The Fire - General thoughts
By Sue Ellen
2/19/04
General Hospital did an over all great job with the hotel fire story. It was
better than I expected for the most part. Not since the Port Charles deep
freeze back in the 80s have I scene a storyline that really challenged the
cast and caused everyone’s true talent to shine through.
Just as in a real life tragedy, this story brought people’s real emotions to
the surface. Especially when it came time for the helicopter rescues. Brian
and Jason working together to get the children to the roof comes
particularly to mind. Also, Courtney helping Marie and her dog Skippy out of
the building. Courtney even goes back in when Skippy gets away. That was so
typical of Courtney. It recalled when she first came to town wide eyed and
innocent. And watching Jason with those children was real sweet.
Another moment that was a real keeper was when Sonny and Carly fell through
the floor and Sonny admits he still loves Carly. You Just know from that
moment on it’s just a matter of time till they find their way back to each
other.
There were some unlikely connections made during the fire. One was Alexis
and Carly as they remained trapped in the elevator. These two may basically
hate each other’s guts. They have nothing in common at least on the surface.
But they each love their children more than anything. It was real sweet
hearing them talk about their kids. You could just hear the love in their
voices. Also among the teens you saw real courage. Tom, who up till now had
been mocking Georgie, seemed to develop a whole new respect for her. Was
that just the trace of a warning from him to Dylan that if he didn’t wise up
and reclaim the girl, perhaps Tom might do something about it himself? It
will be interesting to see how that plays out.
Even in the midst of tragedy, I loved seeing romance still remain alive as
people put their hearts on their sleeves. Chief among these moments was the
kiss between Luke and Sky just before he boarded the helicopter to safety.
They’ve been dodging the chemistry there in the name of preserving their
friendship for months. I’ve been waiting for a kiss like that with those
two. Jason’s true gallantry in insisting on Courtney getting out in his
place was beautiful. So was their good-bye when he promised her he’d come
out safe. Courtney over all was a real shining star in this story. Her
emotions were just so out there from when she parted from Jason, to when she
broke down thinking Sonny and Carly were killed. Also, her confrontation
with Sonny right before she almost had a chunk of falling debris hit her was
fabulous. I hope they develop that inner strength in her. They had turned
her in to a hothouse flower lately. Jax and Sam dancing in the penthouse and
eventually making love while chaos rained around them was also a beautiful
moment. I wonder if those two are truly over.
Not all that showed through in the fire was good. Helena hovering over a
critically ill Emily, loosening her tourniquet, as she encourages her to die
springs to mind. Also Tracy urging Edward to cover up any knowledge of the
faulty electrical system, and Capelli shooting Brian to frame Jason, were
acts of true evil. Let us also not forget Capelli’s plan to leave Jason to
burn to death in the fire, though I somehow just knew Jason would find a way
out of those handcuffs. I just never expected it would be with the aide of
Nicholas and an ax.
My favorite scene, I would have to say was when Cameron returned to the
hotel after hearing about Zander’s death. That whole scene when Luke goes
after him, he tries to persuade Cameron to leave. Then when he’s caught
under the beam after pushing Lucky out of the way. Luke encourages Cameron
to hold on, reminding the doctor that he still needs his help to be a better
father. Cameron knows he’s dying though. I liked how he said that in dying,
the pain he felt at losing his sons is finally gone. I think Luke really
genuinely did regret his death. The memorial he and Alexis had for him was
so sad, I was crying at the end.
I liked how some of the most unlikely people really stepped up as heroes
instrumental in minimizing the number of fatalities. First there was Rick,
when the elevator wasn’t going to be used. He went back up while rescue
efforts were being coordinated. He even offered to go with Lorenzo to hunt
for Carly and Sonny until Justice reminded him of his responsibilities.
Edward, when he took responsibility for what happened. He even was willing
to give up his seat and remain until everyone else was safe. Luke, appearing
on the roof gun and lot numbers in hand, quelling the riot and organizing
the people for an orderly escape. This was vintage Luke, totally in control
of the situation and handling it with his own special flare.
Though this was a wonderfully written story, I felt there were things that
were a little lame. First, the electrician’s name being Cassandra and her
pointing an accusing finger at Edward as she breathed her last, that was
kind of a Clichéd. Then there was the whole thing with the last flight and
Nicholas insisting on Emily taking that seat while he remained behind. The
building is just about totally engulfed and there’s not going to be any more
flights back up. This is certain death but Nicholas insists that Emily go
for him. It just seemed too much a rip off of the ending of the Titanic. I
sat there yelling at the TV at that point. We have all these wonderful
moments and then we get that. I was disappointed, although I was glad to see
today that Nicholas made it out.
On the whole, this was a brilliant story. It was some fine writing on the
part of the GH writing staff. I hope they can turn out more stories with
this high quality of both writing and performing. Major Kudos to everyone at
GH for this one.
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