It’s Only My Opinion: Characters Like General Hospital’s Jason, Y&R’s Victor Are Going Too Far
Guns? Kidnappings? Resurrecting dead bodies? Characters on General Hospital, Young and Restless, Days of Our Lives, Beyond the Gates and Bold and Beautiful are pushing so many boundaries it’s hard to keep track. Carolyn Hinsey examines how characters like GH’s Jason, Y&R‘s Victor and DAYS’s EJ are going too far — and what could stop them.
Hit Me Up
Eliminating Cullum was to be Jason’s last criminal act before leaving town to protect Britt from Sidwell et al. His last regular act was attending his son Danny’s basketball game, which illustrates the unique yin and yang of his character.
Jason: “I’ll be there.”
Danny: “To watch me sit on the bench?”
Jason: “Absolutely.”
Dante: “Come with me to the station now. This warrant came from the WSB.”
Dun dun dun.
Olivia went too far when she called a Q “family meeting” with Ned and Tracy to address Michael using the gate house for a tryst with former sex worker Jacinda — but it sure was entertaining.
Olivia: “I will start the conversation, and the two of you can agree with me.”
Fat chance. The conversation went off the rails immediately when Olivia tried to address “adult needs being met” in a more dignified fashion with all the kids around, and Tracy chimed in that Danny might get ideas.
Michael (eye rolling): “As a teenage boy, Danny gets ideas when he looks at a paper plate.”
Ha! Michael went on to name all the inappropriate places other Quartermaines have had sex and Olivia was forced to admit her real issue was with his partner.
Olivia: “When you run a hotel, you learn who’s at your bar for ‘business.’ I have had to encourage Jacinda to leave the Metro Court on more than one occasion.”
Tracy: “Hold on. Michael is within his rights to spend time with whoever he chooses.”
Ned: “He can certainly afford it.”
Olivia (horrified): “You’re paying her?!”
No. Michael reminded them Jacinda works at Crimson, and then his inner Q came out.
Michael: “Ned, you used to be a bigamist. And what about my grandma Bobbie? She was a sex worker. You think you’re better than her, too?”
Tracy recognized the glass house they were in and switched gears to counsel Michael that he should treat Jacinda better than his Q descendants who couldn’t keep their pants on.
Tracy: “Michael, your laundry list of indiscretions pales in comparison with my brother Alan, Drew, and even my son.”
Ned: “Easy, mother.”
The scenes were a riot, but they also advanced story. We saw how much Michael has grown to care for Jacinda and, to a lesser extent, how much Olivia wants to be lady of the manor. Tracy made it clear: That’s her role.
House of Cards
Y&R’s Victor knew kidnapping Jack wouldn’t sit well with his family, but he hit a new low when Nikki called him on it.
Nikki: “What you did to Jack was heinous.”
Victor: “I did it for our family.”
Nikki: “You did it for your own damn ego. I don’t know that I will be able to forgive you.”
Victor: “You think I give a damn? Get out!”
He was super abusive, making unfounded accusations about her feelings for Jack and screaming at her to leave.
Nikki: “You’re going to throw me out of the house that you built as a gift for me?”
Bingo. Victor went waaay too far, showing a side of himself he usually hides from his wife. Nikki should sell that necklace from Maria Antoinette’s mother and buy her own mansion (with a moat to keep Victor out). In the moment, though, she packed a bag and decamped to the GCAC.
Naturally, she ran into Phyllis, who basically lives at the bar. Phyllis was so proud of herself for stealing Newman Enterprises (chloroforming Cane in the process) that she got right in Nikki’s face about it. Not so fast: Turned out Victor bamboozled Phyllis into returning Chancellor by claiming Jack was in danger when, in fact, Billy had already rescued Jack.
Billy: “Why didn’t you call me?”
Phyllis: “Why didn’t you call me when you found Jack? I wanted you to have Chancellor!”
Setting aside the fact that everyone just gave in to Victor’s demands after he kidnapped Jack without anyone calling the cops, the real travesty here was Jack playing two entire episodes after Diane caught him in bed with Patty without taking a shower (ew). No wonder Diane packed her bags and took off.
If Nikki and Diane wind up staying at the GCAC with Victor and Jack rotating in and out to beg forgiveness, this shaky story might be worth it.
Bold Talk
Bill Spencer’s MO on B&B has always been overstepping, and no character on daytime does it more gleefully. He positively revels in pushing people and causing trouble. When Ridge, Brooke and Eric crashed the Logan launch with a room full of press, Bill couldn’t wait to announce Eric had designed the gowns.
Eric (defensive): “This was a career glitch.”
Bill (to reporters): “He was forced out by his own son. Eric came to us and we were honored to have him.”
All hell broke loose, and Bill delighted in it. Characters like that are needed to stir the pot, and they usually don’t care about the consequences.
Bill: “We wanted to create buzz. Mission accomplished!”
Love and “Death”
Will DAYS’s EJ care about the consequences when people find out he has been keeping his half-sister Lexie cryogenically frozen? She died of a brain tumor in Abe’s arms in 2012 so it will come as quite a shock. Abe’s current wife Paulina stumbled onto Lexie’s “frozen” body in the hospital basement and agreed to keep quiet so EJ could continue bringing her back to life without interruption (?). But then…
Paulina: “Why the hell is the pod empty?”
EJ: “My sister has been taken to a secure location.”
EJ’s subterfuge is not only keeping the mayor in check — the baddie expects a fat payday as well.
EJ (talking to Lexie’s comatose body): “You’ll be waking up quite soon and that will make so many people happy. And so many people rich.”
Starting with him. What’s the going rate on resurrection?
Beyond The Pale
The poster child for constantly pushing the limits is BTG‘s Leslie. She relishes getting in people’s faces and rubbing everyone the wrong way. Rather than show gratitude for the inheritance Anita had set up Barbara’s child (who turned out to be Leslie), she actually used the money against them by purchasing and loudly renovating the neighboring house. Not so fast, said Anita’s loved ones.
Leslie (entering Orphey Gene’s): “Why have I been summoned by my employee at this ungodly hour?”
Foreman: “It’s 11 am. My guys start at 6.”
Leslie: “I’m rich. I don’t.”
Foreman: “Construction on your house has been shut down.”
Thanks to Bill Hamilton, who still has a strong loyalty to his former in-laws. Bill teamed up with Vernon to cause the work stoppage because the noise interferes with the rest Anita needs during her chemo treatments. Leslie threatened Vernon and he wasn’t having it.
Vernon (in her face): “Game on!”
That’s how you respond to someone who constantly goes too far.
Conversation
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