Bewitched, bothered, bewildered... and betrayed

Sonny's been betrayed, Josslyn has been dismayed, Dex has been waylaid, and Drew's on a crusade. Grab a glass of lemonade. It's a wild week in Port Charles -- let's discuss in this week's Two Scoops.

Dear readers, there is nothing Sonny hates more than disloyalty. But what does he do now? Both his current and his former wife have betrayed him. He is bothered and bewildered and looks at Ava as if he is bewitched. Is Sonny about to have a revenge fling with Ava and give Avery a new baby brother or sister? With Ava learning that Olivia Jerome is dead, she might drink enough martinis to end up in bed with Avery's daddy again.

Michael did the mea culpa and admitted that he initially hired Dex to take Sonny down. He told Sonny he had changed his mind, but Carly stomped on his evidence and refused to use it. Michael told Sonny he had a change of heart, but that's not entirely accurate. He fully intended to use evidence against Sonny, but his mommy talked him out of it. I was happy when Sonny and Michael made peace because Michael being at Sonny's throat never made sense. Sonny and Carly have been together and apart and back together and married to other people repeatedly over the years, so why was this time worse?

I think Michael detailed that in his explanation to Sonny. Michael was peeved that after Carly stepped up to run Sonny's organization at significant risk to herself when Sonny was presumed dead (but really being a cowboy in Nixon Falls), he chose Nina over Carly. That's always been a head-scratcher to me because Sonny, back to his true self, has rejected everyone who betrayed him. No one in the entire history of GH betrayed Sonny worse than Nina, not even when Brenda wore a wire! Nina let Sonny's wife, kids, and grandkids mourn him for a year, knowing he was alive. That's the worst betrayal he's ever faced, yet he married Nina.

But I digress. Today, in the here and now, Sonny has no one he can trust. We are a couple of weeks away from Jason coming home, and the lead-up to Jason's return will be a dark time for Sonny. He will be so happy to see that black leather jacket again. Unless, of course, Jason is the insider who tried to shoot him in Puerto Rico!

Pretty cool of Dante to buy Sam a new black leather jacket so she and Jason can be twinsies when he returns. Of course, that wasn't his aim, but as soon as I saw the jacket, I burst out laughing and said, "Here we go." What do you think will happen? Will Sam choose safe and stable Dante or make a beeline back to danger? Sam reminded Alexis today that she decided to walk away from the threat of Jason's life years ago, but will that magnetic force field draw her back in? Also, a point I feel compelled to make... Sam is blaming Danny's bad behavior on Jason. Still, Jason was a total boy scout until he got brain damage. Since I don't think Danny can inherit Jason's brain damage, maybe it's Sam's con woman DNA that's to blame?

I hope the new writers fix many things that the previous writers broke. I've mentioned these before, but they bear repeating: Make Alexis a lawyer again. Give Carly back the Metro Court. Heck, I am feeling generous, even give Nina back Crimson. Repair Anna and Valentin. Let Liz be with someone more interesting than Finn. (Sorry) Less Brick. Less Gregory. Less Diane. Bring Holly back. Wake Lulu up from her coma. Bring Lucky back from Ireland or wherever he is. Less NuMolly and NuKristina. There are so many episodes where I feel like I am watching a different show.

Last week, my husband (who pretends he doesn't watch GH) and I had to drive to Ohio from Florida. I was watching GH in our hotel, and he looked up and said, "I don't know who any of those people are. Is this GH, or are you watching some other soap?" But no, it was GH with Kristina, Molly, and Blaze. I explained to him that they recast the two roles he did know and added Blaze. But I have felt for many days like I am watching the wrong show.

Also, I don't understand the dangling of Nikolas in front of us five or six times, only to make him vanish. Adam Huss seems very invested in the role, taking Nikolas Cassadine's history seriously, and had beautiful scenes with Spencer, Ace, and Laura. Why does he have to be off-screen in jail? Why can't he still be part of the show like Cyrus was when he was in prison, like Spencer was when he was in jail, like dozens of other GH characters have been while they were in prison.

Nikolas is still Ace's dad, and I am unsure I understand the rush for Laura and Kevin to adopt him. Esme's bio dad, Ryan, is dead, and her mom, Heather, is locked up for life. Kevin is Ace's biological uncle, and Laura is his biological grandmother. Esme and Spencer are both presumed dead, so who do they think is coming for Ace? Even if Kevin and Laura adopt Ace, that won't keep Heather from busting out and kidnapping him, right? Please tell me what I am missing.

Readers, I want to talk about Dark Drew. Why has he gone so evil? Why has he become so cruel, unforgiving, and vengeful? One beatdown in Pentonville changed him? After all the years of captivity and torture on Cassadine Island at Victor's hand? I am sure Cameron Mathison is having a blast playing it because he gives a crazy eye every time the camera focuses on his face. We can see Drew is wild-eyed and full of anger. Where is it going? Maybe he will go so far off the deep end that Carly becomes frightened of him and has a reason to leap into Jason's arms like Esme leaped into Spencer's in Greenland? I don't know, but he's unnerving.

I love Willow. Willow has a definite Lila Q vibe about her. She has a calming influence on everyone she encounters, and even she can't get Drew to settle down. What will happen when Willow hears about the latest Corinthos family blow-up? Michael swore to her they'd be honest with each other from now on, but he left out the part where he was paying Dex. I honestly can't recall if Michael told Willow back at the beginning or not, but I am thinking not because it was when she was battling cancer.

Michael's sister Josslyn has her own troubles -- Sonny has banished Dex forever and refuses to let Dex tell Joss or take her with him. Joss said to Sonny, "I hate you. You're a criminal and a liar, and I will never forgive you for this." Sonny shrugged and said, "I know" -- like it didn't even register on his Richter scale of feelings. I really wish we had Jax back. Can you imagine if Jax was on canvas and Sonny banished Joss' boyfriend? Oh, man, what a knockdown, drag-out battle that would be. I miss the Jax/Sonny fights. Hey, new writers, recast Jax while you are at it.

Readers, which unnecessary characters would you cut to make room for more riveting storytelling among the core characters? It's not even cutting them completely but limiting their scenes so there isn't an entire episode centered around a non-essential character. The worst example of this was when Amy was doing her "Ask Man Landers" column. I love the character of Amy in small doses, but when she became front and center, it was too much for me to handle. In some instances, some stories need to be told. Still, instead of telling those stories with a core character, they bring in a side character to relate the story with people we don't care about.

I'm not invested in Gregory or Blaze, so as compelling as their issues may be, I am not invested in them. I'd shrug if I tuned in tomorrow and they weren't there anymore. When Mike got Alzheimer's, it gutted us because we knew Mike and watched his turbulent relationship with Sonny for years. Seeing Sonny let all that go to care for his ailing father impacted our hearts. But we barely know Gregory, so his ALS doesn't hit me with the same power. I honestly don't even remember the backstory other than Finn slept with his wife, Jackie Templeton, who came to town and left immediately after all that publicity about her coming back.

Spencer died, and I have barely seen Trina. I'm far more interested in Trina's grief than if Blaze's judgmental mother, whom we have never seen, is a bigot. While the actors are giving us wonderful work, and while I care about the topic, I am just not wholly invested in these hastily fleshed-out characters. I'll move on. Honestly, I'm having difficulty focusing, so if I ramble today and you say, "Wow, Tamilu is really off her game this week," blame exhaustion and grief.

Here's a topic I can focus on. Nina is a whiner. Right after she wrecked the Crimson offices for fake remodeling so Carly couldn't put out her issue, she whined that Drew was unfair to have paid people off to not work with her. That's the thing that bugs me most about her character. She does or says something genuinely terrible to someone and then throws a pity party if they react accordingly. But that having been said, if Nina and Valentin team up, I'm all for it. I'd be rooting for them. I used to love them together, and it makes sense that Valentin would help Nina. If Anna and Valentin are indeed done, I don't hate the idea of Nina and Valentin getting back together. Charlotte would be very happy and might not even try to terrorize her!

One thing that made me happy this week was the dancing around Spinelli and Maxie reuniting. Maxie seems delighted to have Spinelli help her raise the kids. Spinelli would never have married Ellie if he and Maxie had worked out because he has always loved her. Spinelli's former sworn enemy Cody is helping him try to win her back, and I like them together, although their bromance will be short-lived as soon as Stone Cold steps foot back in Port Charles.

Cyrus as a radio televangelist? Yeah, that sounds about right. After all these months, I still can't figure out what's going on with him. So, back when Mason and Austin were here, they kept saying their boss was a "her." Then they changed their pronouns, started calling him "him," and indicated Cyrus was their boss. But now that Olivia Jerome's name is being thrown around, I wonder if she oversaw Cyrus. Maybe Cyrus feels this bold now because she is dead, and he is finally free? Is he about to be the criminal overlord? I fluctuate between believing he is trying to be a better man and thinking it's all a scam.

When Joss told Dex to run, he didn't listen. And now, he's holed up in some small town with a name like Rex, Tex, or something else stupid. Cam will be glad to hear Joss is single again. Seeing him last week for Spencer's memorial service was fantastic. I don't know how Joss will be able to live with this or forgive Michael for his role in keeping Dex in harm's way. Eden McCoy has turned in some fantastic work lately, and despite the fact that the Emmys pulled the "younger actor" category, she deserves a spot in their roundup, as do Tabyana Ali and Nicholas Chavez. How will they categorize these younger actors now? I'm curious to see how this shapes up at next year's ceremony.

What will happen tomorrow, dear readers? Will Michael change his name to Judas, since Sonny wants to call him that? Will Joss end up pregnant and hunt for her baby daddy? Will Violet end up being Gregory's caregiver, since Finn is never home? Will Ava do a double shot in her martini to toast her dead, despised sister? Will Laura call Lucky and ask him to come home and help raise his brother's baby? Will Danny try to get a job with Uncle Sonny?

Will Portia and Curtis counsel Aunt Stella and Marshall about their budding relationship? Will anyone ever tell me where Ms. Wu is hiding? Will Joss and Trina realize they are both single and go have a girls-gone-wild night at the PCU bars? Will Cyrus' radio show go viral and end up on Sirius XM? Will anyone in Port Charles remember it's winter, and there should be some snow or mittens in New York right now?

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

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