General Hospital Summer Evaluation: The Hits and Misses

Pictured: (l) Maura West (Ava Jerome) and (r) William deVry (Julian Jerome) | Photo Credit: ABC

[mediumheader]GH Summer 2013: The Hits (Continued)[/mediumheader]

The Jeromes
The reintroduction of the Jerome’s not only brought two powerhouse soap vets – Maura West and William DeVry – to the cast; but brought two characters, Ava and Derek/Julian, that could help reshape the canvas in a big way for the foreseeable future. The Jerome’s, one of the most ruthless and power hungry mob families in GH history, not only have ties to the past, but to the present as well.  Though ‘Jerome crime family’ is most associated with the characters of Duke and Anna, with their reappearance, they are connected to almost everyone on canvas.  On the whole, we’re looking forward to seeing them unravel each and every thread they’ve meticulously woven into Port Charles.

Initially meant to appear only a few episodes, West’s performance quickly earned rave reviews from the soap press and The Powers that Be, and four months later, she’s here to stay.

Ava is intelligent, cunning and devious – her mind her most dangerous asset.  She’s driven by a desire to reclaim the territory that was once her family’s and is willing to do anything and use anyone to get it.  The genius of West’s acting belies Ava’s heart under all of the machinations for the sake of her family.  Ava used her daughter to seduce Morgan Corinthos, knowing it would position them closer their target; she lied about Kiki’s paternity to secure a place within ELQ so that she could launder money.

It turns out all of Ava’s schemes were part of her and Julian’s plan to assist with their reorganization and reacquisition of the territory that once belonged to their father.

Julian Jerome, complete with a new face, has reinvented himself as Derek Wells, a legitimate tycoon with hands in a lot of different projects. His acquisition of Crimson and heavy-handed attitude toward Connie led to a series of events that resulted the exposure of Ava’s lies and ultimately, Connie’s death. He was also revealed to be Sam’s long-lost father thanks to a one-night stand in his teens with Alexis.

The future holds a lot of potential for Ava and Julian. On the romantic side, Ava still carries a torch for her ex-lover (and baby daddy) Silas. Then there’s her twisted past with Franco and inappropriate chemistry with Morgan.

As for Julian, Alexis seems to have caught his eye he uses his position as Danny’s bone marrow donor to bond with his grandchild and daughter. There’s also the child he doesn’t even know about, Lucas Jones, adopted by Bobbie Spencer and the late Tony Jones.

Kiki’s paternity/Silas and Ava
The mystery surrounding Kiki’s paternity has had us glued to our seats from the moment that it was revealed that Silas and Ava had a past.  The chemistry between Easton and West is perfect for a couple who were obviously once very in love and who seem to have hurt each other very much in the past.  We’re dying to know the history of these former lovebirds and why it is so important for Ava to keep Kiki from Silas.  Is Silas just a snarky doctor or is there something darker there, as Ava recently hinted at?  Who broke whose heart?  Why do both Ava and Silas soften at the mention of a child in danger?  What happened all those years ago that caused two people who were very much in love to feel nothing but anger and pain for each other now?  We are enjoying watching all this unfold and cannot wait to get these answers.

Britt’s character development
When we first met Britt, she seemed like the stereotypical, one-dimensional, sneaky bitch and aside from a shared hatred for Sabrina, it was hard to form any attachment to the character. But then the show began peeling back her layers. We learned who her parents were and we got glimpses into what it was like growing up as Dr. O’s daughter (don’t get us wrong; we love the good doctor, but we’re not going to swap out our moms any time soon).

Suddenly Britt’s actions started to make a lot more sense. But even more than that, we got to see that she does have feelings and she’s carrying a lot of guilt around for her actions. More than anything, Britt is desperate for love and who doesn’t know what that’s like? Her friendships with Taylor and Nikolas have also scored a lot of points with us and let the audience see that there is so much potential for the character to keep growing and changing and we can’t wait to see what’s next for her.

Pictured: Chad Duell (Michael Corinthos) | Photo Credit: ABC

Michael’s Transformation
Teenage Michael Corinthos was the worst, but aside from the nonsense with Kiki, Michael has slowly started to emerge as one of the best characters of the younger set. Bonding with AJ has led to Michael embracing his Quartermaine roots and he’s mellowed out; he’s not the same kid who was so determined to be a power-hungry monster. Instead, he’s become levelheaded and the voice of reason. But he hasn’t turned his back on Carly or Sonny; instead, Michael is balancing his family dynamics and watching out for all of his parents.

Sam & Silas
We had reservations over pairing Michael Easton and Kelly Monaco together again. After loving their pairing on Port Charles, to feeling lukewarm about Sam & John, we weren’t sure how we’d feel about Kelly/Michael 3.0. We tried to resist the pull we felt as Sam and Silas’ interaction went from hostile to civil to a pseudo friendship, but eventually succumbed to the magic between the two veteran actors. Sam and Silas have been an unexpected source of enjoyment.

The Fans
No one will ever be completely satisfied with the creative direction of their favorite shows. Constructive criticism is important in all forms of life. It’s the hope that one takes the feedback and learns from it. We can all agree that no one would appreciate it if someone came to their job and harassed them about how they could do their job better than you.

Thanks to social media, soap fans have unprecedented access to writers, producers and actors. When someone asks what you thought about the episode, best believe that someone is reading it. You may feel that writers aren’t doing what you want. You may want certain couples together and be furious when they aren’t. You may be disappointed when your favorite isn’t on enough. You may feel you’re your investment isn’t appreciated – but it is.

We saw fans who enjoyed the show because they wanted to – not because they felt compelled to in order for GH to survive. We saw fans who regularly praised writers, actors, directors, etc. after a standout episode. Your comments matter. Your opinions matter.

We also saw fans who, despite not getting 100% of what they wanted, managed to throw in a compliment or two. Fans criticized without attacking; those able to express their dissatisfaction without being rude. You may not think your opinions matter, but it does as well.