There are no shortages of baddies in Port Charles these days, but is the devil you know necessarily better than the devil you don’t know? Definitely! How far will Sidwell go to rid himself of Sonny? Would he send an assassin? Meanwhile, Drew took steps to block Willow from seeing Michael. Could Drew have also been responsible for the firebomb that injured Michael? Let’s discuss in this week’s General Hospital commentary for the week ending April 25, 2024.
Folks, I love a good cliffhanger. To my delight, we got one on Friday when General Hospital ended with Sonny’s life hanging in the balance. Let’s kick things off with the devil we know.
The mob boss with a heart of gold
Sonny has always been a complex character. He does bad things, but there’s a goodness in him. For years, he’s been the first line of defense when trouble darkened Port Charles’ doorstep. Sonny might be a mobster, but he has a heart of gold. He has built wings at the General Hospital, donated countless money to various causes, he’s generous to the underprivileged, and he has saved the town on more than one occasion. Between his passel of children and friends, he’s less than six degrees from everyone in Port Charles.
No one really knows what criminal activity Sonny and Jason are engaged in. They’ve dabbled in arms deals, but the rest has been shrouded in a veil of vagueness. What we do know is that Sonny does not permit drugs into his territory. It’s a hard line for him, and those who have crossed that line in the sand have often paid for the folly with their lives.
Unfortunately, Sonny has had some trouble lately. Not only has he been dealing with heart issues that required surgical intervention, but his enemies are closing ranks to take him down. As Friday drew to a close, an assassin dressed in scrubs made her move. Will she succeed? Doubtful, but it does raise the question of who sent her. Two prime suspects immediately spring to mind.
Esplanade, why don’t you come to your senses?
Sidwell has teamed up with Drew to try and seize Sonny’s piers through eminent domain. The plan is to tear down Sonny’s two piers and warehouses to make way for an esplanade project. I’m not entirely certain how that would work since there are dozens of other piers and warehouses lining Port Charles’ harbor that will remain. What’s a couple of piers going to open up? It’s such an utterly contrived and nonsensical storyline that it’s hard to take seriously. I certainly don’t.
Laura decided to put the matter to a vote rather than deal with Sidwell, Drew, and Drew’s new lacky Ezra Boyle. In an utterly head scratching move, Tracy opted to put her money on the devil she doesn’t know. She thinks Sidwell will be a better alternative to Sonny based on the sole fact that he’s not Sonny. She has ignored all the damaging evidence against Sidwell — kidnapping Sasha and his shenanigans in Africa — as well as the company he keeps. Surely Tracy is aware that both Sidwell and Boyle are in league with Drew. Right?
The devil in wolf’s clothing stalking General Hospital
For the viewing audience, Sidwell isn’t exactly the devil we don’t know. We are not fooled by his claims of turning over a new leaf because we’ve seen him wheedle and scheme to carry out his dirty deeds. Men like Sidwell don’t change. If anything, they just get worse.
We had a front row seat to Sidwell’s true nature during his days in Africa. He’s petty, cruel, and deadly. Sidwell didn’t spill the beans about Natalia because he thought it was the right thing to do or because he’s suddenly a champion of truth. It was spite. He enjoyed getting Natalia fired from Deception.
Sidwell is a dangerous man, and I think Marco is a fool to believe otherwise. It makes me question his judgement if not his honesty.
A good soapy villain
Let me be clear. I would love nothing more than for Sonny and Jason to retire. I also love having a new villain on the scene. What I don’t like is how the storyline is unfolding. Sidwell will not have longevity if he goes around killing and maiming characters that viewers care about. He’ll end up being written into the same corner as Victor. Victor killed a legend — Luke Spencer — and for that he had to die. The same will be true for Sidwell if he kills Sonny.
The best villains are the ones that viewers love to hate. Sidwell doesn’t inspire that feeling. He’s not even that entertaining because he’s so transparent and predictable. He lacks the panache and cleverness that someone like Helena Cassadine had.
Now, Helena was a brilliant villain. Oh, how I miss her and the trouble she would stir up. The only one who ever came close to filling her shoes was her son, Valentin.
With friends like these
Who needs enemies when you have friends like Natalia? Sheesh. What. A. Piece. Of. Work.
I was both shocked yet not when Natalia told Sidwell about Sonny’s heart troubles. She gave that information up so easily that I had to rewind to see if I had missed something particularly threatening that Sidwell had said. I didn’t. I realized in that moment that a part of me — a very minuscule part — had begun to believe that Natalia might have changed. A few scenes later, Natalia had the audacity to act hurt when Sonny backed the decision for the ladies of Deception to fire Nat. I couldn’t believe my ears when she asked Sonny, “Where’s your loyalty?” I was livid!
This from the woman who had thrown Sonny under the bus just minutes earlier. To borrow a phrase from Sonny, Nat is dead to me. When someone shows you who they are, believe them. Relationships are transactional to Natalia, and she is only loyal to herself. No exceptions, not even for her children
The devil in plain sight
Meanwhile, there is a growing group of General Hospital viewers who suspect that Sidwell’s new partner-in-crime, Congressman Drew Cain (because he can no longer legally use Quartermaine 🤣) was the real mastermind behind the firebomb in Sonny’s penthouse. After Friday’s episode, I might soon be joining that camp.
Earlier in the week, Willow showed up at the Q mansion to ask Jason to fix her problems with Carly. He quite wisely advised Willow to talk to Michael. I was stunned that she ran with it and later stood her ground when Drew tried to manipulate her into changing her mind. Willow didn’t stop there. She even put her foot down when Drew offered to go to Germany with her. She’s been such a mindless sheep lately that I honestly didn’t think she had it in her to go against Drew’s wishes. Color me surprised.
I loathe Willow with every fiber of my being, but I quite enjoyed watching her vex Drew. He’s such an unlikeable guy. I half expected Drew to tamper with the plane or even kidnap Willow to keep her from visiting Michael. Clearly, I watch too many soaps. It turns out that our General Hospital writers had something less dramatic in mind. Drew paid off the receptionist at Michael’s clinic to do his dirty work for him.
Drew is a lowdown slimy rat, so I wouldn’t put anything past him. I’m certain that he intends to use those guardianship papers. He keeps talking about them, which always spells trouble on a soap.
Laying down the law on General Hospital
General Hospital has a history of playing fast and loose with the law. Things that are illegal in real life are the law of the land on our beloved soap. Most of the time, viewers roll with it. But there are times when we cry foul. Those guardianship papers are absolute bull*censored*!
In real life, Willow’s signature on the document would mean little. It wasn’t witnessed or notarized. Additionally, as long as Michael is alive, that piece of paper is worthless if something were to happen to Willow. However, we are at the mercy of the writers. Let’s just hope Killer Miller is one step ahead of Drew. I do not want to see Drew get guardianship of Wiley and Amelia. Not even for a second.
A Banner day for Lulu
Folks, I’ve been an ABC soap fan for decades. General Hospital will always be my first love, but I was an avid viewer of All My Children, One Life to Live, The City, Port Charles, and Loving too. Naturally, I was delighted when Lulu mentioned that she had reached out to Llanview’s Banner newspaper for a job. It was wonderful to learn that Victoria Lord (Erika Slezak) is still running things. We might not have seen the grand dame of OLTL, but I’ll take a phone call over nothing any day.
It didn’t surprise me that Viki decided to go with an article on adoption. Her two sons — Kevin and Joey — were adopted by husband Clint Buchanan after their biological father died. She also had two daughters. Fraternal twins Jessica and Natalie had different fathers (a horrific story) and were separated at birth. Viki and Clint raised Jessica, but they didn’t meet Natalie until she was an adult. You can read all about it here. Fascinating stuff.
Naturally, Viki would greenlight an adoption piece. However, Brook Lynn was spitting facts when she accused Lulu of using the article as an excuse to dig into Brook Lynn’s son’s adoption. I just hope that Lulu goes to Brook Lynn with what she uncovers. I would love for this to end up being a story about Lulu and Brook Lynn moving on from the past and forging a friendship the way that Brook Lynn and Maxie did when they were hiding Bailey Lou from Peter August.
You can’t hide your lyin’ eyes on General Hospital
It seems like every week Lois digs herself a deeper hole of lies and secrets. It’s hard to feel sorry for her knowing how many people she’s hurting. Whenever she has had an opportunity to come clean, she opted to dig deeper and harder. Worse, Gloria is right there with her. I feel so bad for Brook Lynn because she doesn’t deserve this from her mom and grandmother.
As I said last week, I love the decision for Chase and Brook Lynn to adopt, but I hate that Lois and Gloria are being so deceptive. This storyline is such a mixed bag for me.
Lois and Gloria have hurt so many people, including poor Ned. It feels unfair that Ned was denied an opportunity to be a part of his grandson’s life, but Lois welcomed Sonny in with open arms. It’s not clear if Sonny actually knows that Gio is blood, but it doesn’t matter. He has had a close relationship with his grandson, while Ned has not.
I got misty-eyed thinking about how devastated both Ned and Olivia will be when the truth comes out. Brook Lynn was a minor when she got pregnant, so Lois owed Ned the truth. Of course, if Ned had known he wouldn’t have allowed both Lois and Gloria to lie to his daughter.
I love Lois, but I don’t like her much these days. I’ve lost so much respect for her.
General Hospital Quick Takes
Let me get this straight. Kai’s parents can jet off to Europe, but they can’t squeeze in a quick visit to check on their son who just went through a life-changing event? How hard is it to cast two people for one episode? Heck, the writers could have had Kai mention to Trina that he’d just spent the weekend showing his parents around town during a short visit.
I’m not sure why Donna was left in Kristina’s care when Josslyn is back in town and Pilar is around. I wouldn’t leave Kristina in charge of the Bowl of Moss let alone a precious child.
I adore Emma, but her conversation with Josslyn didn’t make sense. When exactly has Jax bailed Josslyn out of trouble? Also, Emma has no room to point fingers. She grew up quite privileged thanks to her parents who are successful doctors.
Come on writers, Ava is smarter than this. Ava showing up at Alexis’ office a day after getting her mitts on a large sum of money and demanding more money was silly. How does Ava intend to explain her newfound windfall of cash, which she’s dropping on rose gold Maseratis and fur coats?
I love Nina and Portia’s plan to frame Drew for cheating. I’m really hoping that Drew will give in to temptation and actually sleep with the escort. Shiloh certainly would. Sadly, I suspect it would take more than Drew having sex with an escort to rip the rose-colored glasses off of Willow’s hero worshiping eyes.
What General Hospital viewers are saying
Re: Drew’s latest efforts to manipulate Willow
Re: The fallout from Kristina tampering with Ric’s brakes
Until next week, friends. And if you are watching Beyond the Gates, check out Dan J Kroll’s latest commentary. It’s called Who needs tariffs when you have an Ass Tax? It talks a lot about Jon Lindstrom’s (GH’s Kevin and Ryan) work on the show.
Happy viewing,
Liz
Pingback: Beyond the Gates: Who needs tariffs when you have an Ass Tax? - Dan J Kroll
I love you, Liz, but I don’t buy the whole “heart of gold” thing with Sonny anymore. He has never apologized to Carly and Michael for how he treated them post Nixon falls.
Words of truth! Sonny has never apologized for the h*llish treatment of MIchael and Carly post Nixon Falls. For this viewer, that is something that I cannot forgive Sonny for in his humble self reflections on the past. For all his talk of Family, Sonny is all about himself and loyalty to him and him alone.
Sonny has 30+ years of things to apologize for. It would take all day to list them. I think Liz Masters’s point is that he’s not completely evil like Helena or Faison. Who were without consciences or redeeming qualities. How Sonny is judged on balance is different for different viewers. Personally, I’m with you. I respect MB and the fact that Sonny has driven story for decades. I will miss him when he’s gone. But I don’t really like Sonny. There are too many things he’s done I can’t get past. And there’s always potential for more.
Interesting question on writing out the mob: does that make Sonny and Jason better people? For Jason, I say absolutely. His biggest drawback has always been being a career criminal and hitman. Otherwise, Jason has a code and lives by it. He may have killed people who didn’t deserve it, but we’ve never seen it. When he wants to kill people for personal reasons (Franco, Cyrus), he doesn’t
Sonny on the other hand has killed or tried to kill a number of people for purely personal reasons. Sonny also has a code. But he lives by it when it suits him, ignores it when he doesn’t. You take him out of the mob, I don’t think that makes him an instantly good person
I’m with you on that! Sonny betrayed Michael and Carly in the worst way!
That is true. He chose Nina over his own son — time and again. That’s why I said Sonny is a complex character. He’s done good things, but he’s also done some incredibly bad things, especially to A.J.
Sonny can deny it all he likes, but he killed A.J. because he wanted to not because of Ava. That was just the most convenient excuse. He had no regrets and still doesn’t to this day.
I have to give the writers credit for one thing. Just when you think Drew couldn’t be any worse they keep finding ways to make Drew even more despicable .
The episodes were quite disjointed this week. First, we see Joss getting her ankle wrapped at GH. Then the Anti-Emma is in a dumpster and Lulu is moving into a house, though we never saw her house hunting.
I felt like I missed an episode or maybe I’m falling asleep watching this mess.
How Lulu could buy a house without a job or money that we know of is beyond me, not to mention that even when one buys a house it is a lengthy process. It doesn’t happen in a day. Oh, and it’s fully furnished. Lulu is also now writing an article for The Banner. Does this mean that we’re going to have to hear “I’M A JOURNALIST” over and over again?
Brick has security all over the hospital but no one guarding Sonny’s room? Gotta love it.
Short of Tracy giving Lulu the cash to buy that house (even though it is the old Spencer place), I was completely perplexed by Lulu’s move. She is an unemployed freelancer with no credit rating because she’s been in a coma for the last 4 years. I seriously doubt she could rent that place without a cosigner, meanwhile they had a whole story where gainfully-employed Maxie had to rent her best friend’s house to get her family of four out of a 2bd apartment.
This Week, on “Hypocrite Junction!”
Oooh, look at Lucas getting all Judgey because Marco Polo’s Father is Sidwell.
Um, wasn’t Lucas’s Birth Father a Criminal as well?
Julian Jerome?
Aunt Ava? She’s no Mother Theresa.
Maybe they *are* a Match Made in Heaven.
I still say Marco looks like a ReCastadine.
Or Snidely Whiplash.
I just don’t trust him.
~~~
Who else was trying to read LooseLip’s Bag O Gummies she was waving around and shoveling down
as they were discussing the whole Jenz/Mami Dearest/Zincite Thing?
Oh Boo Hoo.
Natalia’s Being Fired from Deception, for being “Deceptive,” basically.
My Heart Bleeds for her.
But seriously. Nobody Cares.
~~~
Sasha’s excuses for accepting Vast Quantities of Money from Sidwell just falls flat.
Just like this entire Story Line.
ZzzzZZz
~~~
Next, on “Secret Agent Girl: Barbie and Midge Hang Out In A Dumpster”…
So are these two chicks (Joss and Emma) gonna BOTH end up as WSB Trainees?
I could see that.
How would they keep it from Clown Squad Commissioner Grandma Anna?
I maintain that NewEmma would make a Far Better Agent.
She knows something’s shady with Joss’s Travel Adventures, AND her acceptance into Professor Shifty’s class.
~~~
I don’t know who’s giving me Agita more: Alexis or Ava.
Alexis, 100% In Denial, and Ava, once again not Thinking Things Through.
Alexis! Listen to Diane!!
Ava! Listen to Ric!!
Arrgghhh…
~~~
What I do like, oddly enough, is Carly and Ninny, “In Cahoots”.
If only Ninny had the Gonads to tell Willow about her Rug Rash Reggae Sessions with EwDrew.
So Brillo goes running to Jason, because , as usual, “None” of this is “Willow’s Fault”.
Too bad Jason didn’t just yell in Brillo’s Face: “Take some Responsibility for your Actions, you TWIT!!!”
~~~~
Speaking of Taking Responsibility, NutKrissy.
Runs to Liz’s to “See if she’s OK.”
Glad Lucky called her out, for all the good it does.
And now she wants to confess?
Good!!!
I hope she does.
But she won’t.
Oh, no.
Lucky MUST Coddle Sonny’s Offspring.
~~~~
Who’s the Chick that handed the Chart to Porthole?
She looks familiar.
~~~
Here I was hoping Porthole would tell Curtis that EwDrew has been Blackmailing her.
But Noooo…
We Can’t Have Nice Things.
So now Lucy and Ethel are going to hire that Councilman ButtHole’s Escort to frame EwDrew?
::Fascinating::
You know, they’d save a LOT of Time if they’d just TELL THE TRUTH!!
Willow? Your Mom and EwDrew were Bumping Uglies at Crimson long before Y’All started Swapping Spit!!
Curtis??
EwDrew has been Blackmailing Porthole about the Test Falsifications you already know about!!
There.
Done.
But Noooo….
~~~
Oh, Yay, NutKrissy is babysitting Donna!!
I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t leave her alone with a Small Child.
Just saying.
Even Alexis looked Disturbed.
Then again, Alexis always looks Disturbed.
~~~~
So now ShrewLu, Fresh Out of a Coma, thinks she’s a Regular Lois Lane, huh?
Nice of Cousin Lucas to grant her an Interview, but who actually writes these things down on a Note Pad? She wasn’t even writing most of the time.
Just record it on your Phone, ShrewLu!
BLQ’s being an Idiot.
Getting all bent out of shape because ShrewLu’s writing an article about adoption is only drawing attention to her situation.
Shaddap.
Maybe it’s NOT about you! (Okay, it is, but Shaddap anyway.)
~~~~
Willow flies to Germany to see Mikey, and he refuses her.
That’s great!!
How much you wanna bet EwDrew paid the German Broad to say that?
Told You!!!
~~~
Say where’s this Security that Brick promised Carly?
I only saw a few folks in scrubs, not even wearing Hospital ID Badges! They weren’t wearing Stethoscopes, either.
Just Saying.
~~~
I maintain that Rocco is the most sensible, mature person in Port Charles.
I still can’t stand Nina – she has not paid for her Nixon Falls fiasco.
Co sign this post! I agree – she enever paid. And her life with Willow and kids is better than ever. ugh.
You are hilarious! I was desperately trying to read Lucy’s gummy bag!
Those must be some Mighty Tasty Gummies!
She really needs some Melatonin Gummies.
I agree about Adrian Anchondo. He would have been perfect as Nikolas.
Sasha has lost her damn mind. I’m going to blame it on the pregnancy, but she’s not going to have a leg to stand on when Michael comes home and tells her that he intends to take an active role in their baby’s life.
Interesting theory Liz about Drew and the fire bombing of Sonny’s penthouse. As an ex Navy Seal, Drew would know all about incendiary devices and have connections to acquire one.
As far as Willow is concerned, I thought she gave up quite easily at the clinic. One would think that she would at least call Jason and fill him in. One would also think that she would have called ahead to let Michael
know that she was coming or ask Jason to let Michael know she was coming.
I also agree with you about Sidwell. He’s just not a great villain. He’s so primpy. He reminds me of the villains on the old Batman TV series. No one will ever match Constance Tower’s Helena. She was just bone chilling.
I’m a little confused as to why Drew is so focused on Sonny’s pier or warehouse or whatever. He hasn’t had any run ins with Sonny, Sonny hasn’t done anything to him. I thought it was about Jason, but Jason doesn’t care about the pier.
If Drew is responsible for the bomb, I’d wonder if Michael wasn’t the real target. It would be a stretch, but it stands to reason eventually Michael would spend time at Sonny’s. If you plant the bomb and wait to detonate it until Michael is there (if that’s even possible), an attempt to kill Michael will look like a hit on Sonny
The nurse has to be Sidwell’s though. He finds out about Sonny’s heart condition and then some entirely different person arranges to try to kill Sonny post-op? I don’t think so
When Drew was Jason, Sonny and him had a great relationship. Sonny admired him for not want to go back to the mob. However, once Jason returned, both Sonny and Carly turned their backs on him. They wanted nothing to do with him. I could see this Drew wanting revenge for both Sonny and Jason.
So regarding this comment: “Come on writers, Ava is smarter than this. Ava showing up at Alexis’ office a day after getting her mitts on a large sum of money and demanding more money was silly. How does Ava intend to explain her newfound windfall of cash, which she’s dropping on rose gold Maseratis and fur coats?”
Maseratis and fur coats??? 150K???????? Come on….I laughed when the large sum of $$ was just 150K.
It should have been 1.5 m.
LIz – great column as always. Agree to disagree – I think the bomber was Sidwell (remember the little dance he did while on the parapet, and then went inside his first night in Wyndemere?). Sidwell wants Sonny gone. Sidwell has the inside info on Sonny’s health crisis from Natalia. Who else could it be? The only other person – to me, is Jack Brennan, given how he jumped through hoops to get the best medical care for MIchael. Why he would do that knowing Carly would loathe him is beyond me.
So Sidwell is it, for now. As for Drew – He is not that smart and his luck is about to run out, as he is pressing it too much. If it was Drew Cain, Sonny would kill him. And that who done it would not be that mush fun given it was payback for MIchael. It would be more fun if it were Willow, or NIna, or Portia…..
I want Portia gone. She has accumulated a whole stack of lies. Curtis deserves better.
As for Alexis, she is embezzling. When found out, she should be permanently disbarred, sent to prison and ordered to get psychiatric care. It will damage if not destroy the practice and I don’t see her friendship with Diane surviving. This is real world projection of course. In Port Charles world another wacko stack of lies will be created to cover up the cover up, Kristina, Molly and Alexis will all stop speaking to each other and Alexis will start drinking again.
While I do like Portia, I don’t like her with Curtis. It’s almost becoming instinct now for her to lie to Curtis and find a way to justify prolonging the lie. I do think their relationship needs to end and they should just focus on being parents to Trina. Trina is an adult, she’ll be able to handle her parents divorce.
Maybe it’s just me, but I’m seeing some chemistry between Emma and Josslyn, more than I see between Emma and Gio. I’m not saying that I necessarily want something to happen between Emma and Josslyn, but if something did, the chemistry is there. While I like Emma and Gio’s dynamic, I like them better as friends.
I thought that Nina and Portia’s plan with the escort would be to catch Boyle in a compromising situation and use that to get him to work against Drew, and thereby helping them take him down. I suppose this plan is just as good, but more risky I feel.
Once Jason convinced Willow to go and see Michael, I knew she would tell Drew which would obviously being a mistake. I knew he wouldn’t convince her not to go but he would either try and go with her or find some way to stop this from happening. I did not know that he would pay off someone at the clinic to convince Willow that Michael didn’t want to see her, but I shouldn’t have been surprised. I keep saying that I can’t wait until Willow finds out who Drew really is and what he’s done, but it’s not just about things blowing up in Drew’s face. It’s about it blowing up for Willow too, because everyone has been warning her and she’s been ignoring it all. In the end the only person that should be on her side is Nina, but then again, at that point I want her to know about Nina and Drew as well. I don’t care if it sounds mean or petty that I want her to be alone in the end because she deserves to be alone for a while until she realizes the extent of her actions, and and her willful ignorance and ready to take responsibility and make up for it.
While Drew was at fault for a lot of shady things, I don’t believe he is the one who bombed Sonny’s penthouse or is trying to have him killed at the clinic. Right now, I don’t think Drew has gotten to the point of trying to have people killed. He may escalate to that point later, but I don’t think he’s there yet.
Sidwell is definitely my top suspect for the penthouse bombing, but I’m still not sure. He is definitely the one who is trying to have Sonny killed at the clinic. As far as we know, he’s the only one who knows that Sonny has a heart problem and needs a procedure because of what Natalia told him. It’s too coincidental for him to have just found out about it, and then not long afterwards someone’s trying to kill Sonny in the clinic. Speaking of Natalia, I wanted to smack her for claiming Sonny had no loyalty to her for allowing the ladies at Deception to fire her, when not an hour before, she was telling Sidwell about Sonny’s health issues which she promised him she wouldn’t do.