In the Cult: Is This General Hospital Story Demeaning To Women?

In addition to the mob, a police station, one restaurant, an art gallery, one grade school, and, oh, yeah, a hospital, General Hospital now also contains a cult.

The cult is headed by a dude named Shiloh (Coby Ryan McLaughlin), and while there are some guys around, Shiloh’s followers are mainly women.

Women who write confessions he then holds onto. Women who Shiloh drugs, brands, and rapes. Willow (Katelyn MacMullen) grew up in it with her mother, but she ran away when she was pregnant, and gave up her baby for adoption to protect him from Shiloh. (She doesn’t know her baby died just hours later.)

To protect Sonny (Maurice Benard) from secrets his dim-bulb daughter Kristina (Lexi Ainsworth) might have spilled, Jason (Steve Burton) and Sam (Kelly Monaco) decided to get the goods on Shiloh. Sam ended up getting drugged and branded and almost raped. But, the suffering was worth it if it helped Sonny. Does this storyline demean women? What almost 16000 viewers had to say:

Repeat After Me
Absolutely, 85% of you insist. Not only are women treated as complete idiots who’ll fall for the first guy who doesn’t treat them like crap, but Sam setting herself up for assault — with her beloved’s full support — is just plain, old disgusting. Every single female in this tale is a victim with no agency of her own. It’s like GH is some kind of cult…

Business as Usual
Oh, please, another 15% of the audience insists. This cult story is no worse anything else that’s going on with GH these days. Super-spy Anna (Finola Hughes) is a weepy mess as the (maybe) son she gave up for adoption keeps berating her.

Ryan (Jon Lindstrom) has been torturing the few women Shiloh hasn’t gotten to. Nina (Michelle Stafford) is shrieking at Charlotte’s (Scarlett Fernandez) teacher — and her mother — while Carly (Laura Wright) continues groveling at Sonny’s feet.

General Hospital (GH) airs weekdays on ABC. Check your local listings for airtimes.