Soap Hub Performer of the Week for General Hospital: Genie Francis

The threat of Cyrus Vance on General Hospital recently prompted a group of unlikely allies including Cyrus’ half-sister Laura Webber Collins to gather for dinner. We’re not sure what was on the menu, but we saw Laura, Daytime Emmy winner Genie Francis, fillet Cyrus like a piece of fish! Francis’ tour de force earned her this week’s Soap Hub Performer of the Week for GH.

Genie Francis — Performer of the Week

Ava (Maura West) explained to her husband Nikolas (Marcus Coloma) that her alliance with Carly (Laura Wright) and Laura may sound strange, but it was needed to pre-occupy Cyrus (Jeff Kober) while Jason (Steve Burton), wrongly accused of killing Franco (Roger Howarth), made his escape from the hospital.

The plan was to lull Cyrus into thinking that he was having dinner with acquaintances who were willing to accept him – at least for the evening. On one hand, Cyrus sincerely wants acceptance, but he can’t seem to refrain from testing those around him beyond their limits. First, Cyrus kept the gang at Wyndemere guessing as to whether or not he’d even show up by arriving a tad late.

The group hadn’t gotten through cocktails before Laura started sniping at Cyrus. Part of her attitude was to keep Cyrus off-guard, but the other part of her relished in calling out the man whom she holds responsible for her daughter Lulu (Emme Rylan) being in a coma.

The actual dinner was eaten off-screen, but drama’s main course played out after the meal when attendees assembled back in the living room. Cyrus crossed a line after dropping hints that he’d been keeping tabs on his absent great-nephew Spencer (Nicolas Bechtel). When Cyrus said there was nothing more important than family, Laura lost it. She blasted Cyrus that he makes the word “family” sound obscene and that he is most certainly not part of her family!

Viewers weren’t sure if Laura had dropped the façade that everyone had planned to keep Cyrus at bay or if she just couldn’t control her fury. It turned out to be mostly the latter. “You use blackmail and fear to bond you to people because you’ll never have love,” Laura attacked. “And that’s what scares you the most, right? Because deep down inside you know it. You know you’re always going to be pitiful and alone!”

Ouch. Laura changed the plan – from lulling Cyrus into a sense of complacency to utterly obliterating him on an emotional level. And make no mistake, Cyrus, despite being a mobster, does have feelings; he’s a man who feared desperately never seeing his mother again. The talented Kober brings a myriad of colors to his role of Port Charles’ latest baddie.

Laura’s victory was tempered after Cyrus made one final point. He asked her to consider one thing as Laura congratulated herself on her ambush – how much she enjoyed attacking him. Stunned, Laura contemplated her half-brother’s observation. Laura apologized to daughter-in-law Ava (who was impressed with Laura’s attack) for not sticking to the plan.

Francis – and Laura’s – tour de force was daytime drama at its finest. “I thought it was magnificent,” Kevin (Jon Lindstrom) supportively told his wife. “So did I,” added Nikolas. And so did we — along with Francis’ many devotees. General Hospital (GH) airs weekdays on ABC. Check your local listings for airtimes.