Franco's Back

Last week on GH the identity of the mystery man was revealed. Jason failed in killing Franco and after those who loved him were mysteriously summoned to the Haunted Star, Franco revealed himself to all.

He attempted to apologize for his past actions and showed proof to Sam that he hadn't raped her after all. Little good this did because the damage was done.

AJ was stunned to find out about Michael's rape while in prison and he blamed Carly and Sonny for not protecting his son.

Lulu finally got her memory back after she remembered what Stavros forced her to do.

Tracy forced Luke to face his medical problems.

Editorial: Roger Howarth is a fantastic actor and if anyone call pull off the character of Franco he certainly can but one has to wonder what the "real" Franco thinks about this re-cast. Rumor has it that James Franco has quite the ego and having had creative involvement with helping to develop the character how does he feel about the re-cast?

The whole controversy with the OLTL characters who crossed over to GH has been trying for the viewers. We finally saw Michael happy and now the actress who played Starr is back as Kiki, Franco's daughter. It is not unlike when Sarah Brown who played Carly was cast as Claudia. Viewers accepted her as Claudia but it was still odd to see her interact with Sonny.

As a fan of John, Todd and Starr I miss their characters on GH. I have to admit that I've watched 3 webisodes of OLTL but honestly I just haven't had the time to commit. Prospect Park has recognized that fans are mainly catching up on All My CHildren and One Life to Live on the weekends and they have decided to cut back on the amount of episodes that they air. Is the whole idea of web soap viewing failing? I hope not. I think it just needs some tweeking.

Faithful viewing of your stories is hard when you work outside the home and have a full life. I don't want to give up watching my shows but I definitely can't watch daily.

How about you? When do you catch up?

Strangers

Leslie saves the day by marrying Scott and Laura after the justice of the peace cancels.

As Laura is marrying Scott, Luke tries to rekindle his romance with Tracy.

Tracy refuses to accept what Luke has to offer her and shocks him by saying that she is holding out for true love and romance.

Morgan reluctantly returns to town.

Sam fills in Spinelli about the strange Dr. Clay she met in the city.

Spinelli fills her in on his failure to find Lauren Frank.

Ava returns home and Kiki fills her in on all the drama with Morgan.

Ava thinks about the secret she knows about her daughter.

A mysterious stranger goes to see Heather and asks for her help with Sam.

Lulu leaves the wedding confused about memories. She goes to the Haunted Star where she is surprised by the same stranger who visited Heather.

Blackmail, Defiance and Tough Chicks

After Tracy finds out AJ's secret he is forced to admit responsibility for the food poisoning.

Michael and Morgan fight off the guys who have come to collect the gambling debts and Sonny and Shawn show up to save the day.

Sonny finds that Morgan is more strong-willed than he remembered but gets him to leave Kiki behind and return home with him.

Sam talks to Steven Clay's doctor brother and is shocked by his reaction to all she tells him.

Connie and Kate take down the hitman who comes after them and because of them Sonny is able to find Morgan.

Carly is relieved to get Sonny's phone call.

Molly tells TJ that she is going to the prom with Raif.

Coming:

What will it mean for ELQ after AJ publicly takes the blame for the poisoning at the Chew?

Will Tracy continue to blackmail AJ?

Will Nicholas find out the truth and tell Elizabeth?

Sonny and Carly deal with Morgan.

Dr. Clay looks to meet his nephew and see Sam again.

Morgan Plays a Dangerous Game

Carly tries to find out what happened to Morgan.

Sam runs into a familiar looking stranger who turns out to be the brother of the man who held her hostage.

Sonny and Shawn discuss his children as they make their way to New York City.

Molly and Raif decide to be friends and he urges her to give TJ another chance.

Nicholas brings Elizabeth to the emergency room after she falls ill from the relish.

A mysterious stranger backstage at the Chew might be the cause of the poisonings.

Michael finds Morgan at the apartment and meets his online friend Kiki.

Kiki arranges a poker game telling Morgan he can win back the money he lost.

Michael tries to convince his brother that she is setting him up but he refuses to listen.

AJ runs into Carly and Tracy overhears them talking about their indiscretion.

Coming:

The mob that is after Morgan returns to threaten Olivia.

Relish Face Off

Tracy manages to escape the thugs Nicholas hires to keep her from the Chew set.

As AJ struggles to explain the new Pickle Lila recipe in front of a live audience, Tracy bursts onto the scene.

Also in New York City, Sam and Carly look for Michael and Morgan.

Morgan manages to leave the emergency room where Michael brings him after finding him beaten up and he returns to the apartment he had been hiding out in.

Sam and Carly make it to the emergency room but are one step behind finding Michael and Morgan.

TJ and Molly argue and their plans for the prom look over.

Nicholas confuses Elizabeth who is feeling torn between him and AJ.

The hosts try the relishes and all fall mysteriously ill.

Last Week on GH

The relish wars continued as both AJ and Tracy wound up in New York City to appear on the Chew. Elizabeth managed to talk Nicholas out of trying to sabotage AJ much to Tracy's disappointment.

Morgan managed to hide from Sonny and Carly but called Michael.

Ava Jermome, who Luke found when he went looking for Lauren Frank, secretly hid Morgan while she talked to Luke about her daughter's family ties.

Spinelli was mad that Luke threw him off the track for Franco's daughter.

Carly decided to hire Sam to help her find Morgan after Anna told her she was unable to help.

Sonny and Olivia spent time together and talked about how Johnny accused Olivia and Sonny of having a relationship.

Lulu continued to fight remembering who she was much to Dante's displeasure.

Milo continued to support Lulu's insistence of not wanting to go back to a life she doesn't remember.

TJ messed things up with Molly after he lured Raif to Kelly's and then sucker punched him for kissing Molly.

Sam was upset over Raif's black eye.

Molly was mad at TJ for lying to her.

Sam felt like she was being watched.

This week on GH:

Things heat up as AJ and Tracy battle for the best relish on the Chew.

Nicholas continues to fight for Elizabeth.

Lulu fights remembering as Maxie and Dante do all they can to help her remember.

Ellie struggles to live with keeping Maxie's secret.

Britt continues to use the pregnancy and her fake condition to lure Patrick in.

Laura decides to move on with Scott.

Duke and Anna grow closer.

Letting Go

Luke shows up at Milo's where Laura is waiting for Lulu.

Ellie tells Spinelli the truth about Maxie's baby but stops short of telling him that the baby is his. Ellie lies about the baby's true paternity.

Lulu remembers the fertility treatments but lies to Dante about it.

Raif and Sam discuss his feelings for Molly.

Molly tells TJ about Raif kissing her. She assures him that she wants to be with him and not Raif.

Laura and Luke kiss and then they decide that they need to put their past behind them and move forward.

Lucy comes back to town and she and Scott talk about relationships.

Luke leaves town to find Franco's daughter for Tracy.

Ellie makes Spinelli promise to keep the secret about the baby.

Molly leaves her phone behind and when Raif texts her, TJ responds.

Ellie tells Maxie that telling Damien the truth would be wrong and promises to keep her secret.

Laura tells Scott that they should pick a wedding date because Luke is her past.

TJ warns Raif to stay away from Molly.

Sam is watched by a mysterious stranger.

Memories and Lies

Patrick and Sabrina talk about Britt's lies. Patrick assures Sabrina that he is not fooled by Britt but Britt manages to manipulate her lab report to make it look like she and the baby have a serious condition.

Maxie goes to see Lulu and is touched when she feels the baby move. Milo entering the room again makes Lulu not remember but she agrees to go to the hospital for Maxie's appointment.

Scott asks Laura to go ahead with their wedding but Laura says not until Lulu's memory returns.

Laura goes to Milo's to see Lulu with a photo album to jar her memory.

Luke shows up at Milo's.

Nicholas and Tracy head off to the city, ready to crash AJ's appearance on the Chew.

Elizabeth and AJ leave for a special night in the city unaware that Tracy and Nicholas are going to be there.

Ellie and Spinelli discuss her snooping.

Lulu feels guilt over not remembering but seems to fight it when she does have flashes of memories.

Love the One You're With

Connie fills Olivia and Sonny in on what Johnny shared with her about Morgan. At first they wonder if Johnny is setting Sonny up but then Sonny cannot get in touch with Morgan so he takes it more seriously.

Connie notices her cousin's bond with Sonny.

Dante is frantic to find Lulu.

Max confronts Milo and Lulu and informs them he is telling Dante the truth. Milo vows to keep his promise to Lulu.

Lulu and Milo kiss.

Carly brings AJ home and taunts him about messing things up with Elizabeth. She asks him about his panic attacks and AJ threatens to start drinking again.

AJ's anger turns into passion and he and Carly kiss.

Ellie reads Maxie's medical records and finds out about the miscarriage and it is only a matter of time before she figures out the truth about the baby.

Max tells Dante that Milo knows where Lulu is.

Sonny decides to take Shawn to go find Morgan.

The New Look of Daytime Drama

Today was an exciting day for soap opera fans! Prospect Park made history with their online launch of two favorite daytime soaps that had been cancelled.

I watched both shows which are each 30 minutes long. Fans will remember that both these shows were 1 hour when they aired on ABC.

The convenience of watching them on my laptop was great. I couldn't get my former OLTL fan to watch with me but it wouldn't have been awful to share the laptop screen.

All My Children had many new faces as since it last aired it has moved 5 years into the future. Not a lot was explained about where the show left off. If you remember, the climax of the last episode was JR shooting into the crowd that gathered for Brooke and Adam's engagement party. Well it is 5 years later and Brooke and Adam are still together but not yet married. References were made to what happened 5 years ago but no real details were divulged.

Bianca's daughter Miranda is now a teenager and she and JR's son are good friends. Pete Cortlandt (son of Opal and Palmer) is now a successful businessman and his mother is desperate for him to revive his father's business.

Jesse and Angie (one of my favorite couples) is living happily ever after but with scars from what happened 5 years ago. Lucy has moved away (the baby that wasn't really their baby) and Jesse surprises Angie with a visit from his daughter Cassandra.

Dixie is back but no Tad (as of yet) and Kara was seen checking up on a mysterious patient. David Hayward was released from prison and is headed back home to cause trouble I am sure.

No Erica Kane on this re-launch and time will tell if fans miss her.

On One Life to Life there were plenty of new faces as well and re-casts of characters like Matthew Buchanan and Destiny Evans. Old favorites like Dorian, Vicki, Clint, Blair and Todd are back.

Capricorn, which was Blair's nightclub has been re-vamped into a hot new club that seems to attract a much younger, hipper crowd.

Natalie and John's son is not an infant anymore and Natalie seems determined to move forward with her life.

Cutter is now working for Blair as her new club's promoter.

Thanks to Vicki, Dorian has been exposed in a scandal which she is convinced Vicki has created.

David is back and still self-absorbed with a new reality show.

Tea is having a hard time getting over the loss of her infant son and doesn't seem to notice that her daughter Dani has a serious drug/alcohol problem.

Matthew is still at odds with his parents and when they discover a baggie of Oxycontin, they argue with him.

Destiny and Matthew are parents but not together.

Blair and Tea are surprised at her club's grand opening by the return of Todd. Before they can get into it, Dani passes out and 911 is called for the troubled young girl.

A mysterious man with a strange tattoo is seen being followed and he finally kills the person stalking him. The hooded man arrives at the new club and it is revealed that it is Victor!

The look of both of these shows is great. The sets are unlike any of the current shows that air on daytime. I watch the CBS soaps also and have seen bits and pieces of Days on Soap Net. The look of these online shops is really hip, fresh and exciting.

The first episodes of both of these shows do show promise. AMC had many flashbacks which was good in a way because it helped to refresh my memory. Kara's remembering being with David (wow- was that almost too hot for daytime or what?) made me remember her history with the bad guy doctor.

Both shows seem to have a heavy emphasis on drawing in younger viewers but are balancing the push for youth with familiar fan favorites. The new look is exciting (oops I said that already) and as the word gets out I am sure fans who miss their shows will check them out.

The convenience of being able to watch whenever you want is even better than I thought. Personally I dvr General Hospital and the Young & the Restless and occasionally catch them on SoapNet if they were interrupted due to local news events. With Hulu I can watch these shows whenever, whereever and I think that is a huge plus.

30 minutes goes fast and yes, I wanted more! I didn't realize how much I missed the folks in Llanview or Pine Valley.

Thanks Prospect Park! It was a smart albeit huge financial undertaking but I predict that it will pay off. What do you think?

Sonny's Birthday

Felix and Sabrina got worn out by a very inquisitive Emma.

Britt's plan to trap Patrick worked and after putting Patrick on the spot she didn't have the abortion.

AJ continued to taunt Carly even though he wanted something from her.

Olivia talked Sonny into going to the Metro Court for his birthday.

Sonny broke up a disagreement between AJ and Carly and wound up punching AJ who later had a panic attack.

Johnny told Connie about Morgan's gambling troubles and asked him to please tell his parents.

Raif kissed Molly who was stunned by his actions.

TJ asked Shawn to borrow money for a limo for the prom to impress Molly.

Molly told Raif they can only be friends.

Sam and Alexis discussed raising teenagers.

Raif came home disappointed.

TJ questioned Molly about Raif knowing something was wrong.

Coming: Britt continues to use the baby to try and come between Sabrina and Patrick.

Connie tells Sonny about his son's troubles.

AJ's condition threatens his business.

Lulu fights to stay hidden as Dante continues to search for his wife.

Ellie gets closer to the truth.

The Return of the Soaps!

General Hospital remains my favorite but I have to admit that I am curious to see the return of All My Children and One Life to Live.

Resurrecting these two daytime dramas is something that many daytime fans never thought would happen. When ABC cancelled AMC and OLTL fans were outraged and even with boycotts ABC did not back down and reverse their decision.

In my house the replacement shows were not watched. In my thinking we have options like the Food Channel if you want to see stuff like "The Chew". Who needs another talk show anyway?

Daytime dramas have been around for decades and although some would argue that their time has passed, there are tons of soap fans who disagree.

Being able to watch whenever you want thanks to the dvr and Soap Net has kept daytime drama alive. Now we enter into a new generation with Prospect Park.

I admit that I have never used Hulu or iTunes to view any television show but I am sure excited about the prospect of doing so. I am tempted to use my iPhone at work when I need a soap fix. MUST resist that urge!!!

So who is going to tune in tomorrow to see the launch of the new All My Children and/or One Life to Live?

I'll be reviewing it in a special blog post after I catch you up on the goings on in Port Charles.

Wrapping Up the Week on GH

After Lulu escapes from the hospital, she runs into Milo and unknowingly uses his feelings for her to get him to hide her from her family.

Max is not happy when he finds what Milo has done.

Dante learns Lulu left with a mysterious guy and is determined to find out who.

Sonny says goodbye to Brenda who is disappointed that he won't follow her to Rome.

Ellie gets closer to the truth and Britt warns Maxie.

Spinelli goes off to find the Quartermaine heir.

Britt continues to play games with Patrick.

Felix works to get Sabrina and Patrick on a first date.

Elizabeth decides that she and AJ no longer have a chance at a future.

The battle over Pickled Lila continues.

Tracy uses Nicholas' feelings about AJ to get the financial backing she needs and then rubs in in AJ's face.

Carly is proud of herself for refusing a call from Johnny.

Connie rehires Maxie.

Connie goes to see Johnny at Pentonville and he tells her that Carly's life is in danger.

Duke romances a willing Anna.

COMING MONDAY!!!

History will be made as All My Children and One Life to Live air on Hulu! Will you be logging on to see the return of AMC and OLTL???

Homecomings

Sonny and Olivia talk about Brenda while waiting at the airport.

Lulu arrives home with Luke, Laura and Dante and is overwhelmed by Olivia's joyful welcome.

Ellie and Spinelli babysit Danny and talk about Maxie's baby secret.

Maxie gets summoned by Connie and agrees to take her old job back.

AJ taunts Carly with news that he saw Brenda with Michael.

Brenda confesses the whole truth to a shocked Michael.

They did not sleep together, Brenda staged it to get back at Carly who she holds responsible for Jax breaking up with her.

Maxie walks in on Spinelli and Ellie and is annoyed with what she hears. Spinelli covers and Maxie buys his story.

Laura takes Lulu to the hospital.

Sonny tries to assure Dante that Patrick can fix what is wrong with Lulu.

UPDATE

Today (Friday, April 19) General Hospital was pre-empted due to coverage of the search for the Boston bomber. Friday's episode will be aired on Monday.

What to look forward to?

Luke, Laura and Dante bring Lulu home. How will they handle to memory loss?

Maxie desperately tries to hide her secret about the baby but Ellie and Spinelli are on to the truth. Knowing them it won't be long before they uncover the truth.

Will Elizabeth be forced to choose between Nicholas and AJ?

How will Kate move forward with her life now that she has broken up with Sonny?

Will Sonny go after Brenda?

Will Brenda tell Michael the truth about the night they spent together?

Endings

Carly and Sonny discuss the Brenda situation and Sonny is reluctant to do anything to turn Michael against him. They also talk about Connie and Carly tells Sonny she feels badly for him.


Ellie tells Spinelli that she believes Maxi has a secret about the baby.

Sam is granted guardianship of Raif which makes Molly very happy.

Nicholas and AJ discuss Elizabeth and AJ warns him to stay away. Nicholas tells him that he doesn't like the idea of Elizabeth and AJ together. Meanwhile Elizabeth walks in and notices the tension between them.

Olivia and Connie discuss her recovery and her relationship with Sonny.

Coming: Lulu returns home without any memory of who she is. Ellie and Spinelli put their heads together to figure out what Maxie is hiding.

Broken Hearts and Secrets

AJ continues to fight Tracy over Pickled Lila.

Michael tells AJ he told Sonny about his night with Brenda.

Olivia goes to tell Sonny about Dante and finds out that Kate is back.

Lucy petitions the court to become Raif's guardian.

Spinelli tells Sam about the case he is working on.

Sonny tells Olivia that Connie broke it off with him for good.

Connie goes to the paper and sees Carly. She tells her that she is well but has to avoid triggers like Sonny that would threaten her mental well-being.

Sam testifies as a character witness for Lucy.

Spinelli takes Danny to meet with AJ and Michael and share what he learned about Franco's daughter.

Ellie overhears Britt and Maxie talking.

The judge denies Lucy's request even with Sam's testimony.

Ellie tells Spinelli what she overheard at the hospital.

Olivia goes to see Connie.

Carly goes to see Sonny.

Brenda shows up to see Michael.

Strange Encounters

Luke, Dante and Laura mourn Lulu.

Scott gets drunk and makes an advance on Bobbie who turns him down.

Sabrina and Patrick talk about going forward with their relationship in spite of Britt's announcement.

Britt's mother urges her to use the baby to get what she wants. She then leaves town.

Patrick takes Noah to the airport and Noah tells him to not let the baby get in the way of his feelings for Sabrina.

Felix tries to reassure Sabrina that she and Patrick are meant to be.

Patrick and Noah have a strange encounter with Britt's mother.

Bobbie says goodbye to Scott and Carly and makes her way to the airport.

Bobbie runs into Noah who tells her that he will be working at Seattle General with her.

Michael tells Sonny about his night with Brenda. Sonny assures him that he doesn't blame him.

Carly and AJ fight about Michael and AJ warns her to back off. Carly doesn't listen and is waiting for Michael when he returns home.

Michael tells her to leave him alone.

Just as Sonny is ready to confront Brenda, Kate/Connie arrives at his house but who is it really?

Lulu regains consciousness but doesn't know who her family is.

Saving Lulu

Luke helps Dante to capture Stavros.

Elizabeth tries to reassure Nicholas that he is not responsible for what is happening.

Anna has hope that Dante, Luke and Laura will rescue Lulu and defeat the Cassadines.

Anna tells Alexis that Helena is dead but Alexis doesn't believe it.

Luke, Laura and Dante rescue Lulu from the frozen chamber but struggle to revive her.

Meanwhile Laura makes sure that Stavros will not escape and locks him in the ice chamber.

Olivia and Sonny are relieved to find out that Dante is on Cassadine island and await word that he has rescued Lulu.

Monica warns AJ about Elizabeth's feelings for Nicholas and advises him to not wait to tell her how he feels.

AJ rushes to the hospital only to find Elizabeth and Nicholas in an embrace.

Ice Princess 2013

Nicholas tells Alexis and Elizabeth the story of how he discovered that his father Stavros was still alive.

He told them how he tried to talk sense into Stavros but he is convinced that Lulu is actually the Laura he remembers.

Meanwhile on the island, Stavros told Laura and Luke that he is keeping Lulu on ice so she will always be the way he remembers Laura.

He told them that he had Helena's body and he would bring her back to life the way she brought him back.

Olivia and Sonny went to Dante and Lulu's apartment hoping to find some news. They distracted themselves by discussing Brenda.

Carly and Brenda had another fight about Michael and Carly warned her that when Sonny finds out what she did, she will have hell to pay.

Michael's story of his night spent with Brenda and Carly discovering them delighted AJ who was amused at the story. He then warned Michael about drinking. Michael told AJ that he would tell Sonny what happened.

Anna confessed that she has no news about Dante, Lulu, Luke and Laura and she is concerned about their well-being.

Luke and Laura are horrified at Stavro's insanity and fear for their daughter's life.

Dante breaks into the lab and finds Helena's body and then sees Lulu locked up in a room of ice.