Daily Updates

Subject:     Update for Mon. August 26
Sent:        8/28/96 1:43 PM
From:        lraneri@babies.bsd.uchicago.edu

Update for Mon. August 26

Great episode, but I have to preface by saying that I'm not exactly neutral
on the Spencer/ Cassadine battle front.  I like Laura and think she's doing
the best she can trying to love both her sons.  Luke especially gets on my
nerves today with his condescending attitude, while Stephan is manipulative
but in a "regal" sort of way.  Has anyone analyzed the gender politics of
the Spencer and Cassadine men doing battle for Laura and Lesley Lu?  I
think that's why the macho attitudes of the "Spencer  boys" are getting on
my nerves.  They make power plays to protect "their women" and then wink to
each other as they let Laura think they're taking the high ground.  I don't
know why but Stephan's manipulation doesn't irritate me as much.

SPENCERS AND CASSADINES
The War For the Spencer Women (WFSW) begins as we see Laura in the park
hugging Lucky when Nicholas arrives on the scene.  On another battlefront,
Luke, hair curled under, wanders around the Cassadine castle smoking his
cigar and looking at Laura's picture. He moves a chess piece and leaves a
book with a tape recorder in it in the bookshelf and then puts some cigar
ashes beside it.  In room 666 at the hospital, Bobbie confronts a tortured
looking about what he is doing there.  Surprise, surprise, it's the room
where Stavros died.  Bobbie said the floor used to be an ICU.  Stephan said
he used to have a brother and asks if the hospital changed things to cover
up that her sister killed his brother.  (Just a little paranoid.)  Bobbie
says the hospital doesn't "let people die" because of who they are.
Stephan asks if she would treat him if he were dying.  She said she would.
Stephan says mockingly that maybe there is a strain of decency in the
Spencers.
Back in the park, Lucky and Nick are eyeing one another as Laura looks on.
Lucky said that they should get used to each other and that he won't lose
his cool again, "no matter who tries to make it happen."  Laura steps
between the brothers and says that losing one's cool is a family trait
which she does sometimes too.  Nick says there are things worth fighting
over but Lucky isn't one and that he'll pass on the warm family moment.
Lucky and Laura look stunned.

QUARTERMAINE FAMILY BUSINESS
Dinner at the Qs, an event which is sure to bring about indigestion.  Lila
gathers the family and asks if Alan has heard anything from Jason.  Tracy
is shooting barbs at everyone, especially Lois and Nedly and Alan.  Edward
asks Alan what seems to be bothering him.  Alan says it's stressful
hospital business.  He says GH needs a major financial boost or it may go
under and asks Edward to underwrite a loan for the hospital.  Tracy doesn't
go for that at all, although no one wants to hear her opinion.  Edward says
no way, it's bad business.  Alan tries to guilt Edward into it by referring
to Steve.  Edward says that just proves the point because Steve never came
to him for help with the hospital.  Alan and Edward trade blame for why the
hospital is in such bad shape and who was watching when the ship started to
go down.  Edward storms out.  Only Tracy looks satisfied after the fight.

MORE SECRETS FROM BOBBIE
Carly joins Tony at the nurses station.  Tony flashes back to their dancing
and kiss.  He makes a lame excuse about why he hasn't been around and she
says she hopes it doesn't have to do with her.  Tony says Carly is taking
too much responsibility and that he was away at a conference for 3 days, no
big deal, let's move on.  Carly says she was worried  but she didn't want
to ask Bobbie where he was because she didn't want Bobbie to get
suspicious.  She says she feels awful about "that night" and the kiss and
that they must have had a little too much wine.  She says she understands
if he wants to keep their distance,  to which he replies that would put too
much weight on what happened and he doesn't want to lose a friend.  He asks
what Carly's noticed about how Bobbie's been acting.  Carly says she's been
irritable and seems to have it in for Carly.  Tony says Bobbie's probably
just trying to overcompensate in being "fair" to Carly in the nursing
program.  Carly says she's probably being oversensitive and asks Tony not
to mention the discussion to Bobbie.

JUST A NICE NORMAL FAMILY
After the fight, Edward leaves and the Qs, sans Lila, Edward, and Nedly,
turn their fire on each other.  Tracy says Daddy's right, Alan has no head
for business and that the only thing he did on the board was vote against
her and by association Ned.  Monica questions Tracy's "motherly concern"
for Ned and Alan tells them both to shut up.   Monica doesn't like that
Alan lumped her with Tracy, but Alan says she just wanted to jump on
Tracy's case and that if she were on his side, she would have contributed
to the attempted persuasion of Edward to help out GH.  Monica is
incredulous and doesn't think having Edward controlling GH is such a great
idea and besides Alan should have known that Edward wouldn't go for it.
Alan is not happy with her opinion.  Monica, about their relationship: "One
step forward... Eight steps back."  Back in the house, Lois tells Tracy she
doesn't want her child corrupted by money like the Qs are.  Tracy says they
can prevent that from happening.  All she has to do is call the family
attorney and her little one won't have to be corrupted by that nasty money.
 Lois takes off the gloves, finally!!   (I love Lois.  I'm going to miss
her so much!)  She says Mother Ashton should watch out because she is going
to protect her child.  Tracy says she will protect her child too, so Lois
doesn't have to worry about calling the attorney, "there's lots of ways to
get people cut out of wills." Tracy leaves Lois standing stunned.  Monica
comes in and tries to offer some comfort to Lois.  Monica answers the
phone- it's Dorman, who wants to arrange a night with Monica.  Tracy comes
in screaming for Dillon..  Monica says she can't wait to leave.

THE SPENCER BOYS PULL ONE OVER ON THE Cs AND LAURA
Laura happily tells Luke she's proud of Lucky, who said he's not going to
fight with Nickolas.  Father and son look knowingly at one another, raising
their coffee cups in salute of pulling one over on the hopeful Laura.
Lucky doesn't want Laura referring to he and Nickolas as "the boys."  Laura
wishes they would have shaken hands, but acknowledges that was probably
unrealistic.  Lucky denies to Laura and then to Luke that he apologized to
Nick.  Lucky said he was just trying to shake Nick by doing something
different.  Luke says the Spencer boys are "taking the upper hand."

IT'S A CASSADINE THING, YOU WOULDN'T UNDERSTAND
Bobbie says it's nothing personal that she would save Stephan's life, it's
her professional duty as a nurse.  She seems to be flirting, but Stephan is
dead serious.  (I was starting to like her but she's really getting on my
nerves.  I don't think she's a strong enough character to play opposite
Stephan.)  Bobbie says hatred in the soul is a "Cassadine thing" and that
she hopes he's not playing "mind games" with Laura. Stephan says he's seen
a lot of hatred in Luke's eyes and that he doesn't play mind games when his
nephew is the trophy.  Bobbie says Laura is vulnerable and easy to exploit.
 Stephan says Nick is too and that he's surprised that Bobbie would be such
a defender of Laura.  Stephan gets Bobbie to reveal that Laura thinks she
and he called something of a truce for Nick's sake.  He is sharp!   Bobbie
tries to get out of the conversation.  Stephan calls her bluff and says
Bobbie gets a kick out of being in the room with an evil Cassadine and
reasks her what Laura thinks.  Bobbie is in over her head here and says
it's really just about "a mother wanting to be reunited with her son- It's
kind of a primitive thing."  Stephan says she doesn't have to explain blood
ties to him, they're standing in the room where Stavros died.  He again
implies that the room was changed to cover  up Luke killing Stavros.
(Look, I just want to say, this is a hospital, it's been 13 years, please!)
 Bobbie says Stavros was "evil personified" and that he got what he
deserved.  Bobbie and Stephan wind down their conversation with Stephan
challenging Bobbie to tell others about what he said and Bobbie saying she
wouldn't say any thing about it.  Stephan leaves Bobbie alone in the
storage room, clearly unsettled.

CARLY AND HER MEN
Gina introduces herself to Carly at Ruby's.  Carly is less than interested
in talking and looks upset.  Gina asks if Carly's a friend of Robin's and
says that most people treat her differently when they find out who she is.
When she mentions that it has something to do with Robin's boyfriend, Carly
is suddenly interested in listening.  Not Jason of course, but "the one
before that."  "The one who gave her HIV?" Carly says, saying that everyone
knows since she talked about it at the Nurse's Ball.  Gina says Robin is
really something and that she and Jason seem to be really close.  She says
they went away for the weekend and Carly seems surprised and upset.  Gina
has to go serve a customer.  Upset, Carly calls Tony.  She says she can't
concentrate because she thinks she's going to lose Tony and Bobbie's
friendship and that maybe she should go away and return the money he gave
her for nursing school.  Tony says she's not going anywhere and that he
helped her because he wants her to become a good nurse.  Carly says she
appreciates the encouragement and support.  At the hospital, Bobbie comes
in and Tony asks where she's been.

THE MEN ANALYZE THE FIGHT
Back at the home front with Luke and Laura, Luke is washing dishes.  Laura
says she appreciates how Luke is handling the situation and that Lucky is
taking his cues from Luke.   Luke is surly, especially when Laura says she
sees a humane side to Stephan and Nickolas.  Luke wants nothing of it.  At
the castle, Nickolas tells Stephan that Lucky made it look like he was at
fault in the fight and Laura looked like she wanted him to apologize.  He
says they twisted things around to make it look like his fault. Stephan
gives him a motivational talk about being a Cassadine, "descended from
royalty" and says that Lucky Spencer isn't fit to clean his shoes.

DINNER AT THE Qs
Lois asks Ned about what Tracy said about cutting people out of wills.  Ned
says she was just trying to unnerve her.  Lois isn't shaken, she's mad and
more convinced to raise Brooke Lynn elsewhere, but she doesn't feel good
about keeping the big move a secret.  Lila comes back in and says Edward is
calm enough to eat but asks Alan not to bring up GH again.   Lila asks
where Monica is and Ned says she left.  Lila is disappointed.  Alan
receives a phone call from the hospital in Brooklyn that Jason is in the
ER.  Next thing we see is Dorman and Monica snuggling in bed.  It's all a
little too much.

SPENCERS AND THE INTELLIGENCE QUOTIENT
Bobbie and Tony hook up at the nurses' station.  Bobbie evades the subject
of where she's been.  Tony says he heard a rumor that the hospital is in
trouble and that he is somewhat glad that the Cassadines won't help because
he doesn't like the idea of putting the GH in the hands of someone with
"that name."  Bobbie, showing some kind of newfound trust in the man who
just wiped the floor with her, says "I don't know about that.  I mean,
what's in a name?"  We next see Stephan with his chess pieces looking
pensive.  He goes over and sees the ashes on the bookshelf, takes the book
out and sees the tape, and says into it "peasant."  At the Spencer fort,
Luke hears Stephan say it through the monitoring device as Laura watches
on.  (It just looked like a tape recorder to me- is it now a transmitter/
recorder?)

Some great quotes from Lois:

Lila (to Tracy): "No squabbling tonight."
Lois:  "Yeah!! Think Walton's Mountain!"

Tracy  (to Alan):  "You've already cast a pall over Mother's dinner party."
Lois : "Oh really....  Was that him?"

Lois (after Edward gets upset and leaves the room):  "Shouldn't someone go
and see how he is?  You know I'd hate for him to have a heart attack for
real."

Lois:  "You know what, Mother Ashton.  You should know something.  When I
get pushed, I shove right back."