{"id":3623,"date":"2025-11-27T09:07:55","date_gmt":"2025-11-27T14:07:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/danjkroll.com\/blog\/?p=3623"},"modified":"2025-11-29T15:14:05","modified_gmt":"2025-11-29T20:14:05","slug":"general-hospital-commentary-family-traditions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/danjkroll.com\/blog\/general-hospital-commentary-family-traditions\/","title":{"rendered":"General Hospital Commentary: Family traditions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
As family and friends prepare to gather and celebrate Thanksgiving in Port Charles, trouble abounds. Will Portia be forced to provide an alibi for the night of Drew\u2019s shooting? Can Drew and Willow\u2019s marriage give her the edge she needs in court? Let\u2019s discuss that \u2013 and give thanks \u2013 in a deliciously soapy General Hospital<\/em> commentary for the week ending November 26, 2025.<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

I didn\u2019t always celebrate Thanksgiving \u2013 I explain why in a special column<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 but I\u2018ve grown to love the holiday. What\u2019s not to enjoy? Good food, family, and a time to give thanks for all the blessings in one\u2019s life. It\u2019s also a holiday rife with tradition. In this household, one of those traditions is watching General Hospital\u2019s <\/em>annual Quartermaine Thanksgiving hijinks. Unfortunately, I will have to wait until Monday for that. Boo<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quartermaine family tradition<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

“First we sing, then we eat,” Edward Quartermaine would say before leading his family in a heartfelt chorus of We Gather Together<\/em> every Thanksgiving. It’s a time-honored tradition that continues to this day, but it’s also a reminder of those we have lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year, viewers said goodbye to Monica, the beloved matriarch of the Quartermaine family. She passed away peacefully in her sleep. It was a quiet end to a long and colorful life. Her house was filled with loving family members living in, ahem, relative harmony under her roof. She loved them all and they loved her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m thankful that the writers crafted a storyline that was befitting Monica. It lasted more than a few episodes and allowed soap legend Erika Slezak to grace our screens as Monica\u2019s sister, Ronnie Bard. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leslie Charleson was an amazing actress who gave us decades of powerful performances during her run on General Hospital<\/em>. She will be deeply missed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A new matriarch<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Now, Tracy has taken the reins that Monica has passed to her. But instead of basking in Monica\u2019s generosity, and the fact that she knew Monica better than anyone else, Tracy jetted off for a little trip. Sadly, poor Ned had a massive heart attack during her absence. A \u201cwidow maker\u201d that nearly killed him. Did anyone bother to tell Tracy? Nope. They kept it from her so she could enjoy her little sojourn. What?!?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If my family did that to me, I\u2019d be livid. Tracy needs to teach her family the true definition of family loyalty because this batch of Qs is painfully lacking. First, they didn\u2019t listen when Tracy warned them that something was off with Monica\u2019s will and now, they are keeping her in the dark about her son. Shame on them. Don’t even get me started on how they all think Michael is a cold-blooded killer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back to Thanksgiving at the Qs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A family tradition<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Will Tracy return in time to enjoy pizza with the family on Thanksgiving? I hope so. Chase might be hopeful that his new recipe will somehow break the holiday curse, but I\u2019m counting on the writers giving us another entertaining series of unfortunate events that ends with the Quartermaines bonding over pizza. Tracy can be mad at the family after pizza. Monica wouldn\u2019t have it any other way. \ud83d\ude09 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Corinthos Clan<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Corinthos clan continues to grow. This year, the addition was Sonny\u2019s long lost grandson, Gio. Sonny has been open, welcoming, and supportive of Gio who had his world rocked during the Nurses Ball when he learned that Brook Lynn and Dante were his biological parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dante has been an ass. He\u2019s been unfairly putting all of Rocco\u2019s poor choices on Gio’s young shoulders, reinforcing time and again that Rocco is the favored son, not Gio. Never Gio. However, being Dante\u2019s son isn\u2019t all sunshine and butterflies. Just ask Rocco. There was a time when Dante was completely checked out of Rocco\u2019s life because Dante was off fighting bad guys for the WSB.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Papa don\u2019t preach<\/strong> <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

More than anything, I want Dante to get his act together and to start building a real relationship with his eldest son. I love Rocco, but Dante mollycoddles his youngest. Rocco isn\u2019t a bad kid, but he\u2019s never going to learn from his mistakes if daddy keeps cleaning up his messes and blaming others for Rocco\u2019s transgressions. Dante is lucky to have Gio for a son, so I\u2019d like to see Dante recognize that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gio works hard, he\u2019s a gifted violinist, and he\u2019s incredibly kind. Big deal he went to a college frat party. What kid his age hasn\u2019t? It wasn\u2019t his job to make sure Rocco made good choices, but he took action when he realized that Rocco hadn\u2019t. Yes, Gio asked the kids to help create a distraction so he and Emma could sneak into Dalton’s lab, but that’s a far cry from enlisting the kids to do what they ultimately took upon themselves to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gio is a wonderful young man, and Giovanni Mazza has grown to be quite a fine actor. I\u2019m thankful for this addition to the Corinthos family and General Hospital<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Davis Gang<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Two out of three Davis girls might spend next Thanksgiving in jail. Alexis hoped to cover-up an attempted murder and engaged in a bit of embezzlement from her great-nephew\u2019s trust fund. She paid most of it back, but there is a paper trail if anyone digs deep enough. Ric might be slick, but he\u2019s not a magician.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, Kristina tried to kill Ava by tampering with Ric\u2019s brake line (the aforementioned attempted murder), which nearly claimed the life of two people. She caught a lucky break when Liz agreed to keep Kristina\u2019s secret, but Kristina and Alexis\u2019 little crime spree didn\u2019t end there. Alexis and Kristina joined forces with Ava Jerome, knocked out Ric and kept him drugged and captive for a month. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Molly is not going to be happy when the truth comes out. And it will. This is a soap opera and Cody is falling for Molly, which means he\u2019s likely going to be burdened with a guilty conscience. Also, our General Hospital<\/em> writers love ruining good things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nice things<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Initially, I wasn\u2019t a fan of a romantic pairing between Molly and Cody. Cody is much older than Molly, and he\u2019s messy. Whenever Cody is faced with a choice, he inevitably makes the wrong one. It\u2019s how he ended up covering for Alexis and Kristina when he stumbled upon Ric locked in the basement of Alexis\u2019 house. Cody became a reluctant accomplice when the ladies convinced Ric that it would be best to keep his lips zipped since he committed crimes too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m thankful that \u2013 for now at least \u2013 everyone has retreated to their corners and is making an effort to get along for Molly\u2019s sake. But it won\u2019t last. Molly is surrounded by a pack of compulsive liars who can\u2019t seem to stay out of trouble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Collins Homestead<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Laura\u2019s family keeps getting smaller. Kevin has vanished (a trip to Dublin, Ireland), Lucky is off adventuring, Nikolas is in jail, and Ace is but a name these days. Yes, there\u2019s Lulu, her children, and Martin, but that makes for a small family gathering this year at the supper table. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

General Hospital<\/em> needs to bring Nikolas home. It really irks me that he\u2019s rotting away in jail for a crime against a woman who didn\u2019t pay for any of her crimes, including the murder of Nikolas\u2019 firstborn. That\u2019s not justice. It\u2019s a travesty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh brother, where art thou?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Ideally, the powers that be will bring both Nikolas and Spencer home. No one believes that Spencer is actually dead anyway. We need them to return and evict Sidwell from Wyndemere and Spoon Island. It\u2019s so wrong to see anyone other than a Cassadine living in that castle. Also, I hate what Sidwell has done with the place. It\u2019s a gothic castle in New York, not a luxury villa in the Serengeti.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Laura is a General Hospital<\/em> icon and the heart-and-soul of the show. Her family should reflect her legacy. At least she won the mayoral election. I\u2019m thankful for that because I can\u2019t imagine anyone except Laura watching over Port Charles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Robinson-Ashford Family<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Portia has a bun in the oven \u2013 but it\u2019s not in the kitchen. Who helped her cook up the little delight? We will have to stay tuned, but it’s going to be interesting to watch. This is soapy gold. Kudos to the writers because they\u2019ve set everything up perfectly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Portia and Curtis\u2019 marriage has been in shambles for the better part of a year largely due to Portia\u2019s lies and secrets, and Curtis\u2019 impossible standards. Things are only going to get worse in the very near future if Alexis has anything to say about it. Willow needs a scapegoat to get out of those pesky charges for shooting Drew in the back \u2013 twice \u2013 and Portia had plenty of motive to want Drew dead. He\u2019d been blackmailing her with information that could land her in jail. Nina shared this bit of information with Sonny who went straight to Alexis with it. Soap opera telephone at its finest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh, and let us not forget that Portia was also involved in Drew’s Ketamine scandal over the summer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The blame game<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Portia likes to blame Curtis\u2019 rekindled feelings for Jordan for the breakdown of their marriage, but we all have eyes. It was Portia\u2019s inability to trust her husband, her poor choices, the blackmail, the ill-fated plot with Nina, and now her secret affair with a co-worker that doomed her marriage and has made a reconciliation nearly impossible. But wait, the worst is yet to come because Portia has no idea if Curtis or Isaiah is the baby\u2019s father. On top of that, she hasn\u2019t even told Isaiah about the baby. For that matter, she hasn\u2019t told Trina either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A daughter\u2019s love <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Thankfully, Trina has a good heart and she\u2019s fiercely loyal. She’ll be upset, but she will forgive her mother. Trina loves her, which is why Trina and Kai got their hands on the evidence that Drew had been using against Portia and they destroyed it. Unfortunately, they also happened to be unwitting witnesses to Drew\u2019s shooting. We have some juicy scenes ahead because it feels like General Hospital<\/em> is ready to wrap this storyline up. I\u2019m certain that Trina and Kai will be the key to unmasking the shooter, and that Scout\u2019s phone call that fateful night will play a crucial role in the revelation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve long suspected that Willow has the same ringtone for Scout that Drew has, and that Scout was calling Willow — not Drew — when those shots rang out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Cains, party of two<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

That brings me to the two turkeys of Port Charles: Drew and Willow. The detestable duo who have decided to get hitched on Thanksgiving. \ud83e\udd22<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drew convinced Willow that getting married would improve her chances in court when she went to trial for attempting to kill him, and with the family court judge. Drew has yet to be right about anything he\u2019s promised Willow, but did that give her pause? Absolutely not. She let him slide on Lila’s ring — the same engagement ring that Michael gave her — and ran over to General Hospital to ask Liz to be her maid of honor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Side note: I loved the look of pure shock on Chase’s face when Michael dropped that little bombshell on him. Clearly, Michael hit a nerve when he said that Chase didn’t know Willow as well as he thinks. How right Michael is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later, Drew bragged to Martin that he would stop at nothing to punish those who had wronged him even if it meant falsely accusing an innocent man of murder. How does a man fall this far from grace? Even Laura wondered that when Drew recently paid her visit in her office. Please, dear writers, address this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m thankful that Drew\u2019s shooting seems on the verge of being resolved because I\u2019m certain that it will once again tear him and Willow apart. Hopefully for good. Anytime Drew and Willow lose is a boon for viewers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Port Charles Potpourri<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Some quick thoughts about other things going on in and around Port Charles.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s odd that no one is questioning Anna\u2019s recent disappearing act. Why would Anna leave Jack a message, but not Emma? Emma actually lives with Anna. Also, what happened to the voicemail message that Anna left before she was abducted?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I didn\u2019t really need another reason to despise Sidwell, but learning that he arranged for Rocco\u2019s beatdown in juvie just made me hope that when his downfall comes, someone ends his miserable life. Steinmauer is too good for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Justine Turner does not impress me. Who raises criminal charges against a minor who has never been in trouble with the law before without any real evidence? Shame on her. Robert would have never filed charges until a full investigation had been completed. Justine filed them before the police even went to the lab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nathan is too good to be true. It makes me suspicious. Why isn\u2019t he questioning \u2013 and investigating \u2013 what happened to him for the past five years? Is it because Nathan knows exactly where he\u2019s been and what he\u2019s been up to? Also, why hasn\u2019t he visited the love of his life, Maxie?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Will Drew face any repercussions for walking away while Ned suffered a heart attack and collapsed? I hope so. Surely, Bobbie\u2019s has a security camera covering the front door and courtyard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What General Hospital Viewers Are Saying<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s at the bottom of this (and every) column.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few blessings<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

(21) SAZ on X: “@LizMastersSC Emma and Gio. It\u2019s nice to see a couple who actually cares about one another in a sweet manner. I\u2019d like to hear him play the violin again.” \/ X<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(21) TAKES2FIRSTNAMES on X: “@LizMastersSC I\u2019m thankful that over the last several weeks, #GH FINALLY began handing Drew losses\u2026 (not enough though)” \/ X<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jane Elliot as the feisty, sarcastic, funny, always "family first" Tracy Quartermaine. She makes every scene she's in a delight.<\/p>— (@varanger.bsky.social)<\/a> 2025-11-26T21:24:38.662Z<\/a><\/blockquote>