Sex, lies, and incriminating evidence

Was Silas' murder the result of a moment of insanity or a premeditated plot to keep secrets buried? Scott confronted Ava with a stunning DNA test, Olivia pondered whether or not to believe Julian, and Nina desperately tried to figure out how to outwit a cloud. Our columnist is ready to dish about a week of trials and tribulations.

I love a good mystery. As a young girl, I was shy, quiet, and socially awkward, so I took solace in reading. My parents were filled with wanderlust, which meant that we moved a lot -- country to country, city to city, and state to state -- while I was growing up. By the time I was fifteen, I had probably been to more places around the world than most will go in a lifetime, so making friends was incredibly difficult for me because I hated becoming attached to someone that I knew I'd end up losing touch with. My friends were Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, Herucle Poirot, Miss Marple, Dr. Watson, Sherlock Holmes, and so on.

My mother was a firm believer in the classics, for which I will forever be grateful.

When Silas was killed, I was sad to see Michael Easton go, but at the same time, I was excited because commercials began to appear promising us a thrilling murder mystery. I was immediately hooked and eager to look for all the clues, rule out the red herrings, and dissect each word uttered by an array of suspects. My inner sleuth looked forward to seeing intriguing flashbacks that offered tantalizing tidbits to the killer's identity.

I scanned the scene of the crime that fateful Monday when the storyline kicked into gear, and I watched for any suspicious behavior from anyone who might possibly have had a reason to kill Silas. But all my hopes and dreams were quickly dashed as the pool of suspects quickly narrowed down to just two people: Ava and Morgan.

I know many others were equally invested in this murder mystery because readers wrote in to suggest that Ric and Madeline might have killed Silas to keep him from clearing Nina's name, which would pretty much ruin their plans to make Nina think she was insane because she couldn't remember abducting Avery. Some even suggested that Kiki might have done it, which was the real reason she had bumped into Franco in the hallway on the night of the murder as he was leaving Silas' apartment. Everyone was bubbling with eagerness to be the first to figure out who the killer was, so I know people were sucked into this storyline from the onset.

We are now two weeks into the whodunit, and I'm woefully disappointed. The only true flashback that we've had providing us with any insight into what happened to Silas was Ava leaving Silas' apartment using the sleeve of her dress on the doorknob to partially close the door. I assume it was either habit from her years as a criminal or an attempt to make certain that her DNA wasn't left behind because Ava chemically burned off her fingerprints before arriving in Port Charles as her "twin" Denise.

All the other flashbacks have been speculation by various characters about what might have happened.

It was like being promised a decadent chocolate mousse prepared by a gourmet chef but being handed a generic snack pack pudding, which anyone can pick up at the grocery store, four for a dollar.

The only silver lining to this waste of a murder mystery is that it will apparently be the catalyst that finally exposes Ava for who she really is -- literally -- so that we are no longer subjected to watching Maura West's incredible talent being wasted on such a ridiculous storyline as pretending to be her own twin, Denise. It's a shame because I was once a big fan of Ava's.

If we are really lucky, Morgan will be revealed to be the killer who will be promptly spirited out of town by his parents for treatment at some exotic location from which he'll never want to return.

As much as I love Maura, Ava Jerome has been played out. Stealing that incriminating recording of her confessing to Connie's murder won't save her bacon because if the law doesn't get her, then Sonny will.

Speaking of Sonny, if I still had my foam television brick, I would have cheerfully and repeatedly chucked it many times at his head over the course of Thursday and Friday when he popped up on my television screen.

First, if someone tells you that your child might have a mental illness, you don't make it about yourself and cry, "Oh, woe is me. I'm responsible for this because I passed the illness down to him." Guess what, Sonny? Someone passed it down to you. Get over yourself and focus on your kid.

Second -- and this is the bigger bone I have to pick with this storyline development -- since when does having bipolar disorder give a person a blanket excuse to commit murder and drug people?

Twice this week, it was suggested that people suffering from bipolar disorder were not responsible for their actions. Carly implied it when she and Sonny discussed the possibility that Morgan killed Silas in the grips of an uncontrollable rage then Sabrina tried to mitigate Sonny's role in A.J.'s murder by claiming that it might have happened during a random moment when Sonny didn't have full control of himself -- even though he was on medication and under treatment. According to ex-nurse Santiago, the treatment for bipolar disorder isn't an exact science, so people on medication can still have brief blips of mania.

It is unbelievably insulting to suggest that people who have bipolar and are under treatment might have a nanosecond of uncontrollable behavior that would lead them to do something horrific like shoot someone who is begging for their life. I know several people who have struggled with this disorder, and while their lives haven't always been easy, they are able to live rich, full, and law-abidinglives once they are properly medicated.

It's been my own personal experience that most who suffer from bipolar disorder tend to hurt themselves more than they do others because they are prone to addiction and self-destructive behavior rather than embarking on rage-filled homicide sprees whenever someone threatens them.

The other issue that I had with Sonny -- and Olivia, for that matter -- was the hypocrisy when discussing Julian.

In one breath, Olivia is singing Sonny's praises as a father and applauding Michael for coming to his senses by returning Avery to her father, but in the next, she's blathering away about how dangerous Julian's life is and how horrible he is for endangering his family by remaining firmly entrenched in the mob.

I wonder how Olivia would feel if she knew that on the night of Silas' murder, Sonny shot a man in cold blood to send a message to other gangsters.

It also perturbed me that Sonny and Olivia complained about how Julian manages to always wiggle out of his legal trouble. Isn't that exactly why Sonny remains a free man today? Pot, I would like to introduce you to Kettle.

My main issue with Sonny this week was what he said to Avery. He promised his daughter that he would not repeat the same mistakes that he had made with her brothers. However, two seconds later, while talking to Olivia, he vowed to make every effort to eradicate the Jerome blood flowing through Avery's veins by having Carly raise Avery as her own.

It was exactly that kind of mindset that ultimately cost him a relationship with Michael because both Sonny and Carly repeatedly refused to allow Michael to have any connection to his biological father's family, except Jason because Jason thought the sun and moon rose and set on Saints Sonny and Carly.

I'm not suggesting that Sonny hand Avery over to the Jeromes to raise, but he should find a way to make peace with Julian, since Ava is likely going to end up in jail, in a grave, or on the run in the coming weeks. Even if Julian was still in the mob, which I'm not convinced he is, it would behoove Sonny to make things work for Avery's sake. At least make an attempt to work things out instead of plotting ways to kill off members of her tiny little family.

I'm leaning toward Julian being set up, despite Ava's certainty that he's still neck deep in organized crime, because there was something very fishy about how easily Sonny uncovered the hijackers' identities. I also found it highly suspect how quickly the remaining hijacker pointed the finger at Julian.

I think Julian is being secretive about everything because he still has a few people in place, guarding his family -- he'd be a fool not to -- and he's trying to figure out who is behind the attempt to frame and use him as a smokescreen to get to Sonny. If someone is willing to go to those lengths, then they pose a threat to Julian's loved ones. It's as simple as that.

I find it incredibly hard to believe that Rosalie had no idea that Brad worked at General Hospital and was involved with Lucas. She was in town during the 2015 Nurses Ball, which had extensive television and news coverage, including Brad's unexpected proposal of marriage to Lucas during Brad's performance.

Also, Lucas is Michael's uncle and had been to ELQ to discuss plans for the clinic before Nikolas' takeover. Are we really to believe that she had no idea who Dr. Lucas Jones was? What kind of spy was she if she didn't even know the basics about Michael's life?

I hope that whatever secret Brad and Rosalie are keeping will result in Rosalie being carted off to jail when it finally comes to light. She is a completely pointless character who I had forgotten all about until she sailed into Hayden's hospital room with a change of clothes for Hayden.

My favorite scene of the week was Madeline's visit with Nina at Shadybrook when Madeline pushed that catatonic woman's wheelchair -- with considerable force, I might add -- out of her way without a single thought as to where it went. The expression on Nina's face as she worriedly watched her confidante's wheelchair crash into something across the room was hilarious.

I also found myself really enjoying the scenes with Nathan and Nina. You can see that these two genuinely care about each other, and Nathan truly does want what is best for his sister. I can't wait until he confronts Madeline with that document that she tried to get Nina to sign. It's going to be awesome.

Madeline is the type of mother who, if she were an animal, would eat her young. Sure, she seemed to have concern for Nina when she was talking to Carly about the hardships of living with a child who has a mental illness, but ultimately, Madeline is a sociopath and incapable of really caring about anyone except herself. Not even her beloved James/Nathan.

I'm also very happy with Liesl these days. Sure, she's diabolical and all kinds of crazy for being so completely devoted to Cesar, but she's entertaining, and she is loyal to those she cares about -- Nathan and Franco being at the top of that list.

I'd hate to see Ava's bathroom, what with her having to dye her blonde roots black every day to maintain that Cleopatra look.

Can anyone truly blame T.J. for not wanting to move out of Greystone Manor? Even with the threat of a hail of bullets flying over your head at any time, a teenager is going to focus on the pool, sauna, maid service, theater room, Jet Skis, and luxury living. The only advantages to dorm life are the parties and lack of parental supervision.

Quickest. Trial. Ever. Franco was arrested July 31, and the trial started Aug 17.

I think Shadybrook has dissociative identity disorder because for a very long time it was a private facility then it began housing prisoners like Heather, Franco, and Nina, who were determined to be criminally insane, and now, it's once again a private facility.

It's diabolical versus evil when Liesl pays Ava a visit Ava

: [Heavy New York accent] "Lookit, I don't know if you're selling strudel or something door to door, but I ain't buying."[Later]Ava: "Look, lady, I don't know who you are or what you're talking about, so maybe you better vamoose, okay, before things get a little bit ugly."Liesl: "Since you insist on perpetuating this charade, Ms. Jerome, I'll simply have to call your daughter, Kiki, and let her know that her mother is alive and well and posing as a beautician from the outer boroughs. Not to mention playing Die wiener verstecken, or as you might say, 'Hide the sausage,' with her boyfriend behind her back."

Liesl and Ava were the gift that kept givingAva: "Morgan and I are over, and that's for Kiki's sake. I'll have you know I adore my daughter!"Liesl: "Then perhaps you should take up another hobby besides schtupping your daughter's boyfriend -- like scrapbooking."

How Olivia managed to utter the following words without choking on them remains a mystery to meOlivia: "You know that I try to give people the benefit of the doubt, but Julian was arrested."

A parent's job is never done, regardless of how old their child is[Cell phone rings]Scott: "Hello?"Nina: "Um, Mr. Baldwin? Uh, can Franco please come to the phone?"Scott: "My son can't play right now. He's in detention, and he'll have to call you back."Franco: "Is that Nina? No, no, no, wait. Can I talk to her?"Scott: "No."Franco: "Please. Please. Please, Dad."

And this is why I love Michael -- he said what I thought when he talked to CarlyMichael: "Okay, but what if Morgan sees a doctor, and he's not bipolar? He just has a really short fuse and, well, really bad judgment?"

Watching someone with a 20th century mentality deal with the 21st century is hilariousNina: [Sighs] "100 channels, and no one's showing the trial? Seriously? I Rip-Van-Winkled my way to a post-O.J. world. I mean, aren't we supposed to show every lurid crime that happens in America? It's the realest of real."[Later]Nina: "No, no. Ava killed Silas. Ava killed Silas." [Sighs] "Franco is not going to expose her. He can't. You know why? Because if he calls her out on the stand, if he calls Ava out on the stand, she's gonna show the picture of me sitting over Silas with a knife in my hand, so he's not gonna do it. I suppose I can take another shot at trying to delete that photo. I know. I know. It's in her cloud. It's stuck inside that cloud, so I can't do it. Nothing's ever deleted in this brave new world, is it?"

Take care and happy viewing,Liz Masters

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