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General Hospital Vet Left Shocked and ‘Breathless’ by Fan Response to Her Return: Your Messages ‘Brought Tears and Laughter’
Monday, January 18th, 2021
“I would love to reach each and every person who wrote about that first day back,” exclaimed Denise Alexander.
Like many of us — yes, even some of us who write for websites — Denise Alexander isn’t exceptionally social-media-savvy. So until a fan shared with her the response to her return to General Hospital, she had no idea how excited we were to have her back on screen as Lesley.
More: The week’s five most tantalizing spoilers
“Wow!” she wrote back. “I am breathless! What a wonderful surprise!
“I am beyond grateful for all the kind and amazing and funny and sweet and caring and supportive and truly delicious messages,” she continued. “I have never felt so appreciated.”
Maybe Alexander didn’t realize just how beloved she is for her long run as Laura’s mother, for years the ABC soap’s foremost heroine. But she definitely didn’t realize the stir that her comeback had caused in the Twitterverse.
More: The AMC vet the primetime spinoff needs
“I do not have a clue as to how to communicate on the Internet on Twitter,” she admitted. “I would love to reach each and every person who wrote about that first day back. But I don’t even know what the rules are.
“I’ve a vague sense that there is a limit to how long a message can be,” she added, “but do not know how to reach anyone. Is there any way you could forward at least my thanks to everyone?”
That there was, and that the fan did indeed do. In closing, Alexander told her legion of admirers, “I love each and every message, and am full of gratitude.”
And as for the individual who collected the posts for her, “you,” said Alexander, “are a lovely person.”
@WubsNet @Jamey_Giddens @DanJKroll @CarolynHinsey @alltvallshade pic.twitter.com/8ywYEUUgXW
— Tricia Sheldon (@TriciaSheldon) January 16, 2021
While you’re here, check out the below photo gallery that reviews 2020’s goings-on in Port Charles — events that set the stage for Lesley’s reintroduction to the canvas.
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Image: Jill Johnson/JPI
1/27
<p>Nina and Valentin’s New Year’s Eve wedding was brought to a screeching halt when Nikolas burst in carrying Ava, who he had rescued from the waters after Valentin pushed her from the parapet. Valentin wanted to keep Ava from ruining his wedding to Nina, though he had no idea Nina was planning to break his heart at the altar anyway in an act of revenge for him lying to her about Sasha. Valentin’s wedding was a disaster in more ways than one, because Nikolas was believed to have been dead, but was buying his time to return to Port Charles and takedown Valentin</p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI
2/27
<p>Valentin’s life continued to fall apart in 2020. Not only did he lose Nina again, but he also lost his name and fortune. A codicil that was hidden in Helena’s portrait revealed that Valentin was not a Cassadine but was Helena’s son with an unknown male worker from Cassadine Island, and she passed him off as Mikkos’ son in an ultimate act of revenge against her philandering husband. </p>
Image: ABC screenshot
3/27
<p>General Hospital introduced a new big bad, drug runner Cyrus Renault, who targeted Port Charles under mysterious circumstances. He and Sonny formed a truce that neither had any plans to really uphold and were determined to take the other out given the chance. Cyrus also bailed out General Hospital and took over as chairman of the board and ousted several long term staff members such as Monica and Bobbie, and installed Britt Westbourne as Chief of Staff. </p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI
4/27
<p>After over a year, the truth about Brad and Nelle swapping Michael and Nelle’s child with Willow’s baby, who Brad and Lucas adopted, finally came to light. Lucas remembered Brad confessing the truth right before their car crashed, causing Lucas to fall into a coma and forgetting his husband’s confession when he regained consciousness. Brad took the fall and didn’t rat out Julian, who helped him cover the truth up, while Nelle played the victim and claimed Brad switched the children on his own while she was still delirious from giving birth in the woods. Michael was reunited with his son, while Willow was crushed that it was her child that died that night. And Brad, well he went to prison.</p>
Image: ABC screenshot
5/27
<p>Port Charles, and Robert in particular, was devastated to learn that while doing a job for the WSB, Holly Sutton was presumed dead. At her memorial service, Robert received a call from someone who sounded like Holly pleading for help. Robert jetted off to Monte Carlo, where he traced the call too, and Olivia tagged along for help and support. They were stunned to run into Holly’s son Ethan, who also was in search of the truth about his mother. While they were all led to believe that Holly had been murdered by Winston Rudge, Holly was actually alive and well and being held captive in an unknown location. </p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
6/27
<p>When Nelle was able to get out on early parole from prison, she and Michael fought for custody of Wiley. After Sasha and Chase pretended to have an affair to push Michael and Willow together, the two entered a marriage of convenience to win custody of Wiley. Predictably, Michael and Willow began to fall for one another and made love just as Chase decided to come clean with Willow. </p>
Image: ABC screenshot
7/27
<p>Not wanting Michael and Willow’s marriage to give them leverage in the custody hearing for Wiley, Nelle blackmailed Julian into marrying her by threatening to reveal his helping Brad cover up the baby swap. Nelle’s plan was a failure, as she lost custody of Wiley to Michael and Willow. Julian also lost, as after she died, Nelle had a letter sent to Ryan in Pentonville spilling all of Julian’s secrets. Julian was forced to make a deal with Cyrus to shut Ryan up, which eventually led to Julian’s own undoing when Sonny was able to put the pieces together of the Jerome’s crimes.</p>
Image: ABC Screenshot
8/27
<p>2020’s Nurses Ball was an unconventional one due to taping restrictions under Covid. The ball was delayed from its normal airing in May when the studios shut down and aired in August when the show returned with new episodes. It featured an audienceless ball, with the residents of Port Charles instead working the phones in the first-ever Nurses Ball telethon to raise money for HIV awareness but also frontline workers. </p>
Image: ABC screenshot
9/27
<p>Brook Lynn’s year was full of more downs than ups. Stuck in a recording contract with scummy producer Link, Brook Lynn agreed to trade her shares in ELQ to him to get out of her contract. She had no idea Link was working for Valentin, who acquired enough shares of ELQ to take over the company. Ned was furious with his daughter and felt betrayed by her, which strained their relationship. Things got worse for Brook Lynn, who in an attempt to stop Nelle from kidnapping Wiley during the Nurses Ball found herself attacked by the psycho and had her throat slashed, which resulted in an uncertain future for the singer’s voice. Before eventually making amends with Ned and leaving town, Brook Lynn had a fling with Valentin, which left her possibly pregnant. </p>
Image: ABC screenshot
10/27
<p>After terrorizing Carly and her family for several years, Nelle finally met her maker. Well, at least that’s what everyone thinks. After kidnapping Wiley, Michael, Carly and Jax caught up with her trying to hide out at one of Sonny’s cabins. Carly gave chase to Nelle through the woods, and they fought, leading to Nelle going over a cliff. Her body eventually turned up on the Pennsylvania side of the river dead as a doornail.</p>
Image: ABC screenshot
11/27
<p>After framing Obrecht for the attempts on Andre and Franco’s lives, and the downing of Drew’s plane, Peter thought all his secrets were safe and nobody could get in the way of his happiness with Maxie. Maxie stunned Peter, and all of Port Charles, by accidentally revealing on-air at The Nurses Ball that she was pregnant. Maxie eventually proposed to Peter, and he accepted. As they look forward to their wedding, Peter has no idea that Ocrecht has been plotting from Switzerland to take him down.</p>
Image: ABC Screenshot
12/27
<p>After watching Sonny’s father Mike rapidly decline from Alzheimer’s for over a year, Mike finally passed on. Mike was escorted to the afterlife by his daughter Courtney in a touching farewell scene. </p>
Image: ABC Screenshot
13/27
<p>Alexis seemed to have finally found happiness with Dr. Neil Byrne, her former therapist. However their relationship caused the medical board to bring charges against Neil for dating a former client, and Alexis lied under oath claiming their relationship was innocent when it was anything but. When it was discovered they had slept together, Neil and Alexis both lost their professional licenses. This put a strain on their relationship, but just as they reunited, Neil turned up dead in Alexis’ bed from a drug overdose. His shocking death led Alexis to begin drinking again.</p>
Image: ABC screenshot
14/27
<p>Dante finally returned to Port Charles, only to discover time hadn’t stood still and his ex-wife Lulu had moved on with high school teacher Dustin, who had moved into their home. Nobody knew Dante was released from the WSB hospital on a mission, which Obrecht was secretly behind, to get evidence that Peter was up to no good and his mother Anna was protecting him.</p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI
15/27
<p>After finally putting Valentin behind her, Nina moved on romantically with Jax. The Australian also helped Nina search for her long lost daughter. They eventually reached a dead end, learning that her daughter was alive, but was part of an illegal and untraceable adoption that happened in Florida. As Nina realized she may never find her daughter, Carly discovered Avery had recovered the locket of Nina’s long lost daughter after spending time with Ava at Sonny’s cabin. Carly figured out the locket was Nelle’s and told Jax that Nelle was Nina’s daughter. They both agreed it was better Nina never knew the truth, especially with Nelle dead. And also you know, it was Nelle. </p>
Image: ABC screenshot
16/27
<p>Kim Delaney joined General Hospital as reporter Jackie Templeton, previously played by Demi Moore. However, there was more to Jackie than met the eye, as it was revealed she was Chase’s mother and Finn’s stepmother. All Chase wanted was his family happy and together, only to learn his mom and dad had decided to separate. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he has no idea that Finn and Jackie slept together the night before Jackie was to marry their father, and is the real reason Finn had kept his distance from the family for years. </p>
Image: ABC screenshot
17/27
<p>Franco’s tumor returned, and the reformed serial killer feared he would turn back into a psychopath artist. He even went so far as to ask Jason to rub him out if he showed signs that he was regressing. After he began to hear Peter’s voices in his head, he consulted with Dr. Kirk in Switzerland and learned the voices maybe leftover memories from Drew Cain and the tumor may be a consequence of the memory transfer he was forced into by Shiloh. After Dr. Kirk met an untimely end, Dr. Obrecht took over Franco’s care. </p>
Image: ABC screenshot
18/27
<p>As Anna confirmed that Peter was not her son but her twin sister Alex’s, Alex returned to town determined to kill Anna and insert herself into Peter’s life. She went so far as to kidnap Maxie, who was pregnant with her grandchild and tried to flee with her on The Haunted Star. Anna saved Maxie and was forced to shoot her sister. Alex tumbled over the deck and into the sea, so she likely isn’t as dead as everyone thinks.</p>
Image: ABC screenshot
19/27
<p>Alexis on one of her benders met up with an equally drunken Ned, who was convinced that Olivia was cheating on him with Robert, and they ended up in bed. The secret became one of the worst-kept ones in town, as Monica, Brook Lynn and Tracy all learned of Ned’s indiscretion, and Tracy was determined to protect her son from Alexis tanking his marriage by drunkenly telling Olivia the truth.</p>
Image: ABC screenshot
20/27
<p>The last quarter of 2020 saw a ton of exits, including Dev. The bombing of The Floating Rib by Julian, instructed by Cyrus, led to poor Dev’s death. Unfortunately, he died before revealing to Cam that he had falsified a journal entry in Joss’s diary claiming she was revolted by her Homecoming kiss with Cam. </p>
Image: ABC screenshot
21/27
<p>Port Charles High School teacher Dustin Phillips was another casualty of The Floating Rib bombing. Dustin, who was dating Lulu and proposed to her right before being blow up, told Dante on his death bed to take care of Lulu. That was a bit serendipitous given Dante was Lulu’s ex and was hoping for a reunion now that he was back in town. </p>
Image: ABC screenshot
22/27
<p>The Floating Rib bombing seemed to serve as a mass exodus of Port Charles citizens with Lulu surviving the explosion, but later falling into a coma due to swelling of her brain that was rattled in the blast. Laura made the difficult decision to send Lulu to a long-term care facility, devastating her family and friends. Fans too were upset that Lulu and Dante’s reunion was derailed by this decision by the powers that be. </p>
Image: ABC screenshot
23/27
<p>Ava and Nikolas entered into a marriage of convenience early on in 2020, both hoping to con the other out of the Cassadine fortune thanks to an infidelity clause. Both tried to scheme to get the other to cheat on them, but in the end, found themselves falling for one another. Ryan’s attempt to blackmail Ava over her brother’s crimes only served to bring the two closer together, and they professed their love for one another. </p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI
24/27
<p>After all they had been through to reunite, Sam ended things with Jason. After the bombing of The Floating Rib, which targeted Jason and put their son Danny in jeopardy, Sam began to realize Jason’s job was a threat to her and her children’s future and told him they were dunzo if he kept putting Sonny first. Jason walked out to help Sonny, but at the same time was torn and understand Sam’s decision. </p>
Image: ABC screenshot
25/27
<p>Tracy returned for Thanksgiving knowing her family was in shambles. Valentin had taken over ELQ, she soon learned Ned’s marriage was in jeopardy after he drunkenly slept with Alexis, and she hasn’t even begun to tackle Cyrus taking over General Hospital. </p>
Image: ABC screenshot
26/27
<p>Julian put in a good run in this year in trying to redeem himself, but in the end, his past mistakes came back to haunt him. Between covering up Brad’s baby switch, which got him screwed into marrying Nelle who used that as blackmail, and then having the stupidity to get himself in bed with Sonny’s latest nemesis Cyrus… well it’s no wonder Julian found himself being visited by three spirits just in time for Christmas, including Duke Lavery and Connie Falconeri. Julian found himself running from Cyrus’ men as well as Sonny and Jason, and a final confrontation with Sonny left him shot a second time and falling into a river along with Sonny when the dilapidated footbridge they were on collapsed. </p>
Image: ABC screenshot
27/27
