United States of Kate

Now that Kate's illness is public knowledge, she is finally getting treatment. Is it possible for her character to be redeemed, after sleeping with Johnny, clocking her shrink, and causing the death of a child? Blaming Connie may get her off the hook with the cops, but viewers may be a tougher sell.

The secret is out: Kate Howard is not herself. In fact, she's a whole other personality entirely. The glaring red lipstick, change in vernacular, and short skirts should have given it away months ago, but the folks of Port Charles aren't always the most observant bunch.

Kate has DID, dissociative identity disorder, the medical term for a split personality. Or in layman's terms, "It wasn't me." Her other personality, Connie, is quite colorful. Did I mention she's also a slut? She's been throwing herself at Steve, Ewen, Johnny, and a long list of men. But lust isn't Connie's biggest issue. Nope, that would be that her actions caused the death of two people, two people that were very close to volatile Todd and Starr Manning. If Kate thinks she has problems now, wait until she meets this dynamic duo.

Factor in that Kate also clocked her shrink in the head, giving him a brain injury, and that Kate slept with Johnny so Sonny would walk in on them, and her problems seem more troublesome than a ticked-off Sonny near a bar full of breakable glasses.

Kate's disorder has given her a whole mess of problems, some of which haven't even been addressed. Astute Two Scoops reader Adrienne wants to know who is running Crimson now that Kate and Maxie are both in custody. It's a good question. Considering we've only ever seen Maxie and Kate at the magazine, I'm concerned this month's issue will never make it to press.

Jason seems to be the only one sympathetic to Kate's illness. Sonny isn't buying it, a fact I find hilarious, considering it wasn't long ago he was firing shots in Robin's house during one of his "episodes."

The real question is: can Kate Howard get past this bump in the road? Will viewers forgive her actions, since it wasn't really her? I think the answer is a resounding yes. And it's in no small part due to the talents of actress Kelly Sullivan. She was brilliant this week.

I'm looking forward to seeing Kate put the pieces of her life back together. I'm also looking forward to her hopefully using her fashion connections to score some waterproof mascara. The woman has been sporting raccoon eyes for days, with all that crying.

I am in love with Todd Manning. Not the soft-music, slow-dancing, glass-of-wine kind of love. It's the kind of love that I have for rock concerts, wave-running, and Zumba. It's that full-throttle heart-pumping, exhilarating kind of love. Todd makes me laugh and ignites every scene. What I don't love is his daughter and her new attorney. If that's the price I must pay to keep him in town, I'm not sure it's worth it.

Oh, Jason, sometimes it's painfully clear that you're not the sharpest tool in the shed. Was anyone else shocked at the scene that took place between Sonny and Jason, immediately after Sonny went on his weekly ritual of smashing breakables? Um, Jason, it's not a good idea to tell an already-pissed mobster that he's mentally ill. It's times like these that I am reminded that Jason has a brain injury.

Speaking of Jason, he is in the doghouse with me for his treatment of Sam. Yes, I know she's not exactly innocent in this whole mess, considering she keeps talking with John instead of Jason, but Sam should be getting support from her husband. Instead, he's giving her the "Stone Cold."

The hospital morgue was busy this week. Ronnie and Maggie both got toe tags. And Ewen may end up there soon. Connie clobbered him pretty hard, and now he has a brain injury. With all the new cast additions, Port Charles is getting really crowded. I'm not sure anyone is safe these days.

Johnny is a rapist? Say what? That was the perception this week when it came out that he knowingly slept with mentally ill Kate. Although, Kate told him it was consensual, so I guess legally he's off the hook. But, viewers are upset. What say you, Scoopers? What Johnny did was despicable, but does it qualify as rape? I love Johnny, but I can't defend him on this one.

So, it turns out that Ronnie was the guy attacking the dancers. Not a big shocker, considering his abrasive personality and considering that former cops Anna and John are back in Port Charles. Apparently, Ronnie's wife liked to play mattress tag with lots of men, which prompted Ronnie to batter women. The standoff with Dante, John, Ronnie, and the ladies was exciting, and, I have to say, seemed like old-school GH.

I have to admit that so far, John McBain is impressive. He's a no-nonsense guy who gets results, a rarity in Port Charles. "You're gonna let the girl go, or I'm gonna shoot your ass," he calmly told Ronnie. And that's exactly what John did. He seems as driven as Dirty Harry, and I'm loving it. For the first time in two decades, I think Sonny may have reason to fear the cops.

So, is Lulu headed for the police academy or the WSB? She told her father that she loved outsmarting the bad guy this week, despite her brush with death. Well, she is a Spencer, so I'm not shocked that she's found a higher calling than finding this season's new black.

I'm cracking up that Port Charles has international nonstop flights. I think that Todd is wrong. Port Charles must not be a small town, after all. Rio, anyone?

Sonny dodged another bullet, literally. Thank you, Michael. I was shocked that he turned Starr in to the cops, though, for attempted murder. How many times has he looked the other way when it comes to criminal activity?

Bravo to the writers for finally letting Mac call Felicia the deadbeat mother we all know she is. We've been thinking it for years, and I'm glad he's finally venting. He was way too kind to her in the past, in my opinion. It's time Felicia faced the music.

Now that alcohol isn't pickling Luke's brain, he's so caring with his daughter. I love the softer side of Luke. It's too bad Lucky didn't get that treatment. Luke was absolutely callous to his son.

Has anyone put out an APB on Shawn Butler? No one has seen him for weeks. Someone should call McBain or at least Alexis "mouthpiece for the mob" Davis. She has "connections," a.k.a. Sonny and Jason, that probably would find him faster than the cops.

Dante may be the worst cop ever. Ronnie fooled him for months. And during the standoff, Dante kept glancing nervously to the door where his backup, John, was stealthily hiding. Seriously, Dante, worst poker face ever. He might as well have screamed, "Look over there. He's got a gun!" I'm surprised Ronnie didn't bust a cap in John and Dante.

Speaking of John McBain, his name is throwing me because we already have a John on the show. Have there ever been two characters with the same name on any other soap? I don't recall. Did they call him McBain on OLTL? In order to avoid confusion, I will refer to Johnny Zacchara as "Johnny" and not "John." Or I could just call John McBain "McPain" for all the "pain" he's causing Sonny and Jason.

Thank you, writers, for the Jason and Liz scenes on Jake's birthday. Jason and Liz scenes always get me, especially when they're talking about Jake. I can't help it; I still love those two together.

So, did Matt or Patrick kill Lisa? With the latest casting news, I'm betting it was Matt. I hope not, though. Poor Patrick has already lost so much, I'd hate for him to lose his brother, too. Is there any chance that dark-haired killer is Johnny Z or Anthony, wearing a wig?

Patrick is killing me. His grief is consuming him, and I'm mourning right along with him. I can't watch those scenes without tissues.

I can't believe Heather killed Maggie. So much for the theory that Maggie was somehow related to Lisa and that Maggie was the one holding Robin. God help the next person who calls Heather "crazy." Is it wrong that I hope it's Olivia?

Congratulations to the GH cast, crew, writers, etc., for all of their well-deserved Emmy nominations!

Finally, happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there doing the toughest job in the world. I was going to do a Mother's-Day-themed column, but considering the lack of responsible maternal figures on GH, I couldn't come up with enough for a fitting tribute. Maybe Carly will spend some time with Joss or Michael this week, or perhaps even call Morgan, when she remembers the holiday. Happy Mother's Day!

(Alexis unwinds from a tough day of criminal defense and talks to herself.)Alexis: "I should have been a college professor of some nice obscure subject: Women poets in the Renaissance. (pauses) Were there any?"

(Jason confronts Kate and accuses her of criminal behavior.)Jason: "What else did you do? Did you shoot out Anthony's tires? Did you cause that accident that killed that little girl and her father?"Kate: "Yeah, and while I was at it, I chopped up Jimmy Hoffa, too."

(Anthony complains that Tracy is trying to kill him.) Anthony: "If I'm not careful, I could wake up in bed with Son-of- Skittles' head next to me."

(Todd, who was in jail for murder, shows up at the Port Charles Police Station to see his daughter.)Starr: "So, you murdered your own brother, and they just found you innocent?"Todd: "No, not innocent, just not guilty, by reason of insanity."Starr: "You're not insane."Todd: "Well, that remains to be seen."

Thank you for all your feedback. Keep it coming! Here's a sample of what has you talking:

• Jennifer; I love your column and I almost always agree with your take on things. This column was no different: with one exception. JaSam. I guess there are different points of view for everything, but it amazes me when I hear or read someone expressing the view that JaSam do not make a good couple. On what planet or in which universe? In my humble opinion, they sizzle. They were made for each other. She is a much better partner for him than Elizabeth. Sam loves Jason just the way he is. When Jason was in surgery a few months ago and all the women in his life were fantasizing about who he would be when he woke up, all except Sam wanted Jason to be someone different than he is now. Sam wanted Jason to be Jason. - Carol

• I have a theory about Robin and her mysterious disappearance. What if her captor is Franco, or related to Franco (his mother). The storyline would fit, as we know Franco's obsession with Jason. Robin and Jason were former loves, and at the time of her "death", she was trying to save Jason. Maybe the explosion was an attempt to thwart Robin's life-saving efforts to help Jason. Robin now appears to be in a hospital, so maybe Franco's mother is keeping watch over her somewhere. - Phyllis Isiminger

• I'm a longtime fan of GH and even a bigger fan of Jason and Sam's. This is why I'm not thrilled how they are making Jason. He is supposed to be the sensitive mobster. His wife was raped right in front of him and how he is acting is not the Jason I know and love. Not only that, Sam really isn't a liar. If your husband just had brain surgery and you were told not to stress him out (which is impossible due to Carly and Sonny alone) because he can DIE, who would think he could handle the loss of his dear friend Robin? I say Sam made the right choice. I also excuse her for not telling him about Franco. Hello, he raped her and she just found out she was caring his baby. How is it all about Jason? Don't get me wrong. I love Jason, but he is so making me mad right now. I honestly think Sam hasn't even comprehended what exactly has happened to her. I'm waiting for it to hit her like a ton of bricks and can't wait for this actress to show her talents of dealing with it. I beg you, writers, do not put John McBain (love him too) and Sam together. I still have hope for Jasam and their bundle of joy. I honestly think the baby is Jason's (DNA is never right the first time.) Deserie Cravalho-Crews