Paula's Soapbox

It has been almost two weeks since Tamara Braun took over the role of Taylor Walker, replacing Natalia Livingston who had inhabited the role since late January. I never really understood the need for this sudden casting change, but being a fan of both actresses I kept an open mind. Sometimes these types of changes take a while to get used to, particularly when they are as ill-timed as this one, or as ill-timed as the switch from new Lucky to original Lucky on GH, or from Drew Garrett to Chad Duell in the role of Michael, but I digress. DOOL used the standard excuse of taking the character in a different direction to explain the Taylor casting change. To be perfectly honest I have never really understood this explanation. Soaps use it all the time and it never makes much sense. Actors act - if a show decides to take a character in a different direction the actor should, by definition, be able to act accordingly. If there is a chemistry problem between the actors and...

Remember last week when the only victims of the GH storylines were the viewers? Well, all of that changed as of this afternoon when soapoperadigest.com announced that fan favorite Rebecca Herbst (Liz) had been "let go." Apparently her exit, like so many, is storyline dictated. This makes me wonder what possible storyline could be worth firing Rebecca Herbst over? I'll admit that I am not a huge Liz fan. I don't necessarily dislike the character, she just sometimes has a tendency to get on my nerves. However I still consider her to be an essential part of the show. In fact given many of the characters who are currently in front burner storylines I would say Liz is the last character who should exit the screen. To get rid of a character like Liz (I'm all but certain this is not a recast situation) in the presence of so many new and annoying characters is tragic. This not only eliminates the possibility of a future Liason reunion, but of a Liz/Lucky reunion as well. ...

Over the past few months I have been waiting in vain for something to happen on General Hospital that would captivate my attention or at least give me the impression that something was about to happen to hold my interest. As it turns out that was an exercise in futility because everything I have seen these past few months has convinced me that the show is in a slump, not a "please-be-patient-while-the-storylines-are-building" slump, but a real honest-to-goodness slump, the kind that makes every episode seem exactly the same. I can't even really find anything constructive to say about the show anymore because it feels like the storylines never change. They all involve the same players doing exactly the same thing. Even the dialogue is being recycled from one day to the next. I can't remember a time before Sonny said something that didn't involve some variation of the lines "Johnny's gonna die", "I would never hit a woman", "I wouldn...

Even though I don't agree with the way Dante went about telling everyone that Michael killed Claudia, I can sort of understand his reasons for doing it. After all no one has ever really taught Michael the concept of taking responsibility for his actions. Moreover, the guilt over killing Claudia has been making Michael act out in such self-destructive ways that a life in the mob seemed inevitable. And if Carly and Sonny were really honest with themselves they would realize that Michael has been wanting to confess for months, not just to protect Sonny, but because of all the guilt. On the other hand I can understand Carly, Sonny, and Jason's impulse to cover up what happened to Claudia because Michael had already lost a year of his life and was still dealing with the repercussions of that when he killed her. And if they had gone to the police at that time it is reasonable to assume that because Michael is Sonny's son someone would have taken the opportunity to make an example...

As many of you know I recently had a bout with the flu, so forgive me if my latest assessment of General Hospital is less than accurate, or coherent. However, I have been getting this strange feeling of deja vu the past few weeks because when I watch this show now it seems like I may as well be watching episodes from a few years ago. Jax and Carly are involved in a power struggle within their marriage, which involves Sonny. Michael is the center of everyone's focus and concern. Spinelli and Maxie have been involved in yet another caper. Liz is struggling with the fact that she cheated on Lucky. Johnny is public enemy number one. And Tracy is once again obsessed with Lulu's love life. I know that soaps like to recycle their storylines, but I am not sure why this soap feels the need to go back over all their old storylines using the same cast of characters. Of course this might be tolerable if the dialogue was intriguing enough to break up the monotony, but I am not sure how many...

Well it appears that we have finally arrived at the beginning of the Spencer/Cassadine storyline. And while I hate to judge it before it has even started, I am not sure I am going to be fond of any storyline that serves as an extension of the Nik/Liz/Lucky triangle. In principle this triangle could have been a good plot point if it had been written as an intriguing story about a woman in love with two brothers with a complicated history. Instead it has been twisted and distorted so that it now appears that the only reason Liz cheated on Lucky is because she suddenly lost her mind. This is not only inconsistent with the way Liz and Nik's affair began but it is an insult to the intelligence of every viewer who remembers Liz cheating on Lucky with Jason. At that time Lucky was addicted to pain pills and sleeping with Maxie, yet Liz's mental stability remained intact even as she carried Jason's child and hid the paternity from Lucky. Liz's current pregnancy makes me believe...

As I watched Monday's General Hospital it occurred to me that there may be a potential pairing that perhaps the writers have not considered yet, Sonny and Liz. Think about it, they both seem to be completely out of touch with reality, which may be enough to convince them that they could actually have a functional relationship. In fact they may very well be the most delusional people in all of Port Charles. Liz thinking that her connection with Lucky might be enough for him to forgive her, and Sonny thinking his connection with Dante might be enough to earn his forgiveness. Still not convinced that these two are a perfect match? I have formulated a list of their compatibilities just in case. 1.) They are both incapable of taking responsibility for their actions because there always seem to be extenuating circumstances for their mistakes. 2.) They always manage to hurt their children without even trying. 3.) They are both impulsive and never think of the consequences of their actions...

If the scenes between Lucky and Liz were meant to give viewers a sense that Liz was getting everything she deserved, then the scenes between Lulu and Liz were meant to evoke sympathy for Port Charles's latest femme fatale. Between Lulu, Ethan, the onlookers at the hospital, Liz's wounded expression, and her injured hand, General Hospital produced the soap opera equivalent of bullying Tiny Tim in the school yard. Ethan even began to feel sorry for Liz, as he urged Lulu to leave her alone and later offered her a ride home. I knew that this show was going to expect viewers to feel sorry for Liz sooner or later, I was just hoping it would be later...much later. Let's not forget that Liz has been the one walking around town the last few months with a smug look on her face, as she practically dared Rebecca to tell Lucky about her affair. And now that everything has finally come crashing down around her everyone is expected to pity her. This really should come as no surprise since...

Now that Lucky has finally let Nikolas and Liz know that he is aware they have been sleeping together, I can almost understand why General Hospital decided to postpone this confrontation...almost. It was definitely a great soap moment in that revenge-is-a-dish-best-served-cold kind of way, but I have to wonder what it says about Lucky that he had to spend several days drinking before he could ever confront Liz. This is just another reason why I continue to be annoyed by the fact that Lucky's reaction was not immediate, but I digress. The Confrontation Part 1 [no copyright infringement intended] Sober or not, Lucky finally said everything to Liz that I had been hoping someone would say to her for weeks. Unfortunately, as Luke pointed out, Lucky will likely regret every word he let flow out of his mouth, which will allow for the possibility of Liz becoming a sympathetic character again. And even though this will undoubtedly happen at some point, I cannot say that I am ready for it to...

It seems like I have been anticipating Lucky's discovery of Liz's affair for years. I have long awaited this revelation hoping that it would prompt some sort of resolution in which Lucky finally stopped making excuses for Liz and immediately called off their engagement. Once Lucky witnessed Liz's torrid affair for himself, this not only seemed possible but probable. Instead there was no confrontation, Lucky's only immediate reaction was to smash inanimate objects placed around his house before calling Laura to get her input on the Cassadine heritage. I certainly hope this conversation doesn't mean Lucky blames Nikolas for an affair that is only partially his fault. Lucky appeared to be angry at Liz as well, but since he didn't confront her about the affair it was difficult to interpret whether or not he actually blamed her for it. It seems odd that he could see her only moments after catching her with Nikolas and not say a word to her about what she did. I would...

In the midst of all the chaos surrounding Franco's latest antics, more on that later, I could not help noticing Lucky and Maxie's reactions to the safety of his hostages. Neither one of them seemed at all concerned with Sam's well being. When Maxie thought someone might have died in an explosion her initial reaction was to hope that it wasn't Lulu. This made it seem like Lulu was the only one she was concerned about even though she and Sam were friends long before she and Lulu ever started speaking to each other. It seems rather strange to me that Maxie wouldn't at least be as equally concerned about Sam as she was Lulu. Still, I can kind of overlook a little insensitivity from Maxie, primarily because she has a tendency to be that way a lot, but also because Lulu has become like a sister to her since Georgie's death. In addition, Maxie feels guilty about letting herself be used by Franco, not to mention the fact that if that had never happened she would have li...

From the moment Lucky began eavesdropping on Liz and Nikolas's conversation I knew that he would somehow miss the part where Liz admitted to having an affair. I assumed this would be for the same mysterious reason that everyone in Port Charles seems to miss important fragments of conversation on a daily basis, not because he couldn't bring himself to listen any longer. I would like to think that this was because on some level he knows that Liz has been cheating on him and he just wasn't ready to hear that fact out loud, but that seems unlikely considering how easily Liz seems to fool every guy she has ever been with. She possesses a certain vulnerability that makes it difficult for many people to see her as anything other than a victim, which makes men feel like they have to protect her. In this way she has become comparable to one of those high school girls that keeps getting boyfriends despite her reputation for ruining their lives. In addition she manages to retain femal...

Occasionally soaps contain scenes that are so off-putting and poorly constructed I find myself wishing I had either misinterpreted them or just skipped them altogether. Fortunately this doesn't happen very often, and when it does it is usually on a soap whose quality has been suffering for quite a while. On Friday, however, General Hospital, a show I consider to be one of the best in daytime, featured one of these scenes. If you watched this episode chances are you already know that I am referring to the scene where Liz's rape became the topic of conversation. It is not that I am against the show making reference to this tragic event because clearly it is a part of Liz's history and the show's history. I just happen to believe that television should handle sensitive subject matter in a responsible manner, rather than placing it in scenes simply because it is convenient. Careful consideration needs to be given to both the setting and the timing so viewers know what messa...

I know I have made this statement before, but after watching Thursday's General Hospital I think it bears repeating. It is simply a shame that Natalia Livingston is leaving the show just when the Rebecca character is becoming interesting. Not only has she made the Lucky/Liz/Nikolas triangle more intriguing, I am beginning to notice the potential impact she could have on the overall show. For instance, until now I never realized just how compatible she and Lucky actually are. Rebecca arrived in Port Charles as a con artist, which is something Lucky can obviously relate to because of his upbringing. In talking about this upbringing with Rebecca, Lucky revealed his inherent fondness for Luke for perhaps the first time in months. And these days any person that can make Lucky feel anything for his father other than resentment or embarrassment could have a positive effect on this volatile father/son relationship. One also cannot ignore the fact that if Rebecca helped Lucky reconnect with...

General Hospital fans have spent several weeks searching the Internet for clues about the mysterious CO77X tag that was introduced as part of the Franco storyline. This tag even made it into Google's top 10 searches on October 21st, as viewers tried to find some insight into its meaning. In fact there were numerous theories about what it might mean and what impact it might have on the show, but on Monday's General Hospital all of those theories were quickly dismissed, revealing a simplistic explanation for the tag. As it turned out CO77X was Franco's booking number from a past arrest, and something he now uses as a tool with which to taunt police. I must say, as one of the many viewers who spent hours playing amateur detective in an attempt to solve this mystery, I was very disappointed by this revelation. These days soap operas rarely have storylines that capture the attention of viewers the way this one element has, and it is even rarer for a movie star to request a role ...

I never thought I would say this, but I think I am finally on board with the Rebecca character on General Hospital. It is just too bad that her portrayer, Natalia Livingston, is set to leave the show in the not so distant future. The last few episodes of GH have given viewers a glimpse of what Rebecca could have been like in a storyline that didn't somehow revolve around Emily. And for the first time since Livingston's return to the show I have been able to see her as someone other than Emily. Granted, my sudden affection for Rebecca has everything to do with her disdain for Elizabeth, which is something we actually have in common. And needless to say it was great to see Rebecca finally give Elizabeth what she deserved, even if she held back a little more than I would have. However, I wish this storyline had come along a lot sooner because now I actually feel like Rebecca is someone I could root for, rather than just tolerate. And let's face it, her involvement in the Lucky...

I knew that it was only a matter of time before Lulu crossed the line and revealed Dante's secret. For weeks she has talked about his undercover assignment in the most inappropriate places as if she were hoping the wrong person would find out about it. And today someone finally overheard her. She told Dante that she had warned Johnny against trusting him, a statement that quickly provoked an argument. It was during this argument that Lulu blurted out everything Dante has worked so hard to keep hidden, including the fact that he is Olivia's son. Johnny, who had secretly overheard this argument, went to Olivia's where he confronted her about what he had heard. I have to say as annoyed as I am by Lulu, in fact I am dangerously close to hoping that Dante finds someone else, Olivia hasn't exactly been a walk in the park either. And today I was reminded of how ridiculous it has been for her to be so worried about Dante's safety when she has the power to ensure it. Months ...

While I am glad that Jason was able to convince Sonny to allow Michael to live with Carly and Jax, it may be too little too late. I am not sure if anything short of going to jail will cause a profound change in Michael's attitude and behavior. Obviously living with Sonny wasn't a good idea, despite Sonny's claims that he was helping Michael deal with everything that happened. I must have missed that episode because the only thing I have seen Sonny do is pat Michael on the back for a job well done. On the other hand I am not sure if Carly can do anything to help Michael either. As Sonny pointed out, even if they confess everything to the police, Michael will be a target of Anthony Zacchara. And as much as I hate to admit it Sonny is probably right. However, it is clear that Michael needs some sort of intervention because quite frankly this kid scares me a little. And I don't think he would hesitate to kill again should the opportunity arise. Meanwhile, Sonny's other...

It seems I was wrong about Kiefer. Apparently he does scare easily, so easily in fact that he took out his fear on Kristina by backhanding her across the face. Call me crazy but if Kiefer really wanted to avoid retaliation from the mob he would stop abusing the mob boss's daughter. Of course that would imply that Kiefer is actually capable of rational thought, which he clearly is not. Aside from the fact that he repeatedly threatens both Kristina and Michael, Kiefer never seemed to make the connection today that Michael, not Kristina, was responsible for the visit from Max and Milo. Obviously Kristina will forgive Kiefer for this "misunderstanding", and not just because of the dynamics involved in abusive relationships, but because Kiefer called her the same thing Sonny called Claudia the night she was killed. And while viewers will undoubtedly note distinct differences between Sonny and Kiefer, Kristina will likely come to the conclusion that if it was acceptable for Son...

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 ...