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Showing posts from September, 2009

Father Figures: GH

After overhearing a drunken Kate spill the beans about Dante yesterday, Claudia showed up at the Metro Court just in time to hear this same information again today. With this secret ready to explode Olivia needs to take Kate's timely advice and come up with a plan B because Claudia made it clear that she has no intention of keeping this secret. She even went so far as to tell Dante that she had important information that he would be interested to hear. However, knowing Claudia and the way she likes to play Zacchara mind games I cannot see her just blurting out this information. She will most likely try to use what she knows to her advantage somehow which will undoubtedly blow up in her face, probably just in time for Sarah Brown's exit from the show. Of course Claudia is going to have to work fast in order to exploit this secret before hers are exposed because Michael's memories have been returning rather quickly. And on today's General Hospital he remembered a visit he

My Antonio: Recap for September 27th

Sunday's My Antonio began after Jessica was sent home. Antonio then passed out scripts to the remaining women as part of their next challenge. This challenge involved each of the women doing soap opera style scenes with Antonio, who told them that he wanted to give them an idea of what he does for a living. I guess this also served as a gentle reminder to Antonio about why he likely decided to do this reality show in the first place. It also presented an excellent opportunity for any woman who might have only been there in order to become famous. Of course with all of the hoops Antonio has made them jump through since this show began, I think they have all earned at least one audition. However, judging from their performances I do not think any of them will be winning an Emmy any time soon. Once all the soap scenes were filmed, they were presented on a big screen and subjected to an audience critique. The audience then had to decide who performed the best, and that woman won a date

What Love Is: GH

The wait was finally over on Monday's General Hospital as Spixie fans finally got to see what happened after Spinelli told Maxie that he could not marry her. After Friday's episode, many fans, including myself, speculated that Maxie had changed her mind about marrying Spinelli and that the couple might actually tie the knot after all. This, however, did not happen. Instead the two declared their love for one another but concluded that this was not the right time for them to get married. This was a little disappointing, but in retrospect it was for the best because they would not have been getting married for the right reasons. Obviously they love each other, but this was not the primary motivation for their trip down the aisle. It was the fact that they were afraid of losing each other. The failed nuptials came as a relief for Mac who passed out with a smile on his face upon realizing that the wedding had indeed been called off. And while Spixie may not have actually gotten mar

Spixie's Sacrifice: GH

As far as soap weddings go, the moments leading up to the Spixie ceremony were quite understated. There were no snipers waiting in the balcony, no explosions, no ex-lovers, no arrests, and no one kidnapped the bride on her way to the altar. Still, when the big day arrived Maxie was in a nightmare, literally not figuratively. This nightmare brought forth every doubt and fear she had suppressed about marriage, including every warning Mac had given her about marrying Spinelli. She awoke with Robin and Lulu standing over her in full wedding garb waiting to help her get ready to walk down the aisle. And as she got up and readied herself for the wedding she appeared every bit the nervous bride, but after a while something changed. All of her doubts and fears seemed not only suppressed but abolished and she became a much calmer version of herself. Whether this meant that she had simply come to terms with her decision to marry Spinelli or something inside of her felt truly ready to take that l

Moment of Truth: GH

On Thursday's General Hospital Jax went to see Dante at the hospital to offer to let him stay with him and Carly. While he was there Sonny walked in, prepared to let Dante stay with him and Claudia instead. As Sonny and Jax exchanged words, Jax spotted Dante's badge on the table and covered it with his hand to conceal it from Sonny. Moments later, Jax left with the badge in hand while Sonny talked Dante into recovering at his house. Once Sonny left, Jax walked back in the room and let Dante know that he was aware he was Olivia's son, the cop. Jax then offered to help put Sonny in jail, knowing all too well what this would entail. Jax is definitely beginning to exhibit the same behavior as his brother. He is using information that only he or a limited number of people know in order to get something he wants, in this case Sonny out of his life. And just like Jerry, it does not matter how doing this will affect those around him. And he thinks Sonny should be in jail! Meanwhile

Thanks for the Memories: GH

On Wednesday's General Hospital Michael experienced his first day back at school since he awoke from his coma, this time attending Kristina's stuffy private school. Speaking of Kristina's school, I know that kids can be cruel, but I really do not see Michael or any kid like Michael being made fun of for being in a coma by random people in a hallway. This just seems a little nonsensical to me, especially when the kid being made fun of is the son of a mob boss. On a slightly different note, I would hate to be a teenage girl like Kristina and have to pick between the batch of losers that seem to be attending this school because they all seem like different versions of Keifer. Michael's first day of school also brought forth more memories, but unlike his previous memories these seemed to be a bit altered. Michael remembered Sam visiting him at the institute even though she denied ever seeing him there when he confronted her about it. I think that perhaps Michael was remembe

The Art of Listening: GH

On Tuesday's General Hospital Lulu questioned Dante about the police badge he was hiding underneath his hand. And of course he was able to provide a plausible explanation and evade suspicion by telling her it was stolen. I must say that I am a little surprised that Lulu bought this lie considering how much she prides herself on being able to spot a con a mile away. One would think that since she is Luke's daughter she would not only be able to spot a con, but an undercover police officer as well. Perhaps her thinking is a little cloudy right now though because she is obviously drawn to Dante. This was made even clearer today when Ethan came to see if she would talk to Nikolas about his sudden need for vengeance. She and Dante had been playing cards and she agreed to go talk to Nikolas if Dante cut a high card. As it turned out Dante did cut the high card, but Lulu cut a higher one. Later it was revealed that Lulu had several cards tucked away, ensuring that she would get to sta

My Antonio: Recap for September 20th

I must say that I am glad that My Antonio did not air last week because I definitely needed an extra week to prepare for Sunday's episode. This episode began where the last one left off, after the elimination, where Christi had become upset over Antonio's exit following his confrontation with Jennifer. On Sunday, Christi was still upset, but more so with Miranda for telling her to compose herself at the elimination dinner. Christi was also quite noticeably drunk, as most of the women pointed out to her, with Brooke being the only one who could actually get her to calm down. The next day Antonio arrived at the house with gifts for all the women. And shockingly enough these gifts had nothing to do with their hands and feet, so hopefully this means he has moved beyond that obsession. Antonio's visit also presented the first challenge of the episode, "Tony Says," which as Brooke explained is exactly like "Simon Says." Thanks Brooke, I never would have been a

Undercover Threats: GH

On Monday's General Hospital Sonny and Anthony continued to exchange threats to each other about whose loved one was going to be killed. Sonny maintained that he would have Johnny killed if Anthony ever tried to take over his territory again, while Anthony insisted that Olivia would die. The threats against Olivia are really beginning to stack up. Johnny has repeatedly warned her to stay away from Claudia, fearing that Claudia will follow through on her threats against her. Meanwhile Dante continues to warn her to stay away from Johnny and Sonny to keep her away from his investigation and any resulting retaliation. Even Jason warned Sonny against the dangers of threatening Anthony with Johnny's life, noting that Anthony may decide to kill Olivia despite the consequences. All of this makes me wonder if Olivia is going to be the next Falconeri to somehow be caught in the crossfire of a mob war. If she is, it may happen sooner than later because Lulu found Dante's badge today

The Best Laid Plans: GH

Today's General Hospital was a little lackluster for a Friday episode. I am not sure if it is because they are building up their storylines or just saved their less compelling content for today because they assumed many people would be watching the finale of Guiding Light. Whatever the reason was it at least gave viewers a chance to catch up and provided a little foreshadowing of future events. Sonny told Dante that if Anthony tried to take down his organization again he wanted him to kill Johnny, noting that he did not trust him anyway. He also told Dante that this was not something he wanted Jason involved in. Of course this is something he does not want Jason involved in. Jason has told him repeatedly that Claudia is the problem, not Johnny. And it has become increasingly clear that Sonny does not want to hear anything negative about Claudia, even when it is the truth and pertains to his own son. He is also looking for any excuse to eliminate Johnny because of his involvement wi

Perceptions of Reality: GH

On Thursday's General Hospital, Morgan went to visit Dante in the hospital and invited him to move in with him while he recuperated. I must say I love the scenes between these two. It is obvious that both of them feel that brotherly connection, even though they have no reason to know that they are half siblings. Obviously it is making Dante's job as a cop tougher, but I am not sure he can trust his superior. I may have already mentioned this in an earlier post, but something about this guy seems creepy. This leads me to wonder if he is using Dante to take down the Corinthos organization because he secretly works for Anthony. He just seems almost overly eager in his pursuit to have Dante infiltrate the mob. He is not even being particularly careful about being seen with him anymore. At first they could only meet at the laundromat and now he is showing up at his hospital room every couple of days. On the other hand Olivia is too, which should make it so much easier to hide the fa

Clairvoyant Connections: GH

On Wednesday's General Hospital, Michael continued to remember fragments of what Jax had told him while he was in the coma. Troubled by the potential meaning behind these memories, he sought the advice of the carnival psychic, who provided little help. I am not sure I like the introduction of the psychic for this storyline. It was fine during the carnival because it added to the atmosphere and helped foreshadow upcoming events, but now it just seems pointless to have this as part of the story. From what I have gathered Michael is not psychic and he is not having visions. He is remembering pieces of conversation from his coma. Whether it is possible to have these types of memories in a real world situation, I could not say for sure. I do know that based on all the information this show has given viewers, Michael does not appear to be clairvoyant, even though he and the psychic seem to think he is.

Relative Dysfunction: GH

On Tuesday's General Hospital Nikolas and Liz stopped fighting their attraction for one another and slept together. Of course the idea that they ever tried to fight it in the first place is debatable. Even Jake being in the hospital was not enough to keep Liz away from Wyndemere. I am not sure which is worse, the fact that Liz left Jake's hospital room to be with Nikolas or the fact that Lucky left Jake to go home alone. At this point I think that Sam and Jason need to be raising Jake. They did not even kiss until everyone they cared about was safe and accounted for, and they have been apart for years! When Liz and Lucky finally made their way back to the hospital to check on Jake, Liz told Lucky she would marry him if he agreed to go to counseling with her. Good idea Liz, maybe you can sign up for some parenting classes while you are at it. Unfortunately Lucky and Liz were not the only ones having dysfunctional family issues. While Olivia was visiting Dante at GH, Sonny walked

When the Dust Settles: GH

On Monday's General Hospital it was revealed that Dante would not need a kidney transplant. This is quite shocking considering that I, along with many others, assumed his need for an organ would provide the perfect opportunity for Olivia to tell the truth about Sonny being his father. This is what I love about the way that GH has been written lately. Just when you think you have things figured out, you don't. Typically soap viewers are fairly savvy when it comes to figuring out what is going to happen on their favorite soap. They have watched for so many years that they have seen virtually every possible scenario play out in one form or another. So shocking an avid soap watcher proves almost impossible sometimes, especially when doing so within the parameters of character and storyline logistics. And so far at least General Hospital is doing this quite while, maintaining that critical balance between shock and storyline. Speaking of shock, viewers were finally able to see what

The Deterioration of Storytelling

On Friday, September 18th, Guiding Light will air its final episode, ending more than 70 years of storytelling. And while this is certainly not the first time a soap opera has faced cancellation, it somehow feels different this time. Guiding Light's cancellation feels like the first major step toward pulling the plug on all soap operas. After all Guiding Light has been around longer than any of the other soaps currently on air, and if it could not be saved then how much hope do the rest of them have? Moreover Guiding Light is not even being replaced by another soap opera, instead an updated version of Let's Make a Deal will take its place. This has many loyal soap viewers, including myself, fearing that when other soaps finish their run that will be the end of the entire soap opera genre. This is an unsettling thought especially when you consider the fact that out of all the other types of programs on televison, soaps are arguably the only ones rooted in traditional storytellin

Only the Beginning: GH

Friday's General Hospital showed a much quieter Port Charles than the one viewers have seen all week, providing a momentary break from the chaos. As for the citizens of Port Charles, they are oblivious to the fact that the carnival disaster was only the beginning of their problems, as was apparent throughout this episode. Fortunately for Edward, Robin informed Mac that he was not to blame for driving his car through the midway, injuring and killing dozens of people. What is so sad about all of this is that Edward is still left with the guilt even though he was as much of a victim as everyone else at the carnival. It is touching to see the way Rebecca is looking out for him now though. The only downside to this is the fact that I feel like we are seeing Emily again, not Rebecca. It is not that I was not a fan of Emily, but if the show wanted to bring back the Emily character they should have just brought her back instead of introducing viewers to Rebecca. That being said, it did pro

Martha Byrne's GH Exit

I must admit that I was not eager for the Andrea Floyd storyline to wrap up because that meant the end of Martha Byrne's time on GH. I have enjoyed watching her in this role because it so different from her role as Lily on ATWT. And unlike many actors who step into a new role after playing a different one for years, I have seen no traces of Lily in Andrea. It is worth noting that Byrne played dual roles on ATWT, portraying both Lily and her twin sister Rose. And while she turned in excellent performances in these roles, seeing her in both simultaneously made it much more difficult to appreciate their differences. I think that Byrne's time on GH has offered the first real glimpse at just how multi-dimensional she is as an actress. She has proven that she is capable of stepping into a new environment and taking on a completely different persona. It is truly a shame that ATWT seemed to let her go so easily, but considering how effortlessly she took on the role of Andrea Floyd, I h

In the Open: GH

After watching Thursday's General Hospital it is clear that the lives of those in Port Charles will never be the same. This show is taking so many twists and turns right now that literally anything can happen. And Thursday's episode provided the perfect example of this as one by one everyone's secrets were exposed. At the carnival, Claudia continued to look for Kristina, who had apparently lost consciousness when the ride fell apart. At one point she managed to regain consciousness in time to see someone in heels walking away from her, unaware that it was Claudia. Then Michael showed up to try to find her himself while Claudia went to the hospital to let everyone know that she still had not been found. Moments later Michael arrived with Kristina, whose only injury was a mild sprain. After she was examined she told Michael that she thought someone else had found her before he did, but they walked away. This piece of information may ultimately mean the difference between life

Standard of Excellence: Today's Soaps

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I just have to take a moment to comment on the overall quality of General Hospital. It has been years since I have watched a soap opera and felt like every aspect of that soap came together in exactly the right way. It is easy to spot the shows that work hard to bring their viewers the best possible entertainment and right now General Hospital is one of those shows. And if you have read any of my previous blog posts about General Hospital you know that I am not just referring to this week's carnival event. However one of the reasons this event has been so entertaining to watch is because GH took the necessary amount of time to build up the storylines that were going to be affected by it. This is what good storytelling is all about. Viewers have to care about what happens. Soaps cannot just throw in a handful of dramatic moments every once in a while, thinking that the shock value they provide will somehow make up for the lack of storyli

Carnival Chaos: GH

Chaos ensued in the aftermath of Edward's heart attack and Anthony's failed takeover attempt, leaving a trail of destruction behind. On Tuesday's General Hospital, Edward suffered from what appeared to be a heart attack after consuming a martini laced with poison, sending his car careening down the carnival midway. And on Wednesday's episode viewers watched as Edward's car continued to plow through the attractions, causing countless deaths and injuries along the way. One of these deaths was Andrea Floyd, who was killed in a moment that can only be described as poetic justice, as Edward's car pinned her against the Ferris wheel, bringing it to a complete stop. Unfortunately Edward's car had plenty of time to do damage elsewhere before coming to this stop. Max was one of the first people hit while trying to save the ADA, undoubtedly being exposed to the impact of the car at full speed. Meanwhile Jake had wandered off to look at a booth of stuffed animals, the

In the Air: GH

Port Charles's fun-filled day at the carnival came to an abrupt end on Tuesday's General Hospital. For weeks viewers have been waiting for September 8th, in anticipation of this highly promoted carnival event. And in those last few nail-biting moments of Tuesday's episode, it is unlikely that any GH fan was disappointed. On Friday, viewers watched as Edward drank a tainted martini, provided by Andrea Floyd. And on Tuesday Robin and Patrick showed up at the Metro Court just in time to see him finish it. Once there, Robin tried unsuccessfully to warn Edward about Andrea, unaware that the damage had already been done. Meanwhile at the carnival, most people were so preoccupied that they could not foresee the danger that was about to befall them. In fact, much of this episode contained many of the light-hearted elements that existed in Friday's episode. Sam decided to drop her investigation after finding out that the woman she was investigating was meeting Edward. As a resul

My Antonio: Recap for September 6th

Emotions ran high and tempers flared on the latest episode of My Antonio. As this show progresses it becomes increasingly apparent that the more "real" dates the women have with Antonio the more emotionally attached they become. And on Sunday's episode this translated to spying and emotional outbursts, as feelings of jealousy become more difficult to hide. At the beginning of this episode it seemed as though everyone was having a good time. Antonio was hanging out with the women at their suite, where everyone was laughing and seemed to be enjoying themselves. Then the cameras showed a close-up of Tully sitting on the floor kissing Antonio's hand. This did not sit well with Jennifer, as these kisses were not just quick pecks. She later asked to speak to Antonio alone, where she revealed just how jealous she really was. The next day brought the next challenge for the women to try to earn some real alone time with Antonio. Hula instructors were brought in and the women w

Fun at the Carnival: GH

The much anticipated carnival finally got underway on Friday's General Hospital and a good time was had by all, despite the proverbial dark cloud overhead. Spinelli continued to face his fears by showing up at the carnival dressed as a clown, hoping to bring happiness to those around him. And considering that he somehow managed to bring a smile to Sonny's face I would say his fear is all but conquered. Aside from clowns, the carnival also featured what they referred to as a dunk-a-hunk, more commonly known as a dunking booth. Some of the best scenes of Friday's episode took place inside the tent of the dunk-a-hunk, where Patrick, Dante, Johnny, and Ethan took turns inside the booth. As it turned out Molly was the only one able to dunk any of them after several failed attempts by Robin, Lulu, Matt, the ADA, and Max. Speaking of Max, I noticed a little spark between him and the ADA, who of course is Diane's presumably unfashionable arch nemesis. This leads me to wonder if

The Dark Prince: GH

Ever since Nikolas found out that Rebecca came to Port Charles to con money out of him and the Quartermaines, he has become a much darker version of himself. And even though he claimed that he forgave Rebecca it was obvious that he was only using this "forgiveness" as a way of getting her close enough to hurt her. And this week he revealed just how he planned to do that...by making her over to look exactly like Emily. His first act of revenge was to give Rebecca a dress identical to one that Emily wore. He then suggested that she let her hair return to its natural color, Emily's hair color. At first Rebecca was suspicious of this suggestion, but she seemed to brush it off fairly easily. Later on Lucky and Elizabeth were at the pier getting ready to go to the carnival with Rebecca, Nikolas, and Spencer when Elizabeth noticed Rebecca's dress. She and Lucky exchanged comments about it, noting that it was exactly like one of Emily's. Lucky then complimented Rebecca on

He's Back: GH

After watching Thursday's General Hospital, it seems as though danger will be lurking in every corner once the carnival begins. Obviously Andrea is going to poison Edward causing him to go into cardiac arrest and lose control of his car at the carnival. This incident presents the first danger to the citizens of Port Charles, but the real danger is likely to come from Anthony Zacchara who revealed to a "mystery" man his intentions to use the carnival to fulfill a sinister plan. Could this mystery man be Trevor Lansing, who perhaps faked his own death? As much as I hate to admit it I am glad that GH is doing something else with the carnival event aside from Edward's car accident. The way this storyline has been promoted I knew there had to be more to the danger at the carnival than Edward having a heart attack and losing control of his car. Not that Edward's accident wouldn't be bad enough, it just doesn't make for very intriguing soap opera material. For a

Before the Storm: GH

All of Port Charles was buzzing about the upcoming carnival on Wednesday's GH, unaware of the potential danger that awaits them. Only Monica was wise enough to plan a trip out of town, noting that nothing good ever happens when a big event is scheduled in Port Charles. If only more residents of Port Charles would learn from past events, then a lot of tragedies could be prevented. GH's carnival event has been building for weeks, not only in the ominous advertising campaign, which was brilliant by the way, but also in the way the storylines have been unfolding. Perhaps no other soap opera showcases their big events better than General Hospital. I particularly liked how the end of Wednesday's episode was edited so that each scene was infused with images from the carnival, highlighting how each character may be affected by this event. The carnival event will also undoubtedly influence the direction of each storyline as many seem to be reaching a pivotal point, especially the on

Confessions: GH

It was a day of confessions on Tuesday's General Hospital as Sam and Jason returned with Michael and Kristina. After Sam brought Kristina back to Alexis's, they all sat down and talked over what had happened. Alexis was content to let Kristina learn from her mistakes without facing any real consequences, while Sam thought that Kristina should at least apologize to Sonny and Claudia in person. Kristina agreed and later went to see Sonny to confess, unaware that Claudia was listening from another room. And even though Claudia keeps telling Sonny that she does not resent Kristina for accidentally causing her baby's death, it is obvious that she is plotting some sort of revenge. She is without a doubt her father's daughter. Speaking of Claudia, after Jason returned to Port Charles he went over to Sonny's and informed him that he had crossed paths with Jerry while he was looking for Michael and Kristina. He then told Sonny that Jerry tried to make him think that Claudia

My Antonio: Recap for August 30th

On Sunday's episode of "My Antonio," Tully continued on her quest to win Antonio back, while he continued to present challenges to the women that would help him decide who to eliminate. The first of these challenges was a rigorous workout where the women had to run laps and climb a rope that was attached to a tree using nothing but their hands and upper body strength. I must admit I get confused everytime I watch this show because I cannot tell whether Antonio is looking for a soul mate or trying to put together a team of athletes. Eventually Antonio gave the women a break, allowing them to play on a "Slip-n-Slide." That seemed appropriate considering that most of them are in their 30's and 40's. During this "recess" Tully hit her head, causing her to become ill. At that point play time was over and Antonio presented the women with their next challenge, to write a love letter for him. A love letter? This is Antonio Sabato, Jr.! Has he not had e