Paula's Soapbox

Baby switches are nothing new in daytime. They provide months, if not years, of story, keeping viewers on pins and needles waiting for the "big reveal." Most are quite memorable and prompt hard-to-forget performances...when they're done correctly, like the As the World Turns baby switch between Gwen and Jennifer.  This was a beautifully-crafted, heartbreaking storyline where Gwen and Casey's baby died, but Craig switched their baby for his and Jennifer's. Hence, Jennifer thought her baby was dead, when really Gwen was raising him as a single parent. This baby switch worked because people sympathized with both parties. Viewers desperately wanted to see Jennifer reunited with her son, but felt sorry for Gwen and the inevitable loss she would face when that happened. Fortunately Gwen found support and comfort with her newly-discovered sister Carly and loving boyfriend Will. The ATWT baby switch stands in stark contrast to the one currently airing on G...

I guess the rumors were true --  ABC Soaps in Depth   has announced that Julie Marie Berman, who has played Lulu on General Hospital since 2005 is now exiting the show. Apparently Berman just taped her final episode yesterday. The actress made the following statement on twitter about her departure:  There is no word yet on whether GH intends to recast the character. 

Well, I saw this coming about a mile away and I'm not at all happy about it. I am, of course, talking about Britt and Maxie teaming up to destroy Sabrina. First of all, I don't buy that Britt and Sabrina are at all in love with Patrick. Britt has never acted like Patrick was any more than a conquest; and I think what Sabrina is experiencing is merely a school girl crush.  I get that Britt is angry because she has such a massive ego, but that's all it is. She didn't just lose a husband, or some great love of her life. She's basically a stalker whose prey got away. And instead of throwing a fit like a toddler, she needs a major reality check and possibly some sort of medication.  All of this is bad enough, but I really hate that GH has decided to involve Maxie in this mess. This show had an opportunity to tell a story about a formerly selfish woman doing one of the most selfless things she could do for her best friend, be her surrogate. I think th...

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...

Unless you are a soap fan who doesn't read internet spoilers, or you missed Saturday night's podcast you have undoubtedly heard the rumor about what really happened to Michael in prison. That rumor of course being that he was the victim of prison rape, which seems to be exactly what GH has been implying the past few days. And I just want to go on record right now as saying that if the reason for the Michael recast was so the show could put somebody with a more innocent look into these prison scenes it was a bad decision. It is not that Chad Duell isn't doing a good job as Michael because he is. It just never ceases to amaze me how soaps are constantly sacrificing good actors for bad storylines. And this prison storyline is bad on more levels than I can even wrap my mind around. First of all Michael probably would have been okay in prison until Jason got there if Sonny had checked his ego at the prison door and not antagonized Anthony Zacchara with threats about Johnny. Sonn...

With Michael being sentenced to five years in prison, Carly is certainly entitled to be angry. It is even understandable that she would want to lash out at anyone within striking distance and seek revenge on the person responsible for putting him there. In fact given everything that Michael has been through it would be hard to fault Carly for trying to get some sort of justice for him. After all he didn't receive an ounce of it in court, yet I am still having trouble empathizing with Carly enough to support her behavior. As I said in the last post, there were many people responsible for Michael's predicament. And yes, Dante and Lulu definitely played a part in it, but Carly seems to be focusing an unreasonable amount of anger on these two considering how much blame there is to go around. And I still think it is strange that no one is angry with Lucky for bringing Michael in in the first place. He pointed a gun at Jason to keep him from taking Michael out of the country and no...

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...

Wednesday's General Hospital was like a breath of fresh air to me. Kristina's conversation with Sonny served as a reminder that she is the one true victim in this storyline. It also allowed viewers to see that her attempts to forget what happened to her is clouding her judgement. And it was nice to see that she is still making an effort at keeping Ethan out of trouble because it makes her seem less villainous . As long as GH keeps showing more moments like these I might eventually be able to buy into the fact that she blamed Ethan thinking she could protect him, while appeasing Kiefer in order to protect herself. Perhaps the portion of this episode that pleased me the most was Carly figuring out that Kiefer is to blame for Kristina's attack. Obviously she will have to prove that now, which will give GH an opportunity to throw her into scenes with Bradley Cole, (hello Guiding Light fans) but it was such a relief to hear someone finally suspect Kiefer. I was beginning to thin...

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...

As one of many General Hospital viewers I know that Sonny is a central part of the show, just as I know that at some point I am going to find him likable again and perhaps even feel sorry for him. However I think that the show has been trying a little too hard to make this happen earlier than it should. I was particularly frustrated with the dialogue on Wednesday's episode, especially the sentiments expressed by Carly and Luke. "Sonny, like Dante, is complicated and sometimes he does the wrong things for the right reasons." ~Carly Carly could not have picked a more inappropriate time to seek sympathy and understanding for Sonny than in the hospital the day after he shot Dante. I could overlook the conversation she had with Olivia in which she made excuses for Sonny's lifestyle because, quite frankly, that is what a lot of viewers do on a daily basis, myself included. Carly crossed a line though when she told Lulu, in Dante's hospital room, "that Sonny, like ...

Like many General Hospital fans, I watch the show everyday in a blissful state of denial, never acknowledging the fact that Sonny and Jason are criminals. I find it easy to denounce Mac when he is urging Maxie to stay away from Spinelli, and I cheer for Diane whenever she keeps someone from the Corinthos organization from going to prison. However, as I watched the events of the week unfold, knowing that they were inevitably going to lead to Dante's shooting, my rose-colored glasses came off and I quickly snapped back to reality. I found myself repulsed watching Jason standing in the church during Josslyn's christening, knowing that he had just signed Dante's death certificate without giving it a second thought. I was even repulsed by Spinelli, whose detective work set everything into motion. Moreover, I was sickened by his cavalier attitude regarding Dante's imminent demise, and the fact that he never showed an ounce of remorse or regret until Maxie told him that Lulu h...

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...

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...

Ever since Johnny found out that Olivia has been keeping her son's identity a secret he has been offering ominous warnings of the danger that may result from this secret. Based on these warnings I am inclined to believe that someone, likely Johnny, will die because Olivia cannot bring herself to tell the truth. And while I hope that this assessment is incorrect, a variety of factors indicate otherwise. First of all, now that Claudia is dead, Johnny is the only Zacchara in Port Charles, with the exception of Anthony who remains in prison. And Johnny's death would effectively remove the Zacchara family from the canvas of the show, should the writers be so inclined to make this happen. One can also not ignore the fact that with Olivia's gravitation toward Sonny, and Lulu's infatuation with Dante, there really does not seem to be a place for Johnny at the moment. Granted he could have a storyline that didn't involve either of his love interests, but I have seen no evide...

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 ...

For about a week General Hospital fans have undoubtedly played the minute-long James Franco promo over and over again, trying to gain some insight into his contribution to the show. Included in this promo was an image of Claudia's body inside a chalk outline, with her head surrounded by a pool of blood. Upon seeing this image, speculation immediately began that perhaps the mysterious, and aptly named, Franco had retrieved Claudia's body from the ground in order to snap pictures of it. Today, viewers saw a close-up of her body within this chalk outline, but as it turned out this wasn't Claudia at all. Instead this body was revealed to be a model dressed as Claudia who was presumably allowing herself to be photographed by Franco. Obviously these pictures will be sent to Jason as part of some sinister plot, even as he tries to figure out who sent the picture of Claudia wrapped in tarp. To be honest, I find the real mystery to be how someone could move quickly enough to take a ...

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...

In watching General Hospital sometimes it is easy to forget the kind of life that Sonny and Jason lead, and how that life permeates the existence of the children in their inner circle. However, if the amount of violence that surrounds them was ever in question, Wednesday's episode left little room for doubt. To say that I have mixed emotions about this episode is an understatement. And this comes as quite a shock considering that I knew beforehand what was going to happen. I was just unaware of many of the specifics and the overall tone that the show would adopt. Claudia's death and the moments leading up to it were quite simply tragic. There really isn't a more accurate description than this. It was, without a doubt, a tragedy no matter how you look at it. Claudia helped deliver Carly's baby even though she could have just as easily made her way out of the country, avoiding retribution from Sonny or Jason. And in these moments it was easy to recognize the good in Claud...

Carly and her baby may have survived the car crash, but the danger is far from over as Claudia continues to pose a threat. Of course that threat may have been greatly reduced if the PCPD bothered to search for the two women, or at least let somebody else search. I never realized that Mac had the ability or the resources to put the entire town on lockdown. He had Jason cuffed to a table in the interrogation room/makeshift jail cell to keep him from killing Claudia, like Sonny doesn't have other employees or the ability to kill Claudia himself. Moreover, as Alexis pointed out, Mac arrested Jason on the presumption that he was about to commit a crime. If that were legal, Mac should have most of Port Charles behind bars! And as if Mac didn't have enough things to control, he assumed the role of Jax's babysitter by not letting him fly his helicopter in the rain. Since when do the local police get involved in controlling the airways? At least Carly had Spinelli, Dante, Lulu, Sam,...

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 j...