Come to the dark side

At some point in time, we all face a crossroads in life. We can choose to hold on to our beliefs and values, or we can reject them and follow a path that is against everything we once held dear.

I can almost hear Darth Vader's voice. Can you hear it? "The dark side is calling!"

At some point in time, we all face a crossroads in life. We can choose to hold on to our beliefs and values, or we can reject them and follow a path that is against everything we once held dear. That turning point can be prompted by emotional turmoil, physical illness, general disillusionment, or mental weariness.Three of our valiant heroes are contemplating a walk on the dark side, and all have reasons that would push any man to the brink.Johnny is still reeling from the death of his troubled but loyal sister, Claudia. Add to that the fact that Jason booted him from the inner circle of the organization for his role in Dante's undercover operation, and you have a man on the brink of changing from hero to villain.

Johnny desperately wanted out of the organization and campaigned for his freedom for years, but apparently something snapped inside of him. Johnny is suddenly flirting with the dark side and has gone so far as to stop by the prison to enlist the aid of his mentally unstable daddy, Anthony. It's unthinkable, isn't it, readers? Johnny vehemently pushed Anthony away for years, and repeatedly told anyone who would listen that he didn't want anything to do with his father's business. Yet there he was sitting across the table from his orange jumpsuit clothed whack-job dad spouting that he was ready to "take what's his." Anthony reminded him that "what's his" doesn't have much going for it these days, most of the goombas in the Zacharra organization are either dead or now loyal to SonnyI wish Johnny would go back to giving piano lessons. Much less blood and we get to hear him play. That would also leave plenty of time for making steamy love to Olivia. Perhaps the mob life is more deeply ingrained in Johnny than he's let on. The money, the power, the sheer adrenaline rush of danger is apparently something he doesn't really want to relinquish without a fight? He never wanted that before, so why now? The writers are going to have to answer those questions for me to fully invest in this storyline because it's the exact opposite of what Johnny has always claimed to want, which is his freedom.Johnny wisely got a verbal commitment from Olivia that she would stand beside him without first telling her what he was up to. I can't imagine she's going to be delighted by his latest life choice, especially considering that Dante is about to embark on a career at the PCPD. (Oh happy day! Mac is finally going to hire a cop that can actually solve a crime!) That move would again pit Dante and Johnny against one another eternally. This can't possibly end well.Readers, I confess, a day with both Anthony and Helena is pig heaven for me. Two crazies in one episode make me giddy. I can't explain to you why I adore the crazies. I just do. As Lucky called Helena, she's "the gift that keeps on giving."Granny Helena slithered back to town deliriously gloating about Nikolas' latest exploits, which she views as his desire to finally embrace his inner Cassadine. Her aim is to get Nikolas to impregnate a suitable woman and produce a desirable heir to the Cassadine legacy. "An heir and a spare" like the British royals is how she phrased it. Poor Spencer was mothered by Courtney, and apparently mob sister blood isn't good enough for Helena.

Isn't it odd that no one ever mentions Courtney? Sonny was her brother, Jason, Jax, and Nikolas were in love with her, she is Spencer's mom, she was Carly's best friend, but no one at all ever mentions her name. Maybe someday Spencer will ask questions about his mother and they can bring her back as a ghost like they are going to do with Georgie.Yes, readers, you heard me right, GH is bringing back the precious Lindze Letherman as Ghost Georgie to pay a visit to Maxie. You'd think a Ghost Buster would move to Port Charles with all that paranormal activity, eh?The odd thing is, Nikolas is actually entertaining Helena's conversation. He is sharing a cup of tea and listening to her ramblings, when in the past he would have sent her packing the minute she walked into Wyndemere. So, what gives?After losing Emily, Nikolas has been in a tailspin ever since. Despite dalliances with Nadine, Rebecca, and Liz, it's clear that our fair prince is still not his old heroic and honorable self. It appears he has resigned himself to the lie that his DNA will determine his character. Is he, like Johnny, finally willing to just cave in to the madness of his family gene pool?

It doesn't much matter, because before he can answer those questions, Elizabeth is going to turn up pregnant. This, as I predicted, is prompted by the real-life pregnancy of Rebecca Herbst. So, readers, expect a rousing game of "Who's the Daddy?" to play out in the coming months.

Assuming Elizabeth makes it...last we saw her she was passed out on the "permanent lock" church pew. Helena offered her a lifetime discount on antidepressants, after all, so I wondered if she had popped some pills or just was really, really cold and sleepy. Instead, I assume it will be some pregnancy-related fainting spell. Confession: as mad as I am at Elizabeth, the minute she walked into their special "permanent lock" church, I felt my icy heart thaw a little. But just a little.

What's bugging me is that before she was caught, Elizabeth was totally obsessed with Nikolas and couldn't keep her panties on if he was in the room. But, since she got busted, now she is all about Lucky 24/7 and hasn't obsessed about banning Nikolas one time! So, is her thing that she just wants the guy she can't have?

I loved the retro Liz/Lucky flashbacks. When those two fell in love, I was so invested in them. Watching those scenes again drew me right back into their orbit and, in spite of everything they have done to one another, I am truly rooting for them to reconcile. I only hope there isn't a train involved in their next wedding.

Back to the baby drama...Something tells me that Helena isn't going to find Elizabeth a suitable mother for a Cassadine heir, so let's pray the baby is Lucky's. That way Helena won't have the need to toss Elizabeth off the cliffs or anything.

Lucky is dabbling on the brink of the dark side, too - embracing his inner Luke Spencer, staying constantly numbed by booze, and rejecting all of his previously held beliefs. However, with Liz on the verge of a mental breakdown, (loved the Hester Prynne dream sequence in a cheesy soap sort of way) I predict Lucky will have to snap out of it for Jake and Cameron's sake. If mommy has to live at Shadybrooke for a while, daddy will step up, I think. Lucky is such a rich character, and with Jonathan Jackson back in the role, GH is able to draw on so much of Lucky's history that was unusable with another actor in the role.

The character I feel the most sorry for this week is Michael. When he tells the truth, no one ever believes him! Michael told Sonny that Dante was a cop, and Sonny thought he was lying. Michael confessed to Mac that he killed Claudia, and Mac thinks he is covering for Sonny.

Back in college, my BFF Betsy and I had a lousy telemarketing job together. The manager was an odd lady with a lisp who told us she "uthed to hath a thpeech impediment." She also made the mistake of telling the college kids that worked for her that she was afraid of the dark.

So, one day we were working and I was sitting near the light switch. People kept saying, "Flip it off! Turn it off!" and me being the whore for attention I am, turned it off. Our boss freaked and started shrieking and crying.

I flipped the lights back on and she yelled my BFF's name. She said "Betsy, I KNOW you did this. Get in my office right now." I said, "She didn't do it, it was me." The boss said, "Tammy, stop trying to cover for Betsy! I know it was her!" And even though I confessed and the rest of the office agreed that it was me, she remained positive it was Betsy who had left her in the dark. Some people like me and Michael just look too innocent to do bad stuff.

Mac believes that Michael was in the cabin when Claudia was killed, but he thinks instead Michael was merely a witness to Claudia's murder. Readers, I predict that when Dante realizes that Michael is the killer and that Sonny is confessing to a murder he didn't commit to simply protect his son, Dante will warm up to Sonny. At present, Dante still believes that Sonny killed his own wife. Not saying he wouldn't have if he had gotten there first, but, he didn't. But let's face it, Dante is powerless; no one can resist Sonny's dimples forever.

Good thing Mac offered Dante a job at the PCPD. I mean, Lulu, of course, was fine with Dante being jobless now, and "just happy he was alive." But trust me, six months from now when Lulu was out every day slaving away at Crimson for Kate while Dante was lying on her sofa watching The Price is Right, it would have gotten old, fast.

I am glad he got fired from the NYPD, because now Ronnie can go back to the laundromat and wash his fake clothes and leave Dante alone, and Agent Rayner can go back to the FBI and do whatever it is he does when he's not harassing Sonny. And just for the record, since when can FBI agents fire NYPD cops?

Julie Marie Berman has breathed new life into Lulu. This week in particular, when Maxie brought her a change of clothes and Lulu broke down sobbing, slumping down to the floor of the shower, Ms. Berman was phenomenal. Lulu puts on a tough front, but it's clear she was terrified about losing Dante and it finally all spilled out in that one stellar scene.

Other random things I must mention...

Sam with baby Josslyn was priceless. Morgan is the most mature member of the Jacks family. Johnny probably shouldn't taunt drunken armed cops at Jake's anymore. Elizabeth explained to Cameron why daddy was gone, but I think she should have just said, "Daddy is gone because Mommy is a tramp who slept with your Uncle Nikolas." I love it when Diane tries to talk sense into Sonny. Just when I got Ryan Webster's song "Smile" out of my head, GH played it again and now it's back in the eternal iPod playlist loop of my brain. GH's new opening credits will air February 23 for their 12,000th episode. And not a minute too soon! Click here for more information!

What will happen tomorrow, dear readers? Will Molly slip and tell Alexis Michael's secret? Will Kate show up to tell Olivia "I told you so" with a kicky new haircut? Will Maxie try to get Spinelli to have ghost sex with ghost Georgie? Will Ethan be the third brother to have his way with Elizabeth? Will Carly realize living in her giant mansion with three kids is better than cramming into Jason's tiny apartment and make Jax move out so she can go home? Will anyone remember that Franco sent Jason a DVD on the day of Josslyn's christening?