The tell-tale heart pendant

Nelle's necklace made its rounds as secrets bubbled to the surface, Sonny's demons caught up with him, and Dante became Alexis' rock-bottom. Fear not, Ms. Masters is here to guide you through all the soapy drama.

Folks, I've tried to keep an open mind and give Sonny's amnesia storyline a chance, but we are two weeks in, and I still don't see the point of all of this.

Initially, I thought Sonny's amnesia would be a vehicle for an unsuspecting Sonny to unwittingly fall into Cyrus' clutches just in time for Cyrus to use Sonny as a bartering chip to get his mama -- and Sonny's empire -- from Jason and Carly. However, Sonny doesn't even appear to be anywhere near this realm or universe, much less in Cyrus' orbit.

I am by no means an expert on organized crime, but even here in southern Ohio, I knew who New York mob boss John Gotti was. I certainly wouldn't have had any trouble recognizing the Teflon Don if he had turned up in my tiny off-the-beaten path town after being presumed dead. Wherever Sonny landed, no one, not even the two police officers that he's had encounters with, has recognized him. Sonny is supposed to be an infamous mob boss whose organization spans the entire eastern seaboard and part of Puerto Rico. It's completely unrealistic to me that not one person has said, "Hey, Mike here looks a lot like that Sonny mobster, don't cha think?"

Are we really expected to believe that no one in Phyllis and Lenny's neck of the woods has gotten on MSN.com and seen the news reports out of Port Charles about Sonny's disappearance and presumed death? What about World News Tonight?

I was hoping for something new and different. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing but empathy for Sonny's struggle with bipolar, and I give kudos to the writers for acknowledging that Sonny's illness would impact him regardless of whether he had his memories or not, but this story isn't pulling me in. There's no "hook," especially now that Phyllis has managed to persuade Sonny to take his lithium.

If it was a way of introducing Phyllis and Lenny to the canvas and to give them a connection to Port Charles, the writers should have stuck with Phyllis and Nina's relationship. I would have preferred that Phyllis was back to deliver another twist in the saga of the half heart pendant that would somehow undo Nelle as Nina's daughter. I still hope that happens, but it seems unlikely, since the story right now revolves around Sonny.

Regardless, here's hoping that Phyllis takes a job at General Hospital when all is said and done. I like her, and a change of scenery might cheer Lenny up. Maybe he could buy Charlie's Pub and work on his people skills. Phyllis is too nice to have such a grouchy husband.

While Sonny is on hiatus living as "Mike," Carly is trying to get on with her life as a mob widow.

I adore Josslyn, and I totally get that she wants to be supportive of her mother. Josslyn loves her mom, and she sees Carly through the rose-colored lenses of a cherished daughter who has always idolized her mom -- even when they were at odds. Josslyn does not have an objective nor a complete view of her mother. It's for that reason that I don't blame Josslyn for believing that Avery is better off with Carly than with Ava.

For good reason, Josslyn will always see Ava as the woman who killed Morgan, and that's not going to change until -- not if -- Morgan returns. It's also true that Ava killed Kate Howard/Connie Falconeri, but at the time, Ava was her brother's partner in the Jerome organization.

Like it or not, it's the nature of the beast when you are in organized crime. Innocent people get caught in the crossfire all the time. Just ask Lily Rivera, Kristina Davis, and even Michael. Ava and Julian were no different than Sonny and Jason. There have been plenty of times that Jason has killed in the name of protecting Sonny. I'm not defending Ava, I'm just pointing out that no one's hands are clean.

Once Sonny's veil of forgetfulness lifts, he will be right back in the driver's seat, running his criminal empire. It's what he knows and what he does best.

Then there's Carly. Not only has Carly provoked Sonny's most dangerous enemy by kidnapping an innocent and bedridden woman to use as a pawn, but she also lied to the police about the circumstances of Nelle's last moments despite the fact that there was no reason to lie. Carly was not obligated to risk her own life to save another. No one is, but Carly chose to lie, and that coverup will cost her.

Unlike Sonny and Carly, Ava has cut ties with the world of organized crime, and she is genuinely making an effort to be a better person. I think Avery is most definitely better off with Ava and Nikolas than she is with Carly, especially right now. Carly has trouble coming at her from all sides.

Jax might hope that coming clean to Nina will mitigate some of the damage his lies created, but it won't. It's too little, too late. Nina didn't love Jax the way she did Valentin, so she might not be as harsh on him for lying to her as she was with Valentin, but I have no doubt that when Nina walks out of Metro Court Restaurant, she and Jax will no longer be a couple -- and Carly will be squarely in Nina's sights as she starts to put all the pieces together, including Nelle's final moments.

That brings me to Jax's knee-jerk reaction to protect Carly from any given situation that might not reflect well on her. He claims that he does so because she's Josslyn's mother, but I don't buy it. That unhealthy pattern started long before Josslyn was conceived. In fact, Jax is one of many of Carly's enablers through the years, the chief of which is Jason. I've never understood it because Carly is such a self-destructive force who often pulls others down with her, often including her hapless admirers and sycophants.

Jax should have known better. Carly is her own worst enemy, impulsive, and paranoid. That combination nearly always ends in disaster. Carly's lies always catch up with her, so he should have been honest from the start. Failing that, he should have told Nina the truth the moment that Carly figured out that Nelle was Nina's daughter. Yes, Nina would have asked questions, but the truth would have sufficed. There was no reason to cover anything up because Nelle was a victim of her own folly rather than Carly's inaction.

I hate that Jax is going to pay a higher price than Carly for lying. Even if Jax doesn't tell Nina about Carly's encounter with Nelle at the edge of the cliff, Valentin saw firsthand how shady Carly was acting during Sasha's interview. He knows there's more to the story than meets the eye, and he won't rest until he ferrets out every little detail -- if for no other reason than to make certain that Jax isn't hiding anything from Nina. Ironic, I know.

It's no wonder that Nina has trust issues. It seems like everyone, at one time or another, ends up lying to her. That said, I hope Michael and Willow are smart enough to rip up those annulment papers because Nina is going to find a way to justify suing for custody of her grandson. I think the temptation of raising her grandson will be too great to resist.

Meanwhile, Britt is dealing with her own family drama as it's becoming painfully clear that her darling brother Peter is a chip off the old Faison block. Jason is advising Britt to stay on Peter's good side for her own safety, but Peter is only part of Britt's problem. There's also the issue of Cyrus, and the danger that he poses to the hospital and the general population of Port Charles.

Folks, I like the chemistry between Jason and Britt. Britt isn't easily intimidated, and she's been known to spend time on the dark side. I think she would be a great match for Jason, and even though I don't see them settling down and raising a passel of kids, I do think she could be good for Jason as he tries to move on from Sam.

I would also like to see Sam move on because enough is enough. The longing glances, miserable expressions, and awkward conversations make both Jason and Sam look weak. They had plenty of time to make things work, but they didn't. Sam has decided that she is not willing to risk her children's lives to the danger that Jason's lifestyle poses. It's time for both of them to spread their wings.

That said, Sam's options are slim. There's Dante, but I'm not sure how I would feel about Sam getting romantically involved with her ex-lover's son. First, Dante needs to recover from a near-lethal dose of lidocaine, compliments of Alexis who appears to have finally hit her rock-bottom.

I'm glad that Dante will be okay, but it should never have happened. Like, seriously, who the heck left a syringe filled with lidocaine unattended in a hospital room?

It wasn't hard to see where things were going when Alexis stepped into that examination room and pulled out her flask while Franco, Liz, and Sam argued nearby in the hallway. However, I was still a bit startled by the ferocity when Alexis grabbed that syringe then ran screaming like a banshee toward Franco. If Alexis has any doubt about the negative effects of alcohol, I hope Sam shows her mother the security footage of the moment that Alexis jabbed that needle into Dante.

Alexis is lucky that it was Dante rather than someone smaller like Sam or Liz, who might not have survived being injected with that heavy dose. Also, Dante isn't the vindictive type, so he is more likely to be open to working out a deal that would spare Alexis jail time in exchange for going to rehab. At least that is my hope.

I want Alexis to start her recovery, to get better, and to focus on fixing herself. It's time. She has so much to live for -- children, grandchildren, extended family, and great friends. I want her story to be an inspiration.

I think we need more of that in our lives, especially in these turbulent times.

Perhaps I'm paranoid, but I couldn't help but question Britt's shaking hand. Was it a simple case of nerves or is something else afoot? Given her past and who her parents are, she's not exactly the nervous type.

I loved Martin and Alexis' interaction. I want him to find a way to get her law license reinstated. It's soap opera. She can get a censure, and together, Martin and Alexis can open a law firm with Diane. Please, make this happen!

Did Carly honestly think that she could stop a live interview on national TV to snatch the necklace from Sasha's neck and not arouse suspicion? This is exactly what Jax was referring to when he advised Carly not to draw attention to the very thing that she is trying to keep a secret.

Does anyone remember Kristina? Has anyone mentioned her since it was Thanksgiving, Christmas, her boss, Julian (& mother's ex-husband) died, her mother's drinkingand oh yeah, HER FATHER "DIED?" Any mention of her & I just missed it? -- Lucky Lady

I would love for Sonny err "Mike" to keep his silver strands for when he returns to PC. He looks good with it. -- Nona

At least Julian got a prolonged exit storyline, and a dramatic death scene. Poor Dr Neil never did ANYTHING to deserve the harsh way he was written out of the show. TPTB went out of their way to trash his character AFTER he was killed off, and the actor had already departed the show! How petty and vindictive was THAT? -- Scrimmage

I love hearing from readers, so please feel free to leave a comment below or email me. Take care and happy viewing,Liz Masters

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