Daily Updates

From: Newberry@HUDCE.HARVARD.EDU (Newberry)
Subject: PC: Update 7/9/97
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 1997 13:05:20 -0400

TODAY'S THEME:  ACCEPTANCE

Author's note:  IMHO, today's episode was one of the best so far.  I
replayed it a couple of times, trying to determine how I was going to
convey the myriad issues involved and the superb quality in both the
writing and the acting.  The best thing would be a verbatim transcript,
but even that would fail because it would neglect the wonderful chemistry
between Lynn Herring and Kin Shriner.  Knowing that this update will not
do the episode justice, here goes...

ACCEPTING HELP
Chris and Julie are at the nurses station in the ER talking about Eve and
the FBI.  Chris is surprised to learn Eve has been released.  While they
are talking, they don't notice Dr. Ellen observing them in a moment of
relaxation.  She immediately chastises them, they apologize and scurry off
to find some business to attend to.  Kevin has observed this scene.  Ellen
tells him she's sorry he had to see that, but she just doesn't know why
this group of interns is so lax in everything.  Kevin tells her maybe it's
not just the interns who are having problems and she asks him for a
private chat.  Once out of the public area of the ER, she explains that
she's very frustrated because she can't get through to the interns.  Kevin
reminds her of when she took his class and she was one of his brightest
students, but she can be rigid and unbending (no!).  He employs a
Sigmund-metaphor, comparing her need to control the interns to a mother
duck having all of her ducklings in a row (loved that part!).  She
acknowledged her need to control things, but insisted it's because the
interns don't understand there is so much in medicine that is beyond their
control.  She speaks about how Joe performed the emergency surgery on
Audrey and got away without being disciplined; now all the interns think
they are invincible.  Kevin noted that this is a classic reaction of
post-traumatic stress syndrome, which may be a result of the hostage
ordeal.

ACCEPTING WHO PEOPLE ARE
Eve has returned to the Scanlon hacienda to find her belongings packed on
the stoop along with a copy of her lease marked VOID.  She tearfully sits
down on one of her bags, wondering aloud what she is going to do.  Frank
comes out and lays in to her about how her actions caused his mother to
have to spend a night in jail.  She tries to tell him that the FBI let her
go, she's not guilty, but he won't hear any of it.  He's insisting she
leave when Julie arrives.

Julie confirms that the FBI let Eve go; Scott Baldwin told them it had
been his error when he had mistakenly paid her for medical services
rendered with the marked cash (won't Eve still get in trouble from Dr.
Ellen?).  Frank still wants Eve out.  Julie asks him to let Eve stay, for
her sake.  Frank betrays to us how much Julie already means to him when he
consents to her request.  This scene also shows us that Julie knows she
has some leverage with Frank and is relieved that he doesn't resent her
using it.  Later, Eve is called back to the hospital to sub for someone
and tells Frank not to touch any of her belongings or there will be a
lawsuit.  After she leaves, he asks Julie why she wants Eve to stay.  At
first she jokes, saying that having Eve around, makes Julie look terrific,
but then she tells him she appreciates that there is nothing phony about
Eve, what you see is what you get, even if being herself means people
won't like her.  Eve is up-front and honest, even when it's not in her
best interest.  Julie gives us a another glimpse into herself when she
says that once you start lying it's very difficult to stop (she's
definitely speaking from experience here, yet Frank is too enthralled with
the exterior to see the pain that lurks there).

ACCEPTING CONSPIRACY
Back at the hospital in the OCR Eve is bummed to find her leftover pizza
gone.  Chris enters; he has pitched it because it had gone moldy (that's
fast bacteria!).  He goads her about not having money to buy decent meals
and whips out his wallet, flashing a hunk of cash in front of Eve.  He
remarks on how hungrily her eyes follow the bills (this actress does a
good job of portraying the importance of money to this character).  He
offers her the money, provided she help him disrupt the budding
relationship between Julie and Frank.  Eve grabs the money, stuffs it in a
secure place (so far, anyway), and says it will cost him a lot more than
that.

ACCEPTING PAIN, GRIEF, AND FEAR
Lucy and Scott are still arguing about his plans to take Serena back to
Canada.  Lucy acknowledges that she made the call that disabled his plane
and he reminds her he doesn't need his plane to leave.  She tries to make
him see that he shouldn't take Serena away from the people who love her.
She deserves to have family around.  Scott is defensive that Lucy is
implying he hasn't done a good job with Serena.  Lucy says that's not what
she means; no one would be able to say that Scott hasn't done a terrific
job...that he's made a much better father than anyone would have dared to
guess.  Scott is surprised that Lucy is telling him this and she says it's
true, but it doesn't change the fact that taking Serena away now would be
a disastrous mistake.  Why, until this week, Lucy tells him, Serena has
never even had her little fingernails painted!  Scott tells Lucy she's
just be selfish, which she acknowledges, but then turns the tables back on
him.  She tells him she knows the real reason he doesn't want to stay in
Port Charles is not because he's worried about Serena's safety but because
he is afraid to the face the pain and grief of being where Dominique died.
[I don't know about anyone else, but for me this was a very effective way
to deal with the whole stupid plot line employed on GH to explain Kin
Shriner's leaving...to show that he used the threat against Serena as an
excuse to take her away from the painful memories.]

Lucy asserts that Dominique would not want Serena to be raised away from
family and friends and Scott resents Lucy trying to use Dominique to guilt
him into staying.  Lucy says she has proof that what she's saying is true
and she produces a videotape she and Dominique made before she died.
Scott insists Serena's not ready to see the tape.  Lucy concurs but says
it's time he did watch it.  She leaves him and steps outside, gazes
towards the heavens, and implores Dominique to help her help him.

Scott watches the tape.  I didn't watch GH very much during the Dominique
time period, but I'm pretty certain this was one of the actresses who had
played the character.  She was addressing the baby to come, talking about
how glad she was that she knew someday her baby would be watching this
tape, talking about how much she and Scott loved each other and loved the
baby, how wonderful Lucy was and how much she wanted the baby to know Lucy
as it grew up.  To watch Kin Shriner play Scott as he watched the tape was
awesome.  At first he sat back from the television, not wanting to allow
the pain in, but being captivated by her voice and her words, he slowly
drew closer and closer, an effort to draw as much of her in as the medium
would allow.  And at the end, when she told the baby she loved it, he
whispered, "And I love you."

Respectfully submitted,

Linda N.
CEO, FGC Jason, Keeper of Jason Morgan's Lust
VP, FGC Robin, Keeper of the Cameo Ring
Just Another Mouse-Pushing Wacko