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What SHOULD happen on GH:

With the wedding looming, Kate still has many things to put together, including the guest list and her court, yet she still finds time for Crimson.  But fate will deal her a cruel twist.

A new mobster enters town setting sites on the Morgan and Zaccarah stronghold.  After killing the other 4 mob bosses and taking over their territories, the group uses Sonny to gain access to those families.  Sonny is alive...between his looming wedding to Kate and his instinct-based mob side he's at peace once more.

Claudia, now aware of what is happening, makes a deal with Harper and Rodruigez..if she hands over evidence of illegal activity from her family she gets off scott-free.  In desperate need to end the violence, they hastily agree...without telling Mac.Anna and Mac are at different ends when it comes to Robin's pregnancy.  Mac's repeated efforts to break apart Patrick and Robin, she concludes, are seeded in Felicia's disappearing acts.  Felicia returns to Port Charles to reconnect with Mac, but he pushes her away.  She tries to use Coleman to make Mac jealous, but it doesn't work.  Thinking Anna forced Mac to push her away, Felicia sets her sights on Noah.  Noah finally admits he's falling in love Anna.  Working the Robert angle, Felicia gets him to stay in town after his battle with his disease.

Maxie tries to avoid her mother and her shenanigans by turning her attention back to work, but she's haunted by Logan's attack and turns to sleeping pills to get her through the night.  But the pills slowly turn into an addiction which she hides from everyone, except Georgie.  Lulu begins exceling at Crimson, while Maxie starts coming in late and not with a clear head.  Kate knows something is wrong, but since she's tied up with wedding plans she can't focus on Maxie's personal life.  Lulu and Johnny continue to grow close.  Lulu tells Johnny to get her father off of the charges or she'll leave him.  Johnny get it done and Luke comes back to Port Charles.  Finding out Johnny made it possible for his return, Luke and Tracy realize that Johnny may not be all that bad.  Monica doesn't understand how Tracy can now accept Johnny knowing what happened to Michael was because of mob activity.  Monica almost turns to alchol but she sees Alan and she now understands Tracy wasn't joking around.  They share a tearful goodbye and Alan leaves (Staurt Damon will have his final apperance).

Spin and Layla continue their mild romance, but his growing concern for Maxie is putting a damper on the relationship.  After another one of Maxie's phone calls to Spin, Layla turns to Matt for some consoling, but he's already busy..with Kelly!  Nicolas starts turning around his feelings for Nadine and sees her as a good soul like Emily is...and as far away as Helena as possible.  One night, a young man is rolled in.  His name...Guy Tucker.  Bobbie, who is on duty, calls Lucas and tells him to come down to General Hospital.  Guy dies, a victim of a vicious gay bashing attack.  Lucky is assigned to the case since Mac knows he's family.

Knowing Claudia is snooping, Trevor gives back the deed to Ric, but Ric wants nothing to do with the waterfront.  This time he sells it to ELQ for $1.  But that's not the only business ELQ is having...Jax sells his shares of Crimson aafter he leaves town.  Edward begs Ned to leave his tour and return home to be a businessman again.  Ned agrees and returns back to Port Charles.  Ned meets with Kate as he is taking over Crimson.  Kate thinks that Eddie Maine is visting to do a potential article or spread and tells him to make an appointment...Ned turns around and tells her he's her partner.  Edward gives Tracy the waterfront and she decides to build a modern shopping center with a bar, a club, several offices and residential condos, resturants, shopping, and access to the Haunted Star.  With some initial interest being strong, Tracy finally proves to her father that she's a formidable business woman.  Edward, though, wants to make sure that his investment does come in, so he asks Alice to spy on Tracy.

Liz and Lucky continue to grow close, much to Sam's chagrin.  Sam turns to Jason, who is too busy for her, so she starts a fling with Matt, not knowing he's dating Kelly.  Kelly gets suspicious and asks Cassius to spy on Matt.  Ephiphany catches on to the scheme and reprimands Kelly and Cassius.  Claudia finally hands over the evidence making sure Anthony is the only person responsible, sparing her brother.  Anthony is carted away to jail and the Zaccarah family has been disbanded.  Sonny uses this to his advantage and takes their territory, leaving just the Morgan mob.  Sonny warns Jason to increase security details because it may just come crashing around him.  Jason and Sonny fued over his potential involvement with the Russian clan, but he vehemently denies it.  The Russian family gives Sonny an ultimatum.  Give the Morgan or he will die and they give him one week.

Which leads us to Sonny and Kate's wedding.  Everyone turns out for the event, even some unwelcome guests including: Lulu, Johnny, Spin, Layla, Sam, Nikolas, Nadine, Luke, Tracy, Ned, Edward, Monica, Ric, Trevor, Alexis (Christina is the flower girl and Morgan is the ring boy), Carly, Robin, Patrick, Anna, Noah, Jerry, Lucky, Liz, Max, Diane, Milo, Bernie, Mike, Giselle, Frederico,  and Maxie.  Jason is rushing to make the wedding, while Claudia snoops around in the church.  Jason's break line has been cut and slams into a tree while a shootout happens at the church.  Johnny, Trevor, Monica, and Diane are shot and sent to the hospital.  Robin goes into labor and goes to GH as well.  Matt, Leo, Kelly, Russell, Lainey, Patrick, Noah, Nadine, Layla, Epiphany, Regina, and Bobbie all go into trauma mode.  In the end all are saved except for Trevor, who is his dying breath tells Ric and Claudia that he is Claudia's father, not   He also manages to tell Scott that he ordered Sonny's hit.  Max stays with Diane and finally tells her he loves her.  Lulu tells Lucky that Johnny saved her life by taking the bullet.  Johnny forgives Lucky and the two bond over Lulu.  Edward and Ned stay with Monica, but so does someone else...Garrett!  Unbeknown to everyone Monica has been getting better thanks to Garrett's growing friendship and love.

Because of the developments, Garret fires Mac and replaces him with Ric, much to Scott's surprise.  Alexis is happy how Ric turns around his life.  Kaprov kills Jerry and makes it look like Anthony ordered the hit from jail.  Finally, an unkown assilant shoots Kaprov and his men dead...the new boss in Port Charles?  Helena Cassadine.

Robin gives birth to a boy and finally realizes that Patrick is committed to her long term.  Anna, Noah, Patrick, Robert, and guests Sean and Tiffany share in the moment.  Meanwhile, Jason wakes up from his coma...as Jason Quartermaine.

As the next saga begins:
- Jason tries to reconnect with the Qs
- Ned and Kate start an affair, even though she is still engaged to Sonny
- Nikolas and Helena comes to blows
- Patrick tries to help Maxie with her addiction, but Robin takes it as something more.
- The Gay Basher storyline continues when Lucas and Cassius (who is revealed to be gay) are also attacked.
- Mac opens up the Outback again.  Filling out the shopping center is Kate and Maxie's boutique, Claudia's Italian Restaurant, Sam's bar, and the new offices of Crimson.

Spinelli, Don't Go Changing, To Try To Please Me...

 

"You never let me down before. I could not love you any better; I love you just the way you are." When Mr. Damien M. Spinelli "swaggered" up to the bar at Jake's today clad in black leather jacket with turned up collar, I knew we were in for a treat. Grasshopper Spin was all up at the bar trying to act cool and "channeling" his master, chick magnet Jason. Then Spin orders an orange soda which Coleman just so happens to have chilled, and Spin throws a pocket full of change up on the bar, telling Coleman to keep the change, literally.

 

When Spin found out his wondrous Maximista was in NYC on Crimson business, staying with a famous designer, Spin feared Maxie may be attracted to this urbane chic fashion powerhouse. So, Spinelli goes to work on his inner "Rico Suave," (a sexy, hot guy with a cool tude toward everyone and everything, a real man's man with irresistible magnetism.) According to the Urban Dictionary, Rico Suave is the term for "a ladies man who enjoys fast cars, hot woman, and pool hustling. Rico Suave is what every man wants to be, but 99.7% of men never live up to."

 

In a few short minutes, Spin had poked a biker in the butt with a pool stick he was twirling like a majorette's baton, spewed a liquor drink all over the bar, and solicited advice from both Coleman and Patrick on how to impress a woman. It was wonderful fun, brilliantly played by Bradford Anderson, but through the laughter, you could feel the pain of Spinelli's social insecurity.

 

How can someone so smart, be so lost when it comes to interpersonal interaction? That is a part of Spinelli's story GH must eventually tell. In "real-life" there are millions of people with similar social and emotional insecurities. Let's face it, many people, particularly teens or young adults, are much more like Spinelli in terms of their social interaction than they are willing to admit.

 

While many in Spinelli's shoes might crawl further into their isolated shell, Spin is out there trying, seeking advice, putting it on the line for what he wants. Always acutely aware of his social isolation and limitations, Spinelli, to this point, has functioned capably, even contently, within his limitations. Enter Maxie Jones.

 

Spin's growing feelings for Maxie bring into sharp focus his difficulty with interpersonal relationships, and he fears this deficiency will once again prevent him from establishing a romantic relationship with a woman he has grown to care for deeply. Even with Spin's humorous brand of imperfection, he poignantly demonstrates if there is something you want to change about yourself, get out there; put one foot in front of the other, and go for it.

 

Maxie already understands Spin has trouble believing someone could love him. So, the real opportunity for GH is to showcase for Spin and the audience, you don't have to change who you are to be loved, you are worthy of love just the way you are. Maxie loves Spin exactly the way he is, and I am glued to my TV screen to watch both Maxie and Spinelli discover that most beautiful of truths.

 

Featured Blog References:

"Just The Way You Are" – performed by Billy Joel in Tokyo 1998 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9A2wf9wMlU

 

"Rico Suave" is a 1991 single by Ecuadorian rapper and singer Gerardo. It appeared on his album Mo' Ritmo. The track peaked at 7 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart on April 13, 1991, and reached 2 on the Hot Rap Singles chart a week earlier. In the song, the narrator tells of his luck with women and his lady-loving lifestyle. The song ranks 100 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s and 9 on VH1's 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders. It also ranked at 37 on Blender's list of the "50 Worst Songs Ever". (From Wikipedia)

 

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=Nx64_N4AA04&feature=related

 

Lyrics to Billy Joel's "Just The Way You Are"*

(a song dedication from Maxie to Spinelli )

 

*Spin's Vixenella highly recommends this for a Mvid done from Maxie's Point of View. If anyone does one, please let me know!

 

Don't go changing, to try and please me

You never let me down before

Don't imagine you're too familiar

And I don't see you anymore

I wouldn't leave you in times of trouble

We never could have come this far

I took the good times, I'll take the bad times

I'll take you just the way you are

 

Don't go trying some new fashion

Don't change the color of your hair

You always have my unspoken passion

Although I might not seem to care

I don't want clever conversation

I never want to work that hard

I just want someone that I can talk to

I want you just the way you are.

 

I need to know that you will always be

The same old someone that I knew

What will it take till you believe in me

The way that I believe in you.

I said I love you and that's forever

And this I promise from the heart

I could not love you any better

I love you just the way you are.