Daily Updates

From: rika@netcom.com (Melissa Martin)
Subject: GH: Update, Wednesday, 6/5/96
Date: Thu, 6 Jun 1996 14:19:52 GMT

                        GENERAL HOSPITAL UPDATE
                        Wednesday, June 5, 1996

Not much happened today, but it was nice to see June Lockhart.
Today's storylines all involved Mac Scorpio, so I offer three
helpings of GH, each with a side order of Spam:
  * Accustomed to her Face
  * Chrm 2BR apt in hist brnstn, immed occup
  * Laura's Day in Court

Accustomed to her Face
----------------------
Sonny and Jason, fresh from the Port Charles transporter chamber,
arrive at Sonny's penthouse.  Sonny wanders pensively (hi, Kate and
Roser!) around the living room until the doorbell rings.  It's Mac,
and he's in concerned-commish mode.  Sonny has a lot of power now
that Rivera is dead.  (For some reason, this worries Mac:  he must
not be realizing the tourism potential of billboards advertising
"Port Charles:  Where Bullets Fly and the Mob Rules.")  Sonny
insists that "nobody has any power over anything, not anything
that counts."  Mac tells Sonny to keep what he does "out of my
territory", and to keep Jason out of it too.  Jason is "a clean
slate"; plus, he's a Q, and the Q's aren't going to sit still while
Sonny "corrupts him."  Sonny argues that it's Jason's decision, not
theirs, but he does not object to the suggestion that contact with
him would corrupt Jason.

Mac's real worry is the possible effect on Robin.  We've heard this
refrain before, but this time he does actually say, "She's a grown
woman" before singing that old tune.  He doesn't want to see her
suffer another loss, yet danger surrounds Sonny, and how can Sonny
protect Jason?  "The way I protected my wife?" Sonny asks.  Ouch.

Just then Jason stomps into the room, and Mac trots out his arguments
again with just as little success.  Sonny urges Jason to listen to
Mac, but Jason isn't buying it.  Mac tries an idiotic tactic - he
asks how the Q's will feel about the job.  Yeah, as if Jason cares.
What he *does* care about is Robin.  Mac tries to use that to get
Jason to change his mind.  He finally gives up, saying "God help you
both", and leaves.

Sonny warns Jason that the dangers are real - his business can get
a person killed.  Jason doesn't see why dying is a big deal.  (Too
bad he can't ask Lily her opinion on that subject.)

Robin arrives and asks Jason what happened in Puerto Rico; he says
he doesn't really know.  Jason mentions Mac's advice to him.  Robin
wonders when Mac will ever learn, and assures Jason that Mac's
attitude will not influence her.  She will worry about Jason, but
the decision is his.  She is glad that Jason is there for Sonny.

After Robin leaves, Sonny asks Jason to reconsider working for
him.  Sonny appreciates his loyalty, but he sees that Jason,
unlike Sonny, has something to live for.  Jason argues that he
wants to stay.  He isn't looking for Sonny to protect him; he just
wants a chance.  Sonny says, fine.  He gives him a gun and sends
him to a firing range to learn how to use it.  Jason holds the gun,
looking a bit shell-shocked already.

Jason is gone, and Sonny is alone.  The doorbell rings - it is a
delivery man with "some art" Sonny ordered.  He tells the man to
take it away, but no such luck - Sonny commissioned it, he bought
it, and he's gonna by-gosh receive it.  After the man leaves,
Sonny looks at it for a while before opening the wrappings to reveal
a portrait of Lily.  As he gazes at the painting, his sad expression
gives way to a beautiful, if wistful, smile.

Chrm 2BR apt in hist brnstn, immed occup
----------------------------------------
Felicia hears from the Hazardous Materials lab - the compound in
the flowers wasn't strong enough to kill anyone.  Felicia is still
understandably upset - ruining her financially is one thing, but
threatening her kids is something else.  Not only that, but she
hates the thought that someone is purposely putting them through
this ordeal.  Bobbie offers the comforting thought that perhaps it
isn't personal - maybe someone picked Felicia from the phone book
at random and started torturing her.  Tom feels it is someone with a
grudge against her.  Bobbie offers Lucas's theory (aliens from outer
space) and then she leaves for the courthouse.

Tom urges Felicia to get Mac's help instead of solving the case
alone.  They are temporarily sidetracked by a horizontal surface;
however, before they can make any real use of it, Maria walks in,
to the embarrassment of all.  Felicia forgot Maria was arriving
today.  Maria offers to stay at the Port Charles Hotel in order to
be out the way, since T&F seem to be "cohabiting".  (Maria had a
good idea here; you never know when these two may decide to lick
honey off each other's bodies at a moment's notice.)  At their
embarrassed silence, Maria, tongue in cheek, asks: "Oh, dear, have
I said something out of date?"  Filly and Tom incoherently try to
define their relationship, and Maria assures them that she's happy
about whatever is happening.  (Allow me - they're having sex.  Lots
of it.  Any time, anywhere.)

Tom and Filly visit Mac and fill him in on the details of the toxic
flowers.  When they return, the apartment is full of potential new
tenants.  Maria says that people have been arriving all day to look
at the place - Maria assumed that Tom and Filly had decided to look
for a larger place together.  Filly insists that the apartment is
not for rent, but a would-be tenant shows her an ad in the paper.
Cue the Twilight Zone music......

Laura's Day in Court
--------------------
Laura, Luke, and Justus argue about whether or not Laura should take
the stand.  Justus is against it:  it gives Dara the chance to bring
up the minor detail that Laura has killed twice before.  Even though
the judge ruled that this information is prejudicial, Justus fears
that Dara will risk a fine or a contempt citation and somehow let
the information "slip out" for the jury's benefit.  Luke agrees with
Justus, but Laura is adamant. If she fails to speak, the jury may
take it as a sign of guilt.

Simone accosts Justus in the hallway.  She is frustrated that they
are like "ships passing in the night" (huh?), and she delivers a
drawing from Tommy.  She is about to ask if they can continue the
discussion they started the other day (which must have been a
scintillating one; I can't remember it).  Before she gets a chance,
Dara walks up and interrupts in order to handle the oh-so-urgent
matter of returning a pen Justus loaned her.  How ruuuuude.  She
takes a minor shot at Justus and hurries off.  He has to get into
the courtroom; he promises Simone that they will finish their
discussion.

Court resumes; Laura takes the stand.  She outlines her various
roles in the community.  She explains about the night of Damian's
death - the trip to Rochester, the apparent ear infection, the
prescription, her realization that the house was on fire, and her
attempts to keep herself and the children safe till they could be
rescued.

Laura makes no secret of her animosity of Damian (and Justus
reminds the jury that everyone else hated him too).  He seems to
expect Dara to object at this point, but she glowers at him in
silence.  Justus then leads Laura through the troubled history of
the Spencers and the Smiths; she explains Frank Smith's role in
their life on the run.  She explains the trouble areas involving
Damian - the toxic waste incinerator, CS Emporium, and Lucky's
gambling debt.  They cover the events of the night she waved the
bat at Damian at Luke's club.  She says she would not have actually
hit him with the bat, even if Luke hadn't stopped her.

At this point, Mac yanks Luke out into the hall to tell him that
he has to go to Albany for a while - about the hearing for the
old commish.  While he's gone, the videotape will probably be
restored.  Mac doesn't expect Luke to wait till he returns to see
it, but he makes Luke promise to call him the minute he sees it
to tell him what's on the tape.

Justus asks why Laura's were the only fingerprints on the bat.
Laura explains that the night the videotape was made at Luke's,
the bat was still shrink-wrapped.  She removed the shrink wrap the
following day.  She explains the call to Damian - she told him that
she and Luke would be repaying Lucky's gambling debt.  She closes
by firmly denying that she killed Damian.

Dara starts her cross-examination, and the gloves are off quickly.
Big surprise there.  She asks Laura if she has ever been involved
in the death of another person.  Why Justus didn't address this on
direct, since he knew full well Dara would do it on cross, remains
a mystery as the episode ends.

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