Jacklyn Zeman

(BOBBIE, GH)

■ Luke’s demise yielded powerful performances from the three Port Charles women closest to him — Jane Elliot as his partner,tracy,

Genie Francis as his ex-wife, Laura, and Jacklyn

Zeman as his sister, Bobbie. But it was the restrained and authentic work of Zeman that has lingered with us the longest.

Summoned to Laura’s, Bobbie was more curious than angst-filled as she cut to the chase: “So, what’s going on?” But as she drank in Laura’s somber expression, her own face registered a mounting dread. On edge as Laura led her to the sofa, Bobbie braced herself for what was sure to be far from a casual conversation, her eyes searching Laura’s for clues. Laura brought up the recent cable car accident in Austria, and as Bobbie noted that she’d heard there had been a few casualties, the sudden shift in her tone made it clear that it had dawned on her what might be coming. “N-n-n-no, Laura stop. I don’t want to hear it,” she begged, her body flooded with panic. Shell-shocked, she collected herself for a beat, then rose to her feet, marching over to her phone and gulping for breath as she dialed her brother’s number. Her voice lowered, urgent and beseeching, as she left a message for him to call her back. Midway through, her efforts to remain stoic failed her, and a shiver went through her body as she fought off tears. Laura gently confirmed her worst fears: Luke was gone. “No, he’s not,” Bobbie whispered. Then, in an instant, her self-protective denial vanished, and she broke down in wrenching sobs.

Zeman poured her heart into these few short minutes of screen time. The results were emotionally evocative and poignant, capturing the rawness and devastation of the sudden loss of a loved one, and honoring the rich brother/sister bond she and Anthony Geary (ex-luke) nurtured over decades.