General Hospital Commentary: Ain’t No Sunshine When He’s Gone

Valentin made a bold move to take down Sidwell and Cullum, but at what cost? Will justice ever be served now that Jack and Willow have struck a deal. What secrets is Ethan keeping, and will they derail Brook Lynn’s plans to adopt Phoebe. It’s time for a new General Hospital commentary with Tamilu for the week ending June 19, 2026.

Dear readers, I make no secret of the fact that I am smitten with Valentin Cassadine and his spellbinding portrayer James Patrick Stuart. Now that Valentin is on his way to turn himself into the mysterious “Z” – I have to somehow come to terms with the fact that Valentin might be off of General Hospital for a while. Or maybe we will get to see his meeting with Z, see him find Anna, or Jason, or both? A girl can dream.

Goodbye To You, My Trusted Friend

Whichever writer decided to pair Carly and Valentin should get some sort of award. Storyline isn’t everything in soaps. You also need the smolder. Laura Wright as Carly Spencer and James Patrick Stuart as Valentin Cassadine have that flame that ignites all of our hearts as we watch them.

Make me feel something. I say that to the TV all the time. “Okay, cool twist, but make me feel something.” And these two made me feel their passion for one another in every glance, every fight, and every kiss. They just work. Will that change when Anna and Jason come back? I don’t think so. I feel like this relationship has legs, and I hope the writers realize how much we love this pairing.

Chemistry Is The Key 

For instance, I keep thinking about the travesty of Trina going from her passionate connection to Spencer to the dull relationship she has with Kai. I mean, Kai’s a nice guy and all, but she’s never going to go running and LEAP into Kai’s arms like she did with Spencer in Greenland. If Nicholas Alexander Chavez is not coming back to General Hospital, then by all means recast Spencer and have him rescue Trina from her mediocre relationship with Kai.

No Second Chances For Jack 

So, if James Patrick Stuart is off on another project, I don’t want Carly to go back to Jack or pick up some other guy. I want to see her pining for Valentin. Nina can have Jack — if he wants to date a chick who is helping her daughter drug a congressman and cover up a murder. I like Jack, I know he genuinely loved Carly, but I think he and Nina deserve each other. Since he’s so impressed with Willow’s skills as a schemer, maybe he can enlist her into the WSB, too.

General Hospital’s Barbie

I mean Willow has been a kindergarten teacher, a nurse, a cult member, a spokesmodel, and a congresswoman, so why not a spy? She’s like a living Barbie; she can be any profession on earth.

With Drew presumably waking up soon, as Willow is out of medication to keep him locked in, does that mean he gets his congressional seat back? I don’t know. I have mixed feelings about Drew talking again. Hopefully, after all he has been through, he comes back to us as a better man and wanting to make amends with his family, keeping Danny in Scout’s life, doing good for his constituents instead of evil and reverting back to the nice guy Drew we met when Billy Miller played him. I still miss him so much.

No More Congressman Cutthroat

What I don’t want is for Drew to be an a$$hole again. I don’t want to watch him terrorize people and vow revenge and make me instantly hate him again. In fact, if he goes on another reign of terror, I will probably fast-forward through all those scenes because it’s not enjoyable to me in any way. My columns will just say, “Drew was an a$$ again this week.” But here’s hoping the writers are writing him some redemption.

When Drew saw Scout with Danny and he got that look in his eye, I thought, “Oh no.” I hope I read the eye acting wrong. Maybe Drew was just thinking, “Wow, Scout sure has changed while I have been locked in.” We got a new Scout this week, but it’s my understanding that another new Scout is coming. I liked the temp Scout we had this week, she’s still young enough to look up to Danny as her big brother, but not the same age as him, thankfully. I really loved Cosette Abinante while she played Scout and I am sad to see her go, but soap kids always grow up way too fast. 

Since Scarlett Spears (Donna Corinthos) has gone to Hollywood, I doubt she will be back on General Hospital either. I expect that the next time we see Donna she will be aged up as well. She’s so talented and beautiful. I hate to see her leave, but after Wicked and Toy Story 5, the writing is on the wall.

Chase’s Downfall

The writing is also on the wall that Chase is about to be unemployed unless he gets a clue about Willow and stops jeopardizing his role at the Port Charles Police Department by falling for Willow’s shenanigans. I know, I know, I hear you already, “Willow was set up! Tracy sent that text message!” Yes, but Tracy’s text message did not say, “Come on over.” It just said, ‘Mommy, I am fishing with Uncle Chase.’ And she took it upon herself to get all dolled up, shop for a fishing pole, and show up to a house where she is not welcome.

Did Willow ring the doorbell and say, “Hey Michael, Wiley sent me a message that he was fishing. Is it okay if I go out and join him?” Nope. Instead, she slithered through the bushes to the dock and found Tracy. Did Tracy push her? No. Did Willow see Chase and fake being pushed? Yes. Did Chase completely overreact and arrest his granny-in-law who, in many states, could have shot Willow for trespassing on her property? Yes.

Blinded By The Lies 

Willow’s “injury” was a scrape on the knee that would have gotten Wiley a Spiderman bandage and a “there-there” while he boo-hooed. The fact that Chase looked at a scraped knee and saw it as a mortal wound makes me think he’s living in La-La Land when it comes to Willow. Doesn’t he remember Nelle’s schemes at all? It’s in the DNA.

Chase is so blind when it comes to Willow and it may cost him his career, his marriage and Phoebe. I keep saying I can hardly wait until Chase finds out that Willow did shoot Drew, that Willow did frame Michael, that Willow was injecting Drew to paralyze him, and so much more. But truthfully, will Chase ever find that out? General Hospital has a very bad habit of letting people commit terrible crimes and never allowing them to face the consequences of their actions.

Sonny shot FBI agent Jagger point blank two years ago and no one has ever mentioned it. So, I am not holding my breath for Chase to realize Willow is evil.

The Good Soapy Father

As to Phoebe, this week we saw Ethan swap his DNA swab for another one, so the implication is that he is not Phoebe’s father and he’s trying to keep her away from whoever is. Do we know the real father, or is he one of the new random characters General Hospital is bringing on instead of bringing back Nikolas, Sam, Spencer, Dillon, recasting Kristina with Lexi, and bringing Scotty Baldwin home for the new Serena, etc? 

I think of all those characters, the one I most want back is Nikolas Cassadine. No one could ever replace Tyler Christopher, but we have had some wonderful recasts. Any one of them — or even a new actor — would be better than no Prince Nikolas in my mind. But I guess I should shut up until I see the new characters and see what they bring to the canvas because hey, maybe I will love them. Let’s find out! Whoever Phoebe’s daddy is must be a bad guy or Ethan wouldn’t be going to such extremes to hide her from him.

A Daddy Twist

Maybe Phoebe’s daddy is Cassius! Wouldn’t that be something?

Readers, I love Ryan Paevey, but I feel like he’s about to head off to do a Hallmark Christmas movie, which I approve of as I love all of his Christmas films. But once autumn hits, I want Cassius back on screen and I want Cassius to get his chance at redemption. I hope if Ryan Paevey leaves, it’s just a short-term break.

Family Bonds 

Cassius has built real relationships with the people in Port Charles even though they think he’s Nathan. He has come to love Nathan’s family and friends and as much as he could, he tried to protect them and do right by them, especially James. When Nina told “Nathan” that she loved him, left, and Cassius whispered, “I love you, too, sis,” Oh! It broke my heart!

Cassius’ scenes with Felicia on Friday talking about being a dad to James hit hard, too. Felicia’s beautiful pep-talk to Not-Nathan about being good for James was true. James loves this man he is calling dad, even though he’s merely his uncle. I liked the way she phrased it and said that James has enough room in his life for all the people that love him. That keeps the door open for when James finds out that this man is not Nathan, but rather his Uncle Cassius. Am I a fool to think Cassius can make amends?

Cassius took on Nathan’s life to protect Britt, but living Nathan’s life changed him profoundly. I think he can explain that and become a trusted member of the family in time. Just like Cody lied to Mac for a year about who he was, but then they made peace. I’m hopeful.

Next, on General Hospital

Just as Cassius was joyfully calling the batting cages to set up a slot for James and him to hit some balls, Charlotte and Danny showed up with news that Britt and Rocco needed his help. I assumed that was Cassius’ out, but I was surprised when he went to Lulu’s to tell her and Dante that he knew where their son was. I am anxious to see how all of this will play out. Will Dante and Lulu go on the run with Rocco, or will they send their trusted friend “Nathan” to find their son?

One part of this storyline that bugs me is how much work the writers put into building up the connection between Lulu and Cassius and then immediately dropping it. Maybe that was necessitated by Maxie’s absence, maybe it was meant to be a much steamier love triangle that didn’t pan out when Kirsten Storms left as abruptly as she came. I get that. I was glad this week that we at least got a scene with Lulu and Not-Nathan talking, which acknowledged that they had a relationship at one point. A part of me hopes Dante sends Lulu and Not-Nathan to fetch Rocco, and Cassius confesses his true identity to her. But I am pretty sure that won’t happen.

Also, there has been a nice vibe coming from Joss and Cassius, and if Ryan does leave, we will never get to explore that or see where it goes. I liked the idea of Joss falling for a complicated man similar to Sonny who contains both good and evil inside him. Maybe it would help give her insight into how her mom could love Sonny. 

The Godfather and the Mayor

Speaking of Sonny, there was a discussion online this week about how Sonny’s little brother Ric has embraced his Silver Fox era while the powers that be insist on Sonny dyeing his hair jet black. Many of you preferred Nixon Falls Mike’s hair with the grey showing through. I did, too, honestly.

I’m having that very debate with myself a lot, too. I have colored my hair for years but haven’t touched it in a year and I still have some blonde, but the gray is clearly visible. I was feeling bad about it and thinking I should color it, but then my beautiful granddaughters told me that they hope when they are my age that their hair is as pretty as mine and that was the nudge I needed to leave it be. It’s okay to be your age.

Turning The Tables

Sonny and Laura got the drop on Sidwell and hoped they would be done with him, but now that Sidwell is on the loose, and Ezra is doing Sidwell’s bidding again, who knows what tricks Sidwell has up his sleeve? It feels like it’s time for a new chapter. I want to say goodbye to Cullum, Pascal, Sidwell, and even Cullum’s new assistant whom I am calling Lurch because I don’t know his name. 

With Jason and Anna coming back, the mystery of who Phoebe’s father is, the comeuppance of Willow and Drew, Britt’s mystery shots, Liz and Dante growing closer, and Cassius’ reveal we have enough to keep us busy without creepy Cullum. But I know General Hospital, so we have to have the experiment on the verge of taking over the world first. I saw this storyline in the 80’s with Luke, Laura and the Ice Princess Weather Machine.

Crashing Into General Hospital

Notice that I didn’t mention the storyline about the stupidity of Jordan and Curtis’ accident.

I was so happy Jordan and Curtis were barely on this week. I am over that dumb storyline. If BLQ had run them off the road, that would be one thing. But she didn’t do anything but almost get run off the road herself and kept driving. My husband and I take a lot of road trips, and I can’t tell you how often someone has cut in front of us and caused us to swerve, etc. And it shook us up, but we kept driving. We didn’t call the cops and say, “Hey, I was almost in an accident.” We just thanked God and our guardian angels that we were spared.

If only Curtis had the same mindset. The underlying thing here is that Curtis is jealous that Isaiah is with Portia and his baby — and Curtis isn’t. Once Jordan catches on to that, how long will she put up with Curtis terrorizing the man his ex-wife is seeing?

Setting Boundaries

I am thrilled Trina has finally taken a stand and is letting her messy parents be messy without her. Curtis and Portia’s entire conversation on Friday bothered me. ‘Well, I know you think my boyfriend left you to die even though he didn’t but hey, let’s make nice in front of the kids.’ What worries me is that if Lulu, Dante and Rocco go on the run, Isaiah won’t have the alibi he needs to prove that he was not the one who “left them to die” as Curtis put it. Will BLQ step up? I think she will, but not if it endangers her adoption of Phoebe.

Brook Lynn’s Dilemma 

Speaking of BLQ, she’s had a rough week. Willow is sniffing around Chase, so Brook Lynn has chosen to play nice.

Jane Elliot gave us a stellar scene this week when she told Brook Lynn that Brook Lynn was from a long line of smart independent women and cautioned her granddaughter not to dare make herself small for a man. BLQ (Amanda Setton) can usually hold her own as a strong, independent woman, but lately, she has let Willow get the best of her. BLQ threatened Willow to stay away from Chase. Willow did not stay away, and BLQ did nothing. But I understand because they need Willow to advocate for them in their adoption, which might not happen if Brook Lynn causes a scene.

But if and when the adoption is final, watch out Willow. I am so glad Tracy is onto Willow and not putting up with her nonsense.

Brotherly Love

Gio stepped in to babysit his new baby sister, and here was my favorite part. Emma. Emma was never more relatable than when she didn’t want to hold the baby. I never wanted to hold the baby. I run from holding the baby. When I am in a room and someone has had a baby and everyone is passing the baby around, I am like the cat in the Pepe Le Peu cartoon scampering away from his stench. Emma and I are dog girls. Give me beagles and schnoodles all day, and no babies.

Romancing Ava

Dear readers, color me suspicious. Ethan told Ava go with him Friday because Sonny needed to see her, but I haven’t seen Ethan anywhere in Sonny’s orbit for weeks now. Could it be that Ethan is whisking Ava off somewhere for his own purposes? I keep wondering if those two crazy kids might be a couple in the making. The thing with Maura West is that she has chemistry with everyone. I never fast-forward through her scenes. If she is with Trina, or Sonny, or Ric, or Alexis, or Nina, or anyone, I want to see it. I think she’s just so compelling. She has this old Hollywood glamour and attitude that delights me.

I love Ava’s maternal side when she offers sage advice to Trina, and I love her evil side when she’s holding Ric hostage in Alexis’ basement. She’s a fully developed character and Maura should have a mantle full of awards. But I get the sense that doesn’t really matter to her. Maura seems down to earth. When I see her post on social media, it’s never self-promotion. She posts cute animal photos and fun group shots. I just like her vibe.

A Blast From Ava’s Past? 

But I digress. Back to General Hospital. Carly went to see Jack and updated him that Valentin went to see Z. Some people online were speculating that “Z” might be Johnny Zacharra, but I cannot envision Johhny being the head of the WSB. I know his name starts with Z, and stranger things have happened, but I can’t imagine Brandon Barash coming back to General Hospital right now either, all things considered.

I think Jack really hit a nerve with Carly when he told her that Anna was *it* for Valentin, and he insinuated that Carly was just Valentin killing time until he could get Anna back. Maybe Jack is right, but consider the fact that after Anna shot Charlotte, Valentin and Anna never recovered from that — even before he was arrested. 

What will happen tomorrow, dear readers?

Will the Qs install some Ring cameras on their property to catch Charlotte burning her go-bag and Willow faking being pushed into a lake? Will we find out about Emma’s mysterious old boyfriend. Might he be Cam? Will anyone explain when the Q boathouse turned into the community swimming center? Aren’t the boats in the way? Why isn’t anyone swimming at the Metro Court pool this year?

Will Nina continue to add to Jacinda’s to-do list until Jacinda runs out of arms? Should we rename General Hospital The Devil Wears Cartulo? Will Britt and Rocco drink as much rum as I did when I was in Tortola? Will Portia throw out more of Curtis’ stupid furniture? Is Carly going to offer Cullum some of the cookies that she and Charlotte baked? Is he dumb enough to eat them? Will Donna be jealous that her mommy is baking with someone else’s kid?

Will Justine tell Chase “Told you so” when Willow’s crimes are revealed? Are Lucas and Joe going to become an item? Will Ric and Alexis fight so much over Molly’s party that they accidentally have hate sex? Will Ezra regret getting naked for Jacinda’s text that turned out to be Sidwell? Is Ezra going to tell Jacinda that her phone has been cloned? How many more of her former clients has Sidwell walked in on?

Will Dante and Liz go on a date right after he gets back from Tortola with Rocco and Lulu? Or will their family be reunited by then, and Liz left dateless again?

Only tomorrow knows dear readers and I will tune in tomorrow as long as there are tomorrows.

Before You Check Out of General Hospital

Don’t miss another great Beyond The Gates commentary from Soap Central founder, Dan J Kroll.

Tamilu