Daily Updates

From: Teresa Elaine Leslie <tleslie@emory.edu>
Subject: GH: Update for Friday, July 17
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1998 10:33:13 -0400

Hang on, gang, it's another long one.  This beautiful episode was directed
by Ludel and written, of course, by Mulcahey.  The theme, for me, is
summed up in a phrase Laura used in her talk with Stefan:  "Explaining
myself to the people I love."  And so, long after the episode aired, I
give you a rundown on the Friday everyone in Port Charles was explaining
themselves the people they love:  (Wait a sec-- I don't think Taggert is
in love with Monica, so I won't swear that ALL the scenes fit this
framework)

Tags to Dara:  I'm a gardener
We open with Taggert, who joins Dara at dinner.  She gives him a
tongue-lashing for questioning Nikolas without telling her.  She then
gives hima tongue-lashing for not calling a uniformed officer to handle
the scene of "a middle-aged Causasian male running amuck on Courtland
Street" and he explains that he's cultivating this Caucasian junkie to use
to catch "bigger fish."  A pet project of mine, he explains, kind of like
a houseplant I'm waxing.  Is this a new policy, Dara asks, waxing the
junkies instead of arresting them?

Alan to Amy:  I'm a junkie
        Next we see the "caucasian junkie" in the hospital, cell phone in
hand.  Completely out of control, he starts stealing all the pills laid
out on a cart for delivery to patients, only to be caught by Amy.

Laura to Luke:  I'm ... hungry
        Laura is also using a phone, to cover her bases with Luke.  She
leaves a message for her husband, rather than asking to speak to him,
saying she's "going to take Lesley Lu to dinner with her brother."  No
further details.

GhostKitty to Stefan:  You're a man in love
        Stefan is getting ready, in the rose garden at Wyndemere, talking
to Katsper the Satin-Dressed Ghost.  The ghost reminds him that he isn't
just anxious for Laura to come for Nik's sake, but for his own.  "She
didn't just leave Nikolas, she left you, too.  Maybe she'll come back to
both of you."
        Then Stefan goes in to help Nik and Mrs. Lansbury finish the
arrangements for dinner, which is being served at a table brought into the
living room, at Nik's insistence, in order to make Lulu more comfortable.
Nik wants everything to be just right for his little sister, and enquires
of Mrs. Lansbury about the likelihood of Wyndemere's well-stock pantry
containing any glasses decorated with monsters or superheroes.  The
round-eyed blank looks of Mrs. Lansbury and Stefan at this question seem
to indicate the answer is negative.
        Mrs. Lansbury answers the door, and all are surprised to see not
Laura but Alexis.  She is upset with Nik about talking to Taggert, and
wants to know what he told Taggert about Laura.

COMMERCIAL BREAK

Amy to Alan:  I'm a push-over
        Amy is upset with Alan, blowing his coverstory by appearing at the
hospital looking like death.  He sweettalks her into not talking, and
assures her he's getting the help he needs. Amy apparently buys it.

Lucky to Liz: I'm a moocher.
        Liz meets Lucky at a restaurant, but he doesn't need anything to
eat because Ruby has fed him well.  He also mentions Sly in passing,
saying his cousin now has a rock band, and Lucky's been hanging out with
them and got a cassette recorder from one of the members, which he has
used to make a tape for Liz.  He gives her the tape.

Stefan to Alexis:  I'm a stubborn cuss.
        Nik tries to defend talking to Taggert, but ALexis is exasperated.
Stefan worries about Nik, and Nik says he'd make fewer mistakes if Stefan
and Alexis would tell him more about what's going on.  Alexis warns Stefan
about looking guilty when he insists on spending time with Laura.  He
thinks the state's motive sounds ludicruous-- "I just can't imagine Port
Charles society thinking me capable of a crime of passion."  Droll, very
droll.
        At that point, Laura and Lesley Lu arrive, and the cutest kid on
tv flies into her big brother's arms.

COMMERCIAL BREAK:

Liz to Lucky:  I'm a snitch
        Liz confesses to Lucky that she told his mother they'd be at the
pier the night Luke and Laura "happened upon them" fishing.  She wants him
to understand why she did it-- he's always doing sweet things for her, and
he seems to know what she needs before she even does.  So she wanted to
return the favor.  "What's the one thing you need most and won't ask for?"
Her answer to this rhetorical question-- a reconciliation with his
parents.
        As Lucky listens to Liz's confession, he goes blank, a very
chilling and realistic acting choice by JJ.  He doesn't frown, he doesn't
show anger, his face is just drained of emotion.  He isn't happy, that's
for sure.  "Elizabeth, this isn't good."  He says he has to think about
htis development, and leaves.

Taggert to Dara:  I'm a fisherman.
        Tagger tells Dara more, in vague terms, about his plan to use Alan
(referred to only as "my middle-age junkie") to lure in "bigger fish"--
also unnamed.

Alan to Ned:  I'm an idiot.
        Elsewhere in the restaurant, Alan is asking Ned to leave him
alone, when Ned finds him at the bar.  Alan thinks the family is hurting
his reputation by taking away his chief of staff job.  Then he has a
brainstorm, which alarms Ned:  "Alan, Alan, keep talking.  It worries me
when you look like you're getting an idea."  Alan wants Ned to get a
police detective (unnamed, but we know it's our pal the fisherman)
transferred out of town.
        Back to Dara and Taggert, who has been hovering in the background
while Alan and NEd talk at the bar. Taggert cracks me up when he tells
Dara that "my socially accepted pill-head is about to dive headfirst into
some very shallow water."

Luke to Laura:  I'm a mathmetician (2+2=4)
        The bartender at Luke's gives his boss the message from Laura
about dinner with her kids. "Supper?  Did she say something about Lucky?"
The bartender repeats the message, and Luke, doing the math, gets a
concerned look on his face.  He knows what's up.

Lulu to the Cassadines:  I'm a charmer.
        Today's episode provided lots of tiny details that filled in
blanks for the audience-- like Lucky's mention of Sly. Now, at Wyndemere,
we learn that Laura and Alexis did not cross paths in Greece.  They agree
that they have only met in Port Charles, as "you were away at school."
Lulu is charming with her first important spoken line.  Steafn compliments
the little girl, telling her "You are even more lovely than when we first
met."  Her answer?  "You, too."  Wow, the girl has great taste in men.
The smile that warms Stefan's whole body, not just his face, is utterly
charming, to be sure.  THe Updater feels faint, and has to remind herself
to breathe.
        Lulu is squirmy, and Nik takes her and her mother out to see the
roses. [Wonder if Laura will catch a glimpse of Katsper?]  That leaves
Stefan and ALexis to squabble about the propriety of having Laura visiting
Spoon Island while he's under suspicion of murder of his fiance. Stefan
stands his ground, while never admitting that the whole visit was his
idea.  He WILL encourage this reapproachment between Laura and Nik, and he
will NOT worry about the small minds of Port Charles law enforcement adn
the general public. "If I have to use this tragedy to restore her to
him, I will."  What about Luke, Alexis counters, and Stefan's answer: "You
think he'll find me unprepared?"  [well, actually, yes, Stefan, before
the hour is over.]
        Lulu and her children return, and Alexis reluctantly leaves.  In a
beautifully framed shot, Stefan and Laura share a drink.  "Salud," he
says, as they drink in the foreground while Nik watches from the
background, framed between them, with his sister in his arms.  Then they
sit down to dinner, and LEsley Lu rings the bell she notices on the table.
laura explains the bell is for "Mr. Cassadine" to use to summon the
servants when they want something.  Stefan assures Lesley Lu she has done
nothing wrong, and reminisces about how Nik did the same thing in his
younger days.  Mrs. Lansbury apperas, asking if she should serve the soup,
and Stefan slides the bell in front of Laura's place, a small but
significant gesture, which Laura understands, since she tells Mrs.
Lansbury to bring the soup.  They make small talk about Nik's childhood
and family servatns that Laura remembers until th soup arrives.  Mrs. L
has made curried carrot soup, one of Laura's favorites, and Laura is
touched.  "No trouble at all, Mrs. Cassadine."  At that point, Lulu pipes
up, creaming an uncomfortable silence when she angrily reminds the cook,
"That's not her name."

Lucky to Liz:  I'm a romantic.
        Lucky appears at Liz's bedroom window, and she lets him in.  He is
concerned about the tape he gave her-- seems he mixed up his tapes and
gave her the wrong one and wants to retrieve it.  THey get involved in a
friendly struggle over the tape, and Liz winds up "pinned" on her bed,
making them both suddenly self-conscious.  He pulls away, checks the tap,e
thinks it's the right one after all, and turns to leave.  Liz turns on the
tape, and it's apparent taht he has given her the wrong one after all.  He
is stopped in his tracks as his voice pours our of her tape player,
singing a sweet lullabye he has written:
"Elizabeth.  Go to sleep.  I want to watch you breathe.  I want to feel
God's peace."
        "That's you,"Liz observes, and he hangs his head.

Alexis to Ned:  I'm a tired gatekeeper.
        Alexis and Ned meet at the hotel bar, and talk about the
difficulties of being the family gatekeepers and how unappreciated they
are.

Laura to Stefan, or maybe STefan to Laura:  "I just want you to know who I
am."  "iris" by GooGoo Dolls
        Laura explains to Lulu that Mrs. cassadine was her name when she
knew MRs. Lansbury beofer.  Wanting to diffuse the situation, apparently,
Nik takes Lulu to the stables, leaving Stefan and Laura to have one of
those private conversations that start out awkward and wind up with them
moving one another to tears.
        Stefan thanks Laura for coming, and reading between the
lines, realizes that she has not told Luke about this event.  It's
interesting to note that thisis followed by Laura's "explaining myself"
remark, showing how Laura's mind is working.  "You know something?" she
observes to STefan, "It seems I'm always explaining myself to the people I
love. Tonight it was Lesley Lu.  And it wasn't the truth.
        I don't know how you do it.  I couldn't do it.  I couldn't sit at
the table with Nikolas and raise him and teach him to ride and to walk
and put him to bed every night and tell him I was anything but his
mother."
        Stefan strokes his beard nervously and confesses that it has been
difficult: "Well, there... there have been moments when I've thought the
fiction would unravel, when I've felt I had no power to control my tongue.
 Times I knew I would tell him in my very next breath. {looks down, can't
make eye contact]  But somehow I didn't."
        "There were times when I wanted him to learn the truth for
himself, when I thought of sending him on a trail of clues that would lead
him to discover eventually,[hmm, sounds like Lucky and the Lady Mangard
game] gradually enough for him to accept it, that the man he calls
uncle....[he strokes his beard again]I...I.. have difficulty saying it
aloud, even here alone with you, even...even to myself. [Laura
watches, with a serious look]  Nikolas is our son. I have know that from
the week you left him with me. [aha-- another bit of info we've needed.
BUt I'm confused.  HOW did he know then?  A blood test?  He learned
Stavros was sterile?  WHAT?]  But he can never know.  That is the right
decision.  Best for you, obviously.  Best for Nikolas, certainly.  If it
were known that my brother left no heir, the family holdings would be
scattered among a hundred noisy, minor claiminats.  The house of cassadine
would effectively cease to be.
        Laura:  "It's best for me, and it's best for Nikolas, but it's NOT
best for you."
        Stefan:  "You know me, Lasha.  I am not a selfless man."   She
shakes her head NO vigorously, and starts to disagree, but he cuts her off
by going on himself.  "It gives me satisfaction to know that by my silence
I can give Nikolas the title and the crown that could never have been
mine, a life of unlimited possibility. The blessing I forfeit becomes a
blessing many times over to him." We see Laura, tears glistening in her
eyes. "KNowing I can do that for my only son.... is almost recompense
enough."

COMMERCIAL
Taggert to Monica:  I'm a man with a plan.
        Brief scene of Taggert making himself at home in Monica's office,
and her asking him what he wants.  He's here about ALan, and the drugs.

Liz to Lucky:  I'm all choked up.
        The lullabye continues, as Liz watches Lucky and the music plays.
All I want is this, ELizabeth.
As you kneel beside your bed tonight,
Keep a little prayer for me in sight.  Elizabeth.

Liz is touched but Lucky is embarrassed."I'm not a singer or a
songwriter."  ELizabeth disagrees.  "I've never heard anything so
beautiful."  Lucky didn't want her to hear it until it was perfect, and
she figures it already is.  They come VERY close to kissing, there's a lot
fo standing very close and looking deeply into each other's eyes as they
talk but no one ever closes that last bit of space. Lucky crawls back out
the bedroom window an Liz clutches her tape and smiles.

Ned to Alexis:  I'm in the mood.
        Alexis is running the idea past Ned that running the Cassadine
empire might be easier than just cleaning up the messes for others who run
the empire.  She sounds about half-serious.  Ned tries to invite himself
up to her room-- "What say we go up to your room and pull the drawbridge
up behind us?" and she turns him down, reluctantly.

 Lulu to laura: I'm clumsy.
        Stefan and Laura are still alone.  In a thoughtful mood, he moves
from his end of the long table to take a seat next to Laura, and pours red
wine for both of them.  "With your permission, let us this once drink the
toast we can never make aloud."  At that moment, Lulu enters, runs up to
her mother and spill the wine on the tablecloth.  Stefan feigns
nonchalance. "It's old, she can't hurt it."  [earlier, he had told Nik it
was a family heirloom an ancestress hid under during teh Russian
Revolution.]  That was so sweet of him.  He observes, "You're making your
mark on the family early."  Then a secret door opens, atracting everyone's
attention.  Stefan starts toward it.  With everyone looking stage right,
Luke slips in the front door, stage left  [or maybe I have those
directions backwards, but you get the idea] and plops himself into
Stefan's chair.  he doesn't need a bell, as he taps on a glass with a
spoon to get everyone's attention.  "What's for dessert?"  He asks with a
wicked grin.  That stops everyone in their tracks, and gives us our
cliffhanger for the weekend.

Director:  Ludel
Writer:  Mulcahey
Updater:  Terry Leslie