12 hours ago, Franko said:

Side note: It's also interesting how Ruby's characterized as a waterfront matriarch, someone who knows all her customers, etc. She's only been running Kelly's for a year-and-a-half at this point

She becomes so ubiquitous behind the counter at Kelly’s that it seems like she was always there. Luke worked there before she did!

I loved Norma Connolly. Like @Franko said about Steve, Jessie, and Audrey, she added a lot just being there. Ruby took in the strays, later on people like Jagger and even Brenda. And in this story the Quartermaines! I have brought it up before, but in 1993 there is a scene when Rhonda has realized what Ray did to Karen, and she basically announces it out loud in Kelly’s while trying to find Karen. And Brenda and Ruby share a look, both of them fully realizing what Rhonda meant. Jason is there too, and didn’t quite put it together as quickly. It was such a simple scene, but it stood out to me back then. It’s one of the things I miss on GH, it felt like the characters had real connections.

Ruby did kind of seem like the matriarch of the waterfront. Kelly’s was in a rougher part of town. It wasn’t far from the hospital, and was “respectable” so all kind of characters mixed there. But it was also a place where we saw people working, and it had character as a set. Now everyone in Port Charles is basically the same as far as economics, and more on the glamorous side instead of any older characters who have some grit and don’t take any crap.

We have discussed Bobbie/Ruby fairly recently in this thread and the implications of their past. Their relationship always read as close on the show. Ruby was who Bobbie told her secrets to, even if Ruby didn’t agree with her and wanted her to not make another mistake. And she was possibly the only character that seemed to fully love and accept Luke exactly the way he was. Almost willing to excuse too much when it came to Luke.

Week 16, Part IV -- Conclusion (at last!)

Frisco: "If humiliating an innocent girl in front of people is part of being a cop, then maybe I oughta just reconsider this whole deal."

Laurelton, Part II: I'm repeating myself, but the seams for Lucy's masquerade are really well hidden. She gives Frisco just enough alone time for snooping and later finding her love poetry to Kevin.

On the demerits side, we have the resolution to Operation Discredit Red. Kevin and Stretch, the basketball player who didn't take a dive, don't look that much alike. And after that, we've still got an episode-and-a-half before Jake finally uses the poetry in court. During the interim, Lucy also testifies about seeing Kevin with a young, flashy, headband-wearing woman, and -- GASP! -- he turned down the corner of a reference book's page! Naturally, Jake and Bobbie are obligated to find the book in question, which wasn't actually the one Lucy said it was, and ...

Yadda yadda yadda. I get that Jake's trying to break Lucy down with repetition and proof that she's not 100% accurate, and GH is determined to have a big moment for Friday's episode, but we're about two steps away from Jake asking if Lucy's absolutely sure the earth does, in fact, rotate around the sun. And then asking her again an hour later.

Anyway, Kevin briefly takes the stand on Thursday, and on Friday, Frisco takes his makeup exam. Eric, his partner, and Samantha all passed! Frisco does, too, but we find that out after the fact. GH has spent about a half-year with Frisco's move to law enforcement, and I suppose there was never any doubt he'd succeed, but still, what an anti-climax.

Speaking of anti-climaxes, it wasn't until I finished Friday's episode that I realized neither Anna nor Bobbie appeared. Of all people, Burt shows up to watch Lucy self-destruct. Also, I'll give a point to Jake for faking out Lucy. He recited the lines to one of her poems, but the actual piece of paper he held was blank.

And, of course, Lucy's faking out the entire courtroom.

Jake: "Love can turn to hate. Can't it, Lucy?"

Jeff's Care and Claudia/Bryan/Debbie: David Mendenhall and Judith Chapman have the week off. In addition to his work in the Alan-Monica storyline, Chris Robinson's duties include wrapping things up for Jeff. I don't know if I misundertood Rick's point of view, or there was a last-minute rewrite, but the name of the game is keeping Jeff with the Lanes, the foster parents he had run away from. Rick and Mrs. Lane both explain that Jeff had gone through a lot of trauma in a short time and that when he stole that motorcycle, it was an act of reaching out for something he could feel was his very own. Anyway, Jeff gets to stay with the Lanes, and it's confirmed on Thursday that he's doing well.

Finally, Claudia tries and fails at being excruciatingly polite around Debbie, who admits on Thursday that she's fallen for Bryan. Claudia and Bryan's last scene on Thursday has them wondering how things have gone so wrong. I'm curious to see how this plays out, and when exactly Claudia and Bryan are gone for good.

15 minutes ago, titan1978 said:

She becomes so ubiquitous behind the counter at Kelly’s that it seems like she was always there. Luke worked there before she did!

I loved Norma Connolly. Like @Franko said about Steve, Jessie, and Audrey, she added a lot just being there. Ruby took in the strays, later on people like Jagger and even Brenda. And in this story the Quartermaines! I have brought it up before, but in 1993 there is a scene when Rhonda has realized what Ray did to Karen, and she basically announces it out loud in Kelly’s while trying to find Karen. And Brenda and Ruby share a look, both of them fully realizing what Rhonda meant. Jason is there too, and didn’t quite put it together as quickly. It was such a simple scene, but it stood out to me back then. It’s one of the things I miss on GH, it felt like the characters had real connections.

Ruby did kind of seem like the matriarch of the waterfront. Kelly’s was in a rougher part of town. It wasn’t far from the hospital, and was “respectable” so all kind of characters mixed there. But it was also a place where we saw people working, and it had character as a set. Now everyone in Port Charles is basically the same as far as economics, and more on the glamorous side instead of any older characters who have some grit and don’t take any crap.

We have discussed Bobbie/Ruby fairly recently in this thread and the implications of their past. Their relationship always read as close on the show. Ruby was who Bobbie told her secrets to, even if Ruby didn’t agree with her and wanted her to not make another mistake. And she was possibly the only character that seemed to fully love and accept Luke exactly the way he was. Almost willing to excuse too much when it came to Luke.

That's a great analysis of Ruby! When I was watching as a kid, I actually thought that "Kelly" was her last name and that it was a family business.

33 minutes ago, Franko said:

That's a great analysis of Ruby! When I was watching as a kid, I actually thought that "Kelly" was her last name and that it was a family business

I never understood until the internet why it was called Kelly’s or who Rose, Paddy, or Joe Kelly were. And as a little kid I did see parts of Laura’s return from the dead, and I remembered stuff with Lesley, but nothing about the OG Kelly family!

38 minutes ago, Franko said:

Laurelton, Part II: I'm repeating myself, but the seams for Lucy's masquerade are really well hidden. She gives Frisco just enough alone time for snooping and later finding her love poetry to Kevin.

I think that’s why it was so memorable and had such an impact. IIRC it was even named in either Soap Opera Weekly or one of the other soap mags in one of those best soap moments of all time lists they used to do every few years. I loved those issues and really wish I had save those soap mags now. That was where I first heard about Heather and the LSD, it was on one of those lists in like the top 20!