Cue Etta James...

At la-a-a-a-ast! Since the day I heard Vanessa Marcil was returning to GH, I hoped for the scenes we finally saw this week.

At la-a-a-a-ast! Since the day I heard Vanessa Marcil was returning to GH, I hoped for the scenes we finally saw this week. Those long smoldering gazes between her and Sonny -- the palpable passion that sizzles whenever they are near each other -- I was anticipating that with a deep enthusiasm. If you accuse me of living vicariously through soap characters, you're probably right, but that's one of the fringe benefits of being a viewer of Daytime.

Their "first" date didn't disappoint. A lot of romance with a healthy dose of Jax/Sonny testosterone-fueled rivalry was just the fix I needed for what ailed me. What I didn't anticipate was the sheer comedic value of their follow-up date at Jason's penthouse, courtesy of Max, Milo, and Spinelli.

No surprise that I'm delighted, right? I haven't really made a secret of my Sonny/Brenda fervor. But that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy Dante sulking when he realized that Brenda just wasn't that into him, or seeing Jax morph into "damsel in distress" high-alert mode. Tension is part of great soap (and literary) romance. That's what makes the story interesting. Why would you invest your time in watching a boring love story? This one has a lot of moving parts and will surely ebb and flow like the tide. But I'm on the edge of my sofa staring intently, watching it unfold.

Now that it's underway, I can be more patient watching it unfold than I was when I wondered if it was ever going to unfold at all. I like these two people together even though I know their flaws. They're both selfish, spoiled people who are used to getting their way, but somehow their selfishness collides in a breathtaking way.

Watching them enchants me. (Sorry, New Mexico.) When the two of them are on the screen together I can't stop watching. A fast-forward button is never hit when Sonny and Brenda are in a scene together. I'm delighted we're getting down to the wonderful business of romance with these two characters.

The dialogue alone is mesmerizing. I'd eat this up on radio, too.

Sonny: You know what this feels like? Brenda: Yes. Sonny: The most spectacular dream that I've ever had. But you know what the best part is? I'm not dreaming.

Or how about this line?

Brenda: "You know... I really do realize now that it wasn't the lack of someone that made me feel so lonely. It was the absence of you.

Or this...

Brenda: You know, when you left me on our wedding day... Sonny: Oh, no, I... Brenda: I'm not gonna say that. I'm not gonna say that.Sonny: All right. Brenda: You sent Jason and... I told him that, uh, you were my home. And the reason why I said that is because I was sure I never... I never felt at home... anywhere, with anyone, except for you.

Seriously readers, does it get any better than that? They could feed me this stuff all day every day and I'd never change the channel. Switching gears, a new soap alliance is looming on the horizon, and has all the marks of one of those sick and twisted soap pairings. Lisa is a psycho, and Johnny is a violent mobster, and they both have dirt on each other. Will they use each other, kill each other, bed each other, or cover for each other? It's hard to say,

Rumor has it that the Lisa/Johnny charade will be the death of Olivia and Johnny and further, that Olivia will seek comfort from the oh-so-sympathetic Dr. Steven Webber. It's about time he had a love interest. It would be a shame to continue wasting a talented (and handsome) guy like Scott Reeves where his only function is to recite hospital policy. While I have always enjoyed Johnny and Olivia, I think I'll enjoy Olivia and Steven, too.

But back to Lisa... This storyline bugs me for a number of reasons. Allow me to list just a few...1) Robin Scorpio Drake is the daughter of Robert and Anna, super spies. 2) Robin is close friends with Jason Morgan, the local mob enforcer. 3) Robin is the niece of Mac, the police commissioner. 4) Robin is one of mobster Sonny's closest friends. And yet Robin has been terrorized, dumped in a well and left for dead, and had her baby kidnapped by a psycho.

If I were Robin, or if I were a writer for Robin, the first thing Robin should say to Lisa instead of a fierce "You better leave me alone or else?" is "Back off b*tch or I will have my friend Jason make you disappear." Or send Anna dropping into Lisa's living room in a black jumpsuit and kick the crap out of Lisa. This is a hard story to believe because of all the resources Robin has at her disposal and hasn't used. Not that Jason would follow through and kill Lisa, but maybe at least he would go and try to put the fear of God into her.

Also, it troubles me to imagine being at a hospital and being operated on by a doctor who had a nervous breakdown and was let back into surgery a week after her meltdown. What sort of shady hospital is GH that they wouldn't think the stress of surgery might be bad for someone as unbalanced as Lisa? Oh right, she fakes sanity so well, no one remembers the whole pulling a gun and threatening to kill herself bit.

Brianna Brown is a phenomenal actor and I'm glad they have re-signed her contract for another year. Her portrayal of Lisa is so much fun to watch and for a psycho, she's still pretty likable. I just don't know how they will be able to redeem her, or perhaps their aim is different -- maybe she will be a long-running psycho who never gets redeemed, like Helena. I'm okay with that. She does unhinged very well. The "Confess my Secret" website thing was pretty funny this week; I thought Robin's head was going to explode. Lisa beamed and bragged that "87% of the people who viewed it believe my side of the story!" Which is a great reminder to us all that people like Lisa lie all the time and people believe them. Oh, and by the way, Nikolas Cassadine is a chump.

I mentioned Robert Scorpio earlier, and for those of you who missed it, Dan had a great interview with Tristan Rogers on Soap Central Live on Friday. If you're an old school fan of his and missed the show, by all means check it out. And tune in to The Young and the Restless on Monday, as Tristan is starting as a new character on Y&R this week!

In other news, Maya seemed a little jealous when she heard Ethan had a "date" with Lisa. Their fake marriage is turning real for them in spite of their cavalier attitude about the whole thing and pretending it's just for the loot.

Luke and Tracy, on the other hand, are planning a "real" wedding, but there is a happy rumor that Genie Francis will be back on canvas soon! Oh please, Laura, come home and save Luke and your wayward children. While I love the comedy of Luke and Tracy, comedy isn't why I watch GH. I want hardcore romance, and it doesn't get any better than Luke and Laura. I hope they aren't bringing Genie in on a short stint so Luke can "say goodbye." In fact, if they do that, I'll be furious. I want Laura to come home from France, healed, whole, and ready to rumble for the love of her life.

Lucky would be glad to see her, if, of course, he makes it through his next gig as Ronan O'Reilly. After his cover was blown, I thought we were past this, but apparently the writers found a way for Lucky to dust off his Irish brogue again. Interpol asked him to assume the role of Ronan one more time to gain access to a secret safety deposit box. I wonder what will be inside. A photo of Jerry Jax? A photo of Franco? A photo of Suzanne? Some fake passports? The birth certificate for Brenda and Dante's secret love child? Hard to say, but Lucky decided to live up to his name and tempt fate once again to pose as Ronan.

The most welcome visitor to Port Charles in a long time is Lady Jane Jacks. I'm very fond of Jax's mom and was happy to see her. I was also fond of his Dad and keep hoping one of these days they will resurrect him from the dead and say it was all just a hoax and Jerry's been hiding him for years with the help of Helena or something. I like all that soapy "evil twin" "back from the dead" kind of nonsense.

Kristina is not a visitor, but she feels like one these days because we rarely see her, or the entire Alexis Davis family. Hey, GH? Where is Nancy Lee Grahn? Yeah, I know we saw her having turkey with Mac on Thanksgiving, and we saw her having a drink with Claire and Diane, but for the most part, their whole family haven't been seen in months.

You think Alexis would be around more with Sam being stalked by Jerry. I think that would have been the first call she made! "Hey Mom! Your psycho ex-boyfriend is back in town, and he might be the Balkan! (I hate saying "the Balkan" because I want to scream at the top of my lungs and throw a brick through my TV every time someone says it.)

Jason popped out to save Sam from a guy he thought was Jerry, but who was, in fact, merely a doppelganger posing as Jerry, most likely for Jerry's amusement. Sebastian Roche said he's only back for a brief stint, so something tells me he is NOT the Balkan, but just a minion. Sad to hear -- if Jerry stayed, he and Lisa could be evil geniuses together.

What will happen tomorrow, dear readers? Will Max and Milo become the new head chefs at Mob Pasta? Will Edward Q ask Lady Jane to be his Christmas date at the hospital party? Will Carly track down Dante and Brenda's kid and wrap him up with a bow for Christmas? Will James Franco ever come back to GH now that he's got Oscar buzz swirling around him? Will Maxie lose Spinelli forever when he leaves her for a Primetime Pilot? Will I get so mesmerized by the Sonny/Brenda romance I forget to go Christmas shopping for my family?