General Hospital’s Storyline Pacing Is Frustrating Some Viewers as the Nixon Falls Drama Continues to Dominate Airtime

Credit: ABC screenshots, ABC

After last week’s focus on Crete, we were back to a heavily Sonny, Carly, and Jason-dominated episodes. However, Sonny finally learned what really went on between Jason and Carly, which was welcomed, though Nina and “Mike” remain a secret. Friday returned us to Crete, where the action is getting good, and the storyline appears to be getting an injection of more characters soon.

Stalker Wars

In last week’s column, I was hopeful that Nikolas, Ava and Spencer could move forward after he came clean as the stalker. However, it wasn’t meant to be after Spencer showed no remorse for his actions and Ava had him arrested. I was disappointed in Ava at first. She had been pushing Nikolas to work it out with his son and this seemed to be a total turn-around. However, it quickly became clear that Spencer would never back down where Ava was concerned.

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Spencer being disowned, thrown out, and arrested was what I wanted to see happen weeks ago, though recently I had started to feel bad for him, much like his friends. What sympathy I had started to feel quickly went out the door after Ava visited Spencer in jail. That visit started off with a laugh as Ava pointed out it was thanks to her that he had a place to sleep the prior night. But the gloves quickly came off as he ranted about her transgressions against Morgan, as a way to throw her own crimes in her face. The scene was a nice balance of anger and hatred, with Ava’ getting some hilarious jabs in such as, “I’m not the one locked up am I?” When Ava extended an olive branch to Spencer, he grabbed it and snapped it like a twig.

It still baffles me that Spencer’s willing to forgive his father for pretending to be dead for three years, but is holding this grudge against Ava for betraying him with Valentin. Displaced anger much? Hilariously Spencer vented to Esme that he wouldn’t be controlled by Ava like Ava controls his father. Oh, you poor stupid boy, you really have no clue who is in control of you, do you? Fortunately, Trina and Joss aren’t the only ones who are onto Esme, as Kevin wised Nikolas up to the fact that Spencer’s girlfriend may very well give Ryan a run for his money in the evil seed department. I will admit, Esme’s real motives and past intrigues me, but I fear she could easily become another one-dimensional character like Nelle that we’ll all hate and just want to go away.

Tabling Making Nina Pay the Price

Nina has been one of those characters I’ve loved at times, often been annoyed with, and downright furious with. She made her choices and now she’s facing the consequences. However, many viewers continued to be annoyed that more and more characters, such as Phyllis this week, refuse to pass judgment against Nina. While understandable many would be frustrated by Nina seemingly getting a pass, Carly’s actions make it easier for some viewers to see her given her one.

As with Nina, there have been times I’ve sided with Carly, wanted to see her get her revenge, but then instances when her own actions make me lose sympathy for her. Carly deciding to continue to make Nina pay by attacking Crimson is a great example. Sure she’s justified in her anger, but Nina’s lost and Carly has won, at least for now. I was glad to see Jason talked her out of going for the jugular. However, it’s really only a reprieve, because once Carly learns what went on in Nixon Falls, she likely will set Nina on fire and spit in her ashes as she swore to do.

Sonny’s Clued In

Sonny confronted Nina over their past and suggested she might be more comfortable if she left town, but Nina refused. Good for Nina for not backing down from Sonny or Carly. If everyone who had done something terrible had to leave Port Charles with their head hung in shame, it would be a ghost town. Nina also dropped the subtle hint that life moved on for Carly and Jason while Sonny was gone. Yeah, she planted that seed in his head and I’m glad someone finally did.

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The scenes between Sonny and Nina, with her returning his father’s watch, were overall amazing. You could sense the struggle in Sonny. Sonny has changed, and that was never more obvious when he told Nina he couldn’t forgive her at the moment, but maybe someday he would.

Nina’s morsel of info caused Sonny to confront Jason about his and Carly’s relationship, and what would have happened had he not arrived on that fateful night. Finally! I questioned why Sonny didn’t immediately call them out on what was going on at the time. My mouth fell to the floor as Jason was brutally honest that they would have gone to bed together, and they were going to make it a real marriage. But then it went right back to the same old, “Now that you are back, everything can just go back to how it was,” spiel. No Jason, no it can’t.

Sonny and Carly had the talk about her relationship with Jason and their wedding. I admired Carly for telling him the truth, that she and Jason had decided to make their marriage as real as possible. Though I did scratch my head when Carly claimed she was falling back in love with Jason when Sonny came home. It seemed to me that they pretty much told each other that they did love one another, and Carly was trying to avoid telling him that.

Unlike Carly and Jason, who keep trying to convince themselves that with Sonny back everything can go back to the way it was, Sonny wasn’t having that. Bravo to Sonny for addressing that they have to figure out how they move forward in this new normal. I really liked that he questioned how she and Jason could just turn off their feelings for one another because he was home. It felt like a subtle nod to his own internal conflict regarding Nina. Though Carly made it clear she chose Sonny, and he chose her, the tone in their voices made me want to hear someone ask, “Final answer?” I’ve heard more joy in people choosing Pikachu than in that scene. Also, the below tweet from a viewer had me in stitches for some reason. You know Carly wants to throw that hat out as soon as possible, but I think it’s going to become the new moss on the Corinthos kitchen counter.

The cowboy hat was the MVP of that Carson scene.#GH

— Sue (@BichonRoxy) October 15, 2021

We Now Return to Crete Already in Progress

While I am enjoying the drama and tension between Jason, Sonny, Carly, and Nina, it’s not the only storyline the show has going. I’ve found myself more invested in Spencer’s shenanigans and the return of Drew and Victor more than anything else airing. Several viewers have expressed dissatisfaction with the pacing of the show and the dropping of storylines for a week or more. It’s definitely been irking me lately as Valentin and Anna fans have been left hanging since their kiss.

It took #GH over a week to get back to Crete. That can’t happen.

— Jackie 👻 🍂 (@HotVannaNights) October 15, 2021

#GH Ridiculous how this show let over an entire week pass by since Anna and Robert’s shoot out. 😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑

— QUEEN ANNA 🇬🇧🕵🏻‍♀️ (@2BFinola) October 15, 2021

Fortunately, it didn’t take Drew and Obrecht long at all to connect the dots that Peter had found a way to control Drew again. They weren’t the only ones, as Victor did as well and confronted Faison’s demon spawn about his lies. I finally felt Charles Shaughnessy as a real villain in that scene, along with bringing the real Victor back into the game as he ordered his guards to take Peter. And now that Anna, Robert, Dante, and Sam know Peter is working with the very alive Victor, hopefully, we won’t have to wait another week to see where this is all headed.

Britt and Jason’s Next Adventure

Back in Port Charles, a desperate Scott convinced Britt to suck up her pride and ask Jason for help locating Obrecht. She did just that, and Jason was all in on traveling with her to rescue her mother. Heck, why not? I mean what does he have to do now given Carly and Sonny’s reunion.

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There are still many who want to see Jason and Britt reunite, but I hope Britt sticks to her guns. She’s nobody’s second, and that’s what any woman who gets involved with Jason will be because Carly will always come first. Unless something changes that is.

As always, these are my opinions alone. Please join the conversation below in the comments and let me know your thoughts! And don’t miss our photo gallery of the best costumes and disguises on the soaps.