On a soap that’s been lacking in charismatic love matches, General Hospital suddenly has two surprise couples you can’t help but root for; the newly paired Gio and Emma, and take two of Michael and Sasha. And it’s all thanks to quality writing and the actors who portray them.
Young Love, Gio and Emma
The show’s scribes have slowly but steadily built a strong relationship between Gio (Giovanni Mazza) and Emma (Braedyn Bruner), two characters who’ve forged a special bond as friends with similar principles and goals. They’ve jointly supported causes they both believe in and each other when times get tough.
Never was that more powerful than the night Gio learned the truth about his paternity and began spiraling. Emma immediately rode to his rescue, providing emotional support and a safe landing spot where he could sort out his feelings by moving him into the apartment she shared with her grandmother.
Giovanni Mazza and Braedyn Bruner’s connection as the young couple has been honest and real from the get-go, and it’s only gotten better as they’ve continued working together. You get the sense you’re watching two best friends chatting and sharing secrets in their scenes together, like there’s a genuine bond between them. There’s a splendid simplicity to their connection. Waiting for romance to blossom between their characters and for them to emerge into a real couple has been sweet to watch.
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Take Two, Michael and Sasha
Although Sasha (Sofia Mattsson) and Michael (Rory Gibson) aren’t a new couple—remember, they were seriously involved years ago—taking two of their pairing has been a lovely and unexpected surprise. After a drunken hookup led them to conceive a child back when Chad Duell was playing Michael, the characters are suddenly back in each other’s orbits and sweetly fawning over their adorable baby daughter, Daisy, and they’ve never been better together.
Gibson’s soulful portrayal of Michael meshes perfectly with Mattsson’s tender take on Sasha. There’s a natural ease between the two actors that’s honest and pure. It was never more palpable than in the scenes where Michael bravely opened up to Sasha about his painful recovery from the burns he incurred during the explosion at Sonny’s (Maurice Benard) apartment.
Their conversation was raw, real, and empathetic, and depicted a solid and mature friendship that can easily develop into a long-lasting romance. Add the fact that the two actors have incredible chemistry, and they have all the ingredients that make you want to pull for Michael and Sasha to reunite as a couple.
