By Becca

It’s 2013, and we’re already on our first death, our first miscarriage, and our first paralysis! I must say, Maxie and surrogacy agree with each other, and I love the relative realism of the storyline. I was surprised Maxie got pregnant on the first try, so as weird as it is to say, the miscarriage was a good call. I just hope she doesn’t hold back from telling Dante and Lulu for long or I will need to take back my newfound appreciation of her maturity.

I can’t help but think that Spinelli choosing Ellie over her helped with some of that maturing as well. Which is why, of course, I’m not as pleased with the New Year’s Eve sex between them as I might have been otherwise. I’m trying not to think about her having had a miscarriage the same night, either. But it was a surprisingly chemistry-laden and full-of-longing boink!

I’ve never thought of that pair as hot. Adorable? Yes. Cute and fluffy? Yes. But not hot. Methinks Bradford Anderson has been working out, and Maxie’s pink sweater and curls are excellent morning-after wear.

Really, if you see that sweater, buy it for me a few sizes up from what Maxie would wear. Okay, probably Maxie’s size x 10. But I’m digressing. I am not content with this wrench thrown into the Spinelli triangle storyline. I wanted Spinelli to actually mean it when he chose Ellie! The level of excitement he felt when he considered it destiny that brought him and Maxie together did not help with my hopes he was developing genuine feelings beyond fondness for Ellie. And now, of course, he can’t leave Ellie because he would feel like he was abandoning her just when she had to deal with being paralyzed.

It’s a soap opera, so we know she’ll recover eventually, and Spinelli, bound by guilt, will be there every step of the way, making it all worse when he leaves her for Maxie in the end. I, for one, will be hoping he does actually fall in love with Ellie in the process. I want this to be a triangle where half the fans genuinely want one couple and half want the other. It can take months to build to that with more surrogacy attempts for Maxie and rehabilitation for Ellie along the way, and I’m on board for all of it.

So back to why Maxie did not tell Lulu and Dante she lost the baby…

Does Luke look gaunt or what? I know he’s supposed to be in a Turkish prison, but that was pretty darn convincing for make-up and wardrobe! I suppose he won’t be in that prison for long, if that rioting was anything to go by, and I guess it’s a new adventure for Lulu and Dante. Hooray! I always like it when our characters more grounded in realism get to live it up in adventure storylines. I’m still buzzing from when Patrick and Robin were involved with the monkey virus tropical shenanigans half a decade ago. So bummer that Maxie hasn’t shared the bad news yet, but as least Lulu and Dante may have some fun in the meantime.

Congratulations are in order for Olivia and Steve!

And I find I have nothing else to say about that. It’s hard to be invested in them when they’ve never had much screen time. Olivia and Steve are one of those just-there couples in the tradition of Matt and Maxie, Maya and Ethan, Justus and Lainey, and Felicia and Mac. Okay, I admit it. That was all just a segue for me to complain about how much I want to see Felicia and Mac. They are right there, show! Use them! Make me believe Felicia really is over her Frisco addiction!

Speaking of Mac, I’m glad Lucy didn’t let him get away with that dig at the Outback.

I chided Mac at the same time as Lucy did. Jinx!

The Outback was a vastly superior establishment to the joint currently named the Floating Rib. I remember wishing I was old enough to hang out at the Outback with all of Port Charles’s most entertaining residents in the early 1990s. But I was a tween, so I don’t think I could get in. Well, that and it never existed. Crap, I’m drifting again, aren’t I? Back to Lucy Coe! Her scheme to become co-CEO of ELQ right after running her own company into the ground is Carly-levels of ill advised. And I’m surprised Tracy gave in to it! I know she’s desperate to hold on to her position of power, and she deserves to, but letting Lucy in may doom it faster than letting AJ run ELQ instead. But Tracy’s complaints every step of the way are likely to keep me entertained.

Prescription for Better Soap: Keep maturing Maxie by not letting her drag out the miscarriage reveal for too long. Let us see how much heartache, hope, and ultimate joy comes from the surrogacy process. Make the Spinelli/Maxie/Ellie triangle a genuine one by building up true feelings between Spinelli and Ellie. Don’t forget that we want to believe in the romances of couples like Olivia and Steve and Mac and Felicia and seeing is believing. And make sure Tracy gets plenty of great one-liners while working with Lucy.

See you soon for my next prescription!

Becca

Buy my romance novella, Maya’s Vacation, at Astraea Press,  Amazon, or Barnes and Nobles. Follow me on Twitter @thegourmez or on Facebook at my author page!