‘General Hospital’ Week In Review: Women In Refrigerators

Last week’s General Hospital was kind of dark. It started out strangely with a special Jason episode and then continued its descent into mobland. It was all murder and breakups. I would have liked some more love in the afternoon.

Despite the gloominess and the bad start, the week did have a lot of great moments and the cast did a fantastic job with all the angst. GH’s most popular pairings may be heading towards Splitsville but the talented actors and great writing have my attention. There are a lot of emotional beats being played and I appreciate the hard work that has gone into the material. I just wish that GH would balance the dark out with a little bit more light. I think the show does better both critically and in the ratings when it’s fun to watch. Thankfully the Nurses Ball is on its way to brighten Port Charles up a bit.

General Hospital Week In Review is for the episodes that aired May 9th-13th.

Jason Morgan Returns

I feel that lack of commitment with the direction of Jason has lead to an undefined character. It does seem that the powers that be at GH are aware of this fact too and are making efforts to get the character to land. I’m glad that Jason’s gotten his memories back and I’m glad that he is reunited with Sam. These are steps in the right direction. However, seeing Jason finally take shape hasn’t necessarily been entertaining to watch. I have several criticisms about Monday’s episode which was lauded as a big event. These are my own opinions and I acknowledge that others may not share them. I saw that a lot Jasam fans loved the episode and I’m glad they enjoyed it. But I think they were cheated. This episode should have been a lot better.

I don’t feel particularly connected to Jason right now so utilizing other characters to guide him seems like a good idea in theory but it ended up a bit overkill. The parade of hallucinations ultimately made the event feel too scattered. Instead of trotting out guest stars, GH should have keep things simple and heartfelt. The scenes with Sam, Michael and Danny were great. I would have paired those scenes with Jason’s visions of Sam only. Sam should have been his guiding light, his heart and his motivation to be a good man. This would have made the episode touching and romantic. GH is a soap after all.

The lovely exchange between Sam and Jason was also the only time where I found Jason likable during the episode. Our hero, the hitman with a heart of gold, was going to leave a man to die until a vision of the individual most instrumental in turning him into a killer inspired him to do the right thing. Why couldn’t Sam and Danny be behind Jason’s motivation to save Dante, a man who also has a hot ex-wife and young son? Wouldn’t that have made more sense?

My biggest disappointment is that GH didn’t allow Sam to be the star of this important moment. Kelly Monaco was the best part of the episode and yet got none of the hype. It should have been HER episode. For some reason, her male co-stars tend to get most of the accolades even at the times when she’s outshines them. Her work in this episode was on point. I wish someone would have had the foresight to have made Sam’s point of view the focus.

Sons and Lovers

Anna finds comfort in Duke’s ghost.

Jason Morgan wasn’t the only one visited by ghosts of the past. After getting knocked out and stuffed in a freezer, Anna was reunited with Duke’s spirit. These scenes were nice and reminded me why Anna and Duke have such a passionate fanbase. Ian Buchanan and Finola Hughes played the emotional beats of longing and loss perfectly. Not being able to protect Duke has left Anna in a world of pain, regret and bitterness. They won’t be able to “live on fine wine and grilled cheese sandwiches.” And Duke won’t be able to get to know his son.

As for Duke’s son Griffin, he shocked Anna and Sonny by revealing that he’s a priest. Then much to Anna’s horror, he gave Carlos his last rites. Anna desperately wanted Carlos’ final breathes to name Julian’s part in Duke’s murder but instead the hitman was shown compassion and mercy. For Griffin, Carlos’ punishment is in God’s hands and revenge isn’t important. I think that the fact that mob violence has taken another father away from his son has a lot of significance. Carlos’ son will never get the chance to get to know him just as Griffin never got to form a bond with Duke. I’m interested to see the fallout when Sabrina and her son finally return to Port Charles.