General Hospital Commentary: Teflon Villains

Crime pays when you’re a villain in Port Charles. Just ask Willow and Drew who seem to be made of Teflon. Will there ever be justice? Let’s get into it with an all-new General Hospital commentary for the week ending August 14, 2026

It was quite an eventful week on General Hospital. Sidwell and Curtis were sentenced to time in Pentonville, but there are no coincidences on soaps, especially this one. Trouble will be brewing in Pentonville, and both Sidwell and Curtis will be at the center of it. Will Curtis earn himself an early release? More on that later.

The biggest twist this week was Michael finally turning the tables on Willow. Oh, how sweet it was — until Michael insisted on moving her into the gatehouse. Remember the movie Moonstruck when Loretta (Cher) slapped Ronny (Nicholas Cage) upside the head and yelled, “Snap out of it!”? That’s what I wanted to do to Michael.

Willow Gets Roofied — And A New Roof

Jacinda did a bad thing. After getting slapped with a restraining order, Jacinda decided to pay Willow back by slipping some “happy” pills into Willow’s coffee drink. Willow was full of energy and joy as she made plans to take the kids to the arcade, but first she hosted a dance party. It was the most I’ve enjoyed Willow since she started crushing on Drew. I can say that because this is a soap and no one was actually drugged. I saw a glimpse of the old Willow. The Willow I once liked.

As soon as Michael learned what Jacinda had done, he headed over to Nina’s place to check on his ex-wife. To his surprise, the kids were there. Evidently, Yuri had had a hot date with Terry — and the nanny was sick — so Yuri dropped Wiley and Amelia off with Willow. Why no one bothered to tell Michael, who has primary custody of the children, is a mystery. Oh yeah, plot device.

The Blame Game

Despite a fuzzy memory of the previous night, and a hangover, Willow quickly put the pieces together and deduced that Jacinda had drugged Willow’s coffee drink. Willow didn’t waste any time beelining to the hospital for a drug test and marching over to the Quartermaine mansion to confront Michael in the kitchen. She insisted that Gio stay as a witness and demanded that Michael hand over Wiley and Amelia because she was taking full custody of the kids.

Michael knew it looked bad for him. It’s why he and Jacinda ended things and Jacinda left town. He understood what led Jacinda to do what she did, but he didn’t appreciate that his kids nearly ended up in a car with Willow. However, things were not as bleak for Michael as Willow had painted them. For starters, Willow had no proof of the accusations she was making.

Willow Makes Her Move

Willow was so confident that she had the upper hand that she warned Michael that she would take him to family court if he didn’t comply with her demands. He refused, but it was clear he was worried. I was worried. Thanks to Willow, Gio ended up telling Trina and Kai about Willow’s showdown with Michael. Realizing they could help Michael, Trina and Kai paid Michael a visit and told him about the night of Drew’s shooting. Each gave a sworn affidavit that they were in the house and had heard Willow’s ringtone for Wiley seconds before shots rang out.

When Willow returned to collect the kids, Michael was ready. He pointed out that the drug test only proved that Willow had been high as a kite while she was with the children, and he had proof that she had tried to kill Drew. You could see Willow gulp when Michael revealed who the witnesses were. It was hilarious. Willow argued that Jacinda had drugged Drew too, but Michael reminded Willow that she couldn’t prove it, especially since Jacinda had left town. He also warned Willow that cell phone records would confirm that Wiley had called Willow at the time of the shooting.

Infuriated, Willow grabbed a rolling pin and tried to brain Michael, but he easily stopped her. The look of defeat on Willow’s face was a thing of beauty. I reveled in it.

A Lifeline

My joy was short-lived. I was so hoping that Michael would send Willow packing and cut the homicidal psycho out of his children’s lives, but that’s not what happened. I’m convinced that General Hospital’s writers love to torture us because Michael told Willow that they could continue the custody arrangement they currently had as long as Willow moved into the gatehouse. “WHAT?!?” I screamed at the television screen.

This is absolutely the worst idea in the history of bad ideas on this show. And there have been many.

Willow has proven that she will resort to murder to get what she wants. Michael also knows that Willow wouldn’t hesitate to use his children to hurt him. She did it with Daisy, and countless times when she tried to cut Michael out of Wiley and Amelia’s lives. Heck, she would have clobbered — and possibly killed — him with that rolling pin if Michael hadn’t had quick reflexes. I know you should keep your friends close and your enemies closer, but this is taking it to the extreme.

Possession Not Love

Willow keeps saying that she would do anything for her children. Anything. Even murder. But that’s not love. If she truly loved them, then she would do the work. She would stop being a menace and share custody with Michael because Wiley and Amelia love their father. Willow would strive to be better and do better.

What I see is someone who views the children as possessions not people. Willow’s mentality seems to be “What makes me happy will also make my children happy.” She puts herself first not her children. Unlike Michael, who continually puts his children’s needs and wants ahead of his own. That’s why he is still trying to find a way to make things work even though Willow is morally corrupt.

I want Willow to pay for her crimes, but she keeps getting away with them.

Trouble For Brook Lynn

I’m with Tracy. Michael is going to regret moving Willow into the gatehouse because Willow is a “scheming, self-involved viper” and “a terrible human being.” Willow has been on the hunt for a new champion for months, and she’s had her eye on Chase for all of that time. Chase being a married man and a new father only makes him more appealing.

Even though Michael had once hoped to spark an affair between Willow and Chase, he no longer needs to because he has enough evidence against Willow to keep her in line without creating a political scandal. Yet, that’s exactly what’s going to happen because Willow is going to use every opportunity and every trick in her arsenal to seduce Chase away from Brook Lynn. I feel bad for Brook Lynn, but then I remind myself that she truly is better off without Chase. If he can be seduced away from his wife and their life with a new baby, then good riddance. Brook Lynn might have inadvertently left the scene of an accident, but Willow shot a man in the back twice, and she kept him drugged in a locked-in state for months.

I can’t wait until Chase’s blinders are ripped off and he sees Willow for the evil monster she is.

General Hospital’s Other Villain

That brings me to Drew. Can someone please shoot him again? This time, do it right.

Despite being locked in for months, Drew has pretty much picked up where he left off. He’s actually worse than ever because now he’s had time to marinate in his hatred and plot his revenge. Top of the list is taking down Sonny. Drew thinks the time is right because Jason has left the mob, and Drew has forged an alliance with Ava.

I’m no Sonny fan, but I’m definitely rooting for him.

The Plan

I’m not even sure what Drew thinks he can do to Sonny, especially since he’s no longer a congressman, and he’s lost control of Aurora Media. Does Drew intend to become the new Godfather of Port Charles? Is he hoping Ava can give him tips? If so, he better hire some men because Sonny is likely to hand the reins of his organization over to someone who will make some guarantees to Sonny. That person is probably going to have mob experience and the people in place to guarantee a smooth transition. Tamilu is hoping it will be Selina Wu, and I’m with her. Selina would be the perfect person to step into the role.

Selina also wouldn’t hesitate to take Drew out.

But Drew has some other problems to contend with, starting with his daughter. Scout is not happy about Drew’s decision cut her brother Danny and the rest of her mother’s family out of Scout’s life. In a truly heartbreaking moment, Scout even tearfully admitted to Rocco that her life was easier when her father was locked in. That poor kid.

Revenge, Not Good Parenting

Drew’s argument that Danny is too dangerous for Scout to be around is just a thinly disguised “screw you” to Jason. Drew knows that hurting Danny pisses Jason off. That’s the goal here, and Scout is just another means to that end. Also, I’m pretty sure that Drew actually hates Danny because he’s Jason’s son. That’s how much Drew despises his twin.

I would say this is all A.J. versus Jason 2.0 but it’s not. A.J. was driven to do the things he did in order to be a part of his son’s life, but Drew is driven by pure hatred.

Even if I give Drew the benefit of the doubt, he obviously doesn’t love Scout enough to do right by her. He shows little empathy for all the loss that she has experienced in her young life. The loss of her mother, her home, her brother, and her extended family. He has isolated his daughter to such a degree that the only people she has contact with are Chelsea (her nanny/warden) and Drew. It’s a miserable existence, especially for a young teen.

The thing is, Drew actually does have valid concerns about Danny. Danny is reckless and makes bad decisions. He’s a teenager who has also suffered his fair share of tragedies, and Jason has been a loving but mostly absentee father. Additionally, few have held Danny accountable for his transgressions. Look how unapologetic he was about damaging the bottom of one of the Quartermaine boats. Now, he’s plotting Drew’s downfall with Charlotte, the last person who should advise anyone about resolving conflict.

What A Good Father Does

If Drew truly cared about Scout, he would find a way to make things work. A good father would set some boundaries, like Danny and Scout can visit at Drew’s house or under the supervision of another adult. Instead, Scout has to sneak visits with Rocco just to have a friend to talk to. It’s so incredibly sad and hard to watch.

Brennan To The Rescue

I was delighted at the end of Friday’s episode (August 14) when Brennan offered to help Alexis with her Drew problem in exchange for information about Jasper Jacks Enterprises. I hope Alexis takes him up on the offer and rescues her granddaughter. But I also sense that this will be what ends Chris McKenna’s run as Jack Brennan. I’m not sure how I feel about that. I love having a WSB office in Port Charles, but I hate how Jack has become Nina and Willow’s fixer.

I’m a Barbie girl, in the Barbie World

Josslyn is 22ish-years old and in the last few years she’s studied — and excelled in — political science and medicine, became an international spy, and now she’s been put in charge of Jasper Jacks Enterprises, a multibillion-dollar company with business interests all over the world. But wait, there’s more. Josslyn apparently doesn’t have any lasting psychological trauma from her last mission, the lies, killing Cullum and nearly getting killed herself. I don’t blame her for the Cullum part though. I wouldn’t lose any sleep over killing that guy either. But the rest…

Girl Power

I’m all for girl power, but General Hospital is taking things a bit too far with Josslyn. What’s next? Flying into space to look for Anna’s old pal, Casey? At this point, it wouldn’t shock me.

However, I’m hoping that our General Hospital scribes are setting Josslyn up for a moment when she questions everything, including her ability to be an effective spy. She needs a gut check, and it sounded an awful lot like foreshadowing when Brennan told Josslyn that she had to stop living in denial, show some humanity and face all that has happened in recent months. According to Jack, she has to deal with all the trauma in order to move forward both psychologically and professionally.

Will Brennan’s questions about JJE lead him to Hudson? We’ve seen how Hudson deals with problems. Brennan is Josslyn’s mentor and her biggest supporter at the WSB, so it would definitely shake her to the core if Brennan were to get killed because of something that she had missed.

Sailing Takes Me Away From General Hospital

I’m also starting to question if Jax is really making a solo trip around the world on his sailboat. I realize that both Josslyn and Carly mentioned that Jax had been talking about it for years, but it feels a tad too convenient knowing what i know about Hudson. Delilah was clearly on the run from Hudson, and Ethan repeatedly hinted that Phoebe would be in danger if her father found her. Given Hudson’s violence with Ethan, and the aggressive way he talks to Josslyn, it’s not a big stretch to imagine him killing someone. Is the sailing trip a ruse to hide the fact that Jax is dead?

Can you imagine the tailspin Josslyn would be in if she lost both her mentor and her father?

I’m also concerned about Brook Lynn and Phoebe. What will Hudson do when he finds out that Brook Lynn and Chase adopted his daughter? We will soon find out because it’s clear that the writers are headed in that direction.

Lucy’s Deception

Why, oh, why would anyone with even a single brain cell let alone an entire working brain become Lucy’s accomplice in one of her cockamamie schemes? And why would Serena agree to be a honeypot just to help Lucy get her hands on shares of Deception? It’s so incredibly disappointing. Doubly so because Scott is nowhere around to stop this nonsense and save his daughter from Lucy’s greedy ways.

General Hospital really needs to give Kin Shriner a call. STAT.

The History of Deception

Let’s look back on Deception’s history. Yes, Lucy founded the company, but she was not alone. Her co-founders were Dominique (Cody and Serena’s mother), Scott, and Brenda’s sister, Julia Barrett. Brenda came on as a model, but she became interested in the business side of things and had hoped to expand Deception. Lucy wouldn’t hear of it. Eventually Laura — with Sonny’s backing — bought Scott and Julia’s shares of Deception. That’s when Laura brought Carly onboard.

This idea that Lucy founded the company and grew it into a successful cosmetics empire by herself is all fantasy. When Lucy did gain control of the company’s day-to-day operations, she ultimately ran the company into the ground and Deception folded. Even when Deception was relaunched, it was in partnership with Sasha. The only thing that Lucy has excelled at is endangering the company with poor foresight and bad financial investments. Let us not forget that it was Lucy who talked Maxie, Brook Lynn, and Tracy into taking Sidwell on as a supplier. Look at how that worked out for them.

For the majority of Lucy’s tenure at Deception, she has had partners to rein in her worst impulses. Sometimes.

Romancing Michael

I’m glad that Serena has the confidence to use her feminine wiles to seduce Michael into relinquishing his shares of Deception, but it makes her looks shallow and a bit delusional. Michael is a savvy businessman. He’s not going to put Tracy and Brook Lynn in a position where they lose power to Lucy of all people, which signing over his shares to Serena would certainly do. Secondly, Michael isn’t an idiot. He knows that Lucy and Serena are close, so he’ll see through Serena’s attempts to seduce him for those shares.

I hate this storyline for Serena. It’s not cute or endearing. We don’t need a Lucy 2.0. Serena is Scott and Dominique’s daughter, and I would have liked to have seen some of Dominique in Serena. Dominque was a kind and sweet person, and I doubt she would have approved. Yes, Lucy sees Michael as a good catch, and she’s hopeful that it might lead to the beginning of something wonderful for Serena and Michael. But how does Lucy see that happening when it’s built on lies and manipulations?

I’m Bad, I’m Bad

Curtis was found guilty of assault. There was never any question that Curtis did it. We all saw the altercation.

Curtis tried to argue that he was driven (pun intended) to violence because Isaiah left Curtis and Jordan to die on the side of the road and because Isaiah said he’d be a better father to Des than Curtis. Ouch. Both men were in the wrong, but Curtis is the one who turned an altercation into assault. Curtis needs to grow up and accept that he and Jordan caused the accident, and that his case against Isaiah is circumstantial and largely based on bad blood because Portia hooked up with Isaiah minutes (literally) after Curtis walked out.

I don’t like Curtis or Isaiah. Curtis is an insufferable ass, and Isaiah is sanctimonious and messy. Curtis is guilty of assault, but Isaiah isn’t blameless. He escalated things because the hatred is mutual. The irony is that Portia has committed far more serious crimes than Curtis did with that punch, and yet she has somehow escaped any real repercussions. She still has her medical license, a job at General Hospital, the house, and now Des all to herself. Please make it make sense.

PentonRedemptionville

It won’t be long before Isaiah sees the real Portia. The one she’s kept carefully hidden since splitting with Curtis. With Curtis out of the picture, Portia might decide that she no longer needs Isaiah around to be her pitbull. When that happens, Isaiah will learn who the real villain is.

Then again, I don’t expect Curtis to languish in jail for long. Nothing is ever random on soaps, so hearing that Sidwell suddenly accepted a plea deal and was shipped off to Pentonville a few episodes before Curtis was found guilty and sentenced to Pentonville screamed something big was afoot.

During Friday’s episode, Justine mentioned that Sonny had done time at the infamous prison. It’s true. Sonny had been given a lengthy sentence, but he earned himself a governor’s pardon when Sonny escaped from jail and saved a ship of fools (on the Haunted Star) that included the governor’s daughter from Dark Luke’s deadly bomb. Do the writers have a similar storyline planned for Curtis?

It’s going to take more than heroic deeds to make me like Curtis again. That man needs some serious humbling.

Port Charles Potpourri

Some quick thoughts about other things going on in and around Port Charles.

Attack Of The Clones

OMG, can we please stop with all the clones on this show? It took me a full minute to realize that Dr. Tristan Roberts (Dean Geyer) was not Hudson Parker (Troy Lennon Appel) during the Monday (August 10) episode. I was so confused trying to figure out why Hudson was at the hospital posing as doctor until I heard Tristan’s accent. Don’t even get me started on how I misidentified Hudson/Troy on social media. Enough already.

Deal Or No Deal

So, Sidwell took a plea deal that sent him to prison for 31 years to life, with possible parole in 26 years. What an absolute crock. In soap time, that means he’ll be back on the streets by next year. Has anyone checked him for an artificial hip? Sidwell should be sitting in Steinmauer awaiting trial for all of his other crimes against humanity. I’ll never buy that the WSB left Sidwell to face charges in Port Charles in order to cover up a rogue director’s role in things. They have ways of doing that and still making the criminal pay. This, more than anything, tells me there will be a Sidwell twist coming soon.

Songbird

Trina went from being an art major who had ambitions of owning her own gallery or running an art museum to pouring out her feelings by writing a song in the middle of a date with Kai. Something she has never done. Ever. This storyline just gets more ridiculous. Trina deserves better than this heavy-handed writing. Trina could have had a stalker storyline without this radical shift in the direction of her life.

Grandpa Sonny

I give Sonny a lot of flak — much deserved — but I love his scenes with Rocco. In fact, Rocco is a lucky kid because all of his grandparents are much more in tune and supportive of him than his parents are. Kudos to Sonny for saying all the right things to Rocco when Rocco stopped by for a heart-to-heart talk. I was a wonderful scene.

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.

The Good, The Bad, and The In-Between

Nina to Jack: “I can’t go to prison. I can’t lose my daughter”! Ok. Maybe Nina and Willow can be cellmates. — JDF

This is what I don’t understand: Valentin AND Carly know that Nina accidentally injected Jack with a paralytic drug that put him in a locked-in state. Carly even mentioned it on Friday. WHY haven’t they connected that to what happened to Drew?  — SFan

So, who’s living in Maxi’s House which used to be Lulu’s House that Dante still technically owns (because Sonny bought it for him)? — Missez Premise

Drew forbids Scout from hanging out with Danny

Jason puts Danny first, but doesn’t mention Jake

Before You Check Out

Soap Central Founder Dan J Kroll posted another wonderful Beyond The Gates column: You’re My Kind of Toxic. Be sure to check it out.

Happy viewing,

Liz