As PORT CHARLES’S 8^th book TORN comes to a close we bid adieu to story lines that actually began not 13 weeks ago but 26 weeks ago. Wishful thinking perhaps, I’m afraid but are we really waving goodbye to the Livvie/Rafe/Alison triangle, the Avatar wrecking havoc, deals made in heaven and hell, actors returning in different roles, psychotic wanderings, babies and the like.  Probably not.  This arc was packed with story lines that need to be wrapped up, explained, resolved so it can move on and into the next.  Arcs have been successfully resolved and seamlessly merged in the next, remember SECRETS, but I’m afraid it’s not going to be that easy here.

Surely the whole first chapter of the next arc, NAKED EYES, will have to revolve around key characters coming to grips with what was for the most part, the destruction of their reality as they knew it.  No one can go back to being who they were before, not Lucy, not Kevin, not Karen, not Frank, not Ian, not Chris and certainly not Livvie, Alison or Rafe. And that’s precisely what will make the future so exciting and interesting and so full of potential. This arc more than any other in my opinion, fundamentally changed who these characters were. The only exception here being the new foursome of  Jack, Jamal, Ricky and Marissa. Nothing of any real significance, at least nothing anyone cared about, happened to them anyway.  They can go happily along their merry way, skipping through the woods and into the next youthful adventure no one will care about.  Writers, I beg you, pick up the ball and run with it, do these characters justice.  We can put the last 26 weeks behind us, really we can.  We won’t forget those few moments that were worthy, the episodes that proved to us that you were still the best writers in daytime when we had long forgotten, filled with heat, desire, emotion, angst, anguish, love, longing and betrayal, all the great soap devices we have come to expect.

Too much to do, too little time with missed opportunities all this week to give the viewers the excellent drama we know is  PORT CHARLES.  What happened to the exciting buildup to the grand finale that has been touted ever since the realization that SUPERSTITION and TORN were driving away viewers at an alarming pace.  Aside from Rafe getting his memory back and reuniting with his one true love only to have that moment cruelly cut short with his earthly death,  the resolution of the other two prominent plot lines through this arc – the Avatar and Livvie’s baby have either yet to be addressed or headed to its demise in an unfitting and undeserving manner.  The matter of Livvie’s baby will no doubt carry over and still play a role in keeping her tied to Frank, Rafe and Alison, if for only a brief moment.  The full force of all her lies, deceptions and manipulations should explode in the coming weeks and hopefully be dealt with once and for all.  Kelly Monaco deserves a break and so do we.  Her excellent portrayal of this hateful character was the only constant in the characterization but its time to for her retirement, time to move on.  The Avatar.  Mysterious, dark, good and evil co-existing, embodied in a man struggling to define himself. Great idea.  What happened this week?  To rush its demise and allow it to degenerate into the campy, silly, hockey, comical nonsense we had the misfortune to view was simply not fair. It  wasn’t fair to the original idea which deserved a more intelligent build up to the end.  It wasn’t fair to Jay Pickett, who so effectively portrayed Frank’s struggle to reconcile his desire for power and recognition with his desire for love and acceptance, proving what an excellent actor he is given good material. 

Performer of the week absolutely goes to Brian Gaskill with Erin Hershey Presley a good second and a big huge nod to Thorsten Kaye, who has perhaps emerged here better positioned for a strong story than other character outside of Rafe.  Thorsten Kaye’s excellent screen presence,  Ian’s pure  maleness with just that bit of edge of the Irish blarney mixed up with compassion and humour, and just enough mystery simmering below the surface of his personality should bring this character to the forefront.  Whether you’re a Rafe/Alison fan or not there is no denying the power and impact of the reunion episode or Rafe’s earthly death episode.  The fans waited 26 long weeks for the reunion and the actors did not disappoint.  The commitment to the scenes and to each other, the depth of raw emotion from Brian Gaskill was astounding, Rafe’s death  played to perfection, never allowing it to degenerate into the cliché that soap death scenes can become, was impressive indeed.  Rafe’s parting  would have had to touch even the most hardened, jaded viewer, even ones who are not particularly enamoured with Rafe or his portrayer, Brian Gaskill (though I can’t imagine who they are or where they might be hiding).  Can we all say Emmy.  PORT CHARLES ratings came in today at 1.9, up 3 points.  Wonder why?  Bring back all the past actors you want, but if the writers and producers would just focus on intelligent and fun stories and characterizations of the popular actors they do have, and not spend so much time tearing apart what clearly worked for the sake of some outdated soap rules,  the ratings would be at more acceptable and stable levels all the time.  Elevate the consistency of the drama, the quality is already there,  utilize the talent and  great chemistry between all of PORT CHARLES’  wonderful actors to create the tension and have them deal with life situations together instead of always romantically torn apart  and watch the ratings soar. 

And soar they will after today’s finale.  After all my sputtering and musings on this last   week of TORN, the finale was, if not quite on the scale of those 40’s movies Julie Hanan Carruthers kept alluding too, it was grand and sweeping none the less,  if perhaps a bit rushed, effectively setting up the next arc, satisfying in its treatment of all the action, not just Rafe’s return to earth and his beloved.  Frank’s edge was back, the Avatar was dispatched with a credible and believable end,  Ian walking out of those flames triumphantly.  The status of Livvie and her baby perfectly set up for truth to come out, I can  hear the sound of doors slamming in her face daily.  Lucy letting us know Kate is still a part of the picture and curiously an equal in every way.  Ian and Lucy, the seed’s been planted, friendship or lovers, will they be able to fight the attraction that is so clearly evident, will they go down a familiar road or take their relationship to a level of maturity one can only hope to see. 

Which brings us to our somewhat predictable yet wonderful nonetheless, sweeping 40’s ending.  Rafe.  Emerging from the smoke like a vision. That beautiful face absolutely hiding nothing, his love and joy at being alive and on earth written across it like a love letter from the sky. The marveloous location and lighting casting its golden glow over everything, adding that old-fashioned, romantic, dreamy air we all love from 40’s movies, is there anything more romantic from that era than love on a speeding train. Chasing that train down, falling into the arms of his true love, of the woman he sacrificed everything for, his eternal soul, enveloping each other in an embrace that would have to melt the heart of the most die hard soap cynic.  This moment erased every morsel of disillusionment we hopeless romantics may have had through the endless twists and turns of the last 26 weeks.  This moment redeemed every poorly conceived episode, every bad edit, every nonsensical story line.  This moment, the beauty that is Rafe and Alison, reminded us yet again what was so special about this particular love story in the first place, indeed reminded us what is so special about PORT CHARLES as a whole.  This moment confirmed yet again that there are endless possibilities in  life, that heartbreak and despair can turn into love and joy, the hope that seems lost can turn into hope for the future. What excellent performances from every actor on the canvas today.  The fantasy we were drawn into today was worth all the bitching and moaning and complaining we couldn’t keep bottled inside as TORN rumbled to its final conclusion.