*breathes* 

Seriously though, Lulu has become so incredibly insufferable this past year.  Why?  Why take someone - with SOOOOOO much potential, and SUCH a rich, complicated history – and make her into a character so completely unlikable?  This is LUKE AND LAURA’S DAUGHTER, for crying out loud.  She should be imbued with all of their best qualities, not the worst!  Moreover, she should NOT be turned into a Mini-Carly.  As complicated and layered a character as Carly is – there REALLY is enough room (and tolerance) on this show for only one Carly.  Seriously.  Transforming Lulu from a girl who seemed to have a nice balance of qualities from both her parents into another Carly is a BIG mistake.  And I mean MONUMENTAL.  It’s backfiring – big time.  I mean, really… Johnny Zacchara is partially responsible for Michael Corinthos ending up in a “permanent” coma, yet he is STILL TOO GOOD for Lulu at this point!    

There was a time – not all that long ago, when I could have NEVER imagined rooting for Maxie OVER Lulu, but friends… that time has arrived!   Now mind you, Maxie has done her fair share of despicable deeds since arriving back in Port Chuckles and I am not, nor will I EVER make excuses for that.  With Maxie, however, you could always see the scared, insecure little girl lurking underneath the “trampy” unapologetic persona she wore.  You could see the layers.  You could see that there was more to her than met the eye.   

And yes, I have criticized the way Maxie has been written before – pointing out that Maxie absolutely WAS loved and cherished ---- by her stand-in father, Mac Scorpio.  What she didn’t get from her biological parents, in terms of affection and attention, she DID get from Mac, but alas… even that kind of devotion doesn’t heal the deep-seated wounds she and Georgie suffered from being ABANDONED by their biological parents.  And make no mistake, I believe Georgie suffered just as deeply from that betrayal as Maxie did – it just manifested in a different way.  But I digress… 

I hate, hate, HATE that TPTB moved Lulu into the barely carved out niche Maxie found in working for Kate.  For one thing, Maxie is FINALLY fully invested in something other than revenge, or chasing after a man.  She’s FINALLY doing something positive for herself and beginning a career in an industry she has dreamed about for soooo long and what do they do?  They shoe-horn Lulu into the mix.  Why?  To create a little conflict?  It’s unnecessary!  Maxie went out, on her own initiative and with very little experience and landed the job she wanted – all on her own.  Nobody HANDED her the job on a silver platter; unlike Lulu, who didn’t even want it to begin with, and only took it so she could stick it to Maxie.  It was humiliating, the way Lulu “got” that job.   

Further proof that Lulu is just there to make Maxie’s life miserable?  She’s ostensibly there to “spy” for Carly, right?  Well, Carly could give a flying fig about Kate or that magazine, much less how much time Jax is spending with Kate – she’s too busy grieving over Michael right now, and expending all her energy on WILLING him to come back to her from the Neverland of coma-ville to even REMEMBER that Lulu is spying for her.  So why is Lulu, who can’t commit to ANYTHING longer than five continuous minutes STILL working for Kate?  Because she’s having too much fun making Maxie miserable! 

Enough already!   

As for Maxie?  I have to say I am thoroughly enjoying the slow-but-steady relationship building between her and Spinelli.  It has been said that opposites attract, and you don’t get much more opposite than Maxie and Spinelli.  I am loving the Beauty-and-the-Geek feel that has developed between this pair.  I am also love, love, LOVING how the two of them have been able to “surprise” one another (and themselves) by acknowledging one another’s better qualities.  Maxie is finding a new confidence with every moment she spends with Spinelli.  She was genuinely surprised and TOUCHED when he told her how intelligent she was – not just beautiful, but INTELLIGENT.  She looked blown away, and not just by the fact that he said it, but that he MEANT it!  Bravo!  Likewise on Spinelli’s end; when she clarified for him that the “differentness” she saw in him did NOT mean she saw him as a freak – but that she genuinely saw him as brilliant and fun.  Two thumbs WAAAAY up for Spixie, and (sorry “Days” fans) here’s hoping that won’t suddenly pull her out of Spinelli’s orbit to put her with her former onscreen paramour – Jason Cook’s yet to be named Doctor character.   

Another coupling that is working, and I do mean W-O-R-K-I-N-G, is the unlikely duo of Diane Miller and Max Giambetti.  DIN-O-MAX!!!!  Yes, we all found it more than mildly amusing months ago when they had their near miss in the hotel room before, but who would have ever imagined that Diane Miller – the FABULOUS Diane Miller, would actually begin to fall for a Mob Boss’ bodyguard?!  Or that Max would FINALLY let go of his Carly-obsession long enough to even look at another woman?  Then again, this is DIANE we’re talking about, so… Yeah, it was inevitable.  Anyway, who didn’t stand up and cheer when Max FINALLY spoke up for himself with Sonny?  Anyone?  Bueller?  I didn’t think so… I loved, loved, LOVED how he stood up for himself, respectfully of course, and told Sonny basically where to stick it, in regards to his personal or sex life.  I loved how he reminded Sonny just how devoted he has been – to Sonny, his kids and Carly, and how many times he’s laid his own life on the line to protect them.  BRAVO Max!!  Well done!  Only thing that could or would have made that better, is if Jason had given him a curt nod and said, “Word.” 

Moving on…  

I have never been a fan of AdriYAWNa, and I’m still not, but at least I can’t blame it on her being boring anymore.  (YAY!)  We have finally been treated to an Adriana worthy of the name, Cramer.  Problem is?  It’s too little, too late, and frankly?  More than a little sudden and over the top.  I realize they had precious little time to show her slow descent to the “dark side” (what, with her contract being up and all) but even the fans knew LAST YEAR that Melissa Gallo was probably not going to re-sign her contract.  Why not start her descent back then?    

*thinks* 

Then again, maybe they did… I tended to snooze through much of the time when AdriYAWNa was onscreen, so… Anyway, she is now imbued with the same insecure, manipulative and mean-spirited traits her mother has always possessed and I have to say that, while I still don’t like her, I much, much, MUCH prefer the newer Adriana to the old AdriYAWNa.  Melissa Gallo really seems to FINALLY enjoy playing her character and it’s making a huge difference onscreen.  I have to wonder though, why in the world Dorian is actually putting up with her antics!  Yes, I know that Adriana threatened to cut her out of her life if she didn’t do everything she ordered her to do, but we all know that Adriana could never follow through on such a threat.  Maybe for a week, two weeks, possibly a month, but forever?  No way!   

The Dorian *I* know would have called her bluff in a heartbeat and told the snobby, sniveling little brat to try it.  Furthermore, why is Layla running around doing her bidding and allowing Adriana to treat her like a hired-hand and not a friend, much less an equal business partner?  Yes, Layla has been a poorly conceived, poorly written concept from day one, but please!  Either write her off or give the actress something worthy of her talent.  Layla, above anyone else, should be recognizing the potential for serious damage in bringing a presumed dead “hero” back into the same sphere as the boy who worships the very notion of the man he’s been told is his father.  Even if Layla doesn’t like Gigi – and she really has no reason not to – she has absolutely NO reason to hurt (read: damage) an innocent little boy like Shane just to appease Adriana’s jealousy of his mother.  I, for one, would love to see Layla smack Adriana down for what she’s doing and then refuse to have any part in it.  Furthermore, I would love to see Layla run (not walk) to Gigi and warn her about Adriana’s dastardly plan. 

*sigh* 

In any case, I don’t have a clue (yet) about HOW they are going to write Adriana out, but it’d be in keeping with family “tradition” to have her suffer a complete mental breakdown (and doesn’t she just look PRIMED for that?!).  It also paves the way for a recast somewhere down the road.