General Hospital Watching General Hospital

[Emelee]

Will Dante be recast?

Not likely. He'll wake up soon enough, when it's time to reveal that Jason is innocent of shooting him.

 

[Daniel Avery]

It is strange that the real shooter (Hamish, I think Jason called him) just sort of disappeared in the midst of the gunfire. If Jason dumped him in the harbor, you'd think the body would've washed up somewhere. If he managed to get away, then they have even bigger problems because he'd still be out to finish the job.

If Alexis gets back into law (and I hope she will), I think she ought to have to defend a client against ADA Molly...just because I think the NuNuNuMolly does a very convincing job as an attorney and it would be entertaining to watch Alexis get frustrated by how good her daughter is.

Willow is quickly becoming a mob asset. She's nursing Jason, stealing hospital supplies and drugs to help him, and of course not telling the cops where he is. The longer she stays married to Michael, the deeper she gets and the more she doesn't even notice how she is compromising her principles.

 

[Daniel Avery]

Now I'm thinking it's Deception, rather than The Invader, that is living on borrowed time. Or maybe both of them are on their way out.

The daily bickering of the Deception ladies has always been annoying---giving the impression that women in business together can't be...well, business-like. Now with Lucy dialing up the bitchiness to 11, Brook Lynn re-thinking her plan to steal the company out from under Tracy to give to Maxie, Sasha deciding to quit....and Maxie seems to have had it up to here with Lucy....I think they're going to go their separate ways. The show could have Sasha and Cody finally declare their love and leave town together; Tracy never needed the money; BL can focus on bride stuff and then music full time; and of course I have a great plan for Maxie.

I think Drew is toying with Nina by offering to reinstate her at Crimson (like Lucy pulling the football away from Charlie Brown). Rather than watch Nina get humiliated by Drew again, Nina could suggest to Drew that he hire Maxie to helm Crimson, and Nina can decide to move on with her life. That way, if Drew's real plan is to sabotage Crimson and make it look like the failure of the magazine is Nina's fault, he will have to scuttle the plan because he has no beef with Maxie. Everyone would win: Maxie would get away from impossibly annoying Lucy and make a lot more money doing what she's best at. Drew's company would still make lots of money. Nina can move on to other projects and relationships (Valentin?) and start fresh, knowing that "her baby" is in the best hands. Nina and Drew would never need to interact again, and Drew might not be eaten alive with his need for revenge.

We can assume that the total moratorium on Sonny/Nina scenes (or even the mention of them as a couple) means the new writers have no interest in reuniting them, though the witty banter she shared with Drew indicated that the new writers acknowledge that the characters are (were?) using her as the town punching bag a bit too much. Acknowledging that over-use via dialogue can be seen as the writers indicating they're going to dial that back somewhat. I still think Nina is not served best at The Invader (especially as its "only employee") and we have yet to see how they plan to use the MetroCourt as a work setting. Also, the similar moratorium on Nina/Carly scenes gives me hope that they've also decided to end the Granny Wars once and for all.

Edited to add: So Jason claims he's doing all this because someone (I'll assume John/Jagger and the FBI) are holding something over his head. Jason would not care if they want to send him to jail, but would do anything out of loyalty to Sonny, Carly, Michael. etc. Back when Michael hired Dex to collect info on Sonny to 'bring him down', they had a thumb-drive containing some incriminating information on Sonny. They made a big deal about Carly being shocked when she discovered its existence, and insisting it be destroyed. I think we saw her stomp on it and break it or something. I think the feds might have gotten a copy of it somehow or reconstructed it and is threatening Jason with it, since it would not only throw Sonny into jail, but also Michael (who paid to have it collected) and Carly (who sought to destroy it). They've kept Dex around only because he's the only person who can corroborate how it was collected and what the others did to get rid of it.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Now I'm thinking it's Deception, rather than The Invader, that is living on borrowed time. Or maybe both of them are on their way out.

The daily bickering of the Deception ladies has always been annoying---giving the impression that women in business together can't be...well, business-like. Now with Lucy dialing up the bitchiness to 11, Brook Lynn re-thinking her plan to steal the company out from under Tracy to give to Maxie, Sasha deciding to quit....and Maxie seems to have had it up to here with Lucy....I think they're going to go their separate ways. The show could have Sasha and Cody finally declare their love and leave town together; Tracy never needed the money; BL can focus on bride stuff and then music full time; and of course I have a great plan for Maxie.

I think Drew is toying with Nina by offering to reinstate her at Crimson (like Lucy pulling the football away from Charlie Brown). Rather than watch Nina get humiliated by Drew again, Nina could suggest to Drew that he hire Maxie to helm Crimson, and Nina can decide to move on with her life. That way, if Drew's real plan is to sabotage Crimson and make it look like the failure of the magazine is Nina's fault, he will have to scuttle the plan because he has no beef with Maxie. Everyone would win: Maxie would get away from impossibly annoying Lucy and make a lot more money doing what she's best at. Drew's company would still make lots of money. Nina can move on to other projects and relationships (Valentin?) and start fresh, knowing that "her baby" is in the best hands. Nina and Drew would never need to interact again, and Drew might not be eaten alive with his need for revenge.

We can assume that the total moratorium on Sonny/Nina scenes (or even the mention of them as a couple) means the new writers have no interest in reuniting them, though the witty banter she shared with Drew indicated that the new writers acknowledge that the characters are (were?) using her as the town punching bag a bit too much. Acknowledging that over-use via dialogue can be seen as the writers indicating they're going to dial that back somewhat. I still think Nina is not served best at The Invader (especially as its "only employee") and we have yet to see how they plan to use the MetroCourt as a work setting. Also, the similar moratorium on Nina/Carly scenes gives me hope that they've also decided to end the Granny Wars once and for all.

Edited to add: So Jason claims he's doing all this because someone (I'll assume John/Jagger and the FBI) are holding something over his head. Jason would not care if they want to send him to jail, but would do anything out of loyalty to Sonny, Carly, Michael. etc. Back when Michael hired Dex to collect info on Sonny to 'bring him down', they had a thumb-drive containing some incriminating information on Sonny. They made a big deal about Carly being shocked when she discovered its existence, and insisting it be destroyed. I think we saw her stomp on it and break it or something. I think the feds might have gotten a copy of it somehow or reconstructed it and is threatening Jason with it, since it would not only throw Sonny into jail, but also Michael (who paid to have it collected) and Carly (who sought to destroy it). They've kept Dex around only because he's the only person who can corroborate how it was collected and what the others did to get rid of it.

I don't think the issues at the company are gender specific. When control/profitability/egos/agendas are present, both genders would act similarly.
Drew manipulating Nina is interesting, and it would be more consistent with Drew's new edgier personality.
Nina is OK with a gossip columnist mentioning Diane's representation of Sonny, but not a major news story that includes Sonny?
Not a NLG/Alexis fan, but Nina would deserve whatever Alexis does.
Heather becoming sane as a result of an operation? Same as Franco.
The Laura?heather scenes are interesting. They would be about the same age, and I don't recall them
interacting back in the day.
Robin Mattson was great, bur Alley Mills is doing a superb job as well.
Blaze as the new face? It was evident when Sasha left.
Keep Eva LaRue and pair her with Sonny. Much better than the disgusting pairing with Nina, with no chemistry.

 

[Monzo]

Why does Eva LaRue on GH actually have the same name as on CSI Miami: Natalia?!? The new regime did not disappoint me by showing the viewer during the conversation between Sonny, Kristina and Natalia what a great person Sonny is, who accepts his daughter as she is and then gives advice to a confused mother. It probably says in the GH bible that every new headwriter has to show how great Sonny is within the first few weeks. Otherwise I find the regime pleasant, although I also liked the previous one, so it's not a big leap up in terms of quality for me. The only regime since Guza (which I wasn't a fan of) that I didn't like was the temporary writers during the strike.

 

[xab]

Cobalt poisoning ? Wasn't Heather a victim of her own tricks and drank a nice cup of tea with LSD forty years ago ? This is when she was said to have turned totally insane. But she was manipulative and loony long before. Besides most hip surgeries are done after 60, as late as possible because it shouldn't be done twice. And I hardly notice any difference between pre-surgery and post-surgery Heather... Once a crackpot, always a crackpot...

So Rocco has both his parents in a coma ? Karma is a bitch.

 

[Daniel Avery]

Heather's hip replacement itself is a retcon, which tells me this entire plot development is an effort to explain away the whole killing spree with the hook. Part of me thinks they did this as a subtle way of calling out the previous head writers' decision to make her the Hook Killer in the first place, since many people believed at the time that they had another killer in mind and changed it to Heather mid-story. I hope they are not foolish enough to think this will make everyone forgive and forget all the other stuff. At best, it would undo her more recent "identity" as a serial killer and get her back to the overwrought, unbalanced but mostly harmless nut job that we allowed ourselves to enjoy since she stirred the pot for the other characters. Chris and Dan's decision to make her a bloodthirsty killer with a flimsy motivation was a mistake....I mean, we can only have one character going around emotionlessly killing people in Port Chuckles at a time, and Jason has returned to pick up the title.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Would like to see Jason and Sam reconnect.
Heather will almost surely be freed, same story as Franco.
Nu Heather and Cyrus?
Jeff Kober is such a superb actor. I hope that Cyrus' new outlook is at least partially true,
if it keeps him on the show.
Drew and Nina Noooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!
Nina describes herself as what, the pariah of Port Charles?
Boo Hoo. She did it to herself. She is a lying, selfish hypocrite
Jason as a mercenary? More questions.
If the endgame is Sonny, there is someone else behind it.
Julian Jerome? A Cassadine (Stefan? Victor?) Jennifer Smith?
Not understanding Anna's shift about Sonny. Is she playing possum?
She was a double agent. She certainly knows what Sonny does.

 

[Daniel Avery]

Would like to see Jason and Sam reconnect.

I don't think it's quite what you meant, but I would like to see a "reconnect" between them of a sort. Allow Jason to see Sam and Dante as a devoted, "settled-down" couple raising their blended family of kids, and have Sam be the one to point out that Danny will be much better off without Jason trying this too-little, too-late attempt at bonding with his son in the midst of his latest bloodshed and mayhem. Sam doesn't want Danny to get the impression that Jason's life is "cool" and start hero-worshipping a hired killer...which is obviously quite a turn for Jason's former ride-or-die chick. But she had already started this transition when Jason was last in town (it was the writers' excuse to break up JaSam, since the actors were not getting along to put it politely), so it's not out of left field. The overall goal, though, would be a reality check for Jason, who needs to realize that he's getting too old to be playing Soldier of Fortune. Everyone else in his life (except maybe Sonny) is moving on with their lives and doing other, more rewarding things with their lives while he is stuck in 2005.

It would probably be too much to ask to have Sam and Liz both have a scene with Jason pointing out that they (L&S) have moved on from him and his way of life, that they and the boys have too much to lose by allowing him too far into their lives. Willow's theft of antibiotics from the hospital demonstrated that having him around could have unintended consequences--Liz would have lost her job over it had Michael not gotten Spinelli to hack the computer. If Willow wants to be part of a crime family, that's her choice.....but Liz should not have to take the hit. Liz needs something other than boring ol' Finn in her life, but she certainly would not benefit from getting re-involved in Jason's issues.

 

[Monzo]

In a chemistry test, who actually decides whether it will result in more or not? Presumably they on't just wait weeks and weeks until the episode with Drew and Jordan in the gym airs and what the fan reaction is to the two of them as a couple, so who decides: Frank Valentini? Or do the writers receive the scenes and decide? Or ABC?

The story about the missing medication made me wonder if Elizabeth is actually the head nurse of the entire hospital? Is there no head nurse for a single department but also for the entire hospital?

I really like the explanation about Heather's poisoning, although when it comes to undoing her hook killer murders, you should have just said that she felt completely different after her first Covid vaccination and after the second there was no stopping her and she just had to kill. This obvious explanation would probably have been counterproductive in contrast to Ingo Rademacher's civil lawsuit.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

I don't think it's quite what you meant, but I would like to see a "reconnect" between them of a sort. Allow Jason to see Sam and Dante as a devoted, "settled-down" couple raising their blended family of kids, and have Sam be the one to point out that Danny will be much better off without Jason trying this too-little, too-late attempt at bonding with his son in the midst of his latest bloodshed and mayhem. Sam doesn't want Danny to get the impression that Jason's life is "cool" and start hero-worshipping a hired killer...which is obviously quite a turn for Jason's former ride-or-die chick. But she had already started this transition when Jason was last in town (it was the writers' excuse to break up JaSam, since the actors were not getting along to put it politely), so it's not out of left field. The overall goal, though, would be a reality check for Jason, who needs to realize that he's getting too old to be playing Soldier of Fortune. Everyone else in his life (except maybe Sonny) is moving on with their lives and doing other, more rewarding things with their lives while he is stuck in 2005.

It would probably be too much to ask to have Sam and Liz both have a scene with Jason pointing out that they (L&S) have moved on from him and his way of life, that they and the boys have too much to lose by allowing him too far into their lives. Willow's theft of antibiotics from the hospital demonstrated that having him around could have unintended consequences--Liz would have lost her job over it had Michael not gotten Spinelli to hack the computer. If Willow wants to be part of a crime family, that's her choice.....but Liz should not have to take the hit. Liz needs something other than boring ol' Finn in her life, but she certainly would not benefit from getting re-involved in Jason's issues.

Good points.
I am not a Liz fan, and I do not want to see her with Jason. Granted, she deserves a better story than the boring pairing with Finn.
I also have a problem that Liz was made head nurse, after committing an act that should have had more consequences. Regardless of
her intentions or extenuating circumstances, what she did vis a vis Esme was wrong. Willow should not be held more accountable, if Liz was
not only forgiven, but promoted.

 

[Daniel Avery]

The story about the missing medication made me wonder if Elizabeth is actually the head nurse of the entire hospital? Is there no head nurse for a single department but also for the entire hospital?

She was given the job that Epiphany had held prior to her death, which expanded and contracted as storylines needed. They had referred to Piph as "Lead Nurse" and "Head Nurse" at various times, and though every floor should have a Lead Nurse/Head Nurse-type leader, Piph (and now Liz) was seen on multiple floors doing multiple tasks in a leadership role. When someone was rushed into the ER, she was there. When someone went to surgery, was in the ICU, was in labor...well, you get it. It's similar to how a soap doctor is a master of all things---one day they deliver a baby, the next day they're removing a bullet, and the next episode, they're diagnosing cancer. Since Liz is the only "Head Nurse" around these days (no Piph, no Bobbie) and they don't seem willing to have Terri or Portia doing much as co-Chiefs of Staff, Liz is the only authority figure around there....so she is "authority-ing" all over the place. I've heard them claim Liz is "Head of Nursing Operations" for the Tenth floor, but like I said, her authority expands and contracts as storyline dictates.

you should have just said that she felt completely different after her first Covid vaccination and after the second there was no stopping her and she just had to kill. This obvious explanation would probably have been counterproductive in contrast to Ingo Rademacher's civil lawsuit.

You forget...Covid never happened in Port Chuckles!

 

[Daniel Avery]

The more things change, the more they stay the same (more or less).

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

The writing is getting substantially better, even if some things are a stretch.
Kristina turning against Jason? After what he did to save her, I would think she would be a little more grateful.
Sam turning against Jason - plausible, but given Sam's past, I would think that she would understand that Jason did not
want to involve her, out o genuine love.
Did Tristan Rogers look and sound under the weather, or did I overanalyze it?
Sonny is stronger, edgier and more like a boss again, instead of the unconvincing "Mike" that he had become with that lying, selfish hypocrite

 

[Emelee]

Sam turning against Jason - plausible, but given Sam's past, I would think that she would understand that Jason did not
want to involve her, out o genuine love.

Sam's reaction felt spot on, mainly because of Danny. There's no excuse to let your son think you're dead for years. Jason is a horrible father. Sam has fallen out of love with Jason and can see him for who he is: a gun for hire who puts his work above his family. He may not have shot Dante, but he was there. With the real shooter.

Jake's reaction vs Danny's reaction to Jason was also great. Totally plausible reactions by two different people.

 

[Daniel Avery]

Sonny is stronger, edgier and more like a boss again, instead of the unconvincing "Mike" that he had become with that lying, selfish hypocrite

The lying, selfish hypocrite in question did Sonny and Sonny's family/friends a great favor by demanding that he quit drinking. It made him a better person. So when Ava stood there and said/did nothing as he fixed himself that drink, it said to me that Ava's doing the same thing she did years ago by manipulating him into stopping taking his meds. It ultimately put Sonny into the frame of mind to shoot/kill AJ after promising Michael he would not do it. They then followed up with the infamous sex scene in the Quartermaine crypt. Ava's been swirling around Sonny for weeks and cutting him off from everyone. I love Maura West but I'm not fond of Ava at the moment---not because I particularly want Sonny to reunite with Nina but because I don't want Ava to end up with him, either.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

The lying, selfish hypocrite in question did Sonny and Sonny's family/friends a great favor by demanding that he quit drinking. It made him a better person. So when Ava stood there and said/did nothing as he fixed himself that drink, it said to me that Ava's doing the same thing she did years ago by manipulating him into stopping taking his meds. It ultimately put Sonny into the frame of mind to shoot/kill AJ after promising Michael he would not do it. They then followed up with the infamous sex scene in the Quartermaine crypt. Ava's been swirling around Sonny for weeks and cutting him off from everyone. I love Maura West but I'm not fond of Ava at the moment---not because I particularly want Sonny to reunite with Nina but because I don't want Ava to end up with him, either.

I don't want Sonny with Ava either. She could be Pikeman, for all we know.
I wasn't aware of Sonny ever having a drinking problem. He wouldn't last long in that profession if he did.
Lying, Selfish Hypocrite - I will always describe the character as such
She lied by not revealing Sonny was alive, and effectively withheld Medical Care from him - losing memories indicates mental malfunctions at the very least.
Hypocrite - too many to recount, but blowing the whistle on Carly and Drew - Carly is the Mother of three of Sonny's children and Drew did nothing to her, while ignoring what Sonny does for a living, and how she helped Valentin.
Selfish - everything Nina does is for herself. She mistreats Willow, puts Sonny's family through deep grief, splits them, mistreats and disrespects Alexis who was doing a fine job in bringing the paper to respectability, harangues Carly after Bobbie passed (I know she didn't know, but Carly was clearly not doing well)
...and so much more, and expects to be supported! Not to mention blaming Carly for Nelle, when (A) it was not Carly's fault and (B) Carly didn't know that Nelle was her daughter at the time.
Yes Carly is no saint, but she is miles better than Nina, even on a bad day.

 

[Daniel Avery]

I wasn't aware of Sonny ever having a drinking problem. He wouldn't last long in that profession if he did.

He's not an alcoholic, but he becomes a much more unpleasant person to be around when he is drinking. He's infamous for his old temper flare-ups where he would toss a glass of whatever at a wall (or at someone) in frustration. Dramatic? Yes, but it became kind of tiresome...sort of like a "signature move'. Also, the alcohol reacts badly with his lithium/meds so drinking actually made him unhealthier.

I was simply pointing out a minor plot point that was re-introduced (without a word of dialogue) via that scene with Ava, one that gives another bit of evidence that Ava is working on some unspoken agenda vis-a-vis Sonny. It wasn't about Nina---it was about Ava. If I cannot mention the character of Nina at all without getting the litany of her "crimes" repeated to me once again, then I guess I should just avoid the name entirely? There's plenty of other material to focus on.

 

[Emelee]

I want to see Jason & Sonny scenes, like yesterday! Will Sonny give Jason a chance to explain? What will he think of Jason when he finds out he's been collaborating with John Cates for over 2 years? At least collaborating to bring down Pikeman, not Sonny.

However, Sonny has been alienating loved ones left and right for a long time now. One wrong word and you're banished from Sonny's life. Jason playing dead for over 2 years and working with Cates & FBI might just be enough to get him banished, even though he helped Dante.

And... is Dante finally waking up?

 

[Daniel Avery]

is Dante finally waking up?

I'm not sure if you see the "coming attractions" clips that ABC airs right before the closing credits, but at the close of Thursday's episode, they showed Friday previews with him awake. I've learned not to take it as gospel, however, because they've been known to put clips from character dreams, etc. into the previews as if they're "real".

I'm glad they pointed out in dialogue that if Dante got moved to the long-term care facility, then poor Rocco would have two comatose parents in the same building. Odd that the hospital was talking about the move already, since Dante was only shot three days ago in "show" time.