Silver linings

Timing may be everything in the revelation of Maxie's secret, while Patrick's dilemma could be the key to him moving forward. Elizabeth is determined to make it work with A.J., but would losing A.J. truly be that terrible with Nikolas waiting in the wings? It's time to look for the silver linings in this week's Two Scoops.

Dear readers, have you ever had an overwhelming urge to reach through your television screen and choke the snot out of someone? Well, this week, I felt that way about several people -- people who I normally enjoy watching. However, despite my frustrations, I found a silver lining in each situation.

Let me start with Maxie. I sympathize with Maxie's plight; I really do. She tried very hard to do something good for a friend that she cared about, but everything fell apart when, through no fault of her own, she miscarried. Was it the smartest thing for her to run out and hook up with an ex? No, but when you are devastated, you don't necessarily think clearly. I don't hold it against Maxie that she got pregnant. I recall that there were two people involved in that little tryst, and they were both in a bad place.

I also don't hold it against Maxie for initially hesitating to come clean about her pregnancy with Spinelli's baby. Dante and Lulu did fly off to Turkey to rescue Luke, whose fate was uncertain. It wasn't the time to say, "Oh, by the way, your baby is gone." However, Maxie remained quiet when Dante and Lulu returned. Worse, she didn't tell the father of the child. She made a unilateral decision for three adults and a child out of fear that everyone would think badly of her and be angry. That's when my empathy began to wane.

Had Maxie told the truth in the beginning, I imagine that there would have been some feelings of resentment from Dante and Lulu for a while, but ultimately, they would have forgiven Maxie. I don't think that is going to be possible anymore. It's cruel to allow poor Lulu, who is rudderless at the moment thanks to her amnesia, to bond with a baby that isn't hers. Maxie should know by now that no secret remains a secret forever. The truth will come out; it always does.

Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that it will be coming out anytime soon. Ellie has been sucked into the vortex of lies. That's just not cool. I had really hoped that Ellie's confession had been real, not just a partial confession followed by that silly "what if" scenario. The things that Ellie imagined would happen when Spinelli learned the truth about his child were the things that Maxie had planted in Ellie's head. There's no way that Spinelli will instantly dump Ellie to embrace Maxie and his child as if nothing had happened. Spinelli is going to feel hurt and betrayed by Maxie, and now Ellie, for denying him that which he wants most: a family.I have a theory that this storyline is likely to be dragged out until after Maxie and Britt's babies are born. This way, when Dante and Lulu get over the heartbreak of losing their child and go to fetch their frozen embryos to take another shot at having a baby, they'll discover that one of the frozen embryos is missing. Cue Felix with his sixth sense about Britt, and we have a Falconeri baby reveal. That, dear readers, is my silver lining in this entire debacle.

Yes, I'm still sticking to my hunch that Britt is preggers with Dante and Lulu's baby. Judging from the emails that I've read since the stunning announcement of the pregnancy, I'm not the only one. Most are praying that Britt's baby is, in fact, Dante and Lulu's child. Hopefully the writers will wisely go with this twist. It will make everyone ecstatic.

That brings me to Patrick. I love Patrick. He's a fantastic father, a great guy, and incredibly hot. However, this week I felt like I was watching a stranger. Does anyone else get the sense that Patrick has checked out? Where's the passion? The drive? The conviction? My jaw dropped when he conceded to Sabrina that Britt was likely lying about everything from wanting to have an abortion to the morning sickness, but he wasn't going to call Britt out on it because he didn't want to rock the boat. It doesn't make a lick of sense to me.

I could understand if Patrick were humoring Britt to bide time while he gathered every bit of incriminating evidence against her to use in court to prove that she's an unstable woman who isn't fit to take care of a pet rock, much less a child. However, that's not the case. It's as if he's laboring under the illusion that Britt will somehow be magically transformed into a rational-thinking person who will work out a reasonable joint custody arrangement after the baby is born. This from a woman who bullied his young daughter until Emma ran away in tears, who tried to mess with a rival's career and reputation, who knowingly had unprotected sex yet denied that she had planned on getting pregnant, and who made the shocking announcement of the pregnancy at a benefit gala honoring the love of his life.

If I were Sabrina, I would have told Patrick, "Hasta la vista." These two can't even manage to squeeze in a date because of Britt, so what makes Sabrina think that she's going to be able to have a relationship with Patrick?

Granted, I'm not invested in Patrick and Sabrina because Robin remains very much a factor in the relationship, even if no one except the audience knows it. I respect Ms. McCullough's decision to leave the show, and I loved how the writers kept teasing us with her return, but it's time -- actually well past time -- for the writers to give us some resolution to this storyline, whether it's through recasting the character or killing her off.

Hold off on the angry emails, and let me explain why this could be a silver lining. There was a time that the idea of recasting Robin or killing her off was completely abhorrent to me. So much so that I was okay with her occasional guest appearances because at least Robin was alive. However, it's become increasingly clear that Kimberly is focusing on other things in her life. I'm happy for her, and I wish her all the best. I plan to support every project that she works on because I'm a fan of her work and always have been.

However, Patrick remains on the show. He's a legacy character with so much potential and chemistry with all of the ladies, yet he's stuck. It's unfair to Jason Thompson to have his character lingering in a sort of limbo because an actor has left the show. Something needs to be done with Robin that will allow the audience to move forward with Patrick. I'd rather they recast Robin than kill her off, in part because it leaves the door open for Kimberly McCullough to return to the role. It's happened before with Maxie Jones, A.J. Quartermaine, and Duke Lavery, so it can work if it's done right.

Recasting Robin also has great storyline potential. Imagine if Jerry Jacks were to arrange for a plastic surgeon to alter Robin's appearance without her consent or knowledge. She would simply wake up one day, look in the mirror, and see a different face staring back at her. It would be fascinating to have Robin escape and return home, only to have everyone she loved and cherished reject her claims because Britt tampered with some DNA tests that would have proven that Robin is who she claims.

The casting department would have to be very careful to pick someone who resembled Kimberly in appearance and mannerisms to make it believable. Hiring a blonde blue-eyed Amazon to play Robin would never work.

Moving on, A.J. and Liz went to New York City this week. I'm cutting A.J. a little slack because he's currently contaminated Carly-cooties, but he frustrates me the most right now. Is there a universal law that I'm unaware of that gives Sonny and Carly first dibs on lovers? Why in the name of Richard Simmons did A.J. end up in bed with Carly rather than Liz? A.J. and Carly hooking up was a complete jump the shark moment for me.

This is not a situation where there is a fine line between love and hate. A.J. and Carly truly hate each other and have for decades. You can't do the things that they have done to each other without despising the other person with every fiber of your being. You also can't come back from that kind of damage and hope to find any kind of genuine affection or love. I get that A.J. was in self-destruct mode, but what was Carly's excuse? People ask me why I despise Carly; well, this is why. She's a spiteful hypocrite who sleeps around.

Right now, despite what Elizabeth said, Nikolas does look like the better choice. And that ticks me off because I love A.J. and Liz. Although Nikolas is toe-curling sexy, especially when he's running around without a shirt.

Nikolas' confession to Liz, that he was jealous, not hurt, when she decided to give A.J. a second chance was enough to make me melt. It said quite a lot about Nikolas' feelings for Liz when he not only decided against ambushing A.J. on television, but took steps to keep Tracy from doing so. Liz showed far more restraint than I would have when Nikolas whispered in that very confident Christian Grey-like tone, "And I will win you over." I admit, I would have flung myself at Nikolas and shouted, "Take me." That said, I'm still rooting for A.J. I truly believe that he can salvage what he has with Liz if he comes clean, but she needs to hear it from him, not someone else. Sure, Liz will be upset, but I'm certain that she'll forgive A.J. because she cares about him. Plus, if anyone understands making bad choices, it's Liz. It's one of the ways that A.J. and Liz are kindred spirits. The silver lining here is that Nikolas will be there for Liz if things don't work out with A.J.

Elsewhere in Port Charles, T.J. lured Rafe to Kelly's to sucker punch Rafe and then run away. I can't really blame Molly for kicking T.J. to the curb because he's acting like a jerk -- a jealous, violent, possessive jerk. I have very little sympathy for T.J. because he has so little sympathy for Rafe, even from the beginning. That surprised me because it wasn't that long ago that T.J. was struggling with his own demons and feelings of abandonment. I would have loved to see a friendship forged between T.J. and Rafe, but alas, that is not to be because it appears that Rafe and Molly are slated to become a couple.

I want Rafe to stick around because I love how he's been blended into Sam's life. She went from having no children to raising a little baby boy and an orphaned teenager. I have to say, it suits her well. I was never a fan of Sam's when she was with Jason. I didn't hate her, but I didn't particularly like her either. She always seemed to be a damsel in distress who cried endlessly and was forever waiting to be Jason's priority. In the months since Jason left, I've seen Sam return to the focused and clever person that she was when we first met her. There's serenity about her now that I find charming and very likeable.

However, I wish Sam would pick another church to go to. St. Timothy's is downright spooky and apparently behind on their utility bills. I get that it was evening, but when our church is open, the lights are on. That's kind of how you know that the church is open. If the lights are off then the doors are locked. Not so at St. Timothy's, where the lights are off and no one monitors the comings and goings of parishioners who light candles and lurk in shadows.

I don't know who is following Sam, but I have a sneaking suspicion that he will look just like John McBain and Stephen Clay/Caleb Morley. I'm looking forward to Michael Easton's return because I love Kelly and Michael's chemistry, and I'm more than ready to watch them sizzle on my television screen.

I've received some emails wondering what's going on with Jason. To my knowledge, there are no plans to recast the character. He was written off to be dead, much like Leo had been on All My Children. However, the door was left open a smidgen of a crack if Steve Burton changes his mind or enough time has past to recast the character. I don't think that this is the time. Right now, Steve and Jason are too intertwined for a recast to be well received.

In the coming weeks, Roger Howarth and Kristen Alderson will also be returning to the show. It's been widely reported that they will be playing new characters, so I'm eager to see how the writers will handle this. If I had to guess, I would say that Kristen's character will be introduced as Ava Jerome's daughter, Lauren Jerome, and that Lauren will be paired with Morgan. Keep in mind, Lauren Jerome and Michael are cousins, so if Kristen is Lauren then she will not be romantically paired with Michael, leaving Michael free for another lucky lady in town.

I'm curious to see how Roger, Kristen, and Michael will be received by viewers this second time around. I recall reading emails and posts from disgruntled viewers who had insisted that they would have preferred that the actors had been introduced as new characters rather than crossovers from One Life to Live, so I'm eager to see if that is really true.

Finally, the new Morgan Corinthos, played by Brian Craig, debuted this week. My first impression: what the heck happened to that smart young boy that I used to know? Apparently he never was, if we are to believe Sonny and Carly. Suddenly, Morgan has gone from being a boy who was always calm, levelheaded, and serious to being described as reckless and impulsive by his parents, who insist that he's just like them, even though they've barely had any significant contact with him for years.

As Morgan so aptly put it, while talking to Michael, Carly "outsourced parenting to Sherman-Johnston Military Academy." Morgan was raised at a military school, not with Sonny and Carly -- something that Morgan appears to have deep resentment over. I don't blame him. If I was going to be shipped off to a private school by my sinfully wealthy parents, I would have expected to land in a fun place like Hogwarts, not a boot camp.

On top of that, I don't care what kind of excuses they gave Morgan, it didn't justify Carly and Sonny not being there for him on a consistent and regular basis. I blame Carly for that more than I do Sonny because Carly kept Morgan's whereabouts hidden from Sonny for a long time. However, it's clear that that changed because Sonny didn't hesitate to march off to the military school at the first sign of trouble.

It galled me when Carly was furious that Anna hadn't ordered the entire Port Charles Police Department to search for Morgan in another jurisdiction, and then complained that the entire town had been mobilized when Anna's granddaughter had wandered off "to feed a duck." To compare a frightened little girl running away from an adult bully to a rebellious teenage boy taking off because he racked up a gambling debt to the tune of $50,000.00 is low, even for Carly.

It seems to me that Morgan emulates his Grandpa Mike the most, which doesn't bode well for his future. The silver lining here is that Sonny, and especially Carly, are about to reap what they sowed.

A few things that tickled my fancy

(Tracy stops by Nikolas' hotel room to find him in a shirtless state) Tracy: "Is that the way you typically answer the door?"Nikolas: "You're in luck. I'm overdressed."Tracy: "I-I was hoping that you would be dressed like a man who was about to launch a major publicity campaign on a respected culinary program, not some hunk from a daytime serial who can't find his shirt!"Nikolas: "It sounds like you watch a lot of those."Tracy: "Maybe one. Get dressed."

(Tracy gets distracted by Nikolas' tattoos) Tracy: "Won't it be glorious to see him humiliated on national TV? Better yet, it'll go viral. And Pickle-Eddie will reign supreme. [Sighs] Did you bring a suit? I really can't concentrate with all that -- ink!"Nikolas: "Yes, I brought a suit."Tracy: "Good. This day just gets better and better. Get dressed. I'll meet you downstairs."

(Spinelli bumps into Luke at the front desk of the hotel where A.J. and Tracy are staying) Spinelli: "I'm having a lovely day, thank you. Unfortunately, I don't have time for pleasantries. I come to you with a matter of utmost urgency. I need the room number of A.J. Quartermaine."Luke: "Tracy Quartermaine."Spinelli: [eyes narrow] "You."Luke: [smiles] "Me!"

(A.J. collapses from a panic attack in front of Spinelli) Spinelli: "There's no time to get Elizabeth. But fear not. I know -- I know CPR. Okay. All right, here we go. No, no. Don't talk. You'll interfere with my counting, and, besides, you should focus on breathing. Oh, breathing. Right. Right. I should do -- I should do mouth-to-mouth."AJ: [Gasping]Spinelli: "All right. Oh, here we go."

(Tracy tries to convince Nikolas' guards to let her go)Tracy: "Do you hear those bells? Those bells are tolling for the crumbling Cassadine dynasty. Nikolas and his son are the last two remaining generations of a decrepit, inbred family. His father is dead -- again. His grandmother is dead, finally. Their riches are dwindling. Their holdings are few. In short, the Cassadine gravy train is coming to an end. I am on the ascent."Guard: "Really?"Tracy: [Chuckles] "My relish ship is about to come in. And when it does, it's gonna be move over, Oprah. Sit down, Hillary. Tracy Quartermaine is back, and she's on top!"

(Anna raves about Pickle-Lila relish after she has a taste of it)Duke: "Well, good. I hope it's gonna be a great success. My future depends on it."Anna: "You got nothing to worry about."Duke: "Well, I hope not. If this relish doesn't compete, well, I'll just have to resort to a life of crime."Anna: "Well, then I'll have to arrest you. It's win-win."Duke: [Smiles] "I'm sure I could elude you. Aren't you short-staffed at the PCPD?"Anna: "I think I'll catch you on my own, though. Pretty sure."

Thank you for taking the time to read this week's column. I love to read your thoughts, too, so click here to send me an email or scroll down the page to leave comments.

Until next time, dear readers, take care. Liz Masters

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