What Was The Point Of The General Hospital Earthquake?

They haven’t tried it in 26 years so General Hospital (GH) apparently decided an earthquake in Upstate New York is a great idea just as February sweeps ends.

When we learned about it last week, we weren’t sure what to think and figured we’d give it a whirl, but that whirl shook us up way too much because after two days we still don’t get why the show chose THIS particular disaster to bring characters together.

It feels like the earthquake was a reason for Franco (Roger Howarth) and Liz (Rebecca Herbst) to have some wedding bell blues, but then again, Liz had just about given up when it hit. Was it a chance for Carly (Laura Wright) and Nelle (Chloe Lanier) to bond when we know they’ll hate each other again in a few days?

Maybe we had to see Ava (Maura West) whine about her face just one more time or Kim (Tamara Braun) perform medical procedures on some kids we don’t even know at The Floating Rib. Or, Lulu (Emme Rylan) being an intrepid reporter once again. That was important, right?

Maybe it’s to bring Jason (Steve Burton) and Sam (Kelly Monaco) closer together because she was very purposely not with Drew when this happened.

And Drew (Billy Miller) was very conveniently with Kim.

One thing we do know is that nobody we care about is going to die in this disaster. Sure, Michael (Chad Duell) has a concussion, Josslyn (Eden McCoy) and Oscar (Garren Stitt) are hypothermic, and of course Jason saves Franco in the end because somehow that story has to be resolved.

And the aftershocks? Yes, Molly is hurt and things become a little more dangerous, but will Molly die? No. Nobody will die and the suspense just feels…meh.

Well, we certainly got to see Jason’s anger fresh and raw as if time never stopped, so that was dramatic and kind of necessary, but Franco could have had some other sort of accident that didn’t involve the whole town suffering from an earthquake when they’re in a place where earthquakes do not happen.

Of course, we’ll eventually learn this was not naturally caused, but Jim Harvey (Greg Evigan) made. Is he maybe fracking? And will this topical story last longer than the opioid addiction story from recurring characters Chet (Chris Van Etten) and Amy (Risa Dorken)? We’re looking for the point here and truly hope we find it.

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