Longtime viewers of General Hospital have found themselves on quite the rollercoaster ride lately. Lucky (Jonathan Jackson) and Ric (Rick Hearst) returned, Sam (Kelly Monaco) died, Lulu (Alexa Havins) woke up, Molly (Kristen Vaganos) and TJ (Tajh Bellow) broke up, Drew (Cameron Mathison) became the center of an awkward “love pentagon” and Chad Duell is exiting the role of Michael, leaving the future of the character up in the air.
With all these changes, some soapy and must-watch TV moments have been on display on General Hospital. However, as someone who’s been watching the show since I was a kid spending summers at my grandmother’s house, I find the show is still missing those special things that truly make it General Hospital.
This got me thinking about what could happen to help recapture some of that General Hospital magic. Then it hit me: the show needs a big bad villain on the scene that causes a massive life-threatening event for everyone in town. Something that makes all the major players fearful for their lives or the lives of their loved ones, and something that leaves viewers in suspense about who will survive. Additionally, the event has to be something that pushes couples that should be together back together, and breaks up those pairs that aren’t up to par.
Now I’m sure there will be those who argue there have been these types of threats recently. Heather (Alley Mills) and Esme (Avery Kristen Pohl) ran around town with a hook, Victor (Charles Shaughnessy) threatened global destruction, the Pikeman group went after Sonny (Maurice Benard) and John Cates (Adam J. Harrington) returned to Port Charles with an axe to grind. However, with all of the threats and chaos that these people launched, it felt like the stakes were never high enough or widespread enough to cause maximum soapy drama.
Back in 2007, General Hospital saw two big events that kept viewers glued to their screens. First, the infamous Metro Court hostage crisis. Jerry Jacks returned to Port Charles with mercenaries and held many of Port Charles’ residents at gunpoint. The event caused widespread panic, it forced enemies like Carly and Emily (Natalia Livingston) to work together to save Robin’s (Kimberly McCullough) life and it caused some romantic shifts.
During that same year, Diego (Ignacio Serricchio) launched his reign of terror as the Text Message Killer and put all the residents of Port Charles on high alert. No one knew who the killer was and no one knew who would be the next victim. Diego wound up murdering Emily and Georgie (Lindze Letherman), which rocked the show’s canvas, and viewers watching at home, as it was a surprise departure for both characters.
I could also point to the Floating Rib explosion that happened four years ago, but the overall point I’m making is that high-stakes drama with potentially widespread consequences involving as many of the main characters as possible is a recipe for success for General Hospital.
I’d love to have this recipe duplicated in some way on the show’s canvas today. Whether that’s Lorenzo Alcazar (Ted King) resurfacing to secretly exact revenge on those who wronged him by creating chaos for Christmas or the annual Nurses Ball, or even Jerry Jacks returning to settle scores with the many people he loathes via a crime spree, I like to see the jolt of energy in the show.
In case such an event does happen, perhaps familiar pairings like Carly and Sonny or Dante (Dominic Zamprogna) and Lulu will reunite, and maybe the pandemonium will usher in a big return that I’ve been clamoring for — Morgan Cotinthos (Bryan Craig).
New episodes of General Hospital air on weekdays on ABC. If you miss an episode, you can catch up on Hulu.
