Well, we're another week into the new writing regime, and once again, I have no real feel for whatever these people are doing, no solid idea of what in the world is going on, and zero faith that the people in charge have an actual long-term plan for these storylines or the characters involved in them. I'm not bored and I'm not generally annoyed by what I'm seeing onscreen, but I do have the growing sense that the audience's time is being wasted, and that might be worse than anything.
Whenever possible, I think everything that happens on a show like General Hospital should mean something — this might be overstating the obvious, but on a serial drama that airs five days a week and depends heavily on generational dynamics, I feel like narrative flow is hugely important. Every action should eventually have a reaction; every character movement across the canvas should create a ripple effect. This is why we love umbrella stories so much — they represent the thoughtful work of writers connecting characters and events one by one until everything that happens impacts everyone involved.
This is decidedly not GH these days. And what's worse, the show keeps running in and out of narrative cul-de-sacs that appear to have been carved out for no real reason at all. What was the point of Drew firing Nina from Crimson, and Valentin buying the Invader for Nina, and Nina feuding with Alexis at the Invader… only for Carly to quit Crimson and Drew to rehire Nina in a matter of days? What was the point of having Sasha stop shoveling horse poop and run off to Home & Heart so she could save Lucy's disastrous taping, if she wasn't going to come back to Deception and it wasn't going to have any real impact on the company? These are just two very recent examples, but you get the idea. As I've argued here in the past, there's a big difference between story and incident, and these days, GH seems to have forgotten that guiding principle. We're just watching a lot of stuff happen, which is fine for a while, but it's no way to build or strengthen the foundation for this kind of show.
Last week was another weird one for GH, with a few (probably) impactful conversations and a handful of (potentially) meaningful moments, along with a bunch of filler and one wild head-scratcher of a character pivot toward the end. Let's look back together, shall we?
Sonny's All Yours
Last week started the same way the previous one ended: with Sonny confronting Carly over her return to the Metro Court, all pissed off that she rejected his offer to buy her half back for her only to accept it from Jason. After hissing that Carly, Drew, and Nina all deserve each other while a horrified Nina looked on, Sonny really went full Sonny, telling Carly that "Jason betrayed me, and you betrayed me." The two of them took their beef to the foyer outside the restaurant, where Carly tearfully questioned whether this was really how it was supposed to end for the two of them after all they'd been through together. Affirming that it was indeed the end, Sonny took one last childish dig at her, saying that out of everyone in his life, he never thought Carly would betray him. (Which is hilarious given their history, but whatever.)
Nina hightailed it back to her office, steaming because she immediately understood that Ava had duped her into selling her half of the Metro Court to Jason. Ava, who rarely underestimates people but definitely did so in this situation, sallied into Nina's space under the guise of giving her a shoulder to cry on and pretending to be shocked by Sonny's reaction to the sale, but Nina wasn't having it — instead, she laid into her former best pal, accusing Ava of being manipulative and openly regretting that she ever believed anything she said. After trying to calm Nina down, Ava finally flipped into Jerome Mode and started poking the bear as only she can, telling Nina she understands Sonny in a way Nina never could, mocking the love she felt for "Mike in Nixon Falls," and daring her to make good on her threat to blow up Ava's spot by telling Sonny that Ava knew all along about Nina calling the SEC.
Finally, in the end, the coup de grace: Nina signed the divorce papers, handed them to Ava, and told her "Sonny's all yours." After Ava scurried out, Nina removed her wedding band and engagement ring, gave them to Madison, and asked her to have them sent to Sonny's penthouse.
Now, there's a lot of undeniably soapy stuff in this situation, and the confrontation between Nina and Ava was definitely entertaining to watch; Cynthia Watros and Maura West are pros, and they both elevate every scene they're in. That said, I also think it's hard to defend the way GH handled Sonny and Nina's breakup. They've had what, two scenes together since January? And after pining for him for months, it only took a few minutes for Nina to go from wildly intent on reconciliation to signing off on the divorce? And in the midst of all this, she has hate sex with Drew for no real reason and even less payoff? Missed opportunities galore.
Meanwhile, Ava's still slithering around town and we have absolutely no idea what she's up to or what her motivations might be. Much as I love to watch Ava skulk, sneak, and plot, I also love having at least some small glimmer of what the point might be, and that's entirely absent here. Let us recall that Ava moved into Sonny's penthouse in the first place because it seemed like she was being threatened by some mystery villain — a thread that hasn't been entirely dropped, I suppose, given that Ava brought it up when she talked to Laura about living with Sonny last week, but has certainly been left to gather dust while Ava does whatever it is she's doing right now. If anyone ever was stalking or threatening her, they've apparently found other things to keep themselves busy, and I don't think we can chalk all that up to Ava being under Sonny's protection; it seems altogether more likely that someone decided at some point that they would rather tell a different kind of story, so they used Sonny and Ava shacking up as their opening.
All of which would be easily forgivable if we knew what kind of story they're telling instead. We watched Ava discover that Sonny's meds have been tampered with, so we know she isn't colluding with Valentin — but we also know she hasn't bothered to tell Sonny, and we've also watched her do things that seem calculated to further isolate him from his friends and loved ones. At the moment, it looks like the only real purpose this will serve is to make Ava the fall guy for Sonny's current condition, which I think is an awful lot of trouble to take just to stave off the eventual reveal that it was Valentin and Pikeman all along. Again, I see missed opportunities here; Ava is one of the great schemers in recent GH history, and Maura West is a generational talent, and if the show wanted to put Ava up to no good, then it really should have been for a genuine purpose, and it definitely should have been calculated to leave a lasting impact. At the moment, I can't imagine either of those things happening here.
The most crushing disappointment is the fact that there are genuine glimmers of actual potential strewn across the Sonny storyline. Putting Sonny and Jason at odds is an idea that has some merit, but it's been wasted here because the audience knows it's based on bullshit. Having pillars of the Port Charles community repeatedly read Sonny for filth is goddamn appropriate and long overdue, but it's being wasted here because it hinges so heavily on Sonny beating Cyrus, which is a nonsensically strange sin for these folks to refuse to absolve — and the writers are also visibly laying miles of track to make it so everyone eventually forgives Sonny anyway, which fatally undermines everything. Putting Nina and Ava at odds makes perfect sense given their oft-ignored history, and it's soapy as hell besides, but we have no idea why it's happening. On and on and on.
Anyway, here's where we are as of the end of last week: Sonny has cut off Carly, and he ended Friday's episode by having his little feelings hurt by Laura, who made the (quite sensible) decision to reject his proposed gift of a commissioned art piece to City Hall, all while Ava was in his ear, telling him nothing about this situation is his fault. He's also even further at odds with Jason, who showed up at Sonny's "restaurant" on behalf of Joss after Joss went running to Jason to whine about Sonny gunning for Dex following Dex's application to the PCPD. (Try saying that ten times fast.) Jason made some solid points regarding the inevitable fallout from any lethal move Sonny could make against Dex, but Sonny wasn't hearing it; when Jason asked him to think about how it might affect his kids, Sonny (hilariously) threw it back in Jason's face, pointing out how he's been an absentee father to his own children. Ultimately, it came down to Jason vowing to stop Sonny from going after Dex, and Sonny telling Jason that he would die trying.
Again: All of these ideas are not without potential. It's the way they're being executed that perplexes me.
Kristina's on the Kase
Much has been made of the special bond between Sonny and Kristina, so on a number of levels, it makes perfect sense that she'd make every effort to give him the benefit of the doubt in most situations. Historically, however, she has not been written as a naïve idiot, which makes 2024 Kristina a disappointing departure from the norm — one who only grew more disappointing last week.
It all started at Brook Lynn's bachelorette party, where Joss had a couple of cocktails that turned into truth serum and inspired her to tell Kristina about Sonny ordering Dex to kill Cyrus in the hospital. Astonished by this utterly unsurprising piece of information, Kristina went running to Molly and TJ's, woke up Molly in the middle of the night, and vented to her about how Joss had to be talking total shit because there's no way Sonny would ever do something so horrible. Molly, of course, knows Sonny is 100 percent guilty, but she can't tell Kristina that, so she just sat on the couch and listened while making awkward noises conveying 50 percent discomfort, 50 percent support.
From there, Kristina continued her Can You Believe Joss Would Say That 2024 World Tour, heading over to the Metro Court to briefly congratulate Carly on her re-ownership of half the joint before complaining to her about the things Joss said. Visibly blanching, Carly was blessedly silent for a beat before she awkwardly explained that while she and Sonny have been apart for some time, she still knows enough to know there are some questions Kristina doesn't want to ask, because she won't like the answers.
And from there, Kristina visited Nina in her Crimson office. When Kristina asked her about her sudden sale, Nina responded, "Everyone has their blind spots, and Ava Jerome is mine" — which set up some more talk about what a bad influence Ava is on Sonny, which led to Nina saying Sonny isn't her problem anymore, which led to Kristina saying "Not if I can help it."
What we're meant to be seeing and worrying about here is very clear. On one side, you've got Kristina determined to prove Sonny's innocence and pry him away from Ava; on the other side, you've got TJ and Molly — especially TJ — concerned about any little burst of stress or even vaguely unhealthy behavior having a negative impact on their unborn child. And the wild card in all of it is Ava, whose name can't even be mentioned anymore without someone muttering that she's a toxic presence in Sonny's life. There are a lot of things Ava is at risk of being blamed for over the next few months — Sonny going off his meds, Sonny being a dick to his friends and loved ones, Kristina being placed in danger of losing the baby — and I don't think she'll escape all of them, or possibly even any of them. On one hand, I don't really understand the point; on the other, I'm glad Ava's back in the mix after spending such a long time whimpering about Nikolas and/or Esme.
Over the long term, I have no idea what'll happen. In the short term, I'm willing to bet we'll see Kristina hovering around her dad's penthouse and/or trying to dig up dirt on Ava. She flat out told Nina she hasn't forgotten about Ava's role in the deaths of Connie and Morgan… next we'll find out if Ava is still that lethal, whether intentionally or accidentally. But Kristina isn't the only one Ava needs to worry about: Nina talked to Carly late in the week, and after they spent a few minutes insulting each other, Nina told her that the person she should be thanking for getting her half of the hotel back isn't Jason, it's Ava. After hearing about Ava encouraging Nina to sell, Carly said Nina was sandbagged and pointed out that she has a history of using people until they're of no use to her anymore, at which point the two of them agreed that Ava is a dark spot in Sonny's life.
Historically, GH has been annoyingly stubborn about maintaining adversarial relationships like Carly and Nina's, but if we're on the verge of an enemy-of-my-enemy-is-my-friend storyline with these two, I'm down for it. The dynamic between Viki and Dorian on One Life to Live was one of the richest in daytime history, and I'm perpetually at a loss as to why every show doesn't have one of those pairings at all times. Enough with the boring old granny wars — let's see what Carly and Nina can accomplish when they're forced to work together.
Gregory Gets Worse
A huge part of last week's airtime was eaten up by various things surrounding Brook Lynn and Chase's wedding, starting with the bachelor and bachelorette parties (hatchet-throwing place for him, the Savoy for her), which took up a bunch of Tuesday and Wednesday. Those scenes featured some fun bits, including the sight of Tracy twerking, but for the most part, they were devoted to stuff like photobooth montages and Willow asking Drew for advice about taking Amelia to swim lessons. While everyone was out having fun, Gregory stayed home with Violet and a babysitter — and when we heard Finn telling Chase that the sitter had to leave 20 minutes early, we all knew exactly what he was going to find after he opened his apartment door.
Violet rushed up to greet him, freaked out and urging him to help Gregory, who'd had trouble breathing after the sitter left and managed to ask Violet to help him get his oxygen machine strapped on and running before it was too late. This sent Chase dashing over to the Quartermaines' so he could tell Brook Lynn; meanwhile, Gregory waved off the EMTs once they arrived, insisting on staying home. Once Gregory realized Chase was gone, he immediately realized he had to be talking to Brook about postponing the wedding or maybe finding a new officiant, at which point he called Tracy to chew them out via proxy.
Although Finn was happy to see Gregory insist he'd be fine for the wedding, he was still freaked out about Violet's distress and his dad's close call, so he later sat Gregory down for a talk about hiring an in-home caregiver who'd be able to step in during any subsequent episodes. Gregory bristled at the idea, eventually pushing back so hard that Finn stormed out and went to the Invader to ask Alexis for advice; while Finn was out, Tracy stopped by, listening to Gregory's complaints about the latest affront to his dignity and independence.
I still don't like this storyline, but I do think it plays well to Michael Easton's strengths as an actor, Gregory Harrison is doing a terrific job with the material, and everything benefits from having Jane Elliot added to the mix. I also appreciated the writers thinking to slip in some sobriety talk from Alexis, who correctly recognized that Finn would be quick to sacrifice going to meetings if it meant being around more for his father. For me, the whole thing highlights the perennial problem Easton has had as a daytime leading man; he's a talented actor and he does well with dramatic material, but I think he's always been a tremendously stilted romantic partner onscreen, which is unfortunate because you can't have any kind of significant long-term presence on a soap without being part of love stories. The ongoing awkwardness of his current pairing really doesn't help.
Cook IV
Last and maybe not least but certainly weirdest, we've got a new career path for Sasha. Did she change her mind and go back to Deception? Did her pal Nina offer her a job at Crimson? Did she accept Carly's sudden and very vague offer to come work at the Metro Court? Nope, nope, and nope — instead, she's going to be the Quartermaines' new cook.
Here's how it went down. After finding Leo eating Lunchables and finding out he traded his lunch away because Yuri only makes peanut butter sandwiches, Tracy confronted Olivia about the state of the Quartermaine kitchen, pointing out that since Cook III left, the family's had to fend for itself on the days and nights when Olivia's too busy to make meals for them, and the time has come for them to hire a new chef. Although she initially resisted, Olivia eventually relented, on the condition that she be the one to make the new hire.
Remember how Sasha saved Tracy's birthday by making a shepherd's pie? Olivia sure did, because when she bumped into her at the Metro Court, she offered her the job. As it turns out, Sasha was once a line cook during summers in the Hamptons, and she also apparently used to cook for her grandmother, all of which means she's always found cooking to be a peaceful and grounding activity. Long story short, she accepted the offer, which means she'll be living at the Quartermaine mansion and seeing Cody more than ever.
I would love to know who Sofia Mattsson pissed off to make this happen. Sasha is a character with numerous possibilities, so I have no idea why she's being treated like someone with a boring history, no drama-rich life skills, and no ties to anyone on the canvas. If I want to be very, very, very charitable, I suppose it's fair to point out that Sasha joining the Quartermaine staff means she'll be seeing Cody more than ever, but it isn't like they were separated by an ocean before. If it weren't for the "Mac is Cody's dad" storyline waiting in the wings for John J. York's return, I'd be willing to bet that this latest turn of events is a quick ticket to Sasha and Cody existing almost entirely offscreen from now on. As it is, I just don't know. I can't figure these writers out, man.
Also, there was a Cook III?
Let's get to those bullet points!
Sam and Jason argued over his presence in Danny's life; Sam later vented to Dante, who assured her that she and Danny are just going through a rough patch
Drew told Willow that Nina's been talking a lot about her and the kids
The hottest restaurant in town is now the "Port Charles Surf Lodge"
Dex encountered overt hostility from the cops at Chase's bachelor party, and admitted to Anna that it hurt his feelings; she encouraged him to keep going anyway
Spinelli dances like Kermit the Frog
A throwaway line at Chase's bachelor party left some folks convinced that Finn and Liz broke up offscreen
Drew flirted with Jordan
Trina offered to change her work schedule so she could spend time with Ace as sort of a de facto second nanny for Laura
Laura casually mentioned to Ava that Nikolas is being transferred to an out-of-state prison
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