Desperate times called for desperate measures for General Hospital’s Willow, when she realized Drew was the man responsible for her downfall. Namely, ruining her marriage to Michael and losing custody of their children. So she put a bullet in his back in a moment of pure angst and rage. It’s been one of the best character revamps in daytime, completely saving the ho-hum heroine.
Good Girl, Bland Girl
Willow (Katelyn MacMullen) arrived in Port Charles with plenty of potential. She was Charlotte’s teacher, Nina’s (Cynthia Watros) adversary, Chase’s (Josh Swickard) girlfriend, and eventually revealed to be the biological mom of Lucas (Van Hansis) and Brad’s (Parry Shen) diseased son and a former member of the Dawn of Day cult.
Despite all the drama and backstory, she was whitewashed into a bland good girl after marrying Michael (Rory Gibson), battling leukemia, and giving birth to their daughter, Amelia. There was nowhere to go with the character once she settled into wedded bliss. She’d become dull and lackluster.
Affair to Remember
That is, until the GH writers made their first calculated move: Scripting an affair between Willow and Drew (Cameron Mathison). As the duplicitous congressman slowly destroyed her life, it pushed Willow to the edge.
Then Drew was shot, and Willow stood trial for the crime, insisting she was innocent and that Michael was the culprit. It was hard not to believe her. Willow was too sweet, too kind to ever do anything so dark or dastardly. Except it turned out that she actually was.
Killer Twist
Moments before she was acquitted, viewers learned she actually had shot Drew. Hence, she’d gotten away with attempted murder. From that moment on, Willow’s every move has been must-watch TV – from drugging Drew, causing his stroke, and keeping him in a catatonic state to teaming up with the evil Sidwell (Carlo Rota) and blackmailing her own mother, Nina, to keep her in line and in her corner.
The 180-degree revamp has breathed new life into Willow. She’s suddenly exciting, a vital player on the GH canvas, and driving storyline. Best of all, the bold plot twist has given actress Katelyn MacMullen the opportunity to show her acting chops, and she’s run with it. Somehow, she’s managed to emote Willow’s core goodness throughout her character’s darkest moments, which has been no small or easy feat. It’s all made Willow’s spiral one of the soap’s most fascinating stories.
