Daily Updates

From: rika1@mindspring.com (Rika)
Subject: PC: Update, Tuesday, 11/18/97
Date: Thu, 20 Nov 1997 03:54:41 GMT
X-Server-Date: 20 Nov 1997 03:56:36 GMT

                       PORT CHARLES UPDATE
                      Tuesday, Nov. 18, 1997

We had a genuine Man In Towel sighting today!

TODAY'S STORYLINES:
-------------------
* Joe Scully, the Sequel
* Some of My Best Friends are Psychos
* What Shape is This Polygon?
* This One is a Triangle

JOE SCULLY, THE SEQUEL
----------------------
For those who don't understand the title, it refers to a
Kevin/Lucy/Luke/Sonny storyline in early 1995.  Lucy teamed up with Luke
and Sonny to double-cross Joe Scully, a mobster who had caused a lot of
trouble in town.  Among other things, Damian Smith hired him to sabotage
Deception, of which Lucy was president at the time.  Lucy was the bait -
she spent a lot of time flirting with Scully in order to feed him false
information.  Kevin was totally opposed to the idea because he thought
it was dangerous, and because he considered Luke (who was the author of
what we came to call the Majorly Dumb Plan, or MDP) to be reckless and
cavalier when it came to Lucy's safety.  He was also somewhat insecure
about Lucy's feelings for him, and thus a bit jealous of her friendship
with Luke, though he never really admitted it.  Kevin and Lucy broke up
over the MDP, but only briefly - after about ten days, Kevin couldn't
bear to be apart from her anymore.  They were reunited in a very funny
scene in which a naked Lucy, a fully-clothed and inebriated Kevin, and a
finely-feathered Sigmund wound up sharing a bubble bath.  Lucy was later
kidnapped by Scully's goons, and she would probably have been killed if
Luke and Sonny hadn't saved her.   The current situation ought to seem
eerily familiar to Kevin, but it's possible that the PC writing team
doesn't know about the MDP.

But back to today's story.  Kevin and Lucy are at the lighthouse arguing
about Lucy's idea to allow her to get close to Rex.  She wants to
pretend to break up with Kevin to help her to get close to Rex.  Kevin
nails what is for him the crucial point:  "I don't WANT you close to
Rex!"  Lucy mistakes his remark as jealousy, and assures him that the
break-up wouldn't be real.  She agrees with Scott that someone needs to
get close to Rex, and Lucy thinks she can do it.

Kevin is mad.  He doesn't see why Lucy has to be the one to get close to
Rex.  Lucy thinks she can use the miscarriage to advantage, making Rex
believe that she was so distraught that she became obsessed with Serena,
to the point where she'll do anything to get Serena away from Scott.
Kevin doesn't think Rex will fall for it, and he also thinks it would be
emotionally painful for Lucy to use the miscarriage that way.  Lucy
insists that Serena's welfare matters more than her pain, and she begs
Kevin to go along with her.  He refuses.  He'll do anything to help
Scott keep Serena - except to sacrifice Lucy.

Lucy decides for some reason to invite Scott over to join in the fun.
When we join them, Lucy pointedly thanks Scott for "at least listening
to my plan."  (How this is supposed to persuade Kevin to see things
Lucy's way, I can't imagine - I think she'd have more success alone
upstairs, after he's tried some of the "love potions.")  Scott thinks
the plan is "worth trying - after all, what do we have to lose?"  This
breaks Kevin's annoyed silence, and he points to Lucy and remarks, "We
have plenty to lose."  Besides, Kevin doesn't think that Rex would ever
believe that Lucy had turned on Scott.  Lucy suggests that perhaps Scott
could turn on her, and Scott adds that he could refuse to let her see
Serena.

Kevin insists that there has to be a better way.  He offers to go to
Europe and try to dig up dirt on Rex, but Scott says that's already been
tried, and it didn't work.  Lucy tells Kevin that every day they come
closer to losing Serena.  Kevin, though, refuses to budge.  Rex Stanton
isn't just dangerous, he's disturbed, and they have no idea what he's
capable of.  Scott insists that they are running out of time, but Kevin
doesn't care, because the plan is too risky.  Lucy insists that she's
willing to take the risk.  Scott claims to understand Kevin's concern (I
doubt it - Scott would shove Lucy off a cliff if it would save Serena),
but "we don't have another option."  Kevin insists that there has to be
another option.  Lucy and Scott continue to argue for the idea, as the
only way to keep Serena from being raised by "that monster."  That won't
happen "if my plan works," Lucy cries.  Kevin picks up on the "if" in
her statement.  He is not willing to live with "if", and he won't go
along with her plan.  Lucy and Scott each make a big show of crossing
their arms and shaking their heads, but Kevin is unmoved.  Good for him.

SOME OF MY BEST FRIENDS ARE PSYCHOS
-----------------------------------
Jake is in the OCR, and Danielle arrives.  He is annoyed to see her, but
she tells him this is the only place they can meet and be safe from Rex.
Danielle tries to make small talk with Jake, asking about Julie's party
and remarking that she wanted to be there.  Jake angrily tells her that
nobody wanted her there - especially not Karen, considering what
Danielle is doing to Karen's sister.  Danielle doesn't understand Jake's
attitude - she told him she'd help him stop Rex, but he hasn't told her
what to do.  What is the plan?  Jake doesn't trust her anymore, and he
just wants her to stay away.

Gail and Serena come off the elevator at the hospital and come face to
face with Danielle.  Serena tells Danielle, "I know you."  Danielle
recalls their meeting in the park back in July.  Gail assures Serena
that she doesn't have to talk to "this person," but Serena isn't
finished.  She has seen Danielle's picture in the newspaper, and she
knows Danielle is trying to take her away from her dad, and "I'll never
live with you.  I hate you!"

Danielle leans forward and assures Serena she would never hurt her (um,
Danielle, too late).  Gail pulls Serena away and warns Danielle not to
touch Serena.  Karen rushes over and positions herself between Serena
and Danielle.  After Gail and Serena leave, Karen picks up yelling at
Danielle where Serena left off (Scott's genes are showing).  She tells
Danielle that she has torn Serena's life apart.  Danielle repeats her
ridiculous refrain:  "I don't want to hurt anyone."  Karen offers a
sensible suggestion, "Then get out of here - get out of Port Charles.
Get out of our lives."

Danielle arrives home and tells Rex about her encounter with Serena, and
how heartbreaking it was to see her so unhappy.  Rex, of course, isn't
impressed:  "She'll get over it."  But Danielle knows that she won't,
any more that Jake will get over the way Danielle tricked him.  She
realizes that she's a complete outcast in Port Charles.  Rex assures her
that things will improve soon - to the tune of $100 million.  Danielle
wonders why Rex even wants the money.  He already has plenty - he has a
nice house, he eats at the best restaurants, he travels first class.  So
why does the money matter so much:  "You have a nice life."

Rex tells her she knows nothing about his life, but he'll give her "an
insight."  He claims that his parents put him in a mental institution
when there was nothing wrong with him.  Why?  Because Avery wanted to
get rid of him, and he convinced their parents that something was wrong
with Rex.  He talks about the horrors of living in a mental hospital -
drugs, electro-shock therapy, screaming psychotics, and so on.  And how
could a parent do that to a child?  His family, past and present, owes
him for that suffering.  Danielle asks why he has to take that out on
Serena, and he explains - Serena has the family fortune, and nothing
will stop him from getting it.

WHAT SHAPE IS THIS POLYGON?
---------------------------
Let's see.  We've got Julie, who is dating Frank.  Then there's Chris,
who seems to have a thing for Julie - or at least he used to.  But he's
living platonically with Eve while making salacious remarks at every
opportunity.  Then there's Bennett, who had an affair with Eve but who
is trying to save his marriage to Nicole.  Then there is Nicole, who I
think may wind up involved with Chris.  So I guess it's a hexagon.

The Virgin Mary Chris ordered on yesterday's show arrives today.  I bet
he got thirsty last night!  He is still hangin' at the Recovery Room
with Nicole, whose Bloody Mary has a mammoth stalk of celery in it which
she periodically handles.  (One wonders if this is some sort of Freudian
statement.)  She is apologizing for her behavior at Julie's party,
hoping that it didn't cause Chris any problems at the hospital.  Chris
suggests that nobody even noticed (oh, so you mean that people are so
accustomed to Nicole getting drunk and making a scene that there would
be nothing unusual about it.  Chris is trying to be nice, but that
doesn't seem very comforting).  Nicole figures that "a woman pouncing on
her husband's lover is bound to cause a little excitement."  Good call.
Chris glibly suggests that nobody wants to go to a dull party.  Nicole
remarks that Chris reminds her a lot of Bennett.  Another good call.
Chris takes it as a compliment until she bluntly replies, "It's not.
It's a warning.  Be careful you don't wind up like him."

This remark bothers Chris, whose entire life purpose is to be just like
Devlin.  To make his day even better, Matt comes in and orders coffee
from Mike, who is only too pleased to serve "the star intern of the
class of '97."  Nicole goes on to explain about Devlin.  Over the years,
his position changed him, and she eventually came to resent what it did
to their family.  She advises Chris to be careful.

Meanwhile, Bennett has come to the On-Call Room to visit Eve.  She talks
about how bad the party was last night, and Bennett apologizes.  She
remarks, "It's tough being a pariah."  Bennett tells her not to blame
herself and she explains that she doesn't.  She used to pray that he
would leave her wife, and then when she knew he wouldn't, she wanted him
to die a slow, painful death.  But she never wanted to take it out on
Julie or Nicole.  Bennett sounds sympathetic, which is usually a sign
that he wants something.  He remarks that if he had never come to town,
she wouldn't have been "branded an adulteress," and Nicole would never
have found out about the affair.

Eve finally cuts to the chase:  "Ben, what are you leading up to?"  And
then we find out the reason for all of Bennett's sympathetic,
understanding remarks.  He has a favor to ask.  He wants Eve to help him
to get Nicole back.  (This guy is some piece of work.)  Eve asks the
obvious question:  "Are you out of your mind?"  Bennett suggests that it
would help if Eve told Nicole that Bennett and Eve never loved each
other - that what they had was little more than a one-night stand.

Eve is stunned.  She asks, "Are you saying you never loved me?"
(Bennett, this is an example of a question that has NO right answer, as
you're about to find out.)  He insists that he loved her very much.
Ah, observes Eve, so you want me to lie.  She embarks on an extremely
fine, tearful rant in which she tries to explain to Bennett that, "It
didn't mean anything," doesn't remove the sting of an affair.  Instead,
it makes the wife feel that it was easy for the man to cheat.  Bennett
insists that hearing this from Eve might relieve some of Nicole's pain.
Eve cries as she accuses Bennett of never loving her - he was using her
then, and he's using her now.  He ignores this remark, instead telling
Eve that he can't lose Nicole.  Eve repeats that she used to pray for
his marriage to break up - and now he wants her to lie to keep it
together.  Bennett reaches a new plateau of insensitivity and
selfishness by responding, "I just want her to know that you were never
a threat."  Eve sadly replies, "So then I guess I won't be lying."
(Julie Pinson is always terrific as Eve, but in this scene she was so
far past terrific that I can't think of an appropriate adjective.)

Chris asks Julie about her opinions on a patient, and she snarks at him.
She's mad because Chris brought Eve to the party.  Chris points out that
it was supposed to be for everyone who helped to save Julie, and Eve
fits that description.  (Oops, his mistake - it was only for all the
people who helped Julie AND who didn't sleep with her father.)  Julie
thinks Eve should have stayed away.  Julie snipes, "Next time leave your
girlfriend alone."  Chris knows better than to sink to Julie's level; he
responds coldly but correctly and disappears.

This leaves Julie with nobody to pick on for about five seconds, until
Eve has the misfortune to walk by.  Oh, great.  Just what Eve needs
after being insulted and demeaned by Bennett - now Bennett's daughter
will take her turn.  Julie nastily tells Eve to stay away from Chris,
who is a "great guy" (ah, yes, the same "great guy" Julie was just
sniping at about 60 seconds ago.  Okey dokey).  And while she's at it,
she warns Eve away from Bennett and Nicole too.  Eve assures her that
there is nothing she'd rather do than stay away from Julie's whole
family - including Julie herself.  "But you don't dictate who I see,"
Eve continues.  Eve assures Julie that if she wants to see Chris, she'll
do it whether Julie likes it or not.  (Dear Writers of Other Soaps -
THIS is how you write a strong yet vulnerable woman.  Please take Eve
Lambert as your model.)  Julie watches Eve go, and I expect Julie to
start spitting nails any second.

Poor Eve seems to be in the Land Of The Ever-Present Devlins.  First
Bennett, next Julie, and now, when Eve goes back to the OCR, she finds
Nicole there, dropping off Chris's journal (which he left at the
Recovery Room).  Eve stops Nicole before she can leave; she has
something important to tell her.  She doesn't want to be the cause of
Nicole's marriage breaking up.  Nicole hisses back, "You should have
thought of that before you jumped into bed with my husband."  Eve tells
Nicole that Bennett was never in love with anyone but Nicole, and she
reacts just as Eve told Bennett she would - she isn't the least bit
happy that Bennett would sleep with someone he didn't even love.  She
accuses Eve of trying to unload guilt.  Eve insisted that she hoped
Nicole would find comfort in the truth, but Nicole assures her that
nothing about the situation gives her comfort.  She storms out of the
OCR.  And then......

*********************MAN IN TOWEL ALERT!!!!**************************
Yes, folks we have a winner!  Chris comes out of the showers, a towel
wrapped around his waist.  He observes, "So much for doing the right
thing, huh?"

(For those of you who don't read RATSA and who are wondering why all the
asterisks and exclamation points for Chris in a towel, let me explain.
After the episode about a week ago when Eve, Julie, AND Karen appeared
in their underwear, a clamor sprung up on RATSA for equal time in the
form of Men In Towels.  We didn't have long to wait for the first
installment.)

THIS ONE IS A TRIANGLE
----------------------
At the Recovery Room, Mike admires Matt's "threads" and then has to
explain the term.  Matt explains that he is eating out.  Mike is mildly
offended that Matt is taking his business elsewhere, but Matt explains
that he doesn't want to take his date to the place where the interns
hang out.  Mike is impressed - "Ellen Burgess finally came to her
senses?"  Matt explains that his date is Grace, not Ellen.  Mike thought
Matt and Ellen had something going on; so did Matt, but he found out
that "that woman's armor is made of steel."  If he thought he had a
chance, he'd do anything to make it happen, but Ellen insisted she
wouldn't get involved with an intern.  Matt heads off for his date.

We see Matt and Grace at a restaurant (Mario's?  Probably, but I
couldn't remember for sure what it looked like).  Matt is remarking on
how long they've gone without mentioning the hospital.  Grace decides to
"break the spell" by toasting to Matt's great performance in the O.R.
But she's surprised to be having dinner with "the star intern," because
she always thought Matt "had a thing for Dr. Burgess."

Matt decides to be coy; he asks why Grace thought he had something going
on with Ellen.  Grace recaps what we've all seen, and then he admits it.
But it didn't work out, and he doesn't believe in wasting time
regretting the past.

---------
by Rika, Tuesday updater