The ties that bind

It was a week filled with tantalizing clues, dastardly deeds, and hidden agendas with a little dash of romance mixed in to spice things up. Liz Masters is back to dish about all the highs, lows, and interesting developments in this week's Two Scoops.

Have you ever met someone who says and does all the right things yet they still rub you the wrong way? That's how I felt about Levi from the onset. He was charming -- in a smarmy snake oil salesman kind of way -- and he seemed to have had a positive influence on Maxie. However, once you scratched the surface, it quickly became clear that something was off with Levi because he convinced Maxie that she was better off letting Georgie go. Levi also took an instant disliking to Nathan, who admittedly could be a boyfriend's worst nightmare with those chiseled good looks and piercing blue eyes.

There was also something about Levi's smiles that always turned me off. They seemed rife with arrogance and smug satisfaction.

All of my suspicions about Levi were confirmed when it was revealed that yes, indeed, Levi had destroyed any hope of Maxie seeing Georgie for the next six months by contacting the judge about Nathan's lie, careful to drop the Australian accent so as not to be recognized in court.

We now know that Levi has an agenda, but what that agenda is still remains a mystery. I suspect that Maxie is merely a pawn, not the intended target, but regardless, I am now free to hate Levi and not feel the least bit guilty about it. Yay me.

I honestly cannot understand what Maxie sees in Levi. He's jobless, he spent months telling her that she's better off forgetting her daughter, and he's been busted taking a swing at Nathan -- despite all that hippie-dippie talk of peace, love, and treasuring all living things. She's also heard Levi say some pretty unfair and downright cruel things to Nathan. To cap things off, Levi has an extremely hideous wardrobe that should send a fashionista like Maxie running in the opposite direction.

Note to all the men out there: there are two things that men should never ever wear in or outside of a gym -- white tank tops and leggings, especially with flip-flop sandals. *Shudders*

It annoys me to no end that Maxie refuses to see the logic in what Nathan is telling her about Levi. Four people knew that Nathan had lied: Maxie, Nathan, Diane, and Levi. Nathan wouldn't torpedo his own career by telling the judge about the lie, and Diane wouldn't toss her own case under the bus, which leaves only Maxie and Levi. I'm fairly certain that Maxie realizes that she didn't make that call, so that means that only Levi could have tipped off the judge.

I appreciate that Maxie is in denial partly because she doesn't want to accept that she should have listened to the people around her when they warned her about Levi. Knowing you are wrong can be a bitter pill to swallow. I imagine doubly so for Maxie, who is desperate to prove to everyone that she is making better choices.

Luckily, it doesn't appear that Maxie is going to be drinking the Levi Kool-Aid for too much longer because her blinders briefly slipped off in the park when Levi dared to besmirch the sacred memory of Edward Louis Quartermaine.

For that alone, Levi must die a long and painful death. Ideally, he'll take Fluke and Mickey Diamond along for the ride into the fiery depths of Hell.

It's not that Edward wasn't greedy, ruthless, and all the things that Levi said he was; it's that Levi doesn't have the right to pass judgment on a man who was loved by many, myself included. Those of us who loved Eddie, warts and all, can talk about Edward's faults, but not some no-good stranger who just blew into town to wreak havoc on people's lives.

I can't wait for Nathan to expose Levi for the scheming phony that Levi is. I bet that Levi isn't even really a vegan.

The scenes that truly grabbed me this week were the ones between Alexis and Molly when Alexis stopped by to drop off Ric's personal effects. I love the mother/daughter relationship between Alexis and Molly despite its ups and downs because you always see the underlying love that both have for each other. There are times that I honestly forget that Nancy Lee Grahn and Haley Pullos aren't really mother and daughter.

Initially, I wanted to throttle Molly when she copped an attitude toward Alexis and ordered her mother to leave. It's not that I begrudge Molly for believing in her father or for feeling hurt that Alexis chose to support the man whom Molly believes with every fiber of her being had framed Ric; it's that I have a huge issue with a child issuing a parent an ultimatum about said parent's love life.

Molly wants to be treated like an adult and expects her loved ones to respect her choices, even if they don't agree with them, yet she doesn't return the favor. Molly's decision to move out to avoid Julian might have carried more weight if Molly hadn't run to Julian's daughter and grandson's home. As much as Molly hates Alexis' choice, Molly should respect her mother's right to make it and be there for her mother when it all blows up in Alexis' face in spectacular Technicolor fashion.

My annoyance with Molly quickly evaporated when Alexis handed Molly the envelope with Ric's personal effects and Molly quietly asked her mother to stay while Molly went through his things. The poignant scene was gut-wrenching and brutal because, as a viewer, I know that Molly is needlessly suffering the loss of a father.

Ric scored huge points by agreeing to work with Anna and enter the witness protection program until Fluke is unmasked. It went a long way in reassuring me that Ric has indeed turned over a new leaf. The half of my heart that loves LiRic soared with joy, while the other half that loves Niz wept with despair because it pushed any possibility that Nikolas and Liz will end up together away.

There is no way that Liz will be able to resist Ric once she finds out what he did and how he sacrificed for his loved ones.

Another scene that tugged at my heartstrings was Rafe's genuine and sincere apology to Molly for all of the stupid things that he's done to mess up their friendship. He admitted that he had been jealous and hurt, so he'd lashed out at Molly to make her feel the same pain that he felt in a misguided belief that it would make him feel better. Instead, it made him feel worse and cost him a friendship that had helped him through one of the most difficult experiences of his life -- losing his mother. I feel so bad for Rafe because he truly is suffering, and no one seems to notice just how precarious his situation is.

I really hope that Rafe doesn't turn out to be the driver of the car that forced Patrick off the road on that fateful night. I pray to the soap gods that Rafe is nothing more than a red herring who ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Perhaps he was so high that night that he doesn't have a clear recollection of the accident and therefore assumes that he is the reason that baby Gabriel died. It is entirely possible someone else is to blame for Patrick and Sabrina's tragedy because both Ava and Luke had put someone directly into their path that night.

Ava wanted Sabrina targeted to send Carlos a strong warning to keep quiet about what had really happened to A.J., while Luke had sent someone to deal with Emma because Spencer had been threatening to reveal that Luke and Julian were in cahoots.

I don't want Rafe to be responsible for Gabriel's death because that's a burden that no one, especially an orphaned teenager, should have to live with. If they want to write Rafe off then send him to rehab instead of prison. I'd rather Ava or Fluke carry the sin of a child's death on their black souls than Rafe.

This week, we were treated to an up close and personal view of Nina Clay's special brand of crazy as she rambled on about how everyone who had ever wronged her -- whether intentionally or unintentionally -- needed to pay. Nina wrote out a hit list and then proceeded to scheme with Rosalie to drive Silas and Sam apart. I'm a little baffled as to how Rosalie got sucked into Nina's vortex of revenge before they arrived in town, but Rosalie has now fully jumped on board with Nina's plans because Nina has promised a hefty payout for Rosalie's assistance. Too bad because I was really hoping that Rosalie would be able to talk Nina down from the ledge.

However, I can't imagine that Nina and Rosalie are going to be able to hide their agenda for too long because Rosalie suddenly adopting the antagonist role with Silas is overplaying their hand. He's far more likely to become suspicious if Rosalie is throwing shade and attitude while Nina passive-aggressively plants seeds of doubt about Sam's commitment to him. It might work with someone like Morgan, who is young, inexperienced, and volatile, but not Silas.

I'm confident that when all is said and done, Silas and Sam will weather this storm, but sadly, there's a tsunami named Jason lurking in the wings. When Jason returns -- at this point it seems inevitable -- Silas is quickly going to become a distant memory. Silas' only hope is if Jason returns with a different personality and no recollection of his love for Sam. But even that will be a long shot because Jason and Sam have always found their way back to each other. That's more apt to happen now that Jason and Sam share a child together.

Speaking of children, did anyone else get the feeling that Kiki's sudden chatter about how she had always wanted a sibling to confide to and bond with smacks of foreshadowing? It wouldn't surprise me if we learn that Madeline has one more bombshell secret that she's been holding onto in case she needed a trump card. Imagine what Nina, Silas, and Nathan would do in exchange for information about a child who they were told had died when Nina was injected with the overdose of antidepressant.

I recall thinking that Kiki should be careful what she wishes for because she just might get that sister that she's yearned for, only with a soap opera twist that pits the siblings against each other.

I think it would be interesting to see Kiki have a rival for the affections of Michael and Morgan. Granted, I've never been all that fond of Kiki because I think she's a succubus who shamelessly freeloads and has the morals of an alley cat in heat, but at least having a sibling would give Kiki some purpose beyond Michael and Morgan's personal bed warmer.

I have to question why Kiki wants to live in the brownstone with Morgan, even if it is rent-free, given the history between her and the Corinthos brothers. The way she's suddenly ogling Morgan and turning to him with her problems reeks of renewed interest, which ticks me off because Michael and Morgan are finally in a good place. They don't need her rocking the boat by trying to jump back into Morgan's bed.

It's time for a new lady to hit the scene and put Kiki in her place.

By the way, I'm thrilled that Bobbie's brownstone is back in action, and I love the story of Michael spearheading a waterfront revitalization project. Too bad, Tracy is going to try to throw a monkey wrench into things in an effort to discredit Michael with the company's shareholders.Tracy is back at ELQ and ready to play dirty. I knew that it was way too good to be true when Tracy announced that she had seen Fluke for who he truly was, but I have to say Tracy and Fluke's plan to take Michael down is brilliant. The only problem is that I think Tracy might be underestimating Michael, so I'm looking forward to seeing these two match wits as they battle for control of ELQ.

Funniest scene of the week: Liesl illustrating to Britt that Britt has more sex appeal than Liz by toggling back-and-forth between a picture of Britt in a bikini and a picture of Liz wearing scrubs and an unflattering limp ponytail.

Couple with the sizzle factor this week: Maxie and Nathan. I anticipate a hot, steamy summer if the writers continue to explore this pairing.

Most missed performer of the week: It's a tie between Julian and Ric. Trying to distract me with Morgan and Nathan's sexy bare chests didn't work, but I did appreciate the effort.

Most annoying development: Sam accomplishing more in a few hours of investigating Patrick's crash than the police department has managed to do in over two months. It made Anna and the gang appear inept.

Things that tickled my fancy

Josslyn is disappointed when Franco takes away her crowbar that she tried to whack him withFranco: "Got it. I'm sure even the Black Widow knows that this is not a toy. Okay, this -- this is for splitting open boxes, and if you're not careful, it could split open someone's skull."Josslyn: "You're no fun."Franco: "You know, I used to be fun, but then everyone complained."

Franco makes a reference to a slip-up at the OscarsFranco: "You love that sticker book, don't you? So, which one's Adele Dazeem?"Josslyn: "There is no Adele Dazeem."Franco: "Tell that to John Travolta."

Ava goads Sonny by threatening to drink alcohol, but Sonny objects because he wants the baby born healthy before he kills AvaAva: "Give that back, please. I need something to wash down my gourmet dinner. I don't suppose the Chianti will complement the pepperoni, but it will have to do."Sonny: "I said no."Ava: "Hmm. This is an interesting place to draw the line. It's just a little glass of wine to take the edge off. There's a lot of tension in this house."

Mac sees Rosalie leave without being served a drinkMac: "What, she couldn't wait?"Nathan: "New Yorker."

Michael watches as Sonny's guards remove bottles of alcohol from Sonny's homeMichael: "You throw a rager?"Sonny: "Uh, Ava, she's -- she's having problems with the sauce, if you know what I mean."Michael: "Pregnant? Yeah, roommates -- not always easy, huh?"

Sam confides to her mother about not hearing from SilasAlexis: "So you really haven't discussed this since he left the park?"Sam: "No, I mean, for like two seconds, but he was obviously preoccupied."Alexis: "Maybe he doesn't want to have this discussion in front of Nina."Sam: "Well, then we're gonna have to come up with some sort of code, because I have a feeling there's gonna be a lot of talking in front of Nina if she continues to live at his place."

Liesl proudly shows Britt a PowerPoint presentation on how Britt can win Nikolas backBritt: "What is this?"Dr. Obrecht: "A blueprint for triumph. What did we do before PowerPoint?"Britt: "Avoid awkward moments like these."

Franco mentions to Carly what Mac said about SonnyFranco: "Yeah, he says that Sonny's sad-clown act -- it's like catnip for the ladies. He didn't say it like that, but --"Carly: "Mac plays with dolls."

Franco explains how he ended up with one of Heather's infamous paintingsFranco: "Uh, it was delivered to Wyndemere, where Nikolas Cassadine gave it to Lesley Webber, who, in turn, gave it to Monica Quartermaine. Monica kept it in her study for a little while, until she finally decided to get rid of it."Dr. Obrecht: [Scoffs] "Dummkopf."Franco: "Tell me about it. I heard after that Monica hated egg salad so much that she tried to get it banned from the General Hospital cafeteria."

Sonny and Carly try to offer Spencer advice about letting Emma goSonny: "Well, Carly and I broke up. We're doing fine."Spencer: "You married her. That's more than a breakup. That's a divorce."Carly: "We were married four times."Sonny: "Right."Spencer: "Impressive."

Until next time, dear readers, 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.