General Hospital Watching General Hospital

[Jock Ewing Fan]

What does the rumor mill say about Carlo Rota and Nazneen Contractor? Were they a package deal, and did he get his wife the job? Sidwell had a limited run in the summer of 2024, and when he showed up in Port Charles months later (apparently with a longer-planned storyline), Nazneen Contractor also appeared for the first time. We've already seen a female district attorney flirting with Sonny twice with Claire and Margaux, and neither of those storylines were particularly exciting for me, so I didn't need to see it a third time with Justine. But Nazneen Contractor saves the day, so it's not a total disaster.

Right now, I'm missing Charles Mesure more again, since the chemistry between him and Laura Wright was great, and it would have been interesting to see if, despite all of Jack's bad decisions, we'd still root for Carly and OG Jack as a couple. But with this Jack and Carly, it's similar to Sonny and Nina back then—just okay chemistry, so it wouldn't be a big deal if they broke up.

I'm still catching up and recently watched the episode with Peter Stormare. What a shock it must have been for those who watched live to see this star unexpectedly appear! I found it interesting that they didn't give him the usual suspects, Sonny or Laura, as his scene partner, but Felicia—someone who represents the time when GH had already lost momentum, but was still good enough.

I am mostly ok with Jack and Carly, though I think the writing is inconsistent
Sidwell was better earlier when he was more ruthless.
Now that Marco seems to be helping him, does that bode not-so well for him in the longer term?

 

[Daniel Avery]

Charles Mesure tended to play Brennan as a leading man, someone who had his own POV and did as he pleased because he had all that WSB power behind him. So many scenes had him doing things "as a favor to Carly" that no one else had the power to do (not even Sonny or Jason). It felt, at the time, that Carly was becoming his damsel in distress that needed saving....which, as we know, isn't a trait Carly wears well. TPTB seem to want Carly to be the driver of all her scenes (even when meddling in the lives of most everyone around her), busting everyone's balls at every opportunity. When Mesure got enough of the backstage politics and departed, they recast and then quickly molded Jack into a more "Carly-dominated" version who can't seem to live without her and whose WSB pursuits don't define him as much. Though Mesure's version was certainly taken with her, you got a sense that if forced to choose her or the WSB power and money, he'd choose WSB easily. McKenna's Jack definitely became a supporting character rather than a leading man wannabe. I think this weakened, almost henpecked version suits certain people better (the certain people who were okay with Mesure quitting mid-story), but the radical change in Jack's motivations and attitudes makes it hard to reconcile the two versions. McKenna likely wanted the job bad enough that he was willing to accept the changes to the character--in fact, he seems to like doing social-media stuff that helps cement his job security.

 

[Daniel Avery]

I hope I saw what I think I saw.

Ned got this cryptic look on his face when they briefly discussed Drew's theft of the Q family heirlooms. To me, it said Oh, I'm going to make sure Drew pays for what he did, even though he did not want to discuss it at that moment. Drew left Ned to die on the patio at Bobbie's, so it would make sense that Ned would want to serve revenge cold to Mr. Cain. I hope this is the point where the town as a whole (not just Ned, Tracy, and the Qs) goes on the offense against Drew rather than just sitting back and waiting for Drew to inflict whatever pain on them he decides. For over a year there has been an infuriating tone of "Drew gets to victimize everyone and they just take it," rather than the more satisfying (for the viewer) feeling of "Drew wants to mess with me? Well, I'll mess right back."

Ned and a few select few Q's (with various allies with skills to offer) should band together to ruin Drew's public reputation to the point he has to resign his Congressional seat. It would not be hard; I mean, the show has been terrible at reflecting the realism of a US Congressman having so much personal conflict, scandal, and criminal activity swirling around him. He should be the darling of the NY tabloids---so let's see him get a taste of that via Ned's campaign to bring him to his knees. I understand that GH doesn't want to kill off Drew/CM, but they can certainly write Drew's downfall while still keeping the actor around. The main challenge of such a plot would be keeping Wally Kurth (Ned) around long enough to do such a plotline justice, since he still divides his time with Days.

In other news....it was good to see them pull Leo out of cold storage and have him there for Thanksgiving. But where were Wiley and Amelia? And Nina's new haircut seems to knock ten years off Cynthia Watros, so bravo to her.

 

[Emelee]

Great week for comebacks! Leo, Marshall, Kevin, Selina, Ace. Much appreciated.

But Selina obviously did not shoot Drew. Her hired gun would not fail. Selina herself would not fail.

I wonder why "Nathan" said the shooting looks like a professional job. No professional would leave Drew just wounded. Especially when the shooter stood so close. (Unless the plan was only to harm, not kill. But what would be the point of just causing pain?)

And where is Anna?

 

[Daniel Avery]

But Selina obviously did not shoot Drew. Her hired gun would not fail. Selina herself would not fail.

Curtis was meeting with Selina at the time Drew was shot, give or take half an hour. I'm guessing Selina didn't get a chance to draft one of her goons before news spread that someone else beat her to it. Curtis was smart not to pay up front, because otherwise he would have given her $1 million for nothing.

I loved that scene where Stella told Drew off the other day. When he taunted her by saying her legal case/investigation "could easily be opened again," she should have replied "So can bullet wounds!"

Edited to add: I hope Sonny had a LOT of newspaper to put down!

 

[Emelee]

More sad news: Tony Geary (Luke) has died.

He died from complications after surgery, says his husband. He has 78.

Rest in peace.

https://people.com/anthony-geary-dead-general-hospital-luke-8609934

 

[Daniel Avery]

What seemed an odd writing choice at the time---Drew stealing all of the Quartermaine family heirlooms from Tracy out of spite---would have made perfect sense if the timing had been different. He took their stuff about a week before Thanksgiving. Had he taken all those things closer to Christmas (like...this week) then it would have been a clever take on How the Grinch Stole Christmas, since much of the Q heirlooms are said to be Christmas-related items like Alan's train set. Grinch Drew thinks that he's ruined the Q Christmas by taking their ornaments, decorations, etc., but we see the Quartermaines unite for a happy family holiday without all those things, leaving Drew out in the cold and still miserable. Of course Drew's heart won't "grow three sizes" or any of that happy-ending stuff, but at least it's not the overused Christmas Carol takeoff so many soaps do.

That said, it is rather odd that GH hasn't decorated ANY of their sets for Christmas this year. I saw an ep of Y&R the other day and their whole "town" was choking in tinsel and ribbons.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Anthony Geary's final episode will air on January 1

An opportunity to honor one of the greatest icons in soap opera history

‘General Hospital’ Reveals How Show Will Honor Anthony Geary Weeks After Luke Spencer Actor’s Death

General Hospital will air Anthony Geary’s final episode as Luke Spencer on January 1 to honor the actor after his death earlier this month

www.usmagazine.com

 

[Daniel Avery]

At the time his final story/episode aired, he was publicly feuding with Ron Carlivati, the Head Writer. Even as RC wrote him a major, front-burner story for basically his final year (even providing a wonderful "origin story" via flashbacks), Geary criticized him online, referring to him only as "The Writer". So I can't help but wonder how Geary would have felt knowing GH chose to air material he hated as his "memorial" episode rather than any number of episodes from decades past. He will certainly hate the idea that Ron C got the last word, so to speak.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

I can't fathom Sidwell bettering Laura and Sonny. Come on
Laura has bettered the Cassadines and Frank Smith, stood alongside Luke in numerous adventures, stood up to basically every challenge.
Cyrus was a far more formidable adversary to Sonny than Sidwell, and Sonny has outlasted every other challenge as well.

Carlos Rota is a good actor, but I am just not seeing Sidwell as that formidable.
The notion that so much of Port Charles is enabling him... I don't understand it

Also, with all the Josselyn turmoil, shouldn't Carly have called Jax?
I realize IR is off the show, but surely there should be some explanation.

 

[Daniel Avery]

I can't fathom Sidwell bettering Laura and Sonny. Come on
Laura has bettered the Cassadines and Frank Smith, stood alongside Luke in numerous adventures, stood up to basically every challenge.

Sometimes you have to let your enemy think they've won, especially on soaps. Over time, the tables get turned and I'm sure they would not allow anyone to get any long-term advantage over Sonny, much less Laura. It's simply a waiting game to see how they emerge victorious. I'd much rather see Sidwell brought down in a longer-format, logical fashion (a story with beginning, middle and end) than some of the cop-outs we've seen in the past like when Jagger Cates was just abruptly murdered and forgotten when he got too close to taking Sonny down. Bringing Sidwell down could be a great umbrella-style storyline that could involve many more cast members than just Sonny and Laura, if they're willing to write it. But part of such a long-term story would include Sidwell "getting one over" on his main enemies, even temporarily.

I wish I could drop an anonymous note to Alexis like the one she got the other day. I'd point out she needs to adjust her court strategy. She needs to have every one of her witnesses get up on the stand and expose how Drew has made their life miserable, either through legal or illegal means. It was nice seeing him freak out about Portia revealing him to be a blackmailer/extortionist on the record. Follow that up by calling Curtis to the stand, who can confirm Drew's behavior toward him and Portia over the past year despite Portia having saved Drew's life on the operating table. Alexis could then call a parade of characters who have been wronged by Drew, providing this laundry list of all the rotten stuff he's done. Get it all on the record. Alexis could then shift her strategy from "Willow is innocent of this crime" to "If Willow did it, can you blame her?"

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

It appears that Chase and Brook Lyn are going to split. Too bad, I like them together
Dante and Brook Lyn? Great. As long as Dante doesn't go back with Lulu, who I can't stand anymore.
Chase and Willow? again?
Cameron Mathison has a thankless job, Drew is so unlikeable
I still have the thought that he is Shiloh
I think that Peter August is the big boss.
Could Cyrus be alive and working for Brennan?
We will see. I prefer both Peter and Cyrus to Sidwell.
Go away Nina.

I realize that this is a soap but Kristina being questioned by her own Mother?

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Some thoughts on the rebroadcast of Anthony Geary's final episode.

Luke was barely in it.
No final scene with Genie Francis? Maybe in a previous episode
It would have been better to rebroadcast Luke and Laura's wedding.
The Valerie Spencer character had a lot of possibilities. They should have developed the character more.
Roger Howarth was a good Franco. He should have continued.
Much prefer Michelle Stafford as Nina.
Ava's other character is ridiculous.
Hayley Erin was good. She should have stayed.
Bring back Morgan
Lulu was just as annoying as she is now.

 

[Daniel Avery]

I was instantly taken back to a very different era of storytelling, and yes---hardly a "celebration of Tony Geary". Not that I needed it to be all TG for an hour...but they could have chosen a more TG-centric episode than this. But I admit I was really excited to see all those old former faces. In rapid succession we saw Morgan, Dillon, Valerie, OG Nina, Franco, Maxie, Madeline, Kiki, "Denise" and others. I know the show really shies away from repeating moderately old episodes (anything more than ten years old) due to all the residuals fees and such, so this was about as far back as they were willing to go. Oddly enough, I remember that Maxie/Madeline throwdown in the MetroCourt from its original airing. Kirsten Storms ought to add "won catfight with THE Donna Mills" on her resume:

"Oh, and that outfit? Is dated."
"It's vintage."
"It's hideous, Like your soul."

The way Valerie Spencer left town without explanation seemed to be an effort to make it easier to bring her back, and given the noticeable shortage of cops in PC, they could use her expertise. I recall a short-lived recast after this actress left for Y&R, but she's no longer on Y&R and I'd prefer to have the original back, but not if they want to re-visit that whole Dante/Lulu/Valerie triangle. I like the current situation where Lulu seems not to have any romantic feelings left for Dante, and if she sees Valerie making moves on Dante she might decide she wants him back instead.

It's easy to think of Michelle Stafford and Cynthis Watros as "The Two Ninas" in the same way I prefer to think of Cameron Mathison and Billy Miller as "The Two Drews". Different writing teams with different priorities, for sure, and yet GH treats their situations very differently. Characters frequently bring up the wacky/desperate things MS's Nina did, and she (with CW playing her) has to live that stuff down/answer for it, yet it's almost never brought up that Drew used to be this heroic and romantic good guy (that BM portrayed) when interacting with CM's Drew. Most notably, he treats Danny like the AntiChrist, yet no one points out Drew raised Danny with Sam. At least Nina has the excuse that she was having a mental health crisis; they made no real effort to bridge the changes in Drew with a valid reason.

Yes, the "Denise DiMuccio" plotline was one of Ron C's biggest stinkers, and this episode reminded me how it made EVERYONE look stupid (even Ron C). Granted, it didn't take much to make Morgan and Kiki look stupid.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Setting a Nathan/Lulu? Please Nathan deserves so much better
I have to wonder - Britt goes thru multiple hoops to regain her medical license - understandable,
but Nathan is almost never questioned about the missing years and is quickly reinstated to The job?

 

[Daniel Avery]

They can (and probably will) say that Nathan "slipped in" due to the chaos surrounding Anna's disappearance and Dante being shoved into the Commissioner role. Prior to Anna being kidnapped she had been less than enthusiastic about re-hiring Nathan--enough to fuel speculation at the time that part of the reason she was kidnapped was to remove an impediment to Nathan being reinstated. Those who think he's a plant (myself included) believe that he's much more involved in recent events than the show allows us to see, and having him "around, but in the background" builds tension among those waiting to see when that other shoe drops.

And the show really does try its hardest to keep him as non-descript as possible. They don't say where he lives and certainly doesn't show him there. He isn't seen outside of working various criminal cases. This makes it easier to say later on that he's been spending his spare time doing all kinds of nefarious things without anyone else's knowledge (other than the person(s) making him do them).

I don't think RP would have come back just to play background cop, so it's just a waiting game to see what he's really there for.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

The conversation between Laura and Kevin made me miss the previous eras
Nothing against Kevin, but if Sidwell said those things to Laura when Luke was in PC,
Sidwell would find out in a hurry that there would be a a very different reaction to what he said

 

[Daniel Avery]

And as I suggested before, the "threats to Ace" (hate that name) could be neutralized almost instantly by having Laura (or Alexis, as guardian of Ace's fortune) notify the offscreen Cassadine Industries/Island reps that Sidwell is threatening the safety of The Prince (heir to the Cassadine fortune, future of the family, etc.). They've always been a shady, powerful group that has an unswerving loyalty to the family line. They would likely dwarf Sidwell's power and reach. The Cassadines need not interfere in his plans for Port Charles---just set that boundary that Ace is untouchable. It would be fun to watch him finally run up against a bigger fish in the pond to see how he reacts. It would also answer once and for all the question of whether he's actually a secret Cassadine or linked to them somehow.

The way Valentin reacted to Charlotte's Sidwell mention makes me think he is going to hide out on Spoon Island next....which might allow him to spy on Sidwell to get involved in taking him down, and of course to rescue Anna!

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

I think that part of the lack of enthusiasm for the Sidwell character is the writing, because everyone else has to be enormously clueless and/or incompetent for
his plans to succeed. Carlos Rota is a fine actor, but Constance Towers, Stephen Nichols, Thao Penghlis, Charles Shaughnessy, Jeff Kober
are on another level, and the scripts were better balanced. I would even prefer Robert Kelker-Kelly, whom I think could have been utilized much better

 

[Emelee]

yet it's almost never brought up that Drew used to be this heroic and romantic good guy (that BM portrayed)

I always thought Drew changed when he spent months in jail. He went into prison as a good guy, but came out as a really different person. Drew didn't change much with the recast, it was prison that did it.

He went to jail for Carly. And I assume prison was awful. And no one in his family bothered about him when he was there. No one fought for him. Few visited him. He probably felt abandoned, which caused resentment and anger. He realized he was nothing to the Quartermaines.