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We’re in the midst of May sweeps but you might not know that from looking at General Hospital’s current story lines. The sudser’s amazing cast brings humor, emotion and depth to the material they’re given and viewers are getting some lovely moments to watch. There certainly is a lot one could praise about GH. However, the uneven story-telling, rewritten histories and confusing plots have resulted in fan frustration. It’s becoming increasingly harder to get my hopes up when the stories I’m excited about continually fail to give me a return on my investment. I’d like to be able to confidently say “this story is going to be amazing” without fear that I’ll be disappointed later. Fingers crossed that GH’s Nurses Ball works its magic and shifts stories in the right directions.
Picks of the Week
The Kids are Alright
Jake shows Franco and Liz his a magic trick.
GH got some mixed reviews a few years back in regards to the kiddie love quad between Spencer, Emma, Cameron and Joss. Some viewers found it adorable while others felt attention should go to the adults’ romances instead. Since the plug was pulled on that story, we’ve seen a lot less of the children, almost to the point of annoyance (Where’s Cameron?). Last week, GH made good use of Port Charles’ next generation in their appropriate supporting roles in their parents’ stories.
Hudson West is a talented actor who is bringing the right about of innocence and creepiness to the chimera story line. Jake doesn’t want to hurt anyone and cares about his family but Helena still has her control over him. The scenes between Jason and Jake at the park worked to build on the development of the slightly more domesticated Stone Cold. Later, Jake’s “King and Queen of Hearts” magic trick played as a good lead in to a serious but playful discussion between Liz and Franco about his trip to Cassadine Island. To add to these family moments, Jake and Aiden’s interaction regarding the chimera in a can hidden in the magic box of pain felt very brotherly, like kids really behave. Can we get a little more Aiden by the way? The kid is cute.
Emma and Robin returned to Port Charles for the Nurses Ball and just in time to stop Anna’s imposter. I know this will probably sound a little odd but I found it very touching that Emma was the one to realize that wasn’t Anna. The girl knows her badass grandmother. Kids often see what grown-ups don’t so having Emma call out Alex as a fraud totally worked. Another nice moment, was the simple but sweet family moments between Dante, Lulu, Rocco and Charlotte. The Thermos story line should be better than it is. Showing us what Lulu is fighting for is a step in the right direction to improving it. Lulu’s fight for Charlotte needs to be less baby-rabies and more chocolate chip pancakes.
The Unbearable Bradness of Being
I was disappointed when it seemed that Brad was going a little dark. The character should always be a bit a schemer. That wasn’t my issue. It’s that he’s a fun character and I wasn’t here for him being mean-spirited. I understand Brad’s animosity towards Finn. The doctor can be a bit arrogant for someone who has a lot of flaws. I would be annoyed to if I felt a co-worker was always given a break while I was looked down on. Trying to destroy Finn’s career was a bit much though. Brad’s a little naughty but he’s not villainous.
Brad is falsely accused.
Luckily, things were not as they seemed. Brad didn’t tamper with the drug tests; Liesl did. I was glad that Brad wasn’t the culprit. Everyone was so quick to pin it on him, mistaking his frustration as vengeance. The lab manager shouldn’t have blackmailed Finn in the first place of course either. These circumstances pretty much came about because nobody was nice to anyone.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about this story at first but it ended up being a decent one, more character-driven than I realized. However, I do have one major gripe. This story would be even better if Lucas were involved. Griffin was in charge of this investigation and, though it hasn’t been mentioned in forever, he’s really good friends with Lucas. Being put in the awkward position of possibly having to fire his pal’s husband is a beat that should have been played. Yet Griffin never even mentioned Lucas once the whole time. Giving Lucas a role in this would have made it more than just Brad vs. Finn and Hayden.
I wish I I cared about these storylines, But I don’t . If Valerie was part of a storyline, Then I could care about these stories. Valerie being on prop duty doesn’t do it for me.