General Hospital Is Building Up to a Huge Return… or a Massive Letdown
If there’s one thing that General Hospital does better than any other current soap, it’s keep viewers guessing as to what’s going to happen next. By releasing frustratingly vague spoilers and keeping most casting news under lock and key, they’re able to pull off surprises like the one which Monday saw the literal unveiling of a new (and newly blond) Ethan.
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But lately, it’s seemed as if the steady stream of plot twists and returning characters is heading toward something that’s bigger than the sum of the already impressive parts. And with May sweeps just around the corner, we’re beginning to suspect that we’ve figured out where things are going… and who’ll be there when we arrive.
In just the past few days, viewers saw Holly, Ethan and Tracy return to the canvas, leading us to connect a few dots. What’s the common denominator between the three of them? That’s right, a man named Lucas Lorenzo Spencer.
In fact, nearly every storyline currently unfolding on the canvas leads right back to the legendary former Port Charles resident. Victor Cassadine is following in the footsteps of his late brother, Mikkos, a plot which half of Port Charles is working to undermine. The similarities to the long-ago Ice Princess storyline are impossible to ignore. And while this current storyline seems to be casting Spencer and Trina in the roles formerly played by Luke and Laura, we’re beginning to suspect that ultimately…
Dare we hope?
Might Luke — in the form of Anthony Geary, who retired from the show back in 2015 — return to once again help quash an evil Cassadine scheme?
Yes, General Hospital had Luke die in an off-screen accident over a year ago, but does anyone really believe that one of the most iconic characters in daytime history could, would or should be dispatched in so ignoble a manner, and off-screen to boot? Of course not!
What better way to celebrate the 60th anniversary than with a return, however brief, of Geary and his much-loved alter ego? They could help save the world (again) before reuniting with Tracy and setting off on further adventures. Even if we weren’t able to go along for the off-screen ride, we’d feel better knowing that Luke and “Spanky Buns” were out there, somewhere, fighting the good fight (and one another).
In a story as filled with major twists and shocking returns as this one has been, it will feel like something of a letdown — and a pretty major one at that — if ultimately, we’re told that yup, the rumors of Luke’s death were sadly accurate.
On the other hand, perhaps it will be a reminder to us all that sometimes, it really is the journey and not the destination. No matter what happens, we’ll be able to look at what went down and say, as Sonny had Jason convey to Brenda years ago, “It was a great ride.”
Relive the extraordinary life of Luke Spencer in the gallery below.
