By 
You’re Not Alone
Friends, family and misc. gather for Sabrina’s funeral.
The week ended with Sabrina being laid to rest. The funeral episode had its flaws but it still got me teary eyed, particularly when Epiphany belted out You’re Not Alone. It would have been nice if Sonya Eddy had gotten to sing it acapella but it still got to me. I also liked what Lucy, Felix, Liz, Michael and even Carly said about Sabrina. She was a good person, a rarity for GH.
Joe and Teddy’s exits felt a little premature. They should have been at the funeral. Maybe Joe wanted to get out of town quick before Michael changed his mind about giving up Teddy. I am glad that GH is not going to have yet another messy custody battle though. I think that Michael did the right thing. He put Teddy’s well-being first, something that wasn’t done for him when he was a child. It was a nice touch using Michael’s history to explain his actions. His choice to not put Teddy in the middle of a fight actually seemed more in character as a result than it would have for him to take Joe to court. Of course Sabrina wouldn’t have wanted Teddy to go though a bitter custody battle either and Michael did love her.
I like that Sabrina’s funeral gave us a chance to see some beloved yet little seen characters again such as Lucy, Felix and Epiphany. However, I felt that they weren’t focused on as much as I would have liked. Those who were closest to Sabrina and knew her the longest were tucked away in the back row. The funeral felt more focused on launching story for others while the hospital characters sort of played second fiddle. There also seemed to be some glaring omissions from the guest list (Joe, Spinelli, Elle, Juan) and a few perplexing attendees (Paul). Sonny, Carly, Dante and Jason were all there to support Michael but GH seemed to forget that Val is Michael’s cousin. Her working on this case should be used to play her with her family more. Felix was all alone. Where was Donny or his friends Lucas and Brad? Michael and Felix are friends but they never spoke to each other during the ceremony. By the way, can this tragedy be used to make Michael and Felix best friends now? Please and thank you!
Charlotte Sometimes
Photo Credit: © Howard Wise/JPI Studios
Claudette finally revealed the reason she has sought out Nathan… or at least what she says is the reason. She showed Nathan a picture of a little girl and told him the girl was his daughter Charlotte. She said that she had been in a bad relationship with a criminal and that her evil ex-lover had threatened Charlotte. She said she needed Nathan for help and protection. I’m skeptical about Claudette’s story.
For starters, when Maxie demanded a paternity test, Claudette provided a brunette lock of hair but the girl in the picture is blond. Claudette said that her daughter’s hair just gets lighter in the summer. But this is a soap and there wouldn’t have been the difference in hair color if it wasn’t a clue that something isn’t as it seems. Maybe Nathan does have a child and that lock of hair belongs to her. But maybe the girl in the picture and in the videos that Claudette showed Dr. O, isn’t the one those stands of hair came from.
Claudette’s behavior is also suspect. She doesn’t seem that stressed out about her daughter being in danger. If a bad man had threatened her child’s life, wouldn’t she be more frantic? Instead she is manipulative and coy. My theory is she’s only telling half-truths.
Where Have All The Good Guys Gone?
A common complaint amongst viewers is the cast size. I’m a big advocate for ensemble soaps and I feel like Jean Passasante and Shelly Altman have done a decent job of juggling characters. They have followed the Marland rule of not firing anyone for six months. With some of the recent and upcoming exits, now is a good time to tighten the cast. I’d like to see them work to utilize who they already have before bringing on another character. If a couple needs angst, look and see which already establish character would make a good third party. Soaps have their comings and goings and when someone decides not to renew a contract, the knee-jerk response shouldn’t be to replace them right away. First see if that role can be filled with who the show already has and if not, then bring in a new character.
I think GH does need to hire another leading man in the 40s to 50s age group. The soap has a strong list of veteran leading ladies but not a lot of romantic options for them. Anna is returning soon. Who’s her leading man going to be? Will things pick up again with Andre? If so, where does that leave Jordan? Will Paul’s pursuit of Anna continue? Yeah, let’s not go there please. Who will Ava be able to use her feminine wiles on now that Nik is “dead”? The cat and mouse with Paul and relationship with her brother Julian are entertaining but it would be nice if she had a lover to play with too. Is Nina going to settle for the Kingdom Come now that Franco and her are in the friends zone? I had hoped that maybe Joe could shake some things up for the ladies but he’s gone now.
Couples of the week: Maxi and Nathan, Julian and Ava, Franco and Liz, Finn and Hayden
Lines of the week: “I’m so sorry.”-Paul “What are you sorry for?”-Tracy “I killed her.”-Paul
“The guy we were looking for was right underneath our noses the whole time.”-Jordan
“Are you going to be here when I wake up?”-Liz “Would you like me to be here when you wake up? Then here’s where I’ll be.”-Franco
“No selfies! If you go for that phone I’m leaving!”-Finn
“Yeah because doctors do be having that God complex. No offense doctor.”-Curtis “My God complex and I forgive you.”-Andre
“I know exactly were to start. I just don’t want to. Because if I start that means there has to be an end.”-Felix
“I need my friends to stop dying.”-Liz
“We can pencil you in two weeks from Tuesday.”-Franco
“That insufferable twit Elizabeth Webber is my half sister.”-Hayden
“Would you say a prayer with me?”-Epiphany “I’d be honored.”-Griffin
“All you have to do is say when.”-Franco “When.”-Liz
“What part of attempted throat slitting translates to innocent?”-Maxie
“So Dad how are things in Africa or Malaysia or wherever you are and hey while I’ve got you on the phone, how long have you been cheating on my mother?”-Liz
“I’m sorry Dr. Hardy. We tried.”-Epiphany
“In the end, it’s only you who can pass the final judgement. In the end, I know there will be justice.”-Griffin
“Your need to take care of your brother, I get it. Family always has to take care of family.”-Paul
“I heard about your testimony. It sounds like it was very interesting.”-Ava “Could you not be a bitch for 30 seconds?”-Olivia
“A cop, a priest, a crook? I got to admit that’s quite the trifecta.”-Nathan
Video of the week: Michelle Stafford’s Single Mom A Go Go with Will DeVry
For a look at what’s ahead, check out our General Hospital Spoilers.
Overall, I like the “feel” of the funeral – even with its flaws. One of the elements I liked was that the PCPD investigation was emotionally linked to Sabrina’s funeral through Valerie. One young woman feeling the loss of another young woman and wanting to do her part to right the wrong done to Sabrina. Including Valerie in the musical montage to Sabrina was a good move, especially since Brytni Sarpy as Valerie can portray a sensitive, soulful sensibility when given the chance. That scene really worked for me and I would have liked to have seen Valerie, who worked out the first real clue in this case (the cuff link), have a chance to continue to be part of the team actual solving and concluding this case. Seeing Valerie in the montage was especially important in showing that, in death and in tune with the lyrics, Sabrina was NOT ALONE – that there was another young woman (Valerie) deeply moved by Sabrina’s loss and doing her best to remember and honor her by bringing her killer to justice.
And more about Valerie! I continue to think that so much more could and should be done with Valerie Spencer – including remembering that she is a Spencer. Linking her more to Michael’s story would have been one of several ways to do that – one I would have enjoyed watching more of that relationship. But then the writers don’t even remember that Carly and her children are part of the Spencer family.
I’m late with my comments, but I wanted to say how much I liked reading this column. I especially appreciated the positive reference to the PCPD – and the need for them to solve a case. They have been taking a lot of heat for their handling of the hospital serial killings. However my question to those attacking the PCPD in this story is how could the writers possibly solve the case quickly when the writers didn’t decide on the identity of the murderer until well into story? While they (the writers) were deciding on the culprit, they “used” the hospital story to develop stories for other characters and relationships (Finn/Hayden and Franco/Liz). And, for those who question my last statement, think about what happened with both of these relationships when Finn and Franco were arrested. Both arrests gave good material to the characters and relationships involved – material which strengthened the bonds in both relationships and gave us more insight to the characters. But, in the meantime, the PCPD was made to look ineffective for arresting the wrong people. (As an aside with rookie cop Valerie, her arrest of Finn was not about the serial killer case. It was mandated by Finn having violated his hospital suspension – Valerie had no choice other than to arrest him. And, to Valerie’s credit, she did show good discretionary judgment by prioritizing the sick child and letting Finn deal with this emergency before reluctantly making the arrest.)