Beneath the Surface: GH

It seems I was wrong about Kiefer. Apparently he does scare easily, so easily in fact that he took out his fear on Kristina by backhanding her across the face. Call me crazy but if Kiefer really wanted to avoid retaliation from the mob he would stop abusing the mob boss's daughter. Of course that would imply that Kiefer is actually capable of rational thought, which he clearly is not. Aside from the fact that he repeatedly threatens both Kristina and Michael, Kiefer never seemed to make the connection today that Michael, not Kristina, was responsible for the visit from Max and Milo. Obviously Kristina will forgive Kiefer for this "misunderstanding", and not just because of the dynamics involved in abusive relationships, but because Kiefer called her the same thing Sonny called Claudia the night she was killed. And while viewers will undoubtedly note distinct differences between Sonny and Kiefer, Kristina will likely come to the conclusion that if it was acceptable for Sonny to speak to Claudia that way, then Kiefer is no exception. And as difficult as it is to see a teenage girl being abused by her boyfriend, if this storyline helps shed enough light on this issue that teenagers learn to avoid and escape these types of relationships then it will have served its purpose.

Elsewhere in Port Charles, Carly and Jax continue to move forward with their apparent separation. In fact they both seem to have come to the conclusion that their marriage is over. Carly explained to Morgan that Jax would not be around for a while. She even told Jax's mother that she had asked him to leave. Of course none of that compares to the preparations that Jax is attempting to make, seeking Alexis's counsel in obtaining full custody of Jocelyn should his marriage end. I am just glad that Carly caught on to this when Alexis visited her about working through her problems with Jax. If Jax hasn't already given Carly enough reasons to want to end her marriage, the mere fact that he is already making plans to take the baby away from her should. In fact if I were in Carly's position I would be tempted to tell Jax that the baby was Sonny's and be done with it. Surely there is someone in Port Charles that can fake a paternity test.

Speaking of women who try to fake their child's paternity, the scene between Liz, Nikolas and Lucky, where Nikolas was shot, was nothing more than Liz's imagination on overdrive. And just in case viewers weren't fooled by that scene yesterday, it was re-played today to include Nikolas laying on the floor bleeding while Liz wept over his body. Normally I don't mind these classic soap teasers, but I have to say that this one annoyed me. It just seemed like the show was going overboard to try to shock viewers with this teaser, especially today. And if there is one thing I cannot stand is drama that exists for the sole purpose of shocking viewers, see Y&R. And even though I realize that this imaginary scenario is going to inevitably provide Liz with the excuse she needs to keep her affair a secret, the fact that Lucky and Nikolas are brothers should have been the only excuse she needed.