What in the Sam Hill (not to be confused with the Sam McCall) was going on with GH’s Ethan and Lucky beating the snot out of Dante Friday and today? Lucky is a cop, and getting into bar brawls is just plain stupid. And Ethan…? He’s a sticky-fingered con artist! He has no room to judge somebody that’s working for Sonny. Did the show think we would view the attack as a lovely bonding experience between Luke’s two sons? Sorry, ganging up on a guy interested in their sister just made them look like ginormous jerks. I mean, yeah, Dante was coming on strong and is probably the kind of guy that I’d walk away from in a bar…which is something Lulu’s perfectly capable of doing herself! She handled him just fine, shepherding his obnoxious tush to the hospital and passing him to Epiphany for the “TLC” he was so desperately angling for. Ethan and Lucky’s intrusion was uncalled for and, again, a completely manufactured way for them to bond and for Ethan to look like a part of the gang. Lucky’s resentment of Ethan has been justifiable; suddenly forgetting that so they could “defend their sister’s honor” was hard to swallow. And landing a few punches on the even newer guy in town doesn’t make Ethan suddenly look like a veteran. The only ones in that entire sequence that actually came out looking okay were Nikolas and Coleman, because the supercilious Cassadine act is believable (plus he used the word “ilk!”) and Coleman is awesome no matter what he does. 

Then there’s my fury over Sonny being a big ol’ buttinsky and trying to force Olivia to admit she’s still into him. Luckily, it was soothed by how lovely the Johnny and Olivia scene afterwards was. It was in direct contrast to how Sonny refused to listen to a word Olivia was saying, how he kept hammering at her to give into him. Johnny allowed Olivia to have her feelings — even if they were about another man — and didn’t let them negate what the two of them have with each other. “You get me Liv, in a way that most people don’t,” Johnny sighed. I loved them talking about her blue-collar life in Bensonhurst versus his life of wealth and privilege. Then, Olivia put her cards on the table, worrying that Johnny would think he’s a substitute for Sonny, and I got a little mushy when Johnny assured Olivia he doesn’t feel used, just “needed,” and admitted that he needs her, too. As for Sonny? Oh, you’ve got to just love him feigning sympathy for Claudia and their lost child after being shot down by Olivia. It was pretty reprehensible. I mean, I don’t even like Claudia all that much and I felt bad for her. Pursuing someone else when your wife just had a miscarriage, and then coming back to her because you might as well make a go of it is not something that makes me swoon with the romantic vapors! 

I promise that tomorrow I will not post about GH. I think I’ve got some Y&R in me. We’ll find out!

originally posted on soapoperaweekly.com