Daily Updates

From: Teresa Elaine Leslie <tleslie@emory.edu>
Subject: GH:  Friday Update, 2/13/98
Date: Sun, 15 Feb 1998 00:11:08 -0500

        I was really nervous about doing my first regular update.  After
all, this has been, in my book, the second-best week of GH in recent years.
(okay, you didn't ask, but number one for me was the Greek Island
flashbacks week.  The dec. 8 Guza-returns,Nik-is-shot would rank as a very
close third.)  So, what would Friday bring, after such an amazing week?
Well, to my surprise, Friday was nothing special.  It was time for us all
to catch our breathe, I suppose.
        Since this was a Valentine's Day episode, one might expect there
would have been some romance.  There wasn't.  But there did seem to be an
underlying love-related theme.  I would suggest that, while reading this
update, you hum this classic Stones' tune under your breathe:  "you can't
always get what you want..."

Brenda Can't Get Jax:
        Ned and Jax are having a business meeting at Ned's house.  Both
look utterly scrumptious in their suits, complete with pocket hankies.
They are discussing the dock project, and how to deal with Jason and the
mob, who are inevitably involved, they imply, with any union work in PC.
Jax suggest they need to "get rough" with Jason, but Ned want jax to let
him "handle" it.  Jax wants to have Jason arrested [updater's note-- for
what, precisely?  Haven't the PCPD been trying to find an excuse to arrest
the local mob boss, whomever he might be at any given time, for years
now?]  I guess this is supposed to remind us that Jax is a ruthless
businessman.  yeah, right, like Sonny was a ruthless mobster.
        Enter Brenda.  Jax wants her to know what they're talking about,
and Brenda agrees that Jason should be pummelled if it's for a good cause.
She amuses the men with an account of her Genie spokesmodel stint-- she's
apparently done so well the company is considering hiring her to do their
commercials, if she can resolve her lawsuit problems.  That's why she's
come to talk to Ned.
        Ned gets a call (apparently from Alexis) and moves to another room
to talk to her, leaving Brenda and Jax alone.  They wish each other Happy
Valentine's Day.  Brenda tells Jax she feels for Robin, trying to get
through Valentine's Day without jason.  "She's trying to make it on her
own."  "Like you,"  Jax suggests.  "Yeah, like me.  Some days if feels
really good."  "And other days?"  Ned returns before Brenda can answer.
        Ned gives Brenda some papers his lawyer (Alexis?) has faxed over
about her lawsuits.  He's leaving, but invites Brenda to stay and read the
material; he asks jax if the latter needs a ride, but Jax reminds Ned that
he has his own car out front.  [Note to Jax:  I figure Ned knew that,
can't you take a hint?]  Ned leaves, Jax stays, Brenda asks Jax to
dinner-- her treat.  After a suspenseful commercial break, jax turns
Brenda down, regretfully telling her he has plans for the evening, without
specifying what those plans are.

Robin can't have Jason:
        Since it is V-Day, Robin has Jason on her mind.  We first meet her
at Ruby's Diner, talking to Felicia. As "So Help Me Girl" plays on the
jukebox, she confides that it's a struggle to keep her mind off jason.
 Moment of overkill-- Robin confides that she is so lovesick that she
had to pull off the road and compose herself after hearing a mushy
Valentine dedication on her car radio caused her to burst into tears.   We
get it-- she misses Jason.
        We next see Robin at the bridge, where she kisses a piece of paper
and throws it off the bridge.  [causing me to stop humming the Stones and
start humming "ode to billy joe"]  There is a small, appropriate flashback
to her last talk with Jason before she left for France, where they are
both in tears. She is startled when someone walks up behind her
(foreshadowing of a later scene, when someone comes up behind Lizzie?); she
turns to find it's Jason.
        jason and Robin talk. They've been thinking of each other.  They
both hurt. Jason asks her what she tossed into the water. [the idea that
they both assumed that light piece of paper would land in the water from
this great height amused me, for some reason]    "A wish,"  she says.  She
tells him that she is following an old custom about making wishes (see my
separate post for my medievalist rant about this silliness)  jason tells
her he hopes her wish will come true.  "It won't," she intones.  "What is
it?"  Her wish?  "For things to be different."
        After a commercial break, jason asks, "Does the ache ever go
away?"  Robin replies, "I thought it would, but running doesn't help, and
neither does being here."  Robin says she gets angry because she thinks
about what they don't have anymore instead of what they used to
have. [huh?--isn't that the same thing?] She cries "Sometimes, all I can
 think about is THIS," grabs Jason and kisses him passionately.  She tears
herself away and disappears into the darkness as Jason gazes after her,
with a tear glinting in his eye.

Tess can't have two Macs:
        We begin with Mac talking to Felicia, as he waits at the cabin for
Tess.  He is pretending to be Jimmy, and we learn that V is guarding
RealJimmy elsewhere.  Tess arrives, mac hangs up and precedes to convince
Tess that Mac broke loose, and that he, "Jimmy," struggled with the
escaping prisoner.  He tells her that during the fight, Mac hit his head
on the corner of the table and died as a result.  "Jimmy" claims to have
dumped Mac's body in a river.  This updater couldn't understand why Tess
isn't the slightest bit suspicious, since he doesn't act nearly so dumb
as Jimmy did.  Tess tells "Jimmy" that his contract to be Mac has been
extended indefinitely, and he is glad.  Tess says, "Careful what you wish
for," and then send him off to spend time with Felicia on Valentine's Day.
        Tess calls her boss, tells him (her?) Mac's dead.  Possible clue--
she tells the mystery boss, "No, no, don't panic" [what kind of mastermind
panics?]  She then adds, "When the cops start looking for the guy who pulled
the trigger, we still have a fall guy."  This is non-spoiler-readers'
first indication, I think, that the job involves a gun and an "intended
target."
        Felicia and Mac later confer as he joins her at Ruby's.  We cut to
Tess, still on the phone with her boss.  "I would have thought he'd be
dead and gone long ago, but it's hard when the target has such high
visibility."  She says she's looking at her file on the target even as
they speak. We then get a shot of the file in her hand, and it contains a
picture of--- ta-da --- Jax.

Wherein Lizzie can't get Lucky who can't get Sarah who can't get Nik;
but Lucky changes his opinion as the evening progresses.:
        Lizzie and Audrey are in the Hardy living room, admiring a red-hot
micro-mini dress with spaghetti straps that Lizzie has bought to wear to
the dance.  Liz is glad her grandmother didn't even try to talk her into
trying on a pastel ruffled number Audrey liked.  A great exchange follows:

Audrey:  "If there is one thing I've learned in the past year, [it's that]
you are not a pastel person."

Elizabeth:  "That should go in the yearbook-- Elizabeth Webber, not a
pastel person."

        Audrey gives her granddaughter a pep talk about how the dress will
impress Lucky, then heads upstairs to retrieve "just the thing to complete
the picture."  [for what it's worth, i'll point out a possible continuity
error-- lizzie is holding a pair of red shoes she has apparently also
bought for the dance, but when we see her later in the park, she's wearing
similar shoes, but they are black]  Lucky shows up and bursts Elizabeth's
bubble by asking if it would be okay for him to bring someone else along
to the dance.  Elizabeth looks hurt, and we break for commercial.
        After the commercial, Lucky tells Elizabeth he's accompanying
Sarah, while trying to play down the date aspect of it all, and suggests
Lizzie come along with the two of them.  Elizabeth puts on a brave face,
and lies through her teeth that a basketball star named Chad has asked if
she'd go with him.  Lucky scoots off, explaining that he has to pick Sarah
up at a friend's house where she and some other girls are having dinner.
My heart breaks for Lizzie, as she closes the door behind Lucky and
snatches up the dress.
        Lizzie tries to tell her grandmother that she isn't feeling well
and that she doesn't think she'll go to the dance after all, and Audrey,
thinking it's cold feet,will have none of it.  Audrey tells Lizzie that
she thinks of Lizzie as "indomitable" and loans her a bracelet that Steve
gave Audrey when they were first dating-- "for good luck."  Lizzie gets
choked up, asks Audrey if she isn't afraid Lizzie will lose it.  Audrey
assures her she can "dance all night and it won't fall off. I can attest
to that."  Sarah calls, saying she plans to sleep over at a friends's
house after the dance.
        Later, Audrey calls for a cab (why doesnt' she give Liz a ride?)
and, standing at the foot of the stairs,  calls up to Lizzie that
she should hurry, because the dance started an hour ago.  Lizzie appears,
looking great in her tiny red dress with matching bag and lipstick.  She
continues to drag her feet, but Audrey pushes her out the door, promising
to wait up to hear all about the dance.
        Later in the episode, we learn the dance is over, and that Lizzie
never showed up. Sarah, Lucky, and another girl (deenie, I think they
called her) have stopped off at Ruby's for some pie.  Lucky wonders where
Elizabeth was.  Sarah  goes to feed the jukebox,and "Me Loving You" starts
playing.  Lucky is peeved that Sarah has apparently spent the evening
talking about Nikolas.  Lucky spots Chad and asking him about why he
and Lizzie weren't at the dance.  Chad's answer-- "My girlfriend's name is
Cheryl and I don't DO dances."  Now Lucky is more concerned, but Sarah is
dismissive-- "Lizzie is always making up stories. If she were the one
dating Nikolas, she's have everyone convinced that she broke up with him
instead of the other way around."  Lucky is disgusted, and decides to go
look for Elizabeth.  Sarah pouts that he was supposed to take her home,
since they're on a date.  He explains that Deenie's house (where's she's
spending the night) is in the opposite direction and besides, he's tired
of hearing her ramble on about Nik all night.  He tells her to eat her
pie, and leaves her to get a ride home with Deenie, presumably.  He exits
the diner having seen Sarah with fresh eyes, it appears; he can't have
Sarah, whose heart belongs to Nik, but he doesn't seem to care any more.
        The show closes with a well-staged but wrenching scene.  Lizzie is
walking through the park in the snow. It is important, perhaps, to note
that her short red dress is covered by a long black coat.  She is carrying
a bag of popcorn, which suggests she wound up at a movie rather than the
dance.  She sits down on a bench, checks her watch, and sighs.  Suddenly
she is grabbed from behind by a man wearing black gloves and a ski mask.
She struggles against her attacker; he lifts her off the ground and over
the bench and carries her off.  The show ends with a shot of the empty
bench and the foundation in front of it.

        Happy Valentine's Day?  I got the impression that today's show was
about the downside of the big day, the heartache of it all, and that
Monday will deal with the upside.  As the song says, "but if you try
sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need."