True Confessions
GH's Liz & Lucky Open Their Hearts
Soap Opera Digest
December 29, 1998
Written by:
Kristin Gallagher & Stephanie Sloane
‘Tis the season of love for General Hospital's Lucky and Liz, as the teens finally admit their true feelings for each other over the Christmas holiday.
"They're handing each other Christmas gifts," smiles Rebecca Herbst, "and Liz gives him this oil painting she's done of the box car. It has music notes coming out of it, which are the first chord of the song Lucky wrote for her. So, he thinks that's really sweet." Adds Jonathan Jackson, "Then, Lucky gives Elizabeth her gift. It's a ring." Before you go picking out an outfit to wear to the wedding - it's not an engagement ring. "It's this little gold band with a pearl in the middle and two diamonds on the side," explains Herbst. "It's really tiny and really sweet, and she just falls in love with it."
Hmmmm, falls in love with it. Interesting phrasing. "He tells Liz that the reason why he got this for her is to have something to show that they'll be together forever," continues Herbst. "Then he tells her that he's never going to be with another girl and he's giving her the ring to show how much he loves her."
As, the magic words. "Liz is just like, ‘Wait - you just said you loved me' " laughs Herbst. "And Lucky says, ‘Well, I do. But you don't have to say it back or anything,' and starts to ramble. So Liz says, ‘Well, I am in love with you and I have been all along.' In the next scene, she says to Lucky, ‘I've been wanting to tell you that, I just didn't know how', and he feels the same way for quite some time." Concurs Jackson, "It's probably been too long for him to even remember when he first fell in love with Elizabeth. It was pretty soon after he started taking care of her and getting to know her."
Remember, Liz and Lucky's relationship was born out of his helping her through the trauma of being raped. "The first couple of months after the rape, they felt a love for each other that was a friendship love," allows Herbst. "They've been there for each other. But in the past couple of months, I think it's defiantly blossomed into more than that. Now, she's focusing most of her energy on Lucky and their relationship. She hasn't mentioned the word rape in the past couple of weeks, so that's a good thing. The rape will always be in the back of her mind. I mean, rape is not something you just get over. You just learn how to deal with it better, and that's what she's doing, with Lucky's help."
But would this couple be together today if it hadn't been for Liz's rape? "I don't know," says Jackson. "I think they both would have been completely different people in a lot of ways. [In addition to Liz's rape], Lucky's family was also falling apart. The way that they helped each other through both of those situations had a lot to do with it. They automatically had a chance to prove to each other that they were going to be there through some of the worst stuff. And they passed."
This mutual bolstering is also part of what helped endear Liz and Lucky fans so quickly, says Herbst "I think one of the reasons why people like them so much is because their relationship is so healthy," she notes. "Now, if you separate them, he's a basket case and she's a basket case. But together, they're okay. Individually they have their own issues and problems that they need to work out. But I think people like seeing that - they like seeing them work our their problems together."
And for Lucky, part of that means learning from the mistakes his currently estranged parents, Luke and Laura, have made, "He doesn't want to do what his parents did," states Jackson, "as far as keeping secrets from each other and lying. He's pretty set on doing things differently when it comes to the decisions he makes in his life." One of which could eventually be deciding whether or not to become intimate with Liz. "I don't think they're even thinking about that," argues Herbst. "They just conquered the whole kissing thing. Now, they'll kiss at will, and what ever happens, happens. But, they've barely just gotten over that stage."
At the end of the day, says Jackson "All Lucky really knows it that he doesn't ever want to be with anyone else." Adds Herbst, "It's not a perfect relationship, but I do feel that Lucky and Liz have a much more mature relationship than most adults do. The main reason is because they become friends before anything else. And that is what will make it last."
"and Liz gives him this oil painting she's done of the box car. It has music notes coming out of it, which are the first chord of the song Lucky wrote for her. So, he thinks that's really sweet." Adds Jonathan Jackson, "Then, Lucky gives Elizabeth her gift. It's a ring." Before you go picking out an outfit to wear to the wedding - it's not an engagement ring. "It's this little gold band with a pearl in the middle and two diamonds on the side," explains Herbst. "It's really tiny and really sweet, and she just falls in love with it."