Night Shift Episode 10: Brothers and Sisters

PREVIOUSLY on General Hospital: Night Shift, Robin planned to lend Jagger money; despite being in a real life, grown up relationship with Saira, "Leo" slept with Claire as she went on the downward spiral you go on when a guy you knew for a week and a half dies; Epiphany and Billy Dee Williamszzzzz; Robin and Jagger had an awkward moment; Becca mused that she'd be okay with an exploration of the Robin/Jagger thing in the future and created utter chaos.

Patrick is walking down the hallway carrying a box and calling Robin on his cell phone. He leaves a long, rambling message, saying that he emailed her but hasn't heard back yet, perhaps because she's still sleeping. He fumbles and stutters and asks her to call him when she gets a chance. He then swipes his ID card to get into a supply closet and is greeted with the sight of Billy Dee and Epiphany full on making out. He drops his box and stares at them with abject horror on his face.

Kyle asks Claire, who continues in her quest to be visual proof that headbands don't work on everyone, why she prescribed such a huge dose of medicine for a patient with osteoporosis. She freaks for a second, and explains that she's been out of sorts, what with the guy she went to high school with who she didn't know until he showed up at the hospital six days ago becoming her true love and then dying. He tries to cheer her up with gossip, which is a tried and true way to make me feel better, at least. He dishes that he knows something crazy about his brother and, as Claire starts to quietly die, he excitedly says that "Leo" is dating Saira.

Speaking of..."Leo" is studying his chart, and Saira remarks that he has a busy night ahead of him. Nosy Josie then suggests that he have an intern observe a micro valve replacement, and says his brother could do it.

Then we go to a few back and forth scenes:

...Claire is trying to pretend to be surprised/interested/not guilty about the "Leo" news and Kyle is still in shock that his brother was able to land such a catch...

...while his catch-landing brother sneers that he won't work with Kyle. Saira wonders why "Leo" is so hard on Kyle, and "Leo" gives the succinct, on point answer that Kyle is a kiss ass...

...a kiss ass who wonders if his brother will be easier on them now that he's getting laid regularly...

...but even regular sex isn't going to make "Leo" any fonder of his brother and he reiterates that he won't work with Kyle...

...who tells Claire that the less he has to see his brother, the better...

and then both pairs walk right into each other, when all of a sudden Kathleen Noone walks in, wearing an ugly scarf that looks like a pattern you'd find on a couch, loudly wonders what she has to do to see a doctor. In unison, the Julian brothers exclaim "MOM!" but the looks on their faces couldn't be any more different: Kyle looks like he's on cloud nine, while "Leo" looks like he's about to be sick. Kathleen Noone holds her arm out for hugs, and Kyle beams and practically sprints over to her. "Leo" observes from a safe distance.

By the way, I finally realized who Kyle reminds me of: he is the real life embodiment of Martin Prince. It's uncanny.

Robin wakes up on her foldout couch to the sound of her father swearing because he can't open a bottle of painkillers, even though he's opened countless bank safes. I'm totally with him, there. Why are bottles of ibuprofen so hard to open? I know it's allegedly to keep kids safe, but I have to be honest, when I am in physical pain, I don't really care about kids safety and I want to be able to relieve my pain in under an hour.

Robin runs...well, it's more of a waddle, actually, over to help him, but he says he can do it on his own. She tells him to sit down with her anyway, and he asks why she's sleeping so late and wonders where Patty Cake is. There's a knock at the door, and as she...well, waddles over to open it, Robert warns her that she needs to keep a close eye on where Patrick is sleeping and who he is sleeping with. Jagger and Stone are on the other side of the door, and she greets Jagger way awkwardly. He asks if it's a bad time, and she tells him it's not. As per usual, looks Stone adorable.

Jagger tells Robin that they were just in the neighborhood and he thought she might want some French fries. Stone sprints his cute little self in and charmingly greets "Agent Scorpio", and proudly shows him a sandstone. Robert is equally charming with his excitement over said sandstone.

These two are adorable together. I fully sport a Stone/Robert spinoff of this GH spinoff.

Jagger offers to come back another time, but Robin tells him it's no big. She scurries around trying to clean up, and, concerned, he asks if she's okay. She makes a face that kind of looks like :O, but before she can awkwardly expound on the awkwardness, Robert asks her for that water she mentioned, and she sprints to go get it. Jagger puts the foldout bed away and asks Stone to give Robert some space, but Robert says that the two of them have important gemstones to discuss. Robin returns with the water and Stone excitedly shows her a lava rock Jagger got him, and she spills Robert's water and says "Damn it". Stone, shocked, says that's a bad word, and Robert mutters that he may not want to stick around for more.

This reminds me of the episode of The Golden Girls where Blanche tries to get Rose to express her rage verbally, and Rose screams "Heck!" really loudly. Yes, everything can be related to The Golden Girls. But seriously, Robin is under an awful lot of pressure and she's far less irritable than I am on a daily basis. It's cute.

Jagger again asks if she's all right, and she says she needs to go to work. Robert points out that she's not dressed but she says she has clothes at work. She puts her shoes on and makes sure Robert will be okay, and he says it's better that she go, since her running around was making him sick, and she reminds them that she'll be at the hospital if they need her. Jagger looks on...knowingly. I think. Perhaps he is just contemplating eating the French fries so they don't go to waste.

Robert: You know, sometimes, just sometimes, she reminds me so much of her mother that...I'd just like to end it all.

Back at the hospital, Kyle hugs his mom happily and squeals that he's happy to see her. I'm kind of with "Leo" on the kiss ass thing. She asks if she gets a hug from her other son, and, with a pained look on his face, he gingerly hugs her. As they hug, she tells him she hates his hair, which I completely disagree with, and she worries that Kyle looks tired. He dramatically blames it on his horrible attending. He introduces her to Claire, his roommate, and his mom raises her eyebrows and thinks he means "roommate", but he corrects her that it's an actual, literal, roommate. He introduces Saira to Patricia, and says "Don't fall over dead, but this is Leo's girlfriend". Leo looks pissed as he watches Saira shake his mom's hand.

Saira: It's so nice to meet you.

Patricia: Not nearly as nice as it is to meet you. Leo normally doesn't introduce me to his girls.

Kyle: That's because he usually has visitors at night.

Um, burn? Kyle really, really, REALLY irritates me in this episode, so just out of spite, I am taking Leo's sarcastic quotation marks away. Yeah. Take THAT, Kyle!

Leo tells Claire and Kyle that they have rounds, and Kyle ass kissingly whines that their mom just got there. She tells them it's all right and to go do their work, and she'll be there when they finish. So she's just going to wander around the hospital? I guess there's not a whole lot to do in Port Charles, especially if one wants to stay away from mob adjacent areas. Saira says it was nice meeting her, but the poor thing doesn't get off that easy, as Patricia leads her away for some girl talk.

In the supply closet, Patrick is stuttering and bumbling and making the international hand signal for DO NOT WANT. Billy Dee, concerned, wonders if he's going to pass out. Epiphany points out that people do lots of dirty things in this supply closet, and before she can go into any more detail, Patrick attempts to leave but, naturally, the door is locked. He panics and asks if they called for help, but Pip says that they didn't exactly want to be found. That TMI moment does little to calm Patrick down, and he wonders if they called the front desk. They did, but they had no signal. Putting his arm around Epiphany, Billy Dee tells Patrick that they're stuck and he can't think of better company to be stuck with. The look on Patrick's face says that he can, in fact, think of better company. Like Pol Pot, for instance.

Elsewhere, Kyle is presenting a patient with cirrhosis. Said patient, named Eric, is played by Chad Allen of Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman/Our House fame. He was also on every single television show produced in the 80s, seriously: Punky Brewster! Highway to Heaven! St. Elsewhere! Webster! My Two Freaking Dads! This guy is in a hall of fame somewhere, for real.

Anyway, Eric sadly says that he didn't even get cirrhosis the fun way. Kyle introduces himself, and starts to introduce Leo, who interrupts and does it himself, because he's a grown up, and just shut it, Kyle. Leo notes that Eric is on the donor list for a transplant, and Eric says he is, but he's not very far up, noting that this is the one time it sucks to be young and virile. A booming voice says "You're not that young and virile, sonny boy" and an older couple walks in. Eric introduces them as his parents, Derry and Barbara. They are both obviously worried about Eric and ask what Leo can do for him. He says that a relative is the best match for a transplant, but they were both already tested and neither are viable donors.

Eric: The Secret is not all it's cracked up to be.

Kyle: What, you couldn't will yourself a new liver?

Hee. I love a good jab at The Secret. But what would Kyle's idol Oprah do if she knew he was hating on that book?!

The two share a moment. Cartoon hearts float around.

Leo wonders if Eric has any siblings. He and his parents share an uncomfortable look before he says he has a sister, but they don't have a relationship with her anymore. His father says that she hasn't called in years, but Eric counters that they haven't called her either. Leo says that they should call her now, because she could be Eric's best hope.

In the locker room, Robin is on the phone, requesting a nurse for her father. After she hangs up, she goes on her laptop and sees a video message from Patrick, who is sweetly apologizing for getting involved with her decision to give Jagger money and he says "I trust you, and I love you and I want you to know that". She looks pensive.

Patricia, for some reason waving with both hands, comes up to Claire and sits down. She's excited to be at GH, seeing what all of those years of med school paid for. Claire says she must be proud of her boys. Patricia says she is, which Leo never wants to hear, but Kyle wants a gold star every day. Patricia says her parents must be proud of her, but Claire's not so sure. Patricia is all "Um, you're cute, and you're a doctor. The problem is what?" Claire sadly says that she makes bad choices. This reminds me of Izzy on Grey's Anatomy yet again, specifically the episode where Izzy overshares with George's parents. I suppose I should be thankful that Claire does not go into detail about said poor choices. Patricia kindly says that there's always another day to make things right.

I have to interrupt for a second and just put this out there: Claire has been more and more annoying to me recently and her basket caseness is not cute and endearing, it's off-putting and bothersome. Ugh, of all the Grey's characters to rip off, why did they choose the loathsome Izzy? And, Carrie Southworth, cute as a button though she may be, is not a good enough actress to make it work.

Kyle walks up, saying "I know you both love me and adore me, but there's only so much praise one man can take" and Patricia raises her eyebrows at Claire, like, "Amirite?" Kyle excitedly tells his mom that Claire got him into online dating, so, fingers crossed, there's a chance that he could meet his dream man and kick her to the curb. Patricia bolts across the room to talk to Leo, and Claire wonders what the hell just happened. Kyle deems it selective listening.

Patricia has planned a dinner for everybody the next day, and insists that Leo bring Saira, who she says is spunky, and reminds her of herself. Leo looks nauseous for a wide variety of reasons. She also ropes Claire into going and cheerfully says that they're all going to break bread, drink wine and tell all of their secrets. Leo and Claire exchange a terrified look, which is exactly what you do when you have a secret you're trying to keep. These two are ridiculous.

Back in the Supply Closet of Doom, Patrick is trying to pick the lock, to no avail, and moans, "I feel like I'm trapped in a bad sitcom". That's how I feel about OG GH. Except it's not a sitcom as much as it is, like, one of the Saw movies. But I digress. Epiphany says that it's a man thing, and that sometimes you just need to accept that there are things you can't change. She happily says that it's nice to have some spare time, without work and angry doctors, and Patrick wants to know what the hell has gotten into her.

Epiphany: (Mooning at Billy Dee) Guess I've mellowed out recently.

Patrick: Mell--....---!!!---???---I had an intern selling kidneys on the internet last week, there is no time for mellowing.

Epiphany: Claire was doing that out of love.

Patrick: You know, there is so much wrong with that statement, I don't even know where to start.

Epiphany wonders if he and Robin had a fight, and though he tries to deny it, she sees right through it and suggests that he "stop playing with that lock and tell momma what's the problem". He hotly WTF?s.

Back in Eric's room, Kyle is examining Eric and asks what happened between him and his sister. Eric clarifies that it was technically what happened between his parents and his sister, and what happened was the real life version of "Papa Don't Preach". Kyle wonders how it turned out. Um, I think since we already know they aren't speaking, it turned out poorly. Eric confirms that "when it comes to Sylvia and my parents, it's like an immovable object meets an unstoppable force". Kyle says he can relate. Eric says that his parents aren't totally judgmental, and were, in fact, totally cool with his coming out. Kyle's eyes practically bug out of his head. Eric slyly asks how Kyle's parents reacted when they found out he was gay. Kyle asks if it was that obvious, but Eric says no, just that he was hoping. They share another meaningful look.

Okay, what's with the doctors and patients falling in love? Surely there are other hospital based romances to tell. Lame! So, so lame. I expect better from you, Night Shift writers! You managed to make Epiphany not only tolerable but kind of awesome, and you can't even write a decent love story that doesn't involve unprofessionalism and blatantly violating codes of ethics?

Anyway, Kyle says that his parents, being Democrats, are okay with the idea of him being gay in theory, but they try not to discuss the fact that he likes men. He adds that it's not like he's been dating or anything, and Eric says that's too bad, and he should get out and watch the sunset. He starts to say more in this vein until he has a coughing fit. Kyle calls for help.

Eric's parents are looking in from the hallway on Eric being treated, and Kyle explains that he's developed bleeding varices, which is a big setback. Someone calls for Dr. Julian and...IT'S EMILY MOTHERFUCKING VALENTINE! Or, fine, Christine Elise, who you may also know from ER, but who is best known for her Brandon drugging, float burning, horribly coiffed 90210 character.

She asks after her brother Eric, and her parents awkwardly greet her. Kyle tells her that a transplant is Eric's best chance for survival, and her mother sadly says that neither she nor Sylvia and Eric's father are matches, though Kyle points out that Sylvia could be. He asks if she'd consider giving Eric part of her liver. Oh, TV. Teacher, mother, secret lover. Among the many lessons you've taught me, I think that "donating part of your body will immediately heal decades long rifts" is one of my favorites.

Back at Robin's, Stone is asleep on Jagger's lap and Robert is practically seething with jealousy. Showing a surprising amount of tact, Jagger offers to leave so Robert can rest, but Robert explains that when he shuts his eyes, he feels sick. Tristan Rogers is so great, seriously. Whenever Robert is onscreen, even in the background, you can see that he's ill, and hurting. How many times do sick characters go about business as usual? It's nice to see cancer depicted so realistically. Well, I mean, not "nice", but...you know what I mean. And because it can't be said enough, he's amazing.

So Jagger tells Robert that it feels good to be in Port Charles, and didn't realize how much he missed it until he saw Robin. It's important for Stone, too, to have a good home and a group of loving people, which Jagger never had. Robert says that it seems like Jagger wants to put roots down, and wonders how, exactly, his daughter fits into this. Jagger raises his eyebrows and looks...like he's deciphering the square root of 36.

At the hospital, Leo and Saira run into each other and, very hurriedly, he says that he can't talk, and she sings "Leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeo!" at him. I...don't understand some of her acting choices, truly, but the way she said Leo would have been perfect for the song I penned to Leonardo DiCaprio way back in 1995. Ah, wasted opportunities. She tells him it must be hard for him to have his mom there, doting on Kyle. When he says he's okay, she reminds him that he's "been hiding all night like a petrified five year old". That's probably not the route I would have gone, personally, while trying to get my new, emotionally stunted boyfriend to open up to me, but I didn't go to med school, so what do I know?

He very dramatically leans against a way and tells her that sometimes he still feels like an immigrant who doesn't belong here. He's been working at GH for over a year and his mother only came to visit once Kyle started interning, and he muses that he's never going to be good enough for her, because he's not Kyle. He starts to cry, and Saira hugs him. Ethan Rains was really good in that scene! And Leo broke my heart, a little bit. I think anybody who has a sibling has wrestled with feeling inferior to the sibling and like the parents' second choice. Again, very realistic drama.

Back in the supply closet, Patrick and Epiphany are both sitting down and he's glaring at her like the kid who got sent to the guidance counselor for writing troubling song lyrics on his science binder. She wants to know what got him so wound up and Billy Dee, still trying to get them out of the closet, warns her to reign it in, and she asks Patrick if the fight was about "a GORGEOUS FBI agent". Billy Dee gives her another warning look, and she says, "Baby, I'm sorry, but have you seen the boy?" Hee! Patrick sarcastically tells her that this therapy session was a great idea.

She does dole out some good advice and reminds Patrick that Robin isn't just a girlfriend, she's his family. On Full House, this would be the moment the "awww" music starts in. All of a sudden, Claire walks into the closet and stares at them all, more confused than usual, and Billy Dee says he's so happy to see her that he could kiss her. Patrick double checks that everything in the hospital is okay, and then practically tramples her in his effort to get the hell out of dodge. Epiphany laughingly calls after him that he needs to make things with Robin right. He turns around and asks Claire if she's seen Robin, which she hasn't, and he decides to call her at home...

...where Jagger picks up the phone! Who saw that one coming? Jagger says "Hello? Hello? Is there anyone there?", looking completely baffled, as though he believes that the phone just started ringing for no reason. Patrick, for his part, glares at his cell like the phone is the one Robin is being inappropriately close with.

In the locker room, Kyle tries to bribe Claire to come to the awkward Julian family dinner by offering to do her laundry for a week, or let her hang up a hideous dartboard or even order pie. Is pie this girl's kryptonite? She says she has nothing to wear, but he annoyingly says he thought of that and pulls a strappy black dress from his locker, telling her "It will be perfect, it will push your boobs up". She, quite understandably, wonders why she'd want to put the cleavage on display at dinner with his mom, but he thinks it's a good way for her to distract Leo enough so that Kyle won't have to talk to him. Ha! That's funny, get it, because Claire and Leo have an AWKWARD HISTORY. Oh, wait, no, that's not funny, it's just one more in a long line of anvils in this episode about their secret getting told. He says that he really doesn't want her to go home and mope about the guy she loved for thirty six minutes, and she finally gives in and says she'll go to dinner.

Robin greets Jagger, who is waiting for Stone to finish up his session. He holds up a book about autism and says, "I feel like I'm back in school trying to learn stuff about autism". I feel like he says that sentence a lot. I bet he has all the Idiot's Guide To... books. "This clock stuff is hard! Which one does the little hand mean?" She says she knows it's a lot to take in, and sits next to him. He reminds her that he was never good at school, which...no, too easy.

There's a long, awkward pause and finally, Jagger apologizes for what happened. She quickly says it wasn't a big deal, but he stresses that he didn't mean to make her feel uncomfortable. She says she's really emotional these days, what with her sick father, and her pregnancy hormones and her hot boyfriend. Jagger asks if she's going to marry Patrick, but she doesn't know. He apologizes for throwing himself and Stone into her already chaotic life, but she says that's nonsense. They both agree to pretend that nothing ever happened and declare themselves friends. I like to think that they did a secret handshake after the cameras stopped rolling.

I do appreciate that they addressed the moment from last week; on the OG GH, it would have been dropped without a second glance. Oh, who am I kidding, Guza would shoot himself in the arm before he let Robin and Jagger be onscreen together.

Elsewhere, Kyle is filling Emily Valentine in on the donation process telling her that, yes, surgery is involved but the recovery time is quick and she'll be back on her feet in a week or two. She looks genuinely distressed when she says that she works two jobs and has three kids, and can't afford to lose one to two weeks of her life. Kyle asks if she's tried talking to her parents, and she reminds him that they kicked her out when she was 17. He's not so quick, this one. He tells her, very seriously, that Eric could die without this transplant, but she still doesn't know if she can do it.

In a hospital room, Robert appears to be sleeping and Patrick checks his IV and starts to quietly leave the room, but Robert snaps, "Where have you been?" Patrick apologizes for waking him, but Robert wasn't actually sleeping, he was practicing visualization to take himself somewhere peaceful. Patrick wonders where Robert went, and, when Robert replies "Zaire, during the uprising", nods, like, "Yeah, should have figured that". Robert again asks where Patrick has been, and sees through Patrick's "working" excuse in a heartbeat and, menacingly, says "I'm not going to have you hurting my little girl". Patrick, finally, perhaps due to PTSD over his traumatic trapped in the closet experience, snaps and tells Robert that if he and Robin are having problems, it's because of Agent Scorpio himself. That's probably not the kind of thing I'd say whilst talking to a superspy who could probably fashion a deadly weapon out of a paper clip.

The Julians and & Co. are out to dinner, and Patricia is elated that they're all having dinner together. Saira, in that syrupy sweet voice she has, says she'd love to hear some stories about Leo growing up. Leo, in a panic, tells the waiter to bring Pinot Noir and lots of it. Patricia says Leo can be sure, and she doesn't want to embarrass him. Kyle jumps in and asks, "Why not? He takes every chance he can get on his interns". Leo fakes a polite smile, but doesn't answer.

Patricia asks Claire if she's had a chance to work with Leo. Um, in a manner of speaking, yes. Yes, she has. Leo tells his mother that he's Claire's attending, so she really didn't have much of a choice. Patricia thinks that it's great that Claire gets to learn from Leo, and it's equally great that Leo is starting to socialize. Oh, man, poor Leo. Saira tells Patricia that Leo played the guitar for her, and wonders if he got the music bug from her, or his father. Patricia laughs and says neither, and Kyle has the smuggest smile on his face during this whole scene and it almost enrages me. She continues that she always tried to encourage the two of them to explore the arts, and that Kyle was a natural performer who put on productions with neighborhood kids and their pets. He and Leo spar briefly, and Patricia changes the subject by asking Claire what she does outside of work. Claire watches TV and goes out, which delights Patricia who, in her own words, had her "fair share of wild nights back in the day". Kyle is scandalized, but Patricia says that Claire is hot and young and should live it up while she can. Leo glances at Claire nervously and studies his menu intently. These two are HORRIBLE at secret keeping.

Back at GH, Robert wonders how, exactly, he is to blame for Patrick and Robin's problems. Patrick backtracks and says that he was out of line, but Robert points out that Patrick put it all out there so he ought to just say his piece. Patrick closes the door and says that it's hard to be in a relationship with someone who is so emotionally closed off and guarded. Robert says he knows what that's like. Patrick recaps their routine of moving forward and backward (he leaves out the part about them having the same conversation everyday) and theorizes that it's because of Robert and Anna. Robert, still spectacularly displeased with everything Patrick related, says this sounds like a lot of excuses.

Patrick sits down and explains his perception of things: Robert and Anna left Robin to go "play superspy" and, in order to cope, she closed herself off and now she doesn't trust people. Robert sighs and says he knows she faced adversity, but he thinks she's stronger for it. Patrick says it seems like Robert's the one making excuses now, but Robert says that he hated being apart from Robin and never set out to do anything to hurt her and right now, Robin has a lot on her plate and doesn't need Patrick to flit out whenever he wants.

Patrick: I love Robin. And I want to marry her, but she won't accept my proposal.

Robert: Oh. Maybe you're not the man for her after all.

Oh, snap! Is Robert a Robin/Jagger 'shipper?

Back at the most uncomfortable dinner this side of Michael and Jan's tragic dinner party, Saira is, for some godforsaken reason, telling Patricia about the breast milk fiasco. Patricia is not surprised that "he had problems latching on", which...ew, and Leo makes a comment about how "once [Kyle] did, he never let go". Kyle, predictably, pitches a bitch and climbs on his high horse and says:

I actually grew up to respect women. Some of my best friends are women, but that's because I treated them as equals and didn't bounce quarters off of their asses

I...really hate him in this episode. I mean, all things considered, Leo has been completely withdrawn and polite, so needling him is annoying and babyish.

Patricia turns to Saira and says again how happy she is that she and Leo are together, saying that she's been worried about him, since he's not getting any younger and for him to find such an amazing woman is just warm and fuzzy. Because Kyle is incapable of being a functional human being, he chimes in that some of Leo's other exploits were on the trashy side, and suggests that his brother get a community service award for picking up so much trash from bar room floors. Claire looks like she's going to vomit and sprints to the bathroom. Kyle follows her, Leo chugs his wine and Saira explains to Patricia that Claire just lost a patient, which is why she's acting like a complete lunatic these days. She doesn't offer excuses for Kyle being such a brat, though. I guess she figures his mom would know that's just how he is.

Kyle knocks on the bathroom door and Claire asks for a minute, but he comes in anyway, and apologizes to her for his outburst and for putting her in the middle of the family drama. Starting to cry, she says that's not why she's upset and she's messed up. He hugs her and consoles her, and she says she's sorry for screwing up her career and doing a stupid thing and when he asks what stupid thing she did, the truth comes out and she admits that she slept with Leo.

Back at the dinner table, Patricia is telling some stupid story about one of her stupid sons when Kyle stalks over and punches Leo square in the face. The entire restaurant gasps, and it reminds me of fights in high school when the entire cafeteria would gather to watch the skirmish.

Apparently they went to the hospital to make sure that Leo was okay after the punch, because the Julians are sitting in the break room and Patricia is lecturing them about the horrific display they put on. Leo starts to leave, but Patricia insists that he stay and "talk it out like a man". This unleashes a torrent of emotion from Leo, who angrily asks his brother why he had to come to GH, since the hospital was the only place he ever had where he wasn't compared to Kyle. Patricia tells him that he needs to get over that, and that she and their father loved the boys equally, which...I know what she means, but she probably didn't need to phrase that quite so brusquely.

Leo tells her that's the thing--they're not equal, they're different, and he wants to know why his mother has never accepted him for who he is. Kyle's like "Speaking of that..." and asks his mom why she can't accept that he's gay, and tells her that he hates that they talk about everything else in the world but not his real life. He sums up by saying that she might not know her sons at all. Leo is crying by this point, and she starts crying as well as she launches into a completely moving monologue about how she thought she couldn't have kids and when they adopted Leo and she saw his face...

Leo, you were my heart. And [pointing at Kyle], you, you were our miracle. I wasn't even supposed to have you, so when I got pregnant...somehow, I thought that maybe Leo brought you with him into our lives

Excuse me, I have something in my eye. I don't even particularly care about any of the characters involved, but it was still moving.

She finishes by telling her boys that they are in this together and at some point, all they will have left is each other.

Back at Robin's, she walks in to find Robert waiting for her. He greets her, hilariously, with a pleasant "You look worse than I do". He tells her that they need to talk, and he needs her to really listen. She sits on the couch next to him and he apologizes for leaving, and for not being there for her for so much, like when Stone died and she got HIV. He tells her that no matter what he was doing, his heart was always with her, and that he thinks she shuts herself off from love because of him and the bad choices he made. She says relationships are just hard, but he says that's just an excuse and he doesn't want to be the reason she gets cheated out of love. He had love with Anna, and, when Robin points out that it didn't work out for Anna and Robert, he says "That's because on any given day, she made me want to slam my head in a car door". Hee. He sums up by telling her that you need to take risks in life, because any life that's worth living is going to be a little.

Okay, now is when the "awwww"s would come in on Full House. Not that I'm comparing Robert Scorpio to Danny Tanner.

I know that being so vague and inarticulate means that my argument holds almost no merit, but this episode was kind of...uneven? It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't good. Kind of like the rest of the season thus far. I think a big part of my issues with it are the new characters (I am counting Leo as a new character because...you know); Kyle and Leo are interesting in their own ways some of the time, but Claire and Saira are both useless and irsksome. And the Pip/Billy Dee thing needs to just...not. It needs to just not.

What I have truly been enjoying about the season, though, is how (and I've overused this word in the recap, I know) realistic the writing has been. Not that we all have superspy dads or anything, but so many of the stories have been completely relatable and, probably, something many of us watching have dealt with, whether it be a sick parent, a sick child, being sick yourself, balancing your work life and personal life, feeling inferior to your brother or sister, feeling that your parents don't accept you for who you are, or dating a co-worker who also used to be a world famous singer. It's all very human. Sure, the show brings in the soapy moments and the comic relief (comic relief that has a tendency to go too far on the bad sitcom side of things for my personal taste, but whatever), but the core of it actually has real world heart. And when you consider how far removed other soaps are from the real world, it's nice to see.

Comments

[Tania]

Sooo yes, I have a few minutes before my shows(shout out to The Office and, looking interesting, Grey's Anatomy!) and I'm going to comment. So you ladies continue to be awesome, Patrick/JT continues to be the hottest thing in a pair of pants, and Scrubs and Robert continue to be the best thing about this show.

Now please go find yourself a Patrick screencap where he's hotly pissed off so you can see MY reaction to NO SCRUBS SCENES TOGETHER! Yeah, seeing as how I watch the show to see them TOGETHER I have issues with that. Furthermore we don't have many episodes left and I want Sri to stop making problems and RESOLVE them.

Oh and theres this.. Robin and Jagger's whatever last week and this week is still horrible(and gross to me) and I DID also get the feeling that Robert was a *enter EWW here* Robin and Jagger shipper/Patrick hater which I for one don't get. Is he a concerned Poppa like ANY Poppa would be, yes and I expect it, however this... I don't know how to explain it but as much as I love my Big Daddy Scorpio I really don't like THAT.

And now I can enter more ramblings and things that annoy me OR I can enter some shallow moments... shallow moments it is:

So how PRETTY did Patrick and Robin (*grumbles* separately) look?! Man, my super amazing couple are just the complete package! Cause on a deeper level they are great and on a non-deep level they are freakin' HOT! No one beats Scrubs in my eyes <3

[Becca]

We totally should have named the blog "TV: Teacher, mother, secret lover." Awesome.

[junie]

Awesome recap and I totally agree about the imbalance of the last few shows. I mean, it's still worlds better than GH as far as storytelling goes, but I have zero interest in the new characters (except sometimes Kyle and not this episode). Still love Robert and he is just bringing me back every week. Robin is phenomenal as well. I sometimes wonder how KMc and JT feel about working on this show and then filming the crapfest that is OG GH? Oh well, at least they have this for awhile! Thanks again for the recap.

[Name]

I really liked Leo in this episode. I think Ethan Rains is coming into his own and really stood out here. And while Kyle was always a favorite of mine; in this episode he annoyed me. I actually enjoyed the story that involved them and their mother. Incredible last scene. I also loved the Robin/Robert stuff and Patrick getting all pissy at Robert. Tell him how it is Patrick!

i couldn't care less for Pip and Touisannt... maybe because Touisannt was never a character I liked. He's just there...

But I found this episode one of the more enjoyable ones because well I enjoyed most of it; dayplayers and all.

[Sarah]

Kyle IS SO Martin Prince, the hair and everything!!! Genius observation.

What I really liked about this episode, other than the usual hotness of Patrick, was the adult child and parent conversations. Robert rocked it both comedically and dramatically with Robin, and even w/ Stone and Jagger and of course w/ Pattyboy.

Kathleen Noone at the end of the episode really impressed me. The whole "grow up and see you two will only have each other soon" speech really hit home. That monologue was written and acted very well.

Robin was great. There is something so real and relatable about her acting, it's brilliant IMO.

And Jason Thompson doing comedy is a real treat. Whether he is being smelt up by Jagger or being skeeved out by Pip and the elevator lover Toussaint, it's funny and fresh.

Another great recap, thanks for the funny ladies.

[Amy Busby]

I think what you mean by realistic is that the characters seem to be actual people with emotions and history that explains the way they are. I can totally see the entire life of the Julian brothers and mom in my mind's eye! Shy introspective feeling "foreign" Leo and peppy ass kissing Golden Boy putting on theatrical productions, lol. Mom loving them the same, and she probably did, but the experience being totally different for each. Hello real life! Actual relatable stuff. Even with character's we don't particularly like or even know. Sweet.

Jagger referring to never being good in school - yep, could have guessed that. Thanks for the teensy bit of self awareness. Rounds out the show and the characters.

So much of soaps lately, esp. OG GH is charicatures. Did I spell that right?

I think that's why I am not liking Claire. Too much a a Grey's rip off, not a fully fleshed character.

Kyle is okay, totally Martin Prince but every show needs that guy. And Ethan Raines is growing on me in thise role. Still not a heartthrob to me but can be a cutie and a decent actor - leaps and bounds ahead of Saira and Claire and poor poor phoning it in Billy Dee.

I won't even comment on Patrick, Robin or Robert since we have already clarified that they are beyond excellent. As a cancer patient I can totally identify with Robert and his comments and his moods and his experience. Spot on! hehe - I said that with a British accent for some reason.

[natty3]

"IT'S EMILY MOTHERFUCKING VALENTINE! Or, fine, Christine Elise, who you may also know from ER, but who is best known for her Brandon drugging, float burning, horribly coiffed 90210 character."
that had me cracking up! when i saw her i said the same thing. anyway this episode like you said was up and down. as usual robin patrick and robert were great. jt's acting has gotten seriously top notch

[Sarah B.]

I really mean no disrespect but I didn't quite agree with most of the blog this time around...still love you guys though lol :)!

I don't know, I acually liked that Kyle was being pissy in this episode because it showed perhaps where some of Leo's animosity at having him at GH now came from. It gave me insight into what their dynamic growing up may have been like where Leo wasn't always the bad guy.

I also thought it was awesome that Rao made the underlying dynamic NOT be the issue of the adopted child feeling like they were treated different but that Leo felt like his difference wasn't acknowledged. That is so true to life for many that I thought it was brilliant. I could totally feel how Leo must have felt growing up and when he cried I cried for him. It also tied nicely to Kyle having the same issue. I don't know if it's allowed to post links but this blog entry by Marlena DeLacroix is exactly how I felt about how great this story was http://marlenadelacroix.com especially because she seems very crticial in general.

Speaking of Kyle, I LOVE him with Eric who is more established/mature...I only wish we had more episodes to see this relationship done justice!

As for Robin and Patrick, I thought it was actually awesome that they weren't in any scenes together and yet we as viewers could tell they were only thinking about each other. It was nicely symbolic of the disconnect they are going through and it was a great way to visually show that. Robin and Patrick need to really think about what has made them who they are and then move on. I feel like this has been a step by step process that the writers have been leading the couple through and the logical conclusion is them being even more solid than we thought they were at the beginning.

One thing I do agree with is Claire. I cannot stand the fake-no-tears cry. I do like her more in the webisodes though.

Ok this is getting too long so I'll stop now. Though I can't go without saying Tristan continues to rock.

[Kels]

I whole-heartedly agree with your final analysis of the show. That last paragraph in particular is spot on.

[danny]

I just hope they don't saddle us with another Layla from this season... yes Martin Prince 2.0. I'm talking about you.

[Bianca]

I wonder if Ethan Raines was channeling the grief he feels whenever people complain about him not being his brother Dominic?

As for Jagger feeling like he's back in school, while he was a high school drop out at one point, one would think he would have gotten over his studying issues in order to become a Fed. Not being college educated, he would have had to work 3x as hard at Quantico.

[Bianca]

BTW, I'm happy with Ethan's haircut.

[Vicki]

"Anyway, Kyle says that his parents, being Democrats, are okay with the idea of him being gay in theory..."

Ah, well, thank you Night Shift for painting all of us Republicans as intolerant boobs.

Sorry to get political, but between this and Nancy Lee Grahn's rants in SO Digest I'm getting a bit fed up.