Soap Scene of the Week: Patrick's Proposal to Robin on General Hospital

The pairing of Patrick Drake (played by Jason Thompson) and Robin Scorpio (played by vet Kimberly McCollough) is the only good thing on that mobfest called General Hospital. Yesterday and today, the two took a major step when Patrick proposed in front of the entire staff (and her mom and uncle). The former commitment-phobe basically poured his soul out to Robin in front of everyone. The moment was pretty perfect, even with the annoying cynicism of Mac Scorpio and the jerky Matt Hunter.

The situation took an ugly turn when Robin, ever the stubborn mule, left Patrick there in the middle of the hospital floor, on bended knee. Watching Patrick fall to the floor and the look of sadness and humiliation on his face was very hard. Still, he finds Robin in the park and tries to convince her that he really wants to marry her. The words fall on deaf ears, as Robin officially turns down his proposal, leaving Patrick crying on the park bench.

Jason and Kimberly are magic on screen and they continue to prove why they deserve their immense fanbase. Jason proves why he is the king of the monologue; everything Patrick is feeling is splayed across his face. The cracking voice, the tears (he's one of the best male cryers, hands down), it all comes together in one of his best performances since joining on 2005. He needs to submit this for the '09 Emmys. His partner, Kimberly (who has been on and off with GH since she was a little kid) is also fantastic. She, who is no stranger to the Emmys, showed how devastated Robin was turning down the proposal, as well as the joy she felt receiving it amazingly. Together, the two are a force that, if TPTB have any brains about, should not be screwed with, ever. It's unfortunate that the other parts of the show paled in comparison to "Scrubs". I would rather watch them then the annoying "Bonnie and Clyde" wannabes Johnny and Lulu any day of the week.

Here are the two parts:

WORST: Does General Hospital Hate Rick Hearst?

He's been in bad story after bad story for months, and whenever his character shows a bit of growth, the story is scrapped.

Rumors have been escalating about Rick Hearst leaving ABC soap General Hospital for the past few weeks, and I can't help but wonder whether or not the writers (Robert Guza in particular) has been deliberately driving him out.

Rick Hearst is unarguably one of daytime drama's most gifted performers. He has received 3 Daytime Emmys over the course of his career, two of them from his current home at GH. One of Hearst's greatest talents is his ability to make the viewer sympathize with him, even when his character did bad things. That skill came in handy with many of his roles, especially Alan-Michael Spaulding on Guiding Light, Whip Jones on Bold and the Beautiful, and his current role as Ric Lansing. Despite his many heinous crimes, including chaining a pregnant woman in a panic room and cheating on his cancer-ridden wife with her daughter, people still love Ric Lansing and his portrayer, because of his multi-layered performances. You would think that his acting prowess would make him an asset to the writers.

Nope.

Since his arival in 2002, Rick's character has continually played second-fiddle to his half-brother Sonny Corinthos, played by Maurice Benard. The character has been sacrificed repeatedly for the sake of maintaining the show's focus on "lead" characters Sonny and Jason Morgan (played by fellow Emmy winner Steve Burton). Despite their waning popularity, the duo, along with their peripheral characters, have always won out against Ric. Many of his storylines have been terrible and almost irredeemable to viewers. The possible last straw was when Ric's love interest Marianna was thrown off the show and, in retaliation, he got psycho Anthony Zacchara out of jail. Since then, Ric has become a secondary character, despite Sonny's continued dominance (and Benard's continued uninspiring performances).

Now, whispers about Rick Hearst's contract negotiations have been grown louder, and many are suggesting he's leaving. Internet soap spoiler queen Raven has alluded to the possibility months ago, but never before has the possibility been more real.

It's pretty clear GH doesn't really like Rick Hearst or his character very much, hence his storylines (and lack thereof), and they may be getting what they want if Rick doesn't resign later this year. If that's the case, its the show's loss. Rick (and former screen partner Nancy Lee Grahn, for that matter) deserves much better, so if or when the time comes, I'm sure he'll find a much better role (Guiding Light, you better get that money ready).

Genie Francis Returns to General Hospital!

Fans of soap opera General Hospital are definitely rejoicing with this news!

Emmy-winning actress Genie Francis, who has played the iconic Laura Spencer on and off for nearly 30 years is returning to the show that made her a star. She was last on the show in 2006, in much-hyped storyline that brought her an Emmy for Best Supporting Actress.

Genie Francis plays Laura Spencer, one half of the fabled Luke and Laura supercouple. Their relationship in the late 70s and early 80s was so popular that an astonishing 30 million people tuned in to watch their wedding in 1981.

Laura, who is currently in a catatonic state, will wake up to counsel Lulu through the murder of ex-boyfriend Logan. The return starts on August 26th and will reportedly be short-term.

Soap Sud of the Week: Jason Breaks Down to Monica on GH!

It takes a lot to break the impenetrable shell that is Jason "Stone Cold" Morgan. It has to be something tragic, devastating, and guilt-ridden to tear Jason down. That is exactly what happened when his nephew/one-time surrogate son Michael Corinthos was wheeled into the ER. Jason's worst fears for his own child Jake were realized for the 12-year old when sniper Dr. Ian Devlin accidentally shot him instead of his father Sonny. Although appearing strong for Carly's sake, the revelation that Michael would likely not wake up struck the enforcer straight through his heart. Unable to cope on his own, he turned to his often-shunned mother, Monica Quartermaine. The cardiologist, currently sitting pretty in rehab, was a perfect choice for Jason to receive comfort. The two recently reconciled, and for the first time since the accident 13 years ago, Jason felt comfortable with his mom.

When Jason went to see Monica, it seemed like an information relay about Michael's condition. However, Jason quickly folded as he explained her estranged grandson's condition, needing his mom to hold him. After gaining some composure, Jason revealed how he blamed himself for Michael's accident. Monica quickly shot him down, explaining that the choices he made were not malicious. She also gave Jason the relief he needed by forgiving him for taking Michael away from the family, hoping that he would also forgive himself.

Ever since that accident in 1996 that turned Jason Quartermaine into Jason Morgan, he and his rich family were terribly disjointed. Although he came to somewhat tolerate his volatile relatives, it wasn't until they slowly started disappearing did he show a real longing for them. Now that he and Monica have officially buried the hatchet, it seems that the great divide is FINALLY beginning to close.

Here are the scenes (mixed with some others) from the last two days:

Its so nice to such a progression, considering where they were in November (see below):