Sure, death may be used as a plot device too often on soap operas. And time will tell if Luke Spencer is truly gone or not on General Hospital. However, there can be no denying that the ABC serial delivered the drama in the episode the dealt with the immediate aftermath of Luke’s death.
General Hospital Plays the Fallout From Luke’s Death
While Luke’s children aren’t on the canvas, many of the important people in his life still are. General Hospital viewers were treated to acting tour de forces from several of the show’s veteran cast members in particular, as people close to Luke processed his death.
The action in yesterday’s episode picked up the morning after Tracy Quartermaine (Jane Elliot) showed up at Kevin Collins (Jon Lindstrom) and Laura Collins’s (Genie Francis) home to break the news that Luke (Anthony Geary) had been killed in a cable car accident.
Did Luke Spencer Get the Final Word?
Just as people do in life, General Hospital showed characters dealing with recriminations, regrets, denial, and other emotions as they processed the news of Luke’s passing. Laura did her best to comfort Tracy, telling her that no one could talk Luke out of doing anything he wanted to do when Tracy blamed herself for Luke going off on an adventure, which led to his death. “Leave it to Luke to go and get himself killed so he gets to have the last word,” Tracy said, giving a slight laugh through the pain she was feeling.
After Tracy left, Laura broke down in tears, finding comfort in Kevin’s arms. Laura’s long-divorced from Luke but Kevin, a psychiatrist, shared a frank discussion with his wife, telling her that he’d find it odd if she didn’t have a reaction to her ex’s passing. “If you think I’m going to be threatened by your past with Luke well, I’m sorry I have to break this to you, but you’ve got the wrong guy.” Kevin assured Laura.
“Oh, no,” Laura countered. “I’ve got the right guy. I’m so lucky to have found you.” Laura admitted that she recently thought of her 40th wedding anniversary to Luke. “That chapter of my life has been over for so long,” Laura added. Still, his death had a profound impact on her.
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General Hospital: Telling Barbara Jean
That didn’t make Laura’s next task any easier. Laura informed Bobbie Spencer (Jacklyn Zeman) about her brother’s passing in person. Bobbie knew of the news report about the cable car accident in Austria (which Bobbie correctly doubts is an accident) and started to realize that Luke was on board as Laura started to share the details.
In denial, Bobbie went to her phone and called her big brother. “Luke, this is your sister Barbara Jean. You drop everything right now and you call me right now. You call me right now,” Bobbie spoke into her brother’s voicemail, knowing he’d never hear the message. Laura comforted Bobbie by telling her that Luke loved her so much. It was hard to think that Bobbie and Laura were ever rivals as Laura comforted Bobbie, helping her process the unbearable news.
Tracy (sporting a hairstyle similar to the one she wore her first year on the show back in 1978) headed over to the Quartermaine home so that she could find comfort with her son Ned Quartermaine (Wally Kurth), sister-in-law Monica Quartermaine (Leslie Charleson), and other family members — giving viewers yet another dramatic payoff.
If It Isn’t On The Page…
Kudos to General Hospital head writers Dan O’Connor and Chris Van Etten and episode writers Charlotte Gibson and Elizabeth Korte for the emotionally packed script. Four of the actresses in this episode – Francis, Elliot, Zeman, and Charleson – were driving story and delivering drama over 40 years ago during the show’s Golden Age. We’d argue that the show is experiencing another Golden Age thanks to episodes like this (and the recent courtroom drama with Nina, Sonny, and Carly). Only in soap operas can actors who’ve played their roles for decades connect with their audiences the way the characters on GH do with their fans.
We don’t know 100% for sure whether Luke is dead or not. However, we are confident that the soap will continue to be a source of viewing enjoyment. If you’re not watching this show, you should be.
General Hospital (GH) airs weekdays on ABC. Check your local listings for airtimes. For more about what’s coming up in Port Charles, check out all the latest that’s been posted on GH spoilers, and for an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.
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