While every performer on daytime brings their A-game every single day, it’s usually not hard to find one standout performance on each soap for the week. Often, story dictates that, but this week General Hospital gave us a conundrum.
General Hospital And Its Amazing Cast
Soap Hub editors sat down on Friday to choose this past week’s standout Port Charles performer and we just couldn’t do it. The soap was so entertaining, so juicy, and everything a soap should be this past week that everyone came together, did their thing, and made us not want to miss a moment. That’s why, in the end, we decided to do something a little different this week and honor the entire cast for a week of soap opera we will never forget.
The Necklace Chronicles
First, GH gave us a reveal nearly three years in the making, and that reveal did not turn out quite as we expected, but it was amazing nonetheless. Nina finally learned who her daughter is/was as the necklace saga came to an end (we think). Story-wise, how genius was it to have the fake daughter Valentin hired be the one to wear the actual necklace Nina had been searching for all this time? On a fake airing of Good Morning America, no less.
Cynthia Watros gave us everything we had been waiting for when she spotted the necklace. Nina’s shock, horror, and confusion were written all over her face the second she took a look at Sasha on her computer screen. When Nina took the elevator to the top floor of the Metro Court and demanded Sasha tell her why she would wear what she did, Sofia Mattsson’s face said it all — what are you even talking about, Nina? When she looked down at her neck, she knew.
As how that necklace ended up Sasha was explained, every performer played their part 100% in character and did exactly as we expected. Laura Wright’s Carly cowered but also attempted to play innocent and dumb despite us (and Jax) knowing Carly found that necklace months ago.
Chad Duell’s Michael was so very Michael, oblivious to his mother’s machinations, explaining everything about Nelle and the cabin matter-of-factly, and then making a run for it without even thinking any of this was weird because he got a text that seemed more important. Kudos to Duell for knowing his character well.
We have no idea if it was Ava or Grace Scarola playing Avery this past week, but each twin is always amazing and our heart broke for poor Avery as she just wanted Sasha to have a good luck charm and didn’t want to cause any trouble. Then, we had James Patrick Stuart there as some great comic relief. His facial expressions as all of this played out had us truly laughing out loud and we are so glad he was on hand for the occasion.
Sonny as ‘Mike’
While that story finally have us a satisfying resolution, something else was playing out in Pennsylvania as Maurice Benard drew us into Sonny’s descent into mania. He made Sonny’s confusion palpable as he just wanted to keep going and couldn’t imagine this meant there was something wrong. His confusion over not knowing who he is has been compelling enough, but Benard still showed us this is Sonny, a man with bipolar disorder who was off his meds.
Over At The Hospital
Back in Port Charles and right at General Hospital were scenes we never saw coming. Nancy Lee Grahn gave a tour de force performance when Drunk Alexis thought Franco was going after her daughter, so she decided to go after Franco with a loaded syringe — and got Dante instead.
This plot twist gave us Kelly Monaco’s outrage as Sam, Roger Howarth and Rebecca Herbst’s utter confusion as Franco and Elizabeth, and Lisa LoCicero’s panic and outright fury as Olivia.
Who did not both laugh and cry when Olivia prayed for her son in the chapel, asked God for pre-forgiveness, then went total Brooklyn on us when the Bensonhurst swearing came out and she vowed to make that slut — Alexis — pay for all she had done. Then, we had Grahn’s Alexis, who was in a panic when she was arrested, and downright despondent when she realized she may have murdered an innocent man.
Monica’s House
And then we had the icing on the cake over at the Q mansion when Monica returned to HER house and had to learn all the happened while she was away at a cardiology conference. The chemistry between Jane Elliot and Leslie Charleson was familiar as ever and all we could think is that their scenes are few and far between filled with two performances we want to see every day, not every few months — or even once a year as Elliot comes and goes as Tracy.
We know that we were just scratching the surface here and wish we had room to single out everyone who appeared on our Port Charles screens. But, the week ending January 29, 2021, General Hospital, its writers, and its stellar ensemble of performers, reminded us what soaps are all about, and we can’t wait for more on Monday. General Hospital (GH) airs weekdays on ABC. Check your local listings for airtimes.
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