Saying So Long to 2020 With General Hospital New Year’s Wishes for 2021: From Exposing Peter to Much-Needed Reunions — But Please, No More Nelle
December 28 - 30
Credit: ABC, Jill Johnson/JPI
Another short week of General Hospital due to the holidays ended out 2020. As with the last, which I found to be dark for Christmas, this one was more of the same. For a change of pace, I’m looking forward to 2021 and where I would like to see some of these storylines go. Think of this as my New Year’s wish column!
More: General Hospital 2020 year in review
Number One Wish
I don’t believe I’m alone in wanting to see every single one of Peter’s lies, crimes and schemes exposed. Actually, I probably hoped that for 2020 and 2019… With Dante having his mission to complete, Obrecht back in town, and Franco suddenly having memories of Peter’s voice, it looks like 2021 might finally be the year we see Peter go down. With a wedding and baby on the way, the writers have arranged the perfect setup for the classic soap wedding disaster. Truth be told, I don’t expect him to be gone for good. Somehow, someway, the show will find a way to redeem him, though perhaps he would be better served becoming the next Faison and obsessed with Maxie. Then again, nobody can replace Anders Hove.
End the Mob War
The tense truce between ponytail drug runner Cyrus and coffee exporter Sonny was a big part of the show. We didn’t really see anything come to a head until the very end of the year, with the bombing of The Floating Rib, Julian’s death, and Sonny going missing. Plus there was the surprise revelation that Laura, Martin and Cyrus are siblings. Martin and Laura bonding more would be welcomed, but it’s time to put Cyrus to bed. I feel the choice to have Sonny MIA over the holidays while making for a depressing end to the year, was a wise decision. As I suggested in last week’s column, it would be an interesting twist if Cyrus was holding Sonny hostage. Some viewers however would like to see Sonny permanently gone. Sorry, but I don’t think any amount of wishing will make that one happen.
Sonny takes a long walk off a short pier.
— JustAJill (@jillpole) December 31, 2020
Carly’s moment of taking control and stopping the confrontation between Jason and Cyrus on the pier was a pleasant surprise, as was her apparently having Cyrus’ mother abducted from the care facility in Vermont. While Sonny and Jason want Carly to have nothing to do with the business, seeing her make moves against Cyrus was pretty badass. I wouldn’t mind seeing Carly take charge for a bit, but she’d probably screw things up. Still, it would be great if it was Laura and Carly working together who brought Cyrus down. It’s time for the women to kick some butt.
Reunions Wanted
The return of Dominic Zamprogna set the stage for what could have been a great triangle between Lulu, Dustin and Dante. However that opportunity was blown, pun intended, by Dustin’s death and Lulu falling into a coma. Aside from Dante’s mission, what is ahead for his character? Spoilers are teasing some bonding between Sam and Dante, but Lulu is needed with Dante back on the canvas. And it’s more than Dante who needs her. With Laura’s newfound brothers, Lulu could play an integral part in bringing Cyrus down alongside her mother, something Lulu started, and Maxie will definitely need her best friend when her world falls apart whenever Peter is exposed. If they bring Lulu back, they need to make her stronger than ever.
More: Soap stars lost in 2020
Neil’s death knocked Alexis off the wagon, and she’s been a drunken mess since. Now Alexis has been delivering some great lines while boozing it up, such as telling Finn “The bitch is back,” the bitch being Tracy. However, this storyline, which we’ve already seen, is a waste of Nancy Lee Grahn’s talents. I would love for Neil’s death to have been faked, and that he had to go into hiding from Cyrus for some reason, so they can bring him back for Alexis.
A holiday visit from Terry and a quick comment about Liz’s parents made me hopeful that we could finally see the return of Liz’s family. With Franco facing death by another brain tumor, it would be the perfect time to bring her father back and finally introduce Liz’s mother. And if Jeff returns, the show must bring Hayden in to finally meet her father. Plus, Liz needs her sister, and Violet her mother.
— 💙💛💙Linda💙💛💙 (@LinLovesFriz) December 31, 2020
One of the surprising breakout couples for me was Ava and Nikolas. I really didn’t think I would like them together after Marcus Coloma took over the role of Nikolas, but by the end of the year, I found myself rooting for them to make it through their prenup schemes and come out a real couple, which they did. With the threat of Ryan still looming, now is the time to bring back Spencer. Sure the young Cassadine still has a bone to pick with Ava, but the danger Ryan posses could further strengthen them as a family.
More: Kimberly McCullough’s tribute to former co-star
Triangles, Quadrangles and Messy Relationships
Jason and Sam’s problems seem to be never-ending, and the danger of Jason’s line of work finally sent Sam over the edge. Sam’s flip-flopping from how she acted when she was with Drew/Jason, to real Jason, has been a never-ending headache for me. While JaSam fans may not like it, I think they need to be apart for a while to realize what is really important to them. Who knows, maybe Jason will finally see that Carly and Sonny shouldn’t be his number one priority.
The Willow, Michael, Sasha, Chase fake affair storyline was one of the lows for me because Michael and Sasha and Chase and Willow were terrific couples. The polar plunge scene with Willow and Chase showed how much chemistry they still have, and Willow meeting Chase’s father gave me renewed hope that they can make their way back together. As long as Willow doesn’t have Michael’s baby brewing inside of her. Please just don’t go there writers, no matter how much you want to recycle that trope!
The one family mess I’m looking forward to seeing more of is Finn and Jackie’s secret past coming to light. I’m still not convinced that Finn isn’t Chase’s father, but again I hope the soap doesn’t go down that predictable road. The affair will test Chase and Finn’s relationship enough, but if it turns out they are father and son it might permanently break it. Chase and Finn have become my favorite sibling pair on the show.
Oh Yeah, Nelle
While I could go on and on about what else I’d like to see, I realized there is one thing that must be mentioned: 2021 can do without a return from Nelle! Please leave her dead for now. The eventual truth about her being Nina’s daughter coming out will be plenty enough Nelle on our screens without having to see her!
These are only my wishes for 2021. Please join the conversation below and share yours. Also, I hope everyone has a happy, safe and healthy New Year!
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