{"id":5131,"date":"2026-07-18T00:29:34","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T04:29:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/danjkroll.com\/blog\/?p=5131"},"modified":"2026-07-18T07:02:27","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T11:02:27","slug":"general-hospital-commentary-the-way-we-were","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/danjkroll.com\/blog\/general-hospital-commentary-the-way-we-were\/","title":{"rendered":"General Hospital Commentary: The Way We Were"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
It was a big week on General Hospital<\/em> as our beloved soap celebrated it’s 16,000th episode, Jason returned, Portia gave birth — and made history — and James learned the truth about Cassius.<\/strong> Let’s get into that and much more in an all-new General Hospital<\/em> commentary for the week ending July 17, 2026.<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

It was another banner week for General Hospital<\/em>. The writers have been busy, and we are reaping the rewards. Let’s kick things off with Stone Cold, who quietly returned to the family fold and our television screens in time to mark a very special milestone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here And Gone<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jason returned with a 1,000-yard stare and a hunky new doctor with a charming accent. More on Doc Roberts later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After landing in Port Charles, Jason beelined to the Quartermaine mansion where he reunited with Danny. Danny went from kicking rocks and grumbling about Rocco to absolute elation in the span of seconds when he saw Jason standing at the boathouse looking out over the lake. If that wasn’t enough to send Danny over the moon, Jason revealed that he wanted to take Danny on a father-son bonding trip. I’m surprised Danny didn’t pinch himself to see if he was dreaming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clearing The Air<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

But before hitting the road (or jetting off on a plane) father and son had a little heart-to-heart talk about Jason’s choices. Danny made it clear that he resented Jason putting Rocco first, so Jason explained that it had been necessary. Jason revealed that Rocco had saved Jason (and likely Britt) by shooting Cullum, but the teen had been in shock afterwards, so decisions were made for<\/em> Rocco not by him. I appreciate that Jason set Danny straight about the situation. It really bothered me that Danny made Rocco the villain, without fully understanding the situation that Rocco was in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I know Danny just needed someone to blame and lash out at — and Rocco was an easy target — but it didn’t make it okay. Danny trying to throw Rocco under the bus had been the wrong thing to do. But I totally get Danny asking his father if Jason had ever considered how Jason’s decision might affect Danny who had already lost a parent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hard Truth<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Jason was honest. He explained that it had been the right choice to protect Rocco because Cullum likely would have shipped Rocco to the same prison in Jakarta where Jason had ended up. Jason assured Danny that it was no place for Danny’s teenage brother. If Danny had had any doubts about that, Jason’s battered face attested to the torture that Jason had endured. But Jason recognized that despite his good intentions, he hadn’t put his son first. Not in a long time. Jason vowed to rectify that starting with their little getaway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s a good start. However, when Jason and Danny get back, I really do hope Jason considers sending Danny to therapy. He’s had a lot to deal with in his young life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My Two Sons<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I think it’s time for Jake to return home too. Jason has two sons, and I would love to see him put the same energy into his relationship with Jake as he intends to with Danny. Danny would greatly benefit from having his older brother around because no one more than Jake can understand what it’s like to have larger-than-life father like Jason. Nothing against Rocco, but Rocco is going through his own nightmare. Frankly, Rocco could benefit from therapy too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jake is a young man so his relationship with Jason is more complex. Unlike Danny who hero-worships Jason, Jake has a more practical view of things. As I’ve said before, Jake is more like Jason in temperament than Danny is. Jake has always been more reserved and controlled, tending to observe and think things through. Danger is drawn to him, not the other way around. Danny is all Sam; passionate and impulsive. Danny is drawn to danger like a moth to a flame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Changed Jason<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I have no doubt that Jason’s imprisonment has changed him. There was a time when Jason’s first stop would have been Sonny’s or Carly’s place. I suspect Tracy was thinking the same thing when she rushed down to the boathouse upon hearing from Yuri that Jason was home. She beamed with pride when Jason told her about his plans with Danny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the way, what a delightfully sweet scene Jason and Tracy’s reunion was. I especially loved the hug between them at the end. I pictured every single Quartermaine was smiling down on them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is Jason finally ready for retirement? If he intends to start putting Danny first, then that would be a big step in the right direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Way We Were<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Josslyn sent Valentin to Anna’s place hoping to reignite the spark of romance between the ex-lovers. Even Brennan thought it was a genius idea. But was it? I don’t think so. If anything, I saw two people who are further apart more than ever. Valentin and Anna are in different places in life. Their scenes reminded me of the movie The Way We Were<\/em>. At the end, Katie spots Hubble across the street. The two exes, who haven’t seen each other in years, are surprised to see each other and spend a few poignant moments catching up, but it’s bittersweet. The love is still there, but not the romance. Each has moved on. That’s how I see Valentin and Anna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ghosts of Anna’s Past<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Anna is very much haunted by the ghosts of her past, chief of which is Peter August. Why Peter is haunting her isn’t clear, since it was the pretend ghost of Cesar Faison that was torturing her. The knowledge that she was held prisoner at Wyndemere and was tricked by Cullum into believing that Faison was alive didn’t seem to help. At. All. Peter continues to linger, and he’s talking about Anna’s “mission.” Sadly, I suspect that things will get worse for Anna before they get better. I don’t see Anna reaching out to Valentin for help. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A New Romance<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Even if Valentin didn’t have eyes for Carly, I seriously doubt that he would bring Anna back into Charlotte’s life after Anna shot Charlotte. Charlotte and Anna might have made peace with all of that, but that was possible in large part because Anna was no longer a part of Charlotte’s everyday life. Valentin wouldn’t want his daughter to have to see a constant reminder of that dark time, especially now that he’s making plans to get his hands back on Spoon Island. Soon, the castle and stables will be restored to their former gothic glory! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the happiest Charlotte has been since the last time she lived at Wyndemere with her father. Anna doesn’t fit into the picture at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Public Enemy Number One<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Valentin’s return doesn’t bode well for Lulu. Lulu knows that she’s not Charlotte’s favorite parent right now, and Lulu is in for an even bigger surprise when she learns about Charlotte’s plans to live Papa Valentin. I don’t blame Charlotte. Not only has Wyndemere been her home far longer than any place she lived in with Lulu, but Charlotte will have easy access to the stables and her beloved horse Butterscotch. On top of that, Valentin is by far the more lenient and indulgent parent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don’t think Lulu comes from a bad place with all her rules and boundaries, but I do think she mistakes those things for good parenting. Charlotte was right when she accused Lulu of treating her like a child. Lulu does the same with Rocco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do Charlotte and Rocco need some firm boundaries? Absolutely, but Charlotte is 16 and Rocco isn’t much younger. In less than two years Charlotte will be an adult. As much as Lulu hates it, she has to loosen up and start listening more. Maybe if she does, they will feel more comfortable turning to their mother when they are troubled or need help. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Labor of Love<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jordan paid Portia a visit to see if Portia would be interested in deescalating things between Curtis and Isaiah, but Portia quickly nixed the idea. Jordan accused Portia of fueling the animosity between the two men to punish Curtis for getting back together with Jordan. Portia didn’t deny it, but she did hop on the Hypocrite Express and insisted that Curtis needed to be held accountable for his actions. \ud83d\ude02\ud83e\udd23\ud83d\ude02<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rich from the woman who literally got away with giving a comatose patient under her care a high-risk treatment — without consent — so that he could wake up and help clear her daughter’s name in court, and who conspired to illegally obtain Ketamine and drug a sitting United States Congressman. Portia is the last person who should be preaching about accountability. She should have lost her medical license and gone to jail for what she’s done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Special Delivery<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

After Jordan left, Portia fell to her knees with a painful contraction. It knocked the wind out of her, and she was unable to reach the phone as the contractions kept coming. Luckily for Portia, Jordan returned. Jordan was initially horrified at the prospect of helping Portia deliver the baby, but the women put aside their differences and worked together. I love stuff like that. I really do. A few minutes later, a beautiful baby boy was born. The first baby born to two Black parents in General Hospital’s<\/em> history. I love that both Brook Kerr and Tanisha Harper got to be a part of smashing that glass ceiling. It was wonderful and special and poignant all at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The last Black baby to be born on the show was Tom Hardy Jr in 1989, but Tommy’s father was white. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Will Jordan and Portia become friends? I don’t know. I would love if that moment bonded them. However, it’s a soap, so the odds are not good. A few people have been curious about why Jordan happened to be at Portia’s house right before the unexpected birth, but both Jordan and Portia have avoided sharing the details of what led up to Portia going into labor. It will be interesting to see where things go from here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drew Makes His Move<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Okay, so based solely on the death glare that Drew continues to shoot like lasers at Willow, I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that Dark Drew is firmly in the driver’s seat and intends to go scorched earth on his wifey-pooh the minute he’s out of that chair. Sigh<\/em>. I hate that man, and it’s been so nice not having to watch Dark Drew’s a$$holery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During Wednesday’s (July 15) episode, Drew managed to raise his finger to his lips when Wiley and a newly-SORASed (Sopa Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome) Amelia saw Drew moving. It as sooo <\/em>creepy. Poor Wiley and Amelia. I hate that they continue to be the innocent victims of their mother’s awful choices. Her downfall can’t happen soon enough. Nina’s too!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ride or Die<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Nina is standing by Willow, regardless of the cost. She assured Brennan that there was nothing she wouldn’t do for poor unfortunate Killow, who has endured unspeakable traumas. True. Willow was groomed in a cult by her own mother (Harmony). Willow was drugged and preyed upon by a man who seduced all of his chosen disciples. When she got pregnant, she escaped and started a new life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, I recall Willow from her early days after leaving Dawn of Day. She talked to Chase and Michael on separate occasions about her early life before DOD. She loved her parents and they loved her. It wasn’t until Shiloh entered their lives that things turned ugly and dangerous. Contrary to what Nina believes, Willow knew love and happiness as a child. Once she left DOD, we saw a woman who went to therapy and was rebuilding her life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Things seemed to change for Willow back when she was diagnosed with cancer. That’s when the lies began.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bad Seed<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Nelle was just a bad seed. Frank Benson was a rotten man, but Nelle loved him and believed his lies about Carly. I believe that Nelle was bad from the start. She felt entitled to things that she wasn’t, and she was willing to kill to get it. Everything that Nelle said and did was to further her own twisted agenda. No amount of loving or therapy could have saved Nelle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I seriously doubt that Nina’s presence in Willow’s and Nelle’s early lives would have made a difference because Nina herself has always struggled with her mental health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nature Vs Nurture<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I’ve discussed this before, but I think it bears repeating — Madeline and Liesl have some serious mental health issues in their family line. I’m not a psychiatrist, but I imagine a real one would have a field day with the Westbourne clan. Except for Nathan and James, every single Westbourne has committed crimes up to and including attempted murder. Several have a racked up a body count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even before the coma, Madeline often spoke of Nina’s fragile mental state, hinting at deep and profound bouts of depression and impulsive behavior. One of those impulsive decisions Nina made was to marry Silas Clay in college. Madeline herself was prone to violence, drugging Nina with an overdose of Nina’s anti-depressant medication to induce a miscarriage. It didn’t, but I would bet dollars to donuts that the toxic levels of medication had had an impact on the development of Nina’s unborn twins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nina’s insistence she doesn’t care what price she pays promises that our General Hospital <\/em>writers have plans for Nina. I look forward to Nina’s downfall too because ever since Nina found out that Willow nearly killed Drew, she’s been complicit. I hope Michael makes sure that Willow nor Nina ever lay eyes on Wiley and Amelia again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

General Hospital’s<\/em> Sweet 16,000<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It continues to amaze me that General Hospital<\/em> has been on the air longer than I have been on this earth. Monday, July 13, 2026 marked the show’s 16,000th episode. Unfortunately, I had to work that day, so I didn’t get to watch the episode until 8pm that night. But Tamilu shared her thoughts with me because that’s what we do. \ud83d\ude01<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I thought today’s episode was a bit anti-climactic after the last couple of weeks. I think I was expecting a bigger bang for the 16,000th episode,” Tamilu messaged me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Great Expectations <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Was it as eventful as the previous episodes? No, but I didn’t expect it to be. What I expected\/hoped was one or two flashbacks, perhaps the original opening of the show or someone paging “Dr. Hardy” over the intercom. Something that was fitting of such a special milestone. How cool would it have been if the show had opened with Elizabeth, Tracy, and Laura standing at the memorial wall as they reminisced about their loved ones, many of whom are pictured on that wall? Viewers love that kind of stuff. I didn’t expect big, but I wanted more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We’ve lost so many dear faces in recent years, so it would have been a nice way to acknowledge them in some way during this momentous episode. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sweet 16,000<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

But it was a good episode. I enjoyed Elizabeth reminding Tracy that Elizabeth’s grandfather — Dr. Hardy — was General Hospital’s first Chief of Internal Medicine, and that her grandmother Audrey always had words of wisdom. The little Easter eggs acknowledging that it was the 16,000th episode were fun too. 16 board members though made me chuckle because that’s a lot of people to wrangle. They are definitely going to need a bigger board room. \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overall, I agree with Tamilu. It wasn’t as exciting as recent episodes, but it was nice. I give it a C+<\/p>\n\n\n\n

General Hospital’s New Resident Heart Surgeon<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

That brings me to the arrival of General Hospital’s new resident heart surgeon, Dr. Tristan Roberts played by Dean Geyer. Obviously, a nod to our beloved Tristan Rogers (Robert Scorpio) who passed away in August 2025. Whether Dr. Tristan is a good guy or a bad guy remains to be seen. What we do know is that he flew to Port Charles with Jason. Tristan also mentioned that he had kept his promise to get Jason home, and he had made arrangements for Jason to leave the airport when they landed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does Tristan work for the WSB? At the very least, I believe he’s a liaison. Jason had only been released from his prison the day before his fight, so he appears to have been handed off to Tristan. The fact that Tristan was hired by General Hospital can’t possibly be random. Nothing is ever random on soaps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plus, there’s Brennan’s missing black box, which a mystery person had retrieved from the bowels of Wyndemere. Was it Tristan? Without that black box, Willow doesn’t have the evidence against Drew to silence him. I can’t wait to see what happens next week.<\/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

Songbird<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Did anyone else get the feeling that the record producer was more interested in Gio than in Trina, but he quickly realized that he needed Trina to get Gio? I hate this whole storyline. What happened to Trina’s love of art? It just went poof. I don’t know much about the music industry, but I do know what I like. Those boring ballads that Tabyana Ali is stuck singing are awful and I feel like they are doing a disservice to Tabyana’s talent and this storyline. Trina never mentioned her love for singing, much less shared that she had dreams of becoming a singer. All of it feels forced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, Giovanni Mazza is a violinist. Stop sticking a guitar in his hands. Yes, he can play the guitar beautifully, but he’s a violinist. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Code Word: Popcorn<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I enjoyed the scene between Trina and Josslyn when Trina paid Josslyn a visit in the hospital. Trina was shocked when Josslyn revealed that Josslyn was a WSB Agent, but Trina felt better after Josslyn promised to use the code word “popcorn” whenever Josslyn needed Trina to change the subject without questions. Movie nights will be tricky for these two. \ud83c\udf7f<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back From The Dead<\/s> WSB<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I get a strong sense that Cassius will be back in Port Charles sooner rather than later. There’s so much unfinished business for him. Also, it’s incredibly cruel to let Liesl suffer like this. She’s already lost a son so she shouldn’t have to grieve two. Josslyn’s guilt at the end of Thursday’s (July 16) episode when she apologized for having to lie about Cassius killing Cullum was the most emotion that I’ve seen her show since she woke up from surgery. It has to mean something, especially since the writers set Cassius up to become a WSB agent. (A twist I heartily approve of)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

O My Oma<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

James was temporarily recast with Easton Winn just in time for Cody to break the news that James’ newly back-from-the-dead dad was really Nathan’s identical twin brother Cassius. For whatever reason, the powers that be at General Hospital <\/em>decided it was necessary to do it at that moment. They were wrong. They missed a huge opportunity. I would have wept buckets had it been Gary James Fuller in that stable with Cody. Nothing against Easton, he did a fine job, but the recast was jarring, especially since the scene could have waited until Gary was available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And it’s getting really weird that Maxie, Spinelli, Georgie, and Bailey Lou continue to be out of town when James is going through all of this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Britt’s Walk of Shame<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Britt had a tough week. She has no money and nowhere to go. Carly tossed Britt’s belongings out and rented the room above Bobbie’s to the new doctor in town. Rather than be remorseful for lying to everyone, Britt is salty because no one seems to appreciate that she’d been lied to and manipulated by Cullum for years. Lucas had to actually explain to her that Marcus had died helping Britt, but it had all been for nothing because Britt’s “medication” had been a saline solution. She was like, ‘So?’ Her whole conversation with Lucas infuriated me. She’s so narcissistic and entitled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Britt knows that she did wrong, but she resents having to face the consequences for those actions. It’s not a nice look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What General Hospital<\/em> Viewers Are Saying<\/h2>\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

The Good, The Bad, And The Inbetween<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

“I\u2019m surprised at how fast Chase was able to realize that Brook Lynn was the one who set up Willow. Then again, when you investigate properly and actually pay attention to the evidence before you instead of making baseless assumptions like he\u2019s done with Michael and Tracy, it\u2019s not that hard to make an accurate deduction.”  — Kam<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The truth is Curtis has been itching to hit Isaiah ever since he found out he\u2019d been sleeping with Portia and could have been the baby\u2019s father. I don\u2019t see any legal justification for what Curtis did to Isaiah, but this IS a soap so Curtis will probably get off with probation.” — SFan<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
It’s A Jungle Out There (Anna’s wallpaper)<\/h6>\n\n\n\n
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Before You Check Out<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Know who else is back? Soap Central founder Dan J Kroll with a new Beyond the Gates column and podcast<\/a><\/strong>. This week he uses his Daytime Emmy expertise to break down Beyond the Gates’ historic 15 nominations. Plus, of course, he dishes all of the Fairmont Crest action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Happy viewing!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Liz<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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