Burning love and suspicious minds

Michael and Willow's happy reunion hit a snag, Anna and Valentin were forced to resort to Plan B with Peter, and things heated up between Brando and Sasha. All might be fair in love and war, but it seldom is on a soap opera.

I know that I should feel bad for Chase, but in all honesty, I'm dreading where this storyline appears to be headed. Don't get me wrong -- I know that Chase is one of the good guys and that he was collateral damage in a plot against his father gone awry. Chase doesn't have a diabolical or malicious bone in his body, but he does have quite a knack for manipulation. It comes to him naturally, and there are times that he does it without even realizing it.

Orchestrating a faux affair with Sasha was done with the best of intentions, but it still set things into motion that couldn't be undone, no matter how much Chase may wish it. Such is the case with Willow and Michael's hearts. The marriage started out as an arrangement, but both Willow and Michael found fulfilment in being a family, and in time, that led to love.

Chase has been doing his best to woo Willow back, even though it's clear that Michael and Wiley are always there, hovering between them. No kisses, romantic dinners, talk of the future, or even confessions of a fevered dream are going to change what has been clear from the moment that Chase walked in on Michael and Willow. Willow's heart belongs to Michael.

Michael and Willow finally admitted that they had feelings for each other -- then they made love. It was a real soap opera love scene, complete with a steamy kiss and post-coitus snuggling in front of the fire! I was thrilled -- until Willow felt compelled to dash out that very evening to tell Chase that it was over.

Naturally, while Michael was sharing the happy news with Wiley, moving their stuff in, and knocking back beers with Dante, Willow had a front row seat to Chase's health crisis -- and his family piling on the guilt by expressing their gratitude that Chase had her at his side to hold his cold, numb hand. It turns out that Chase has lost all sensation in his hands and feet, thanks to the effects of Peter's deadly serum.

It doesn't take a crystal ball -- or a sneak peek at upcoming scripts -- to see where all this is headed with Willow and Chase. Guilt, and a sense of obligation, will likely force Willow to hold off on breaking up with him at his bedside. She will want to see Chase through his illness until a better time to break his heart presents itself.

I don't like it, not one little bit. Like I said, Chase is a manipulator who sometimes has the emotional level of a hormonal teenager. Just look at how he reacted to the news that Finn is his father.

Don't get me wrong, I don't begrudge the man for feeling blindsided by the paternity revelation or for needing a moment to come to terms with it. However, Chase is a grown man with a life of his own. He's not a kid caught in the middle of a custody fight or a young child (like Violet) who is being raised by a single parent. More importantly, Chase still enjoys a strong blood tie and relationship to the man who raised him, and he developed a close bond with the man who turned out to be his father.

Instead of getting together for dinner to help Chase be okay with everything, Finn, Gregory, Jackie, and Chase should have been discussing how best to break the news to Violet and to explain it in a way that makes sense to her young mind and at the same time reassures her that she won't be losing anyone else. Poor thing has already lost her mom and now Anna.

I want to see Chase find happiness, but not with Willow. She is not the one for him, especially now that she's slept with Michael -- again. As I said, Chase is one of the good guys. He's got some growing to do, which he can do during his recovery. Maybe Brook Lynn can help him pick up the pieces. She's going to need all the friends she can get when her secrets blow up in her face.

Speaking of friends, Jordan was firmly put in the friend zone by Curtis when she paid him a visit at his nightclub then put the moves on him. Ouch.

Jordan was crushed by the news that Curtis wanted a divorce, but she really shouldn't be surprised because how can you have a marriage where you cherry-pick the secrets that you share with your husband? It's one thing if Jordan had drawn a clear line between her personal life and her professional one, but she was never able to do that. When it suited her, she let Curtis in, but she wasn't consistent. Worse, there were times when she trusted others above her husband, and that was the crux of Curtis' problem with Jordan. I don't blame Curtis for feeling disillusioned and wanting to give up.

I'm rooting for Curtis to rekindle things with Portia. I think she's a much better fit for Curtis, and I like their chemistry.

Jordan needs to spend some time figuring out what she wants and to learn from her mistakes with Curtis. She's never going to find happiness while she is selective with the truth. As long as she's the police commissioner, Jordan needs to have clear boundaries -- not just for herself, but for the person she shares her life with -- or the relationship is doomed to fail like her marriage to Curtis.

It's possible that Taggert might sweep Jordan off her feet once her heart has time to heal. It's clear that he carries a torch for her, they have history, and it seems that Jordan trusts Taggert on a level that she never trusted Curtis. It's one of the reasons that I realized Curtis and Jordan were fated to end in divorce.

Meanwhile, Laura's worst fears are being realized because Cyrus has threatened Alexis if Nikolas fails to help recover Florence. Is Hilda working for Cyrus? Possibly. It certainly would explain why Cyrus is so confident that he will be with Mother sooner rather than later. What better way to drive the point home to Nikolas that Alexis can be gotten to at any time than to make sure Nikolas' auntie checks into the infirmary for a few days?

However, Cyrus has never tangled with a Cassadine. Nikolas followed the cake crumbs of a hummingbird cake, which led him directly to Florence, which means that Cyrus just handed Nikolas a pawn to use against him. Cyrus might be ruthless, but Nikolas is clever. When it comes to a game of wits, my money will always be on the clever person.

Also, Nikolas has far more people in his corner than Cyrus does, and that includes Martin. Martin will happily help Nikolas.

Now for Peter. Peter has pulled off the mask and is embracing his evil genes like long lost friends. He has no compunction about using innocent people to protect himself, and he has no remorse if there is collateral damage. I so look forward to his downfall. It can't come soon enough -- and yet, I'm thoroughly enjoying this part of the saga.

Anna and Valentin lured Peter into a trap, but Peter quickly turned the tables as he gleefully taunted the dynamic spy duo about the fate of one of Valentin and Anna's loved ones. It was sheer soap opera perfection. Wes Ramsey has been doing a fantastic job since Peter's veneer of civility was cruelly stripped away by Valentin. I find Peter far more interesting to watch these days -- in part because you never know what he's going to do, but you can count on it being bad.

I'm confident that Anna and Valentin will find a way to neutralize Peter or drive him out of town. If Anna and Valentin end up finding romance along the way, even better. Anna's quest to safeguard the general public from her diabolical nephew has sparked a fire in her that has been missing for quite some time. I don't blame Finn for that. It was Anna's choice to pull away from that part of her life. If not for Peter, I do think she would have been happy married to Finn and raising Violet, but she's not really cut out to be a doctor's wife.

Anna's life as a superspy is not something that she can turn off. It's a part of her, and she thrives on the adventure and excitement. Fighting for justice gives her a purpose, and she's pretty freaking good at it. She and Valentin make a great team, and even though Peter managed to outwit them with the toxin, I'm confident that the two of them will eventually prevail over Peter.

Too bad for Peter, Anna and Valentin aren't the only ones plotting against him.

Maxie and Britt have a plan to keep Peter from ever laying eyes on his daughter. They are going to fake the baby's death, but they aren't quite clear yet how they are going to pull it off or spirit the baby safely out of harm's way.

I, on the other hand, have a fairly good idea how it will all play out. It will start with Maxie and/or Britt discovering Brook Lynn's little no bun in the oven secret. Maxie needs to hide her baby, and Brook Lynn needs a baby, so they are each in a perfect position to help the other.

Folks, I'm baffled how Brook Lynn ever planned to pull this fake pregnancy off. She doesn't seem to have any kind of plan other than to waddle around with a big fake belly until Valentin signs over controlling interest in ELQ. I'm even more mystified how Valentin doesn't have a million questions, starting with the fact that Brook Lynn is either far more pregnant than she should be if it was his child, or she is carrying more than one baby.

I'm also curious how Brook Lynn saw all this playing out once she got Valentin to sign over controlling shares of ELQ. Did she think that she could reveal her pregnancy padding and just walk away without any repercussions? What about her loved ones who are happily anticipating a new family member?

What Brook Lynn is doing is not just stupid, it's downright cruel to those she claims to love. Not to mention, it might also be illegal, since she is committing fraud for financial gain.

Brook Lynn might get the baby, but I fear it won't end well because the threat of Peter won't go away. I can't imagine a grief-stricken Peter will be able to watch Valentin -- the man who betrayed him -- enjoy raising a healthy newborn. I fully expect, if Maxie and Britt manage to pull off the dead baby scheme with Brook Lynn, Peter will abduct Valentin's baby. Knowing Peter, he will see it as some kind of justice for Valentin abducting Peter as an infant and placing him with Faison.

I hope that I'm wrong, but Peter sees himself through the lens of a victim. It's how he justifies all the terrible things he does.

Finally, Alexis is serving her sentence in Pentonville. Her cellmate Maggie seems nice enough, but trouble is brewing. Mean-girl Hilda wants Alexis to know that Hilda is in charge, which begs the question. When are they going to reform Pentonville? Can we somehow make that Alexis' calling while she's locked up?

If they are going to let prisoners run things, then at least let it be a prisoner who could do some actual good. Frankly, once the parole board cut Nelle loose, Pentonville should have been shut down.

Is it really a good idea for a recovering addict to run a nightclub? I know that alcohol wasn't Curtis' drug of choice, but addiction is a disease, and alcohol can be highly addictive. It just feels like Curtis is playing with fire, opening a business like the Savoy. That said, it is a cool name for a bar.

Phyllis probably shouldn't have taken the phone from Nina to tell Jax to back off, because now he knows that Nina is in Nixon Falls. How long until Jax decides to pay Nina a visit -- and discovers Sonny?

Yay for love in the afternoon! Not only did Michael and Willow succumb to their passions, but Brando and Sasha got hot and heavy in the back of a car, while Ava and Nikolas also made love. I'm so happy that the days of chaste love scenes and almost-kisses are over. I understand that it was necessary, but I'm delighted that soaps have their sizzle back.

I really feel the chemistry with Brando and Sasha. And I think I'd like Jason with anyone but Sam these days. He and Britt have a connection...let's see where it goes. As for Sam and Dante, more chemistry than their last pairings, but I, too, will hold out for Sam/Drew and Dante/ original Lulu. Also like the idea of Finn / Elizabeth and Val/Anna. -- Kim LaSota

William Lipton is a very talented young man. His original song was easily the best part of Wednesday's [03/24/21] episode, which otherwise seemed to be about testing the chemistry between possible new pairings, Elizabeth and Finn, Valentin and Anna, Lucas and Felix, and Curtis and Portia. I give all four couples a big thumbs up (and the same goes for Jason and Britt, and Brando and Sasha)! -- Scrimmage

I actually like "Sonny" more than "Mike". "Mike" is just as sure of himself as Sonny and has the same inner arrogance but as "Mike" there is no basis for these characteristics since Sonny's was based on his position of power. When I see "Mike " act this way I think what's with this guy? Time to end "Mike". -- JDF

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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