Applause, Applause

Outstanding performer for the week of Jan. 11

Old habits die hard. Based on the evidence that has piled up since Nikolas' existence was revealed 2 1/2 years ago, I was finally about to concede that -- to paraphrase Shakespeare -- the fault with Laura was not in her stars, but in herself. Then, this week on General Hospital, when Lucky confronted her with his knowledge of Nikolas' paternity -- the latest in a string of secrets and lies revealed -- Genie Francis got to me with her persuasive and unequivocal performance.

It was obvious from the moment Lucky arrive and Laura jumped up to greet him that Francis had done her emotional homework. The tear she brushed away was akin to the proverbial needle in a haystack; it was the sense of Laura's inconsolable sadness that was pervasive. Francis could have been working on a bare set; the wretchedness of her Luara filled the entire scene, with no need for for scenery to either embellish or demolish.

Through the first minutes of Lucky's quiet but piercing condemnation, Laura was every bit the snow angel that he said he'd always believed her to be, as she suffered the heartbreaking meltdown of a mother who has gravely wounded her offspring. But as he continued to bait her Laura realized she was taking more blame than was her due. Francis -- in small increments -- showed Laura's frustration with her son's naiveté. Then, without getting up from the couch or even raising her voice, she told Lucky about having to play the game of life with the hand that's dealt you. Whatever fragility had made Laura a victim -- of Stavros and Helena then, of Lucky now -- Francis deftly masked. Her eyes were fixated on Jonathan Jackson, and her voice was strong and steady, which served Laura well as she attempted to explain her desperate choices of the past and to convince Lucky that there were no more secrets to be uncovered.

Was Laura supposed to reach Lucky with the anguished tale of her plight and the sincerity of her explanation? I don't know if those were Lucky's tears or Jackson's. I just know that when the episode was over, all I could do was to think of Laura, and of the supremely gifted Genie Francis, who truly deserves her place in the Soap Opera Hall of Fame.