Daily Updates

From: Teresa Elaine Leslie <tleslie@emory.edu>
Subject: GH:  Friday the 13th Update (3/13/98)
Date: Mon, 16 Mar 1998 15:33:22 -0500

        Today's theme was "children." First there was Michael-- lots of
people were either looking for him or worrying about him.  Then there was
Lucky, growing up fast as he continued to beg people to treat him like an
adult and tell him about his parents' past.  Finally, we saw Brenda and
Robin acting, well, not particularly mature, in my opinion.
        I was torn as to whether to present the scenes in the order they
were shown, as they were interwoven nicely, or to break them out into
storylines.  On a good day like Friday, it's often hard to separate out
the strands.  I finally decided to do a little of both-- the opening
scenes were interesting in the way they each led to, and referred to, the
one that followed, so I'll leave them in order; then I'll present the bulk
of the show broken into story blocks.
        It was a lovely show, btw, with a script by Elizabeth Korte. (Or
that is my assumption, based on the arrangement of the writers' names in
the credits)  And it set the stage for a Monday episode that will be
historic, to say the least.

SETTING THE SCENE:

        Sarah and Nik are having lunch at the Port Charles Grill, and she
is marvelling at his attention to detail.  (He remembers that last summer
she mentioned how much she loves the chocolate cake here)  Robin and Jax
enter the room, and Nik perks up at the very sight of his "tutor" across
the room, much to the dismay of Sarah.
        We move to Jax and Robin's conversation, which revolves around,
big surprise, Brenda and her latest scheme to capture Jax's heart.
        Next we see Lucky confront Bobbie at the Brownstone:  "I need an
answer."  He says that when Luke lied to Bobbie about Carly, he claimed it
was to protect her, "but that's a crock.  Because you wanted the truth,
and no matter how much it hurt, it was better than a lie."  Bobbie
flinches, and says, "I thought so," in a tone that implies that might not
be true in all cases.  "Did my dad rape my mom?"  "Oh, Lucky."  Louder,
slamming his hand on the table in a very Luke-ish move, "DID HE?"  "You
have to ask your father."  "No, I don't."  With that, Lucky is gone.
Bobbie immediately tries to contact Luke, but he isn't at his club.  "It's
an emergency."
        But Luke is at Jason's, sparring with Carly about the kidnapping.
He announces that he's there to see Jason, and that he will wait.
        It's going to be a long wait, since Jason is at Tony's house,
pushing his way in with his bodyguards, intent on finding Michael.
        As the men with Jason burst into the house, fanning out to search
for Michael, one grabs Tony, twists his arm behind his back, and barks,
"Sit down."  With that, the music comes up and we get the opening break.

ACTING LIKE CHILDREN:
        Robin has invited Jax out to lunch, but he suspects she is in
cahoots with Brenda on some plan.  He's right.  Robin and jax banter, and
then she leaves him alone, as she moves over to Nik's table. She
introduces herself to sarah, and asks if she can join them.  Duh, Robin,
they are on a date."  "It's for a good cause," she assures them.  What
good cause, Nik asks, to which Robin replies, "True love." Nik welcomes
her, and Sarah tries to hide her discomfort.
        meanwhile, Brenda shows up at Jax's table, and is disappointed
when he is not surprised to see her.  He points out the transparency of
Robin's ruse, and utters one of my fave lines of the week, as he says
further that after asking him to lunch, Robin soon "abandons me to sit at
the table of a guy who looks like he's on a date.  I think you've ruined
the blonde girl's afternoon."  [I briefly wonder how Jax knows the updater
is a blonde, then realize he means Sarah and that he's exactly right.]
        Brenda laughs.  Why bother with the feelings of others?  She's on
a mission from God.  A bucket of oysters is brought to the table, oysters
that come from Morant's Pub in Ireland.  he says she shouldn't have gone
to the trouble, then points out that they are whole oysters.  "Who's going
to shuck them?"  Brenda's reaction gave me the odd sensation that she
misheard the word "shuck," as she gives him a half-lidded look as if she's
about to drift off to sleep after some really good sex, murmurs "mmmm" and
raises one eyebrow suggestively.
        meanwhile, over at Nik's table, he and Robin continue to shut
Sarah out, comparing notes about shared experiences, turning her every
contribution into a reason to talk to one another.  Example:  Nik makes a
remakr about Robin helping Brenda with her love life, Robin replies that
it's "like La Liaisons but without the malice."  Sarah tries to jump in,
"You mean 'Dangerous Liaisons?'"  Robin, uncharacteristically snobby,
replies, "Well, kind of, it's THE BOOK.  We've been reading it together a
lot lately."  [Your updater suppresses the urge to strangle Robin, who
has, after all, intruded into Sarah's date with Nik.]
        Back at Jax's table, we discover that Brenda has flown the pub
owner over from Ireland with the oysters.  Jax enjoys Paddy's touch with
the food, eating 21 of the slimy things.  He has often flown the oysters
over without the owner, and they weren't as good.  [updater's note:  do
people usually associate fine oysters with Irish pubs?  WHo knew?]  The
kindly pub owner says his goodbyes, Jax tries to tip him, abut he insists
that Brenda, the great beauty, has paid for the whole trip.  He tells Jax
that Brenda loves the Aussie lad, that Jax is a lucky man who should not
fight love.  Much giggling ensues after Paddy's exit.  "How much did you
pay him to say that ?"  " A lot."
        Cut to the table wher Robin and Nik are STILL exchanging stories
about Paris, giggling and bantering comfortably.  Sarah points out that
"the oyster man is gone" and Robin leaves to join Jax and Brenda, but not
before thanking Nik for dessert. "I liked it better than Cafe Matisse"
Sarah, strangely, does not slap her.  After Robin leaves, Sarah says she'd
like to go to Paris, as Robin and Nik make it sound wonderful.  Nik
doesn't get the hint, suggesting she visit it when she visits her parents
in Europe.  She says, "I'd rather go with you," and the young prince is an
absolute snot, saying vaguely, "Oh, yeah, uh, that'd be nice."
        Robin asks Jax about his lunch. "It was delicious, and memorable,
and completely ineffectual.  I'm not going to fall, Brenda, no matter what
you say or no matter what you do.  Thanks for lunch.  See you."  He goes,
and Robin and Brenda dissolve into more giggles.  Robin: "He's going
down."  Brenda:  "Totally."  No wonder men find them irresistible.

The Missing Child

        Carly wants Luke out of the penthouse, but he insists on waiting
to talk to jason.  Luke neither blames Carly for the kidnapping nor
exonerates her of responsibility.  He is firm about one thing, that while
he doesn't BLAME Carly, she should have known better, she should have been
more careful.
        There's another visitor:  Edward.  He has come to see Carly, and
asks why Luke is there.  He learns that Luke has been told of the
kidnapping.  Luke and Edward spar entertainingly, and Luke ditches.
        I love the conversation between Edward and Carly.  Edward is
simultaneously reassuring, the one person who appears supportive of
carly,and manipulative, attempting to plant seed of doubt about Jason with
Carly.  He invites Carly to move into the Q mansion, an offer she
declines, hoping, no doubt, that when Michael is found he can join his
momma there.
        Later, we see Carly serving tea to Edward.  In the SWATCHiest
scene of the day, Carly tells Edward that the housekeeper is used to
running the penthouse without help or interference, prompting Edward to
speak of Cook's ruling of the Q roost; he says that Cook should listen to
him, since "I pay her wages and I own the house."  "Wait, I thought Monica
owned the house."  "Good lord, you know more about us that I realized."
        The serpent could not have been slicker when chatting up Eve in
the Garden, as Edward soothes Carly with talk about family togetherness
and assuring her that she is not at fault for Michael's kidnapping.  He
pins the blame on jason, a remark that prompts an angry glare from Carly.
        Speaking of Jason, we cut to him, having a little talk with TOny.
Jason and TOny are seated on hard-back chairs, very close together, while
some of the bodyguards stand by and some search the premises.  Jason leans
close to Tony, putting bullets in a small gun, as he talks.  Tony is
wild-eyed but curiously subdued.  "You're right, Dr. Jones.  I never liked
you."  Jason says that Dr. Jones "taught" him what it meant to be
brain-damaged, and that he resented the way TOny acted after the accident,
always talking to the Qs as if Jason weren't in the room, treating him
like something "broken that you couldn't fix."
        This segues into another amazing jason monologue about Michael.
(How will Steve Burton choose among all these scenes for next year's emmy
reel?)  "And then Carly met you and fell in love, which frankly I never
got, and she got prenant, and you decided that the kid was yours.  And
when Carly said that you weren't the father, you went off like she stole
something from you and you wanted it back.  Michael's not an IT.  He's a
person." He begins to speak more quickly, his words piling up on each
other.  "He doesn't belong to you.  You're not his owner. You're not his
father.  You have no RIGHT (He begins to shout now) to take him from the
people who love him."  Long intense pause.  "That would be me and Carly."
        Then Jason grows quiet again, and more menacing, if that's
possible.  "Look at me, "he demands, but Tony stares straight ahead.  A
bodyguard places black-gloved hands on the sides of Tony's head and jerks
his head around, forcing the doctor to comply.  HE hold's Tony's face in
position, as Jason says, "Your diagnosis is wrong, Dr. Jones.  I CAN feel.
I can hate.  Because I hate you.  Where's Michael?"
        Tony gets a spooky, goofy grin on his face, but before he can say
anything, Taggert and Garcia burst through the door, guns drawn.
"Police."
        After the commercial, Tony wants the police to arrest Jason.
Garcia and Taggert are not as interested as usual in harassing Jason,
although they go through the motions of threatening him and reminding him
not to interfere in police matters.  Garcia asks Tony to show him through
the rest of the house, and with Tony thus occupied, a surprisingly decent
Taggert asks jason if they have found anything.  Seems the police are
suspicious of Jones as well, and since they have no evidence to obtain a
search warrant, they are using the presence of jason and his thugs to give
them an excuse to come in and look around themselves.  Garcia and Tony
return, and when they start talking about how long it will take to
prosecute jason for bothering Tony.  Tony says he wants to be able to
leave town soon and so won't press charges.  Jason leaves.
        At that point, it's Carly's turn to break my heart, as she
explains to Edward why blaming Jason for the baby's disappearance wont'
wash with her.  She brings Edward the "caroline" keychain Jason gave her
for Christmas.  Hands on hips, she launches into an impassioned speech
about her fierce loyalty to and trust of Jason.  "That's a key to this
penthouse.  Jason gave it to me Christmas last year.  It's the most
valuable thing that I own."  Edward turns it over and over in his hand.
        "See it says right here, it says 'Caroline'?  That's because he
knew even way back then who I really was and he never told anyone.  I
showed up on his doorstep pregnant with a baby I had been passing off as
another man's for months.  I blew a hole through the middle of his life.
[wonderful line, wonderfully delivered]  But he never once hesitated to
help me or to do what I needed. Understand that Jason is the kind of
person that people dream their whole lives of having, a friend like that,
or having someone like him be the father of their kid.  Michael and I are
incredibly lucky.  Nothing you can ever say will ever make me doubt jason.
So if that's why you came here, you should leave."
        Edward backs off, but reminds Carly that Jason's business
endangers the baby. "You and Michael are not the only people Jason has to
keep happy."  He asks her to consider the fact that others in Jason's
organization may not be as willing to do whatever it takes, and give up
whatever might be given up, to protect Michael.
        Later, when Justus and Jason enter the penthouse, Rinaldo reports
on the comings and goings while Jason was gone.  Carly is out for a walk.
Justus wonders why Edward paid a call, and Jason matter-of-factly tells
him, while idly flipping through his mail, "Michael.  He's trying to work
Carly to get him through her.""Does Carly realize this?" "I told her and
I'm not sure she believes it." They discuss the cops showing up at Tony's.
Jason is frustrated, because he found nothing to indicate Tony had the
baby or had stashed him elsewhere.  However, Jason is adamant about one
thing:  "Tony is lying."  Justus suggests that jason want to believe that
because it makes the kidnapping make sense, and Jason wavers from his
usual certainty in his lie-detecting abilities.  Jason asks Justus to talk
to Moreno about the truce and see if he detects any clue that Morena has
the baby.  Jason worries about the other possibility-- that a stranger
snatched the baby.  Justus tried to reassure him.  Jason confesses,
"You're right, Justus, what you don't know is worse. Justus, I'm not used
to being afraid."
        Next we see Jason on the phone, talking to Benny.  He says that if
he can't verify that Tony has called a babysitting service or something
that would show Tony was getting help with the baby, then they need to
take people off following Tony and put them on Moreno.  Carly enters, and
with a sad note in her voice, says/asks "Michael wasn't with Tony."  Jason
tells her he wasn't, but that the evidence points toward a set-up, and
since the Qs and Tony do not have the baby, then it points toward the
organization, i.e. Moreno.  Carly is afraid.  "You would give anything to
get Michael back, right?"  But she's unsure, just a tiny bit, thanks to
Edward. Jason's answer is clear. "I would give  my life."
        We cut to a shot of a nurse at Mercy Hospital cradling Michael,
and talking to someone we don't see, reporting that Michael cried at
bedtime last night but is fine now.  (updater thinks of baby michael
crying for jason and tears up)  We then pull back from a shot of baby
Michael chewing his pacifier to a shot of the nurse holding him, then pull
back far enough to see that she is talking to-- ta-da -- Dr. Tony Jones.
Tony takes the baby, and the nurse leaves.  Tony says, "Hi, Michael,"
sending chills down the updater's spine.  He then confides to Michael, in
a sick perversion of the scenes of Jason cradling Michael and talking
about the future, that he will take him away from Mercy soon, "as soon as
it's safe."

Lucky Growing up Fast:

This storyline didn't get much airtime, but it was the final clicking into
place of all the pieces, a perfect set-up for Monday's show.  Midshow we
see Bobbie again trying to call Luke.  She has been called in for an
emergency surgery, but she leaves a message on Luke's machine, asking him
to page her asap, without revealing why.  We see the answering machine in
Luke's house, recoridng the message, and we see that Lucky is listening, a
serious look on his face, as the message comes in, confirming to him that
his question sent Aunt Bobbie rushing to warn his father.

At the end of the hour, Lucky is preparing to take off, grabbing his
backpack and checking to be sure the money stashed in it is still there.
At that moment, Luke walks through the door, unaware of what he's walking
into.  But he is immediately alerted that there is a problem.  "what's
going on?"  he asks.  Lucky bristles.  "Don't you touch me."  Lucky is
shaking, and angry.  Luke is troubled, and has a look on his face that
indicates he knows precisely why Lucky is so angry.  The show is over, and
we are all left waiting, with a mixture of anticipation and dread, the
rest of this conversation.

NEXT WEEK ON GH:  Previews
Tony cradling the baby
Carly accusing Jason of not making Michael a priority and Jason fighting
        back
Lucky to Luke:  "If you can't tell me the truth, man, then we have
nothing, we have less than nothing."

Terry, half of the twin updaters of different Fridays