It's a cruel, cruel summer

Patrick confronted his son's killer, Rafe suffered catastrophic complications during surgery, and Alice learned that she was in desperate need of a heart transplant. Tragedy, a devastating loss, and heartbreak make for a cruel summer in Port Charles.

I have very eclectic musical tastes, so when I heard Bananarama's "Cruel Summer" the other day on the radio, I rolled down the car windows, opened the sunroof, and then turned the radio up as the kids and I cruised to the theater to see The Fault in Our Stars. As fun as it was to hear the song, it turned out to be the prevailing theme not just that day but for the entire the week as the fallout from Rafe's crash and Alice's heart attack played out with sad and tragic results.

By the way, if you haven't seen The Fault in Our Stars, grab a box of tissues and treat yourself to this gem of a movie. The tears hit hard when Augustus talks to Hazel in Amsterdam as they sit on a bench by the water and then sweeps you up for an intense emotional roller-coaster ride that will linger with you for days.

That is kind of what happened with Rafe's storyline. The week opened with Rafe's deeply disappointing confession that he had intentionally driven Patrick off the road that fateful evening when Gabriel was born prematurely on the side of the road and died a few days later because he had been born far too soon. It didn't really matter that Rafe had been forced to commit the heinous act because ultimately Rafe made the ridiculously dangerous choice of driving someone else's car off the road. Unless someone held a gun to Rafe's head, there's really no excuse for what Rafe did.

Sadly, those who loved Rafe realized too late just how deeply they had failed the troubled teen. In fact, everyone in his life failed Rafe, beginning with his parents. The poor kid never really had a chance, so it's not surprising that Rafe traveled down this very sad and destructive path.

I think perhaps that's why Patrick ultimately didn't give in to the urge to take Rafe's life when he had Rafe on the operating table.

I confess that I did have my doubts about Patrick because he acted pretty sketchy following the operation. It turns out that Patrick didn't feel guilty about ending Rafe's life, but rather because he had failed to save Rafe. Like Sam, I had been in desperate need to hear that, so I'm thrilled that Patrick admitted that he hadn't faltered during the surgery. Unfortunately for Patrick, he is not going to get off that easy because Liesl put him in an untenable position by forcing him to operate. Silas has every right to question what happened during Rafe's surgery, so it seems inevitable that Patrick will face an inquisition spearheaded by Silas.

Regardless, Rafe's fate is sealed. He's brain dead, so he will not be waking up despite how the show ended on Friday after Nina gloated that Rafe's tragedy had been her gain and that Rafe could rest easy -- and by that she actually meant suffer further -- knowing that she would exploit his beloved uncle's grief to drive the woman Silas loves away.

If I had to hazard a guess, I would say that Rafe moving his hand and opening his eyes is similar to the situation Patrick faced in the operating room during Rafe's surgery when Patrick's "evil" side tried to talk Patrick into killing Rafe.

I liked Rafe and saw so much potential with his character, but alas, it was not meant to be. I'm pretty bummed that his light has been snuffed out, but I'm eternally grateful that Alice will continue to grace our screens. As Monica said, Alice is the best part of the Quartermaines, and in my book, Alice is sacred. She's earned the right to be saved and given a second life. I just hope that Alice finally tells Michael about Tracy's plot to unseat him from ELQ instead of falling for Tracy's transparent attempt to manipulate Alice into keeping quiet.

A slightly bizarre development this week was Alexis' opposition to Dante questioning Molly about Rafe and the accident. Alexis acted like Molly had done something wrong, which wasn't the case at all. As a parent, I would expect Alexis to want to know exactly what had happened to cause the accident that might have claimed her daughter's life. Alexis is the type of person to lead the charge to burn Rafe at the stake for endangering Molly's life rather than acting like Molly had something to hide, so I'm a little perplexed why Alexis was quick to cut Rafe slack. At the time, she hadn't known how serious his condition was.

My annoyance with Alexis quickly vanished when Julian arrived on the scene and talked her down from her neurotic ledge. It's one of the reasons that I love Julian for Alexis and keep hoping that Julian will come to his senses and expose Fluke for the fraud that he is. I love the chemistry between Nancy Lee Grahn and William deVry, so I don't want Julian's fears to jeopardize his romance with Alexis.

Folks, there was a time that I intensely disliked Morgan. I was completely and utterly disappointed with his return and loathed him during those early days with the fiery passion of a thousand suns. Since his escape from Ava's diabolical clutches, things have turned around. I actually find myself enjoying Morgan lately and no longer gnash my teeth when he speaks or cringe at his displays of stupidity and ignorance. Miraculously, Morgan has managed to actually grow a brain.

It makes one wonder if Morgan took a twister to Oz to pay James Franco's wizard a visit.

An added bonus is that Morgan appears to have become an honorary Quartermaine, thanks to both Michael and Alice. There's something rather karmic about the Quartermaines taking away Sonny's son after he took theirs. It's even sweeter that it's Morgan's choice.

I just hope that Morgan and Kiki's newfound friendship won't result in another spin on the merry-go-round that Kiki loves to ride with the brothers Corinthos. I want Morgan and Michael to stay strong, not have all their progress shattered by a woman who still doesn't have a job!

Another triangle appears to be destined to end in disaster -- Lulu's words, not mine -- is the one that Lucas is caught in the middle of with Brad and Felix. Or is it Brad who is trying to get in the middle? If Brad's busy lips are anything to go by, he would be happy to end up with either Lucas or Felix -- or both. Therefore, it would serve the faithless Brad right if Lucas and Felix ended up together. It's certainly what I'm hoping for because I don't think that Brad deserves to have anyone. He's a hot mess with few boundaries and a hot temper. He also has a penchant of playing fast and loose with the truth.

I will give credit where it's due though; Brad does say the most outrageous and hilarious things, so he certainly does spice things up.

Another love triangle that is quickly heating up centers around Maxie, with Nathan and Levi each vying for her affections.

The burning question of the week is who called Immigration on Levi. The one person I'm certain didn't do it is Nathan because he made it very clear to Dante that he intended to keep his promise to Maxie. Plus, it would be too obvious.

Dante seems pretty suspect because Dante's behavior in the locker room when he returned to look for his missing keys struck me as odd. Dante was way too confident about Maxie and Levi not lasting much longer, which immediately set off alarms. I recall questioning if Dante had called Immigration because he had urged Nathan to do so earlier.

However, Levi is just shady enough to have done the deed himself in an attempt to make it appear that Nathan had been behind it and perhaps to manipulate Maxie into finding a more permanent solution to his problems. I'm referring to a green card marriage, of course.

Maxie certainly jumped to the conclusion that Nathan had reported Levi when Agent Scribner revealed that he had received an anonymous tip. I don't blame Maxie for thinking the worst about Nathan because he was the only other person, besides Diane, who knew that Levi's visa had expired.

As an aside, it's a bit funny that Maxie acts like Levi will be shipped off to some godforsaken awful place in a faraway dusty corner of the world instead of a beautiful vacation destination that many would consider a trip of a lifetime if they had a chance to go. If I were in Maxie's shoes, I'd be packing my bags and hitching a ride with Levi to his homeland until he can straighten out his visa woes. Although tall, dark, and handsome Nathan would be hard to walk away from, even if it was for a trip to the Land Down Under.

That's why I'm hoping that Levi is deported and Maxie finally stops lying to herself about her feelings for Nathan. The reason she's been a harping shrew around Detective Sexy is because she's terrified of falling for a guy who is strong-willed and has a code of ethics and a low tolerance for nonsense and drama, both of which Maxie excels at.

In this case, I think the rule about opposites attracting is a good thing because I find that Nathan and Maxie balance each other out in all the right ways. I love the sweet smiles they exchange and the simmering sexual tension between them when Maxie stops fighting Nathan long enough to let her guard down. I want Levi to go bye-bye because I've lost complete interest in knowing why he's targeted Maxie, what his agenda is, or who he might be connected to besides Maxie. I've moved on and am firmly in Nathan and Maxie's camp.

A few random observations: why was a police roadblock not surrounded by police cars? Did the cops set it up and then leave or what? I ask because Rafe plowed through the roadblock that had been set up specifically to keep him from getting on the highway, without a single emergency vehicle on the scene. The first responders were Dante and Sam, who apparently were a mile or so behind Rafe and Molly, since it took them so long to get to the teens.

What's with the lack of medical personnel in the emergency room of a supposedly state-of-the art hospital? I guess Liesl hasn't gotten around to increasing Elizabeth's shifts yet. It's a good thing that Britt can depend on Spencer to keep up his end of the bargain.

Finally, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shows up to confirm that a person is in the country illegally, but he decides to return at a later date to collect the illegal alien in question for deportation? What? That doesn't make any sense to anyone above the age of five?

Things that tickled my fancy

The writers have a little fun with the fact that Ron Hale had played both Roger Coleridge and Mike Corbin, so they have Delia mistake a picture of Mike for her husband, RogerSonny: "No, that's my -- that's my father, Mike Corbin."Delia: "No, that's Roger!"Sonny: "He is --"Delia: "That's Roger, my husband."Sonny: "No, he's my father. I would know."Delia: [Chuckles] "Are you s-- wow. He's like a dead ringer for Roger. That's really strange on the eyes."

Delia and Ava stage an argument for Sonny's benefitAva: "Do you want a medal for being a decent human being? I'm having a very difficult pregnancy."Delia: "What is so difficult about it? No morning sickness as far as I can tell, no swelling. You look fit as a flippin' fiddle."Ava: "It's an emotional strain."Delia: "Well, lucky for you, you didn't give birth in the early 1970s, 'cause you go into a restaurant -- there'd be only two sections -- smoking or just stay at home."

Olivia and Delia tangleDelia: "Don't start something that your bony behind can't finish."Olivia: "Lady, I've finished steaks bigger than you."Delia: "I am Grade-A Washington Heights prime beef. What kind of heifer are you?"Olivia: "Bensonhurst -- born and bred!"

Nathan points out another one of Levi's hypocrisies to Maxie when he notices how long Levi has been in the bathroomNathan: "It seems like Mr. Crunchy Granola has gotten over his aversion to long showers. Maybe he has situational ethics when it comes to water conservation?"

During a jealous rant, Brad accuses Felix of wanting LucasBrad: "Admit it. You're hungry for Lucas. You're a Hungry Hungry Hippo homosexual. And you're famished."

A minute with crazy-NinaRosalie: "Good morning! Oh, I found this great little diner down by the waterfront. They have these amazing baked goods. I brought you a blueberry muffin -- your favorite."Nina: "Muffins... aren't gonna cut it right now, Rosalie."Rosalie: "Oh. You're in a mood."Nina: "I was stuck in this chair all night. Yeaaah."Rosalie: "What? Why?"Nina: "Oh, because Silas' bastard daughter insisted on staying with me and watched my every move while Silas was stuck at the hospital with his trashy girlfriend."

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

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