Tangled webs of deception

Secrets, lies, and deception fueled several storylines this week, but are things headed in the right direction? Exciting twists and turns are fun, but sometimes they just leave everyone in a tangled mess. Luckily, Ms. Masters is here to unravel it all.

Nina left town to seek clarity, but instead, she found Sonny at the Tan-O. What a delightful development.

Just minutes earlier, Sonny had been dreaming of Carly in silhouette, while downstairs, Phyllis happily greeted Nina. I'm certain that I wasn't the only one who noticed the uncanny resemblance between Nina and Carly from the back, thanks in no small part to a remarkably similar hairstyle. Do Carly and Nina go to the same hair stylist at Metro Court? Oh, the stories that person can tell.

Back at the Tan-O, Nina picked her jaw up off the floor, swallowed her pride -- and considerable distaste for Carly -- to call her nemesis with the stunning news that Sonny was alive. Of course, Carly is her own worst enemy, so she promptly shut Nina down and issued nasty threats if Nina didn't stay far, far away from Wiley. Naturally, Nina decided to let Carly continue to stew in her misery.

Folks, I can't blame Nina for that act of spitefulness. Carly was a complete witch, and she had no right speaking for Michael or threatening to sic Diane on Nina. Nina was wrong to tell Wiley about Nelle. It was a knee-jerk reaction to feeling like her only child was being erased from Wiley's life, which in turn rendered Nina insignificant to her only grandchild. We all know that Carly would have done the very same thing if their roles had been reversed, so Carly needs to butt out because she's not acting in Wiley's best interests, either.

Carly is a bully, and bullies don't deserve consideration, especially from their victims.

Nina is grieving, and she wants to have a relationship with the only link to her only child. Carly is being vindictive. Nina didn't do anything wrong when she went to the authorities about Carly and Jax's conversation any more than Carly was wrong for hesitating to rush to Nelle's aid. Carly did give a false statement to the police, which is a crime. Instead of being a magnanimous winner, since Jax backed Carly's version of events and the federal authorities closed the case, Carly is being a selfish shrew and making matters far worse than they have to be.

It's baffling to me why Carly keeps pushing Jax to work things out with Nina when she is working just as hard to keep Nina away from Wiley. Frankly, that's a pretty lousy position to put Jax in, and a recipe for disaster, because Nina won't put up with Jax always siding with Carly, especially when it comes to Wiley.

What happens next between Nina and "Mike" remains to be seen. Nina has decided to stay a few extra days to mull things over, while Sonny does what he does best. He's flashing those dimples and turning on the charm, which has broken many a heart. Will Nina be able to resist Sonny on a mission or will she fall into his arms -- and his bed -- just in time for Jax to track her down?

To be honest, I don't want a romance to blossom between Sonny and Nina. It would be wrong on so many levels, the least of which is that Sonny is vulnerable because of his memory loss. In his real life, he would never look twice at Nina. There's spite, and then there's malice.

I didn't like Kim seducing Franco when he believed that he was Drew because she knew that, but for the memory transplant, which had been done under duress, Franco wouldn't have slept with her. He was in love with Liz, and they had built a life together that included three children. Like Franco, Sonny loves his wife. His memory loss was a result of head trauma, not by design.

Nina would be the last person Sonny would ever get romantically involved with. She kidnapped Ava and ripped his daughter out of Ava's womb. Avery could have died during the procedure or during the harrowing days that followed when a deranged Nina fled with the newborn.

While I have no desire to watch a doomed relationship develop between Nina and Sonny, I wouldn't mind seeing Carly get a nice little dose of karma. Like I said, Carly is a bully, and it would be rather interesting to see "Mike" show up in Port Charles and be horrified by the life that Sonny led and the people in his orbit.

Meanwhile, Brook Lynn has returned to her family fold, and she's sporting an exceptionally large baby bump for someone who got pregnant in mid-October and is only five months along. Is she carrying triplets? If so, Charlotte is going to be super unhappy when the Quartermaine-Cassadine trio enters the world.

By comparison, Maxie's pregnancy feels like it has dragged on far longer than the seven months it has. I blame Peter for that. He's been exhausting to watch as he pretended to be the man of Maxie's dreams, while in reality, he was just Levi Dunkleman 2.0.

I couldn't be happy for Maxie, knowing what I did about Peter, and I dreaded her being tied to such a diabolical person. I'm overjoyed that Maxie has finally seen the light, has changed her locks, and is making plans to keep Peter far away from her and her children, but there are some red flags that I can't ignore. It's not just Peter's rapidly fading veneer of civility or his relentless pursuit of Maxie that has me concerned about what the future entails, but also Brook Lynn's plans for Valentin.

Peter has an axe to grind with Valentin because not only did Valentin dump baby Henrik with Faison, but Valentin also recently betrayed Peter by exposing all of his secrets.

What will Peter's reaction be to the news of Valentin's impending fatherhood? More importantly, will Brook Lynn's plan to use her child to secure control of ELQ collide with Maxie's plan to keep Peter out of their daughter's life? Of course, it will. It's a collision course made in ratings heaven.

I'd love to see Valentin get a taste of his own medicine and walk a day in Lulu's shoes when she learned of Charlotte's existence, but at the same time, I don't like the idea of a child being used as a pawn in a battle of wills between parents nor for Charlotte to suffer any more than she already has. That child's life has gone through enough upheaval between Valentin and Nina's countless breakups, Dante's vanishing act, and Lulu's coma.

Ideally, Brook Lynn and Valentin flip the script and do the right thing for their child without playing games. Not every relationship has to be romantic, even when there's a baby in the picture. Also, I'd rather see Valentin and Anna explore a relationship now that she's single than Valentin try to make a family with Brook Lynn. I'm not even sure how I feel about Valentin and Brook Lynn now that Amanda Setton is back in the role.

I think I prefer Amanda's Brook Lynn with Chase rather than Valentin. That scene in the Quartermaine living room when Brook Lynn messed with Chase's head was hilarious.

I doubt that it would take much to stir the embers of Valentin's old obsession for Anna, but that also concerns me. I want Anna to have passion in her life, not another stalker. For Valentin, love and obsession are almost synonymous, and that's when he is at his most dangerous. That's fine if he's focused on a task like taking down Peter, but entirely different if he's trying to control what his lover knows and doesn't know. Then again, Anna understands that side of Valentin because she's moved in the same circles as he has during her work as a WSB spy.

I fully expect Peter to continue to embrace his dark side, but it can't continue forever because he did murder Franco and Drew. Valentin is not going to let Peter pose a threat to Charlotte or the child that Brook Lynn carries, and Jason is not going to stop until he can prove that Peter is Franco's killer. Not only is it the only way for Jason to clear his name, but Peter needs to pay for orchestrating Jason and Drew's kidnappings.

As Peter's desperation ramps up, it's only a matter of time before he starts plotting alternate ways to be a part of Maxie and their daughter's lives. With two babies slated to be born on the horizon, I have a sinking feeling that Peter's most heinous act is yet to be carried out. I hope I'm wrong, but on a soap opera, it's all about the drama and unexpected twists.

Peter's downfall feels almost assured. Valentin and Anna have discussed their options, and Britt is working with Sam, Jason, and Maxie to safeguard her niece from a man who seems determined to follow in their father's footsteps. The walls are definitely closing in on Peter.

As for Britt, she has the added worry of terrible hand tremors that might to be a sign that she inherited Huntington's disease from Faison. However, it could also be an indication of Parkinson's, a damaged nerve, or a dozen other benign things. I like Britt a lot, so I don't want her going anywhere except maybe on a date with Jason.

Sam is slowly moving on with Dante, so it's only fair that Jason gets to do the same with a lady of his choosing. As Britt has repeatedly reminded Jason, she was raised by Liesl Obrecht, and she has spent time on the run with her evil father. There's little that can ruffle Britt's feathers, and Jason's lifestyle isn't even in the top ten. I think Britt is a good match for Jason, and I like their chemistry.

I'm still on the fence about Sam and Dante, mainly because Sam not only had an affair with his father a million years ago, but she also had Sonny's daughter. Imagine trying to explain that twisted connection to Rocco during the family Easter egg hunt.

In my heart, I'm still a Sam and Drew fan. I still believe that he's out there and that he will return to Port Charles. I'd love to see Sam and Drew get a second chance, because when he lived as Jason Morgan, he put Sam and the children first. Drew's Jason walked away from the mob as well as from Sonny and Carly. That's what a devoted husband and loving father should do.

In other couples news, Willow is torn between two lovers (her ex-husband and her ex-fianc), while Michael wants to reconnect with Sasha if he could just get Willow off his mind. It's a good thing that Sasha is in a much better place than she was the last time things ended with Michael. She's focused on her sobriety, and Brando is lurking in the wings, ready to sweep Sasha off her feet if Michael doesn't.

The only person who seems to know what he wants is Chase, but his entire world was turned upside down when he learned that Finn, his elder brother, was, in fact, his biological father. As a result, Chase has no idea how to act with Finn, so he's running to Willow every five minutes for advice. She is happy to give it to him between phone calls to Michael about Wiley's various favorite stuffed animals.

I get that it's a lot to deal with, but it's not like Chase is twelve. He's a grown man; all three are. Gregory and Finn will work through their issues because they love each other as much as Chase and Gregory do. It's the love that matters, not the labels that they put on relationships. For Violet's sake, Chase needs to pull up his big boy britches and focus on the fact that he hasn't lost anything. They were all family before, and they will continue to be moving forward.

Curtis is moving forward, too. He's working on opening his nightclub and hanging out with Portia and Trina. It was really nice to see Trina clear the air with Curtis and for Trina to help Cameron deal with his overwhelming grief over losing Franco, even if it was only for a short while.

Curtis and Portia have history, and there's undeniable chemistry between them, but I'm leery. I don't want to get invested in them if the writers pull a paternity switch on us like they did with Chase. Portia is better than that, and if a romance is in the making for them, I would rather it be built on the truth, not lies. We need romances that we can root for and live vicariously through. Curtis and Portia have tremendous potential to be that couple if the writers don't muck things up with unnecessary bombshells.

On a side note, I'm really excited to see Curtis' nightclub take off. I expect plenty of dancing and hanging out once the actors are no longer hindered with COVID-19 restrictions. I also want lots of love scenes and steamy kisses.

Finally, my heart breaks for Cameron, and I can't help but wonder where the heck Lucky is. If Jonathan Jackson isn't available, recast the role (but not with Roger Howarth) and bring Lucky home for a short visit to console his sons. If nothing else, it will give Cameron an opportunity to work though some pent-up anger over losing Franco by holding Lucky accountable for his abandonment. It's the least that Lucky could do.

William Lipton has been absolutely incredible these past few weeks. Each of his scenes has been Emmy worthy, and I can't wait to see where the writers take Cam. With such a gifted young actor in the role, the sky is the limit.

Why has no one told Liz or Cameron that Peter likely shot Franco? At this point, almost everyone else knows except those who loved Franco most. That includes Jason's own son Jake!

I loved Laura telling Martin about her sister Amy Vining, but as much as I enjoyed Amy, she wasn't exactly a saint. Amy was a terrible gossip who had stirred up quite a bit of trouble in her day.

Isn't Robert the district attorney? Why didn't Jason reach out to Robert to find out the identity of the mystery witness that saw Jason dispose of the murder weapon? If anyone would be eager to help Jason take Peter down, it's Robert.

How long before Heather Webber breaks out to avenge her son's murder? I'd love to see Heather take Peter down. Hell hath no fury like Heather on the warpath.

I was not surprised that they made Finn into Chase's father since it is a soap staple. Much older sibling turns out to be the parent of the younger sibling. I think they have made a mistake in this case. I don't know where the writers go with this mainly because Jackie and Gregory are just not very interesting, and Chase and Finn as brothers was going great. -- JDF

I almost hate myself for this because of course there is nothing to like about Peter, but I did kind of enjoy it when he was giving it to Anna. She has played with other people's lives. I would not say as bad as his dad, but Peter made some good points. -- Mary Keeley

I always look forward to the photo collages at the top of the Two Scoops page. They are always well done, and very clever, but this week's [The column for March 15, 2021] incredibly on point "Art Gallery" theme, featuring Franco's death, is absolutely FANTASTIC! It's one of the best, and perhaps the most visually striking of them all; it truly IS a Work of Art! Kudos to the uncredited, but brilliant artist who is responsible for this essential part of this weekly column, whoever they are. -- 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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