Could it be I'm falling in love?

As Shakespeare observed, ''Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.'' Nik is lying, Ava is lying, Scott is lying, Liz and Franco are lying, Molly is lying, Julian is lying, Carly is lying, and the list gets longer by the day. Whose secrets will be exposed first?

Hello, dear readers, I hope you and yours are doing well despite...2020.

GH proved to be an engaging diversion this week from all the mayhem swirling around us, and for that, I am thankful.

Readers, I've seen enough fake marriages in movies and television to know that one of the main risks one takes when pretending to be in love is actually falling in love. (Ever seen Green Card?) I hoped that Nikolas and Ava's fake marriage would lead them to fall for each other, and with one night of passionate anger sex, it seems that perhaps they have softened to one another.

When Ava and Nik first met, they formed a bond and had mad chemistry, followed by Nikolas (then played by Tyler Christopher) immediately being pushed to what we thought was his death. Fast-forward, and their budding friendship went sideways when Ava chose her pretty face over justice for Nikolas and Spencer. But now, even with a new Nikolas played by the dashing Marcos Coloma, their chemistry still sizzles, and it seems possible that Ava and Nikolas could fall in love and create a real family together. There are many obstacles to overcome, the first of which is that Spencer hates Ava and isn't inclined toward forgiveness.

Next up is the complication that several of Nikolas' exes are still in play, such as the newly appointed Chief of Staff Britt Westborn (whom Spencer adores); Hayden, another former Mrs. Cassadine; and potentially his former sister-in-law/lover Liz. Sure, their kiss was merely a setup by Liz and Franco to draw Ava and Nik's scheme into the open, but perhaps that fake kiss reignited the genuine blaze of their previous affair.

I'm rooting for Ava and Nik; I think they have great potential as a couple, since they both dance the line between sinner and saint and come from ridiculously complicated families. They could understand one another in a way no one else ever could.

One potential couple that I am not especially rooting for right now is Robert and Olivia. I like them as friends, but I don't want their friendship to turn into romance. I don't want it to come between Ned and Olivia. I like Olivia in the Quartermaine family mix, playing stepmom to Brook Lynn, and driving the Q's nuts with her holiday decorations.

Besides, (go ahead and call me an ageist if you want to, but I swear I'm not! I'm AARP-aged myself) but Tristan Rogers is 74, and Lisa Locicero is 50. Don't get me wrong, I have been crushing on Robert Scorpio since the day he first walked on-screen, and he's still an exceptionally handsome and exciting man! I'm crazy about Tristan! Why does it bother me? Because I'm tired of storylines where the older guy gets the younger woman, but the older women never get the younger guys. I mean, Jane Elliot is 73; why can't Tracy date Nikolas Cassadine? Leslie Charleson is 75; why can't she date Dr. Finn? Jackie Zeman is 67; why not give her a shot at Detective Chase? But it's never portrayed that way.

Sure, Ava had a fling with her daughter's boyfriend Morgan, but she's not a senior citizen yet, now, is she? Maybe because I'm getting older, I just want to acknowledge that older women are routinely removed from romance on soaps. We haven't had a magnificent older love affair since Edward and Lila died. I would love to see a mature love story where both parties are the same ripe old age. Yes, we had Mike and Yvonne, but...they both had Alzheimer's, and she was actually married to someone else. Doesn't count.

On the upside, GH is doing a wonderful thing by highlighting osteoporosis through Alexis' storyline. After I saw her diagnosis, I looked up the link Nancy Lee Grahn tweeted and took the pledge to talk to my doctor about it. I always appreciate it when soaps use their platform to educate and inform me through drama. As Shakespeare wrote, "The play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king." Drama is impacting, it makes you think, and its messages stick and cause us to act.

Alexis is having a very rough time of it right now, from losing her career, to having her lover die in the bed they just made love in, to get a devastating health diagnosis, all while not being able to drink. If this doesn't push her off the wagon, nothing will. She did order double vodka, but she hasn't downed it yet. There is still a chance she will dump it out.

Another element of Alexis' storyline that delights me is the fragile friendship that Valentin and Alexis are forming. Valentin listened to her when she needed a nonjudgmental friend and someone who was not one of her children. He escorted her to Neil's memorial, and we found out that Neil's brother is a...(I can't complete that sentence without working blue). His cruel comments to Alexis were warded off by Valentin's defense. I can't decide if the writers are lining them up to become friends or lovers. I mean, they are not technically related by blood, even though Thanksgiving would be very awkward if they hooked up. But I very much like the idea of a warm friendship blossoming between them.

Ned drunkenly punching Valentin in the parking lot with Detective Chase as the witness wasn't the brightest move he's ever made. Olivia may have to bail her hubby out of jail right after landing back in Port Charles. I hope it's not true that Ethan is already heading out. It was beautiful to see Nathan Parsons back in Port Charles, and Robert needs an adventure buddy. Since Luke left town, and Anna and Mac have gone domestic on him, he doesn't have a partner anymore. I miss those adventure storylines; the scenes in Monte Carlo were like classic GH, and they delighted me.

Also, I was rooting for an Ethan and Kristina reunion -- they have a complicated history, and I'd love to see Lexi Ainsworth have the chance to make things right between them as an adult. I recently re-watched Bunheads on Hulu and enjoyed seeing Nathan Parsons as hot surfer dude Godot. Tragically, there is only one season, but if you want to watch a sweet, funny little soap opera about ballet and life and love, check it out.

Across town, Sasha is just giving in to her burgeoning addiction and trying to get doctors to prescribe sleeping pills. Since Sasha is a Deception partner, I would love to see Lucy notice that Sasha is struggling and take her under her wing as a mom. Lucy may not seem like the most maternal person on earth, but she is capable of great love and compassion. (Remember Serena?) That would be a compelling story to me -- seeing Lucy, a previous town pariah, mentoring Sasha.

Of course, Sasha didn't really do anything wrong other than telling a lie, but everyone thinks she did. Chase wants to come clean to Willow now that Nelle is dead, but Sasha is advising him to stay quiet. Why? If they only did what they did to protect Wiley from a psychopath, and she is (supposedly) dead, by all means, tell Michael and Willow the truth, and let them decide how they want to proceed. What do you think, readers? Would Willow stay married to Michael for Wiley's sake, or would she run back into the arms of the man she adores? Time will tell.

Here's a story I'm excited about -- Lulu's pitch to Peter to involve the national media to expose Cyrus. If GH is as genius as I hope they are, they should be in talks with Demi Moore right now about bringing back ace reporter Jackie Templeton. Don't you think she must surely be a national news anchor by now? What a fun storyline that could be.

Like many of the people of Port Charles, I grieved the death of Mike Corbin last week. My fellow Two Scooper, Liz, and I discussed that those scenes were challenging for us to watch, since we have both experienced watching a parent die. The butterfly thing sent me into heaving sobs because when my Mama was dying of breast cancer, she told me that I would know she was thinking of me from heaven anytime I saw a butterfly. When she died, and we called the hospice, the person who came from hospice had a giant sparkly butterfly on the front of her shirt -- it was like Mama saying, "I'm here." So, when Mike died, and the butterfly flitted into the scene, I was grabbing fistfuls of tissues. I just wanted to say again how beautifully that entire storyline was written and acted out.

This week's comic relief was the Liz, Franco, and Scotty scheme to blackmail Ava and Nikolas and trap them in their own spider web. My concern is that Ava and Nikolas are both the sort to have Scotty murdered rather than pay up, so I hope their shenanigans don't have a tragic ending. But the comic relief I am really hankering for is Dr. Obrecht. Will someone please catch Peter and bust Dr. O out of Steinmauer already?

We have not yet seen the current director of the WSB, who is pulling all the strings here. Who could it be? My husband, who pretends he doesn't watch GH, has decided that Jerry Jacks is now the head of the WSB. I keep thinking of what evil villain has wormed their way in, maybe Anna's sister Alex? I just know that whoever it is does not seem like an honorable person. What's your guess? Do you think the WSB is involved in keeping Holly hostage? And now that everyone who cares for her believes she is dead, who will know to look for her?

I am trying to decide how the little clues from Nelle's death will play out. Avery found Nelle's half heart necklace. Will Jax see it at Carly's house and tell Nina? Jax knows Carly and Nelle's truth, so will he have to choose between his loyalty to Carly and his loyalty to Nina? Or, if our B theory is correct, will Willow see the heart necklace at Sonny's house and say, "Hey, who found my heart necklace?" I have never fully decided if that necklace belonged to Nelle or if Nelle stole it from Willow in some jealous rage. Who do you think Nina's daughter will be?

Now that Nelle is dead and Julian knows that Nelle left evidence against him, do you think Julian is behind Martin being jumped as we saw in the previews at the end of Fridays' episode? If Martin does his duty and delivers that envelope to Sonny that says Julian knew about Wiley before Brad was busted, there will be hell to pay. Do you think Ava has earned enough goodwill with Sonny to beg him for her brother's life? Probably not, because Sonny is hurt and grieving right now, and a little revenge might be too tempting for him to resist.

Of course, Sonny and his family have secrets of their own. Now that Jax, Sonny, and Jason all know Carly's secret about Nelle's fall, they might be a little too preoccupied to seek revenge on Julian. I understand her thought process. After all, Carly did a long stint in a mental hospital when people thought she pushed Nelle down the stairs and killed her baby. No one would believe that it was an accident that Nelle fell off a cliff.

What will happen tomorrow, dear readers? Will Bobbie find a hot new love interest now that she has dumped Scott for like the eleventh time? Will Molly be able to hang out with her two lovers, T.J. and Brando, without giving anything away? Will Joss and Trina kiss Cam or Dev at homecoming, or maybe both? Will I ever decide if Brando is a good guy or not? (Something tells me that he is why they are sending Dante home. Just a hunch.) Will Nina and Ava teach a Zoom seminar on how to become BFFs with a woman who tried to steal your baby out of your body? Will Brook Lynn realize that if she can talk perfectly fine that she can probably sing, too? Will Brook make up with Ned and move home before she accidentally sleeps with Chase? Will Ned have to join A.A. with Alexis?

Only tomorrow knows, dear readers, and I will tune in tomorrow as long as there are tomorrows.Tamilu

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