February 5, 2007  

Once again, we are dishing it up live from the MetroCourt.   The special of the week is a delightful hostage hot pot, full of curried tofu and a unique blend of mobster, health care professionals and hotel staff.  May I also recommend Maxie’s mahi-mahi?  It’s spicy, feisty, and sure to keep any hostage taker amused for hours.  12 of them, actually. 

In keeping with the esteemed soap opera tradition of repetition, we had to watch the opening explosion four times from different perspectives. I was excited for the first showing but after three more, I fail to see how focusing a camera on one character for an extra ten seconds creates a new perspective.  Of course, these are the same folks who believe giving a character two minutes of screen time a month is enough to constitute a storyline.  By their standards, Anna Devane had a rousing good story this summer.  Sure, if her spying on Alcazar had been fleshed out, we’d probably understand the importance of this shipment more and subsequently, this whole sweeps story, but I’m sure the writers thought we had plenty of back story going into this already—you know, because Alcazar mentioned the shipment twice. 

Back to the explosion sequence, how hilarious was it to watch as a Korn music video? I bet they were so proud of their fancy video edits too, not realizing that anyone who posts to YouTube does a better job with mvids.  GH, stick to montages, please! 

I loved Tracy’s déjà vu moment connecting back to the Port Charles Hotel fire.  If the characters know they’re repeating storylines, why don’t the writers get it?  In addition to growing a sixth sense, Tracy has been looking gorgeous lately.  Her hair should always be that shiny red shade.  It dazzles me every time I see her.  I really hope that she and Luke actually get a solid romance soon.  We know they both care about each other now—let’s see that get acted on!  I got chills when he caressed her cheek last summer. 

Moment of the week for me:  Maxie telling Three that her mother’s been in Texas forever taking care of her “tenacious” grandmother.   Aw, Maxie, what a nice way to describe how Mariah just wont die.  I think she’s probably immortal, personally, and just going through a rough patch for the past few years.  Perhaps Mariah’s actually an Aztec goddess?  Maybe Felicia isn’t really taking care of her but is learning how to become immortal herself.  It could happen—heck anything can happen on a show where half the town had a vampire invasion while the other half didn’t even lift an eyebrow.     

It is increasingly difficult to watch Alan Quartermaine on screen, knowing that he’s soon to sing and dance his way into soap opera heaven.  I was tearing up while watching him take control of Robin’s care.  He gently hands out orders to his “staff” and takes on the matter at hand with grace.  Oh, Alan, please don’t head towards that Q Mansion in the sky!  Yes, your mother’s there but we all know AJ isn’t really.  Here’s hoping Monica smuggles you to the same place she smuggled him after his “death.”  

I’m actually appreciating the level heads of the mob crew during this crisis.  While they are an amoral bunch of screen hoggers, they can at least come in handy during an emergency.   Plus, it’s very satisfying to watch Mr. Craig see right through the various diversions they’ve created.  I know he’ll eventually lose out, but I’m rooting for him in the mean time.   

Next week, we’re working on perfecting an angel food cake that’s perfect for smuggling guns to the hostages while also maintaining its light and fluffy texture—much like a mob business that doesn’t deal in drugs or prostitution.  Jason’s on hand to give us some tips if we can’t pull it off.   He says the secret ingredient is love.