General Hospital Commentary: Love, loss, and frozen heads

The Quartermaine family was shaken to their core when their beloved matriarch Monica passed away. Meanwhile, trouble brewed as another Faison appeared to return from the dead. Is that what Britt has been hiding? It was a week of love, loss — and frozen heads. Let’s discuss all that and more in a new General Hospital commentary for the week ending September 19, 2025.

Buckle up, dear readers, there’s a lot to unpack. General Hospital was positively soapy this week between Liesl and Britt’s long-awaited reunion that went sideways, a shocking return from the dead and Nina’s long overdue confrontation with Willow. However, it was Monica’s sudden passing that truly tugged at the heartstrings and gave us some truly touching moments. Let’s start there.

The long goodbye

The moment we’ve all been both dreading and waiting for arrived when General Hospital finally addressed the passing of our much-loved Leslie Charleson. Her alter ego, Dr. Monica Quartermaine, peacefully passed away in her sleep. Earlier that morning Monica had enjoyed a visit with Scout and Wiley before the children had scampered off to their first day of school. It took eight long months to get here, but it was handled beautifully. The scenes have been incredibly bittersweet in large part due to the moving flashbacks. Both Jane Elliot and Steve Burton have blown me away with their powerful performances. I’m sure that’s partly due to their own very real grief over losing Ms. Charleson.

It seemed fitting that it was Jason who had found Monica. I’ve always believed that Jason was the true love of Monica’s life. She loved her other children — Dawn, A.J., and Emily — but not the way she loved Jason. There was always something special between Monica and Jason that everyone could see.

I left Drew off that list intentionally. Monica didn’t raise him, and I firmly believe that she grew to detest the man he became once he returned from Pentonville. Drew severed whatever maternal affection Monica might have had for him with that family crypt fiasco.

Tracy and Jason remember Monica

There were a lot of people who loved Monica, and who Monica loved, but Jason and Tracy were without question the two most important people in her life, especially in recent years. It’s why I found their scenes especially poignant as they tried to process losing Monica so suddenly. Yes, Monica had been in poor health in recent years, but there was no sign that her death was imminent. It’s for that reason that both Jason and Tracy were blindsided by Monica’s passing.

The scenes between Jason and Tracy were beautifully written. Kudos to the General Hospital writers. I had tears in my eyes from the moment Jason broke the devastating news to Tracy. When Tracy asked Jason for a hug — and he wrapped his arms around her — I lost it. Sadly, it’s moments like this that brings people together. It breaks my heart that it’s under such awful circumstances. I felt it to my core when Tracy told Brook Lynn and Ned that she’s lost so many people then proceeded to list them. Edward and Lila, Alan, A.J. and Luke, just to name a few.

Poor Tracy. I hope Gio lets her in because she’s going to need all the support she can get. Tracy and Monica might have been bitter rivals many years ago, but they each grew to dearly love each other. They were sisters in every way but biology.

A mother’s love

Monica never gave up on her son, even when Jason pushed her away and embraced a life of crime and danger. I knew that Jason would one day regret the distance he had put between himself and the woman who had raised and loved him since he was a baby. That said, I also know that Jason and Monica managed to get back to that mother/son relationship, especially in the last decade. Jason was there for Monica when she struggled with alcohol addiction and needed to go into rehab. I also know that Monica must have been overjoyed to have Jason move back into the Quartermaine mansion with his son. I’m deeply grateful that the writers gave us that.

Two moments this week that had me sobbing. Like straight-up ugly crying and blowing my nose. The first was when a grief-stricken Jason quietly admitted that he had never really cared that he couldn’t remember his life prior to the accident with A.J. — until that moment. “I wish that I had memories of growing up with Monica as my mom. I should have asked her when I had the chance,” he said. “You can ask me,” Tracy gently replied. “She told me practically everything.”

Later, when Jason sat in the gatehouse hoping to feel closer to his mother, he tearfully said, “I’ll miss you, Mom,” and added in a broken voice that he loved her. This is why I watch General Hospital. I’ve been a loyal and steady viewer since before Jason was born, so I know his history with Monica and her love for him. Jason meant every word that declaration of love.

If you’re interested, you can check out the tribute I wrote for Leslie Charleson back in January where I cover some of Monica’s early history. 

A freezer full of heads

Meanwhile, Drew is sitting in General Hospital stewing in his hate. Any hope that his brush with death would be the wake-up call he needed to turn things around were completely dashed when he tried to pin the shooting on Michael without caring if Michael was actually guilty of the crime. Drew would happily send an innocent man to jail in order to steal Michael’s children and hand them over to their mentally unstable mother. Next, Drew rejected Danny’s pleas to let Scout spent time with her Quartermaine relatives. Drew blamed Jason for Drew’s cruel choices, so Danny wisely left.

Unfortunately, that leaves Scout stuck with Willow. Anyone who thinks Willow should be around children is willfully ignoring all the warning signs. I’m pretty sure Drew suspects Willow of being behind the troubling incidents with Daisy. Additionally, Willow’s courtroom breakdown, which led to a brief hospitalization, shows her inability to handle stressful situations. We also learned this week that Willow is perfectly happy to exploit Scout’s situation to bypass a court order. I hope Sam haunts Willow’s dreams.

It’s clear that disaster is looming on the horizon. Willow should be in a sanitarium not watching over Scout. The only person who seems to genuinely have Scout’s best interests at heart is Danny. Everyone else is putting themselves first, including Alexis who has turned into a walking felony to save Kristina from Kristina’s worst impulses.

The truth hurts

I’m no Nina fan, but I did appreciate her attempt at tough love by calling Willow out for all the selfish and boneheaded choices Willow has made in the name of loving Drew. Yes, it should have happened months ago, but it’s doubtful it would have mattered. Nina is right. Willow wouldn’t care if Drew had a freezer full of heads in the basement. Willow is completely unhinged. She blames Nina for not telling the truth about Drew from the start, while at the same time giving Drew a second chance because he fills her head with empty promises and lies. Willow is in full self-destruct mode, and she won’t stop until she hits rock bottom.

More and more, things point to Willow as the shooter.

What was Willow doing at the Q mansion?

Not for a nanosecond do I believe Willow returned to the Q mansion to fetch something for Scout. What was it? Scout’s favorite water bottle or some such nonsense? No, Willow was up to no good, which is why she snuck onto the grounds undetected. Otherwise, she could have simply asked a guard to fetch Scout’s new favorite thing. Does Willow have the gun that was used to shoot Drew? 🤔

Regardless, that little stunt is going to come back to bite Willow. At some point, Chase is going to remember that Willow does indeed know how to sneak onto the property and evade the security cameras. That she made it to the kitchen without being discovered. It will give credence to the accusation that Willow was the one who had messed with Daisy. Chase might not like it, but he won’t be able to deny that he caught Willow in the act of skulking.

Scout’s song

We also learned this week that “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” was Drew’s ringtone for Scout. An important detail that Kai and Trina remembered hearing when the shots were fired. Does Willow have the same ringtone for Scout? My kids and I use the same ringtone — The Andy Griffith Show’s theme song — for my husband, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility. Perhaps it was Willow’s phone — not Drew’s — that we heard as the shots rang out.

It’s not nice to cross Mutter

Britt’s reunion with Liesl took an ugly turn when Britt cruelly lashed out at Liesl for being a rotten mother. Don’t get me wrong. Liesl was far from a good mother throughout Britt’s childhood, but Liesl and Britt had put all of that behind them long ago, and they had grown close especially in the last few years before Britt “died.” What happened? Why is Britt acting like none of that happened?

Is Britt trying to protect her mother from the mystery man known as “him” or has Britt reverted to her old miserable ways? I hope not because belligerent Britt is not enjoyable to watch.

The two faces of Britt

I didn’t always like Britt. Back when she stole Lulu and Dante’s embryo, I absolutely despised her. But she found her way to redemption and actually seemed to learn from her past transgressions and mistakes. When the Hook struck (I still believe the true killer was Esme Prince, but Heather took the fall for her evil daughter), Britt was a much different person than the woman who had taken Rocco from his rightful family.

Let’s be clear about something. I don’t care if Rocco was an embryo or a newborn. He was kidnapped. He was, is, and will always be Lulu and Dante’s son. This idea that Britt should have a place in Rocco’s life just because she gave birth to him is vile. That goes double for her referring to him as “Ben.” That was a name given to him by his captor, not his parents. Rocco’s name reflects his true heritage, not the one that Britt tried to impose on him.

The Britt that Jason fell in love with knew that, and she deeply regretted what she had done to Rocco.

Will the real Britt please stand up

I don’t know why Britt has returned to the bitter ugly person she once was, but I don’t like it. She’s as delusional as Willow is to think that she could be reinstated as a doctor at General Hospital without even having her medical license. I’m also disappointed that she didn’t see what Lucas did when he pointed out that Britt didn’t seem to have any symptoms of her Huntington’s Disease. Is that because the medication she’d been taking had cured her or because she never had it?

I’ve long suspected that Britt had been poisoned with something that presented as Huntington’s. Why has this not occurred to her, especially now that she is symptom free? Remember, Victor was in play back in those days and he knew about Britt’s ‘illness’ before it was public knowledge. Victor is also a known associate of Cesar Faison.

It’s a soap, so these things — and much more — are entirely possible. That brings me to Nathan.

Another Faison returns from the dead!

Friday’s episode ushered Ryan Paevey back onto the canvas when Lulu happened to come across a single vehicle accident and an unconscious man behind the wheel of the truck. I swear, nothing good ever comes of soap opera people driving. Anyway, Lulu opted not to move the man in case he had a neck injury, so she never saw his face. It wasn’t until the mystery man arrived at General Hospital that we got some answers.

Lucas immediately recognized the patient. When Anna and Dante got a gander at him, it was clear that Nathan West was back from the dead. While I’m delighted for Liesl, and that James will have the joy of meeting his dad, I’m going to need some answers. Britt has them. It’s time for her to fess up because I have a sneaking suspicion that Nathan is going to wake up with a case of amnesia.

All of this is connected to the mysterious “him.” Given that there are two Faisons back in action, it’s a good bet that “him” is a Faison too. Pleasedon’tletitbePeterAugust 🙏

Gidget Josslyn goes to Bondi Beach

Joss and Moondoggie VaughnDex took some time out from their spy games to get their groove on at Bondi Beach. Their first mission was pretty much a bust within 24 hours, Jason knows Josslyn’s secret, and they nearly got killed, but did that stop them from getting in a little surf time? Nope, not at all. Heck, they didn’t even bother to debrief their boss before jetting off to Australia.

It’s a good thing Joss and Vaughn are soap spies because they’d never make it as real spies. Yet, despite all of that Vaughn was promoted to Brennan’s right-hand man, and Josslyn gets to continue posing as a college student at Port Charles University. Josslyn is confident that Jason will keep her secret, which he will until he can’t. Josslyn will soon get a lesson in where Jason’s true loyalties lie. Spoiler alert: It’s Carly. It’s always Carly.

Luckily for Jason, Carly is going to have a bigger target when Josslyn’s little bombshell drops. Brennan would be wise to find a rock to crawl under until the dust settles. Wait until Carly learns that Brennan recruited Josslyn after covering up Josslyn’s role in Cyrus’ death.

General Hospital Quick Takes

Is anyone else wondering what the ladies are doing about Ric’s basic needs like food, water, and using the bathroom? At some point they will have to unstrap him from the table so he can answer nature’s call. If not, they are going to have a stinky mess to clean up.

It was strange that Willow would tell Scout that they would be staying with Willow’s “friend, Elizabeth.” I can remember when Scout referred to Elizabeth as “Aunt Elizabeth,” but that was long before Willow entered the picture and acted like Scout wasn’t related to Elizabeth’s middle son, Jake.

Aren’t congressional aides fingerprinted? I would think that Anna’s forensics’ team would have made quick work of matching the fingerprints on the bat to Kai.

Shame on Cody. As Molly wisely pointed out, Outback looked healthy and well cared for. He should have taken her to a shelter where they could get the word out. If no one claimed Outback, then Cody could have adopted the pooch. Cody did redeem himself by asking Gio to donate the reward money to a shelter.

What General Hospital viewers are saying

We love reading what other fans have to say about the show, so please scroll down to the Comments section and share your thoughts. It’s at the bottom of this (and every) column.

Drew’s shooting

“I thought it was odd when Kai said he thought Alexis had a key to Drew’s house. Just can’t imagine Drew giving Alexis a key to his house.” — JDF

“Perhaps the gun was Drew’s, and Willow grabbed it because she knew where it was.” — Lorene

“DrEW (like Peter before him) has been written as so one note since he became a villain, and for me, that makes him unwatchable. I literally fast-forward almost every scene he’s in because I feel like I know exactly what is going to happen/what he’s going to say.” — Linus van Pelt

Diane sends Marco to represent Michael

Why Diane trusts Marco is beyond me! It’s not as if Marco is hiding how close he is to poppa or how Diane has for decades been smarter than DAs in PC. Some scenarios don’t make sense for characters and this one is that type

— JC (@pjc7221) September 11, 2025

Charlotte catches a case of SORAS (Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome)

Hope she's good 'cause I really liked Scarlett. (I'm predisposed to like her because I like her dad, Billy Burke.) 🙂 Have they aged the character up any?

— Evaine 🇨🇦 (@evaine.bsky.social) 2025-09-08T19:57:56.107Z

Before we go

If you watch soaps other than General Hospital, please check out Dan’s latest Beyond the Gates commentary, The lack of the joy of sex. And since we want to support the newest soap, please spread the word that Dan is back to writing about soaps.

Happy viewing,
Liz