Daily Updates

From: Teresa Elaine Leslie <tleslie@emory.edu>
Subject: GH:  Update, FRIDAY June 12, 1998
Date: Fri, 19 Jun 1998 00:44:05 -0400

Today's episode could be subtitled "all L breaks loose," since it was
heavy on the L people-- Luke, Laura, Lulu, Lucky, Liz, Lucas, Dr. London,
and even a surprise L to be named later.  Not EVERY scene included
an L person, unfortunately.  There was J&B.  SIPort once referred to Jax
and Brenda's scenes as "Sesame Street in the Middle of Masterpiece
Theater."  I think she nailed it, and so I give you today's Sesame Street
episode, brought to you by the letter L.

Short Version:  AJ tries to plant seeds of doubt in Carly's mind about
Jason, Bobbie and Laura don't see eye to eye on much of anything, Lucky
and LIz are still trying to catch the rapist, and Jax brings Brenda sex
and presents.

Long Version:

L is for "looney":
        AJ visits Carly in the nut house and pushes all her insecurity
buttons.  He's been thinking, or so he alleges, and isn't sure he would
still oppose his family's efforts to take Michael from Jason, since Jason
is irresponsible in taking the child  out of the country on mob
business.  And there's the matter of Jason being back together with
Robin.  DOesn't that bother Carly?  It should, he implies.
        Carly's response?  To his face, she isn't buying, and repeats her
steadfast "I will always trust Jason" mantra, assuring him his family will
never succeed in driving a wedge between her and Jason.  Once he's gone,
she's clearly upset.

See Carly Crack:
        Later, we see Carly alone in her room.  She's standing in front
of the mirror, talking to a doctor who isn't there. Then she begins to
croon "I'm gonna see my baby, I'm gonna see my baby," in a decidely spooky
fashion.  Is she cracked?  Or just practicing acting cracked?  And why?

L is for "Literature":
        Liz and Lucky discuss their plan to trap Mr. Murty into
confessing, IF he's the rapist.  They first must take their English exam,
which involves pages and pages of writing and isn't over until 3:45. Then
Liz pretends to be concerned about her results, and asks Murty if he'll
have the tests graded that night.  He claims he will, causing this
updater, who has graded many a stack of essay final exams, to fall off the
couch and go boom.  Say what you will about the damage to the teaching
profession caused by suggesting a teacher as rapist, I think we're done a
greater disservice by the implication he is this cavalier about his work.
They arrange to meet in the park at 9:00 that night to discuss her exam
grade.

Where is Lucky?:
        Later, in the park, Liz and Lucky wait for Murty.  She repeats her
mantra, "I can do this, as long as you're here."  Lucky goes to hide in
the bushes with a bat, in order to save her if things get ugly.  But then
there's a hand on his shoulder. A car alarm goes off, and then we see Mr.
Murty coming toward Elizabeth.  It was a policeman who grabbed Lucky, and
he wants to know why the boy is lurking in the bushes.  Murty, meanwhile,
confronts Liz, who doesn't realize her backup is not back there.

L is for "Laura Laura Laura":
        Laura and Bobbie have a chance encounter at the hospital, when
Laura brings Lulu to see the pediatrician.  Bobbie is glad to see her
niece, but a real snot to Laura.  Laura says she wanted Lulu to be
re-acquainted with her pediatrician, "because we're home to stay," to
which Bobbie snarkily responds, "Glad to see you're taking care of one of
your children."
        Dr. London shows up, taking Lulu with him to his office, so
Bobbie and Laura can finish their fight.  (My pediatrician has NEVER seen
one of my children without me present, so I found this contrivance odd)
Bobbie lambastes Laura for the mess her family is in.  "parenting is a
hands-on proposition," she pontificates, telling Laura further that "I was
there when you should have been."  Laura points out that she was unaware
of the state of her sons' lives, as "Luke didn't tell me about any of
this."  Bobbie gets in a good shot, as she counters that she thinks, "You
love being in the dark, because it's safe there."  She complains that "the
rest of us all have to pick up after you."  Laura wearily counters, "And
I've never had to pick up after you?"  She tells Bobby that she knows her
sister-in-law will always think the worst of her.  Then bobbie is beeped
away before Laura can slap her on general principals.

Laura does Mommy-talk, or Mother and Child "reunions":
        Laura is next seen sitting in her living room, talking on the
phone, telling her troubles to a sympathetic audience, her mother.  Yep,
the scene opens with her talking to Lesley, and when it's Lesley's turn to
speak, we see Denise Alexander talking!  Hooray.
        "Mom, people don't even say hello any more.  They just jump in and
tell me what an awful person I am."  "People we know?"  I love Lesley's
line, delivered in classic style: "Well, frankly, and with all due respect
to Audrey and Bobbie, I don't think your private life with your husband is
anybody's business, including, pardon me, Lucky's."  Laura confides that
she doesn't know how to reach Luke any more.  "He's so detached."  Her mom
cheerleads a bit more, and Laura feels better.  "I couldn't take the irony
that after all these years, that one awful night would come back to haunt
us."  They are interrupted by someone at the door.

        The visitor turns out to be Nikolas, who wants to hug Lesley Lu.
He has brought his sister a present.  Laura assures him he can see Lulu
whenever he likes, but he knows it isn't that simple.  "You and I both
know that's not true.  I'm not welcome here." He means Luke and Lucky, not
Laura.   Laura says she is sorry, and he says, You made choices that had
consequences."
        Things go from bad to worse when he tells her he's being
questioned by the police about Kat's murder.  She is sympathetic-- "I know
that's hard for you."  He lets her know he mentioned the questioning for a
reson-- he's kept her name out of things so far, but that may not
always be possible. He says that she knows whom the Cassadine men
feel is responsible for loosening the railing.  He tells her that if he
tells the police all he knows (presumably about his uncle's gifts of
Laurastuff to Kat, the picture, etc.), it would give Luke a motive and
would cause the police to ask questions Laura won't want to answer.

L is for "livid":
        Luke helps "arrange" a visit with Lucas for Tony.  Luke is in the
park with his nephew, an astute kid who wants to know what's really up.
After all, Lucas points out, Uncle Luke never takes him to the park.  He
assumes Luke misses his own son, and that gives Luke the perfect opening
to ask Lucas how he feels about not being able to see Tony. Lucas admits
he misses his dad, and suddenly Tony is there beside him, saying "I miss
you, too."
        Tony talks like a simple-minded child while Lucas focuses on the
important issues, "Will you kidnap me?  Why did you kidnap Micheal? Why
aren't you in jail?"  We learn that Tony is living in the cabin, and he
lets Lucas know he won't be leaving town after all.  We also get his
version of the trial-- the judge listened to his side of the story and
decided what he did was not such a bad thing.  "And the judge is supposed
to be wiser."  SUPPOSED to be, indeed.
        IT gets ickier still as Tony tries to justify his baby-snatching.
Luke monitors the situation closely, and at one point signals for Tony to
back off when he starts to badmouth Jason and Bobbie.  At one point, Lucas
asks if Tony intends to try to take Michael again, and Tony carefully
answers, "I don't intend ever to go to jail."
        The contrived heart-tugging moment of the day:  Lucas announces to
his father that he's stopped playing video games, because Tony always said
it made him [Tony]crazy.  "I'm sorry I made you crazy, Daddy, I don't want
you to be crazy."  That causes Tony to break down, to weep uncontrollably,
to assure Lucas the boy is not in any way responsible for his fatehr's
behavior, and to ask Lucas to give him a hug.  WonderPony observes that
Brad Maule is good with the emotional voices, but not good at tears.
        Of course, the timing could not be more perfect.  As Tony clutches
Lucas and cries, Bobbie appears, and announces, "Luke, you are a dead
man."
        She joins Tony and Lucas, and tells Lucas it's time to go home.
She remains calm in front of her son, sending him over to Luke, and then
lays into Tony once the child is out of earshot.  "I am and will be
forever his father," Tony blusters.  Tony promises Lucas that he'll work
with Bobbie to find a way for father and son to see each other, and
reminds Lucas that he loves him.  Bobbie takes Lucas home, and Luke tells
her, "I'll wait for you at the Club."  He knows he's in for it.

Can you say "busted"?
        At the end of the hour, Bobbie appears at Luke's office.  "This
time you have gone too far," she tells him.  His answer-- "I figured as
much."

L is for "lame," and "lightweight"
        Jax and Brenda look pretty, giggle a lot, he gives her a present
and she pretends to have a serious side.  I guess that's too brief, huh?
Okay, Jax appears in Brenda's hotel rooom and jumps in bed with her.  They
talk about the photo shoot.  She's had pleasant dreams.  He's back from
London.  He has tickets for the theater.  The bellhop brings in a present
for Brenda from jax, a lovely white gown.  This gift-giving is nauseaing.
        They discuss Emily's pictures.  Brenda observes that Emily reminds
her of herself when she started modelling, and that "makes me think about
why I started modelling. I thought I had something to prove."  Now, she
muses, what if I gave it all up? [ask me if I care.]
        Why would she give it up?  "I don't feel challenged any more, and
I want to feel challenged."  Huh?  Jax tells her he adores her whatever
she does or doesn't do.  She lets him know that planning to marry "a
gazillionaire doesn't mean I intend to sit around doing nothing."  Soon
thereafter, he utters the line "yada yada yada." I kid you not.  She
gets mock indignant (or maybe really indignant, it was hard to tell) and
says, "I'm sharing my innermost self and all you hear is 'yada yada
yada'?"  [Yep, Brender, him and few million viewers]

Brought to you by Director Behar, Writer Shelley Moore, and Updater Terry