TV viewers fondly recall Charles Shaughnessy portraying good guy Shane Donovan on Days of our Lives and dapper Maxwell Sheffield on The Nanny. Now, especially in light of recent performances, we suspect he’ll be known equally for his portrayal of villain Victor Cassadine on General Hospital!
Charles Shaughnessy – Performer of the Week
Perhaps it was knowing Shaughnessy as Shane and Maxwell, two charming characters, that lulled us into a false sense of security. How could Victor be all that bad? Sure, he helped try to freeze the world all those years ago but he’s so charismatic and he’s got that classy accent! However, as Victor upped his schemes to retrieve the Ice Princess and control his great nephews Spencer (Nicholas Alexander Chavez) and Ace, we were faced with the fact that Victor is quite deadly.
Shaughnessy has embraced the full potential of Victor’s dark side as we saw with how he treated poor Eileen Ashby (Heather Mazur). Port Charles citizens are rightfully fearful of him. “Time to teach them a lesson,” Victor stated to one of his underlings after finding out the whereabouts of Lucy (Lynn Herring), Valentin (James Patrick Stuart), and Anna (Finola Hughes).
Victor and his men burst into the safe house with guns blazing! Anna and Valentin ordered Lucy out and she complied but the two were quickly overpowered by Victor’s team. An amused Victor balked at Valentin’s suggestion that he get lost to avoid a conflict with the police. Victor smugly knew that he had the advantage but it was clear that he’d been hurt, too.
Caring about someone and wanting them harmed at the same time is difficult to pull off but Shaughnessy managed to do just that. His Victor is indeed a complicated villain. First, he blasted Valentin for making him think he was dead because he cared about him. Then, he took glee in ordering his henchman to paralyze Anna by breaking her neck unless Valentin forked over the Ice Princess. “Your betrayal broke my heart,” Victor informed Valentin. Even after he got what he wanted, Victor callously fired a bullet into poor Anna. Sure, it hurt her but Victor knew he’d also wounded Valentin.
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Shaughnessy is so expert at playing mastermind Victor we knew that he was behind Dr. Obrecht’s (Kathleen Gati) disappearance as soon as the good doctor went missing. Once onboard The Haunted Star (the Cassadine yacht formerly known as The Titan), a satisfied Victor showed that he wasn’t through yet. He deduced that Holly Sutton (Emma Samms) hadn’t been burned and was searching for her son, Ethan Lovett (Nathan Parsons). Victor planned on getting rid of Ethan for good. But perhaps his most chilling action was to sic his henchman on Lucy! (Just how many people work for this guy?) Not even Victor’s feelings for Lucy earned her a pass. Cross Victor and pay the price!
Victor stopped for a bit to celebrate his schemes unfolding perfectly by indulging in (what appeared to be) a Martini. After getting a positive update from his henchman, he hissed (in his best C. Montgomery Burns), “Excellent!” It’s time for the show’s heroes to band together and outwit Victor. That will be no easy task as Charles Shaughnessy has further established Victor Cassadine as a powerful and memorable villain.
Honorable mentions: The annual Nurses Ball gala, as always, was filled with terrific performances from many of the show’s cast members who are gifted singers and performers. Additionally, Amanda Setton shined as Brook Lynn Quartermaine passionately put aside her own interests to speak out against Linc (Dan Buran). We loathe Gladys Corbin for framing Cody (Josh Kelly) but Bonnie Burroughs brings a likable quality to her train-wreck character. Also, at the gala, GH paid tribute to Bobbie Spencer (Jacklyn Zeman) with some classic flashbacks. We saw clips of Bobbie’s evolution over the years from energetic schemer and student to compassionate mother and nurse where she lent support to Monica (Leslie Charleson), Elizabeth (Rebecca Herbst), and Laura (Genie Francis). Congrats to Zeman and kudos to GH for honoring this beloved veteran.
General Hospital airs weekdays on ABC. For an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.
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