Making the Rounds at General Hospital – Desperate Times and Desperate Measures

Last week on General Hospital Sonny faced the consequences of shooting Lorenzo as Carly scrambled to avoid the only way to keep herself from testifying. In the meantime, Nikolas and Emily follow the trail to Spencer and its horrifying end. Also, Tracy was threatened by Sam who tried to move forward with Jason despite Liz's interference.

True to style, Carly spoke first and thought later – way later – on several occasions this past week. First, despite Sonny's efforts to contain her, she insisted to the police that Sonny shot Lorenzo in self-defense. Forget the only thing she actually saw was Sonny's gun going off and Lorenzo hitting the floor. When it became evident there was no way Sonny was going to avoid an attempted murder – murder if Lorenzo died – charge, Jason pointed out there was only way for Carly to avoid testifying. The same thought occurred to a thrilled Sonny.

The more Carly fought the idea of marrying her three-time ex, the more stupid she became and the more insulted Sonny felt. First she went to Skye and tried to convince her to back up the self-defense claim. Furious at Carly for trying to protect Sonny while Lorenzo's life lay in question, she threw her out of the hospital room. When another attempt was made on Lorenzo's life (someone tampered with his IV) and Spinelli filled Carly in on Ric's alliance with the arms dealer, she rushed off to Ric's office to blackmail him into dropping the charges against Sonny. Ric was about two steps ahead of her and taped the conversation and threatened to charge her with extortion.

Sonny maneuvered to get her out of that mess and after hitting wall after wall in her avoidance attempts, Carly acquiesced on Friday, agreeing to marry Sonny on Monday to avoid testifying for the grand jury on Tuesday. In the meantime, Lorenzo's accomplice was confessing to Ric that she had planted the gun and caused the diversion that allowed him to hold Sonny at gunpoint.

Not all that long ago I was thrilled to see how intelligent and self-sufficient the character Carly was becoming. She had a handle on her life and was in a healthy relationship that was playing well for the camera and viewer. Of course we had to know this couldn't last long. Watching the woman slowly self-destruct wasn't entertaining – it was painful. In a perfect world, Carly will discover Sonny is off the hook and Jax will swoop in to save her – but don't hold your breath. A Sonny/Carly reunion is inevitable.

Unaware that Helena had intercepted Colleen's getaway from the Dallas daycare and taken Spencer from her care, Nikolas and Emily followed the trail his grandmother left as a distraction. After finding the empty cabin and being discovered by the local police officer, he and Emily listened in horror to the helicopter pilot over the radio as he followed the decoy car Helena had orchestrated and watched it plummet over the edge of a cliff. In what had to be the most emotional scenes in a long-time Nikolas collapsed on the roadside grief-stricken with the thought that Spencer had been killed.

Tyler Christopher's portrayal of a grieving Nikolas on Friday was top-notch and heartbreaking. What this character has been through to be with his son! With Emily by his side, I hope they find clues to Helena soon and end Nikolas' torture.

Having found Liz's scarf in her and Jason's apartment, Sam stewed on it a bit and then went to the hospital to confront the other woman. In a public shouting match, she told Liz to back off and 'stay away from her man,' to which Liz arrogantly refused. Mrs. Sneed, the annoying hospital administrator who had been looking for a reason to fire Sam from the get-go stepped in, but was put off by Epiphany who later lectured Sam for being ungrateful to all who had helped her when she needed it. Frustrated and feeling attacked, Sam quit her job and General… and sought employment at ELQ.

Edward was only too happy to hire her, and hopefully get an inroad with Jason. He made no qualms that if and when she and Jason had children, it would be the chosen child and heir to the Quartermaine fortune. With that knowledge, Tracy started digging around in Sam's past trying to find anything that would discredit or drive away the perceived threat to her son's place in the family. In the meantime, Sam was diligent in her tasks and impressed Edward when she discovered and rectified a error of Tracy's that could have cost them dearly in the Enduro class action suit.

As much as Sam's whining and moaning gets on my nerves, I have to admit I was cheering her on as she gave Liz her little "back off" speech. She has every reason to hate the fact this other woman comes running to her man every time the wind blows the wrong way, and Liz has even more gall to come and go in Sam and Jason's home any time she pleases. Good news for the Liz/Jason fans and bad for those who prefer him with Sam, it's only a matter of time before everyone knows the truth – that it is Jason's child Liz is carrying.

Sam and Edward working together has been an interesting and fun to watch combination, and Sam and Tracy are admirable foes. This may be fun to watch for awhile!

Warning! News and Spoilers Ahead!

(Spoilers are drawn from a number of websites, dedicated to keeping the fans who just have to know, in the loop. The list includes Soap Zone, General Hospital Happenings Two, Soap Central, and Scoops and Spoilers.)

• Not knowing the charges have been dropped against Sonny, Carly marries him. I'm sure this is not a surprise to anyone. Part of me is dreading this combination that the writers can't seem to let go of. Another part of me wonders if we will see a different Sonny/Carly dynamic now that they're both supposedly mentally healthy.
• Everyone learns that Maxie faked her pregnancy and the subsequent miscarriage. 'Bout damn time is all I can say about this one. Here's hoping the rumor about the character going out of state to college and to rebuild her life is true too.
• Ric gets the goods on Alexis. He finds out she's been using marijuana to combat the side effects of her chemo, supposedly with pictures as evidence. Hopefully someone intervenes and Ric doesn't end up with custody of Molly.
• Patrick asks Robin to move in with him. I'm looking forward to watching this couple and their relationship grow. Whether the fireworks come in the form of their heated arguments or heated time between the sheets… it's all good!