{"id":2141,"date":"2025-05-24T10:43:30","date_gmt":"2025-05-24T14:43:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/danjkroll.com\/blog\/?p=2141"},"modified":"2025-05-24T13:40:37","modified_gmt":"2025-05-24T17:40:37","slug":"general-hospital-commentary-lights-camera-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/danjkroll.com\/blog\/general-hospital-commentary-lights-camera-action\/","title":{"rendered":"General Hospital Commentary: Lights, camera, action"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
The 2025 Nurses Ball kicked off with red carpet fashions and toe-tapping numbers, but it was soon eclipsed by all the juicy drama behind the scenes. The truth is out about Gio. Can Lois salvage things with Brook Lynn or has she gone too far? Now that Michael is home, will he be able to turn the tables on Drew and Willow? I’m shining a spotlight on all the soapy goodness in an all-new General Hospital commentary for the week ending May 23, 2025.<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Dear readers, the 2025 Nurses Ball was the best I’ve seen in recent years. General Hospital has always pulled out all the stops for the beloved annual event, but this year was particularly exciting. I loved everything about it from the performances to the shocking twists and turns. The best part was the end when our new Michael was unveiled. The prodigal son returned home and did what so many of us had been clamoring for. He fetched his children!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daddy is home!<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Michael has returned — and his timing was absolute perfection! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the 2025 Nurses Ball drew to a close, the audience broke out in loud applause for the final act. Just then, Michael appeared in the ballroom’s doorway. “Daddy!” Wiley excitedly shouted before scampering off stage and running into his father’s welcoming arms. I couldn’t have asked for a better reunion, especially when the camera zoomed in on Willow and Drew’s shocked expressions. Utterly priceless! It was one of the best returns I’ve seen in a long time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rory Gibson is our new Michael, and I’m delighted. He looks Billy Warlock’s A.J. rather than Carly’s son. Nothing against Sean Kanan — I loved him too — but Billy’s A.J. was the one who slept with Carly, and he was the one who was tortured for years by the terrible trio. I know A.J. was deeply flawed, but so were Sonny, Carly and Jason. What they did to A.J. during those years was cruel and often criminal. It was a gang of three against one man who just wanted to be a father to his only child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But that was the past. This is about Michael and his children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michael’s grand entrance<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Seeing Willow and Drew’s gobsmacked expressions was everything I could have hoped for and more. A brilliantly executed bombshell moment. It was so satisfying to watch. I cackled with laughter and promptly hit rewind to watch the glorious scene unfold all over again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’ve despised Willow and Drew since their affair began, but I grew to hate them when they decided to use Michael’s medical proxy as a bargaining chip. Good people would never do that. They would find another way. Not Willow and Drew. They are selfish and vindictive. Not surprisingly, they opted to falsely<\/em> accuse Michael of abandoning the children. A ludicrous legal stance since he was in Germany receiving burn treatment and remained in touch with the kids through video calls. Also, a parent who abandons their children generally doesn’t file for sole custody.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A child needs both parents, but it bothers me that Willow seems to feel that her role is more important to the children than Michael’s. When Drillow (they are a unit now \ud83d\ude44) suggested that Michael get visitation every other weekend and two weeks in the summer, I seethed. How is that fair or good for the kids? It’s not. Drillow are two insufferable people who only care about themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What goes around comes around<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Willow likes to pretend that she’s kind and fair-minded, but she’s only that way when people don’t challenge her. She has consistently put her wants and desires ahead of her children’s well-being. It was clear from how excited Wiley was to see his father that he loves him very much. Heck, Wiley didn’t even spare Willow a glance as Michael carried him out. That spoke volumes about how much Wiley missed his dad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Willow can view her tawdry relationship with her husband’s uncle through those rose-colored glasses she wears, but a judge won’t. Her marriage blew up because she was unfaithful. Ric is not going to be able to convince anyone let alone a family court judge that Michael was happy to be rid of his kids so he could galivant off to Germany for plastic surgery. Drew’s antics with the escort and ketamine won’t help Willow’s case either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hope our intrepid General Hospital scribes don’t let us down. I want to see all the garbage that Willow and Drew have spent months dishing out come back and smack them in their smug faces. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The family drama didn’t end with Michael’s return. Trouble brewed elsewhere too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

General Hospital’s showstopping parental reveal<\/h3>\n\n\n
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GIOVANNI MAZZA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Gio got an earful when he overheard a conversation between Lulu and Lois. Lulu dragged Lois to a backstage room to confront Lois about hiding Gio in plain sight. Lois insisted that Brook Lynn didn’t know that Lois and Gloria had given him to Camilla, but Gio didn’t hear that part. All he heard was that his life was a lie. He. Was. Shattered. Soon, so was his violin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kudos to Giovanni Mazza for his performance as he took to the stage and dropped that deep dark family secret. He did an outstanding job showing Gio’s swirling emotions of rage, hurt, and shock at learning the truth. The way Gio violently smashed his beloved violin brought tears to my eyes. It was such a raw moment. My heart broke for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I would love to see that scene submitted for a Daytime Emmy consideration. Honestly, Giovanni has really grown in the role since his early days on General Hospital. Not only is he a gifted violinist, but he’s become quite a good young actor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cruel intentions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Lois might not have had cruel intentions when she gave Gio to Camilla, but what she did was heartless. Brook Lynn trusted her mother to find Gio a good home with two<\/em> loving parents. She expressly didn’t want to be a part of her child’s life because she wasn’t ready to be a mother. Plus, Brook Lynn has never been the type to take a backseat to anyone. Not only did Lois and Gloria ignore Brook Lynn’s wishes, but they also found a way to be a part of Gio’s life as family. It’s unconscionable and such a deep betrayal of trust. Brook Lynn might find a way to forgive her mother and grandmother — in time — but she might never fully trust them again. How could she?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was wrong of Lois to exclude Brook Lynn from such an important decision. It was Brook Lynn’s right as Gio’s mother to have the final say in where he was placed. Had Brook Lynn known that Lois intended to place Gio with a young single mother, she might have nixed the idea — or decided to keep her son. Lois chose her own wishes and desires over Brook Lynn’s. She will pay a high price for that. Gloria too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Confession is good for the soul but not for the marriage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Curtis and Portia are over. If Portia’s confession about Brad and Drew blackmailing her set Curtis off, there will be no coming back from the revelation that she played a part in drugging Drew with ketamine. Portia really has no one to blame but herself because she chose to lie when it wasn’t necessary. Curtis already knew about the original sin of changing Heather’s cobalt results. It didn’t make sense that she wouldn’t tell Curtis about Brad’s blackmail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don’t buy Portia’s excuse that it was a “hospital matter.” Being blackmailed had nothing to do with General Hospital. It was personal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A soapy twist offers a reprieve <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately for Portia, Drew foolishly decided to tell Mac that Tracy was the one who drugged him. Drew took it a step further by having a vial of ketamine planted in Tracy’s car. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s an incredibly lucky break for Portia and Nina because it muddies the waters and provides reasonable doubt if the incident is ever tied back to them. Brad and Jacinda have no credibility. A decent lawyer could argue that Brad was paid to frame Portia by a vengeful Drew as payback for Curtis taking over Aurora Media, and Nina could claim that she paid Drew’s party paramour to leave town in order to spare Willow further heartache.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drew lost his leverage, and now he has poked the dragon. Here’s hoping Tracy joins forces with Michael and together they take Drew down. It’s long overdue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Double indemnity<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Speaking of long overdue things, Alexis finally came clean to Kristina. She told her wayward daughter that Ric and Ava have been blackmailing Alexis over Kristina’s attempt at murder. Kristina was shocked that her secret was out, but in typical Kristina fashion, her first instinct was to make things worse. She actually thought it would be a good idea to bring her mob boss father in on the mess that she had made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our General Hospital writers have almost guaranteed that Alexis or Kristina — possibly both — will end up spending time in jail when this is all over. Alexis is such an idiot. All she’s doing is buying Kristina some time to come up with another cockamamie solution to her problems. Only next time, Kristina just might succeed in killing someone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I can’t see Kristina standing idly by and watching as Ric and Ava put the screws on her mother. Disaster looms on the horizon and no one is safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

General Hospital Quick Takes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The 2025 Nurses Ball Rendition<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

As I said in the beginning, I loved everything about the Nurses Ball this year starting with the opening number, “Holiday.” Nothing disappointed me. Not Spinelli and the ladies’ fun rendition of “These Boots Are Made for Walkin'” or Chase and the boys dancing and singing “The Look of Love.” However, my favorite act of the evening was the final performance. Donna, Wiley, Georgie, Scout, and James singing “I’ll Be There” was chef’s kiss. My favorite part was Wiley singing off key. Perfection!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yde’s “Old Her” was another high point. I loved that song. \ud83d\udc9c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where were all the stagehands? All we saw backstage were performers about to go on stage, Lucy and a llama.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Red carpet fashions <\/h4>\n\n\n
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MAURICE BENARD, AMANDA SETTON, GIOVANNI MAZZA, BRAEDYN BRUNER<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The fashions were a bit lackluster this year. Don’t get me wrong. The ladies looked elegant, and the gentlemen were dapper, but overall, it was a forgetful fashion year. However, there were a few notable exceptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best dressed: <\/strong>I did like Carly’s blue dress, but Jordan wins best dressed hands down. Her gown was dazzling and looked spectacular on her. Tanisha Harper is absolutely stunning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best hair makeover:<\/strong> I can’t stand Willow, but Katelyn MacMullen’s sassy new haircut is cute. Unfortunately, someone decided to stick her in an ugly red prom dress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Worst dressed:<\/strong> What in the world was Brook Lynn wearing? She looked like she was headlining for a Liberace show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cutest couple:<\/strong> Lucas and Liz watching the Nurses Ball from the sofa. I’m so happy the writers remembered to include her, and I loved the little paper crown that Lucas placed on her head. Their friendship is one of my favorite things on the show right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What General Hospital viewers are saying <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I always love getting to read what viewers think of not only the column but also the show. So please<\/em> join in the discussion in the Comments section below the column. Since I am also active on quite a few social media platforms, I also share viewer feedback and comments from there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emma’s metamorphosis <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Braedyn Bruner looks so much like Jason Thompson when she\u2019s in a fit! I have fully accepted her as the Emma recast, even though I think that she embodies some of her parents\u2019 worst flaws. I am not loving the execution of this storyline. As a scientist, Emma\u2019s behavior comes off as reactionary without context to Dalton\u2019s research. Animal testing should be cruelty-free and regulated, but there are times when it\u2019s incredibly necessary. They keep talking about cats and dogs, but those animals are less useful to an environmental scientist; unlike say worms, frogs, fish, mice\/rats, etc. So, is this about cute & cuddly or the rights of living creatures? — JBJ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Godfather of Port Charles<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

So, Sonny selling two piers is supposed to get him out of the \u201cbusiness\u201d. For decades we\u2019ve been told that Sonny has the biggest crime syndicate on the Eastern Seaboard but sell the two piers… yeah… that\u2019s the ticket.
Those of us who have been watching GH for years will remember that Sonny once sent Roy DeLuca down to Miami to run his \u201cbusinesses\u201d down in that part of the country. There\u2019s also Sonny\u2019s island, casino and Puerto Rico operations. The idea that the piers in PC are central to running a crime organization doesn\u2019t hold up anymore. Plus, Port Charles has a large waterfront and there are plenty of piers that Sonny doesn\u2019t own, not to mention that there is no shortage of waterfront property on the Great Lakes. — JDF<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michael returns!<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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this is gonna be soo good<\/p>— Anastasia Steele #KillyStrong #KillySquad (@Anna_StasiaST) May 23, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote>