Never let it be said that Sonny Corinthos doesn't know how to throw a party. Moments after Claudia's birthday party got underway, Sonny made the announcement that Claudia was the one responsible for Michael's shooting. And as shocking as this was to hear, it doesn't compare to how shocked I was by Sonny's sudden perceptiveness. For someone who has been so utterly clueless for so long, Sonny certainly gained a lot of clarity in just a few short moments. Perhaps he had a little of whatever Lulu had a few days ago when she figured out that Dante is a cop. Honestly I don't care what it was that caused Sonny to finally see things so clearly, I am just glad that he was able to expose Jax in the process, and that Carly was around to hear it. It was about time she found out that Jax knew about Jerry's involvement in Michael's shooting, I just never expected Sonny to be the one to finally give her this information. Then again I never expected that Sonny would figure out the real reason Claudia got pregnant. If he figures out what she did to ensure that pregnancy I will really be impressed.
Claudia, of course, tried to deny Sonny's allegations, unaware that he had proof of her guilt, but it quickly became apparent that Sonny was not going to believe any more of her lies. This caused Johnny to step forward and claim full responsibility. Unfortunately for Claudia his efforts only made Sonny turn away from her long enough to tell Johnny he didn't believe him. This is quite a change from the Sonny who would believe Claudia over any evidence that was placed in front of him. He even ordered Max and Milo to take Claudia away, but before they could do anything she pulled out her gun and took Carly hostage, causing her to go into labor. Of course Jax blamed Sonny for the whole fiasco. Never mind the fact that if Jax had told the truth months ago, instead of trying to cover it up, Carly would not be in this predicament. All this time Jax has been so worried about telling Carly the truth because of her high-risk pregnancy, now Claudia has taken her hostage, in part, because he hid that truth. Well Jax, she certainly is much safer now, isn't she? Of course I never really believed Jax's reasons for not telling Carly about Jerry's involvement in the shooting. The real motivating factor behind all the secrecy was protecting Jerry from Sonny and Jason. In fact Jerry may be the one person that Jax cares about more than himself. This becomes clear every time Jax not only protects Jerry, but disregards Carly's kids as nothing more than extensions of Sonny. This is something he will have to work on once Carly is found.
Ultimately, finding Carly may prove easier said than done considering that Claudia took her hostage in a rental car that everyone had a difficult time describing. Of course Carly tried to get the situation under control herself as best she could, what with being in labor and all. She tried to convince Claudia to let her go, telling her that Sonny and Jason couldn't possibly kill her because everyone at the party would automatically know who was responsible. And while that's all very logical, the mayor happened to be at this party too and I didn't see him making any moves to get the situation under control before Max and Milo tried to take Claudia away. Then again, why would he? Sonny funds his election campaigns.
Eventually Carly stopped trying to convince Claudia to let her go and just resorted to grabbing the wheel and running the car off the road. I have to say this was not Carly's brightest moment. I know she didn't have a lot of options considering that Claudia presented such a threat to her and the baby, but I do not see how a potentially fatal car crash could improve that situation. After all Carly wasn't even buckled, which would have greatly reduced her chances of surviving a wreck. Furthermore since she and Claudia did wreck, and appear to be unconscious, this is likely to make a rescue attempt that much more difficult.
With all the drama surrounding Carly being taken hostage, it may have been easy to overlook the significance of Kristina's presence at the party. Obviously Sonny did not know Kristina was there. She stayed pretty well hidden because Alexis had forbidden her from attending. However, I'm sure Kristina now regrets the decision to go to the party anyway, considering how upset she became after witnessing Sonny's behavior toward Claudia. Imagine how confusing that must have been for her to see her own father call his wife names in the middle of a crowded room. Not that Claudia didn't deserve it, but given Sonny's abusive tone how can Kristina possibly make the distinction between Sonny and Kiefer? Kristina may very well begin to think that if it is justifiable for her own father to talk that way to a woman and make threats against her, then Kiefer must be justified in treating her the same way. These are questions she is likely to present to Sonny at some point, and I really hope she does because it will be interesting to see how he handles that.
Thursday's General Hospital began in true, classic soap form, beginning with an old-fashioned cat fight between Olivia and Claudia. The so-called "cat fight" used to be a soap staple, but for some reason is rarely ever seen these days. If there was ever a need to bring one back, Claudia and Olivia's ongoing feud certainly called for one. Unfortunately before Olivia could get too many hits in, the police busted through the hotel room and promptly arrested her for assault, or attempted murder, depending on whether they believed Claudia's claims. Nevertheless, Mac quickly let Olivia go, while Claudia finished getting ready for her birthday party, unaware that it might be her last.
Meanwhile, Jason replayed the CD implicating Claudia in Michael's shooting, so that Sonny could hear it again. Afterwards Sonny became eerily calm, so much so that it was difficult to tell whether he was in denial or plotting revenge. Jason assumed that he was in denial, or worse, that he wasn't phased by the information enough to actually want to punish Claudia. I think it is safe to say that Sonny was definitely not in denial. All one had to do was look at the way he smiled at Claudia to realize the sudden contempt he had for her. As the saying goes, "If looks could kill", well, Claudia would have been dead before they cut the cake.
Elsewhere, Johnny remained in captivity. Fortunately for him Molly and Morgan just happened to be walking by and successfully pulled off his rescue. While I am usually not a big fan of soaps placing people, especially kids, in situations that they normally wouldn't be in, just to propel the storyline, I felt that this scene included enough detail to provide plausibility. Molly and Morgan happened to be in the same location as Johnny because Molly needed a water sample for her science project. That makes sense because Molly mentioned this project a few weeks ago when she snuck into Sam's apartment. It also makes sense that Alexis would throw Molly's previous sample away, causing her to need more water. Everyone knows that Alexis has been a little scattered lately. And since she made such a big deal about Molly being at Sam's, it is only logical that Molly would need to seek out another location for her replacement sample. Furthermore, it is reasonable to assume that Morgan and Molly would risk their lives to help Johnny because Morgan grew up around danger and Molly has surely romanticized it from reading all those books. And I can't ignore the fact that Morgan rescuing Johnny provides a certain ironic twist, with Morgan saving the one person intent on saving Claudia, the woman responsible for getting his own brother shot. Whether Johnny's rescue allowed him to get to the party in time to save Claudia remains to be seen, but it would appear that Carly's timing could not have been worse.
It would appear that time is running out for Claudia, as the truth about her involvement in Michael's shooting finally comes to the surface. Unfortunately the one person who may be able to save her has been kidnapped by rival mobster, Joey Limbo, on orders from Anthony Zacchara. Anthony instructed Joey to lock Johnny away in a safe location so that Joey could go after Sonny and Jason without Johnny getting caught in the crossfire. Johnny almost managed to escape, but was quickly forced back into captivity, effectively preventing him from warning Claudia that her life was in danger. Meanwhile, an oblivious Claudia was preoccupied with the birthday party Sonny decided to throw her. Of course she managed to make a little time to threaten Olivia, convinced that she knew were Johnny was. Claudia even made plans to tell Sonny about Dante at the party, but something tells me that she may not get that chance. On the other hand, Sonny didn't appear to have much of a reaction to hearing the audio CD of Claudia ordering the hit, so Jason may have a difficult time convincing him that the recording is authentic and not something Spinelli fabricated.
Elsewhere in Port Charles, Luke, who had been drinking all night after seeing Elizabeth and Nikolas kissing, met with Lucky on the pier. I am not sure what Luke hoped to accomplish by having this meeting because it is obvious that he is not going to tell Lucky what he saw. In fact Luke's part of the conversation primarily consisted of vague warnings directed at Lucky to be sure that he and Elizabeth were in agreement about their future. The futility of the conversation that Lucky had with Luke, and then Nikolas and Liz later on, proves that he has no one in his life that will be honest with him. It seems to me that if everyone is so worried about Lucky returning to drugs, the worst thing they could do is keep secrets from him that affect his future, while talking to him in riddles. And I know Luke is not exactly a picture of sobriety, but I cannot understand how the sight of Elizabeth kissing Nikolas prompted him to go on an all night binge. Instead of drinking, perhaps Luke should consider having a long overdue talk with Nikolas about his sudden preoccupation with destroying the lives of both Lucky and Ethan.
The truth about Dante's identity was finally revealed on Tuesday's General Hospital, well sort of. Lulu overheard Dante and Ronnie talking on the pier, at which point she discovered that Dante is an undercover cop. Fortunately for Dante, Lulu will likely never remember making this discovery because, as it turned out, Lulu had been drugged during a Crimson photo shoot. Apparently she had mistakenly picked up someone else's drink, which just happened to contain a questionable substance. Strangely enough, Lulu obtained several moments of clarity while in this altered state. The first being when she deduced that Dante is an undercover cop, and the second when she admitted that she has feelings for him. Only on a soap can someone actually gain intelligence after being drugged. And only on a soap does an undercover cop meet with his superior in public every other day without expecting to get caught. How many close calls does Dante have to have before Ronnie finally tells him to just send his updates via e-mail?
On Tuesday, longtime fans of General Hospital witnessed the return of Jonathan Jackson as Lucky, the role he originated in 1993. Being a fan of both Jonathan Jackson and Greg Vaughan, the actor who eventually replaced Jackson when he exited the show, I had mixed feelings about this re-cast. Greg Vaughan fit the role of Lucky better than most replacement actors ever fit their respective roles. He became Lucky, and even die-hard Jonathan Jackson fans learned to not only accept him, but embrace him in that role. On the other hand, there are few things more satisfying to a soap fan than seeing a character's original portrayer return to the screen. It is like welcoming home an old friend or a family member that you haven't seen in years. And as a soap fan, a part of me was really excited to see Jackson back in the role he helped create, even if that meant Greg Vaughan had to leave. I have to say though, after watching Tuesday's General Hospital, I'm a little disappointed and disheartened by this casting change. I know a lot of J.J. fans are going to want to throw things at the screen after reading that last sentence, but before anybody does irrefutable damage to their computer let me explain.
As I said before, I am a fan of both Jonathan Jackson and Greg Vaughan. I cannot emphasize that enough. I think they are both terrific actors who just happened to make their mark in the same role. Unfortunately, as I predicted, seeing Jackson as Lucky today was a bit unsettling, particularly since Vaughan was still in that role just last week. First of all, these two actors share no physical resemblances whatsoever. Second of all, Jackson does not appear to have aged much since he left the show in 1999. This might not be an issue if it weren't for the fact that Jackson now seems almost too young to play a role that was his from the beginning. This is partially due to the fact that GH seems to have ignored the most important rule in re-casting, that the transition from one actor to another has to be as seamless as possible. It is just a shame that the transition from Vaughan to Jackson wasn't, because this problem could have been so easily avoided by simply expanding the time between their air dates.
This post was first submitted in June when Natalia Livingston returned to GH as Rebecca. The following is my opinion about how she should have returned to the show as Emily. I thought it was appropriate to re-post this considering that the actress is once again about to leave the show.
When Natalia Livingston decided to leave General Hospital, prompting the demise of her character Emily Quartermaine, speculation immediately began about how the show might be able to bring her back someday. Earlier this year, Natalia fans got their wish when she returned to the show as a new character named Rebecca. However, it remains to be seen what, if any, connection Rebecca has to Emily. And while I love the fact that General Hospital was able to bring Natalia back, I wish they had written her return differently, especially since they had already brought Sarah Brown (ex-Carly Corinthos) back as Claudia Zacchara last year.
When soaps re-introduce actors as new characters it becomes confusing and distracting, especially if said actors have only been off-screen a short while before their return. This was the case with Natalia, as the show brought her back as Rebecca, less than a year after she stopped portraying Emily. And while the actress is certainly convincing as this new character Rebecca, it is still difficult to see her as anyone but Emily. This is at least partially due to the fact that most of her scenes are with Tyler Christopher, who portrays Emily’s heartbroken fiancé Nikolas Cassadine. However, since General Hospital is a soap opera it is not entirely beyond the realm of possibility that Rebecca and Emily are one in the same, but I still cannot keep from wishing that they had simply re-introduced the Emily character. I believe this could have been achieved in a way that would have provided months, if not years of storyline, and would have involved many of the show’s core characters.
In the months leading up to Emily’s murder, a new crime family emerged, the Zaccharas, who wanted to take over Sonny’s territory in Port Charles. Anthony Zacchara, the head of the Zacchara organization, had a reputation for killing members of his enemies’ families. Around this same time Nikolas was suffering from bouts of rage, often becoming violent and having no memory of these episodes later. Nikolas feared the worst, while Emily offered reassurance and vowed to help him get diagnosed and cured. Incidentally, a cure would not come before Emily’s murder, causing many people to speculate that Nikolas was her assailant.
It is important to note that with all of the violence surrounding Port Charles at this time, Emily was perhaps the most susceptible to it all. First of all she is Jason’s sister, who, of course, works for Sonny, Anthony Zacchara’s primary target. This connection makes Emily a target by extension since Anthony was notorious for sending messages to his enemies by killing their loved ones. Moreover everyone knew how important Emily was to Sonny. The two had previously been in a relationship, during which she helped him face his diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Emily’s involvement with Nikolas also placed her in danger, as he continued to display violent outbursts that were beyond his control. This was of particular concern since Emily was usually isolated on Spoon Island inside Nikolas’s castle. One would think all of this would be enough for Jason to convince Emily to leave town as soon as possible. In fact, Jason did want Emily to stay away from Nikolas as he increasingly became concerned about his violent outbursts. This was particularly evident during the Black and White Ball, an event coordinated by Nikolas and held inside his castle. The ball turned out to be an unprecedented celebration of Nikolas and Emily’s engagement, but Jason became so concerned about Nikolas’s behavior he tied him to a chair and took Emily to safety. In the end this proved to be too little and too late as Emily and Nikolas found their way back to each other just in time for Nikolas to suffer from another outburst, giving Emily’s killer time to make his move.
I think that Jason should have tried a little harder to convince Emily to leave Port Charles until things settled down and she was no longer in danger of being the target of a mob hit or the victim of Nikolas’s mysterious illness. And when Emily refused to leave Nikolas, like she did the night of the ball, Jason should have made the decision to get Emily out of town by any means necessary, with or without her cooperation. And of course the only logical way to get Emily out of town in a way that no one would try to find her would be to facilitate the faking of her death. I think Jason should have done this by employing Spinelli to search the internet for a drug that would give her the appearance of being dead, like in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Jason would have obviously had to be discreet in carrying out this plan, informing no one of his intentions, particularly those closest to Emily. This, of course, would have included Elizabeth, Emily’s best friend, with whom Jason shares a child.
After obtaining this drug, I think that Jason, in the way he so characteristically calculates his every move, should have made the decision to wait for the perfect opportunity to slip Emily the drug. The Black and White Ball would have provided that opportunity, as Anthony Zacchara showed up and began shooting, stabbing, and strangling people at random. And since another murderer was present at the ball, the one who was eventually revealed to be Emily’s assailant, Jason would have had no problem staging Emily’s death before she became an actual victim. I think that Jason should have been alone with Emily prior to her “death” and toasted her engagement to Nikolas, giving him the opportunity to slip her the drug. This would have worked out perfectly because when Emily was attacked she was alone with Nikolas as he was having one of his blackout episodes. At this point, instead of Emily being attacked, the drug could have taken effect and Jason could have laid everything out to make it appear as though Emily had been strangled. In his altered state, Nikolas, being the only witness, would have been unaware of Jason’s actions.
Once Emily’s “funeral” was over, Jason could have paid someone to help him sneak her out of the country undetected. Once Emily woke up it could have been revealed that the drug carried an unexpected side effect of memory loss. Emily could have woken up with no memory of Jason or her life in Port Charles, which would have temporarily worked to Jason’s advantage as it would have prevented Emily from trying to find her way back to Nikolas too soon. Meanwhile in Port Charles, Nikolas’s actual search for a diagnosis would have fit in well with Emily’s absence since it eventually led him to Nadine, a fascinating character with so much potential before she became paranoid and insecure. If GH had continued to write her as the initially charming character she was she would have made the perfect love interest for Nikolas, creating drama and conflict upon Emily’s eventual return.
When Nikolas was ultimately diagnosed with a brain tumor and treated, he and Nadine could have moved forward with their relationship, eventually getting engaged. This would have fared much better for the storyline than Nikolas continuing to dwell on the loss of Emily. This type of mourning is only interesting for a while on soaps. If it goes on too long it makes it difficult for viewers to invest in new storylines and characters. It also makes it that much harder to accept when a beloved actor returns as a different character. Soap viewers need to have a little time to forget that their favorites are no longer there, without constantly being reminded of their absence. Therefore I think Nikolas and Nadine should have continued to grow closer, as Jason contemplated bringing Emily back upon realizing that her memory was slowly returning. I also think that Jason and Elizabeth should have grown closer in the wake of Emily’s “death,” perhaps even contemplating marriage themselves. Bringing Emily back at this time would have created the perfect dilemma for Jason because Emily would have been hurt to discover that Nikolas had moved on. It would have also meant Jason explaining his actions to Elizabeth, thereby jeopardizing his relationship with her.
Eventually I think there should have been a confrontation between Jason and Emily in which she demands to return to Port Charles after remembering Nikolas and what he was going through when she left. Jason would have then had to tell her about Nikolas’s engagement to Nadine. No longer trusting Jason, Emily would have likely insisted on proof, eventually convincing Jason to take her home. Once arriving in Port Charles, I think Emily should have seen Nikolas and Nadine kissing on the pier, not realizing that it was the night before their wedding. After witnessing this she should have tried to leave quickly so as not to be detected by them, perhaps even contemplating leaving town again. At this point I think Nadine should have left the pier, prompting Nikolas to turn around and catch a glimpse of Emily, something he quickly dismisses as cold feet. Later on, Emily could have been seen on the pier reflecting on the time she spent with Nikolas. This reflection could have made her realize that Nikolas deserved to know that she did not abandon him during his illness. She could have then decided to talk to him the next day, which of course, would have just happened to be the day of his wedding. Nikolas’s wedding would have had to be “conveniently” held in his castle, giving Emily the opportunity to walk in on it just as the preacher asked if anyone had any objections. In this moment everyone’s lives would have been changed. Nikolas would have been faced with the dilemma of having to choose between Emily and Nadine and Jason would have been at odds with everyone who had been mourning the loss of Emily.
Emily and Nikolas the night of the "Black and White Ball"
The morning after last week's elimination Antonio went to the women's suite and woke Brooke and Miranda up for an impromptu photo shoot. I guess the purpose of this challenge was to see how good the women looked first thing in the morning because Antonio didn't give them time to get dressed or put on any makeup beforehand. The women each took turns posing in front of the camera, with Antonio acting as the photographer. And at the end of the shoot it was determined that aspiring actress Miranda was much more comfortable in front of the camera than nurse Brooke...shocking! I am not sure what this was supposed to tell Antonio in terms of picking a mate, but then again most of the challenges throughout this show have done very little to reveal anyone's true character.
After the shoot, Antonio told the women that they had 10 minutes to be ready to walk out the door. Apparently he wanted to see if they could handle his lifestyle by being ready to go at a moment's notice. Handle his lifestyle by being ready at a moment's notice, really? How many acting or modeling emergencies has he ever had to rush to in his lifetime? Ultimately Brooke won this challenge, which is ironic considering that Miranda insisted a few weeks ago that she could be ready in 8 minutes. Incidentally it took Miranda much longer than 8 or even 10 minutes to be ready on this particular morning. All her preparations were a waste of time though because as it turned out Antonio only took the women as far as the hot tub.
In the hot tub, Antonio asked the women if they would ever see other people if he happened to be dating both of them at the same time. Um, I'm confused, isn't that what he has been doing? Brooke told him that if he was seeing other people she would do the same. Miranda, on the other hand, implied that she would only date Antonio regardless of who he was seeing. And of course Antonio liked Miranda's answer the most. Apparently this was a trick question, not so cleverly designed to find out if the women thought it was appropriate to date more than one person simultaneously.
Later on, Antonio took Brooke and Miranda on an extended helicopter tour around the island, where all of Miranda's fears and phobias bubbled to the surface. Obviously Miranda does not have the same adventurous spirit that Antonio does. I think that throughout this show she has pretended to like a lot of the activities he has taken her on in order to win him over. That's not to say that perhaps many of the other women have not done the same thing, but Miranda has had to go completely against her nature to do that. Brooke on the other hand, has always seemed more at ease with all of Antonio's activities, including this helicopter tour.
After the tour, the women prepped for the final elimination ceremony, as Antonio talked with his mother about the difficult decision he had to make. Mama Sabato offered to give her opinion about who he should pick, but for the first time Antonio told her that he needed to decide on his own. Apparently it was much harder for Antonio to make a decision without his mother's input though because he told the women he needed more time to think things over. This infuriated Brooke because she and Miranda had spent so much time preparing for an elimination that did not happen. I also think Brooke was angry because she felt like Antonio was going to pick her, and prolonging the elimination meant giving Miranda another chance to prove that she was the right one for Antonio. Miranda's relief following this non-elimination ceremony showed that she had reached this same conclusion.
The next day Antonio announced that he wanted to spend time with each of the women so that he could make his final decision later that same day. Antonio chose to take Brooke out first, who told him that she wanted a contract regarding the specifications of their relationship. Who asks for a contract before entering a relationship? I know this is a reality show, but a contract? Had Antonio agreed to this so-called contract, what would Brooke have done later on if he was in breach of this contract, break up with him? This was a bizarre request, not to mention unwise considering that the final elimination was only hours away. Brooke tried to clarify this request by stating that she only wanted to date Antonio, so I guess this contract was supposed to be some sort of guarantee of exclusivity. However, I still have to wonder who asks for a contract prior to entering a relationship? Most people just have a conversation about the specifications of their relationship, without involving paperwork.
Later on Antonio spent time with Miranda on the beach, where they talked about the impending elimination. This conversation went much smoother than the one Antonio had with Brooke. And if these two final dates were supposed to help Antonio decide who he should pick, one could have easily made the assumption that he was going to choose Miranda. In the end these dates only suggested that Antonio's decision had already been made the night before because he chose Brooke, despite her contract request.
Ultimately I was a little surprised that Antonio picked Brooke after the conversation about the contract. I was positive that this was going to turn him completely against her given the fact that he was so appalled by this request. I was not, however, surprised at all to see Brooke in the finale, in fact I predicted her as the favorite from the very first episode. I just assumed she would be there with Tully instead of Miranda. I never would have imagined that Miranda would make it to the finale. I could never tell at any given point who Miranda was, even at the end. I always felt that she tried to adapt her personality according to what she thought Antonio wanted her to be. It was obvious that she was never comfortable with Antonio's zest for adventure. And this was never more evident than in the finale. However, I did feel that she fit in better with his Hollywood lifestyle than Brooke. Brooke always seemed a little too uncomfortable with the idea of being with someone who commands attention. This begs the question, why would someone participate in a reality dating show if they didn't want to be in the spotlight and didn't want to date someone who was in the spotlight? The main quality working in Brooke's favor, aside from the fact that it never seemed like she was there just to become famous, was that she was adventurous. And in the end Brooke's sense of adventure won out over Miranda's sense of style.
As the Claudia storyline comes to a close, viewers are being introduced to an unquestionably more mysterious one, with repeated glimpses of the "CO77X" graffiti. Viewers have seen this code-like tag in countless scenes this week. And it is usually accompanied by crime scene photos in a presumably abandoned office of some sort.
The mystery surrounding "CO77X" only became more intriguing on Friday when it was seen among newspaper clippings depicting the arrest of Jason Morgan. This particular scene also contained multiple inscriptions of Jason's name written in chalk, as if to signify an obsession. This leads me to believe that someone may be fixated on putting Jason behind bars. And since I can pretty much guarantee that this does not involve Mac, this can only mean one thing, the introduction of James Franco's character.
James Franco makes his daytime debut in less than a month, so it stands to reason that GH would already be laying the groundwork for his storyline. And even though viewers have heard next to nothing about what role he will play, it has been noted that his presence in Port Charles will make Jason's life more difficult. This makes me believe that those mysterious markings are somehow connected to his character.
Perhaps Franco will be playing a rogue FBI agent, fixated on making Jason pay for his crimes. Or perhaps he will be playing the part of a fellow mobster who was sent to prison for a crime that Jason committed, and is returning to Port Charles seeking revenge. This could mean that the mysterious graffiti is a symbolic code for that crime. Perhaps 77X is the crime in question, while CO stands for "carry out." Translation, the graffiti could have been orders written in code to 'carry out' a particular crime that someone other than Jason was convicted for committing.
Still, the question remains as to who is in these crime photos. Obviously Dante is connected to all of this somehow because he was the first person to become suspicious of those markings. And the only logical reason I can think of for the Dante connection is if Mr. Poletti is the man seen in those photos. Perhaps Dante remembers seeing "CO77X" around the time Mr. Poletti was murdered. Of course this is all speculation on my part, so my theories could prove to be entirely inaccurate. However one thing seems clear, regardless of the secrets that this graffiti holds it is likely to have lasting affects on Port Charles.
On Friday's General Hospital Jason finally found the proof he had been looking for, that Claudia was indeed responsible for Michael's shooting. After it was discovered that an audio CD of a phone conversation between Devlin and Claudia contained too little information, Jason and Sam returned to GH to search for more clues. Upon arriving, they learned from Epiphany that the hospital was cleaning out the lost and found bin, which is of course, where the proof was hiding all along. I have to say this was the last place I thought Jason would find the CD that finally implicated Devlin, Jerry, and Claudia. This just seems too convenient, especially considering how long it has been since Michael's shooting. And the timing is too perfect too, the fact that Jason and Sam would just happen to be around when Epiphany told Robin and Patrick to check the lost and found for belongings. Considering that this storyline has been so lengthy it seems like a waste to rush its resolution. It is as if the ending of this storyline has been sacrificed to meet the deadline of Sarah Joy Brown's departure from the show. And as a viewer that is a little dissatisfying. Having said that, a big part of me is relieved to finally see an end in sight. I am even more relieved that Michael is finally seeing Claudia for who she is, rather than who she wants him to see. I just hope that he doesn't somehow tip her off about remembering what Jerry said to him. Although the more I think about it the more convinced I am that that is exactly what he will do. Claudia receiving some sort of advanced warning so that she may leave town is arguably the only way this storyline could end. As I have said before I cannot imagine Sonny or Jason actually killing Claudia. No female viewer, of which I am sure GH has many, would want to see Jason or Sonny kill a woman, even if that woman is Claudia. Not to mention the fact that if Claudia survives, writing in her return to Port Charles will be that much easier. And let's face it, GH will definitely want to bring Sarah Brown back to the show at some point.
I must say that I am having difficulty seeing how Sonny and Claudia's trip to Puerto Rico is significant to this storyline. This feels like an idea that was just thrown together in order to give viewers a chance to see Sonny and the original Carly behave like a real couple before Brown's exit from the show. And since virtually everyone knows when her last air date is, it is a little too late to become invested in something like this. On the other hand it is entirely possible that the reason for showcasing the inherent closeness between these two characters is simply to justify Sonny's confliction about punishing Claudia. If indeed Sonny does have reservations about punishing her once he learns the truth, this could provide a plausible exit for Claudia. It would also leave Sonny more guilt-ridden and tormented than ever, which should make for some interesting storylines.
On Wednesday's General Hospital, Sonny and Claudia arrived in Puerto Rico as part of a "power move" to maintain lucrative business arrangements in spite of Anthony's takeover attempt during the carnival. Meanwhile Jason and Sam were back in Port Charles, still looking for evidence that could tie Claudia to Michael's shooting. They seem to be getting closer to finding that evidence too, as they search through Ian Devlin's patient files with Patrick and Robin. I just do not understand why it has taken everyone so long to realize that there could be clues to Michael's shooting at the hospital. Considering that Devlin was a doctor, I can think of no place more appropriate or more secure for hiding incriminating evidence.
Elsewhere in Port Charles, Michael was continuing to struggle with confusion over his memories. And as he was confiding in Carly about the possibility of more than one person being involved in his shooting, Jax walked in and interrupted. Unfortunately for Jax this only served to trigger one of Michael's most explosive memories to date, the one implicating Jerry. And before Jax had the opportunity to interrupt again, Michael blurted out Jerry's name, essentially suggesting that he had been involved in the shooting. Of course Jax will likely be able deny knowledge of any wrongdoing, as he has done countless times before. The mere suggestion of Jerry's involvement will likely be enough to send Carly back into premature labor, effectively buying Jax more time to cover up what he knows.
Meanwhile, outside Sonny's new office, Dante's suspicions of the mysterious "CO77X" graffiti continued to grow. After finding out that Ronnie was unfamiliar with these markings, Dante sought Spinelli's help in finding out their meaning. Unfortunately Spinelli's online searches came up with nothing, but as we all know soaps rarely introduce information that isn't meaningful in some way. And I suspect these markings are of particular significance to Dante, especially when one considers the implications of the crime scene photos that often accompany this graffiti. Taking into consideration the limited amount of clues GH has given viewers so far, I think that perhaps these crime photos depict the murder of Mr. Poletti, Dante's childhood father figure. If this is true one can only assume that the graffiti is somehow tied to whoever killed him. I know that Dante has always believed that Sonny was responsible for Mr. Poletti's death, but this seems unlikely. In the end I think Dante will discover that the man he has hated all of these years has really never given him a reason to hate him at all.
On Monday's General Hospital Olivia finally tried to tell Sonny the truth about Dante. And of course Sonny thought she was just trying to complain about Claudia, which prompted Michael to interrupt and come to Claudia's defense. I have to say that this was the first day that one of Michael's outbursts actually annoyed me. He has already been having memories of Claudia admitting to being responsible for his shooting and I cannot believe that he would be so easily manipulated by her that he would completely disregard all of that. Perhaps Alexis and Olivia have been right all of these years in keeping their kids away from Sonny because it seems like his naiveté has transferred to Michael. Meanwhile, Claudia was in her hotel room trying to force Dante into sleeping with her by threatening Olivia. Surprisingly enough Dante turned her down and walked out of the room, making another sound argument for nurture over nature.
Later on Olivia was summoned by Anthony so he could determine whether he should have her killed for her involvement with Johnny. Anthony thought that perhaps Olivia was too much of a distraction for Johnny...as if Claudia isn't a bigger distraction. The Zacchara family has started creeping me out, even more so than usual, with their unwillingness to let Johnny have a girlfriend. It is as if Johnny is the only mobster in town to be involved in a relationship that didn't require a contract or an arranged marriage. This is just one more reason he and Olivia should continue their relationship in private because as long as he has family nearby he will never be able to be involved with anyone.
Elsewhere in Port Charles, Helena continued her mind games from her hospital bed, as Elizabeth and Nikolas contemplated their next move. Ultimately Elizabeth decided that she could no longer lie to Lucky about wanting to marry him, but determined that she could not be with Nikolas either. This decision was obviously made in an effort to avoid actually dealing with the fact that she slept with Nikolas. If Elizabeth simply cancels her wedding she can just tell Lucky that she is not ready to marry him again after everything that has happened between them. Then there are no hard feelings, they can each go their separate ways, and she never has to tell him about Nikolas. And of course at some point this would leave Elizabeth and Nikolas free to resume their affair without worrying so much about hurting Lucky. Unfortunately for Elizabeth things are about to become much more complicated than that because in the same moment she decided to talk to Lucky about cancelling their wedding, he surprised her with an engagment party.
On Sunday's My Antonio, each of the three remaining women got a date with Antonio without having to win any challenges. Brooke's date came first and she got to spend almost an entire day with Antonio out on the ocean. And because Tully was still in the hospital recovering from her horseback riding injuries, Miranda's date came later that night. Brooke's date involved snorkeling and surfing with lots of smooches in between, while Miranda had to earn the kisses she received by playing a taste testing game. Antonio blindfolded her and gave her different pieces of food to taste and every time she correctly guessed what she was tasting he gave her a kiss. Miranda thought this was one of the best dates she had ever been on, but I just keep thinking that if this had been a date with a "regular" guy, she would have thought he was either really cheap or just using her for market research. I mean as far as dates go, they don't come any cheaper than this one. It took place right outside Antonio's suite, where Miranda was treated to an assortment of fruit, oh, and an oyster on the half shell, which she guessed by the way, but failed to receive a kiss. The fruit probably came from some sort of gift basket the show placed inside Antonio's suite. And as for the oyster, I maintain that this was just a common slug Antonio placed on a shell he found in the ocean during his date with Brooke. From what I could see the only money actually spent for this date was on the blindfold, but even that was probably recycled from the fruit basket. To be fair, I did fail to mention the helicopter ride prior to the actual date, but since Antonio has taken so many of his dates on a helicopter he is bound to be enrolled in some sort of frequent flier program.
The dates only got cheaper from there when Antonio brought Tully home from the hospital, and they spent time together outside on a bench. Granted, Tully had been advised by the doctors to take it easy, but it looks like Antonio could have at least treated her to a romantic dinner or something. I am sure he still had some fruit leftover from his date with Miranda so he wouldn't have been out any extra expenses. Nevertheless, this date had the potential to bring Tully and Antonio back together, as they actually seemed to make a real connection for the first time since the show began, and Antonio admitted that he loved her. However all of that progress came to a screeching halt later on at the elimination dinner when Tully arrived wearing a wedding dress. She even brought along pictures of her life with Antonio and insisted that he look at them with her. Quite frankly this made her seem a bit desperate, if not a little unstable. In fact Antonio seemed sort of scared by the whole display because moments later he began the elimination and sent Tully home.
On Friday's General Hospital, Helena started playing more mind games, proving that she is not as frail as she let on in Greece. She informed Elizabeth that she knew about her affair with Nikolas and implied that she would tell Lucky. She even dropped hints of the affair to Luke, who all but ignored them. This did not stop Elizabeth from panicking and contacting Nikolas to tell him that Helena knew about them. Meanwhile, Helena summoned Lucky and implied that she had information that would be valuable to him. Obviously Helena is not going to spill any secrets just yet. She likes to manipulate people too much and enjoys watching them panic. In that respect she is like a female Jerry Jax, using secretive information in order to get what she wants out of people. What is so funny is that everyone seems to know how evil she is, yet Nikolas and Elizabeth seemed shocked that she knew about their affair. Is it so far beyond the realm of possibilities to think that Helena had spy equipment set up at Wyndemere the last time she was in Port Charles? This would certainly explain how she knew about Nikolas and Elizabeth.
Back at the Metro Court, Johnny went to talk to Olivia about the possibility of them continuing their relationship in private, and then using Claudia's involvement in Michael's shooting as leverage to control Claudia. Olivia reluctantly agreed to talk this over with Johnny later on at her apartment. Then they kissed and Johnny left. Unfortunately for them Claudia had been right outside the door through almost the entire conversation, so as soon as Johnny left she confronted Olivia. She even told her about her plans to get Dante to impregnate her. That is when Olivia decided to go tell Sonny the truth. Call me a cynical soap viewer, but there is no way that Olivia will actually get around to telling Sonny about Dante herself. This secret will come out in a way that is most damaging for everyone involved. Moreover, Michael was listening in on Olivia and Sonny's conversation so he will undoubtedly interrupt Olivia before she can reveal anything. This will likely happen when Olivia uses the phrase "your son". Michael will think that Olivia is talking about him and he will burst through the room angry and in the midst of one of his rage episodes. Unfortunately this will leave Dante in an impossible situation.
After having already decided not to sleep with Claudia despite her threats to reveal his true identity, Dante met her in the hotel room she rented for them to tell her this in person. I am not sure why Dante felt the need to deliver this news in person. Perhaps he was making a misguided attempt at being chivalrous or just exercising some good old-fashioned manners, but it seems to me that when someone is blackmailing you, delivering a message via text or e-mail would suffice. Granted someone might find these messages later on if you were careless enough not to erase them, but that would still be preferable to the risk of falling into a trap. As a detective Dante might want to think about these things in the future. In fact this advice could have served him well prior to entering Claudia's hotel room because once he turned her down she threatened Olivia. So now Dante is in the vulnerable position of being alone with Claudia in a hotel room, with only a split-second to make a decision. If only he had taken advantage of modern technology, then he would at least have the luxury of time.
On Thursday's General Hospital Ronnie informed Dante that his undercover investigation would continue as planned because a senator had authorized it. Obviously when Olivia found out about this she was furious and immediately confronted Jax, knowing that he was the only one powerful enough to call in that kind of favor. Unfortunately Carly walked in during the middle of this confrontation, which I am sure will only serve as a reminder to everyone to keep their secrets for 6 more weeks. I am a little confused about something though. Carly was released from the hospital literally minutes before she walked in on Jax and Olivia, yet her reason for being at the Metro Court in the first place was because her doctor called her in for more tests. Dr. Lee must not be a very compotent doctor if she cannot remember to order all the appropriate tests before her patients leave the hospital. Moreover, if Carly had almost gone into premature labor the night before, one would think that she would be advised to have someone drive her home. I guess Helena Cassadine's presence at GH had everyone a little distracted.
On Tuesday's General Hospital Carly went into premature labor after eating a bag of fries from Jake's, so Coleman and Johnny had to drive her to the hospital. Meanwhile Jax was talking to Olivia about Dante's reassignment orders. Obviously Olivia was relieved at the prospect of Dante leaving town and getting away from Sonny, but Jax was more than a little disappointed. He even argued with Olivia about how important it was for Dante to continue his undercover work and gather evidence against Sonny, as if Olivia had any control over that. Once Jax realized that there was no point in arguing with Olivia he took matters into his own hands and contacted a senator in an apparent attempt to keep Dante on the job. This just makes me that much happier that Carly is finally having her baby. Now maybe she will start to see Jax for who he really is and kick him to the curb. Then that will leave Jax free to date the only other person in town who is more hypocritical and self-righteous than he is, Alexis.
After finding out that Molly went to Sam's house without permission or adult supervision, Alexis was furious, but not at Molly. Instead she was angry at Sam because Molly claimed that she had walked in on Sam and Jason having sex, which she obviously had not. Moreover I do not see how it would have been Sam's fault if she had, considering that no one was aware Molly was in the house in the first place. Of course Alexis did not see it this way because she lectured Sam on the importance of setting a good example for her sisters. The good example being not sleeping with mobsters. Unlike Alexis, who just last summer paraded Jerry Jax around in front of her impressionable young girls. Perhaps that is why Kristina sees nothing wrong with dating creeps.
On Sunday's My Antonio, the women went horseback riding with mama Sabato as a test to see how well they could get along with her. However, before everyone could even get up on their horses Christi had another breakdown, which was apparently brought on by memories of a childhood horseback riding accident. Tully tried to talk her through it, but got injured in the process of climbing off her own horse. However she was determined finish the challenge, probably realizing that everyone would think she was faking her injury if she left.
Later on, the women took a break from horseback riding to have lunch. Mama Sabato took this as an opportunity to ask each of the women why they thought they were right for Antonio. Soon, she and Tully began discussing their history, where mama Sabato tried explaining to her why it was wrong for a 28 year old woman to elope with an 18 year old man. Apparently even after all these years this is something that Tully still does not understand because all she heard was that she was being blamed for the problems she and Antonio had in their relationship. At that particular moment it didn't matter though because Tully's pain from her injury was getting worse and she had to be rushed to the hospital for treatment.
Meanwhile Christi decided she needed some alone time with Antonio to see how he felt about her. Antonio also wanted to talk to Christi to really get to know her a little better. And of course the only way to do that was in the hot tub. While they were in there, um, talking, someone came outside and told Antonio that Tully was in the hospital with internal bleeding and that she was asking for him. Christi feigned concern until Antonio was out of sight, then threw a champagne glass in anger.
As Antonio was checking on Tully, Christi was back at the suite complaining about how her dated ended without Antonio even saying goodbye to her. Never mind the fact that Tully had a serious injury and was being treated at the hospital, Christi needed attention and was determined to get it. So later that night when Antonio went back to the suite to tell the women how Tully was, Christi immediately started complaining about the fact that Antonio left her in the hot tub without saying goodbye. Of course Antonio had technically said goodbye to her, Christi just could not see past the fact that he had left her to check on Tully.
The next day, mama Sabato went to the suite to present another challenge to the women, the wedding day challenge. Supposedly this was mama Sabato's attempt at being a part of the wedding process, having missed it the first time when Antonio married Tully. The wedding challenge turned out to be as close to the real thing as it could possibly get. All of the women had to pick out a wedding dress and have their hair and makeup done. They even had to write their own vows, something that Christi refused to do. Meanwhile, mama Sabato brought Antonio a suit and told him to be ready in an hour or so, without explaining why.
Later on, mama Sabato led Antonio outside, where preparations had been made for a wedding ceremony. She told Antonio she wanted to see if he could actually make a choice when he saw the women in their wedding dresses. In other words, the party is over, do what you came here to do and let's get on with it. This was probably the best thing mama Sabato could have done because throughout this entire series Antonio has seemed content to just have fun, while using the "unsuitable-as-a-lifelong-mate" excuse for the purposes of elimination.
As the faux ceremony began, each of the women took turns walking down the aisle, then recited the vows they had written for Antonio. Christi was the last woman to walk down the aisle, where she told Antonio that she did not write him vows because she did not want to do that until her actual wedding. I might actually believe that if Christi was a different kind of woman, but I think the real reason she did not want to write vows is because she was afraid she couldn't. Either way, mama Sabato ultimately objected to this union. And just as I predicted, she proceeded to tell Antonio about how she had asked Christi to spy on Tully and report back to her, and how Christi agreed to do this without hesitation. However, I think Mama Sabato may have glossed over, and even exaggerated some of the details of this arrangement in order to save her own skin. She told Antonio that she had asked Christi to spy on Tully and the rest of the women, but from what I saw Tully was the only one she asked Christi to spy on. Moreover, I believe when mama Sabato first approached Christi she asked her if she would help her get rid of Tully, not exactly the same thing as spying on her. Of course the only version of the truth Antonio heard was his mother's and this turned out to be enough for him to send Christi home. And he was actually grateful to his mother for "testing" Christi so that he could see her true character. Obviously Christi should have been sent home weeks ago, but this test doesn't really count for much since she was the only woman tested in this way. There could have very well been other women in the house willing to do the same thing in order to get on mama Sabato's good side and eliminate the competition. In the end it is likely that none of this will matter anyway, because as soon as the mock wedding was over, Antonio went to see Tully, the woman he will most likely choose.
On Friday's General Hospital Claudia continued to try to seduce Dante. When he resisted her advances she told him that she knew his true identity and that if he didn't want Sonny to know he had to do everything she said, whenever she said. Fortunately for Dante, Ronnie decided to act like a cop for perhaps the first time in his career and sent some officers in the hotel room to arrest him. Later on, Ronnie told Dante that he was off the case. Of course Dante protested, even insisting that he would resign from the force if he had to and collect evidence against Sonny as a citizen. As hard as I try I cannot imagine a world where a private citizen could collect evidence against the head of a mob organization and expect to have that evidence be admissible in court.
A while after Dante's "arrest", Claudia walked into the Metro Court lobby, still buttoning up her shirt. Unfortunately for her, Sonny was in the lobby talking to Carly and saw this display. Of course these days Sonny seems easily fooled so I am sure Claudia will have no trouble coming up with an excuse that he will believe. Personally I would like to hear her explain why it took her so long to button up her shirt, because from what I saw in her scenes with Dante that is the only article of clothing she ever unbuttoned.
Elsewhere Patrick decided to go to Jake's for karaoke night. Robin couldn't go so he somehow ended up going with Louise Addison, the ADA, who apparently knew him from college because her friend used to date him. And after seeing the way Louise acts around him I think she could create trouble for Patrick and Robin down the road. In fact, I think she may be the type of woman who only wants men that are already in relationships. This may be why she showed such an interest in Max at the carnival. Maxie also thought that Louise might be a threat. She even warned Robin that she needed to spice up her marriage before she lost Patrick to an opportunistic woman. Maxie later decorated Robin's living room like a planet from outer space and instructed Robin to wear a shiny alien costume and surprise Patrick when he came home. Little did Robin know, Patrick and Louise had decided to get some food and bring it home to Robin, so the surprise was actually on her.
Meanwhile, Olivia had decided to go to Jake's after Sonny told her that he was no longer an option for her. When she arrived she saw Johnny at the bar and decided to sit at the opposite end. Moments later Jake's temporary bartender, also known as American Idol alum Chikezie Eze, walked onstage to sing the Phil Collins hit "Against All Odds". This was the perfect song choice for this scene because it showcased how heartbroken Olivia and Johnny were. I am afraid that I cannot say the same for the choice to have Chikezie perform on the show. While I like the idea of having a former American Idol contestant sing at Jake's for karaoke night, I think that there are booted Idols with better voices. In my opinion Chikezie just seemed a little out of tune through his whole performance. In fact it was difficult to tell whether the pain on Olivia and Johnny's faces was from being heartbroken or from their ears hurting. I thought Johnny actually sang better when he performed Otis Redding's classic hit "Try a Little Tenderness" at the piano. I will say this for Chikezie, his acting was actually not that bad. Granted, the show only gave him a few lines to work with, but through the years I have certainly seen various soaps cast actors in leading and supporting roles with a lot less ability.
On Thursday's General Hospital Sam took Kristina to the clinic to get birth control pills. I won't even attempt to count how many things are wrong with that sentence. However, I do want to point out how disconcerting it was to hear Kristina drop hint after hint that Kiefer was pressuring her into having sex and Sam only telling her that she should wait until she is ready. Kristina already had the birth control in hand so obviously she is planning on doing this whether she is ready or not. Sam should have made a point to tell Kristina that if Kiefer was the right one for her he would not be pressuring her into doing something she was not ready to do. Moreover Sam should not be the one having this conversation with Kristina in the first place, Alexis should. Of course it is kind of difficult to be a mom to your own kids when you are busy trying to play mom to someone else's.
While Sam and Kristina were at the clinic, Alexis found Michael on the waterfront and took the opportunity to talk to him about his violent outbursts. She told him she was bothered by the fact that he hit Kiefer unprovoked and that she was afraid for Kristina and Molly to be around him. Fortunately Carly overheard most of this conversation and confronted Alexis herself. I just wish Carly had already had her baby at this point so she really could have put Alexis in her place. I am not a parent and even I know that one parent does not seek out the child of another parent to lecture them on their behavior. I wonder how Alexis would have handled Carly lecturing Kristina about Kiefer.
Elsewhere in Port Charles, Johnny told an all-too-happy Sonny that Olivia broke up with him, while Claudia headed over to the Metro Court to take another shot at seducing Dante. Having already been forced to wear a wire, Dante was instructed by Sonny to take some papers to Olivia at the Metro Court, where Claudia was already in her hotel room. Claudia called Dante and told him to meet her there, which he did without a moment's hesitation. Minutes later Sonny arrived at the Metro Court to talk to Olivia about her break-up with Johnny. Now just to keep this straight in my own mind, Claudia is seducing someone who is not only her stepson, but also the son of the woman who is barely the ex-girlfriend of her brother. Perhaps Claudia should consider venturing a little further outside her own gene pool before trying to get pregnant.
On Wednesday's General Hospital, Johnny continued to try to intimidate Claudia into telling him what she did to make Olivia break up with him. And of course Claudia played the victim and pretended not to know what he was talking about. She even won a little sympathy from Dante who told Johnny to back off at the exact moment Johnny began alluding to her involvement in Michael's shooting. Perhaps if Dante talked less and listened more he would be a little better at his job. He could learn a lot by simply observing and reading between the lines. Then Ronnie would not be asking him to wear a wire to gather information, something that will undoubtedly put him in greater danger.
When Johnny finally realized that Claudia was not going to admit any wrongdoing, he went to Olivia's to make one last attempt at convincing her tell him what Claudia had done. Johnny's efforts proved futile once again, as Olivia insisted that she was breaking up with him because she was in love with Sonny. Johnny then left, heart-broken and a little maddened by the events that had just transpired. At that same moment Olivia received a call from Claudia instructing her to book a hotel suite under an assumed name. Obviously this order is going to fall in with Claudia's plan to seduce Dante in order to get pregnant. I just wish Olivia would realize that Claudia is not going to let her off the hook now that she has broken up with Johnny. She had to know that request was a little too simplistic for the type of information Claudia has on her. Perhaps if she stopped listening to Jax for a few seconds she would follow her instincts and tell Jason about the role Claudia played in Michael's shooting. She might also realize that the only reason Jax does not want her to divulge this information is because he does not want Carly to know that he has been keeping this from her in order to protect Jerry.
Meanwhile, Michael continues to twist himself into knots over the memory flashes that Jax convinced him not to talk to Carly about. However, keeping this secret only seems to be making Michael's episodes of rage harder to suppress. This was made evident when Kiefer showed up at Michael's house to pick up Kristina and Molly, and Michael started punching him. Michael's rage may be out of control, but no one can say it does not serve a purpose. Although I am sure Alexis would disagree with that assessment as she continues to make herself look ridiculous with all of her warnings to Kristina about Michael, despite Kiefer's behavior. Of all people Alexis should know what a horrible judge of character she is. Her dating history alone speaks for itself. Alexis just cannot see past Kiefer's charm and social status or the fact that he has plans to go to an expensive college. Given all of this, is it any wonder that Alexis is being forced to do pro bono work?
I am beginning to have serious doubts about Dante's abilities as a detective. In fact I am beginning to think that the only reason he was ever promoted to detective is because his superior, Ronnie, is actually a criminal and knew Dante would never suspect criminal activity. Not only has Dante not been able to figure out that his boss is obviously a crook, but he blindly accepted orders from him to blame the leak in the Corinthos organization on an innocent person. I understand that Ronnie alluded to the fact that Olivia could be in danger if Dante did not do this, but does Dante not find it the least bit suspicious that Ronnie is so careless when it comes to protecting his identity? Moreover, when Ronnie told him to blame the leak on someone else, Dante should have known how Sonny would want to handle that situation. Instead, Dante actually looked shocked that Sonny ordered him to kill Tommy, the person "responsible" for the leak. One would think that since Dante is investigating Sonny this type of order would not come as a complete surprise to him. One would also think that Dante would have a back-up plan already in place for situations where he might be given this type of order. After all he did infiltrate the mob, shouldn't he better equipped to deal with criminal activity? It should have been obvious to him that if he ever gained Sonny's trust, he would eventually be asked to kill someone.
As a detective, Dante just seems a little ill-prepared for this assignment. This was made even more evident on Monday's General Hospital when he frantically searched for excuses not to kill Tommy. This is where a good back-up plan would have been useful. Instead Dante agreed to do what he was asked, but at that point he had already raised Sonny's suspicions. As a result, Sonny told Jason to follow Dante to make sure he followed through with his orders to kill Tommy. This is also something that should have come as no surprise to Dante. He is a new employee in the Corinthos organization and he did come over from a rival family. Why wouldn't Sonny instruct Jason to keep an eye on him? Apparently this never occurred to Dante either because when he took Tommy out in the middle of nowhere to "kill" him, he told him that he was an undercover cop and wanted him to testify against the Corinthos and Zacchara organizations. Of course Tommy didn't believe him. And as Monday's episode ended it looked as though Dante might have to pull out his badge to provide proof, which may not have been a problem if Jason wasn't nearby. Hmmm, so Dante trusts the wrong people, acts on impulse, and never has a plan B. I am amazed that it took Claudia this long to discover that Dante is Sonny and Olivia's son!
In light of all the continuing complaints about Y&R's storylines, I have decided re-post this blog topic to open up a discussion for my readers about why they are continuing to watch Y&R or why they are not. You can write anything you like as long as you are respectful of everyone else's opinion.
On Sunday's My Antonio, Antonio became worried that Tully would leave so he took her out on a shoe shopping date without her even having to win a challenge. This makes me think that Antonio has already made his choice and that he is just biding his time with the other women until the end of the show. In fact, I think he made his decision the moment he agreed to let Tully stay in Hawaii. Then again, this is a "reality" show and I find it really hard to believe that Tully's appearance was a surprise to anyone, let alone Antonio. Regardless of whether Tully's presence on the show was planned or not, she and Antonio seem to be growing a lot closer. Antonio even surprised her with a present on their date, a necklace with a foot-shaped charm attached to it. Yes, here we go again with Antonio's foot obsession. I think this show could have ended weeks ago if Antonio had just instructed the women to take off their shoes. Then he could have picked out which pair of feet he liked the most and we could all get on with our lives.
After Antonio and Tully's foot inspired date, Antonio decided to take all the women out on a boat ride. While out on the ocean Antonio told them that they had to climb inside the life rafts and row themselves ashore, where they would receive the instructions for their next challenge. After they reached land they had to dig up a treasure chest containing these instructions. The first thing they discovered was that they would have to stay on the island for 24 hours. I think this was by far one of the smartest things Antonio has done since this show began. If I had to be around some of these women I know I would want to leave them stranded on an island too! Of course Antonio did not want to leave them stranded for long, just long enough to see how well they could manage. He also wanted to make sure that they did not somehow forget about him while they were there, so their first challenge was to spell out his name in the sand. They also had to build a fire, make their own clothes, and build a shelter. These women never cease to amaze me with the lengths they will go to get his attention. Fortunately for them they did not have to do these kinds of things all night because as it turned out Antonio missed their attention too, so he rescued them and took them back to civilization.
The next day Antonio told Brooke that she had won the island challenge, earning herself a spa date with him. Prior to this date, a jealous Tania decided to have a talk with Antonio about the fact that she was not receiving the attention that some of the other women were. She even managed to turn on some Tully-style waterworks. As a result Antonio consoled her and allowed her to kiss him, but alas, no foot-charmed necklace for her. For all of her efforts, Tania failed to even receive an impromptu date. That was probably just as well though because I doubt she would have been satisfied with a shopping trip after hearing about Brooke's spa date, where Antonio acted as Brooke's masseuse.
After Brooke's massage, she told Antonio that she was concerned about the fact that he was in a profession that had a tendency to be unstable. This revelation seemed to bother Antonio quite a bit because he even brought it up later on during the elimination. Antonio implied that he was bothered by this because of compatibility issues, but I have to wonder if Brooke's admission just bruised his ego a bit, considering that the rest of the women are so obviously impressed by his star status. If his ego was bruised, I am sure it quickly recovered during the elimination, as the women were told that they had to literally walk through fire for him or go home. This came in the form of hot coals that the women had to walk across. Antonio even provided the incentive by standing at the end of the fiery coals, giving the women something to focus on as they risked injury to his favorite body part. Surprisingly enough all the women were able to complete this challenge quite easily. Of course this meant that the women were going to have to be subjected to a question and answer session to determine who was going home. At the end of this session, Tania and Christi were the only two left standing, and ultimately Tania was sent home.
When the Kiefer/Kristina storyline began on GH, I praised the show for shedding some light on the subject of teenagers caught in abusive relationships because as a society this is something that is rarely ever talked about. Unfortunately these types of relationships are much more common than anyone would want to admit and talking about them is the only way that teenagers are ever going to learn how to protect themselves. I still feel like it was a smart and gutsy move for GH to be willing to tell this story, but I am a little concerned at how this storyline now seems to be unfolding. I am worried that not enough attention is being paid to the emotional and mental side of abusive relationships because Kiefer's worst outbursts seem to occur when Kristina refuses to sleep with him. Then the issue becomes more about Kristina not being ready to have sex, but deciding to do it anyway because she is being pressured by her boyfriend. I have no doubt that an abusive boyfriend would try to pressure his girlfriend to have sex with him. I just think this storyline needs to place more emphasis on the fact that Kiefer is abusive in more ways than one, and that this abuse is not simply triggered by Kristina's refusal to sleep with him, as this could send the wrong message. As a result, I think more attention needs to be paid to Kiefer's subtle abuse, the abuse that may be harder for teenagers to detect, like when he bought Kristina a cell phone so that he could always reach her. Fewer teenagers would see a warning sign in that than they would the physical abuse, and these are often the first warning signs before physical abuse begins.
Never let it be said that Sonny Corinthos doesn't know how to throw a party. Moments after Claudia's birthday party got underway, Sonny made the announcement that Claudia was the one responsible for Michael's shooting. And as shocking as this was to hear, it doesn't compare to how shocked I was by Sonny's sudden perceptiveness. For someone who has been so utterly clueless for so long, Sonny certainly gained a lot of clarity in just a few short moments. Perhaps he had a little of whatever Lulu had a few days ago when she figured out that Dante is a cop. Honestly I don't care what it was that caused Sonny to finally see things so clearly, I am just glad that he was able to expose Jax in the process, and that Carly was around to hear it. It was about time she found out that Jax knew about Jerry's involvement in Michael's shooting, I just never expected Sonny to be the one to finally give her this information. Then again I never expected that Sonny would figure out the real reason Claudia got pregnant. If he figures out what she did to ensure that pregnancy I will really be impressed.