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by Trish Fodor Sue me. I like Jerry Jacks!Part of watching soaps is keeping an open mind and I have to pat myself on the back when it comes to GH’s Jerry Jacks. When he first appeared on the canvas as James Craig and then James Brosnan, (Whatever! The obvious Bond references were laughable!) I had little or no time for Jerry. I knew that I liked his portrayer, Sebastian Roche. After all, he was a different type of actor for soaps and brought a certain sophistication I noticed in the likes of Lane Davies (ex Dr. Cameron Lewis) and All My Children’s Jeffrey Carlson (ex Zoe). But the cold and calculating character that first hit our screens as the mastermind behind the botched robbery and subsequent hostage crisis at the Metro Court did nothing to win me over. Perhaps it was because I was a Julian Stone fan and he was the REAL Jerry Jacks to me. Perhaps it’s because the writers had one of my former favorite characters, Alexis Davis, fawning over him like a starry eyed school girl after he shot the woman who delivered her baby via emergency C-section in a freakin’ train tunnel point blank. Then, he followed that up by poisoning her nephew, Nikolas and setting up his ladylove, Emily, to go down on espionage charges should he meet an untimely demise. (Thank heavens that nonsense has stopped!) Perhaps it was the fact that the writers were so eager to keep Roche that they basically backtracked on all the evil he’d done and tried to redeem him in the audiences eyes. How dare they! Couldn’t be done, right? Well, for me, it worked. Maybe – just maybe – it was the absolute ludicrousness of the whole “Irina’s Revenge” story that made me feel sorry for good ole’ Jerry. I mean come on! A supposedly savvy Russian operative is so overcome with grief after being dumped that she kidnaps Jax, rapes him and plots to kill him in front of Jerry for revenge? (I think that it’s just a reason for Guza & Co. to bring on a little torture. They seem to love life in the violent and morbid and are always trying to find a way to rip off The Godfather, Casino, Goodfellas, etc. I’m waiting for a Joe Pesci look-a-like to turn up on the show. (Now, a Ray Liotta clone would be nice! Give Ric another brother to join forces with against Sonny and Jason…) Back to Jerry and what won me over. It could be meeting Sebastian in person at Fan Club Weekend this summer. After all, he’s awfully charming and I’d forgive those twinkling eyes and that mischievous grin almost anything. Then, there is the obvious chemistry he has onscreen with Laura Wright. Jerry and Carly are fun to watch. There was an initial tentativeness between the two that made them sexy. Then, even though it was clear that Carly had obvious contempt for her brother-in-law, he still intrigued her. Carly never could resist a bad boy and I get the underlying feeling that she actually likes him. Suddenly, Sebastian slipped into Jerry’s skin and I’m comfortable with that. I only hope that GH continues to write him with edge. I don’t want him going all soft and sappy over Alexis Davis. PLEASE give him a woman with the same wit and sharp angles. Why not Carly? I mean, if Jax can’t forgive Jerry for all the trouble he’s caused and banishes him from his life, that would make him all the more irresistible to Carly babes. Besides, Alexis has already had two brothers. Why not let Carly? It’s not like the GH scribes are beyond repeating themselves. It happens all the time. Last October, a reader named Kay asked what we could do with this Warren Zevon tune. Well Kay, if you’re not into Jerry, I apologize. But his mercenary lifestyle seems to fit this song like a glove, so once again, I refer to the late, great Warren Zevon for musical illustration and inspiration: Lawyers, Guns and Money I went home with the waitress
Until next time, pop in a good CD, kick back and enjoy the music! Trish
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