Now You Know: Was Marshall’s General Hospital Reveal Worth the Wait?

General Hospital’s Marshall Ashford finally came clean with his son and revealed why he’d left the family all those decades ago: Marshall had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and he was afraid of deteriorating.

General Hospital Polling

Marshall (Robert Gossett) hadn’t had a psychotic episode since, due to remaining on his meds, but he was always afraid that the meds might stop working and put his family at risk. After all the build up over the past few months, was the wait worth the revelation?

GH: As Clear As the Nose On Your Face

We’ve suspected for a while now, 53% of the audience shrugs. They kept giving us hints, like the drugs, and secrecy, and the hats. (Well, OK, not the hats. But the hats were the most compelling things about Marshall from the start, so we felt they merited a mention right at the top.) It wasn’t a surprise. And it wasn’t a shock.

And it wasn’t even that big of a deal. Maybe it was to his son, Curtis Ashford (Donnell Turner) though. But considering the fact that the show’s leading man is a mobster with bipolar disorder, and half the citizens have been in institutions or suffered from split personality disorders, Port Charles is a very accepting place for mental illness sufferers!

General Hospital: Now What

But will this story lead anywhere, 35% of you demand to know. The revelation itself is only interesting if it kicks off an interesting follow-up story. If everyone just shrugs and says, “No biggie, welcome back,” then what was the point of…anything?

GH: The Truth Will Set You Free

Only 12% of fans insist that finding out Marshall’s secret adds richness to the story. Back when we thought Marshall dumped his family to pursue a life of wanton debauchery and crime, he wasn’t very sympathetic. Now he is. Well, at least as sympathetic as the bipolar mobster…who doesn’t have nearly as fine a taste in hats.

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.