Hello darkness, my old friend

Things are heating up as the cult begins to tighten its grip, and the ripples of Ryan's reign of terror continue to shatter lives and torment his victims. Meanwhile, Dante and Lulu's happy reunion might be overshadowed by the fresh scars on his back -- and to his soul. Dark secrets lurk everywhere; it's time to shed some light on them.

Yikes, it's pretty grim in Port Charles these days. Poor Oscar learned that he has less than two months to live because his brain tumor is once again growing. Oscar put on a brave front and had a sweet talk with his mother after he heard the crushing news, but it's clear that he's more devastated than he lets on.

I know that Shiloh dangled the possibility, but I really don't think there is going to be a miracle for Oscar. It's going to suck watching Oscar die, but I get the feeling that the writers are already invested in Cam and Joss. Not only because they continue to exchange longing glances, but also because they do it in front of Oscar, and he appears to either not notice or not mind.

There's a lot of that going on lately, especially over at Dawn of Day.

If your new spiritual leader suggests that you start cutting out all the well-adjusted friends and supportive family members in your life because they start to express concern that your new group of friends is a cult, then you might want to put down the glass of Kool-Aid and take a closer look at the people around you.

Also, if your spiritual leader requires you to con large sums of money out of your rich relatives or asks you to make a "trust offer" by sharing your deepest, darkest, most life-ruining secret -- in your own words on a tape recorder -- then perhaps you should reconsider that group tattoo that you're about to get on your lower back.

Not that Kristina is really worried about sharing her own secrets. Nope, Kristina is in full spite mode because no one trusts her judgment, so she's going to share someone else's secret. A family member's, to be precise. She's doing this because she wants to join DOD's uber-exclusive inner circle, the Trust.

Yeah, a secret sect of leaders doesn't scream cult at all.

This is exactly why people treat Kristina the way that they do. She's not only self-destructive, but she's vindictive and selfish. I get that Kristina believes that DOD is a legitimate organization, but seriously, the signs that it's a cult are all there right in front of her eyes, if only she would see past her own stubbornness.

Spiritual enlightenment isn't achieved through five easy payments.

I would never make it at DOD. Not only would I see right through Shank's little smarmy act, but I can honestly say that there is absolutely nothing in my past so dark and awful that it would ruin my life if people were to learn of it. That's not to say that I haven't done anything bad -- I have, but I have no reason to hide my stupid choices. I take full responsibility for the good and the bad that I've done. That's called being an adult.

To my surprise, I'm more concerned about Shiloh's interest in Willow than I am in Kristina's welfare. Willow knows his secrets, and she clearly sees Shiloh for who he is, so she wants no part of him. The way that she curled into herself and winced when he got too close reinforced my theory that Shiloh is a sexual predator. Women don't react that way unless there has been some kind of physical abuse.

I loved that Chase quickly deduced that Shiloh was the father of Willow's baby. It told me that Brad's days of playing daddy to Michael's son will soon be coming to an end because, if Chase was able to put two and two together, Shiloh will be able to, as well. The minute that Shiloh finds out that Willow birthed his child, he's going to go looking for the baby.

The first thing that a court will demand is a DNA test, which will reveal that Shiloh is not Wiley's father. I'm quite sure that Willow will want to know why her son was not a DNA match for the only man that she had ever slept with. Will Brad come clean? Will he try to stick to his story that he found a homeless woman wandering around in the woods with a newborn baby on the very same night and stretch of road that Nelle delivered her "stillborn" son? Will Michael see though that lie?

I want Michael to be reunited with his son, so I'm really hoping that Shiloh's visit with Willow will be the catalyst for that. However, under absolutely no circumstances do I want Jonah to spend even five seconds in Shiloh's custody. It's time for Jonah to be with his real father.

Folks, did anyone else's jaw drop when Carly explained to Olivia and Lulu that the pregnancy had been a surprise? To refresh your memories, Carly said, "I -- it wasn't planned. Ah, I was very surprised. I should've been taking birth control, and I wasn't, so I got knocked up."

This was the same woman who, just a day or two earlier, had had a heart-to-heart talk with her daughter about Josslyn and Oscar's decision to have sex for the first time. During that conversation, Carly asked, "Did you have protection?"

That proves that Carly knows that there is more than one way to prevent a pregnancy.

Now, if you take the pill and get pregnant, that is a surprise. If you use a condom and end up pregnant, again, that's a surprise. However, if you don't use any protection, have sex, and get pregnant, then that isn't a surprise. That is inevitable.

When Carly talked about going off the pill, she mentioned that she and her doctor had discussed it. That means that her doctor warned her of the possibility of getting pregnant. I know this because I've been on and off the pill several times throughout my life, and each time, my doctor has had the same talk with me about getting pregnant. Each. Time.

I think that Carly wanted to get pregnant. Perhaps she thought it might not happen, but I'm fairly certain that she had hoped it would. Why not just own that? Oh, that's right, because she made the decision without giving Sonny a voice or a choice. I have no idea why that bothers me more than it does Sonny, but it does, and I'm reminded of it every time Carly tells people that her pregnancy was a "surprise."

Moving on, while Sonny was getting stitched up at the hospital, Dante was reuniting with Lulu. Even before we were shown the vicious scars on Dante's back, I sensed that something was off with him. It started at the compound in Turkey. His face was expressionless, his demeanor closed off and emotionless. At first, I thought that it was an act for Raj's benefit, but it followed Dante home. He should be happy and relieved that Raj is dead, but instead, he's reserved and quiet.

Dante promised Lulu that he wouldn't leave again, but his words seemed to lack conviction. Does he have secrets that will ultimately pull him away from Port Charles again? Those scars on his back suggest that might be the case, but Ryan remains a threat to everyone, including Lulu. Could Ryan return to take care of unfinished business, only to catch Dante instead?

I don't think that Ryan would waste his time with trying to kill Lulu if he makes it back to Port Charles. He's going to need every second that he can to carry out whatever he plans for Ava, which means that she will be his first stop. That's fine with me. I've been waiting for that showdown for almost two weeks.

I know that Dante isn't sticking around, but I'd rather him and Lulu decide to part in such a way that Lulu will be able to move on quickly. I don't want her to be stuck in mourning for a year like Maxie was. Lulu has been in limbo long enough. Also, Sonny has lost enough children over the years; he doesn't deserve to lose another son. That seems cruel beyond words.

That brings me to Ava. She's struggling, and everyone sees it. Carly, Laura, and even Felicia have each made attempts to help her, which was quite awesome to watch.

I know that none of these women will ever be true friends with Ava, with perhaps the exception of Laura, but it was nice to see women putting aside their differences to do the right thing. The compassionate thing. Carly, especially, impressed me because not only did she have empathy for Ava, but she actually watched out for her until Julian could collect her.

Hopefully, things will get better between Ava and Team Corinthos for Avery's sake, but I'm not going to hold my breath. Carly can turn on a dime, and Sonny holds onto his grudges the way a dog would his favorite bone.

Meanwhile, Kevin is dealing with the fallout for deciding to keep Ryan's return from the dead a secret. It's like he's doing a walk of shame through town as people berate him, give him dirty looks, and throw wild punches as he passes by. As Friday drew to a close, Margaux merrily slapped charges on him for aiding and abetting when he admitted that he had intentionally kept Ryan's existence a secret.

I do think that Kevin should be held accountable for not alerting the police about Ryan, but in all honesty, it's not like Laura has much to complain about because Kevin was bound by doctor/patient confidentiality to some degree. Ryan was also placed in a secure facility. It's not like Kevin set Ryan up in a nursing home or a little cottage in the woods. Steps were taken to contain Ryan and to neutralize him.

The beatdown that Griffin gave Kevin was well deserved, but let's not forget that Kevin spent months in Ferncliff, being injected with all kinds of drugs, and his medical needs were neglected when he went blind. Kevin was punished, and he suffered. I would hate for Kevin to lose everything when so many people on this show do far worse with far fewer ramifications.

It's a soap opera, so the writers have a little leeway here.

I was sad to see Griffin go, but I don't blame Matt Cohen for moving on. Griffin is a wonderful character, but the writers never really knew what to do with him. I did like the edgier Griffin that we saw the last few weeks. It made him more interesting and less predictable. I thought for sure that it had been Ryan who had clocked Kevin on the piers, so I was a little surprised when it turned out to be Griffin delivering the punch.

If only that Griffin had shown up in the beginning instead of the priest who healed patients and constantly offered Sonny absolution. It was a complete waste of wonderful talent.

So, what is Alex hiding? I'm not talking about the secret that she's keeping from Anna. I'm pretty sure that secret has to do with Peter. No, I'm dying to find out what secret Alex is keeping from Valentin.

Valentin was a fool to turn his back on Alex. She wouldn't have teased him like that if she didn't have something to trade. Alex is desperate to avoid spending the rest of her life behind bars, so she's not going to make empty threats when she needs to cut a deal.

It's unlikely that Alex knows about Valentin's ruse with Sasha, so I can't help but wonder if perhaps Peter is Alex and Valentin's son. Is that what she meant when she told Valentin, "We'll always have Lisbon?"

Wouldn't that be something? Imagine how Valentin will feel learning that it wasn't Anna's son that he gave to Faison to raise -- it was his own!

Finally, congratulations to all the Emmy nominees this year! I'm so proud of GH, and I will be rooting for everyone on Sunday, May 5, 2019.

Did Raj have the sixth sense and see dead people? I ask because he didn't seem to bat an eye at the fact that Sonny was standing right behind Dante as Dante stood there telling Raj that he'd just shot Sonny dead.

If I had any doubt that Willow is Nina's daughter, that was eradicated when Willow accused Nina of turning Charlotte into an entitled bully. It's going to be so much fun to watch that bombshell drop both Willow and Nina.

I loved Felicia's talk with Ava, but why didn't Felicia mention that her own daughter Georgie had been murdered by a serial killer whom they had all known and whom Georgie had trusted? Sadly, Felicia and Ava have more in common than just Ryan.

Anti-Stella (to Jordan): "I got tested too."Jordan: "Oh GREAT! Just what I need. An OLD kidney that hates my guts!" -- Scrimmage

Kevin's explanation of finding Ryan was ludicrous. Isn't the DVX supposed to be the soap version of the KGB? Why wouldn't they just kill Ryan? And if Ryan was working for the DVX all those years it suggests that his homicidal tendencies were under control. It also does not explain how they both were infected with the virus. Maybe Kevin is lying or his story was implanted. -- JDF

Who knows? Maybe Nikolas Cassadine had an evil twin & was memory mapped too? L0L Maybe Nik and his twin were patients 7 & 8. Maybe Valentin knew all along that the "Nik" he shot was Nikolas Cassadine's evil twin? -- WideAwake in Sleepy Eye

Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts. I love hearing from readers, so please feel free to email me or leave a comment below.

Take care and happy viewing,Liz Masters

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