After Joss Is Attacked, [Spoiler] Comes to Her Rescue — and the Hook’s Identity Is Finally Revealed

At Wyndemere, Nikolas tells Liz about Esme’s escape and plunge over the parapet. He has no idea if she drowned, if she on the island, or made her way to the mainland. Liz doesn’t see how she could survive the fall in her third trimester.

Liz laments this is all their fault for pushing Esme to this extreme measure and begins listing all the crimes that they could be charged with. Nikolas promises her that nobody will ever know about this.

More: Laura has questions for [spoiler] regarding Nikolas

At Kelly’s, Dante and Sam enjoy some cocoa. Dex appears, and Dante comments he must have the day off. He asks if Dex wants to change his story about what really happened. Dex has nothing new to say and walks out. Sam asks Dante if he’s trying to build a case against his father.

Dante tells Sam that he is wrestling with the idea of justice, striving to uphold it, and what it means when it is applied to his father. Dante understands where Michael is coming from, and he hates the idea of having to build a case against his father one day. However, selectively applying justice is the very definition of injustice.

Sam asks if he’s ever covered up a crime of Sonny’s. Dante hasn’t, but he has made sure not to ask certain questions and bowed out of cases when there was a conflict of interest. Sam feels he’s done his duty, and he’s not disrespecting his badge by loving his father.

Britt arrives at Pier 27 with her luggage and waits for her boat. She gets a message it’s 10 minutes out. She watches the fireworks overhead and looks at photos of her and her mother together. Soon she hears the horn of her boat and sees it approaching.

Elsewhere on the docks, the hook killer rushes towards Joss. Joss trips and falls while trying to escape, and the killer lunges toward her with their hook held high. Joss scrambles and begins screaming for help. A chase ensues, when Britt suddenly appears and clobbers the hook with her purse yelling, “Back off, bitch!”

Maxie and Obrecht are alone in The Haunted Star as everyone else has left. Maxie’s surprised Britt cut out early. Carly enters and says, “I knew I was late, but not that late!”

More: Lydia Look expresses thanks to many

Shortly after Carly departs, Drew arrives and learns he wasn’t alone in arriving late, and that he just missed Carly. Drew really wanted to celebrate with Britt and tells Obrecht her daughter is brave and strong and she played a crucial role in their escaping Cassadine Island.

Once alone again, Obrecht thanks Maxie for giving her daughter this party. Maxie insists Britt did it herself, she and Brad just helped. Obrecht opens up about the choices she’s made, especially regarding her children. She feels she should have given Britt a better childhood. Maxie tells her that’s in the past, and the love they share now is what is important.

Talk turns to Nathan, and Obrecht is so glad he was able to find Maxie, and that he lives on in James. Maxie will never forget about Nathan, even if she does find another great love. Obrecht is so glad they are still in one another’s lives. Maxie asks Obrecht to stop beating herself up over Britt because Britt is awesome and loves her mom.

Carly gets Drew’s text and meets him at Pier 27. They recall being together a year ago tonight on the footbridge. He remembers that she helped him to stop being angry and look forward to the future. She reflects on Sonny breaking her heart, and almost breaking her, and he was a large part of helping her find her way back.

Carly says she wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Drew. She also gets to do now what she couldn’t last year, and they kiss. Drew produces some champagne, and they toast to celebrating last year, this year, and many more to come.

Elsewhere on the docks, Britt yells at Joss to run. Britt blocks the hook’s attacks with her purse, and they struggle when suddenly Dex appears and shoots at the hook.

The hook goes down but gets back up and runs off. Dex helps Joss up, and she thanks Britt for saving her life. Britt says they both owe their lives to Dex, and she guesses they should call the cops. Dex says, “Not so fast…”

Back at Kelly’s, Dante gets a work call. He tells Sam he’s supposed to be off the clock. Later, Maxie finds Sam alone and assumes Dante got called into work.

Back at the pier, several beat cops show up to find Britt sitting there alone. She tells them she just fought off the hook. They’re skeptical given the number of calls they’ve received about the hook tonight. She shows them her torn bag, and the hook left behind on the pier. She explains she heard the sounds of a struggle, saw the hook attacking a young woman, and ran to help. She continues that by the time she drove the hook off that the other woman was gone.

More: Britt’s birthday was the best soap party ever

On the deck of The Haunted Star, Spencer holds Trina, who asks if people will suspect they are more than friends. Spencer says Maxie sure did, and Trina thinks the GH crew who was here will be eager to spread the gossip. They watch the fireworks from the deck and talk about how fun Britt’s party was.

Spencer opens up about his past with Britt, and that he’s glad she never married his father as it would have hurt too much when they broke up. Trina realizes Spencer never expects anything good to happen. He says people have come and gone from his life, and the only constant has been his grandmother.

Trina tells Spencer just because he feels this way now, it doesn’t mean it will be that way forever. He notes when she says it, he almost believes it. They lean in for a kiss when they hear sobbing.

Spencer and Trina turn and spot a soaking-wet Esme standing there. Spencer asks where she’s been. Suddenly she passes out, and Trina sees she’s pregnant. Spencer thinks she has hyperthermia and says they need to get her to the hospital.

Later at General Hospital, Spencer calls Liz to tell her that Esme is back. He says she’s at General Hospital in custody, and the police are on their way. Spencer assures Trina that the baby is not his. He stays silent when she wonders who could be the father.

Dante arrives, followed by Liz and Nikolas. Dante asks Spencer what happened, and he and Trina give him the details of Esme appearing and fainting. A doctor interrupts and tells Dante that Esme is being treated for hyperthermia. He says she’s resting comfortably and should wake up shortly. Dante asks to see her and is taken in. Spencer confronts Nikolas about why he’s here.

In Esme’s room, the doctor gives Dante a bag of what was on Esme, including a Christmas ornament. Esme stirs awake, and Dante asks what happened to her.

Dex brings Joss back to his place and makes her a drink. She’s never had scotch before, so he tells her to take it easy. Joss thanks him for saving her and Britt, but thinks they should have given their statements to the cops. Dex reminds her that he shot the hook with a gun that Sonny gave him, and he doesn’t have a license for it. Dex retrieved the shell casing and thinks the bullet either went into the hook or the water. Joss rolls her eyes and realizes he’s still protecting Sonny.

Dex notes she has it wrong. He explains Sonny’s warned him to stay away from her, so he’s been trying to cover for what’s going on between them. Joss knows she could have died tonight, and it’s like he’s always there for her when she needs him. Dex’s voice wavers as he tells her when he saw her on the docks he thought she was gone. He was afraid he’d never get to do this again and pulls her into a kiss. They soon begin to undress and make their way to the couch and make love.

Back on The Haunted Star, an alone Obrecht is surprised when Britt returns. Britt suggests they drink to her birthday, to New Year’s, and to the two of them. Britt removes her coat, and Obrecht notices her dress is torn and she’s bleeding from a small scratch. Suddenly Britt appears woozy, stammers forward, and collapses.

Meanwhile, the hook has been shot and stumbles along the docks wounded. They remove their mask and and it’s Heather!

On the next General Hospital: Laura asks what Victor has on Nikolas. Spencer warns his father that Esme will blow him out of the water. Trina wonders what if they were wrong. Scott tells Cam, “What are you waiting for, go and get her!” After sex, Joss tells Dex that she’ll never tell herself those lies again. Dante asks Esme where she’s been for six months. As Britt coughs, Obrecht asks what is happening to her.

Before you go, check out our gallery of the General Hospital‘s 2022 year in review.

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