All My Children @ soapcentral.com

I'm still intrigued by Pratt's AMC overall, but I'm getting bored again... why? Constant 'Sextet' stuff.

Annie  is the ONLY thing keeping the sextet even remotely interesting. I overdosed on Ryangst years ago.

And Petey at Fusion is the only thing making Fusion even remotely interesting.  Well,  maybe not the only thing. I rather like nuBabe over there, and I am enjoying the fact she and JR are trying to take over.  Due to these three, and the fact Adam from a distance has his talons extended towards Fusion, makes the place bearable again. I no longer Fast Forward as soon as I see the set. 

Other than that, having 80% of the show focused on Ryan/Greenlee/Aidan/Zach/Kendall/ and their junior high angst... it's just awful. AWFUL.

I thought Pratt was getting away from this, but it's reared it's ugly head again this week.  Give me more Adam, more Erica trying to con Adam, more Petey and Adam, more mysterious lurker, more Opal,  more Tad,  more ANYTHING OTHER than the Sextet and their woes.

They leave me saying "woe is ME" and deciding to get up and load the washer instead of watching AMC.

With these six, less is more. I don't want them gone, I just want them less. A lot less.

Warning... this blog entry contains Spoilers regarding Jesse Hubbard's story on AMC. If you wish to remain unspoiled, do not read on.

I'm thrilled that Jesse is back on All My Children, problems of multiple "ghost" appearances in the past not withstanding.  I love Jesse and Angie, and I remember watching them when I was a teen.
It's great to see them back, it's great to see them together again after all these years.

However...

Can one really expect a return to the same relationship after twenty years apart? Sure, I can see a wonderful rebuilding of the relationship, as these two, who swore to be together until "Death Do Us Part" find each other again.  Just honoring the vows, the love of the past, despite troubles, can lead to a deeper love.
But we can't discount those twenty years, especially when Jesse had to live a life on the run from those trying to kill him? Especially when Jesse had a nervous breakdown not long into that run? Surely Angie can't believe it can all just be the same?

Can one just "go home again" after a time like that?

Apparently not. Spoilers indicate that Jesse has an ex-wife, and children, from a 'marriage' formed while he was away from Angie.  Some fans are crying out this does horrible damage to Jesse, and to the couple they loved all those years ago. They are angry at AMC and Pratt for even going there.

But I'd argue AMC *had* to go there, or to someplace similar. Why?

When Vincent Irizarry was let go from AMC in 06, and rumor was he would reprise his character Lujack on Guiding Light (a rumor which never came to pass).  I thought about what sort of story a return from the dead of this type would be. How, and in what ways, would a character change after 20 some years, partly on the run, having to give up all they had, but also build a new life?  Very intriguing, and quite frankly I'd be disappointed if the person was the "same ol' guy."  He *cannot* be. If Lujack had returned to Springfield, without some major changes to his character, I'd have been disappointed. Likewise, if Jesse returned to Pine Valley, just as he was when he was a young man, would it make any sense?

Does it damage Jesse's character to show him with this hidden life, formed while he was on the run? No. There would be more damage if he returned the same ol' Jesse. He'd be a cartoon, a fairy tale. Not a 'real' person.

This Jesse is not, and CANNOT BE, the old Jesse. Too much has happened.

 
I posted a couple of blogs back, that I was concerned about how AMC was portraying Taylor and the war/PTSD story. Jake had very 'real' sounding reasons for opposing the war in Iraq. Taylor, when she was yelling hers at him, sounded like an idiot with no ground to stand on. A story this important ought to be able to show both 'sides', with characters being in character. As it began to unfold I felt it was just going to be a one sided sermon.

 I love complex stories with complex characters. But especially when dealing with issues of importance... spare me the sermon and just tell the story. I was very glad... VERY GLAD... to hear Taylor on Friday's show. She finally gave some reasons (to Angie) that I've heard from real soldiers returning willingly to Iraq. Agree or not, she was sounding "real".

 NOW I'm finally interested in Jake/Taylor. Because now both seem more like real people. Of course, it was not just the one set of lines. Taylor has been fleshed out over the past two weeks. She's gone from near cartoon to someone who I can believe 'exists'. Now I care what happens to her, what she is going through, and what she is saying. Now I have some hope for her story.

I have to admit, I have never been a fan of Hannah.    I've thought she was a pathetic whiner and manipulator who needed to wake up and be proud of what a success she had made of her life.  This obsessive hatred of Kendall over the last few weeks has been particularly annoying to me.  But I have to say, yesterday's (1/11/08) episode turned me around.  My hats off to the actress (whose name escapes me at the moment) for a great portrayal.  My heart broke for Hannah as she poured out her heart about staying there with Old Man Cambias waiting for Zach to come back and save her and all the pent-up emotion of 20+ years came flooding out.  As she pointed out that she was the only woman in Zach's life that he hadn't tried to save, her misdirected and intense rage at Kendall made more sense (psychotic, but at least understandable now).  It's too bad that the character is going away now that I've finally found some sympathy for her. 

 

And of course, Thorsten Kaye as Zach was AMAZING as always!

I love soaps. Everyone is an accomplished lurker, people discuss deep dark secrets in public places, PMS is non existent, no one smokes, kids are well behaved, no one suffers from morning halitosis and someone can change their appearance, literally, in the blink of an eye without any reaction whatsoever.

 

This week the new Babe (now being played by Amanda Baker) was unveiled.  For those of you who were fans of Night Shift, General Hospital's spin-off that aired on Soapnet, you will recognize her as Jolene, the homicidal nurse who is currently lingering in an irreversible coma on one of the floors of General Hospital. 

 

I do not have cable so I did not watch Night Shift.  My neighbor taped a couple of episodes for me and I watched them but I have to admit, it didn't interest me.  It was an alternate reality so the characters that I knew from GH were nothing like the ones on NS except in name and appearance. 

 

I have seen Amanda's work in a few scenes and she is a good actress.  Can she handle a role like Babe's?  Yes, definitely.  Will I like the character?  That depends on the writing.  I think a romance between her and Wes would be a good start.  It would work because it allows Amanda to define her version of Babe in a relationship that doesn't come with the baggage of the past.  Yes, I know Wes is a bad boy but so was Trey and in the end, I grew to like the guy. 

 

I'm not feeling Ryan much these days.  I don't know if it's because every time his gums start flapping he sounds like the most arrogant bastard this side of the universe or if it's because once he gets going he doesn't stop.  I swear he must have gills because half the time he doesn't even pause for breath.

 

By the way, a show of hands from moms.  Who here would have knocked Julia's teeth back for dumping Emma on Babe?  

 

If I left my children with someone, I darn well expect them to be with that person when I returned for my kids.  So what if Kathy got sick? It happens all of the time.  You keep the children separated and deal with it until a parent can pick them up.  Besides, Julia is a nurse. She should have known that, if what Kathy had was contagious, Emma was exposed the minute that the girls came into contact with each other.  These things don't become contagious at the onset of symptoms. 

 

Speaking of children, who here thinks Marcie is on the fast track to the deep end?  I do. One Life to Live was pretty good this past week.

 

I loved how Dorian decided to deal with Lindsay's catatonia.  She just hauled off and slapped the snot out of Lindsay who responded, quite rightly I might add, with "If you ever do that again, I am going to stick this award where it will never need shining!"

 

Dorian of course couldn't have cared less.  She was just relieved that Lindsay was coherent.

 

Marcie on the other hand wasn't so happy.  Not after Lindsay started to sing like a little birdy, telling Marcie all about how she heard Rex and Michael discussing Tommy's paternity last January.  Marcie's eyes started twitching like that chief inspector's eyes in the Pink Panther movies.  You could practically see the crazy taking root.

 

Marcie practically flew over to the hospital on her rage to have it out with Michael.  I'm not sure, but I thought I saw a monkey or two with bellman's hats and vest lurking in a distant corner.

 

My favorite part was when Michael interrupted Marcie's tirade with a dose of logic, asking her how her knowing the truth would have changed anything.  Tommy would still be Todd's son.  It would not have changed the fact that Spencer kidnapped and gave Tommy up in an illegal adoption. 

 

So what could Marcie have done? Would she have somehow been a better mother?  Died Tommy's hair red to make him look less like Todd's son and more like her own? Killed Todd to keep him from claiming his son? Or would she have convinced Michael to runaway with her and Tommy in an attempt to circumvent a possible custody issue? 

 

She should be grateful that her husband spared her months of worry so that she could enjoy the time she had with Tommy.  There is no preparing for something like that unless you are willing to break the law.  And what good would that do Tommy?  To live on the run and hide from the authorities.

 

This is one of those 'rip the band aid off' moments, not the 'let's peel it back slowly and hope it doesn't hurt' ones.

 

Marcie of course had no real answer for Michael beyond "It's all your fault if we loose Tommy."  I know it's her fear talking but still, the fact that she isn't making a lick of sense should say something to her.  She needs help because in her emotional state she is not doing Tommy any favors.  Then again this is the same irrational chick who stood in a classroom blistering the ears of every student in the room as she lit into Starr about how horrible her father was. 

 

So yup, I predict Marcie is going to end up sitting right next to Lindsay and Addie in the sanitarium.  That place is getting awfully crowded which is probably why Dr. Bonner mentioned an experimental drug to Dorian that may help Addie.

 

I wanted to scream at my TV "Run if he says the name of the drug is LS-49!  It's junk!"

 

Ask Laura Spencer, the last recipient of it.  Poor Laura still lingers in a catatonic state at some secret location it took Luke 10 months to stash her in.  Well ok, maybe not that long but it's been quite awhile since Luke spirited Laura out of town.  According to spoilers, he returns to General Hospital this week.  Just in time to learn that he now has two idiot children instead of one.

 

Why Lucky isn't questioning Jake's paternity is just beyond me.  If Elizabeth lied about the nature of her relationship with Jason what makes him think she's telling the truth about who Jake's father is?  I love Liz, don't get me wrong, but she is so caught in her web of lies that it's going to take something major to make her break loose.

 

I'm hoping the threat of Lucky suing for primary custody will do it. 

 

I couldn't believe he phrased things the way that he did though.  He has the tact of a bull in a china shop.  Did he really think threatening Elizabeth would work?  That she would agree to drop Diane and sign the custody agreement that HIS attorney drafted in exchange for him not going for primary custody?

 

He's a fool for underestimating a mother when her cubs are threatened. 

 

I was proud of her for not ripping out his heart then and grinding it into the ground with a spiked heel.  The truth needs to come out but not in such an ugly way.  I'd rather she sit him down, make sure Leslie is on hand to give her grandson support, and then gently explain "Look Lucky, you can have unlimited visitation with Jake and Cam but you have to understand that Jake is not your biological son.  I know it hurts right now and you have every right to be furious with me, but I'm hoping you can get past that for Jake's sake.  I do want you to raise him as your son but I want to be able to protect him from your current booty call, Sam.  You see, she watched him being kidnapped and kept quiet to the police about where Jake was.  She then hired two armed thugs to terrorize the boys and me in the park that day."

 

Just lay it all out there and give Lucky the opportunity to do the right thing.  Lucky is a good guy and he would do what he could to protect those children.

 

Alas though this is a soap and poor Lucky is doomed to be the UnLucky one.  He will find out this week, to the great relief of every single viewer, but he will not accept it as the truth.  He will demand another paternity test and of course it will confirm Jason is the father.  Lucky has an uncanny knack of opening every possible vein that he can. 

 

If Lucky's pattern of dirty rotten luck holds true that unhappy news will be followed by the realization that not only did his current mistress know but so did his worthless sister.

 

I won't feel the least bit sorry for Lulu when Lucky confronts her.  I understood her decision to keep Jason and Elizabeth's secret but I have a brother and there is NOTHING I wouldn't tell him especially if it's of this nature. I will make sure he doesn't relapse by holding his hand 24/7 if I have to.

 

Lucky may have been a louse of a brother during her pregnancy but he was always there for Lulu.  As was Nik.  They always made a point to celebrate the holidays and birthdays with her.  They took the time to visit with Lulu often, attend school functions and take her fishing.  Maybe Lulu didn't have her parents but she did have a loving grandmother and devoted brothers.  They deserve her complete and utter devotion and loyalty.  Shame on Lulu. 

 

I've noticed that Lulu's attitude has radically changed my view of things.  I no longer see Logan as a louse but a poor sap who doesn't know how lucky he is to be free of that horrid little shrew.  Truth be told, I'm actually finding myself rooting for Lulu and Johnny to get together so that he shoots her dead with that gun he's always waving around. 

 

Sadly, it will be poor Logan who ends up with her.  Scotty will make a deal with Shrewlu.  Take his new found son back and he will drop the charges against Luke and relinquish custody of Laura. 

 

Lulu needs to be alone.  As does Carly.

 

Carly makes me crazy.  What happened to all of her claims to Sonny about wanting to be done with all the mob business so that she can focus on her life with Jax?  For the past year, Carly has been screaming at the top of her lungs, often literally, about how she wants nothing to do with Sonny's life yet here she is tricking Johnny into meetings and trying to pump Trevor for information over martinis in her home. 

 

So how exactly does this work? How is she out of the mob stuff when she's spending most of her time with mobsters?

 

To explain her actions Carly declares that her only interested is in finding Letitia's killer.  Sonny had the best come back for that ridiculous argument..

 

Sonny: Okay, so why don't you leave him [Trevor] alone?

 

Carly: Because I'm the only one who can get to him, Sonny.

 

Sonny: And who are you?  Nancy Drew now, trying to solve the mystery of the twisted stairs?

 

Carly: Are you reading Nancy Drew?

 

Sonny: I don't read Nancy Drew.

 

Carly: Then why did you bring it up?

 

Sonny: Because every time that I get shot and I'm in the hospital, you insist on taking care of me. I'm trying to go to sleep, you read out loud about, you know, some rich girl driving a roadster, solving some stupid mystery -- I don't know.

 

Carly: It was a convertible.

 

Sonny: Okay, we're not changing the subject, because that's what you do --

 

Carly: I'm not trying to change the subject -- you just need to admit that you like Nancy Drew.

 

I was in stitches!  I can't tell you how many of my conversations have taken a left hand turn like this.

 

Giggles aside, it still made me want to pull my newly cut hair out of my head.  Someone needs to record Carly and play it back to her sometime.

 

Finally, I want to mention the recent decision to bring some of the Night Shift characters onto General Hospital now that the show has ended.

 

In a head scratching move, head-writer Bob Guza has decided just to continue certain storylines.  This, in my opinion, was a HUGE mistake. 

 

Night Shift, from my understanding, was supposed to have been an alternate reality meaning that what was happening on NS was not happening on the GH. 

 

On GH, Spinelli didn't have a close relationship with Jolene.  He didn't have the time because he was constantly running behind Lulu like a devoted puppy and trying to get dirt on Logan.  He was also forming a friendship with Georgie. 

 

Not once did we hear Spinelli mention Jolene yet now suddenly we learn she took a bullet for him.  When exactly did this happen?  I've only seen Spinelli holed up in Jason's penthouse when he wasn't riding to Lulu or Carly's rescue.

 

Then there are the murders.  We are now learning that there have been a slew of patients murdered by Jolene. Epiphany and Spinelli were all upset about them as Nikolas came into the E.R. with Jolene's sister.  Yet I saw Epiphany in many scenes before that and she never said boo about any murders.  In fact no one discussed them before that scene.  Not Elizabeth, Emily, Nikolas, Robin or Patrick word about it.  Does that not seem odd?

 

Of course it does.

 

Other problems include Kelly's sudden sex addiction. Although it's not really a stretch, we didn't see her journey into that discovery. What happened and who is that doctor with the sleeping pill addiction she's running around with?

 

Another burning question...when was Lainey's father admitted to the hospital?  When did she and Cody kill him?  Why should I ever trust or respect Lainey again if it appears she can lie with such ease and lack of conscience?  This is the woman who just a couple of months ago accused a mother of possibly harming her own child.  I can't help but wonder if she did that out of ignorance or maliciousness.  I'm seeing a Lainey I don't recognize or understand and it clouds everything I thought I knew about her.

 

Finally there's Leyla.  Has she slept with Patrick or not?  On NS they did. 

 

It's important for me to know because Robin has just joined Patrick on Metro-Court's patio.  I don't want Robin taking Patrick back if he's already hitting the sheets with Leyla.  It would cheapen their reunion.  If he's sleeping with Leyla, he needs to fall to his needs and beg Robin's forgiveness first.  Yes, I know she broke things off but if he truly loves her he shouldn't want to be with other women even if it's just to scratch an itch.

 

I have no idea where we stand on these storylines so if Bob Guza is going incorporate these storylines from NS then he needs to give us some back story and quickly.  I don't watch soaps to think, I watch them to be entertained.