Jason's Story

Today's episode was an amazing compilation of writing and acting.  It is must see.  And I imagine we will see it again when GH does their reruns at Thanksgiving or Christmas.  This was definitely a keeper!

The episode put one theory to rest and left one open.  Elizabeth and Jason aren't going to be a couple.  I'm delighted because it certainly seemed obvious from her fantasy that this isn't the life Jason would ever lead.

The flashback scene at the end was particularly creative and left quite a cliff hanger. Will Jason remember anything before his original accident?  It took me a minute to realize he was remembering his life in reverse right up to the accident.  There were of course scenes I'd never seen and though I'd heard about his rage after the first accident, I hadn't witnessed any of it until today.  It is hard to reconcile those violent outbursts with the completely controlled Jason we see each day.

Finally, Monica sees what might have been isn't necessarily what should have been.  Jason called her "Mom" and I think it indicates that Monica will be more a part of his life once he wakes up whether he remembers her or not.  I'm still betting he does.

And I got my wish, Tracy and Alan both had more screen time with lots of Quartermaine bickering. We only needed Alice and Luke there to stir things up even more.  Hopefully when Luke returns, Alice will be there to dote on him.  He'll need it because I don't think Tracy is going to be very welcoming.

Fantasies

Jason is in the hands of Dr. Drake and the fantasies of the women who love him.  Heaven help him.

I suppose these fantasies wouldn't be very interesting without their conflicts and each is appropriate for the story.  Sam's permanent Hawaiian holiday and treasure hunt would be especially boring without a gun totting stranger.  Personally I hope Jason ends up with Sam, I just want him to be in Port Charles with the complications of all the other women in his life.

One women who could stay out permanently is Elizabeth. Doesn't she give Lucky, Nicholas, her brother and now Matt enough grief without adding another man to the mix.  I wasn't watching the show to see the Liz/Jason romance but I'm already not a fan.  Elizabeth just doesn't suit Jason at all, particularly when she has envisioned him as an architect.  Maybe this harkens back from some other story, but I don't see Jason in that life at all - yawn.

Carly and Jason together I can see and then again not.  I just don't see him turning from friend back to lover with her.  I do like how she has conjured up Michael in her scene.  I was beginning to think the children in Jason's life had been forsaken.  He is a parent figure to all the young of Port Charles and does a better job of it than most of the real parents.  Michael wouldn't be too happy seeing Jason take Sonny's place in any way.  He may love Jason like a Dad but not enough to break his loyalty to Sonny.  No matter what happens, Carly will be a presence in his life.  He hadn't even gotten to surgery before she was unloading her problems on him.  I would expect Michael to want to visit with Jason, but he could do that on his own without Carly there to plead her case for Jason's help.

Monica has a substance abuse problem so I can see how she conjured up one for her son.  As Edward said, be careful what you wish for.  I only wish it were Tracy who had discovered the imprefection in Dr. Jason Quartermaine. And I hope we see a lot more of Alan before this little scenario plays out

Preparations

In this day and age, why are the people of Port Charles not more connected?  Alexis had to read about Jax plane crash in the newspaper at the police station.  She needs to give Molly her computer back.  I know she was trying to punish Molly for fake kidnapping Joss but enough already.  Molly would never let Alexis walk around that clueless unless of course it was about what her darling daughters were up to.

I know Sam wants Jason to think positive, but I would be proud of him for being practical. He does need to prepare for the worst. While my husband was taking his leisurely time going through Wal-mart - a shopping experience I'll never understand - I was standing at an unmanned checkout reading ABC Soaps and there was a photo caption I loved.  Jason is in the hospital bed talking to Sam something to the effect of "I can't lie here in bed.  Sonny's enemies just won't kill themselves."  Oh, so true.  And Sonny will be put under the jail if Jason isn't there to reign him in.  I do question Max being the one being briefed.  Shouldn't it be Bernie?

While I don't love the outcome, I did love the breakup scene with Diane and Max with the Jackal in the middle.  Hilarious!  For a guy stuck in the 40's, Jackal P.I. is certainly acquainted with the phrase "She's just not that into you."  I don't love Diane going on a book tour, I'll miss her almost as much as Max. Why is everyone deserting Sonny when he desperately needs help?  OK, I can see why Carly would cut him off but Diane is PAID to help him.

Sibohan wasn't writing Lucky, she was writing Luzetta's or whatever it is called.  And the Jackal has discovered something important.  He'll crack the case wide open - if he doesn't get himself killed first.

Hospitals are supposed to be a place to heal

Where is Epiphany when you need her?  Epiphany would have evicted Carly and Sonny and their much needed fight to a more appropriate place.  And she might have kept Anthony out of Sibohan's room.  Wonder what Sibohan wrote on that pillow?  And what kind of nurse is Elizabeth.  She didn't notice the monitors were out when she stopped by to check on her patient?

I sense trouble for Elizabeth. She was the last known person to see Sibohan alive both when they talked and when she stopped by the room with Anthony hiding behind the door.  I can't see how her nursing career will survive this one.  She'll be lucky if she isn't occupying Sonny's recently vacated cell.

What I don't get is Anthony's obsession with Lucky.  Perhaps there is a history here that I don't know about.  Maybe he has a tie to Helena.  Putting the two of them together would be, well, maybe we don't want to go there.  I don't want Port Charles to get wiped out before its time.

Spinelli/Jackal is coming unraveled.  Maxie, just stick to it.  You may break him out of his weird bent yet.  Lucky seems to think the guy at the bakery was familiar.  I don't remember the guys who held him down while JT shot him up but maybe this was one of them.  If so, Anthony has moved very fast in converting the bakery to a front.

We have much to look forward to this week.  Here is a great interview with Steve Burton who plays Jason on GH:  TV Guide Jason interview  Looks like Friday and Monday will be must see days for sure.

Movie: The Help... and movies in general

Two things you should know:  First, I never read the book.  Second, I'm not a big movie goer.

The main part of this blog is about General Hospital. I love a good continuing story.  This is the main reason I don't watch a lot of movies.  I'm left with more questions that answers.  I want to know what happens after the happily-ever-after if there is one.  I want to know how the characters got to the starting point of the movie.  Being a soap fan is a bit like living in a small town, you don't really know someone unless you knew their grandmother.  With a movie, you jump in the middle of people's lives, spend 2 hours with them and jump back out again.

So occasionally, I go to a movie.  The main reason I went to see the Help was that I wanted to get out of the house and it appealed to me.  Everyone I knew wanted to see it and most had read the book.

One of my friends summarized it really well as she had read the book but not yet seen the movie:  It is funny and it is serious and in the end, everyone gets what is coming to them - good or bad.  This is a recipe for most good movies.

Her analysis was true. I'd like to add that there are good people and bad people in this movie and you know who they are the first time you meet them.  The one exception is Skeeter's Mother who has a little more depth to her.  It is an enjoyable movie, terribly sad that this was once the way people believed and behaved towards others.  It is even sadder that this type of thinking hasn't completely disappeared or has been transferred to other races.  We fear what we don't understand.

The movie theater was almost full even though I went on a weekday afternoon.  Certain scenes garnered more laughter than was probably warranted so I imagine most of the audience had read the book and were waiting on certain parts.

If you like movies particularly about women's lives and social issues, I recommend it.  If you have already read the book, talk to someone who has done both before you decide.

New Point Man

For the last year, Michael has been the pivot point of the show.  Being a biological Quartermaine but adopted and raised by Sonny, he had ties to both worlds and all the key characters.  Chad Duell was certainly up for anything they threw at him and portrayed Michael as a scared teenager suddenly sent off to prison, a rape victim, a rebellious son, a young man involved with his first love, and even sometimes the entitled son of a mobster.

But Michael isn't the only character who belongs in two worlds. Jason had that role first.  Apparently his transition from wealthy, preppy pre-med student to crime figure was swift and complete.  He remembered nothing of his life before so there was no tie to the Quartermaines.  Now though, there is a chance to bring Jason into both of the worlds in which he belongs.  More surgery seems to be in his future.  I'm hoping he remembers both lives when he awakens and has to decide where he wants to fit.  The storyline potential and the character interaction is immense.

As for Michael, I'm not liking the Sonny-clone version at all.  How many times can he and Abby argue and apologize over the same territory?  They need to get back to Port Charles, get back to work and Michael needs to get back to fighting with Tracy and perhaps figure out what Skye is up to.  Edward is clearly too smitten with her.

This is something that bothers me.  While Skye is certainly attractive, I don't see why all the man fawn all over her.  It isn't unrealistic.  I've met women before in real life who seemed to weave a web that no man would resist.  I'm not expecting the next man in Skye's path to be delivering compliments.  Jax is going to be too busy trying to recuperate from his plane crash.  I'm betting Skye will keep him hidden or help him escape while Sonny is prosecuted for killing him.

Dante is another of Sonny's sons who is going in a direction I'm not crazy about.  He is lying to Lulu about Lucky.  He seems happy to be prosecuting his father for murder - for racketeering I could understand but he shouldn't be so gleeful to see Sonny going out of his mind in a cell on a murder charge.  Instead of being in bed with Lulu, I would have expected him to be breaking the news to Alexis so she could tell Kristina her father has been charged with murder - again.

Matt is a puzzler.  I've seen so little of him even though he has been a contract player the entire time I've watched the show.  I don't know if his behavior is in character or not.  But I don't see why he is covering up what is clearly a problem for the hospital - dispensing drugs with less potency than labeled.  Why would he keep this a secret?  Wouldn't he be in as much trouble as Elizabeth when it comes out that he knew and didn't report it right away?  He obviously has some big news he hasn't shared with anyone.  I just don't get this character.

I do wish I had Anthony's pain tolerance, not that I plan to cut myself on purpose.  But the guy doesn't seem to be the least bit bothered by the big gash on his hand.  Why didn't he just ask his flunkie what room Sibohan was in?  I fear that she won't survive her latest visitor.  Paging Ethan!

I was whining about no suspense Friday's awhile ago.  Not anymore.  With Jax washed up at Skye's feet, Jason seizing, and Sibohan in the hands of a killer, there is plenty to anticipate next week.

Sonny's enemies

Sonny is one confused guy.  His plan to sabotage Jax plane so it wouldn't take off didn't allow for Jax fixing the plane and then crashing it.  The end result is the same. Jax is dead - supposedly though I'm sure no body will ever be found.  Yet, in the latter scenario, there is evidence aplenty that Sonny did it.  For a minute there I thought Jax might actually be visiting Sonny in jail and then disappearing leaving Sonny to know he is alive with no way to prove it.  Sonny was just dreaming.

Diane and everyone around her are always saying what a wonderful attorney she is.  The only evidence I've seen is her inexplicable ability to get Sonny bail given his history and without his physical presence in the courtroom.  Doesn't the defendant have to actually be present at his bail hearing.  I love watching Diane. I like watching her argue the points of the law, I just haven't seen stellar results in the time I've been watching.  She embraced Theo Hoffman, the Balkan without batting an eyelash. Actually she did bat her eyelashes heavily as she wanted to impress her NY partners.  If this one goes to trial, I hope Diane gets a win and shows that she is a truly gifted attorney.

What about Shawn?  He admitted being on Jax's plane.  Could he have done something that might have brought the plane down?  It doesn't seem likely but Sonny doing it is just too easy.  Jax must have had another enemy.

Sonny now has another enemy - Carly. I don't know whether it is worse to have Carly as an enemy or a friend.  She wreaks havoc wherever she goes.  It was nice of her and necessary to thank Robin.  Her appreciation wasn't met with much grace.  The women in this town have longer memories of grievances than even the men.

So Skye is going to be Tracy's downfall?  Not so fast.  I don't underestimate Tracy.  Hopefully Luke will return to add to this interesting mix.

Robin and Jax are buddies?

While I'm loving the new writing and they are doing a good job of backfilling old stories to bring those of us relatively new up to date, there are things that don't make sense to me.

When did Robin and Jax become such good friends?  If she was so close to Jax, why push Brenda to Sonny?  Obviously there must be a history here or Jax wouldn't have gone to her house with Joss but it didn't happen in the last 3 years.  I don't even recall them having a conversation.  And if I didn't know it watching all this time, how would Shawn know about their friendship when he is new in town?  I think this part of the story was missing a connection.

While I loved the great girl talk scene between Carly and Olivia the timing was all wrong.  Carly wouldn't be calmly devoring a plate of pasta while her daughter was missing.  She knows Shawn's PTSD interferred once and Sonny is lethal.  Jason is at the hospital.  She would not be at home on her couch.

I can't believe that Carly wouldn't guess that Jax had gone to his plane.  Where else would he go?

Anyway, otherwise it was a great week and I'm anxious to see what happens when Jason wakes up, if Sibohan survives the janitor apparently on Anthony's payroll, and what shade of green Maxie is going to turn now that Jackal P.I. has turned his attention to Lulu.

An Eye Full

Mack sure got an eye full today.  Diane's - ah - outfit was a little overboard.  The whole girl talk and strip pool with Coleman has given some much needed comic relief to the heavy drama of the last few days.

I can't believe Carly wouldn't guess Jax would go to this plane.  He kidnapped Josslyn.  What else would he do but try to fly out of town except that he hasn't.  He has shown up at Robin's.  Can he just not get to his plane for some reason - everyone else seems to be able to just walk onto a private jet at their leisure - weapons in hand.

I'm sure it will come out that Patrick was right to operate on Jason but I don't see how.  I think Matt was the voice of reason here.  It is making good drama to pit the brothers against one another with wife/chief of staff Robin in the middle.  I think Robin was overcompensating for the way she has basically demoted Patrick the last few weeks by allowing him to do this procedure.  Robin isn't making the greastest decisions. In her defense, the Chief of Staff job came out of nowhere for her.

Sonny is showing his cold-hearted side to deck his son.  Dante and Sonny's relationship was getting too chummy for one to be a criminal and one a cop.  Putting more friction between them was a good move.

Go girls!

Sam has finally found her voice! Thank goodness.  For three years now I've seen Sam as the most unlikely doormat character.  She should be strong but she constantly refers to her past mistakes and puts up with whatever is going on in Jason's life to have a tiny part of his attention.  Not anymore!  She is asserting herself with everyone left and right.  That cat fight with Carly yesterday was the highlight of the summer.   Some may think it is heartless to hit someone who already has a broken wrist but Carly really did have it coming.  She should have gone home to check on Josslyn calling the police on the way.  She could have called Jason but going over to his house and dragging him away from his fiance to drive through a storm when there were so many better options just makes her selfish.

I am glad Carly has dragged Olivia into her drama as Olivia now has something to do besides date Dr. Webber.  And I agree with both Sam and Carly, why do you need to biopsy Jason's brain while it is swollen.  Whatever is there has probably been there a long time and could wait a day or two for the trauma to be a little less life threatening.  But then I'm not a doctor. Of course, neither are the people who write this stuff so it is all for maximum effect.

Diane and Alexis night at Jake's is giving a great comic balance to all the drama.  Diane should be relieved her divine coat was spared from the storm, forget the shoes.  That coat is gorgeous.  

Another balance to the stormy night's events is Lucky's trip and flashbacks.  It is all really well done.

How much can she take?

A lot of fans want Sibohan gone.  After all that has happened to her, I can't see why she wouldn't want to put Port Charles behind her if she survives at all.

She has been almost burned to death, had brain surgery, nearly killed with the wrong medication, has  headaches and nosebleeds, fell down the stairs, and now thrown from a moving car.  All of this happened in just a couple of months.  Is Sibohan the female Jason Bourne?  The city of Port Charles is going to have to put up a bond referendum just to raise money to pay the increase in their insurance premiums on police force dependents.

I hope Elizabeth is in shock.  Otherwise, she is a sorry excuse for a medical professional.  First she didn't buckle Sibohan in and then after the accident she was running all over the place before she tried her cell phone.  Wouldn't the first thing you do be to call 911? Then she is blabbing to Steve where anyone can hear her that Sibohan thinks she was pushed.  Steve is certainly going to have his hands full and they won't be full of Olivia.

I feel so sorry for Sam.  She is SO happy and it is about to be shattered by the type of phone call we all dread.  (The phone rang just as I was typing that! Fortunately, it wasn't that kind of call.)  Monica was of course just telling Robin how she misses all her family and now Jason is injured.

Of course, we know Jason won't die.  The new writer is busy resurrecting and reassembling the Quartermaine clan so he couldn't possibly kill off the most interesting Q of all.  The question is which Jason will awake from the inevitable brain surgery.  I'm hoping for a Jason that remembers all.

An absence of authorities

If only Carly had called the police like she should have.
If only Elizabeth had called for an ambulance like she should have.

Then the show would be boring.  As it is, someone's life is bound to hang in the balance.  And if Sibhan doesn't die, I bet she does sue Elizabeth this time.  She is convinced that Elizabeth tried to push her down the stairs and she will probably be equally convinced that Elizabeth is at best a careless driver.  Will anyone find Lucky?  The flashbacks to the young Elizabeth and what I presume was their first marriage vows were very well done.

I knew Shawn hadn't left town.  He just kept popping up.  Why didn't he just take the job of protecting Carly?  It is obviously what he wants to do.  If he doesn't want to settle in one place to long, he doesn't want to teach middle school.  Given the number of teachers out of work these days it is a real stretch to think a school would offer a job to a vet with a dishonorable discharge.

I was really surprised that Skye told Carly about Jax.  I'm not sure Skye has loyalty to anyone.  What was she doing in the alley anyway?  Then again, everyone in Port Charles strolls through alleys late in the evening particularly single women.  I think her visit to Port Charles will be far more interesting this time around.  There have been some references to Tracy's sons so maybe we will get even more Q's back in town.  I've only seen them in old YouTube clips and not much of that so I'd like to learn more about Tracy's relationship with her children.

Speaking of Tracy, she hasn't looked better since I've been watching the show.  Hair and wardrobe are getting her right. Another fashion star, as always, is Maxie and this time she has a great hairstyle. She and Olivia looked fabulous this week.  Olivia keeps giving Sonny pep talks.  Got to hand it to her for trying. She should remind him that he doesn't want to do something his son will finally have to arrest him for.

A note to Sam and all the other women involved with macho men:  Stop asking them to help with the wedding plans.  They truly don't care and they are useless at this.  Just pick out what you want, turn it over to someone else or elope.  I have a feeling Sam will wish she had eloped - yesterday.

Carly, the spoiled brat

Sam told her mother about her engagement before Carly found out.  How could she?  Doesn't she know that Carly is number 1 in Jason's life?

I vacillate between admiring Carly and thinking she is the most selfish character on the show.  Today she was a whiny demanding brat.  She's had Jason's full attention for a decade or so and now she doesn't want to take a back seat to his wife.  It is amazing she truly believes she deserves to be that important in the life of a man she isn't married to.  Perhaps if she would let her relationship with Jason go to a normal place, she might actually make a marriage work.

I do think though that Carly was in the right in her conversation with Robin last week.  No, Carly should not be eatting off a married man's fork.  But the blame for Sonny and Brenda's marriage failing was Sonny and Brenda's.  Robin could take some of the blame too for pushing them together and pretending that Sonny's life hadn't altered dramatically since he knew Brenda before and didn't have children.  Brenda just wanted a dream wedding and didn't think a thing about what the marriage would be like.  Carly may have been a nuisance but not an unforseen one.

Thank goodness Maxie found the ring!  I know these people throw money around like it is water but there is a limit because apparently this was a super expensive ring.  And we saw a glimpse of the old Spinelli.  Maxie heard it in his voice and she says she has some ideas on how to get him back.  Dr Hunter, I think Maxie may be even more out of reach in the days to come.