Port Charles Chuckles

Heading South for the Winter

 

I have to admit, now that Ron Carlivati and Frank Valenti are in place at General Hospital, I was (perhaps foolishly) holding out hope that Kimberly McCullough and Jonathan Jackson might reconsider their decisions to depart.  I know McCullough wanted to spend more time directing, and who can blame her?  The thought of having control over the material must be uber-tempting to her after the last six years on GH.  So maybe I can't have Robin back just yet, but Jackson's main complaint was supposedly the constant tragedy and I have a feeling that will be different almost immediately - by all accounts Carlivati writes good soap love stories, so maybe Lucky's return is more likely?

 

Alas, it appears that will not be the case - - Jackson has just been cast in a pilot for ABC.  Okay, while the words "musical drama" generally fill me with dread, the thought of Jackson playing "a sexy aspiring musician with a bad boy streak" kinda makes me giddy. 

 

Also, ABC did really well with Revenge this season (it is my FAVORITE in all-caps show right now) so I'm willing to give them a chance here.  The show is described as an evening soap opera focusing on the country music industry and it is being written by the Oscar-winning writer of Thelma & Louise. 

 

Well there you go, the material is already several steps-up from Bob Guza.  Plus, it gives Jackson a chance to use his considerable vocal talents as well.  Hopefully, the move from Port Charles to Nashville will work out well for both Jackson and fans.

 

A Blast from the Past

 

I am not one of those people who gets excited about the newest gadget or latest technology.  I am a creature of habit, I resent having to change the way that I do things simply because some techno-geek thought of a "better" product (I am still slightly bitter about having to give-up my VCR).  You will never find me sleeping in line outside the Apple store for the privilege of being the first person charged a thousand bucks for a cell phone.  Will never happen.

 

I must admit however, I did squeal when I saw the following commercial - -

 

 

Look at former General Hospital heartthrob Jason Gerhardt (who played Cooper Barrett) doing his best Ethan Hunt impression!  It goes without saying that if he came with the phone I would be singing a different tune.

 

I love it when local boys make good, especially the ones who seemed to be genuinely nice fellas and got treated so badly by TPTB.  National Verizon commercial?  Bet he's laughing all the way to the bank now.

 

 And that ladies and gentleman, was the best General Hospital-related thing to happen ALL week.  I think I may slit my wrists . . .

 

Filled With Soapy Goodness

 

Okay, so I was in the process of getting caught-up with General Hospital, but then Tuesday rolled around and marked the return of Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy!!!!!) to network television and ya'll I got totally distracted because THIS is where all the soap has gone.

 

Warning, if you haven't watched the series premiere of Ringer yet, I about to spoil it for you with in-depth gushing about the pilot.

 

So, we've got identical but estranged twin sisters Siobhan (dude, what is with the popularity of that name recently?  It sounds like a type of fabric and is spelled ridiculously) and Bridget.  Siobhan is a New York City socialite and Bridget is an exotic dancer who is also a six-months clean recovering addict.  Oooh, I love an well-done evil twin storyline.

 

Bridget had the misfortune of witnessing a murder and is scheduled to testify against a very unsavory character in the near-future.  Not liking her chances of making it past trial, even with the protection of FBI agent Nestor Carbonell (I'm sorry, I still remember him from Suddenly Susan and it's hard for me to take him seriously), Bridget makes a break for it under cover of darkness and goes to visit Siobhan in New York. 

 

The sisters haven't seen each other in six years, and the source of their rift seems to be the death of someone called Sean, who later turns out to be an adorable blonde cherub in a photo dated 2006.  "Making amends" is step nine and Siobhan assures Bridget that all is forgiven between them. 

 

At her house in the Hamptons, Siobhan tells Bridget that she has never mentioned having a twin to anyone in her life, shortly before the pair embark on a fateful speedboat ride.  Awaking from slumber, Bridget finds a prescription bottle of sleeping pills containing her sister's wedding ring, but no Siobhan  .  Assuming that her sister has committed suicide, and still fearing for her own life from aforementioned unsavory character, Bridget decides to assume her sister's identity.  More soapy perfection.

 

And this is where it gets really fun, because watching Sarah Michelle Gellar play Bridget who's pretending to be Siobhan while knowing absolutely nothing about her life, is highly enjoyable .  She doesn't know that Siobhan and her husband Andrew barely tolerate each other (or why) and it's amusing watching her try to catch up to speed on their dynamic when he tells her she looks like she's lost weight, treats her like an errand-girl, and then asks her suspiciously why she's being so agreeable.

 

Then, there's Siobhan's best friend Gemma who confides her suspicions that her husband Henry is having an affair, right before Henry ambushes Bridget at the opera, kissing her passionately and making it clear that Siobhan is the one he's been stepping out with.  Apparently, this is not merely a physical affair, at least not on his part.

 

FBI agent Victor Machado shows up in New York to question Siobhan about sister Bridget's whereabouts, and is suspicious when Siobhan has the same sarcastic humor as Bridget did.

 

Then there's Andrew's teenage daughter Juliet, who moves back in with them because she got kicked out of boarding school for doing drugs.  This provides an additional area of concern for recovering addict Bridget. 

 

A phone call from Siobhan's OB/GYN reveals that she was pregnant (making her suicide all the more tragic), a fact that a surprised Bridget accidentally gasps out in earshot of Andrew.  I guess they must have been having sex occasionally in spite of the chill between them because he doesn't seem incredulous.  Henry on the other hand, is certain the baby is his and wants to claim paternity.

 

Best friend Gemma leaves a voice mail "I know who Henry is having an affair with, meet me at the loft", when Bridget arrives, she is menaced by a masked thug  with a crowbar.  Using her best Buffy-moves, Bridget manages to shoot and kill the intruder.  Reaching into his pocket, Bridget discovers that her sister Siobhan was actually his intended target, not herself as she had originally assumed.  The plot thickens.

 

Across the world in Paris, the phone rings and a very much alive Siobhan answers "we have a problem" the man on the other end of the line reports . . . . .

 

Consider me hooked!