It’s been less than two months since daytime newcomer Nicholas Alexander Chavez debuted as Spencer Cassadine on General Hospital. Since his arrival in Port Charles, the young actor has both meshed nicely with the show’s dynamic teen group and more than held his own in scenes with some of the show’s grownups. For his portrayal of a secretive teen and betrayed son, Soap Hub bestows Performer of the Week honors for GH on Chavez.
Nicholas Alexander Chavez – GH Performer of the Week
Nicholas Alexander Chavez captured Spencer’s regal haughtiness from the beginning. The character comes close to having open disdain for middle-class Cameron Webber (William Lipton), suggesting he change his clothes for his party at Wyndemere, which included shooting off fireworks. He has a bit of snobbery to him. (“There are no rats on Wyndemere,” he announced.) Spencer charmed Trina (Sydney Mikayla), making her feel like she was someone special to him. She may be but that may take some doing on Spencer’s part now that his girlfriend Esme Prince (Avery Kristen Pohl) is on the scene.
Unbeknownst to Spencer, his father Nikolas Cassadine (Marcus Coloma) donned a disguise and attacked his son with a fake knife to scare him because he believes that Spencer has been stalking and scaring his wife Ava Jerome Cassadine (Maura West). He’s correct but Spencer isn’t going to admit that — yet. The young man got the living daylights scared out of him after his masked father grabbed him from behind, and then, “stabbed” him with a fake knife. By the time Spencer realized his skin hadn’t been penetrated and the blade was retractable, the mental and emotional damage had been done.
Once Nikolas was exposed as his son’s attacker, he reiterated his belief that Spencer was the one inflicting harm to Ava. “Maybe you guys shouldn’t be so quick to defend me,” Spencer cryptically offered as his supporters championed his innocence. He hastened to confess that his only “crime” was to throw a party at Wyndemere while he thought his father was out of the country.
Nikolas’s theory that Spencer was Ava’s stalker fell apart when he received a call from Ava telling him that her car had been set ablaze. Knowing he had an alibi, Nicholas Alexander Chavez showed how Spencer went on the offense, blasting his dad for his actions. “You turned against me once again…I never should have come back,” Spencer said. “I’m just supposed to live with whatever horrible decisions you make, roll with the punches, and suck it up in the end. Your neglect was hard enough to deal with and now you want to dole out the punishment, too?”
Laura Collins (Genie Francis), Spencer’s grandmother and Nikolas’s mother, tried to smooth things over between father and son but Spencer couldn’t be reached. “He taught me something all right,” Spencer said about his dad. “That he will always choose Ava over me.” Chavez’s voice broke as Spencer pointed out that his father used his love for his late mother (Courtney Matthews, played by Alicia Leigh Willis) against him. “Don’t claim to love me,” a crushed Spencer said before walking away.
Chavez’s acting challenges continued as Trina comforted Spencer following the blowup. Just when it appeared the two might kiss, Esme appeared and identified herself as “Spence’s” girlfriend. Chavez seamlessly took his character from having been played to being a player as Spencer tried to downplay that he hadn’t mentioned his girlfriend to Trina. While Spencer is clearly no fan of Ava’s, even he drew the line when Esme informed him that she had torched Ava’s car!
Spencer has a full plate these days – he’s dealing with his strained relationship with his father, Esme’s unpredictability, and how he’ll assert his independence. Plus, how long can he keep secret his role in Ava’s stalking from coming out? We look forward to seeing Nicholas Alexander Chavez play out these dynamics and more as Spencer’s storyline continues this summer and into the fall.
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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