Ava got a new lease on life -- and a special stand-alone episode -- to showcase her brand-new scar-free face. The episode was promoted on Twitter, so I was really looking forward to it because I love Maura West, and Ava is one of my favorite characters. Yes, I realize that Ava shot Connie in cold blood, and she's done all manner of terrible things, including setting A.J. up for murder to save her own hide, but Ava is a character on a soap opera, not my next-door neighbor.
The truth is, everyone on the show is flawed except for Avery. But if the glimpse that we had of her in Ava's post-surgical nightmare is any indication, Sonny and Carly will take care of that in no time.
Ava's episode was really good, at least in the beginning. Things started to fall apart when Sonny and Carly hopped on their high horses then smugly promised that Avery would soon see for herself that Ava is evil incarnate. Sonny later claimed that the difference between him and Ava was that he acknowledged who he was, as if that somehow made him a better person and less of a threat to the people around him. It doesn't.
I realize that the episode was intended to be a glimpse of Ava's deepest, darkest fears, but I hated that even in her dreams, Ava let Sonny walk all over her. Oh, how I wished that Ava had shouted, "Did you two morons learn nothing from what happened with Michael and A.J.?" Alas, she didn't.
The scenes at the art gallery fell flat. It wasn't the performances, but rather the writing. The second half of the episode seemed disjointed and quickly slapped together. I liked the idea of Ava chasing Avery, but I wasn't a fan of the roulette wheel of accusers listing all of Ava's egregious transgressions against them.
That said, I was surprised to see Morgan return, but that quickly morphed to disappointment because Ava never made the confession that I had expected and hoped for. I really feel that Ava would want to make things right with Morgan if she ever got the chance, and not by dragging everyone to her gallery for a party then parading Morgan out like that would somehow earn her instant atonement for her sins.
Nothing about the scenes at the gallery appealed to me -- except Megan Ward's return as Connie Falconeri. It was lovely to see Megan, even if she did have blood splattered all over her white dress for most of the scenes. It's too bad that it was for more of the same old, same old. Even the dialogue between Sonny, Carly, and Ava was repetitive and a lot like their confrontation the night of the fire, except those scenes were far more powerful because Sonny and Carly were hurt, not smug.
I wanted to see Ava confess the truth to Morgan, to drag him straight home to be reunited with his parents, and to expect nothing in return -- especially not forgiveness. I wanted Ava to do those things because she is a different woman and it was the right thing to do. None of that happened, so I was left feeling frustrated and a little annoyed.
Speaking of annoyed, what is with everyone assuming that they know Sam's heart better than she does?
Granted, Sam has been walking around with a tragic expression these days, especially when she looks at Jason, but who can blame her? She's stuck in a pretty tragic situation because the man she loved with every fiber of her being was back, and he'd made the ultimate sacrifice for her by leaving the mob and his best friend's side to give his family the life he should have before everything was snatched away from them. Only, it turns out that was a lie. It was her husband's long-lost twin who had made all her dreams come true.
Drew proved that it was possible to leave the mob because that's exactly what he did when he thought he was Jason. Drew also gave Sam the life that she always wanted with Jason, and they had a child together. Her life was perfect, until it wasn't.
It's exceedingly exasperating how everyone callously dismisses Drew as a nonissue now that Jason is back. As if during the last five years, Sam has remained exactly as she was when Jason "died." It doesn't say much for their opinion of Sam if they think that losing a husband, nearly losing her child to cancer, finding love again, and having another child had little to no impact on her, and she'd drop everything and go running into Jason's arms the minute he batted his baby blues at her.
How often do Spinelli and Diane hang with Sam? Has Sonny done more than exchange a few words with Sam since Jason's return? When was the last time Carly and Sam had a girls' night out? It's been ages. Their bond was Jason, not mutual admiration.
That said, I do concede that Sonny, Carly, and Spinelli are right; Sam will always love Jason, just not the way she used to. I think it's natural for Sam to reminisce about her past with Jason and to remember all those special moments that made up her life with him. The poor woman just had the shock of her life, so how can she not think about what was?
I feel sorry for Sam because she doesn't have anyone who is truly in her corner. Everyone keeps telling her that Jason is the one she loves and belongs with. No one asks her what she feels, unless it's to tell her that she's wrong about her feelings for Drew.
The truth is, only Sam knows what's in her heart.
Jason is always going to be drawn to danger, and his loyalty to Sonny supersedes everything else, including Sam and his children. Until that changes, Jason really has no business trying to be a family man. Not that he's going to have much time for anyone other than his idiot boss, who needs protecting mostly from himself.
Who goes chasing down a homicidal maniac without studying the most important clue at your disposal? I'm talking about The Severed Branch, the manuscript that Sonny didn't bother to read when he and Jason realized that it was the key to finding Faison.
My jaw dropped when Jason had to explain to Sonny that the book ended with the son killing the father, and Sonny realized that the new P.K. Sinclair was on their side. It's a good thing that Sonny is a soap mobster and not a real mobster.
It was clear from the scene in Sonny's office that Jason is in his element working with Sonny. He loves Sam, but his life is the mob and Sonny, and maybe that's as it should be because, as much as I hate Jason's choices, I do enjoy watching Steve and Maurice work together. Jason and Sonny belong together, and I really can't imagine Jason being anywhere else than by Sonny's side.
This week, we learned a little more about Jim Harvey, the developer who wants to tear down the Charles Street district and put in upscale condos and a sports arena. It turns out that Betsy Frank and Jim dated a long time ago, and he knew "Andy."
And just like that, all the pieces clicked into place for me.
Jim is a shifty character who is willing to tamper with gas lines, use strong-arm tactics to pressure tenants to sell, and doesn't seem the least bit concerned about displacing people. I noticed that Jim seemed surprisingly nervous when he learned that Andy was alive and well and living in Port Charles. That, coupled with Jim's desire to know more about Drew when he talked to Ned, confirmed my suspicions that Jim was likely the reason that Drew ended up broken at the bottom of the basement steps all those years ago. My money is on Jim also having a hand in why Betsy became suspicious of Franco.
Was it fate or a sign of something more troubling? This week, Laura went from excitedly running for mayor (to my utter joy) to suddenly withdrawing from the race when she learned that Spencer broke not one, but both of his legs in a skiing accident, and now she's off to Europe for six weeks to nurse her grandson back to health.
The last time a newlywed bride left town for a few weeks, she ended up gone for months, so I really hoped that Laura's sudden departure wasn't an exit because I would hate to lose Genie Francis. She is an icon and one of my favorite performers on the show, so it would break my heart if she were to leave.
I'm doubly troubled because, as I'm writing this column, late-breaking news hit that Genie was dropped to recurring because someone decided that they only wanted Laura for a handful of episodes this year, even though the writers clearly had a good storyline for her. The optics of this is bad because it comes at a time when the industry, as a whole, is under close scrutiny for the way it treats women.
Finally, Maxie and Nathan celebrated their one-year anniversary by indulging in some defrosted wedding cake for good luck. I couldn't help but think that they were going to need a lot more cake if they hope to go up against crazy Papa Faison, who's in town and in a foul mood, judging by the number of those infamous cigarillos he's going through.
One of my favorite scenes this week, and in ages, was Liesl showing up drunk as a skunk on Anna's doorstep and Anna realizing that she and Liesl were on the same side for once. Liesl randomly collapsing, crying, and drunkenly ranting to Anna was hilarious. I was also intrigued by what Liesl revealed about Faison's son, Heinrich (who I still firmly believe is going by the name Peter August) and Anna's odd reaction to all of it.
Why is Anna so concerned about a young man she never met? Nothing is ever random on a soap, so it must mean something, but what that is remains to be seen.
Molly is a drama queen traipsing around with her coat and afghan because she's freezing, while T.J. is kicked back in just a coat. Bless his heart, he deserves a medal for putting up with her melodrama.
Okay, when exactly did Michael legally change his name back to Corinthos? They made a big to-do about him legally changing his name to Quartermaine, but as soon as he and Sonny kissed and made up, everyone was back to calling him Michael Corinthos. What gives?
I find it rather curious that an international spy's private residence continues to be the least secure place in town. A dark alley in the worst part of town is safer than Anna's place where serial killers, drug lords, and supervillains casually roam about.
GH should be renamed "The Insecurity Hour," starring Drew Cain and Ava Jerome (and you can throw Franco in there too)! -- Scrimmage
Jason NEVER put Sam ahead of CarSon. Drew started a business life to provide for his family. Maybe Sam was ok with Jason's life a few years ago, but not now. Just because Carly thinks it's fine for her kids to get nearly killed because of Sonny's lifestyle doesn't mean Sam does. It also eliminates Carly as someone who can tell Sam how to run her life. -- Meghan Patricia
I can't help but always wonder if Carly is shoving Sam at Jason for two reasons. One-she would hate seeing him with Liz. Always has, always will. Two-she is worried that something may eventually transpire between Sam and Sonny again. Ya never know! Either way, she needs to butt out! -- Kelly Ann
Here's the deal -- Alexis is going to get very cozy with Dr. Bensch and because she uses him to help herself keep away from Julian, she will also use him as a sounding board when she discusses her plan of attack against the Charles Street landlord -- who will turn out to be Dr. Bensch! (He's brought up an interest in the area several times.) -- lovethosedimples
Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts. I love hearing from readers, so please feel free to email me or leave a comment below.
Take care and happy viewing,
Liz Masters
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