A walk in hell to visit a demon

Is Jason really Jason? Is it possible that Nikolas is alive? And what exactly is Betsy Frank about to confess? With so many questions looming, speculation abounds. Our columnist shares a few theories of her own in this week's Two Scoops.

I have a theory about the two Jasons and Franco. It hit me on Tuesday as Franco was talking to Liesl about the photographs of him and Jason as children. Liesl had essentially said that it's unlikely that the two blond boys were the same person because Jason couldn't be in two places at once.

Or could he?

The seasoned soap viewer in me began to ruminate all the possible ways that Jason could be in two places at once. Then it dawned on me -- Franco and Jason aren't the twins, Steve Burton and Billy Miller's characters are the twins. Identical twins, to be exact. The first twin was raised by the Quartermaines, and the second twin lived with his cousin Franco for a time before he vanished from Franco's life.

The question then becomes, which is the real Jason Quartermaine? Is it the twin played by Steve Burton, or is it the twin played by Billy Miller?

My theory is that Billy Miller's twin was the boy in the picture with Franco, and he was also the man that Jake saw being tortured by Helena and her henchman on Cassadine Island. I believe that Billy Miller's twin was taken as a child, which is why he abruptly vanished from Franco's life, but I'm not sure that he necessarily fell into Helena's clutches. She wouldn't have been interested in Jason at that time because she was focused on the Spencers during those days, not the Quartermaines.

My best guess is that Heather sold the child on the black market to some random desperate couple with deep pockets. She's done it before.

Billy Miller's twin was likely kidnapped by Helena during his adulthood then brainwashed to believe that he was his twin. His skill as a mercenary might have come as naturally to him as it did to his brother, Jason, so training him to be a killer wouldn't have taken too much of an effort. As for all those memories that he has of Sam and others, it's my belief that they were planted, which explains why Sam, Carly, and Sonny each have noticed a slight difference in Jason.

It's not because Jason suffered a terrible brain injury; it's because he's not Jason.

Identical twins also explains why Robin believed that she had found Jason at Crichton-Clarke when she was kidnapped and held by Victor and Helena. I can't recall if they did a DNA test on Jake Doe/Jason, but if he and Jason are identical twins, then I imagine their DNA would be very similar.

Then again, the writers could decide to make Steve Burton the long-lost twin just to keep Sam with the "real" Jason and to avoid putting Sam in the position of having a child with each twin -- Danny with Jason, and Scout with Jason's brother. However, that would be disappointing because the drama is in the twist that Jason has a twin, who's been unwittingly posing as Jason.

Also, it would be odd to have a guy walking around with Jason's face, yet he's not Jason, while the guy who doesn't look like Jason is the real Jason. Talk about confusing viewers.

Meanwhile, Franco appears to be flirting with his dark side again, albeit with the best of intentions. He is on a quest for knowledge, so he marched himself over to D'Archam to have a chat with Heather, but mommy dearest refused to see him -- although she did appreciate the BLT he tried to bribe her with.

My weakness is tiramisu -- and vodka. Nostrovia!

Like Liesl, I wondered why Franco didn't just go straight to Betsy, since she'd likely taken the picture of Franco and the blond boy. That said, I quickly remembered why it was pointless to go to Betsy. Betsy is as much of a wackadoodle as Heather, without the homicidal tendencies.

Poor Franco never stood a chance with Heather and Scott as parents and Betsy raising him.

I loved the scene between Scott and Franco when Scott broke the news to his son that Lee had died. I will always have a soft spot for Scott because I really do think that Luke and Laura did him wrong in the worst way when their lives first collided. I appreciate why Scott regrets that he wasn't the son that Lee deserved, but I also remember how very much Lee had loved his imperfect son.

Scott doesn't see it, but there are shades of Lee in him when he interacts with Franco. Scott is a good dad to Franco, and that honors Lee.

Side note: If Roger Howarth goes on vacation, please have Franco go spend some time with his sister, Serena.

Now, on to the issue I'm having with how Sam is being written.

Back when Jake Doe was revealed to be Jason, Sam felt such a strong and undeniable connection to him that she and Jason fell in love all over again. After a few months, Sam got pregnant, and Jason's memories returned. Sam was overjoyed and content, and all was right with her world. Carly, too, knew in her heart of hearts that Jason had returned to them, as did Sonny.

Fast-forward to the last couple of weeks, and now suddenly Sam is having dreams about Jason standing on pier 54 -- where he "died" -- then vanishing into the fog before she can reach him. Sam has no idea what this all means, but she can't shake the feeling that Jason is slipping away. Oh, and did she mention that she's always noticed a slight shift in Jason that didn't quite gel with the man he used to be?

Apparently, Sonny and Carly also sensed a difference in Jason, but no biggie. Right?

Sam being terrified of losing Jason, especially after the horrific nightmare she endured when he was shot and "killed," is absolutely understandable. It was beyond traumatic. I would expect her to be in denial about Jason's mortality, to be filled with guilt and remorse, and to be angry -- at God, the fates, and everyone else.

However, it doesn't make sense that Sam would now have doubts, even subconscious ones, about Jason. Her faith and certainty in Jason returning to her would be stronger than ever because that's how Jason and Sam have always been. When they have no reason to believe, their bond is the strongest. Even if the man in the hospital bed wasn't Jason, Sam's commitment to her love for Jason wouldn't allow the thought that she might lose him to creep in in any way, shape, or form.

Soul mates don't have doubts, and Jason and Sam are soul mates.

I also took issue with Sam saying that Jason is her whole life. He's not. That changed when they had children. Until Danny and Scout are raised, Sam has a responsibility to them that supersedes everything else.

That's what becoming a parent means, and Sam fought way too hard to become one not to know that.

Lucky for Ava, Kiki is an adult, and Sonny has custody of Avery, which gave Ava the freedom to jet off to Russia for facial reconstructive surgery that would restore her face to its former glory. She made this decision after Griffin rejected her advances.

I can't blame Ava for thinking that Griffin was interested, because he was. He's lying to himself and everyone around him with that drivel about how he'd unintentionally led Ava on. No, he wasn't trying to seduce Ava, but the attraction was there. I saw it in his longing gaze, and I heard the desire in his tone each time he showed up to persuade Ava to go out with him or to trust him with her secrets.

I believe that Griffin is attracted to Ava, and he knows it, but he's fighting it because he's terrified of relationships. Likely, it's rooted in his difficult childhood with a solitary and pious mother.

I loved that Anna told Griffin to first figure out how he feels about Ava because when he shows up in Russia to rescue her from whatever diabolical deed he thinks Valentin is about to inflict upon her, Ava is going to think that Griffin cares. He really, really cares. Then again, Griffin might be too late because Ava met a mystery patient who just might be the man about whom she's spent the past year wondering if he could have been the one.

I'm referring to Nikolas, of course.

Okay, time for my second theory: Nikolas is alive, and he's currently sporting a Hannibal Lecter mask and taking fashion tips from the Unabomber.

Thursday's episode seemed filled with clues, with Valentin deciding to hang a gargantuan framed family tree to remind Charlotte of her Cassadine heritage, which oddly didn't list either Valentin or Charlotte and only went as far back as her grandfather, and Valentin slicing his finger then dripping blood on Nikolas.

Nina asking if anything had happened to the family tree and Valentin replying, "No, nothing worth mentioning," seemed significant despite his assertion.

More importantly, Nina's blissful joy to be reunited with her husband, and her repeated insistence that Valentin be honest with her spells trouble. It's like Nina is being set up for a great big fall, especially when she and Valentin returned from the art show, and she told him how Franco's painting of the two boys had underscored to her that Franco had withheld a part of himself from her. Her assurance that she trusted in Valentin's love was just more confirmation that her love for him will soon be tested in a very major way.

There's also the matter that Valentin himself has, on several occasions, raised the possibility that Nikolas is alive and staying away intentionally. There's something in the way that Valentin says it that suggests it's more than him trying to make himself look innocent. He knows that he shot Nikolas at point-blank range, and so do the viewers because we saw it all unfold when Valentin was first introduced.

Lastly, Thursday's episode was all about the Cassadines, not Jason Morgan. It could be an intentional attempt to throw us off track about who is lurking behind the mask at the Boronsky Clinic, but I doubt it.

I suspect that what Larisa said about the mystery patient was true. To refresh your memory:

Ava: "Why is he here?"Larisa: "His family hopes he can be rehabilitated.Ava: "H-his family just dropped him off here?"Larisa: "I cannot give details. As you know, we pride ourselves on discretion. But I can tell you patient 6 is from a wealthy family. He was shot and fell into open water. The trauma caused a psychotic break."

It was pointed out to me on Twitter that this describes how Jason died, but it could also apply to how Nikolas vanished. I distinctly recall Laura talking about how they had searched the waters for Nikolas, but they had never found his body, so they believed it had been washed out to sea.

I believe that Valentin's men did find Nikolas, and he was in bad shape and possibly had suffered some sort of brain trauma, but I also think that Nikolas is being kept at the Boronsky Clinic against his will, and he's being drugged and sporting that mask to keep him from talking and perhaps mounting an escape.

I love Nikolas, so I would love for him to return. The timing couldn't be more perfect because Ava is at a crossroads. The fire left her forever altered, not just physically but also spiritually. Will she be drawn to a saintly man like Griffin or a vengeful Cassadine on a mission to reclaim what was stolen from him? Will Ava remain on the path to redemption, or will she succumb to old habits?

The possibilities are endless, especially with Sonny in the mix. Don't forget, Sonny vowed to kill Ava if she dared to get surgery to fix her scars.

It would make my year if Frank Valentini managed to secretly recast Nikolas and brought him back the same week that Steve Burton comes roaring back as Jason. I really enjoyed Nick Stabile's stint as Nikolas, so I wouldn't be disappointed if he returned.

Folks, I have tried very hard to like Nelle, but I just can't. I loved Chloe Lanier as a young Patricia, but I just haven't warmed to her as Nelle. Everything about Nelle is shady. The constant tears, the endless reasonable explanations that seem to always paint her as either a tortured victim or a reluctant perpetrator, and the way she seems to slowly be isolating Michael from his loved ones. She's clingy, needy, and demure around Michael but downright vicious to Bobbie.

Sure, Bobbie hasn't been nice to Nelle, but she has good reason not to like Nelle and Nelle shouldn't act like she doesn't. Nelle seems to think that because she apologized and took responsibility for what she did to Sonny and Carly -- to an extent -- she automatically deserves a second chance. It doesn't work that way, even if you give a kid a kidney. Some people require those that wronged them to earn their second chance. If Nelle is truly remorseful, then she shouldn't have a problem with that.

Bobbie is loyal to her daughter, and she sees a side of Nelle that no one else has. I think that's the real Nelle, and it's the reason that I just can't find it in me to care about her. She's not a nice person, and nothing I've seen has assured me that she has turned things around. The very fact that she never told Michael about her fianc speaks volumes.

What's a little false accusation of murder compared to imploding a guy's parents' marriage?

I couldn't help but wonder what Michael would have thought if he'd overheard the exchange between Nelle and Bobbie. Right now, he seems determined to stand by Nelle, no matter what, which indicates to me that he probably shouldn't.

Finally, Anna and Finn are about to embark on an adventure, and I think it's going to be good for them. I don't like seeing Finn moping and pining for a woman who left him and told him that his child was dead when it wasn't. I know Hayden did it because she wanted Finn to move on and forget about her, but that's his child she's carrying, and he's a good guy. He deserves to have a relationship with his child, and I think it's cruel of her to deny him that.

I want Finn to have some fun and to learn to smile. If he and Anna find romance along that way, then I don't have a problem with that. I like both characters. If they remain friends, then that's okay too. One can never have too many friends.

I love when we get glimpses of the memory wall at GH. I always find myself staring at the pictures and loved getting to see Nurse Jesse Brewer, Alan Quartermaine, Steve Hardy, Amy Vining (the only Nurse Amy in my book), Tony Jones, and Rick Webber this week.

I can't believe that Valentin paid for that framed family "tree." It was barely a sprout! He should have gone to soapcentral.com for a more comprehensive one that included him and Charlotte.

Amy needs to leave Nathan alone and to stop lying. Why not just admit to Spinelli that she and Nathan are friends? It's not like Maxie doesn't know what's going on. It's why I remain suspicious of Amy's true intentions.

I'm not sure what made me laugh more, Maxie's idea to write a Better in Bed Than Dead: My Night with a Serial Killer article, her attempt to get Franco to talk about it, or Nathan's reaction to his zany wife's idea. I just love Nathan and Maxie. They are perfection.

The question for me is WHY did Max throw the gun to Sonny instead of shooting the guy himself? -- Kasi Blake

Has Michael told Nelle that he had to kill his adopted stepmother, Claudia, and went to prison for it, or that he killed that goon that threatened him and Rosalie in his apartment? -- Scrimmage

I think the writers don't really know what to do with Valerie or Griffin. -- lk

I don't know what I hate more, the actual Man Landers story or that it was written to try and create sympathy for an unlikable character. Amy has to be one of the most annoying characters ever. Yet she constantly is getting a pass because her brother that no one in town knows was a veteran hurt in combat. She took advantage of Nathan being a nice guy that wants to help those in need. She hated being judged by her looks yet is completely using Nathan for his. That giggle and childish voice is like nails on the chalkboard. -- Jenny

Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts about the show. I love hearing from readers, so please feel free to email me or leave a comment below.

Until next time, 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.