There is a truly transcendent song by Sting of the same name which says:
"I was brought to my senses
I was blind, but now that I can see
Every signpost in nature
Said you belong to me."
Signposts of nature are tremendously hard to ignore. Liz and Jason were brought to their senses years ago. They tried to brush their passion for one another aside because it was so incredibly complicated for them to be together. On the very day they got brave enough to finally reach out and claim the life and love that has eluded them for so long, disaster struck. Just as they began to lay the foundation for a life together, it all fell apart. Circumstances and obstacles continue to stand between them although their hearts love no one else.
The fact that they want to be together is not in question. The fact that they adore one another is not in question. Their love for another is solid and sure. But - enter the world around them. If they choose to be together, people they love will be hurt. If they move forward with the quest to make a life together, there are so many possibly horrible consequences they can't bring themselves to follow through.
The same could be said of Nikolas in his ill-fated love for the deceased Emily. His brain tumor can conjure her up in hallucinations and his love for her is so devoted and complete that he is willing to die rather than remove the tumor that allows him to be with her, even though it's only fantasy. Every signpost in nature told him he and Emily belonged together, and now that she is dead, he doesn't know what to do with all that emotion. Nadine (there, I said it!) is trying to pull him back into life and make him focus on the living, but his love for Emily keeps pulling him back into the fantasy world where he can remain with his One True Love.
When you truly connect with another human being, it's a magical thing. So often in life we go day to day making small talk with people who don't understand us or know us or even like us. When we somehow manage to stumble onto someone whose presence instantly feels like home, it's a miracle. I've found that a time or two in my life, and I cling to it with both hands because I know how rare it is. This week I felt Jason and Liz's pain, and Nikolas's pain, and heck, even Nadine's pain because she was fighting desperately to save someone who didn't want to be saved. Every signpost in nature sadly doesn't always guarantee a happy ending. But I'm certainly rooting for one.
I'm also rooting for Michael to come out of his coma every day even though I know ABC already fired the fabulous Dylan Cash. I suppose we should add him to the list of vanishing Quartermaine's - let's not forget that AJ was his biological father. Are they going to kill Michael off, or make him and adult? Rumor has it he's going to wake up out of his coma and suddenly be played by a 20-something actor. I bet the 30-Something Laura Wright will just love playing Mom to a 24 year old. If they do this, do they intend to age Morgan, Kristina, Molly and Spencer, too? If one kid wakes up a decade older, what will become of the others?
Time will tell, but in the meantime, the story is quite compelling. I can't heap enough praise on Laura Wright. She has taken the material they pitched her way and hit a grand slam. (Baseball analogy especially for Joe) Every scene she has done with every other character is mesmerizing; I just can't take my eyes off of her. Her hope in spite of a dire diagnosis is tangible, her rage and anger at Sonny is vivid and real, her renewed closeness with Jason as they reminisce about Michael's past has been incredibly moving. She's headed for an Emmy nomination I hope.
OTOH, I can barely tolerate Kate this week. The same woman who was going to leave Sonny because of his violent lifestyle is now making excuses for him and comforting him telling him Michael's shooting isn't his fault. It IS his fault. He's a criminal and his lifestyle has horrible consequences. The people around him are constantly dying, being shot, kidnapped, or put in harms way. I understand the concept of "standing by your man" as Tammy Wynette would say, but Kate needs to give him a little tough love right now and tell him about himself. He has choices. He keeps making the wrong ones. This time, his son paid the ultimate price.
Lulu is also on my last nerve. Between the emotional sucker punch she gave Logan, when he tried to surprise her with a romantic dinner, to the hot/cold game she's playing with Johnny, I keep asking myself why any of these guys like her. She's incredibly self-centered. Lulu sat by Logan's bedside in the hospital and told him they could have another chance, but apparently that was just the guilt talking. In fact, I am so disenchanted with Lulu right now I am rooting for Maxie in the Great Battle of the Administrative Assistants. Of course, a real Kate Howard type would never hire two inexperienced girls like Lulu and Maxie to begin with, so it's a moot point.
In the area of comic relief, the always delightful Diane's infatuation with Max is bringing me immense enjoyment. It's about time poor Max gets a little love after years of pining away for Carly. The two of them in their awkward and embarrassed interactions are sweet and hysterical.
I also took great delight in the reopening of the Haunted Star for two reasons - 1) I am sick of the sleazy Jake's bar and want my friends in Port Charles to have someplace else to go when they are hankering for a little nightlife. 2) I like gambling. Mind you, when I go to Vegas, I play nickel slots and drop my nickels slowly so I can get free drinks. My friends from college came up with this system that we should try to drink back our losses. By their calculations if you lose 40 bucks, and drinks are normally 5 bucks each, you need to drink 8 free drinks to break even. This is why I never graduated from college and have very hazy memories of most of the 80's.
But back to The Haunted Star - could Claudia, Jerry and Ian have been any more obvious? They are supposed to pretend they don't know one another, but spent the whole night at the casino staring at each other across the room with long intense gazes... Sonny showed up at the Haunted Star, too, as though nothing had happened, dropping piles of chips mindlessly until Kate pulled him away.
Carly didn't make Uncle Luke's reopening - she only has eyes for Michael right now. Jax's attempts to make her face the truth about Michael's condition were in vain. Frankly, I am on Carly's side - doctors are wrong sometimes. Just this week my Uncle was proclaimed cancer free after another doctor told him his tumor was beyond help and sent him home to die. Always get a second opinion. As brilliant as Patrick Drake may be, Carly and Sonny with their combined unlimited funds should be flying in brain surgeons from all over the world to look at their son. I have seen Jax fly women to Paris for simply for morning croissants, so why not do the same to save his stepson?
What will happen tomorrow dear readers? Will the ultra petite Robin keep obsessing over her weight when it's clear she hasn't even got a baby bump the size of a cherry? Will Spinelli go into a sugar coma after 14 consecutive orange sodas? Will Kate come up with better name than Crimson for her new magazine? Will Milo be filled with hope after hearing about Max's sexploits? Will Liz decide to take Lucky back from Sam now that she can't have Jason? Will Jax turn his back on his brother for good once he discovers his role in Michael's shooting? Will Anthony spring out of bed and do the Hokey Pokey on Ric's next visit?
