Daily Updates

From: Teresa Elaine Leslie <tleslie@emory.edu>
Subject: GH:  Update, Friday, July 31
Date: Fri, 7 Aug 1998 13:12:08 -0400

        Today's theme-- law and order in Port Charles.  Not to be confused
with that wonderful television program "Law and Order."  It was a rather
dull episode, so my review will be mercifully shorter than usual (but alas
not any more timely).
        Let's re-arrange the scenes to organize this review, and move in
the rhythem of a L&O episode-- start with the civilians, then move to the
cops at work , and finally make our way to the courthouse.

Civilians committing crimes (or attempting to do so, anyway):

Monica in Justus's office:  I will resist climbing on my soapbox to
complain about the InJustus recast, and save that for a post.  Instead, I
will simply summarize this snooze-inducing encounter-- MOnica claims she
needs legal advice about setting up a trust fund for Michael.  Somehow,
Justus sees she is rattled and goes to get her some water, giving her time
to riffle through his files, but not enough time to find anything
incriminating.  She leaves, and makes plans to come back another time to
discuss the trust fund.  No crime, but not for lack of trying.

Luke in the office of Kat's lawyer:  Luke is more adept at breaking the
law, and enjoys it thoroughly in this scene.  He breaks into the office
dressed in black, wearing surgical gloves, and carrying his trusty black
bag of tricks.  He switches the fake kat will for the real one, and
transfers Helena's fingerprints (or, as he puts it, "cloven hoofprints")
onto the forgery.  After leaving the scene of the crime, he calls his
partner Alexis, who is in conversation with his wife in the courthouse
hallway [see below] to report that all is in readiness for the framing of
Mama Cass.

Laura and Lucky in the park: Lucky comes upon his mother in the park, near
THE bench.  She tries to get through to him and express her concern for
him.  When she tells him he looks like he isn't sleeping well, he tells
her that he dreams of having the face of a rapist, the face of his father.
See, even this conversation fits our law and order theme.  Laura tries to
reassure Lucky that he could never commit rape, but rather than pointing
out his loving reaction to Liz in the wake of her rape and his righteous
indignation at the act even before he learned about his father, she talks
about having seen his soul when he was first born, a touchy-feely moment
that doesn't work for Lucky [or, obviously, for this updater].  She tells
him he has a light within him.  He is not impressed, tells her that is the
typical thinking of a typical mother.  Laura's answer cracked me up, I'll
admit, "There's nothing typical about us, for better or worse."  I was
lost by the logic of this conversation, however.  It's "typical" to be
capable of rape?

        Then we get to the important part of the conversation.  Lucky gets
around, finally, to mentioning that he'd seen the pictures of her beaten
body after the rape, and that he didn't believe his father's claims that
they were doctored photos.  Laura goes ballistic when she learns that
Helena showed him such pictures.  She tells Lucky in no uncertain terms
that they were manufactured and that she had never been beaten.  She then
talks about how evil Helena is, and how Lucky must not ever believe her.
"the woman is the devil." Helena is poison, she tells her son, and you do
not take your truths from Helena Cassadine.

The Police:
Garcia drops by the Hardy home:  Liz is disappointed when Detective Garcia
makes a housecall to let her know that "as of this morning, the file [on
her rape] is officially closed."  This can't be the end of the road, Liz
frets, what if new information is found?  Garcia claims that "short of a
full confession," no new information could reopen the case.

        After a commercial break, Audrey joins the pair and tries to calm
Elizabeth.  Liz vows revenge, causing Garcia to ask if she has someone in
particular in mind.  Liz denies it, a move which confused some
ratsafarians including the updater-- why not tell the police of her
suspicions?  On reflection, I have decided this makes sense, marginally,
in light of garcia's earlier statement that nothing but a confession would
reopen the case-- maybe she decides not to involve the police until she
has that confession for them.  Regardless, Garcia asks "Do you know
something I don't?" and Liz does not answer.

        After Garcia leaves, Audrey wants to hang out with Liz, but Liz
begs off, claiming she has to work at the diner.  She takes off. Lucky
shows up afterward, and Audrey comes to the door conveniently but
inexplicably holding the letter from Murty about Liz's grades, which he
conveniently mailed from home rather than school, in her hand.  Lucky
knows instantly that something is amiss, checks out the return address on
the envelope, and takes off.

Taggert drops by the courthouse:
        Meanwhile, our other policeman, Taggert,berates Monica for failing to get
any dirt on Justus.  "i'm not a very patient man, doc."   What do you want
from me, Monica asks.  "Evidence against attorney Ward or your husband's
hide.  You pick."  Blackmail-- not a pretty sight, nor one which accords
with my vision of Taggert up until now.  Blackmail to stop the Mob or drug
dealers, maybe; blackmail to cut out a rival for a woman's affection, no.
I'm admittedly lost here.

Finally-- the courthouse scenes:
        Now we turn to the courts, and our first scene at the courthouse
gives us insight into how Alexis the lawyer is manipulating the legal
system on behalf of her client, Stefan, continuing our "disdain for the
system" theme.

The hallway chat between Alexis, Stefan, and Nik-- The Cassadines are
prepared into their day in court.  Turns out that Alexis got the media
blocked from the trial and that a convenient anonymous bomb threat has
moved the trial to a smaller courtroom, a strategic advantage, in her
view, as the gallery is smaller.  Judge Lancaster, who will hear the case
(no jury, remember?), just _happens_ to be a single father raising an only
child, reminiscent of our man Stefan.

        Once Nik is lead off to the witness room to await his turn to
testify (first for the prosecution, he believes), Stefan thanks Alexis for
being a source of strength for both him and their "nephew."  He pulls out
her Cassadine medallion and, standing behind her, drapes it around her
neck and, placing his hands on her shoulders, assures her that "You and
Nikolas are my true family."  She is touched.  He goes on to tell her that
she must win this case and prove his innocence by "mak[ing] them see the
truth."

        Alexis goes off to make final preparations and Stefan sits down to
wait for the officer who will take him to a holding area.  We see, as he
sinks onto a bench, that he is not alone, exactly-- Katsper the GhostKitty
is already there, in her shiny white evening gown.  She tells him she's
never seen him in a tie before, giving him the chance to explain that
"trial preparation resembles nothing so much as a rehearsal for amateur
theatrics."  He tells her further that "My future hangs on my ability to
convey my feelings for you."  She doesn't see that as a problem: "Can't
you just say you loved me?"  His answer is intriguingly opague and
typically Stefan.  He doesn't say "of course, that's what I'll say because
that's what I feel."  Instead, he says, "I assume that is what they want,
to dissect my grief for you and measure my distress at your loss and
debate its sufficiency.  I can no more speak of my feelings for you in a
court than I could have killed you."  GhostKat assures him that she knows
he did not kill her and that the court will know as well.

        Later, everyone is back in the hallway after opening statements
[WHY are they taking a break after opening statements?] Laura arrives at
the courthouse and sees a nervous Nik in the hall.  He thinks his mom
should keep her distance, as Alexis has advised.  "Alexis," Laura answers
sternly, "is wrong."  There's a commmercial, and then Alexis appears to
tell Laura once again that it is not good for Stefan to have her here.
Laura claims she is there to make sure Alexis doesn't frame Luke to clear
Stefan.  Updater says, "huh?" but assumes that is just Laura's excuse to
Alexis.  Does bring up an interesting question, since Laura was a witness
and knows Stefan is innocent-- who DOES Laura think is responsible?
Speaking of Luke, this is when he calls Alexis on her cell phone, givin
Laura an excuse to move away.

        Laura eases into the courtroom and takes a seat behind Stefan.  He
sense her before he turns to meet her eyes.  She gives him a sympathetic,
almost apologetic look, and then they break eye contact as Alexis enters.
Judge Lancaster resumes the bench, and
the first witness is called.  It is not Nik, as expected, but Helena.  She
enters in a shiny green pantsuit, looking like the cat who ate the cream,
and is sworn in.  (I loved SIP's comment elsewhere that she was surprised
not to see Helena's hand wither when it touched the Bible.) That's our
little cliffhanger for the weekend.

The Big Cliffhanger (ho-hum, oh sorry)-- The bigger cliffhanger comes in
the Liz/Murty story.  Liz climbs in Murty's open window [does no one in
Port Charles use screens?  I shudder at the visions of all the bugs in all
the PC kitchens.]  with the knife Lucky gave her in her hand.  She hides
in the closet [a dubious symbolism, given the events that follow on
Monday] as she hears Murty come in.  Classical music is playing from
somewhere.  The closet is huge, and she finds a ski mask on the floor of
it, which causes her, of course, to flashback to the rape and to freak
out.  She exits the closet, spins around, and in the process stabes the
knife into the body behind her.  Problem-- it's not Murty standing in his
living room, but Lucky, who clutches his wounded side and falls to the
floor.

End of episode.

Director: McKinsey
Writer:  Michelle Patrick (I originally thought this was a pseudonym for
Michelle Val Jean and Patrick Mulcahey writing together.  I've been told
that this is actually a writer whom GH hired away from AMC.  Given the
uneven quality of today's episode, I'm willing to believe the sublime Mr.
Mulcahey had nothing to do with it.)
Updater:  Terry Leslie, the long-winded twin updater of different Fridays.