Viewers said goodbye to Chad Duell as Michael flew to Germany for treatment. Do the writers need to bring him home sooner rather than later? Is it time for Jack and Carly to turn up the heat? Meanwhile, Sidwell is making his rounds in Port Charles, but what’s his agenda? Let’s discuss in this week’s General Hospital commentary for the week ending January 24, 2025.
Dear readers, I admit that I am having a hard time focusing on General Hospital and my other soaps. Sure, my ADHD brain has a hard time focusing on anything, but these days, ever more so. Only 4 days in, and I have already lost count of how many times my local news has interrupted my soaps with “Breaking News,” which is not breaking news — just absolutely insane developments that I can’t do a thing about. It’s giving me great anxiety.
Luckily for me, my husband got my old decrepit DVD player to work again, so I can watch the gazillion movies I own without having to turn on the TV when it starts to overwhelm my heart. It’s a delicate dance between staying informed and staying sane.
But you came here for General Hospital and not my social commentaries, so let’s dive in.
A second chance in Baden-Baden, Germany
Carly arrived in Germany with Michael, and I hoped we would find Dr. Liesl Obrecht working at the burn clinic. I really miss Kathleen Gati. I know it will be a while before we see Michael again, but when he eventually comes home, I hope it is Liesl who healed him. That would ingratiate her to Carly and Sonny for all time.
Assuming of course that Sonny is around by then. His stubborn insistence to avoid hospitals after three heart episodes makes me worry about his long-term prospects. I am glad he didn’t go to General Hospital though, because Cyrus would absolutely try to break in and kill him. Despite being removed from the volunteer list, Cyrus still managed to break into General Hospital and inject Michael’s IV with Digitalis. Doesn’t GH have security cameras? It seems like people are always wandering around there unseen and unnoticed.
Jack and Carly romance
I loved that Jack Brennan — and his sexy Aussie accent — showed up for Carly. But I am tired of the slow burn and want things to heat up. If they are going to be a couple, let them get it on already! Although Anna doesn’t trust Jack, where it concerns Carly, I do trust him. He seems to genuinely care for her and continues to show that rather than say it.
Michael’s journey on General Hospital
Readers, I miss Michael already. He was the glue in the Corinthos family. Michael is the person who could talk sense into Kristina, Sonny and sometimes even Carly. How will they make rash decisions without him? I understand why Chad Duell wanted to take a break from GH, but I hope he will eventually come back. The powers that be said no recast was coming, so I doubt we will see Robert Adamson filling in again as he has done in the past.
I’ll also miss Michael because he was the person standing in the way of Drew bulldozing his way through town, taking over everyone’s lives. I think Tracy hit the nail on the head during Friday’s episode when she said that Willow had more Nelle in her than she wanted to admit. Certainly, Nelle was cruel and calculating in a way Willow isn’t, but can’t you see her getting there? If the Quartermaines keep her away from her kids, what lines would Willow cross to get them back?
Time for the truth
I’m getting impatient waiting for the day when Willow finds out that Drew was sleeping with Nina. Do we have to wait until next November sweeps to drop that bombshell? Most likely the writers will just forget it ever happened like Sonny murdering Jagger.
I feel cheated that Michael asked for Sasha and never got to see her. I wanted that conversation and closure. I wanted Michael to tell Sasha that she could go to Jason for help. But instead, we just got more of the whiny, whimpering Willow.
Sasha’s new beginning
What is next for Sasha? I can’t see her carrying on as the Quartermaine cook. Will she go back to Deception? And if so, will she get along with Lulu? I hope that the talk Brook Lynn, Maxi and Lulu had is the gateway to a fresh start. I wasn’t really feeling it when Lulu came back after her coma screeching at Brook Lynn over her prior sins. Hopefully they can put the past behind them and maybe become friends.
Brook Lynn’s secret
But there is one small problem and his name is Gio. There is buzz that Gio is the son that Brook Lynn gave up for adoption — unbeknownst to her — and that Dante is possibly Gio’s father. It seems that Lois and Sonny intervened on Gio’s behalf. Lois stayed in Gio’s life and Sonny financed his music lessons because he is their grandchild. This storyline is coming to us drop by drop. We see a sideways glance here and there, and then we don’t see Gio for weeks.
I am not sure when the truth will be revealed. Mind you, this is all just speculation, but after 40+ years of soap viewing, I’m fairly adept at following the breadcrumbs on General Hospital.
Natalia needs to move on
The one mystery I can’t solve yet is why is Natalia still here? I didn’t see her for a while and was hopeful that she had been written out, but this week, there she was again. I’d rather see Sonny with almost anyone else. I just can’t get into those two as a couple. Am I wrong? If I am, convince me. What am I missing?
Another General Hospital icon gone
As I watched the scenes with Tracy talking about Monica, my heart ached for Jane Elliot and all the other General Hospital cast members who lost a personal friend in Leslie Charleson. I know they film in advance, so it seems as if those scenes were probably written before her death. Readers, I swear I know fact from fiction, but if Willow takes the kids away from the Q’s and breaks Monica’s heart to the point of death, I will hate Willow forever.
There is a story to tell there. In the GH world, Monica is old and frail and has been battling a health crisis. Monica’s grandson Michael was the victim of a violent explosion aimed at Sonny. Monica wants to keep her great grandkids close to keep them safe and out of Sonny’s enemies’ path. Monica wants to protect them for Michael until he comes home. If Willow leaves and takes the kids, Monica might have a nervous breakdown or worse. She has lost so much already.
But in real life, Leslie is gone. We only hear about Monica from Tracy, the perfect mouthpiece for her long-time costar and soapy sister-in-law. It will be interesting to see how this all progresses. If Willow tries to take those kids to Washington, D.C. with Drew, she’s in for the fight of her life. The Q lawyers, and Carly and Sonny will go after Willow like a roaring hurricane.
What’s best for Avery
Sonny is already involved in one custody battle — the fight for Avery.
Dear readers, do you think Sonny was weakening? I think Ava almost convinced him to let Avery stay with her. As much as Sonny hates Ava, he has to look at his life right now and see that Avery is in danger if she’s with him. He knows that someone is definitely out to kill him, and Sonny also has a heart condition that could render him helpless at any minute. Does he want to win against Ava more than he wants the safety of his daughter, or is Sonny in complete denial about the reality of his situation?
One thing is for sure, Sonny’s brother Ric has taken a shine to Ava. I thoroughly enjoyed that kiss. But will his attention last when Ava’s well of money runs dry? I still don’t understand how the Cassadine estate could take away money that Ava got fair and square in her divorce settlement.
Any lawyers out there that can tell me if that could really happen?
A new vibe for Charlie’s Pub and Kristina
Across town, the version of Kristina I like is back and opening a new bar.
Today’s Kristina was confident and not yelling at anyone. She also created a great cozy vibe at the new Charlie’s Pub. I have to wonder if General Hospital/ABC dropped the LGBTQ Youth Center storyline due to a new and more conservative political climate. It’s also possible that they didn’t really have compelling story to tell. No way to know, but Kristina jumped on Sonny’s offer to take over the bar, and it should offer the denizens of Port Charles a cool place to hang.
I laughed when Natalia told Kristina how much she liked, “All the music that she’s heard since I came in,” which was exactly half of one song. Natalia just entered and walked directly to the bar! How many songs could she have heard?
Sidwell’s agenda
Jenz Sidwell got the deed to Wyndemere from Alexis. I loved their scene together. Nancy Lee Grahn has chemistry with everyone though, and I definitely do not want her involved with Jenz. Sidwell met important players in Port Charles thanks to Lucy. What do you think his ultimate goal is? Is it as simple as ‘Kill Sonny and take over his territory,” or is it more? I am trying to figure out why he is pumping Lucy for info on everyone in town. He has a Jerry Jacks kind of feel to me, half charming, half evil.
What will happen tomorrow, dear readers?
Will Tracy end up in the slammer again and will Cody come on horseback to rescue her? Will we ever learn the real reason that Cody wants Leopold Taub’s mansion? Is there gold buried in the walls? Will Lucy fall for Sidwell and go home one night to discover that he ate Sigmund Duck L’Orange? Will Lucky and Liz open their own P.I. company after all the fun they are having solving mysteries together?
Does Terry owe Liz an apology now that another death happened while Liz was on leave? Will Kai play football again, or will Trina convince him to become a med student at PCU and become General Hospital’s hottest new young doctor? Will Laura and Anna be successful in scaring Jenz away from Port Charles, or will he just try to blow up their houses, too? Can we expect Mac to win a Daytime Emmy for being the sweetest dad in Port Charles for his heart-to-heart with Cody in jail? He deserves it. I love John J York.
Will Joss find evidence that Cyrus killed Dex, or will she land herself in terrible danger? Will Sonny’s medical trip to L.A. be General Hospital’s way of bringing the tragedy of the wildfires onto the Port Charles canvas? I think Maurice Benard would do an amazing job in a storyline like that. Will Molly and Cody date? They had that Hallmark movie, ‘I hate you, but I’m also intrigued,’ vibe.
Only tomorrow knows dear readers and I will tune in tomorrow as long as there are tomorrows.
Tamilu
For more of Tamilu’s commentaries, visit her author’s page
Tamilu, I already miss Michael too and I hope that chad returns to the role maybe next year.
I hope so!
It dawned on me today that we don’t really know much of Natalia’s back story and we don’t know much of Sidwell’s past women, just his time with Holly. I know there was a brief bit about Natalia’s divorce and all, but it’s just odd and they’ve just never bothered to really flesh out her character much. I so hope they’re not going to have her be connected to him and he planted her in Sonny’s path as part of whatever plot he has against Sonny. None of it makes any sense, but there’s a lot of the writing that hasn’t been great at making sense. The one story I want to see is a big murder mystery with skeevy Uncle Drew as the victim. There are so many who are unhappy with him, they have a ton of potential suspects. It could be a story they could really have fun with and we viewers could as well. Let’s face it, we all could use as much fun as possible right now.
Kay! That would be a fantastic twist! I love that idea. I like the murder mystery idea, too. Maybe you should be writing for GH! 🙂
LOL! Tamilu, I’d love to. If I can’t do anything to change reality, maybe I can at least change our soapy world! I think I’d have so many of the characters take a whack at him that they couldn’t possibly blame just one, nor charge them all. That way no one gets punished but we are still rid of skeevy Drew. Plus we get the bonus of seeing each of our favorites do away with him in their own special way. Problem solved!
I’ve had my fill of Cody. Trying to blackmail Spinelli, again, was the last straw. The guy is a jerk. Speaking of jerks, Drew just keeps getting worse. Maybe that’s the reason for Cody’s hostility towards Drew. It’s like,”hey Drew, I’m the top jerk around here”!
Then we have the laughing , primping Sidwell as our new villain. How far we have fallen since the days of Constance Tower’s frightening Helena and Sebastian Roché’s diablolical Jerry Jax as villains.
Wouldn’t Sonny going to California attract more attention than secretly seeing a cardiologist in the region?
He could go to Nixon Falls and say he is visiting Phyllis.
I am still not thrilled that they made Sasha and Cody relatives. Their relationship was promising and making him into a better person. This adds to my theory that the writers Sasha. They never allow her to be happy!
Doesn’t Tracy and Ned know Drew slept with Nina didn’t they see the recording in the Q’s living room after Cody blurted it out in the bar fight with Drew. Did the writers forget?
Yes! Ned hired the PI who was tailing Drew – she got it all on video.
I knew I wasn’t crazy!!! Thanks.
Yes she does know. I was surprised that she didn’t expose that to Willow while she was arguing with her and Nina. Maybe she feels she wants to hold on to that for a rainy day
That video was of Drew sleeping with Willow. I don’t think they know about Nina yet.
Ned had the PI following Drew and she recorded it.
The video of Drew sleeping with Willow was from Michael’s phone. However, days before, Tracy and Ned both watched the video that Ned’s PI took of Cody at the bar yelling at Drew about him sleeping with Willow while sleeping with with her mother.
A lot of posts have been comparing Drew to Shiloh. I had forgotten they knew each other in Afghanistan and
Shiloh actually helped deliver Drew to Helena. Shiloh actually resembles Drew, so…………………..?
Wow! I had completely forgotten that, too! Excellent point! Maybe Drew learned more from Shiloh than we know!
Dear Tamilu – You have a chorus of those who roll their eyes everytime the news break in. True story – our local channel broke into the National news to air their local commercials, then went back to the breaking national news. That is how we know it is to the point of siliness.
The actorr CM must have thick skin – the show has made him one of the most hated characters in ages. Just when I think he cannot go lower – he does (appropriations committee handouts?)
I am looking forward to February sweeps as something has to happen regarding Sonny and his heart / Drew’s Fall / BLQ’s pregnancy hisotry reveal. I also wonder if February will be the sendoff for Leslie Charleston. It is coming.
I agree. When Cameron first arrived as Drew, I liked him. The first scenes when he was back in Port Charles decorating a Christmas tree with Scout – I hold that dear in my soapy memory heart. But now, we never even see him in a room wit Scout. All those years carving her name into a wall just to ignore her when they are in the same town? I HATE what the writers have done to Drew!
Although I do believe that they are leading up to the reveal that Brooklyn and Dante are Gio’s parents, it doesn’t make sense to me that Sonny would know that Gio was his grandson. Obviously Gio would have been conceived during Dante and Brooklyn’s time at summer camp, which is before Dante came to town, and before he and Sonny knew that Sonny was his father. If Sonny does know that Gio is his grandson, I think Lois would have had to I have told him in some years after he found out about Dante being his son, but I don’t see him keeping that from Dante and Olivia. Speaking of Olivia, as I don’t believe she knows about this, she is going to be PISSED with Lois for keeping this from her.
I agree with all of that. Unless Lois told Sonny – which I doubt that she did. It will be exciting when it all blows up. I like the kid who plays Gio – he’s adorable. But will his sunny disposition hold when he finds out the truth? I’m looking forward to watching it all unfold.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Lois just asked Sonny to help Gio without disclosing either Olivia’s or Brook Lynn’s secrets. They do have the kind of “No questions asked” kind of relationship that would make it believable.
There’s potential for soapy goodness. Drew is such a control freak that Willow decides he’s not for her and that she wants Michael back. Only when he returns does he has moved on in his heart and want to be with Sasha.
Tamilu, I hear you! I’ve had to turn off notifications, delete apps and ween myself off of YouTube for my mental health. It’s all so triggering! It’s also scary because information fatigue is exactly how they get the regular people who actually do care and want to be informed to just give up.