to the point where it seemed like she couldn't be redeemed. Going after her mother's husband and sleeping with Tony. Having sex with a recently sober AJ and then she discovered she was pregnant, drugging him and pouring alcohol over him so he (and everyone else) would assume he'd started drinking again so she could say Tony was the father. Then when AJ found out the truth and threatened to take custody of the baby, Carly claimed Jason (with his approval) was the father.
Carly, Tracy, Nina, Ava, and other female GH characters (and most soaps have such characters) have done seriously horrendous things only be pulled back from the edge and softened up until it was time for them to go "bad" again.
Just like Carly, Esme is justifying everything she is doing by claiming it is doing. But a happy soap couple is a couple with no storyline so they either need an outside enemy they are fighting or end up in another triangle.
Added in the need for Spencer to be off screen while Nicholas is filming a mini series, and this makes sense. Soaps need good villains, and personally I prefer Esme to some of the wimpier or over the top villains who fizzle out.
Karen L.