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 had from Carly and asked her if it really happened. Once she confirmed that it did, he began to wonder if he could, in fact, trust his other memories, primarily the one that involved Claudia confessing to his shooting.


Meanwhile Sonny's other child, Kristina, continues to have problems related to her upbringing. After overhearing Sonny say he felt obligated to give Claudia a child because of what happened to their first one, Kristina became angry and confronted him. She told him that she did not want him to have another unloved child, like herself. Sonny tried to reassure her that he loved all of his children, but apparently Kristina did not believe him because as soon as their conversation ended she called Kiefer so that they could take their relationship to the next level. I guess her daddy issues go much deeper than I thought. Can we say paging Dr. Freud?

Elsewhere at the Haunted Star, Lulu and Ethan were having daddy issues of a different sort. They had each received a cryptic text message from Luke saying that he was in trouble so they decided to work together to formulate a plan to save him. Luke was later seen trying to escape from an apparent jail cell, as Lulu and Ethan decided to travel to Greece in search of him. Meanwhile, Nikolas received an unusual call from Helena who was in bed being cared for by a "nurse", who forced her to hang up the phone. This mysterious return of Luke and Helena will undoubtedly pave the way for the arrival of more Cassadines, just what Port Charles needs.

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 with Antonio. In the end there was a tie between Miranda and Tania, but unlike Christi and Autumn, these women did not have to share a date with Antonio.


After the winners were announced everyone went back to the women's suite where Tully was already in tears. And of course Antonio felt compelled to comfort her. Tully told him that it was getting to difficult to see him with other women and that she did not feel like any of them were right for him. She eventually calmed down once she received the attention she so desperately desired. Unfortunately for her, the other women in the house, who had overheard her conversation were not so calm, and their frustration would later be revealed at the elimination dinner.


The next day Miranda got her first date with Antonio, where they traveled by helicopter to reach their initial destination atop a mountain. Their actual destination could only be reached by zip-line, where they would find a picnic inside a makeshift shelter overlooking a waterfall. How romantic, and all she had to do was attach herself to a rope with a flimsy piece of metal and slide across it. The zip-line proved to be quite challenging for Miranda who is apparently afraid of heights. Antonio tried helping her overcome this phobia by going first, thereby letting Miranda focus on her prize. At first it seemed like Miranda was not going to go down the zip-line at all, regardless of who was waiting for her on the other side, but eventually she took a deep breath and just went for it. And I guess for Miranda it turned out to be worth it because she and Antonio actually seemed to connect on their date, go figure.


The next day it was Tania's turn to have a date with Antonio. For this date Antonio decided it would be a good idea to test Tania's strength by taking her for a bumpy ride around the hillside before having a picnic for two. I guess the test of her strength came from her ability to keep her food down after she went on this ride. I have to say they really tested my ability to keep my food down once their date began. It started off normal enough, but then Tania started interrogating Antonio about why he didn't kiss her on their first date. She then proceeded to hang all over him, stealing the kisses she had previously been denied. This was an embarrassing scene to say the least. Tania came across as being completely desperate, while Antonio just seemed, well, a little scared.


Later on, at the elimination dinner, Antonio asked each of the women who they thought should be sent home. Most of them answered Tully, but it is fairly clear at this point that Antonio is not going to send Tully home just yet. A few of the women thought Autumn, rather than Tully, should be sent home, based on her age. Taking all of these responses into consideration one would think that Tully and Autumn would be the ones not receiving a lei at this dinner, but in the end it was Christi and Autumn pleading their cases to Antonio. Ultimately Antonio sided with the other women and sent Autumn home, but judging from Christi's near meltdown after this elimination I think Antonio should reconsider that decision.

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 married, they still exchanged vows and celebrated many other traditions usually reserved for successful weddings. They even received congratulations from their guests as they were pelted with bird seed. The celebration continued at the "non-wedding" reception at Jake's, where Robin arranged for Spixie to be serenaded by the wedding guests to Foreigner's ballad "I Want to Know What Love Is."

As it turned out Spixie's serenade was only the beginning of the celebration as many of the guests decided to take turns onstage for the second round of karaoke at Jake's. Ethan got things started by performing INXS's "I Need You Tonight." And while he received a lot of attention for his rendition, no one was more mesmerized than Kristina, who clearly has a crush on him, despite her controlling boyfriend Kiefer.

Later on Molly convinced Morgan to join her onstage to sing the classic Jackson 5 song "ABC." Their performance inspired the entire audience to join in dancing, including Alexis who allowed herself to have fun for the first time the entire night. Surprisingly, the one person who never had any trouble having fun at the reception was Mac, who performed The Village People's "Macho Man" with Patrick and Coleman. This performance even managed to win Coleman an unlikely admirer in Kate Howard, who had been the target of Coleman's advances all night. Spixie's 'non-wedding' certainly seemed to bring out a different side of Kate's personality because she was relaxed from the moment she arrived at the reception. It will be interesting to see if this new persona continues and if it will involve more interactions with Coleman.

While Spixie may not have pulled off a successful wedding, no one can argue with the success of their reception. In fact I have never seen wedding guests so happy about a wedding being cancelled. Spixie's happiness did not even seem to be hindered by the day's events as their reception came to a close and they shared a 'non-wedding' dance the moment everyone left. Spinelli even serenaded his fair Maximista with "I Want to Know What Love Is," the song that has somehow become their song.

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 leap remains to be seen. What is clear is that Spinelli has brought out a transformation in Maxie, where she no longer feels the need to self-destruct whenever things are going well. This became apparent as she walked down the aisle toward Spinelli without a moment's hesitation.

Unlike Maxie, Spinelli was hesitant throughout much of the day, and rightly so because the night before he overheard Maxie say she was not ready for marriage. So in the hours leading up to the wedding Spinelli made one last effort at making everything as perfect for his bride as he possibly could, hoping against hope that it would be enough. First, he scrambled around trying to write the perfect last-minute vows because, as luck would have it, his original vows were accidentally deleted. When he failed to find the right words to express his love for Maxie, he went to Jason for advice, who wisely told him to just be himself, focus on Maxie, and say what was in his heart. Spinelli then tried one last time to gain Mac's approval, which also resulted in failure, prompting Patrick to eventually tell Mac to accept the wedding for the sake of Maxie's happiness. Then, at long-last, it was time for Spixie to take their vows. Viewers undoubtedly watched with bated breath waiting to see if they would actually go through with it, as Spinelli began reciting the words in his heart. Then, in a moment of clarity, Spinelli knew exactly what he needed to do to ensure Maxie's happiness. He told her he could not marry her, thereby freeing her from the burden of deciding whether to marry him out of obligation or to back out of the wedding at the risk of hurting him. So if the old adage is true, then Spinelli should soon find out if setting his fair Maximista free will indeed bring her back to him.

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, at the Metro Court, Michael told Carly he left school early because he started having memories about what people said to him while he was in the coma. And while he did not really get into the specifics of his memories, namely that he remembered Jax and Claudia apologizing, he did tell her that he was not sure he could trust those memories. As they were discussing this Jax walked in, having returned from visiting Dante. Michael told him that he was not sure anything he remembered was real, which I am sure came as a relief to Jax. Moments later Michael remembered Claudia explaining to him how she had hired the shooter, but never intended for him to get shot. Obviously he is going to confront Claudia about this, but since he does not feel like he can trust his memories she may be able to talk her way out getting caught once again.

Elsewhere in Port Charles, Maxie was trying to figure out how she was going to get through her wedding without breaking Spinelli's heart. She went to Robin for advice, who told her what everyone has been telling her for months, that she needed to talk to Spinelli. Maxie ignored this advice, deciding instead to marry Spinelli regardless of her doubts, noting that she did not want to lose him or break his heart. Later on at the wedding rehearsal Mac continued to search for ways to stop the ceremony, while Maxie searched for ways to make it through the ceremony. Eventually she pulled Jason aside, telling him that she needed to talk to him in private after the rehearsal. Once she thought everyone had left, she told Jason that she needed him to make sure she went through with the wedding no matter what. She told him that she wanted to spend her life with Spinelli but she was not ready to get married just yet. As it turned out, for better or worse (no pun intended), Spinelli overheard this conversation. It was probably good that Spinelli found out this way because it allowed him to hear the truth from Maxie in a way that prevented her from being able to lie. Moreover, he was able to hear how she truly felt about him in a way that did not just seem like she was trying to spare his feelings.

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 remembering something Claudia had said to him, but his brain made it seem like Sam was the one who was talking to him. This reminds me of the way that someone's brain supposedly blocks or suppresses memories in order to protect them from seeing something they are not ready to see. Perhaps this is what is happening to Michael. He is not ready to see the truth about Claudia so his brain is helping him remember things in a less frightening way by replacing Claudia's voice with Sam's, someone he trusts.

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 stay there with Dante. Lulu and Dante make such a cute couple and I really want to root for them, but I know at some point in the near future it is all going to end with Lulu crying about how yet another guy has lied to her.

Meanwhile, no one will pay any attention to Ethan's warnings about Nikolas. Prior to visiting Lulu, Ethan had been to Wyndemere, where Nikolas offered him one million dollars to keep Rebecca away from him. And while Nikolas insisted that this was not a part of his plan to hurt Rebecca, Ethan tore up the check anyway. It is difficult to say whether or not this check is another one of Nikolas's games or a misguided attempt at doing the right thing by letting Rebecca go. The only thing that is clear is that Nikolas should not be trusted by anyone right now because he continues to do whatever he feels like doing regardless of the consequences. This, of course, includes pursuing his brother's fiance, who spent her evening at Jake's getting drunk with Olivia, where she confided in her about her affair with Nikolas. And by the end of the episode Nikolas was there with his arms around her.

Elsewhere in Port Charles, the man Elizabeth deemed unfit to be in her children's lives was trying to help Michael cope with his unsettling memories. Earlier, Michael had become distraught over the fact that Sam told Jason about these memories, fearing that Jason would kill the person responsible for the shooting. However Jason reassured Michael, insisting that he would not do anything he did not want him to do. This, after Robin had told Jason that Michael would never forgive himself if he knew he was responsible for Jason taking someone's life. Robin must know a side of Michael that I, as a viewer, do not because I was positive that if he ever knew who was responsible for shooting him he would kill that person himself. I guess GH has written this in so that Claudia can stay alive when Sarah Brown exits later this year. This is probably for the best because I do not know how many viewers would tolerate the fact that Sonny or Jason killed a woman.

Speaking of Claudia, she walked in on a conversation between Sonny and Jason, in which they were discussing the possibility of killing Johnny. And surprisingly enough Claudia was okay with that. I think this probably had to do with the fact that Claudia assumed Sonny was only using Johnny as a pawn to control Anthony. I am not sure she realizes that Sonny actually intends to kill Johnny as soon as he has a reason to. Then again Claudia has not stopped looking out for herself long enough to pay much attention to anyone else. She even convinced Sonny to have another baby with her to ensure her own safety in case Michael's memory returns.

Moving on to a relatively less delusional couple, Spixie finally found a place to hold their wedding. After weeks of trying to find a suitable venue to hold their vows, Spinelli asked Maxie to describe exactly what she wanted and was somehow able to find a place that matched her description. And while Maxie appeared every bit as happy as Spinelli today, it is unclear whether or not she actually wants to marry Spinelli or if she just wants to make him happy. As a true Spixie fan obviously I am hoping for the former.

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 able to figure that out without you! Unfortunately Brooke's perceptiveness did not pay off in this particular challenge because she lost to Tully, who won a few minutes of cuddle time with Antonio in a hammock right outside the house. Some girls get a boat, others a helicopter ride, Tully gets to walk ten feet to lay in an over-sized basketball net suspended between two trees. Who says romance fades over time? Perhaps the setting made it seem more romantic because Tully seemed perfectly content to the women who were spying on her from inside the house. This included Autumn, who later showed her apparent immaturity when she informed Tully that the other women had been spying on her date. I guess Autumn forgot that Tully was the one who chartered a jet ski in order to interrupt Antonio's date out in the middle of the ocean.

The next day presented the next challenge for the women, who were instructed to sculpt a nude model, specifically Antonio, who in all of his vanity seemed to be a more than willing participant. Supposedly the purpose of this challenge was to see how artistic the women were. If this is true, I guess the purpose of "Tony Says," was to see how well they took orders. Unlike "Tony Says," however, the clay sculpting challenge resulted in a tie between Christi and Autumn who were informed that they had to share a date with Antonio.

Later that night, Antonio hosted a disco party, where the women became somewhat combative in their attempts to gain his attention. Every time Antonio began dancing with one woman, another woman would immediately start trying to cut in. This went on for quite a while and eventually became almost too embarrassing to watch. At one point Tania overheard Christi talking to Antonio about how much she loved Autumn, prompting her to expose Christi for lying. This resulted in an argument that continued even after the party was over.

The next day Antonio, rather bravely, took Christi and Autumn out on a boat for their date. And once again Christi became upset, this time because Autumn interrupted her kiss with Antonio. I will say this for Antonio, at least he had the presence of mind to make Autumn go to the other side of the boat before trying to kiss Christi. And they say that chivalry is dead. It is ironic though that Autumn interrupted Christi's kiss considering that she felt the need to tell Tully that the other women had spied on her date from afar.

Later on at the elimination dinner, Antonio began asking the women questions. One of the things he wanted to know was where Miranda had been. Miranda had been forced to miss out on several of the activities throughout this episode because she became ill following a spider bite. This revelation sent Antonio's mother into a fit of laughter, prompting the other women to laugh as well. Apparently she found it silly that someone could actually become sick from an insect bite. I guess mama Sabato is not aware of the fact that, depending on the species, spider bites can in fact be quite dangerous, deadly even. And if Miranda had an allergic reaction to this bite, as she claimed to, there could have been serious consequences. Antonio's mom then posed the question about what would happen if she were stung by a bee, a decidedly more dangerous insect. Um, people who are allergic to bees sometimes die if they do not receive medical treatment quickly enough, mama Sabato. To be honest I am having difficulty understanding why Antonio's mother remains a factor on this show, other than the fact that she continues to use Christi to gain insight into Tully. Fortunately for Miranda, mama Sabato's elimination night duties only consisted of entertaining the crowd with her witty repartee because she was allowed to stay another week while Jessica was sent home.

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 after his superior, Ronnie, returned it to him. Ronnie has to be either the sloppiest, most absent-minded cop, or a criminal in disguise. It is bad enough that he continues to visit Dante in the hospital, but there is no explanation for bringing an undercover cop his police badge while he is in the hospital being visited by the very people he is investigating. It is like he is trying to blow Dante's cover, which means he probably is.

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 with Olivia and thinks Dante is the perfect person to carry out this mission. And while Dante agreed to kill Johnny, this was clearly only to avoid raising suspicions about his loyalty to Sonny. Later on Dante went to Johnny's hospital room to thank him for going to the warehouse in his place and to tell him that he would repay the favor someday. I think Dante intends to do this in two ways. First of all, he is obviously not going to kill Johnny and will likely try to find a way to keep anyone else from killing him either. Second of all, Dante probably hopes to be able to persuade Johnny into testifying against Sonny and Anthony in exchange for a lighter jail sentence. It is ironic when one thinks about the fact that both Dante and Johnny are sons of mob bosses and may ultimately prove to be the only ones capable of bringing down the mob. The only thing I do not understand is how Dante made it to Johnny's hospital room. It would have been difficult enough for Dante to walk from his room to Johnny's if they were in the same hospital, but seeing as how Dante was at GH and Johnny was at Mercy, this seems impossible.

Elsewhere, inside Jax's office, Michael continued to beg him to tell him what happened the night he was shot. Jax refused, only telling him that he was not involved in his shooting and did not order a hit on Sonny. He was in the middle of telling him that the rest of the details would have to wait until Carly had the baby, when Carly walked in and wanted to know what they were talking about. Her suspicions grew moments later when Jason and Sam arrived to talk to Jax, but Jason convinced her to leave, reassuring her that she had nothing to worry about. Once she was gone, Jason told Jax that Michael may be in danger if the wrong person found out his memory was returning, unaware that Claudia already knew. Apparently Jax agreed to help find out who was responsible for Michael's shooting because later on Jason and Sam implied that Jax was gathering information for them about who went to visit Michael at the institute. Jax could save everyone a lot of time by just telling them what he knows. Instead he is obviously going to stay true to form and protect himself, and likely Jerry, by pretending to know nothing and selectively choosing what information is made available for investigation. In the end this type of scheming could be beneficial to Jax because it makes him appear helpful and less knowledgeable about the details involved in Michael's shooting.

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 fact that she is Dante's mother. I really hope this secret comes out soon, along with the fact that Dante is Sonny's son. If Olivia really thought that revealing Dante's paternity would put him in danger, then why did she warn Johnny not to trust him? I mean I know why, but it seems to me that the surest way to put Dante in danger is to warn members of the mob not to trust him. Her logic is just all over the place.

Speaking of someone's logic being all over the place, Michael continues to have memories of Jax talking to him at his bedside. He continues to misinterpret these bits of conversation to mean that Jax accidentally had him shot instead of Sonny. Meanwhile Claudia, the person who was actually responsible for this catastrophe, was at Mercy listening to Jason and Sam's conversation about Michael's recovering memory. I think this puts a gaping hole in the theory of Michael being clairvoyant. If he was he could use that talent to tell Lucky that Liz is cheating on him and tell Spinelli that Maxie does not want to marry him. That would solve half the town's problems right there!

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 in and told her about what happened to Johnny, prompting her to rush to Mercy to check on him. Meanwhile Claudia was still at the jail yelling at Anthony for almost getting Johnny killed. She later showed up at Johnny's hospital room in time to see Olivia sitting at his bedside. She tried to make her leave the room, despite Johnny's objections. This led to a fight where Claudia tried to slap Olivia into submission, making it her third slap of the night, the first being Spinelli, and Anthony the second. However, unlike Anthony or Spinelli, Olivia actually fought back, punching Claudia in the mouth before the doctor had to come in and see why Johnny's heart monitor had started beeping. As it turned out Johnny was okay but fortunately Sonny showed up and took Claudia home after Olivia refused to let him ask Johnny any questions.

Elsewhere Lulu had arrived at GH to visit Dante, where he came dangerously close to revealing his true feelings about the mob. At one point during their conversation he brought up the fact that Johnny had been shot, prompting him to start discussing the mob and the choices that Sonny and Anthony had made in their lives. Unfortunately for Dante, Lulu picked up on the fact that he sounded more like a cop in this conversation, than one of Sonny's employees. It will be interesting to hear Dante's explanation for this, although I am sure it will be a believable one. I cannot imagine his true identity being revealed this soon, especially since Claudia is still managing to hide her involvement in Michael's shooting.

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 happened to Johnny after the warehouse ambush. Spinelli had somehow managed to get him help, where he was eventually taken to Mercy, apart from the carnival victims. I guess this explains why no one ever saw him come into the ER last week. At Mercy, Spinelli informed Johnny that Bernie had been notified of the warehouse incident and was going to tell Claudia what happened. Johnny objected, telling him that if Claudia knew that something had happened to him she would be out of control. He also attempted to tell him about Claudia's part in Michael's shooting, but of course he passed out before that could happen. Elsewhere Bernie was telling Claudia about Johnny being shot, causing her to fly into a fit of rage. She later went to see how Johnny was doing but was greeted by Spinelli instead, who was waiting for Johnny to get out of surgery. She then started yelling at Spinelli for not telling her what had happened, then slapped him across the face. I must say, viewers have forgiven Claudia for a lot of things lately, but slapping Spinelli the way she did is not likely to be one of them. Moreover Claudia's reaction to finding out that Johnny had been shot was so reminiscent of her father that it bordered on scary. This was particularly evident when Spinelli told her that the doctors did not expect Johnny to survive. This is when she decided to turn her rage on the right person, Anthony, unaware that Johnny would receive an encouraging prognosis moments later.

Elsewhere Elizabeth was receiving an unexpected marriage proposal from Lucky. She told him that she wanted some time to think things over just to make sure they were making the right decision, then immediately went to Wyndemere to talk to Nikolas. Nikolas had just returned from the hospital, where it was clear that he still intended to hurt Rebecca. Oddly enough as Elizabeth was arriving at Wyndemere, Ethan was arriving at Lucky's to tell him about Nikolas's plans. Obviously Lucky knows that something is going on with Nikolas because he saw the dress that he bought for Rebecca, but in front of Ethan at least, he seemed eager to give Nikolas the benefit of doubt. Underestimating Nikolas is something that Lucky will eventually regret, considering that at that particular moment Nikolas was kissing Elizabeth.

While I like the plot twist that came with the Nikolas and Elizabeth pairing I must say that I have never been so eager for a cheating soap couple to be caught. Nikolas is making me sick with all of his head games and the way he seems to disregard Lucky's feelings. As predicted, viewers are seeing a darker Nikolas, with a colder, more unforgiving heart. And Elizabeth seems to be mesmerized by all of this. She even left the hospital to go see Nikolas. And where was Jake? Surely he had not been sent home already because she had just left Lucky outside of Jake's hospital room. Furthermore this was still the day of the carnival. And if Jake was still in the hospital, why was Lucky at home? Did he think Elizabeth was keeping an eye on Jake? If Lucky and Elizabeth cannot do a better job than that Jake would have been better off with Jason. In fact, now that I think about it, every time Jake's life has been in danger, Elizabeth has been with him, without Jason.

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 storytelling.


When soaps are well-written characters have a long pre-established history, often before viewers ever actually meet these characters. Any character that enters a soap automatically has some sort of tie to other well known characters, with only few exceptions. This immediately gives viewers the idea that new characters have a history and a past that they should care about. Even prime-time dramas, which are often incorrectly labeled as soaps, do not have this element of shared history that is so important in storytelling. Characters in prime-time dramas typically only have backgrounds, information that really only exists for the purposes of letting viewers know who they are and how they differ from other characters. These backgrounds do help establish connections between the characters, but because prime-time dramas typically have a much shorter shelf life than soaps, these connections are really only meaningful in the sense that they help move storylines along.


Prime-time dramas also often have actors and characters that come and go quite frequently. When an actor leaves a prime-time show, the characters often go along with them, forcing the audience to get adjusted to not only a new actor, but a new character. The same cannot typically be said of soap operas, whose fans become accustomed to certain characters that are with the show throughout its duration in one form or another. When characters leave a soap they are often either presumed dead, with the possibility that they will return someday, or they are portrayed by other actors. In order for either one of these scenarios to be successful there has to be an assumption that a particular show will be around long enough for the audience to get used to these changes. And since most prime-time shows only last on average about 5 or 6 years, they do not have this luxury. This further complicates the idea of establishing shared connections through character history because if a show does not have time to establish a rich history, than their ways of telling stories will have to be modified.

Most soaps spend a great deal of time letting stories unfold, not completely unlike epic poems, which in their oldest forms often had information continuously added to them that featured an ongoing struggle of some sort. Sound familiar? The same cannot be said of prime-time dramas whose plots have to be much shorter to accomodate a potentially bored audience. These dramas usually feature an ongoing storyline that is never quite resolved until the final season of the show, with the remaining storylines being resolved in just a few episodes. It is like the difference between novels and short stories, not that short stories fail to meet the standards of traditional storytelling. Their historical significance alone proves that they do. However, what if someone said that novels were no longer needed because the target demographic did not have as much time to read as they used to, therefore only short stories would be available? What would happen to traditional storytelling after that? At some point someone would inevitably decide that it was too much trouble to read a short story and would find a way to eliminate them. Then the whole history and culture that exists within traditional storytelling would eventually evaporate, leaving everyone a little less than they were before.

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 provide the show with an opportunity to introduce viewers to Ethan. It took me a while, but I think that I am finally starting to like this guy, particularly the way that he has shown such concern for Edward and Rebecca this week. This proves that he has genuine feelings for Rebecca, unlike Nikolas, who continues to do exactly what he wants to do regardless of who might get hurt.

Nikolas and Elizabeth continued kissing in the hallway outside Jake's room, unaware that Jason could see them. Eventually Elizabeth put an end to the kiss, but by that time Jason was already on his way to talk to Sam about what he had seen. Meanwhile, Elizabeth told Nikolas that they had to stop doing that to Lucky, the brother that Nikolas seems to have forgotten about. In all the times I have seen Elizabeth and Nikolas kiss, while promising to never do it again, I have never seen Nikolas show the slightest bit of concern for his brother. Even today, when Lucky told Nikolas that he planned to put his life with Elizabeth back together, Nikolas acted more jealous than guilt-ridden. However, there was one amusing moment in all of this when Elizabeth was talking to Jake after kissing Nikolas. She told Jake how she hated chaos, but that it always seemed to follow her everywhere. Um, Elizabeth, if you are referring to the situation with Nikolas and Lucky you brought that on yourself.

While Elizabeth was busy agonizing over which brother to choose, Olivia was in the hospital chapel agonizing over whether or not to tell Sonny about Dante. After having decided to put off telling Sonny the truth a little longer, Olivia found out that Patrick knew everything. Patrick told her that he knew that Dante was her son and that Sonny was the father. This is where a flashback would have been helpful, like yesterday when Patrick overheard Olivia referring to Dante as her son. I knew that Patrick had overheard something about Sonny once before but could not remember specifically what it was. Perhaps they should have shown a flashback of Patrick overhearing Kate and Olivia talking about Dante being Sonny's son, as he was listening to Olivia and Dante's conversation yesterday. That would have given every viewer an opportunity to be on the same page. And as many flashbacks and montages that they have had on here recently, what is a couple of more seconds if it helps clear up some confusion?

While Olivia and Patrick were sorting through the details of this secret, Sonny was visiting Dante in his room. While there, he and Dante started bonding, both unaware of their father-son connection. This was soon interrupted by Olivia, and later by Patrick who arrived with Dante's test results that would show whether or not he needed a transplant, which of course he will.

Across town, Sonny's other kids were having problems of a different kind. Kiefer had shown up at Kristina's with a present, a pink tracking device, I mean a cell phone, a pink cell phone. Anyway, Kiefer gave Kristina this cell phone so that the two of them could have their own private line, essentially making it easier for him to keep tabs on her. He told her that he wanted to be able to get in touch with her at all times. And that having a phone that was only meant for their conversations would ensure that she always received his calls and text messages, eliminating any excuse for her to be unreachable at any given moment. He disguised this barbaric control as worry, the way so many abusers do. Then when she had the nerve to make a joke about it, citing that she already had a phone, he grabbed her by the arm then blamed her for making him act that way. This has been a rough week for Kristina, so rough in fact that I am sure she wishes she had just stayed in Mexico.

Meanwhile, Michael, who had just been to see Kristina, returned home where he continued to recall more memories from his time in the coma. He specifically remembered Jax expressing guilt over his shooting. Unsure of what this all meant, Michael called Sam to tell her that he needed to talk to her, without Jason's knowledge. This will undoubtedly make things more complicated between Jason and Sam if she chooses to respect Michael's wishes and keep this from Jason. However, I think it is highly unlikely that Michael will be able to keep this information between the two of them for very long anyway. I cannot imagine it being easy to keep those kinds of memories hidden for an extended period of time, particularly when they involve so many people. I just hope that Carly has her baby soon so that she will not have to be in the dark any longer because she has a lot to catch up on.

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 have a feeling we have not seen the last of Martha Byrne.

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 and death for Claudia, because earlier that night Michael started remembering Claudia apologizing to him while he was in the coma. Furthermore, Kristina spotted Claudia's shoes as she was leaving the hospital and recognized them as the same pair she saw while she was trapped under the ride. Ironically enough Claudia may not have intentionally walked away from Kristina at the carnival, but once Michael puts the pieces of his shooting together it may not matter.


Meanwhile, other secrets were making their way out into the open. Olivia found out that Dante might need a kidney transplant, prompting her to sneak into his room to see him. While she was in there, Patrick overheard her refer to Dante as her son, a pivotal moment considering that he and Sonny had been trying to track down family members who could donate a kidney. And by the end of the episode it looked as though Olivia might finally tell Sonny the truth. And while it is certainly time for the truth to come out something will likely happen to interrupt Olivia before that can happen. I just cannot imagine Sonny finding out about Dante this easily after months of Olivia keeping that information from him. Instead, I think the truth will likely stay hidden until Dante is in critical condition.

Elsewhere in the hospital, Mac was trying to figure out why Edward drove through the carnival. Apparently no one gave much thought to the fact that he had had a heart attack, causing him to lose control of the car. Even Jason was quick to assume that Edward had been drinking and the heart attack likely happened later on. And while I understand this assumption given the Quartermaine history, it would have certainly been more beneficial to look at all the facts before reaching this conclusion. And considering that Mac is a detective he should know that. Fortunately Robin thought to look in Andrea's purse, something that was in Mac's possession the day before. I guess in Port Charles it is not procedure to examine the personal effects of the deceased. Had Mac taken a moment to do this, he might have discovered what Robin did, the drug that was used to poison Edward just before his accident.

Meanwhile, Nikolas had just been informed about Jake, prompting him to rush to Elizabeth's side where the two starting kissing outside Jake's hospital room. And as this area undoubtedly offers little privacy, Jason spotted them as he was coming around the corner. While I hate that Elizabeth is going to break Lucky's heart again, I think this plot twist is just what the show needed. Elizabeth and Lucky became kind of boring after they reunited, and were rarely ever seen by viewers. And Nikolas has been fixated on Emily for far too long, so this storyline gives him a chance to move on and provides more opportunities for viewers to see Lucky and Elizabeth.

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 storyline. Providing an audience with pointless drama is like asking them to consume empty calories. Sure they may feel happy for a few minutes, but after that they are going to start looking for something more substantial, which is probably why so many soaps are facing cancellation.

I'm not saying that GH is the only good soap or the only one that knows how to tell a story. What I am saying is that every soap opera needs to step up their game. And for the past year or so General Hospital has been doing just that, setting a standard by which other soaps could be measured. I know that budgets are much tighter for this genre than they have ever been before, but that is no excuse for sloppy writing. It is not even much of an excuse for sloppy casting considering how many out of work actors there are that are willing to work for next to nothing. If low budget films can become box office hits, then it should not be difficult for soaps to provide quality entertainment on a low budget.

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 same booth that Edward hit moments later, causing the entire thing to come crashing down on top of Jake. Shortly thereafter, Morgan narrowly escaped getting hit when Dante pushed him out of the way, placing himself directly in the path of Edward's car. Elsewhere Kristina, Molly, and Claudia were on the kite flier ride, which failed to avoid the impact of Edward's car, causing several people to become trapped, including Kristina.

Back at the warehouse, Johnny had, as I previously predicted, managed to pull Spinelli out of the line of fire. And eventually the sounds of sirens from emergency vehicles, presumably headed to the carnival, scared off Anthony's gunmen. This should have provided Spinelli and Johnny with the perfect opportunity to escape, however it quickly became apparent that Johnny had been shot, causing Spinelli to have to help him to safety. Unfortunately Johnny's wound seemed to be much more serious than they had originally suspected, prompting Spinelli to call for help, but because of what happened at the carnival getting through to 911 proved to be an impossibility. And by the end of the episode Johnny had passed out from an apparent loss of blood, leaving doubts as to whether or not he would survive his injuries.

Meanwhile at the carnival, people were trying to make sense of what had just happened. Jason, Sam, Elizabeth, and Lucky searched frantically for Jake before finally discovering him underneath a pile of stuffed animals. It would later be discovered that Jake was suffering from a skull fracture with unknown severity. Elsewhere Ethan, Nikolas, Rebecca, Robin, and Patrick rushed to pull Edward from his car, noting that he had suffered from a heart attack. Later on at the hospital Robin would question these findings, citing his recent test results that showed he was in good health.

Perhaps some of the most harrowing moments of Wednesday's episode came when it was discovered that Dante had been hit and Kristina was missing, likely pinned under the wreckage of the carnival ride. Moments before Edward's car reached Morgan everyone rushed over to try to warn him to get out of the way, but no one reached him faster than Dante, who was hit while trying to save him. When Morgan told everyone what happened, Olivia went pale with fear as she rushed to Dante's side to check on him, momentarily forgetting her need for discretion. This brief flash of honesty on Olivia's part was over in seconds as she attempted to compose herself, so as not to alert Sonny to the truth. And if for some reason she happened to show too much emotion Jax was there to help her protect all of their secrets. I have to say that I was completely infuriated by this portion of the episode. Olivia is a mother, so protecting the secret that he is Sonny's son should not have kept her from staying by his side as he lay on the ground suffering. Surely it was as obvious to her as it was to everyone else that his injuries were life threatening. Then there was Jax, who was so concerned about making sure that Carly did not find out about everything he had been keeping from her that he pulled Olivia aside before she could say anything incriminating. In my opinion these two deserve each other because they seem to have self-preservation down to a science.

Meanwhile over at the kite flier, Molly and Claudia had somehow made their way off of the ride, while Kristina remained unaccounted for. This had Molly so visibly upset that Claudia insisted that Lulu take her to the hospital waiting room while rescue workers continued to search for Kristina. This, of course, makes Claudia responsible for Kristina, a thought that quite honestly sends chills up my spine.

At the end of this episode there were still few certainties and many doubts as to what would happen to the citizens of Port Charles in the wake of these two tragedies. Ultimately, Jake's head injury may prove to be more serious than it first appeared. Max remained unconscious at the hospital with possible spinal injuries, Edward was headed into surgery, and Dante will undoubtedly need a transplant. The rescue workers remained unsuccessful in their search for Kristina, but viewers caught a glimpse of her shoe as she struggled to call for help through constricted breathing. Coming into this week, viewers knew that someone would not survive. And even though Andrea Floyd has already been killed, it is unlikely she will be the only casualty as this storyline continues to unfold.

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 result she and Jason decided to attend the carnival together after all. While there, she asked Jason to win her a stuffed animal at Coleman's presumably rigged shooting booth. After several failed attempts at hitting the target with the fake carnival guns, Jason pulled out his real gun, prompting Coleman to just give them the prize. Elsewhere, Olivia and Sonny were sharing some nice couple moments of their own as they walked around the carnival, reminiscing about their days at Coney Island. Even Dante and Lulu seemed to be hitting it off as they made small talk amidst all the festivities. But as the saying goes "all good things must come to an end." And come to an end they did as Dante received a phone call ordering him to go to the warehouse, and Anthony's plans for a takeover were set into motion.

Moments after Dante's phone rang, Johnny walked up to Lulu to say hello. He then offered to go to the warehouse in Dante's place so that Lulu's impromptu date would not have to be interrupted. Elsewhere, Maxie was busy taking off Spinelli's clown makeup, acting as though she had fallen in love with him all over again, when he receives a call from Bernie directing him to the warehouse. Meanwhile Edward had just gotten in his car to drive to the carnival, but it was clear that the drug Andrea supplied him with was already taking its toll, making it impossible for him to drive safely. What happened next was a sea of chaos as a perfect storm of events collided, with the potential to affect everyone in Port Charles.

While Johnny was presumably making his way to the warehouse, Spinelli had already arrived and was met with an army of Anthony's gunmen. At this point the paperwork that Spinelli was carrying went flying through the air just as these gunmen opened fire. It would appear from watching this scene that either Spinelli was shot or fell backward in an amply timed moment of clumsiness. However, I choose to believe that Johnny pulled Spinelli directly out of the line of fire, causing the papers to go flying through the air just prior to the eruption of gunfire. If this is true one can only hope that Johnny somehow managed to get them both to safety.

Back at the carnival, Jake wandered away from Elizabeth's watchful eye as Jason looked on. This happened just as Edward lost consciousness, causing his car to go barrelling down the carnival midway. Several passersby, including Max, who was trying to push the ADA out of the way, appeared to either get hit or narrowly escape getting hit by Edward's car. Moments later, with Dante standing nearby, Edward's car seemed to be headed in Morgan's immediate direction.

I think it could be considered common knowledge at this point that Dante gets hit while trying to save Morgan, causing him to need a kidney transplant. This will undoubtedly force Olivia to finally open up to Sonny about their son, as he is likely the best donor match for Dante. What is not yet clear is what happens to Jake at the carnival or what becomes of Johnny and Spinelli at the warehouse, or if there are still unforeseen dangers lurking just around the corner.

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 were asked to express themselves through a hula dance that would later be performed in front of Antonio. Jennifer became emotional as she created her dance, providing viewers with the first glimpse of her vulnerability since the show began.

Once everyone had coordinated their hula routines, Antonio was brought out to watch each one alongside the instructors, who were there to help him interpret the dances. After everyone performed, Antonio picked two women to go on a date with him, Brooke and Jessica. Brooke's date came first and began immediately after the hula challenge ended, where she and Antonio caught a helicopter that was waiting nearby. After they were in the air a while, the pilot informed them that in order to get to their destination spot they were going to have to jump out of the helicopter into the ocean. Once they overcame that hurdle they shared a romantic picnic on the beach, where Brooke received her long awaited kiss from Antonio.

Later on, back at the women's suite, Antonio decided it was time for a heartfelt talk with Tully. While they were talking, Christi and Jennifer were trying to eavesdrop. Antonio didn't seem to notice this, but he did notice that one of the women was out on the balcony smoking. And after his conversation with Tully he asked the women to tell him whether or not they smoked because this was something he could not tolerate. Then Jennifer, who was one of the women that confessed to smoking, asked to speak to Antonio in private again. From this conversation it was clear that she had become jealous of Brooke, as she informed Antonio that she wanted a date that included a waterfall, moreover something new and different.

The next day it was time for Jessica's date with Antonio, where they spent a fun-filled day of swimming with the dolphins and she received her kiss from Antonio. Meanwhile, Christi was poolside, chatting with Antonio's mother about getting rid of Tully. His mother encouraged her to dig for information about Tully, presumably as a way to diminish her character in Antonio's eyes. Maybe I am wrong but it seems to me like Christi may be falling into some sort of trap. I am surprised it never occurred to her that perhaps Antonio's mom chose her to dig up damaging information on Tully as a way of getting rid of her too. Obviously when Antonio finds out that Christi has been scheming to get rid of Tully behind his back, he is not going to want her to stay because he will not be able to trust her. I just do not foresee this turning out well for her.

Later on, as the elimination dinner began, Antonio started asking a few of the women some questions. When he began talking with Jennifer, their conversation became very tense, and quickly escalated into an argument. It became particularly heated when Antonio mentioned that she needed to quit smoking. However, all of this came to a halt when Jennifer injected profanity into the argument. Antonio made it clear that this was something he would not tolerate, especially in front of his mother, prompting Jennifer to leave the show of her own volition. Antonio then left the women sitting at the table, as he removed his mother from the situation. This was arguably Antonio's first real act of chivalry on the show. It is just ironic that it had more to do with his mother than "potential soul mate," still it should be commended.

After Antonio and his mother left, Christi became visibly upset, noting that Antonio left them all there alone when they were not the ones to upset him. Several of the women tried to calm her down, acknowledging that perhaps she had had too much to drink. This is where the episode ended, leaving the actual eliminations for another week.

This episode of My Antonio was, in my opinion, the first one where the women were not asked to demean themselves in order to gain Antonio's undivided attention. However, many of the women seemed more than willing to do this all on their own. And ultimately this will only make being eliminated more difficult for them to handle.

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 Diane is going to receive a little competition for Max now, especially considering that he just told her he doesn't feel like she values him anymore.

Another common attraction at the carnival was the fortune teller, who predicted danger for Kristina. This served as an ominous, yet vague warning to her considering that danger could come into her life from any direction at this point. Obviously there are several things that are going to happen at this carnival which could pose a threat to her, but there are other things more specific to her own life that may pose an even greater threat. First of all there is Kiefer, who she secretly met up with at the carnival. He is the easiest threat to see because he is abusive and has been able to hide this from those closest to Kristina. Then there is Claudia, who I still do not trust. Maybe it is just me but I still think she is trying to come up with a way of paying Kristina back for her baby's death. What is so ironic about this is that Claudia is probably the best person Kristina could talk to about abuse, given the environment she grew up in.

Outside of the carnival, at the Metro Court's carnival kick-off party, Andrea made several failed attempts at poisoning Edward, until she was finally successful by the end of the episode. Robin, who already suspected that Andrea might try to harm Edward, planned to talk to him about the possibility that he witnessed something the day Brianna Hughes died. Unfortunately for Edward, Patrick insisted on spending some alone time with Robin which kept her from getting to the Metro Court before Edward drank his poison cocktail. To this I just have to quote Sam when she said, in reference to her investigations, "Why does everything always have to be about sex?"

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 the dress, obviously trying to find out the meaning behind her choice of attire. And when she told him that Nikolas gave it to her, Elizabeth made up an excuse to leave so she could confront Nikolas. Once at Wyndemere, Elizabeth tried to reason with Nikolas, but he seemed determined to carry out his plan. At this point I do not think that anyone is going to be able to dissuade Nikolas, even Elizabeth, which makes me wonder what this means for their potential as a couple. Of course there is also the possibility of forthcoming events at the carnival factoring into that as well.

By now it is common knowledge that someone is inevitably going to die at this carnival or as a result of it. The promos lead viewers to believe that it is going to be a child, given the fact that they feature a close-up of a stuffed bear. If this is true, and someone's child actually does die, Spencer is the only one I can think of whose death would affect the current storylines. Of course I am still hoping that they are not actually going to kill off one of the child characters, but if Spencer is the one that exits this would certainly have a profound impact on Nikolas. Let's say that Edward accidentally hits Spencer with his car after he loses control of it. Nikolas and the Quartermaines are already at odds with one another and given the state of mind that Nikolas is in he would likely seek revenge on Edward for killing his son. Then, of course, there is Elizabeth who encouraged Nikolas to take Spencer to the carnival after he said that he was not bringing him. If something happened to Spencer while there, Nikolas would likely blame Elizabeth for talking him into bringing him. And obviously this would affect any potential they have for a future relationship, especially given Nikolas's recent need for revenge.

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 big event, especially a big GH event, which they always do so well, there really has to be a villain like Anthony Zacchara involved. I have to wonder though if the hospital parking lot is the best place to hold a carnival. This just seems hazardous to me somehow, but maybe that is the whole point.

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 one involving Andrea Floyd. Andrea stole medication from the hospital with the intention of poisoning Edward after she learned that he had seen her at the Metro Court around the time of the Brianna Hughes murder. And on Wednesday she was seen talking with an attorney in hypotheticals about what would happen if someone committed a crime and then the only known witness to that crime somehow passed away before anyway could question them. Later on Andrea began reviewing the drug she stole online, finding out that it could cause cardiac arrest. It seems careless to me that she would use a drug with that particular adverse effect considering that she had previously overheard Edward talking to the doctors about how healthy his heart is. I guess this particular piece of information will be used later on to infer that Edward had been poisoned and had not had a heart attack because of some underlying medical condition.

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 had nothing to do with Michael's shooting but he was still suspicious of her. Then he pointed to a recording of Claudia calling in a hit on Jerry as proof of her guilt. Sonny refused to believe that Claudia was in any way involved and walked out of the room. Is it my imagination or did Sonny used to be smarter than this? I cannot imagine what would make him so trusting of Claudia considering that she is a Zacchara and knowing how much she hated him at the time of the shooting.

On a lighter note, there were some nice moments when Jason brought Michael back to Carly's. Carly and Michael reached an understanding and Michael decided to move back home. He also decided that he should tell Jax about running into Jerry even though everyone had agreed to keep that information away from Carly. This just adds to the already lengthy list of things that Jax is keeping from Carly, which makes me wonder how many secrets one person can keep before their head explodes. Moments after Michael and Jax had this conversation Carly walked in. Then suddenly Michael remembered Jax talking to him while he was in his coma. Michael only remembered a fragment of something Jax had said to him and it was likely not enough to make any sense out of, but it was when Jax visited him to apologize for Jerry's involvement in his shooting.

Elsewhere at the hospital, Edward was there having a check-up and ran into Andrea Floyd. He mentioned to her that he had seen her at the Metro Court a few weeks earlier on the same day that Brianna Hughes was murdered. And while it was apparent that Edward did not find her presence at the hotel unusual, it sent Andrea into a panic. She was later seen stealing some sort of medication off of a cart. I know that Andrea is supposed to poison Edward, but I really hope that he is not the one who dies during this whole carnival storyline that is coming up. While he is not my favorite character, GH does not have that many Quartermaines left to kill off. And there are only so many times you can kill off an actor's character and then bring them back as a different character.

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 enough fan mail over the years to boost his ego? Apparently the women did not think so because they hurried back to the house and immediately starting pouring their hearts out, everyone except Tully that is, who was still recovering from her accident.


Later on Antonio read all of the letters then met with the women where he asked three of them to read what they had written out loud. He seemed particularly touched by what Tania, Christi, and Autumn had to say, even requesting dates with both Tania and Christi. I guess Autumn's letter was good, just not good enough to warrant a date. Tania's date came first, which was just a simple dinner, where she received several kisses on the cheek from Antonio. The next day Christi went on her date with Antonio, which was significantly more elaborate than the date he shared with Tania. Their date took place out on the ocean aboard a boat, where Christi became the first woman on the show to receive an actual kiss from Antonio, several kisses to be exact. However their romantic date was interrupted by Tully who became so jealous that she had someone drive her out to the boat on a wave runner. When she reached the boat she begged for some alone time with Antonio, so Christi allowed her to have ten minutes with him. Tully spent this time pleading with him to keep her on the show until she could spend enough time with him to get reacquainted. Once she left Antonio and Christi continued with their date as if nothing happened.


Later on at the elimination, Antonio did not waste any time revealing who was in danger of leaving. Ultimately it came down between Tully and Monique, a video game producer who had yet to spend any real time with Antonio. Antonio pulled them aside, allowing each one to plead their case for staying. And of course Antonio let Tully stay, after all she is helping to create controversy on the show. Once the elimination was out of the way both Christi and Tully wanted to talk to Antonio's mother. However, Christi was the only one allowed to speak to her because she refused to talk to Tully. Christi, acting as though she and Antonio were already in a serious relationship, attempted to explain her past as a Playboy model to Antonio's mother. However, this topic did not seem to phase her because she was too busy plotting to get rid of Tully, a task that she sought Christi's help in completing.