I hope that everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day filled with chocolates, flowers, and lots of love. I can't help but wonder how Mr. and Mrs. Balkan spent it. Or is it Mr. and Mrs. Stanwyck? Or perhaps it's Mr. and Mrs. Janacek? Oh well, I guess it doesn't matter because the point is: SUZANNE AND THE BALKAN ARE MARRIED!!!
What a shock and yet, somehow, not. I can totally see these two being married. They are definitely not-so-strange bedfellows; more like the 2011 version of Mikkos and Helena Cassadine, right down to their beloved dead son, Aleksander (Stavros). Naturally, I'm wondering if there's a Stefan-like son lurking in the wings. I certainly hope so.
I imagine that some of you had speculated about the possibility of Suzanne being married to the Balkan, but there weren't any spoilers out there even hinting at it, so this completely surprised me. I remember thinking "WOW! They went there!"
I adore Adrienne Barbeau, so I was really excited when she joined the cast as Suzanne Stanwyck. I remember watching Maude when I was a little girl, so I knew how good of an actress Ms. Barbeau was. Her character, Carol, made a big impression on me. She was modern, beautiful, outspoken, and, did as she pleased, so that made her cool to me. Adrienne's beauty is timeless and her talent boundless. It truly was a coup for General Hospital to get her.
However, I must admit that I began to wonder what the point of her character was. Suzanne worked for ASEC, but Brenda clearly wasn't doing any charity work because she was busy hiding from the mysterious Balkan and falling in love with Sonny. It didn't make sense for Suzanne to continue to hang around Port Charles, but now I understand why she did. Suzanne wants to keep close tabs on her "BFF" Brenda. The unexpected twist gave the character of Suzanne new life and dimension.
I suddenly find that I want to know more about the woman who is married to the Balkan. Ms. Barbeau and Daniel Benzali's chemistry is, to quote Theo this week, "delicious." I finally get to see the dynamics of a Mikkos/Helena marriage in action. I'm instantly hooked and eager for more. Did Suzanne suspect that her son had an abusive nature? Did Aleksander learn to mistreat women by watching his father? After all, Theo did make that completely sexist and disgusting suggestion for Alexis to hire a full-time nanny and housekeeper if she were serious about her career.
Then there is Brenda's baby; is it possible that Brenda didn't miscarry? Could Suzanne have spirited a premature baby Balkan away and then stashed it somewhere safe from evil Grandpa Theo? Yes, I'm of the mind that Brenda's baby daddy was Aleksander, not Dante. I can't imagine Brenda having sex with Dante any more than I can envision a torrid love affair between Kristina and Michael, who, I'm compelled to remind everyone, are not biologically related.
Now that Suzanne has been revealed to be Aleksander's mother, I can't help but question what really went down when Brenda supposedly miscarried. Suzanne was at Brenda's side throughout the tragedy, and Brenda was unconscious for a week, so Suzanne had ample opportunity to pull off something like that. I'm more certain than ever that Brenda's baby is alive and well somewhere in the world. I would love for Ms. Barbeau to appear on Soap Central Live to talk about this new twist and to chat about her impressive career and what it's like to work on a soap opera. She seems like a very fascinating lady.
The other shocking development this week was the news about Rebecca Herbst's contract status. If you haven't heard, check out Soap Central's article about it by clicking here.
Congrats to Becky! I loved hearing that fans pulled together to save a legacy character. Naturally, this is a game changer. All those spoilers out there, which were leading up to Elizabeth's departure, are now subject to re-writes. Nothing is to be trusted, which means that we are going to be in for even more surprises. I have my fingers crossed that Elizabeth and Nikolas get a real chance at being a couple. I've always thought that they would be good together -- just not when they were sneaking around and betraying Lucky.
I can see that the writers are committed to Lucky and Siobhan, so this is the perfect opportunity for Elizabeth and Nikolas. Do I want Lucky and Elizabeth to reunite? Not right now. I think that there's more potential for the characters with other partners.
Admittedly, I'm not really interested in Brook Lynn and Nikolas. I like Brook Lynn, but she seems ill-suited for Nikolas long term. They have good friend chemistry, but I think that Brook Lynn needs someone with a lot more edge that is closer to her age emotionally. Johnny Zacchara fits that bill perfectly; so does Ethan for that matter. However, I suspect that Ethan is headed down a different path. I know that there are lots of Mayan fans out there, but it appears that Annie Ilonzeh's status with the show might be in question because of her new role in the television remake of Charlie's Angels.
Kristina's reaction to seeing Ethan standing behind the counter at Kelly's this week told me, in no uncertain terms, that Kristina is still very much interested in our Aussie Dodger. Ethan's odd acceptance of Kristina's invitation to the wedding was a huge indication that Maya's visit in Port Charles might be coming to a close. I understand that Maya was working, but I didn't think that Ethan would risk encouraging Kristina with flirtatious banter after what had happened last summer, much less calling her his date. The writers are being as subtle as pink elephants on roller skates here.
As for Brook Lynn and Johnny, I think that our poor little Johnny could use some saving right about now. He appears to be falling into the clutches of our resident lunatic stalker, Lisa Niles. Yes, Johnny is managing to stay a step ahead of the toy-boiling doctor, but his luck can only hold out for so long.
There were several comical moments this week that deserve mention, starting with Theo's reaction to Alexis barging into his office. I was in stitches when he blustered with indignation, "What is it about people in this town? They see a closed door and assume it's an invitation to waltz right in. I hadn't realized that common courtesy is obsolete." Here, here! I've been saying that for years! Carly, by far, is the worst offender of entering without knocking.
However, after seeing what happened to Molly when she knocked on Theo's door, I can understand why some might hesitate to extend the courtesy of waiting to be invited into a room.
Carly and Luke at the Metro Court Restaurant were also hilarious. They reminded me of Shenzi and Banzai, the hyenas from The Lion King as they plotted the best way to use the custody papers that Dante had signed, relinquishing rights to Brenda's baby, to their advantage. Yet, I was later annoyed when Luke told Carly that he would never humiliate Lulu by revealing that damaging information to her in public. Um, Luke, isn't that exactly what you are doing by not telling Lulu about those custody papers before Carly unveils them to the world? Luke is letting Carly do his dirty work, plain and simple.
Max and Milo kidnapping Carly and then dragging her out of Kelly's, kicking and screaming, was comedic genius. I laughed until I had tears in my eyes. I also enjoyed seeing Robin slam the door in Carly's face after telling Carly to go away. It was very satisfying to see Carly get a taste of her own medicine.
Sadly, there was also a "what the hell" moment this week. It occurred when Lucky argued with the Balkan on the phone. I wanted to shake Lucky as I screamed, "How can you not recognize Theo's voice?!?" I like that Lucky and Siobhan are on an adventure, but moments like that really make them look like a couple of boneheads.
On a positive note, they finally found Megan, although they've yet to actually rescue her. Not surprisingly, just as they were about to get away, those pesky Balkan henchmen returned. However, I'm confident that Lucky will be able to save the lassies and then take them home.
What I'm not confident about is Brenda actually making it down the aisle. I love a good wedding, but I'm more than ready to get this show on the road. Two days of wedding chatter is enough. I'm relieved that Carly's confrontation with Brenda is finally upon us. I'm really looking forward to seeing Brenda's reaction to the news that Carly knows her worst secret. I doubt the day is going to end without everyone, including Sonny and Lulu, learning all the ugly details about the custody papers. I'm rooting for Sonny and Brenda to marry, in spite of Carly's attempt to stop the wedding.
Luke raised an excellent point with Carly; all of this happened before Brenda and Dante knew of their connection to Sonny. Although, Carly was also right to argue that Brenda and Dante should have told Sonny everything when they first realized that they were connected to him. However, I believe that Sonny loves Brenda and Dante enough to forgive them.
