Doctors are returning to General Hospital, Laura is back home, and Sonny hopes to confess. Meanwhile, time is quickly running out for Lulu as her options dwindle. What will happen next on the long and soapy road through Port Charles? Let’s discuss in a new General Hospital commentary for the week ending October 11, 2024.
Dear readers, our beloved Tamilu was scheduled to write a commentary this week, but she and her husband — who doesn’t watch General Hospital — had to evacuate their home as Hurricane Milton barreled toward Florida. Rest assured that both Tamilu and her husband are safe and sound, and their home escaped relatively unscathed.
Tamilu will be back soon to discuss General Hospital. Until then, you’re stuck with me.
A kiss is just a kiss
Anna went to Corinthos Coffee to warn Jason that Brennan hoped to recruit him to work for the WSB, but she had another reason for the visit. She wanted to talk about their kiss. Jason told her that it was up to her, so Anna admitted that they should forget about the kiss. The tears in her eyes suggested otherwise. It’s clear that Anna has feelings for Jason.
I’ve lost so much respect for Anna in recent months. I gave Police Commissioner Devane a free pass when she slept with Valentin during the Pikeman investigation because I knew that she still loved him. It’s why she let Valentin disappear before Cates could arrest him. But I can’t keep making allowances for Anna when she continually cherry-picks which criminals to pursue — and which to turn a blind eye to.
For months, Anna has been on a mission to take Sonny down. However, she wants to save Jason even though Jason happily returned work as Sonny’s enforcer. Anna’s libido appears to dictate these things. That brings me to Anna’s crush on Jason. I just don’t like it because Anna has known Jason since he was a toddler. Her own daughter grew up to fall in love with Jason and have a long-term relationship with him during their younger days.
The writing for Anna and Jason tarnishes the memory of the beautiful love story that Jason and Robin shared. Frankly, it also feels like a middle finger to those of us who loved them.
One of the big reasons that I loathed Carly for years is because she used her pregnancy with Michael to drive a wedge between Jason and Robin. Carly’s constant lies, manipulations, and scheming ways led to Jason and Robin’s breakup. I was forced to accept Jason and Carly’s lifelong friendship, but I refuse to accept a romance between Robin’s mother and Jason. It feels wrong. Where is Anna’s loyalty to Robin? I could never betray my daughter in such a way.
Yeah, I know that soap mothers and daughters fall in love with the same man all the time, but Anna and Robin were better than that. Robin’s close bond with her parents was legendary. I could never have conceived of Anna disrespecting her daughter in such a way. The idea of Jason being introduced as Anna’s boyfriend when Robin’s children visit their grandmother fills me with disgust.
The prodigal son returns to General Hospital
Another reason that I despised Carly was her role in decimating Bobbie’s marriage, which included destroying Lucas’ home life during a difficult time in his life. There’s no disputing that Bobbie and Tony were in a bad place when Carly blew into town, but I firmly believe they could have worked things out if not for Carly. Little Lucas had a front row seat to the devastation left in the wake of Tony and Carly’s affair, and he was very much collateral damage. It took Carly years to learn that even revenge has its limits.
I appreciate that Lucas has made peace with all of that, but I’m a bit irritated that Lucas hasn’t had any scenes with his other sister — Sam. Kelly filmed her final scenes in September, which means that time is fast running out for Sam. I want to see Lucas and Sam have some close moments before she meets her heartbreaking fate. There will be plenty of time for the Carly/Lucas lovefest after Sam is gone.
Love means never having to say you’re sorry
Lucky received bad news when he was told that he was not a viable candidate to donate his liver lobe because of a parasite he had picked up during his travels. I would have guessed his past drug addiction would have ruled him out. Nevertheless, Lucky can’t save his sister’s life, so he made it all about himself. After trashing the diner, he went to Jason looking for a one-way ticket out of town. Lucky made no mention of Aiden other than to acknowledge that they had talked. I wanted to reach through my television and slap Lucky into next week.
My heart broke for Aiden because he deserves better. Lucky handled things perfectly when Aiden shared that he was gay, but all that goodwill was quickly lost when Lucky decided to run away because he couldn’t be Lulu’s savior.
I honestly don’t understand the point of Lucky’s long and soapy road home. For weeks, we watched Lucky play cards with Sidwell, get beat up, and be rescued only for him not to be Lulu’s donor. Those scenes didn’t offer clarity or insight into Lucky’s decision to abandon his son for years. They made Lucky look reckless and weak because he chose danger over fighting for his family. Laura was right; Lucky is exactly like his father.
I was delighted to see Laura’s return until she gave Lucky a free pass for being a dead-beat father. It’s easy for Laura to see Lucky as a free spirit who spent his years swashbuckling his way around the world and saving people in peril but ask Elizabeth what it was like raising three boys as a single mom. Ask her what it felt like having to explain to her young son why his father never visited, spent holidays with him or attended any of his school functions. Where was Lucky when Liz was working double shifts to keep a roof over his son’s head and put food on the table?
What’s in the box?
The gun that Alexis tossed off the footbridge resurfaced. It was delivered in an unmarked box to the police station. Was Jack Brennan responsible for the new evidence? Most likely because the gun had to have been retrieved by someone with diving experience. Jack has a network of spies with special skills at his disposal. But why would he clear Alexis? My friend Vanessa’s theory is that Jack did it to help Carly. As we learned during Anna and Robert’s conversation, the case against Sonny is weaker than the case against Alexis.
Sonny just may get away with murder provided Dante can stop his father from confessing. Unfortunately, trouble of another sort looms on the horizon because Sam will soon meet her end. Many — me included — speculated that something would go wrong during one of Sam’s dives searching for the gun, but the gun has been found.
However, Holly is running around with a stolen diamond that she’s eager to fence. We also know that Sidwell is hot on Holly’s trail to retrieve that very large diamond. Given Sidwell’s bloodthirsty nature, shots are likely to ring out when he catches up with Holly. Will Sam be caught in the crossfire? Will that be the key to Brennan recruiting Jason? If Sidwell kills Sam, Jason will stop at nothing to make Sidwell pay. A WSB agent could have a license to kill.
All about Kristina
Kristina is a woman in her early to mid-30s. Yet, to hear everyone talk, you’d think that Kristina was a young teen. She certainly acts like one.
Both Alexis and Sonny are willing to go to jail to spare Kristina from facing the consequences of her actions. In Sonny’s case, he actually belongs there because he’s a mobster and the person responsible for John Cates’ murder, but that’s not true for Alexis. If I thought Alexis would do the same thing for Molly and Sam, I probably wouldn’t have an issue with her ridiculous attempt to save Kristina from herself. But the truth is, I don’t think Alexis would go to the same lengths for her other two daughters. Oh, she’d try to help them, but not to the same extent that she does Kristina.
It’s only a recent development. Alexis was not like this prior to Kate Mansi stepping into the role of Kristina. Alexis coddled Kristina, but no more than she did Molly. If you had asked me a few years ago, I would have said that Alexis was closest to Molly. Without hesitation. They have the most in common. Molly is mature, stable, driven, and she makes good choices, so she was far less of a problem child than Kristina.
I wanted Kristina to confess about the gun because it was the right thing to do. Watching Michael run around and play her protector has been frustrating because I still remember when Kristina was Team Nina during Michael’s war with Nina. The writing for Kristina has been awful this past year and it has ruined Kristina for me. At the same time, I watched Kristina grow up, so I’m more than happy to give her a second chance. But I need to see Kristina grow up, take ownership of her wrongs and poor choices, and to do better.
Kristina can start that journey by paying her sister Molly a visit and having an honest conversation about the surrogacy. Blaming Molly and T.J.’s relationship woes for her decision to keep the baby is disingenuous. The truth is, Kristina fell in love with the baby the moment that she discovered she was pregnant. Viewers saw it happen.
General Hospital quick takes
Will Lucky use the money that Jason gave him to cover the tabs of the patrons that Lucky chased out of Bobbie’s?
Is the show having a little fun with us? I spotted a Sabrina Santiago and Carlos Rivera look-alike at the counter during Lucky’s meltdown at Bobbie’s. A few weeks ago, I saw an Esme doppelganger working behind the bar in the casino scenes. Are those intentional General Hospital Easter eggs? If so, I love them!
Diane was fantastic during Thursday’s episode. She was the only voice of reason, even if she did violate attorney/client privilege. She said everything that I’ve been thinking about both Jason and Sonny.
I love the return to General Hospital’s roots. We are seeing more of Terry, Lucas is back at the hospital, Brad was recently hired, and I suspect our handsome new doctor, Isaiah Gannon, will soon be joining the team. Will it be in time to save Lulu?
It usually takes me time to get used to a recast, but Van Hansis has already won me over.
Brad discovered Portia’s dirty little secret. Will Brad and Lucas team up against Portia and Ava? Oh, what fun that will be.
Finally, be sure to check out Dan’s (Dan J Kroll, obviously) blog about his amazing home and the renovations he’s made over the years. It’s a wonderful read for those of you who love shows like This Old House, Property Brothers, Windy City Rehab, and Fixer Upper.
I love hearing from readers, so please be sure to register and comment below.
Happy viewing,
Liz Masters
Great column, as ususal, Liz. Thanks so much for updating us all on Tamilu. I’m so glad to hear they were able to evacuate and are okay and it’s great news that their home survived the storm so well. I was frustrated with Lucky too, and I’m hoping we get to see Kristina go through therapy and the changes and hopefully, progress her character makes throughout the process. I had a hard time adjusting to the recasts in the Davis girls, but I do greatly enjoy the actresses. It would be nice if the writers would help us viewers out in the way they write them. Looking forward to next week and seeing how the actions in today’s episode play out and the fallout from however they’ve chosen to go forward. Some of it almost felt like a commentary on how trying to control an outcome in one’s life can backfire, and that it might be better to just let things play out sometimes. Not sure if that makes sense, but having seen that kind of trying to control type behavior in real life, (not under such dire circumstances, but similar control behavior,) made me think of that while watching so many of the characters trying to control the outcome of Sonny’s decision to shoot Cates.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it. My gripes about Kristina are not a reflection on Kate Mansi. She is a fantastic actress. It’s strictly the writing.
I’m conflicted about next week. I always look forward to what will unfold, but I also know that some really difficult to watch scenes will soon be coming up as both Sam and Lulu’s destinies collide.
Everything you said, Liz! I really like Kate Mansi, I loved Lexi, but I am enjoying Kate, the writing is my issue too. I’m dreading the sad, looking forward to seeing characters interact. I did not see the Sasha/Holly stuff coming, but will be interested to see what is hopefully the truth at some point.
This whole situation with Sonny, Alexis, Michael, Dante, and the lamppost telling Kristina to keep quiet reminds me of Michale, Jason, and Carly telling Michael to keep quiet about Claudia’s death. Look how THAT turned out!
That’s such a good point! I remember the judge, while sentencing Michael, told Sonny and the rest of the crew that he was sending Michael to jail to teach everyone a lesson. A lesson they clearly didn’t learn.
But I thought you wanted Kristina to keep her mouth shut or else she would make things worse.
Actually, never mind. I just reread your post and you want her to tell the truth. Even so, don’t you think Kristina talking at this point would make things worse for everyone?
Only for Kristina — maybe. Alexis would be let out of jail and the police would be back to square one building a case based on circumstantial evidence, especially now that the gun recovered from the river has been ruled out as the murder weapon.
I had the exact same thought! What mostly makes me think of it is that, like Michael, Kristina keeps trying to tell people her truth and no one wants to let her. Even Anna. Which reminded me of Michael confessing to Mac and Mac not believing him. Irony is Michael wanted to confess to a murder he, not Sonny, committed. Kristina wants to confess something that may make her look bad, but Sonny was the actual killer this time.
Thanks Liz! I agree about Anna—why would a woman easily in her 60’s be so libido-driven? It’s like all sense leaves her head because why?? A “cute guy” is more important than her career or her sense of family. That’s an 18 year old girl problem, not one for a highly functional and confident woman!
I’m also enjoying Van Hansis as Lucas. I am nitpicking but he needs a haircut as much as Lucky does—only his is at least clean and styled (although not the hair of a professional doctor). It does nothing for him.
I was also upset Laura seemed to brush off that Lucky was gone THIRTEEN YEARS like it was three and not at all traumatic for his kids and their struggling mother. I’m hoping honestly that he has soooo much grief trying to reacclaimate back into his relationships! His pity party week was absurd though and I fear it would only lead to Gio needing to take up a tiny violin to play during Lucky’s “woe is me” scenes!
Glad to hear Tamilu is safe and her home relatively unscathed! I’ll keep her in my thoughts, and hope she can return home and back to normal soon!
I just want Lucky to stop with the pity party as if staying away all these years hurt him more than it did the people he abandoned.
I agree with this. No one likes a whiner.
But I don’t expect Laura to be particularly harsh with him. This is a woman who married her own rapist. She does not have a history of holding people to account for their actions. A little more lately, though unevenly. But still, she did select as Luke as Lucky’s father and role model. It’s hard to then criticize him for following in the footsteps of the man she taught him to idolize.
Thank you for the update on Tamilu et al….it is appreciated. The devastation is unreal in the southern states. Good news is always appreciated.
You’re welcome. We are a family around here. <3
I am so sorry to hear about Tamilu’s troubles with the hurricane and glad she and her family are OK. The devastation down South is heartbreaking.
I am glad there is the usual weekly column though. Nice to have some stability in crazy times. So thank you Liz for stepping in. I always enjoy your takes, even the ones I disagree with.
Case in point: I understand what you’re getting at with Molly and Alexis. They have a close kinship careerwise and intellectually, maybe ethically. But beyond that, well, let’s say I wouldn’t call Alexis stable or someone who makes good decisions. She killed Luis Alcazar, faked mental illness to minimize the consequences and dressed up as a butler to get access to her baby. She conspired to kill Helena in a plot that ended up nearly killing Katherine Bell instead. I lost track of how many people she ran over with her car (2? 3?); she attacked Dante with a syringe during one of her descents into alcoholism. She perjured herself which cost her her law license. She’s represented a number of questionable characters legally and her love life has been a mess. Probably the only healthy relationship she had was with Ned. Who she left at the altar in front of his family and young daughter. If we’re going to characterize Kristina’s bad decision making skills and instability as the result parental nature or nuture, I don’t know that that can all be put on Sonny. I have great affection for Alexis and think the work of Nancy Lee Grahn, but there it is.
As for the current situation, let’s be clear about what Kristina did that she needs “protection” from. She took her father’s gun, drove to the Qs, didn’t get out of the car, went to the cemetery then back to Alexis’s. I’m not up on NY gun laws, but it’s probably illegal to carry around someone else’s gun. Aside from that, Kristina’s actions would have been no harm, no foul except for 2 things. (1) Sonny killed Cates at the same time she was driving around and (2) Alexis threw the gun off the Grand Central station of Port Charles bridges, one of the places you are guaranteed to run into someone you know. That was a very, very bad decision. As I’m sure Alexis knew where Kristina got the gun, a good decision would have been to return it to Sonny. He could have put it back in his lockbox, changed the combination (if Alexis’s concern was Kristina getting access to it again), and the gun would have been there—unfired—when Anna came looking for it. Everyone would be fine. So the whole reason Kristina needs “protection” is that the supposed protectors mucked everything up.
To clarify, I was listing Molly’s virtues to explain in part why she was an easier child to raise. I would never describe Alexis as stable — not in any sense of the word.
I still have a big issue with Alexis taking the gun and leaving without talking to Kristina. Alexis claimed that she feared Kristina intended to use it on herself, but if I thought my daughter was in such a fragile state of mind, I would never leave her alone. I’d remove the bullets, hide the gun, and go upstairs to hold my daughter. If someone is in that frame of mind, they can find other ways to achieve their objective.
Good point about the gun. To the point where maybe Alexis is being disingenuous and her concern was actually Kristina going after someone else with the gun.
Though there was some teen drama, Molly was unquestionably easier to raise. The flip side of that is also true—Molly probably had it easier growing up than Kristina. She didn’t have leukemia. She didn’t get kidnapped. She didn’t witness her sister seemingly shoot someone to death. She was only a baby when her mother had cancer and her parents were arguing over her custody. So too young to register. As to whether it’s better to have absentee Ric vs trainwreck Sonny as a father, I guess that’s debatable. I’d probably go with Ric, but Kristina did get Michael and Dante out of the deal