Halcyon proposals

Romance was in the air as the 2015 Nurses Ball kicked off, but it wasn't all red balloons and accidental wardrobe malfunctions. Musical numbers and bitter breakups made for an exciting week, but what happens next -- now that lies have been exposed and secrets revealed?

This was a fabulous week for me both personally and as a decades-long dedicated fan of General Hospital. At the beginning of the week, I had the privilege of celebrating my birthday with my family and friends, who all spoiled me rotten, and then I wrapped up a very fun week with my beautiful daughter getting ready for her senior prom, which she had the great fortune to attend with her boyfriend, who is on a two-week leave from the Army.

As my daughter and her friend primped, giggled, and raided mama's jewelry box, the 2015 Nurses Ball kicked off on television. It was both entertaining and thrilling to watch the episode with the girls as Carly blew the lid off Ric's dirty little secret and Brad made an unexpected proposal.

To say that GH was an inspiration for the evening would be a vast understatement. It was so much fun to watch the red carpet arrivals on TV as the girls slipped into their own gowns and put the finishing touches on their perfectly coiffed hair in preparation for their own very special evening.

Speaking of glitz and glamour, if you weren't lucky enough to watch the Emmys on Pop Network then fear not because our very own guru, Dan Kroll, attended the 42nd Daytime Emmys so click here for complete Emmy coverage, including video interviews.Congratulations to all the winners, especially our own Tony Geary (Luke Spencer), Maura West (Ava Jerome), Chad Duell (Michael Quartermaine), and Donna Mills (Madeline Reeves), who all took home statues for their performances.Now, time to delve into the shenanigans that went down in Port Charles this week.

It was the kind of week where I was glued to my seat from the minute the clock struck 2:00 p.m. until the previews for the following day flashed across my screen. I even forced myself to suffer through the last five minutes of that dreaded soap killer show that shall not be mentioned (but rhymes with spew) to make sure that I didn't miss a single second of GH.

The first really shocking development that completely blindsided me was Sam overhearing notorious loudmouth Olivia telling Ned how she's certain that Dante didn't have a clue that Julian was the baby daddy of the bun in Olivia's oven. I could have sworn this story was going to be dragged out until the kid graduated college. It's what happened last time with Olivia. How wrong I was. Sam not only heard the secret, but she's currently debating whether or not to spill the beans to Julian. I actually snorted with laughter when Patrick advised Sam to keep mum about it until after the Nurses Ball because the news might end up being the talk of the ball.

Ha. An unexpected paternity is so 2013. Patrick should know that.

This year's bombshell was reserved for Elizabeth, who got a double whammy, starting with Ric.

Ric really should have listened to Molly and waited to propose marriage, but instead, he was driven by desperation to proceed full steam with his plans and asked his daughter to drop off the ring box at Liz's table with instructions for Liz to open it during Ric's performance. Frankly, it seemed a tad bit manipulative rather than profoundly romantic, but then again, I knew what Liz didn't -- Ric was hoping to snag Liz before the truth came out. He hedged his bets, hoping Liz wouldn't publicly humiliate him after he sang a sappy song about marriage. The sad part is that it would have worked if Carly hadn't saved the day.

Yes, you read that right -- Carly saved the day. Well, at least she saved Jake and Liz's day by gleefully throwing Ric and his sidekick Hayden under the bus and then backing that behemoth vehicle up by tossing them into the streets. It was truly spectacular.

I know that I'm often hard on Carly, but I do give her credit when it's due, and she deserved it in spades this week. First for exposing Ric's lies with a little help from Pete, who is slimier than ectoplasm, and second for calling Morgan and Kiki out on their deplorable -- and very illegal -- treatment of Michael.

I found Sonny to be beyond useless in dealing with Morgan because Sonny seemed reluctant to take Morgan to task beyond a few harsh words, so I was happy that at least one of Morgan's parents stepped up to the plate and ripped into Morgan for not just drugging Michael but for also putting lives -- especially Avery's -- in danger. I suspect, Sonny let Carly take the lead in this because he doesn't want to be the bad guy. It's Sonny's way of compensating for being a mostly absent father while Morgan was growing up. Unfortunately, it just sends the message to Morgan that lying, whining, and making underhanded moves is the way to handle problems.

It was very satisfying to watch Dante slap handcuffs on Morgan and Kiki for drugging Michael, but I didn't really expect either to actually go to jail for the crime. Therefore, I wasn't surprised when they were ultimately released. However, I was impressed with how Michael managed to use the situation to his advantage by securing custody of baby A.J. Well played, Michael.

Sonny acknowledged during Avery's disappearance that his daughter would be safe with Michael, so it's not as if the baby is being sent off to be raised by wild wolves in the middle of a forest. Michael has demonstrated that he loves his sister and truly wants what's best for her. He sincerely believes that Sonny is dangerous, which Sonny is, since he's still neck deep in mob business. No one is fooled by Sonny's "retirement," least of all Michael.

Sure, Michael changed Avery's last name to Quartermaine and refers to her by her initials, A.J., but that doesn't hurt the baby. It's karma. When Avery is older, she can decide whether she wants to go by that name, just like many of us did with our own names. My parents still call me by my full first name, but I prefer the shortened version, Liz.

I respect that some viewers haven't forgiven Sabrina for what she did to Ava while Ava was pregnant, so I understand why some might still consider baby A.J. to be in danger. If you read my past columns, I was pretty hard on Sabrina during that time because, regardless of the excuses, she did endanger the baby's life. However, I'm willing to let it go, since this is a soap opera, and I've seen Sabrina show genuine remorse and regret for her actions. Plus, Sabrina paid a real price by losing a job she truly loved and wanted more than anything because it had been a way of honoring her mother.

Few people pay that kind of price for their transgressions on soaps, so I'm satisfied with Sabrina's penance. I like the person she's become and who she is around Michael. She seems far better suited with him than she ever was with Patrick, and there's a lot of potential for Michael and Sabrina as a couple, especially with baby A.J. in the mix. I think it could be fun and interesting to watch a romance unfold, especially after that sizzling kiss in Michael's office.

Not so hot is the vibe that I'm getting from Valerie, which suggests that she might turn Fatal Attraction on Dante. I like Valerie and don't want her becoming a crazy lunatic. The Lisa Niles-type storyline has been done to death. Valerie is an interesting Spencer who deserves to have a chance to establish herself as a long-term character, so I would much rather see her become friends with Lulu rather than her cousin's adversary.

If Maxie doesn't get her act together, perhaps Valerie can help Nathan mend his broken heart.

By far, the most unexpected twist occurred at the end of Friday's show when Nikolas blurted out that Liz couldn't have a future with Jake because Jake was Jason. The girl was already reeling from learning that Ric had once again reverted to form by lying and manipulating her and then was hit with a shocking revelation when Nikolas let that little explosive grenade slip.

It was the last thing I thought Nikolas would say to stop Liz from tracking down Jake/Jason. In telling Liz, Nikolas put everything he has been working to do to secure ELQ at risk because there's a very good chance that Liz will tell Jake the truth, which means Jake will get his shares of the company stock back. As Jake or Jason, he will always back Michael over Nikolas.

I certainly can't see Liz keeping the news to herself to buy Nikolas time to take over ELQ, especially since she knows firsthand how tormented Jake has been about not having a connection to his past. Yes, she has feelings for Jake/Jason, but one of her deepest regrets was how she had lied to keep Jason and Sam apart just before he died.

I doubt (hope) Liz doesn't make the same mistake twice because not only will it end in heartache for her, but she will lose Jason as a friend forever.

Best dressed at the ball: Lynn Herring as Lucy Coe, who positively glowed in that smashing white gown on the red carpet.

Best performance: I loved Liesl crashing the opening number, but Brad's upbeat rendition of Ric's song and impromptu proposal was everything that Ric's lacked. It was fun and entertaining.

Sweetest Moment: Nathan's reaction when he saw Maxie take a tumble on the red carpet. His expression just melted my heart -- it was so filled with concern.

What kind of moron leaves a baby alone in an apartment, sitting in a playpen? For that matter, what did Morgan and Kiki do with Avery to keep her quiet while Dante interrogated them? I'm confused why T.J. is willing to accept money from Duke to cover the tuition for school but not Shawn or Jordan, whom I'm certain are well paid for their services.

Liesl has an encounter with her favorite artist Liesl

: "And that one is done. Now if only I could get a final rehearsal schedule for the Nurses Ball from that woman, the world would become a better place."Franco: "Dr. Obrecht."Liesl: [Gasps] "The world just became better. Franco, liebchen, I'm so happy to see you. No need to stand on ceremony. You know you can call me Liesl."Franco: "Okay. Hello, Liesl."

Nina busts Franco searching her purse for signs that Nina took baby A.J.Nina: "There is not a diaper or a pacifier or a stroller or anything. She -- she's not here. This baby is not here."Franco: "Stop it. Please stop it."Nina: "A.J. A.J., Where are you? How did you get out of my purse?"

The halter of Maxie's dress slips down as she trips on the red carpet with a little help from SpinelliBrad and Britt: [in unison] "Jackpot!"

Liesl thanks the three or four people who clapped for her after she crashed the opening number to the Nurses ball with an interesting rendition of 99 Red BalloonsLiesl: "Yes, that song takes me back to halcyon days of 1983 as the threat of global thermal nuclear war loomed above us all."

Take care and happy viewing,Liz Masters

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