Comments through November 29, 2002
(One Spoiler)
 

Well I survived The Big Shop and I am finally ready to settle down to write.  The Big Shop begins obscenely early Friday morning the day after Thanksgiving.  I am convinced that The Big Shop is scheduled because retailers know that soap fans have their shows pre-empted on this day so they create shopping havoc by enticing the masses out to the wilds of Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Best Buy and Malls.  

My friend and I began our adventure at 5 a.m. It lasted until 1:10 in the afternoon and many entertaining events ensued.  At 5:15 a.m. K-Mart shoppers are friendly.  But why, oh why a person would rise that early to stand in line buying toilet paper, paper plates and laundry soap beats me.  By 5:50 a.m. Wal-Mart shoppers are becoming bad tempered as demonstrated by the lady who rammed her cart into mine determined to push through the entryway first, making me believe that some enterprising person should sell shopper’s insurance.  My friend found the last 4-slice toaster on sale in Wal-Mart prompting us to perform an abbreviated Happy Dance.  Two determined men cracked us up in the parking lot as they attempted to cram a 27-inch television into a sports car.  They might still be there because honey, ain’t no way that was gonna fit!  Gary, a nice manager in Toys ‘R Us, gave us rain checks for Game Boy Advance but he wouldn’t give up his pen or any donuts.  Yes, we asked just to fluster him because he was cute and serious.  I bought an Elvis Christmas CD that I totally do not need but I thought I might crave “Blue Christmas” in a minute.  I could go on but the point of this shopping saga is that I enjoyed my pre-empted by football, no General Hospital day without much trauma and I hope you did too.   

If ever you are told that television doesn’t mimic life, do not believe it.  Case in point, on Monday Carly and Sonny returned to the penthouse after Sonny called Jason to abort his murder Alcazar mission.  Carly enters the penthouse and grabs the TV remote to turn on the news.  Carly and Sonny sit down on the couch and Sonny holds out his hand for the remote without even glancing towards Carly which Carly promptly hands over not batting an eye.  Why does Sonny get to control the remote?  Now I know this is a man soap because that was a total guy move.  I sadly report that this exact same action occurs in my very own home except when GH is playing.  I’ll demand the remote for my GH hour but then I surrender because I really don’t care what else is on except for my news junkie craving for current events, which I can satisfy at any time. 

Carly, and her life wrecking insecurity, made me crazy this week.  She decided that Sonny, protecting Brenda, is abandoning Jason to take the fall for Alcazar’s murder.  Never mind that Sonny and Jason, best friends, have been working together for many years.  Never mind that Jason told her that there is information she doesn’t know and he’s done the arrested and questioned routine a few times before.  Never mind that Sonny told her Jason would be fine.  She’s decided to be upset and to save Jason so by gosh nothing’s going to interfere with her drama, especially Brenda.  My eyes rolled all week at her upset until Carly grabbed Brenda in the penthouse.  Brenda told Carly that she really should stop grabbing her then promptly shoved her and made Carly release that claw like grasp on her arm.  I couldn’t help but approve because occasionally Carly deserves to be backed up.  Those bullying, grabby tendencies must annoy the grab victim.  They certainly would aggravate me.  I love the scenes between Carly and Brenda because neither gives an inch.  They satisfy better than when Carly obsessively hated Alexis because Alexis rarely fought back.

  
The Carly Grab Move                         The Brenda Shove Move
 

I’m thinking that perhaps Brenda ought to consider some form of self-defense because people just seem to feel a need to restrain her on regular basis.  Since returning to Port Charles she’s been locked in a room on a boat, locked in a room in the safe house, manhandled into a limo twice by Jason, handcuffed to a table, grabbed twice by Carly, not to mention the numerous times she’s been physically restrained by Alcazar, Alcazar’s men, Jason, and Sonny.  At what point should she consider that there might be something about herself she needs to address to prevent this from happening?  Some kick butt self defense classes would be my suggestion.  

  
Grabbed                                        Grabbed Again
 

Some conclusions I have drawn during the five days it took to murder Alcazar. 

1.  Sonny should burn that purple shirt he wore for five days in a row and never let it be seen again. 

2.  If I attend any dress up Christmas parties this year I am going searching for a dress similar to Skye’s red dress, coat, shoes and purse.  

3.  The new antiseptically clean, miraculously rebuilt police station looks like a hospital, but with cages.  Any why would there be a set of books on the counter in the interrogation room? 

4.  No memorial service or funeral necessary for Alcazar.  Perhaps a notice posted in the paper would be appropriate that if you hated this man and want to spew, I mean pay, your respects feel free to walk into the morgue, pull out the morgue drawer and deliver your diatribe to his pale dead body face to face. 

5.  How odd that Jax noticed Brenda’s broken bracelet on the floor of Alcazar’s room but didn’t seem to recognize Skye’s coat, purse and shoes thrown casually about. 

Alexis touching her tiny little girl through the hand holes in the bassinet warmer tugged at my heart.  I so remember the feeling of a precious fragile newborn in my arms.  Not that there are any more looming in my future, but that mommy feeling is one of life’s gifts.  Bobbie, who I notice works in every GH department – emergency, surgery, and ICU, and neo-natal - allowed her to touch baby Kristina.  It made me want to hug my children.

  
Strength and beauty, a mother’s love
 

I would like to point out that Jason and Liz keep having conversations about each other.  Usually, when a couple breaks up it’s like the romance never happened.  I know, Courtney and Jason are preparing for the bed hop, but I don’t see AJ bowing out of the mix.  Maybe sex with Courtney isn’t about shoving Jason and Courtney down our throats, but perhaps it’s about wreaking havoc with AJ and Courtney.  Also, this week’s Soap Opera Digest talks about who will make couple status, Jason and Liz, Courtney and Jason, or Jason and Brenda.  In both the cover photo and inside, the picture shows Jason and Elizabeth touching with the other two standing behind.  Could this be subtle foreshadowing?   And besides, how cliché to have Jason get AJ’s girl – again.  It appears that TPTB are keeping the Jason and Liz door open so if you are a panting, frustrated Liason fan, I wouldn’t toss in the towel yet.   Remember, several contract renewals, recasts and February sweeps loom in the near future all of which will probably influence how the wind blows in the Port Charles romance dance. 


Just a passing observation
 

Liz knocked on the new guy’s door to ask him about what?  The same guy who previously told her to mind her own business, but when he initiates a conversation, Liz wanders into his room.  They talk a bit; Liz checks her paint-speckled hair.  The whole scene struck me as awkward.  Maybe it was supposed to be that way. 

Waiting…fingers strumming, foot tapping…waiting.  I am waiting for AJ to show a hint of redeemability so I can have some hope for forgiveness in the future.    He’s accustomed to disappointing loved ones so being treated as contemptible and making the situation worse comes naturally to this character.  C’mon, I only want a glimpse of vulnerability or uncertainty peeking out from under that blanket of shame.  

What to say about the Thanksgiving episode…hmm, it was OK.  I can roll with fun for a day.  It was pleasant watching many players who haven’t had much screen time lately.  The score by my count was 6 wakeups, 5 water spills, 4 Liz screams (I bet she had fun taping those), 4 Felicia sighs that nothing ever happens on Thanksgiving, 1 kiss between AJ and Courtney and 1 kiss between Jason and Courtney.   I was rolling with the stories, enjoying the scenes until Jason showed up in a sweater vest.  I stared in disbelief.  Yuck!  Gross! Gag!  That just shouldn’t have happened!  My big question now is did Steve Burton get paid extra to appear on screen in that apparel abomination?  Because he should have, he really, really should have.

   
Very Bad                                 Good                                Even Better
 

  
Liz screaming                                                   Felicia sighing

The fun stuff 

This paragraph does not pertain to GH and it leans towards risqué, which usually I don’t do, but this was too good not to share.  Thanksgiving went well at my house, though not without a few stressful moments.  At 12:30 P.M., when I couldn’t seem to complete any task because of my kids “mama-can-I’s” and my husband’s “Kathy-can-you’s”, I called my sister-in-law and asked her rather urgently to hurry up and get here because I didn’t think we were going to eat Thanksgiving dinner any time this day.  She cheerfully replied that she’d arrive soon and of course Thanksgiving dinner would be fine.  I bravely continued on and began peeling potatoes for the mashed potatoes.  That’s when the funny moment happened, which lasted the rest of the day.  Let me just state here and now that ordinarily I’m not one for off color jokes or comments, but this spoke for itself.  I am not saying any more.  Just look at the picture of what I pulled out of the potato bag and draw your own conclusions.  Enough said.  I believe in humor wherever it finds me and I am laughing again.

I just couldn’t bring myself the peel this one. 

Now, off with you.  Go make a turkey sandwich.  Eat the last of the stuffing and down one more piece of pie.  Then go for a walk because I hear Christmas approaching around the corner.  Happy GH viewing and thanks for reading. 

Thanks and photo credit for this week and last:  http://groups.msn.com/GHWorld2 

       

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