Summer sizzle: Feel the burn

Things are heating up in Port Charles with some sizzling couples, a miracle pregnancy, and a murder mystery, but can the writers keep things cooking or will it all boil over and turn into an utter disaster?

Apparently the men and women of Port Charles just don't like to use condoms -- or any other form of contraceptives, judging by the birth rate -- because not only are four people gallivanting around with an STI, but Sam has a miracle pregnancy -- again.

Nina is going to be so pissed -- unless Valentin left her with a little miracle too.

Naturally, it wouldn't be a soap opera pregnancy if there wasn't some kind of danger to mother, child, or both. In this case, Sam might have picked up a case of malaria during her time warp adventure on Cassadine Island.

It would not surprise me in the least if Helena had had those pesky disease-ridden mosquitoes released after her death, but I was rather disappointed that the writers played it safe and didn't go for something more current like the Zika virus, especially when they have an infectious disease specialist at their disposal who could concoct a serum to save Sam's baby.

I have no doubt that when all is said and done, Sam's baby will be fine. How can it not be with Super Jason's DNA pumping through its tiny little veins and Dr. Finn, Medicine Man on the job?

I'm happy that Sam's having another baby and that this time she gets to experience everything with Jason. I'm cutting her some slack for not letting him know about the baby and the potential risk to it because she just found out that she's going to be a mother again. However, Jason is the baby's father and does have a right to know, especially since the first malaria test was negative.

It's ironic that Michael Easton will once again play a prominent role in a Sam/Jason pregnancy storyline, but this time as a completely different character than the one he portrayed during Sam's pregnancy with Danny. Of all the characters that Michael has played on this show, Dr. Hamilton Finn is by far my favorite.

Finn's backstory is a little out there, but he's an interesting combination of quirky and mysterious with enough charm to make his chemistry with Hayden delightful, but more on Finn later.

As a Liz and Sam fan -- yes, we really do exist -- my favorite scene this week was Sam confiding to Liz about the pregnancy and Liz refusing to let Sam go through the ordeal of getting the test results alone when Sam admitted that she had no one to lean on because Alexis had enough on her plate and Jason was sick. It was really nice to see Liz in a supportive role with Sam, and I loved when Liz reminded Sam that the baby was Jake's little brother or sister, so Liz had a vested interest in the baby's welfare.

My money is on Sam being pregnant with a daughter, and I predict that she and Jason will name her Lila.

Remember, Jason and Sam only talked about naming her daughter with Sonny after Jason's grandmother right after Jason learned about Lila's passing, but Sam -- or anyone else for that matter -- never referred to the baby by that name since, and whenever the headstone was shown, it read "Baby Girl McCall."

It will be fitting to name a daughter after Jason's beloved grandmother because not only will this baby actually be Lila's great-granddaughter, but Jason chose Lila's maiden name Morgan when he emerged from the coma all those years ago after A.J. drove him into a tree. If the baby is a girl, naming her anything other than Lila Morgan would be wrong.

I just hope that having a daughter will soften Jason because, with each passing week, he's become increasingly more intense and angry. He reminds me of someone in the grips of steroid rage because he's constantly oozing hostility, even when he's having a friendly exchange like the one with Finn.

If Jason isn't glaring and flexing his muscles at people, he's solving crimes and capturing the bad guys. Even Sonny noticed the trend and jokingly suggested that Jason consider applying to the police department. Of course Jason scoffed and acted like it would somehow be beneath him, which irked me to no end.

My brother is a police officer, so to me it's really offensive that the writers continually make the police appear inept. Jordan talks about how she works all the time, but I only see Valerie doing all the sleuthing for the serial killer at the hospital, with a little help from Nathan, who has his hands full planning a wedding and dealing with a crazy ex-wife who gets her kicks out of seducing men she can't have -- like sweet, trusting Griffin.

It's really no wonder another patient ended up being killed.

The feedback I received about who the serial killer might be was a resounding AMY! I was really surprised at how many believe and want it to be her because it seems that not only the staff at the hospital but also the viewers intensely dislike the character.

The one person who definitely isn't the killer is Joe. Every time he talks, I keep expecting Carlos to pop out and say, "Heeereee's Carlos!"

Let's count our doppelgngers, shall we?

There's Kevin Collins, whose evil twin brother Ryan terrorized the town for a while. We also have Finn, who looks exactly like Silas Clay, who was the spitting image of his demented brother Stephen Clay -- who also went by Caleb Morely -- and a detective from Llanview named John McBain. Then there's Franco Baldwin, who looks like this guy named Todd Manning, who was also from Llanview. Finally, there's Joe, Carlos' brother. I don't know if they are twins or if Joe is older or younger than Carlos, but they look like identical twins.

The only difference is that Joe doesn't have an accent.I think my main issue with Joe is his obvious more-than-friendship interest in Sabrina -- his brother's widow and the mother of his nephew. It seems a bit excessive for someone who briefly dated Sabrina until Carlos wooed her away a million years ago.

By the way, is that a little history rewrite? I could swear I've heard Sabrina say that Carlos was her first and only boyfriend before she met and fell in love with Patrick Drake, hence her Ugly Betty style and awkwardness when she first arrived at GH.

My other issue with Joe is that Carlos is still too fresh in my memory, and I just can't forget his devious ways.

Finn is a different matter entirely because there was some time between when Silas was killed off and Finn appeared on the scene. Despite striking similarities -- exact appearance, being doctors, and having dead/comatose wives -- Finn and Silas Clay have polar opposite personalities, and it's easier for me to differentiate the characters. Finn also has many layers, which we immediately saw when he showed up toting a service lizard and injecting himself with an old-fashioned pump syringe.

Silas, on the other hand, was always kind of bland.

I found Finn's confrontation with Liesl intriguing because I've seen the theory floated around by more than a few readers that Liesl might be the "Angel of Mercy." I don't know if it was a nod to the viewers, but my gut tells me that it isn't Liesl. It's not her style to just randomly kill off patients and doctors in some crazed desire for revenge because she was demoted. She's the type who would focus her energies on destroying the people who'd wronged her.

Truth be told, I hope it's not Liesl because I like her. She's entertaining, she adds much-needed humor to a show that is fraught with drama, and she speaks German. My father is German, so I get a little nostalgic when I hear her say something in German.

Plus, Liesl is possibly the only friend that Franco has, and I like Franco.

I was on the fence about Franco and Liz for quite a while, but I've recently been warming to the idea of them as a couple. Friday solidified it for me when Jason went off on Liz about him explicitly telling her that Franco wasn't allowed around Jake then Franco wishing Liz luck on finding someone that would meet with St. Jason's approval.

I get that Jason has concerns about Franco and worries about Jake's safety, but Jason also has to remember that he doesn't actually have any legal standing with Jake. Liz intended to let him adopt the children, but that never happened because the truth about who Jason was came out. Lucky Spencer was listed as Jake's father on the birth certificate and is still legally Jake's father. Also, I think an argument can easily be made that Jason is far more dangerous to be around right now than Franco is.

Jason can keep a watchful eye on things from the sidelines, but he needs to let Liz make her own choices and trust that she'll keep all three of her sons safe, not just Jake.

Oh, those crazy Cassadines.

Each of the legacy families has a special place in my heart, but the Cassadines -- well, they tend to be larger than life. They truly are the stuff of soap operas. They are royals, filled with Rasputin-like characters, wealthy beyond reason -- they own their own island complete with islanders -- and nothing, and I do mean nothing, can kill them.

Helena's dead, and still she's messing with people. I absolutely love it, and I love it even more that Valentin has picked up the proverbial evil scepter and is running with it. People like Helena and Valentin are essential to a show focused on the trials and tribulations of a town filled with flawed people. Good doesn't always conquer evil -- sometimes it merely puts it on pause.

I didn't want Nikolas to be the one to carry on his grandmother's legacy, and the appearance of Valentin makes it possible for Nikolas to return to his good ways and focus on containing his crazy uncle.

Meanwhile, I'm hoping that Kevin, who is thankfully on the mend, will point out to Lulu that the skeleton in the tunnels could have been planted in there before Helena died because clearly Helena took the time to select special "gifts" to bequeath to certain people, all of which lead back to Cassadine Island. That skeleton was there for Laura to find. And find it Laura will, if Kevin has any say in the matter.

Kevin and Laura are a surprisingly fun couple. I love the romance blossoming between them, partly because it's unexpected. They've known each other for years -- decades even -- yet I never saw the spark of attraction that I see between them now. Even Lucy saw it and gave her blessing to Kevin, which I thought was very nice.

Jordan and Andre are an example of a couple who seem to struggle to make things work. They are attracted to each other, there's a connection, but things always seem to be just slightly off kilter, in part because Jordan has trust issues. I think they have what it takes to work for now, but I don't see them as a long-term couple.

Back to the mystery on Cassadine Island.

I didn't believe Valentin for a single second when he claimed that he had no idea who Daphne was. I'm truly surprised that Dante and Lulu let it go so easily because the very fact that Valentin spent a lifetime nursing a serious grudge against his family that's made him unstable and dangerous suggests that he'd have an obsessive knowledge of absolutely everything about the island's goings-on and its residents.

It might be wrong, but I do like what Valentin and Nina have going on. Even with pending murder charges, extradition to a faraway country, and very little hope of ever seeing each other again, Valentin practically vowed to see Nina again. That was a very steamy moment, and like Nina, I melted a little when he said it.

That's how it's done if you want a woman.

You don't scream and kick your mother while she's down because the woman you wanted didn't want you enough to fight for you. I'm talking to you, Kristina.

As Kristina viciously lashed out at Alexis and ranted about how Kristina knew that Parker loved her -- just because -- I kept asking myself what exactly it was that Alexis did that was so wrong. A parent isn't allowed to have an honest conversation with their child's love interest when there's already been so much drama between the two?

Newsflash, Kristina: that's what good parents do.

Parker made her feelings clear when she not only told Alexis that she couldn't envision a future with Kristina but also wrote that note and left town. The truth hurts, but there it is.

I sometimes wonder if Kristina has bipolar disorder like Sonny and Morgan because before Alexis showed up to get verbally abused by her daughter, Kristina had been apologizing to Aaron in a calm and rational manner about how she regretted hurting him and asked if they could at least be friends. I was so proud of her and how she'd matured and handled the situation.

Then the she-demon reared her ugly little head.

I guarantee you, my children would never talk to me the way that Kristina did to Alexis, regardless how angry they were.

Kristina told Alexis that she'd respect Alexis when Alexis returned the favor, but that's not how it works. Alexis raised Kristina, was there for her daughter through every ugly relationship, went to great lengths to protect Kristina -- even at the risk of Alexis' very own freedom -- and she gave Kristina a life of privilege and luxury with an Ivy League education.

Alexis has paid her dues and is entitled to respect for the very fact that she's always been a loving and devoted mother to Kristina.

I also disagree with Kristina's accusation that Alexis had chosen Julian over her own children. Only Molly objected to Julian because of everything that happened with Ric and T.J. Both Sam and Kristina gave their mother their blessing to marry him, and all three daughters were at the wedding.

I have no idea what is going on with Julian. A year ago, he was one of my favorite characters because he'd made a real effort to better his life and be a father to his children. Now, he's a nutty shell of the man he used to be. My heart is broken because I adored Julian. These days, he's delusional, homicidal, and teetering on the edge of lunacy, while Sonny struts around like a cocky rooster sporting a smug expression because he was right about Julian all along.

It makes me want to throttle someone.

Finally, this week we met a young woman named Nelle who had a sad story about her parents selling their child's kidney on the black market so they could stay in what presumably was a shabby apartment, since they were dirt poor.

Since the surgery, Nelle has had health issues and periodic bouts of pain, but she's still a part-time teacher's aide and goes to community college despite having lost both her worthless parents.

I like Nelle -- whom many might remember as a young Patricia Spencer during the flashback scenes when Luke had his breakthrough about the night his parents died -- and it's obvious that she's going to be thrown into Michael's orbit for a while, but I don't see a lot of potential to the pairing.

I'd much rather see Nelle with someone like Griffin, who will need a love interest to save him from Claudette's devious clutches.

Why exactly was the drug dispensary unlocked when Liesl slipped in to make her phone call? I thought there was a thief helping themselves to the meds in there on top of a serial killer injecting people with a drug that is only used in surgery.

I laughed my head off when Joe talked about GH's stellar reputation as a research hospital when there's a serial killer currently running amok. Call me silly, but I wouldn't take a job where one of the risks is me being murdered.

Kristina's white clunky shoes on Friday were just -- no. My daughter is a barista, and there is no way on earth she could work a shift in heels. Beyond that, she's required to wear non-slip shoes.

An angry Liesl grabs Finn's arms as she questions him about something he saidFinn: "Ah-ah-ah. No touching -- not without dinner and a movie first."

Liz gets a little sassy with Jason when he accuses her of being slightly dishonestLiz: "Well, I guess we can't all be bastions of truth like you and Sam."

The reason why Jason doesn't remember taking flying lessons is because he never did. The idea that he can fly a freakin' JET all of a sudden is an example of a literary device called "Deus ex Machina" (Latin for "God from the machine") a phrase which originated in the ancient Greek theater, where at the end of most plays, when the situation seemed hopeless, an actor playing one of the gods would appear to descend from the "heavens" via the use of a mechanical device, and then proceed to set things right. In modern times it means a contrived solution to a problem that seemingly came out of nowhere. -- Scrimmage

I agree Liz, if there really is a higher power, nurse Amy will be the killer and leave the show. I am a little alarmed at how intensely I dislike a make believe character. -- izzy

After loving the Brad/Felix/Lucas storyline, I had such high hopes for the Parker and Kristina storyline. Sadly, it not only disappointed me, but pissed me off actually. Parker rejected Kristina several times, knowing that Kristina had legitimate feelings for her. Yes, Kristina went to see Parker upon her arrival in PC, but Parker did not seem to care that she was taking advantage of Kristina. Even if her marriage was failing, she was still married and a cheater. -- Meghan Patricia

Now, I turn the spotlight on you, dear readers. Please, share your thoughts about the show in the comments section below. I love reading what everyone has to say.

Until next time, take care.Liz Masters

What are your thoughts on General Hospital? What did you think of this week's Two Scoops? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.