It was a week of goodbyes and a few hellos.
Let's kick things off with Jordan and Curtis' kiss. Yuck! Run, Jordan, run. Run as fast as you can because you deserve so much better than Curtis.
I've been pretty peeved with the writing for Curtis for quite some time. His actions somewhere in Greenland are a perfect example of what is irking me. To hear the good folks of Port Charles talk, you'd think that Curtis single-handedly vanquished Victor and rescued all the hostages, but that's not what I saw. There were a lot of heroes on that island, and each played a crucial role. It was Laura who was the key to disarming the weather machine, Liesl who found the cure for Victor's deadly bioweapon, and a WSB airstrike that took out Victor. Curtis rescued Trina, Spencer, and Ace, but Drew, Anna, and Holly helped make it possible by neutralizing a good number of the guards.
I also despise how judgmental and unyielding Curtis has become. It started with his inability to forgive Jordan for not telling him that Taggert was alive. Should she have? There's no denying that Jordan had blurred the lines with her husband by discussing police matters with Curtis, but there were extenuating circumstances that led to Taggert faking his death. Cyrus had been a clear and present danger to everyone, including Curtis. Also, the writers were determined to explore things between Portia and Curtis.
Unfortunately, the writers turned Curtis into a jerk to accomplish their goal. His attitude toward Jordan was borderline offensive as he constantly accused Jordan of dragging her feet on the divorce because she was unable to let him go. It's true that Jordan was in love with Curtis, but she's never been the type to play those kinds of games. He should have known Jordan better than that. The last thing that Curtis should be doing now is locking lips with Jordan. It's so messy.
Not only is Curtis still married, but he's in league with the mob running card games in his backroom. Getting involved with Jordan is simply not an option because his side hustle could torpedo her career as a police commissioner. The man needs to get his house in order, starting with kicking Selina out of the Savoy.
Luckily, Jordan is a better person than Curtis because she injected a moment of sanity before things went too far. Curtis conceded that he needed to make a decision about Portia before starting anything with Jordan, and there's that job offer from the WSB that seems to be tempting him. Will the WSB recruit Curtis for their spy games, or will newfound fatherhood keep him grounded in Port Charles?
It might not be up to Curtis. We learned that Mac has been secretly surveilling the Savoy. The target appears to be Selina, but will Curtis get swept up in the sting? If so, can he secure himself a get-out-of-jail free card from the WSB in exchange for handing over Selina and the keys to the Savoy when Mac comes knocking? Time will tell, but the odds are not in Curtis' favor of getting out of this unscathed. The WSB doesn't play around, and Selina is not the type to go down without a fight.
As for Portia, she needs a long vacation, a good divorce attorney, and some time with a therapist. Taggert was spot-on when he told Portia that she was focused on Spencer's potential wicked ways because she's not ready to look at the ruins of her short-lived marriage. How far will Portia go to save Trina from Spencer?
There has been a lot of talk to suggest that the DNA test might be tampered with. Selina offered to make sure the results were what Curtis wanted, which made Curtis nervous enough that he questioned the lab tech about the safety measures in the lab. The lab tech seemed shady, too. I thought it was odd that Trina and Curtis were the only people waiting to have a blood sample taken, but they were made to wait for hours. On top of that, Portia is filled with desperation. Desperate people do foolish things -- like not heed good advice.
Both Taggert and Ava urged Portia to tread with caution when it comes to Spencer. They reminded her that Trina was an adult, and that Portia's meddling would likely backfire and drive Trina further away. Portia didn't care. She has decided that Spencer is the root of all evil and that it's her duty as Trina's mother to save Trina from certain heartbreak and imminent danger.
I don't blame Portia for being concerned. Spencer has a terrible temper and a skewed way of viewing things. He's entitled, he has a faulty moral compass, and drama follows him wherever he goes. I certainly wouldn't want my daughter to date him, much less fall in love with him, but I'm afraid it's too late for Trina. She's already dating him, and she's very much in love. Trying to break them up now will only make Trina cling tighter to Spencer.
I'm a mom, so I know what it's like to have your child transition to adulthood. It's not easy relinquishing control, but you have to trust that you gave them a strong foundation and raised them to be decent and kind human beings. Trina is an intelligent, kind, and honorable person, and Spencer has a lot of room for improvement. He's going to have to step up his game, mature, and grow into the man that Trina deserves if he has any hope of keeping her.
Portia needs to keep an open mind and heart. If she wants a good relationship with her adult daughter, then she's going to have to respect Trina's right to make her own choices. Who knows, Spencer might surprise Portia. Contrary to what Portia thinks, Spencer wants to be a better man than his father.
That brings me to Esme. Boring, boring Esme.
If Esme isn't carrying her toddler baby around on her hip, she's lugging around a giant chip on her shoulder. Esme's chief complaint is her lack of independence. Welcome to motherhood, Esme.
Esme resents having people constantly hovering over her, expecting the worst from her. Never mind that most of the people she's referring to were her victims, so they have good reason to keep a close eye on her, especially since she's caring for an innocent baby. It's laughable to hear Esme whine that she wants her own place, even though she hasn't shown any initiative to find a job or apply for government assistance.
If Alexis hadn't offered Esme a job, Esme would still be complaining that she can't get her hands on her trust fund, which I personally find odd. How do trustees get away with denying a young mother her inheritance? It would be more believable if the money had been lost in a banking crisis. Instead, Miss I-don't-have-a-penny-to-my-name actually threatened to quit that great new job -- which includes on-site daycare -- when she thought Alexis was being manipulative.
A flash of the old Esme? I hope so. The devious vixen was a lot more interesting than this blah ma.
In other mother news, Nina reached out to Carly for help mending fences with Willow. Carly agreed, so Nina suggested that they start with a group call to Willow, who is currently in isolation, undergoing chemo to destroy her bone marrow. Naturally, Carly put a kibosh on that idea pronto. Carly reminded Nina to respect the boundaries that Willow had set, and she insisted that it would be entirely up to Willow. Nina reacted as expected. She exploded and resumed blaming Carly for everything wrong with the world.
I absolutely understand Nina's desperation. Willow is barely clinging to life, and Nina wants a chance to be her mother. She longs to comfort and hold her daughter. It's not Nina's fault that she didn't get to raise Willow, and Nina feels like she's been robbed because during the few precious years that she's known Willow, Nina had no idea that Willow was her daughter. Madeline chose to take the secret of Nina's twins to her grave. It's a horrible situation, and I don't wish it on anyone, including Nina.
I wanted so much to believe that Nina had had an epiphany and that she had been sincere about taking responsibility, letting go of the resentment, and moving forward. Unfortunately, Nina's burst of anger when she realized that Carly wasn't going to be her cheerleader suggested that Nina had only been parroting what others had told her.
Nina continues to want a quick fix because she fears that time is running out. It's not. We don't need a crystal ball to know that Willow will survive this because the actress is on contract. Willow will get her bone marrow transplant, and she will soon begin to recover. There might be a brief scare right after the transplant, but it will only be a small bump on the road to a quick recovery.
I suspect that Nina's prayers for a relationship with Willow will also be answered. She'll get a tantalizing taste of everything that she's dreamed of before it's all cruelly ripped away with the revelation that Nina had tipped off the SEC. It's a soap opera. Of course, everyone is going to find out that Drew and Carly are facing prison time because Nina foolishly gave in to a spiteful impulse.
Maybe it's what Nina needs. Perhaps she needs to hit rock bottom before she can find the path to redemption. I hope so, because I do want Nina to find her way again and to have a relationship with her daughter. I want that for Willow, too. Heck, I wouldn't mind if Nina and Carly found their way to a frenemyship. Nina needs a little break from Ava.
I love Ava. She runs hot and cold in the advice department. She was brilliant with Portia, advising Portia to respect Trina's boundaries or pay the price, but her advice to Nina was another matter. Horrible, disastrous, doomed to fail -- take your pick. Ava's advice to Nina was all those things and worse. For a moment, I wondered if the reason that Ava urged Nina to remain silent about reporting Carly and Drew to the SEC was because she worried that Sonny would find out that Ava was the one who had put the idea of insider trading into Nina's head.
It was Ava who also pointed out all the benefits if Carly was sent to prison. It wasn't reverse psychology, as Ava had claimed. If it was, Ava is terrible at it. I know that Ava considers Nina her bestie, but she didn't do Nina any favors by urging Nina to remain silent. Secrets in Port Charles never stay buried. Ever. Ava would be wise to remember that.
Dex will soon learn that valuable lesson, as well.
It was mighty bold of Josslyn to ask Sonny for a favor, especially knowing that she was being very deceptive in the process. Sonny is amicable now because he thinks that Dex is just a lovesick wannabe mobster. He has no idea that there's an explosive, incriminating recording of him discussing an arms deal and a black ops hit man. Does Josslyn think she can keep Sonny from finding out? Silly girl.
I know Josslyn and Dex have their fans, but I'm not one of them. It has nothing to do with Cameron. I've moved on from that. My issue is how Joss is with Dex. I will always have a soft spot for her because I literally watched her conception, but I don't much like her double standards. She got involved with Dex when she thought he was a mobster, all while she was ranting about the evils of Sonny every chance she got. There's no moral high ground here. Dex is a hired gun, not a cop, so the crimes he committed in the course of working for Sonny were not sanctioned or authorized by anyone with authority to do so.
Had Michael gone through with his plan, Sonny would have been shipped off to jail, and Josslyn would have cheered. Yet, when she needed something from Sonny, she didn't hesitate to cash in a favor. I don't ever want to hear Josslyn talk about how awful Sonny is. Sonny is riddled with faults, but he's always been there for Josslyn, even when she was plotting behind his back. That's the definition of a backstabber.
While Josslyn was working to find ways to keep Dex out of Sonny's crosshairs, Holly was saying goodbye to Port Charles -- and Robert. She didn't want to, but Ethan is a dead man walking unless Holly can find a way to pay off his debts. She was hoping to do it by hooking a job with the WSB, but she's willing to resort to crook if necessary. Holly loves Robert, and it's for that reason that she doesn't want to drag him into her family drama. Holly knows that if she does resort to illegal means to get her hands on the money needed, it could destroy Robert's reputation and career.
I will always love Robert and Holly, but if that's not an option, I'm perfectly happy to see where things might lead between Robert and Diane. Robert deserves some happiness instead of watching everyone around him find love. Diane seems like a good fit. She challenges Robert, there are sparks between them, and they each have a passion for the law. I think they could be fun to watch as they navigate a romance and a working relationship on opposite sides of the courtroom.
Holly has always been a rolling stone. Adventure is in her blood, and trouble always follows her -- traits that were passed down to Holly and Luke's son. I would love for her to occasionally return, but she's never been the type to put down roots. Robert and Holly were a beautiful love story in a perfect moment of time, but forces pulled them apart. To quote one of my favorite love stories, "Now all they have is the memory of the way they were."
Finally, Anna, Ava, Spencer, and Laura each received an invitation to the reading of Victor's will. I'm a bit surprised that Victor even bothered to leave a will, considering that he intended to kill everyone who had been invited to the reading of his will. I guess he was covering all his bases.
Does Victor have a few more secrets up his sleeve? Undoubtedly. I fully expect a new mystery to unfold, a few choice words for those gathered, and perhaps a curse or two. Cassadine will readings are nothing if not entertaining, and I expect Victor's to be no different. I can't wait to see what Victor has in store for us.
Jacklyn Zeman's death blindsided me. I had the privilege and honor, years ago on Dan Kroll's podcast, of having an exchange with her about overcoming fears. Mine was -- and still is -- public speaking. Jackie would appear on Dan's show every year on their shared birthday -- March 6th -- and she was always so kind and gracious. She was a genuine person, and that always shined through in all her interviews.
There was a time that I was not a fan of Nurse Bobbie Spencer. In the beginning, she was the proverbial bad girl who'd had her eyes on handsome young attorney Scott Baldwin. Unfortunately for Bobbie, Scott was married to his first love, Laura Webber, so Bobbie decided to enlist her brother's help to break up the marriage. The rest, as they say, is history. In the end, Bobbie and Scott were not meant to be, but Bobbie found redemption and went on to join the ranks of beloved and respected nurses like Jessie Brewer and Audrey Hardy.
Bobbie had such a rich history with the show. I don't think there's a single longtime viewer who doesn't count the death of B.J. Jones and Maxie's heart transplant as one of the most powerful storylines in the show's incredible history. When troubled Elizabeth Webber was viciously raped while walking home from a school dance, it was Bobbie who took care of the traumatized teen. Then, there was Bobbie's incredibly toxic marriage to that abusive pig D.L. Brock. He was the reason that Bobbie ended up having to undergo an emergency hysterectomy when she was still in her twenties.
That's why my heart broke for Bobbie when Carly breezed into town to lay waste to Bobbie's life. Bobbie had longed to be a mother, and she had cherished the children that she had been blessed to raise. They weren't of her blood, but she loved them with every fiber of her being. It was downright tragic that the one child she gave birth to turned out to be a spiteful witch who blamed Bobbie for something that Bobbie had little control over. At the time of Carly's birth, Bobbie was a prostitute and a teen. What kind of life could she have given a baby?
There were so many important storylines and moments in GH's history that Bobbie was a part of. Her legacy is lasting, and Jackie's contribution to the show is immeasurable. If you didn't read Tamilu's Two Scoops column last weekGoodbye Barbara Jean, please do. She spoke for all of us who loved Jackie and her alter ego, Bobbie Spencer.
As much as it pains me, I think it would be best for us to say goodbye to Bobbie, and for her photograph to be added to the memorial wall at the hospital. I love Jackie, and because I do, I don't want to see anyone else step into the role, especially if there are plans to resurrect Luke. I'd rather see Luke mourn his sister's loss than to have someone other than Jackie welcome Luke home.
Godspeed, Jackie. We love you.
It's hilarious that Nina is so horrible when she didn't say anything because Mike didn't want to know who his family was. Yet Carly is praised for not saying anything because Willow didn't want to know who her mother was. And then even when Willow did and Carly actively impeded her finding out, she was still forgiven. -- DrTrina
It's hard to listen to Michael and Willow call each other Mr. and Mrs. Corinthos, knowing that Michael is actively trying to send [Sonny] to prison. Carly dropped the Corinthos moniker, and I think Michael needs to follow his mother's lead, and do the same thing for himself, his wife, and their kids. I don't want Wiley and Amelia Grace to grow up as anything but Quartermaines! -- Scrimmage
I also think Valentin wanted to be a better person after he realized that Charlotte was fine with him throwing Ava off the balcony and he decided he needed to set a better example. -- Lucky Lady
What are your thoughts about what's happening on General Hospital? Do you agree or disagree with anything that I've shared in this week's column? I love hearing from everyone and reading your thoughts, so drop me a comment in the Comments section below. You can also join us over on the message boards for even more conversation.
Take care and happy viewing,
Liz Masters
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