needed time to relax and think. So, I took him to places that had special meaning for him. I even endured Texas on behalf of Lucky. I hope that counts for something."

Helena: "Darling, Lucky is determined to live his own life. I only tried to help. He'll contact you when he's ready. And since you seem determined not to believe me, maybe you'll believe Lucky. No, he'll explain to you exactly what happened."
Nikolas: "You expect me to believe that you saved Lucky's life?"
Helena: "I've invested a great deal of time and money in your brother. I've endured ridiculous accusations. I've put my own life at risk. And worst of all, I've upset you terribly. Now, I did all of this for you, Nikolas. I saved Lucky for you."
Nikolas: "That I believe."

Helena: "Nikolas--Nikolas, I love you. You are my grandson. You're all I have left of Mikkos and Stavros."
Nikolas: "Then take me to Lucky."
Helena: "I wish I could."

Nikolas: "Then stay away from Lucky and stay away from anyone I care about. Oh. And if you want to make me happy, grandmother, stay the hell away from me."

Helena: "You'll change your mind, my darling. And soon."

Judy: "We need more Andreas. What was the deal with him just poking his head in the door the other day? If they're going to call back the actor for a day's work, they should at least give him a line or two. For my sake!"

"But oh, that waltz. I really think they should've found a recording made at a slower tempo, however (and there are a bazillion recordings of the "Sleeping Beauty Waltz" to pick from), as waltzing at that speed requires room to move, and they had none! Despite that (and the fact that they had to maneuver around that couch), I think they did a better job of it than Jax and Chloe did. Andreas's tender look as he extended his arms was far more passionate than anything I've seen from Jax, and this from a man who's could be plotting his mate's demise *G*. (Hmmmm...maybe if Jax decides to put Chloe out of her misery, we'll finally see a little sizzle there)."

Joan: "They danced? Damn you, Time Warner!"

Terry: "Loved the waltz. As you say, Judy, they had far more passion than Jax and Chloe, even in that confined space. I love Andreas. And Helena fascinates me. Her attitude toward Lucky is so interesting, and I'm so curious about what the music box is all about as well as her plans for Lucky, and whether the two are somehow intertwined."

Amy: "Well, and they could dance on the beat and weren't doing some sort of box step instead of a waltz. This was much more The King and I, which is the standard by which all waltzes should be measured. *G*"

"Meanwhile, I wondered if that was the story she told Lucky at first--that she was rescuing him from Faison. It's clear he knows what's up (in some version) in a different way, because he says he 'knows what to do.' But what impresses me is the way she can 1) keep all the different versions straight and 2) lie so coolly, causing the other person to believe at least part of what she's saying, despite themselves. When she talked about Lucky needing some time, Nikolas's face said that he believed at least that part of it."

Terry: "I just howled at the line about Texas, since one of us hails from there currently and is already complaining about the summer heat!"

Amy: "Oh, yes, I about fell in the floor for that one! I absolutely loved her facial expressions in Texas, and that shot of her carefully planting her foot as she came through the rocks in the Spencer gully."

"And you know, maybe that's what's bothering me about L&L being out of the picture so fast after the 'payoff' with them seeing Lucky. Sure, they'd go looking for him, but not once since he's heard the rumor that Lucky is alive, through all the proof, has he confronted Helena. That's just not right. I was hoping for a scene of him trying to browbeat Andy, for Pete's sake, or another climbing-in-bed scene. When are we going to get that payoff? And now that Laura's in town and actually doing scenes, why oh why don't we get a scene with her v. Stefan, or her v. Helena? Ptttttth."

II. Show Me the Meaning of Boy Bands (5/2)

Nikolas: "I left Elizabeth one. I stopped my search for Lucky. For what? One of your games?"
Stefan: "This is not a game."
Nikolas: "Next time I'll know--"
Stefan: "And I have had quite enough of your insolence."

Stefan: "You want Helena made powerless? You sign these documents, and she will be cut off from Cassadine funds, which will severely cripple her. You want to protect your brother from Helena? Disabling her is far more effective than chasing all over the country looking for him."
Nikolas: "My signature may take care of Helena, but what about you?"
Stefan: "Has she finally succeeded in poisoning your mind against me?"
Nikolas: "I don't need her to point out the hurt that you've caused people I love. My mother and sister, Elizabeth--everything they've gone through this year is because of this family. Not to mention my brother, who's out there running from something. Probably you."

Nikolas: "You know what really gets to me? I truly want to believe you about Lucky, and I can't."
Stefan: "Well, you're in good company. Neither can your mother."
Nikolas: "You've lied to us too many times."
Stefan: "I suppose I will have to wait for the alive Lucky to appear and clear my name. Then I will expect an apology."
Nikolas: "Well, today we're in agreement about one thing. We both want to put a stop to Helena."

This scene was off a little, for me. Is Stefan angry that Nikolas loves Lucky, that he's involved at all, what? Because it seems to me that he was asking for an apology on something that wasn't the real issue here.

Singers: "Show me the meaning of being lonely"
Singer: "So many words for the broken heart it's hard to see in a crimson love so hard to breathe walk with me and maybe..."

Judy: "One of Walt Disney's pet projects was to expose children to classical music (hence, Fantasia). He felt that it enriched their lives and, long before the 'Mozart Effect' theories, believed it helped their concentration. He was hoping that, through his movies and other popular venues, classical music might become mainstreamed again. It'd be nice if the modern ABC/Disney revived that idea."

"Although the lyrics of the song in question did fit the moment, it's overkill, a way of underlining with a big, black marker The Thought of the Day. (I feel that way about music montages in general; on most days, they're nothing more than pointless, repetitive filler)."

"Wouldn't it be great if, someday, the writers (or whoever makes the music decisions) didn't underestimate the knowledge base of their audience and used music that was both appropriate for the character as well as the moment? Stefan should never, ever, ever have pop music playing during his scenes! (I cringed when they had some fluffy pop thing accompanying his sex scene with Laura). Ditto with the other Cassadines (with the exception of NuNik, who's really more of a run-of-the-mill teen now) and the elder Quartermaines."

"Why not include a classical piece that pertains to loneliness, or evokes that feeling in the listener? (I can think of several offhand; it's a popular subject among composers, the "Romantics" in particular.) It might actually spark some interesting conversation, since it would be from a genre that's not already done to death on top-40 radio. Sure, not everyone would recognize it, but it'd be kind of fun to try to figure out where the music came from, and how it's germane to the scene, rather than be spoon-fed that information via the pop lyrics."

"After all, we do hear the characters discussing other types of music: Alan and Monica go to the opera and symphony regularly as well as Stefan, Luke waxes rhapsodic over the blues, and when Faison mentioned Gustav Mahler all those months ago, I was really hoping we'd actually hear some of Mahler's music in the background during his scenes, but alas, we got pop music for him, too. What a shame!"

"True, we do hear Tchaikovsky's 'Sleeping Beauty Waltz' over and over again these days in Chloe's dreams; but it'd be nice if they branched out and offered other classical music for those characters whose histories and personalities warrant it. It would certainly be more subtle than the 'hit-you-over-the-head-with-the-plot-point' pop stuff we've been getting."

"I simply can't picture Stefan relating to any pop songs, regardless of the age of the artist. (Bear in mind that I'm not putting down pop music, I just think it's inappropriate for Stefan). He's gone on record many times as a classical music aficionado, so it'd be nice if his scenes were accompanied by music that the character would relate to. Besides, it wouldn't hurt to have some variety on the show, and if the 'Mozart Effect' proponents are correct, it might even do us all a little good *g*."

III. It's a Matter of Distrust (5/3)

Helena: "Well, Nikolas, my darling. What a pleasant surprise. Your wanting to see me can only mean that you finally have realized I've been telling you the truth all along about saving Lucky."
Nikolas: "Guess again. Elizabeth saw Lucky."
Helena: "And he was completely unharmed, just as I've said repeatedly."
Nikolas: "Elizabeth doesn't think so. Neither do I. Elizabeth has been torn apart since she first realized Lucky might be alive. And when she finally sees him face to face, he runs away and disappears. Now, that's not the Lucky that we both know."
Stefan: "Why are you here?"

Helena: "I am here at Nikolas' invitation. And it's getting rather tiresome having to defend my every move. I'll be in touch, my darling."
Nikolas: "No. I will."

Stefan: "How many times do I have to say it, Nikolas? For your own good, stay away from Helena."
Nikolas: "I don't need your advice or your warnings. I don't trust you any more than I do her."

Stefan: "I have to go. That was Commissioner Scorpio. We can't let Helena get away with murder again, now, can we? Nikolas, it pains me that you feel you can no longer trust me. But it doesn't change the fact that I love you. Someday I'll earn your trust again."

Helena is in bright blue to Nikolas's duller grey-blue in these scenes. Meanwhile, Stefan's last lines to Nikolas, about loving him even if he doesn't trust anymore, seemed to be an echo of Stefan's feelings for Laura, at least in the past. I'm hoping, however, that we get to watch him come to terms with her distrust of him and finally have peace about their love and put it in the past. It may be, though, that he's angry or irritated with Nikolas because Nikolas feels the same way as Laura, and he can do nothing to prove himself to either of them at this point.

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