Peter in chains, and bedlam at the asylum

Peter languishes in a cabin, desperate for a way out, while Carly faces a similar struggle at Ferncliff, thanks to Nelle. The inmates have seized control, but is it too late to turn things around and avert disaster?

Folks, it's been a rough news week. As a first-generation American on my dad's side, and a third-generation American on my mom's side, who lived in Europe as a child immigrant, our country's current immigrant crisis hits very close to home. I know what it's like to be a child in a strange land, where everyone speaks another language and life is different. It happened twice to me: once when I was a toddler and again a decade later.

Under the best of circumstances, it can be scary, overwhelming, and confusing. My heart broke for the children who, through no fault of their own, ended up in the middle of a great big mess. I don't have a magic solution, but I do know that children tend to fare much better in times of crisis when left with their loved ones. And that's all I'm going to say about that.

This week, General Hospital was a much-needed escape from all the craziness of the world, even though mental health and sexual harassment dominated our stories.

David Bensch finally realized that he might have a bigger problem on his hands with Kiki than he first realized, so he reached out to Alexis in the hopes of retaining legal counsel. Too bad for him, Alexis took Kiki's case, and, worse, she believes Kiki's claims. I hope Alexis eviscerates David and chases him out of town with his tail tucked between his legs. I'm sad that it doesn't look like James DePaiva will be sticking around long-term, but I need a good villain to hate right now. I find it therapeutic, especially these days.

Not surprisingly, Kiki wasn't the only person that David has harassed. I said as much in my column Your lying eyes. He's just too confident in his bold intimidation tactics, which suggests that it had worked for him in the past. Francesca, the nurse that Michael went on a date with a few months ago, stepped forward when she overheard Kiki, Alexis, and Lulu discussing David's lecherous behavior and the hope that one of his past victims would speak up.

I liked Francesca from the start, and I totally respected her for bowing out of a second date with Michael because she wasn't interested in his baby-mama drama, so I'm happy to see her return and be involved in a juicy story.

Let me be clear, I hate what Bensch did, but this story is relevant and, if done right, can perhaps help someone who might find themselves in similar real-life circumstances. I'd much rather see stories about real-life issues, even if it's ugly -- provided that it's handled responsibly -- than fantastical things like dead people being defrosted, transplanting memories, and mind-control games. If I want to watch science fiction, then I'll go see Jurassic World.

I watch GH for the human drama, and these days, there's plenty of it.

One of my favorite developments in recent weeks was the revelation that Chase and Nelle have history together. Very interesting history.

It turns out that Nelle seduced the gullible detective back when Chase was investigating the suspicious death of her fianc, Zach Grant. Nelle did what she did best, play the victim, and cried her way out of a murder charge. Shortly after that, she met Chase at a seedy (and suspiciously familiar-looking) motel, hopped in the sack with him, then called to anonymously report him for inappropriate behavior, which resulted in Chase being booted off the force.

Chase has a score to settle because not only does he know that Nelle was responsible for his downfall, but he's also certain that she murdered Zach. Frankly, I am, too. A woman who is willing to throw herself down a flight of stairs and risk her unborn child's life wouldn't have any qualms about offing a fianc who was ready to break things off. I can't wait to see what Chase and Michael uncover about Nelle's time in a sanitarium. Until then, I will be content watching Chase rattle Nelle's confidence while Michael slowly collects evidence against her.

I'm thrilled that Michael is working to take Nelle down, but I suspect that this story is about to take a very dark turn.

With news that Dominic Zamprogna is exiting the show, a part of me fears that Dante might become a casualty of Nelle's inevitable downfall. There's always a possibility that the powers that be intend to recast Dante like they did Lulu when Julie Marie Berman left, but I haven't heard anything about a new face being spotted around the set except for John Stamos. I love John, but he's a bit too old to pass as Olivia's son.

I also can't see Dante leaving town, even if his marriage were to suddenly fall spectacularly apart. Not only would Dante not leave Rocco behind, but it's highly unlikely that Dante would walk away from his mother and baby brother, too. There's too much tying him to town, including a father and several other siblings.

If Nelle does end up costing Dante his life, then she's doomed. There's no coming back from that, even if she was off-her-rocker loony, which she isn't. Far from it, because Nelle has been shown to be fully aware of her actions and the difference between right and wrong. She might be a sociopath, and homicidal, but she's not having any delusions or hearing voices in her head. She's in control of her faculties and her actions, so if anyone dies because of one of her plots, then it will be murder.

I hate the idea of Dante dying, but his death would have ripple effects and possibly lead to a true reconciliation between Maxie and Lulu. I could see Maxie helping Lulu through the loss, and in return, Lulu helping Maxie to forgive and move on from her own loss -- but not with Peter.

I'm hoping the writers decide to explore things between Michael and Maxie when the time is right, especially since both Michael and Maxie will soon have a lot more in common between them. I like the idea of Maxie helping stuff-shirt Michael loosen up, and Michael giving Maxie the stability that she craves. Plus, Michael's child is going to need a mother figure, while sweet baby James could use a good father figure to help guide him as he grows. I couldn't think of a better person for that role than Michael.

Peter might be a good fit for Lulu down the road, and the new assistant district attorney, Margaux Dawson, portrayed by the ageless Elizabeth Hendrickson, for the short term.

I remember Elizabeth from her days on All My Children when she played identical twin sisters, Maggie and Frankie Stone, so I love that she's on GH and has hit the ground running. Elizabeth hasn't disappointed, but I am a bit annoyed that Margaux didn't see through Nelle's act, especially after that awful performance on the witness stand that culminated in a perfectly timed swoon. Nelle was about as subtle as an anvil dropping on a glass floor.

I don't know what the plans are for Dante, but mayhem seems to be reigning supreme these days, so nothing would surprise me at this point.

Whatever happens, I hope Michael gets to keep his baby. He was a wonderful father to Avery for the short time that he had her, and I absolutely love the idea of another Quartermaine on the show. I look forward to seeing Edward and Lila's great-great-grandchild running around the mansion and having a fifth-generation character on the show. That's pretty darn remarkable.

Meanwhile, Carly's luck is looking up now that Jason is working undercover at Ferncliff as a janitor and Kevin Collins has been assigned to her case. Unfortunately, neither man feels like reporting Mary Pat's completely unethical and quite likely illegal conduct to her superiors or the authorities. I get Jason not doing it because he's the one you call when you need rescuing, but I was disappointed that Kevin kept quiet. I had expected more of him, since he had no problem pulling rank on Mary Pat over Carly's medication.

Then again, I think something is up with Kevin. It started around the time Laura left for Paris and he harvested Faison's brain for testing. Since then, he's seemed distracted, and an odd expression would occasionally cross his face. I can't quite put my finger on what is different, but his behavior at Ferncliff seems a bit off, too.

In a possibly related twist, Mike recognized a picture of Charlie Delany, the original owner of Charlie's Pub, which Julian had hanging by the entrance. Mike sensed that he knew Charlie long ago, back when Sonny was a teenager and burying bodies in Croton. Mike couldn't hold onto the memory because Sonny remains as clueless as ever on how to actually deal with his father's illness beyond leading Mike around like a little puppy. Bravo to Mike for calling Sonny out on it, too. It was one of my favorite moments.

What made the scene so fascinating, though, was what happened after Sonny called Max to ask him to dig into Charlie's background. The scene cut to Carly sitting in her room at Ferncliff and Jason dutifully mopping the floor outside her room when they each suddenly heard a strange noise coming from the room next to Carly's. Jason was about to investigate, but Kevin suddenly appeared and stopped him.

Is Charlie in that room? Is he linked to Sonny's missing body? Could this have something to do with Kevin's odd behavior? The plot thickens, and I love that we have a mystery unfolding at Ferncliff. I think I'm going to enjoy Kevin, Jason, and Carly's summer adventure.

Also this week, Sarah reached out Elizabeth to congratulate her little sis on Liz's engagement to Franco. Liz was surprised to hear from her sister until she realized that Franco had let Sarah know about the wedding. Not surprisingly, Liz wasn't too mad because it's not like Liz and Sarah are on bad terms anymore. They left those days behind them when Sarah left town after realizing that she couldn't seduce Lucky away from Liz and keep his attention.

I'm not sure when Sarah and Liz made peace, but I do recall Liz visiting her sister on a few occasions and sending the boys to spend time with their aunt, exploring zoos and beaches. What I want to know is who was that mystery woman reading Sarah's "Myface" page and liking the post about Liz's engagement.? Was it their mother? Hayden?

My guess is that it was Hayden, mainly because Finn and Anna are blissfully happy right now, which is usually an indication that things are about to go south really quickly. Finn knows about Peter, so all of Anna's secrets are out. That leaves Finn's past, and the most explosive thing in his past is Hayden's little bombshell that she didn't lose their baby. I really hope the mystery woman was Hayden because I'm ready for Finn to learn the truth and at the very least have an opportunity to meet his child and develop a relationship. What Hayden did to Finn was unbelievably cruel, and it's time for her to make things right. Finn isn't a monster; he's one of the good guys.

Finally, Julian spent the weekend camping with Kim, being eaten alive by bugs and terrorized by rattlesnakes, but he persevered thanks to Kim's bottle of magic oil. I think it's safe to say that Julian is not a fan of roughing it in the woods, but the scenes were enjoyable, especially when Liesl joined the party and explained away Peter's cries for help as part of her therapy group. Kim didn't buy the story, but Julian insisted that it was par for the course with Liesl.

True, but Liesl is also a "retired" supervillain, so anytime one hears screaming in her vicinity, one should check it out.

I wished that Kim had burst into the cabin because it's time for Peter and Anna to have a real reunion and start working on their relationship. I get that Liesl is in pain, not only because she lost her beloved son, but because his father -- the love of her life -- murdered him then was murdered himself. How do you even begin to recover from mortal blows like that? You don't. You go into a tailspin of profound grief and unquenchable rage for a short time until your niece saves you from yourself.

We are now entering week three of Peter's abduction storyline, and I'm getting tired of hearing him beg for his life while Liesl and Nina take turns snarling their anger at him. Everyone keeps going round and round in circles, and the story isn't making any headway, so it's pointless for it to continue to drag out. It's not like Liesl is actually going to follow through with her threat to kill Peter. I don't think that anyone actually believes that the writers will go there (watch them do just that on Monday), which means that it's time to wrap things up in the cabin. I would much rather see Oma bonding with her enkelkind and Nina picking up the pieces of her life.

I'm not sure where Nina and Valentin are headed, because at the beginning of the week, I was certain that Nina had halfway forgiven him when she agreed to give him thirty days to win her back. By the end of Friday's show, I was equally certain that she is finally and truly done with him, despite his efforts to recreate their romantic night in Morocco. I believed Nina when she explained that love and trust were intertwined with her, and she could never love Valentin again after he had repeatedly broken her trust.

When exactly is enough, enough?

Hmm, Peter is days into his captivity and hasn't used the facilities to freshen up, even after a bloody encounter with a shard of glass, a fever that left him drenched in sweat, and several terrifying minutes with a rattlesnake. It's nothing short of a miracle that his clothes remain clean and barely rumpled.

I'm surprised that Jason doesn't simply make Mary Pat and her henchman disappear. He's a mob enforcer. It's kind of his thing.

I'm not sure what Kevin's goal is by putting Alexis and Julian through couples therapy to work out their issues, but he had to see the way that Alexis practically melted into a puddle at Julian's feet when Julian confessed that she had been his redemption. If Robbie the robot had been in that room, he would have started spinning in circles, flailing his short robot arms and yelling, "Danger, Will Robinson! Danger!"

I know I am in the minority, but I am TeamNelle all the way. Normally I would hate a character like that, but given the fact that she is targeting Carly, I am loving it! Of course, Carly (who is one of the more vulgar and despicable characters in the show's history) will eventually win out but in the meantime, I am glad she knows how other innocent people feel when they are railroaded by her and her criminal husband. It could not happen to a more deserving person. -- Eileen

No one from the PCPD asked the shower guests if anyone went upstairs after Nelle fell. Do they lack curiosity or have a competence problem, or both? Jason will somehow find out that Ava went upstairs and that will lead him to the blankie, and thus save Carly -- again. -- izzy

The fact that Comish is hiring an outside PI firm to find the prisoner that escaped from PCPD custody is PROOF that she has no faith whatsoever in her own Police Department. That should be enough to get her fired, or at the very least, force her to resign, even if the cops find Heiny before Curtis does. Paying her fianc with the city's money is unethical at best, and probably illegal. It probably won't endear her to her own cops, like Dante and Chase, either. -- Scrimmage

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

Take care and happy viewing,Liz Masters

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