Daily Updates

From: rika@netcom.com (Melissa Martin)
Subject: GH: Update, Wednesday, April 3, 1996
Date: Mon, 8 Apr 1996 00:33:03 GMT

                             GENERAL HOSPITAL UPDATE
                             Wednesday, April 3, 1996

The East coast had a brief pre-emption near the end of this episode;
many thanks to Razz for filling in the blanks for me.

Today's storylines
------------------
* Fathers and Sons, Quartermaine style
* Fathers and Sons, Spencer style
* Mothers and Daughters, Jones style
* Forensics:  Better than Fantasies?

FATHERS AND SONS, QUARTERMAINE STYLE
------------------------------------
AJ, looking the worse for wear, enters the Q den and approaches
the bar.  After some silent debate, he fills a glass from the
water pitcher.  Alan enters, sees him drinking, and, assuming it
is vodka instead of water, dashes the glass to the floor, snarling,
"You pathetic drunk!"  Alan, fighting to maintain emotional control,
says that if AJ is trying to commit suicide, drinking is inefficient
and selfish - consider what it did to Jason.  AJ insists that he
isn't drunk; Alan, who doesn't believe him, calls him a drunken bum.

Alan begins to leave, but AJ grabs him by the lapels, shouting that
he was drinking water.  Alan loses control, throws AJ down on the
sofa and wrestles with him.  He is preparing to punch AJ as Monica
walks in and screams for him to stop.  Alan lets AJ go and stands up,
struggling to regain control of himself.

AJ explains what he did last night - he was with Keesha, who helped
him to avoid drinking.  Alan tells Monica about seeing AJ by the
bar with a glass, but AJ, fighting back tears, picks up the broken
glass and brings it to Monica so she can smell it.  She says she
doesn't need to, but he insists, "Yes, you do."  She finally gives
in and sniffs, and lets Alan know that it wasn't alcohol.

Alan can't take it anymore, wondering each day if AJ will self-
destruct.  Alan finally bursts into tears, crying, "He's all
we've got left."  AJ, crying as well, tries to hug Alan, but Alan
pushes him away, yelling for AJ to get away from him:  "I don't want
to care about you anymore."  He knows AJ is going to keep drinking
because AJ is weak.  AJ says that maybe he should leave the house.
Monica insists that AJ shouldn't leave, while Alan remains silent,
staring at AJ.  AJ feels that Alan has already written him off -
but if he leaves, who will the family kick around?  After all,
Alan was the scapegoat until AJ came along and replaced him.
Monica begs Alan to talk to AJ, but Alan says he is going out for
a walk:  "The stench of self-pity in here is killing me."

After Alan leaves, Monica begs AJ to stay because she couldn't
handle it if he left - it's bad enough worrying about Jason.  AJ
tells her he knows she worries about him all the time as it is.
Monica asks why she can't make it better, and what she did wrong.
AJ says he can't win - Alan wants AJ to take responsibility,
while Monica wants to take it for him.  AJ thinks that at least
if he leaves, Monica will have some peace.  Monica would rather
have AJ than peace, but AJ asks her if she would still think
that if he cost her Alan.  Monica is willing to take the risk.
Monica sends AJ upstairs to get some sleep, and says she will
handle Alan.  After AJ leaves, she slumps on the sofa, leaning
against Alan's topcoat, and finds another "secret admirer" gift
in his pocket.  Just then, Alan comes back inside, and goes
upstairs to sleep before going to the hospital.

FATHERS AND SONS, SPENCER STYLE
-------------------------------
Luke is lying on the sofa reading a book on Lotus 1-2-3, a plate
balanced on his chest.  Lucky schlumps down the stairs complaining
that he overslept - why didn't anyone wake him?  Luke explains the
new house rules, which basically amount to taking responsibility
for one's self.  Lucky, somewhat taken aback, tries a technique
which has worked in the past - divide and conquer:  "This was Mom's
idea, wasn't it?"  But Luke, who has learned a thing or two about
parenting lately, responds, "I stand with her."

Lucky, retreating to a neutral corner for the moment, sees a
computer on the table and asks about it.  Luke explains; Justus
got new computers for the Foundation, and this is the old one.
Lucky speculates about the system's specifications, and Luke
explains that there is a catch.  Luke enumerates Lucky's debts -
$1500 to the emergency backpack, $500 to the club, $1700 to cover
the cost of getting the Q's vase back.  Lucky doesn't know where
to get the money - he could "sling hash", but then his grades would
suffer and he'd never get into college and his life would be ruined.
Luke listens to this, amused.  Then Lucky makes the predictable
suggestion (which proves he learned NOTHING from his run-in with
Harper) - he could "go for the quick buck."  Luke explains that
Laura realizes that both he and Lucky need something productive to
keep them out of trouble.  Lucky's grades haven't been very good
lately, so Luke offers him a deal - $20 taken off the debt for each
A, $10 for every B, and the debt goes up for any D's or F's.  The
computer is supposed to help him with school-work.  Lucky tries the
divide-and-conquer approach one more time, suggesting that Luke
never cared about Lucky's grades, so clearly Laura put Luke up to
this.  Luke metaphorically explains that he *does* care about the
grades if they indicate a problem.  Lucky points out that it's a
bribe; Luke suggests that he think of it as a gamble - on himself -
if he has the courage.

Lucky tries whining about Luke taking all the fun out of the
computer.  Luke shows not a shred of sympathy, so Lucky tries
again - he's still under "house arrest", but he has an "electronic
tutor" now.  Luke gets the LOD:  "Yeah, and ain't she built!  What's
the matter?  Not big enough jugabytes for you?"  But Lucky is upset
that his parents don't trust him to stay away from cards without
some incentive.  Luke explains that he knows Lucky needs the risk,
and they need to find something else less hazardous to occupy him.
Lucky insists that he is himself, not Luke, and Luke says, right,
"That's because you have two parents kicking your butt."  Lucky
finally gives in and starts negotiating on the price for an A -
and they agree on $25.

Later, Lucky comes home announcing that he got an A on a pop quiz.
We leave him at the keyboard of the computer - playing cards.

MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS, JONES STYLE
----------------------------------
Bobbie meets the P.I. down by the docks.  He explains that the
lawyer, Fremont, wants $20,000 for more information.  He was
disbarred for selling babies and needs cash.  And if they don't
hurry, he may disappear and they'll lose their "only chance."
(DING DING DING - hear the warning bells, Bobbie?)  Bobbie asks a
good question - how does she know she can trust Fremont?  The
P.I. produces the hospital bracelet Bobbie's daughter allegedly
wore.  She returns home to consider her options.  First she calls
the bank and lies to them in an effort to get $25,000 from the
joint account without telling Tony.  This doesn't work, so she
briefly considers selling her engagement ring or asking Monica
for help.  But then she decides to do something really foolish
instead, and she looks Harry Silver up in the phone book (do
you suppose he's in the yellow pages under "Kindler, Gentler
Mobsters"?).

Bobbie meets with Harry to get the name of a reliable loan shark.
For discretion's sake, they avoid anybody local.  Harry knows of
someone in Greendale - van Alden - and agrees to set up a meeting
for Bobbie.  Before going there, she stops by to see Luke, who
asks her to pick up some hot pastrami for him.  They discuss
Bobbie's visit to Laura the previous day, and they reminisce
about their childhood.  Luke notices that she seems troubled and
tries to draw her out, but she insists that everything is fine.

Bobbie meets the loan shark, who notices her ring and agrees to
lend her the money at 10% interest (as Michele said, 10% per what
interval, and compounded how often?) with a $5000 "service fee."
He doesn't need collateral - he knows where she lives.  (DING DING
DING - there's those warning bells again.)  Bobbie delivers the
money to the P.I., who says he will fly to Florida that night
and meet with Fremont tomorrow.  He will call Bobbie the next night.
(DING DING DING - these bells are giving me a headache.)

FORENSICS:  BETTER THAN FANTASIES?
----------------------------------
Felicia visits Bobbie to borrow a cup of sugar.  Before she can
leave with it, Tom arrives, and then Bobbie departs on her errands.
Felicia asks Tom if he has been avoiding her; he thinks it is the
other way around.  She asks why he left so hastily the other night,
but he feels that some things are better left unanalyzed.  The
fantasies, he says, were to give them a safe way to explore the
possibilities.  "Then it's the roof or nothing," Felicia observes,
but Tom has an alternate idea:  "Are you up for a trip through
the workings of a criminal mind?"

Evidently she is, because we next see them arriving at a crime
scene which Garcia has asked Tom to check out.  They bicker about
who is most qualified to do the work - Felicia points out she has
a license and the experience, but Tom reminds her of his medical
degree (which impresses her not at all).  She thinks he was afraid
he'd blow it, so he brought her along.  They both walk around
and try to act wise.  (Ordinarily that's a stretch for Filly, but
she's in rare form today).  Tom draws a couple of conclusions,
but Felicia offers a profile of the suspect to the police officer,
who says she is right on all counts.  Tom is annoyed and tries to
play "Can you top this insight?" without success until he finally
sputters, "Why did I bring you here?"  Garcia arrives, and Tom
makes use of Filly's conclusions to impress Garcia.  Garcia offers
Tom and Filly the chance to team up on the Damian Smith murder.
Filly thinks it's a great idea, and Tom, though he is reluctant,
finally agrees, though he keeps trying to talk her out of it on
the walk back.  He gives in at last, asking, "But what about us?"
Felicia's response:  "It'll change  things a little bit, but
that's good, right?"  Amen, sister.

------------------------------------
Rika, 1/3 of the Wednesday Update Team