General Hospital Kicks Off 2023 With Britt’s Emotional Death, Esme’s Amnesia and Heather as the Hook
January 2 - 6:
Credit: ABC screenshot
General Hospital brought the fireworks for the new year, both in the sky and on the show. This week was a non-stop rollercoaster of emotions and big reveals, and one hell of a way to start the new year. Let’s dive into what went down in Port Charles.
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They Really Went There, and It Left Us Numb
Many were already sad over the fact that Kelly Thiebaud was leaving the soap, and her character was leaving town with a deadly disease ticking away in her head. So when the shock came that in fighting off the hook, Britt became the latest to be hooked, many of us were devastated. The fact that it appeared she came through the brawl, only to die from the tiniest of scratches, was an emotional and devastating twist. However, right up to the end, both Kelly Thiebaud and Kathleen Gati have been superstars in their performances. Britt’s dying in her mother’s arms is up there with Nathan’s death as one of the most powerful and emotional in the last several years of the show.
Britt’s death had us crying right along with Obrecht. (ABC screenshot)
Given the show’s track record of having major characters escorted to heaven by a past character, many are hopeful we’ll see a cameo of Nathan returning at Britt’s memorial to greet his sister. And Obcrecht whispering a message to Britt to take to Nathan was the perfect setup for the brief return of the beloved detective.
More: Kelly Thiebaud shares fans’ thoughts on Britt
Reactions to Britt’s Death
As news of Britt’s death spread, watching her friends and loved ones mourn her just drove the knife deeper into our hearts. Brad and Maxie learning about Britt’s Huntingtons and her plan to skip town for good was a sad moment and must have felt like someone pouring salt into their already fresh open wounds. However, I am oddly here for Maxie and Brad to become friends as Britt wished they would. There is potential there for them to get into a lot of trouble together.
Meet your new BFF? (ABC screenshot)
Felicia breaking the news of Britt’s death to Cody, and watching him alone seem to fight back tears, was touching. Felicia pulling him into a tearful hug stole the moment though.
More: Nancy Grahn reveals some bad news
Joss crying to Carly that this was all her fault didn’t move me much. And while Dex assures her she wasn’t to blame, the hook was, those words were little comfort. Two people have now died when she was the intended target. Given the way Joss has been acting lately, I’m all for her feeling guilty. Not only did she break poor Cam’s heart by finally breaking up with him, but she only did so after she slept with Dex. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, right after she slept with Dex she began ranting once again about how Sonny is not an honorable man. Oh honey, look into a mirror!
Naturally, after you almost die, cheating on your boyfriend is the first thing you do. (ABC screenshot)
Spencer’s reaction may have been the one to sting the most after Obrecht’s. Along with Laura, Britt was the one person from his childhood he felt he could still trust not to screw him over, and now all he has is Laura. Okay, he also has Sonny, but they’ve not been on great terms lately. So it was nice to see Sonny suggest Spencer come home with him rather than return to Wyndemere where his no-good daddy is. How is this going to work though given Spencer’s supposed to remain with Victor?
The Redemption of Esme Prince Begins
Esme survived the fall, with “Ace” intact, only to come out with amnesia in a classic soap twist. The real question is, does she have amnesia? She’s such an amazing liar that it’s not hard to believe it’s all an act. But Liz made an excellent point, if Esme ratted her and Nikolas out, it would do them in and get her off the hook as the killer, pun intended. Of course, she’d still be charged with revenge porn and attempting to kill Oz. So faking amnesia is a smart move.
Esme’s such a good liar that we can’t tell when she’s lying! (ABC screenshot)
However, there is the possibility she really does have amnesia. The bad girl, losing her memory, and becoming a good person has been done on soaps before. And I’ve been saying for a while, if they intend to keep Esme around for the long haul, somehow she has to be redeemed on some level. Though we’ve seen these stories play out before where the individual eventually does get their memory back and often lies to keep playing the amnesiac. Only time will tell if this is just another lie of Esme’s.
More: Spencer faces his greatest fear
Esme’s amnesia wasn’t the only shock delivered to the residents of Port Charles, as they learned she was very very very pregnant. Not only was she pregnant, but it was Nikolas’ child. Ava had the best reaction in delivering a slap to Nikolas that left those who witness it gasping. It should be interesting to see how she moves forward from this. Sonny gets the runner-up award for decking the sick son of a bitch as he put it. Frankly what I’m waiting for those is Laura’s, “I’m very disappointed in you,” speech.
Hooker, Heather Be Thy Name!
In last week’s column, I theorized that Heather might be the hook killer, and it turned out I was right. The jingling the victims heard is clearly Ryan’s chain of trinkets from all his kills. Either Rory found the earring she dropped from it while taking out the snake trader, or he grabbed it when they perhaps fought. Almost immediately viewers were quick to point out some timeline issues with Heather being the killer. A big one was that Heather only found out about Esme from Ryan once she was in Spring Ridge. However, the attacks were going on before then. This is an easy fix, as Heather is a known liar. She could have known all along about Esme, and she did comment to Portia that the Darkham inmates watched Trina’s trial and ate it up.
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My major issue from my last column still remains. When the first attacks happened, Heather was still in Darkham. So why she may be able to slip out of Spring Ridge and it’s minimal security with a guard’s help, how did she get out of Darkham? As with Liz’s sleepwalking storyline, it feels like this storyline was rethought along the way, and only later did they decide to bring in Heather as the hooker.
Sorry Ryan, but Heather knitting booties isn’t going to happen. The only thing she’d do with a knitting needle is stick it in someone’s jugular. (ABC screenshot)
Heather’s reaction to the news that Esme was pregnant was hilarious, including the fact that she actually thought she’d be in the delivery room with Esme. When Ryan asked when she became “Mommy Dearest,” and she blurted out, “I like wire hangers!” I laughed out loud. But looking down the line, with Heather being the killer she’s eventually going to be caught, so what does that mean for Alley Mills’ future on the show as Heather? I’ve really come to love her take on the character, and oddly want to see where she, Ryan and this twisted family goes. And speaking of twisted, the fact that Ryan still thinks Ava will be a part of their family is insane. What is he expecting, a throuple with Ava and Heather?
That’s all I have, and as always, these are only my opinions. Join the conversation and leave yours in the comments below.
Before you go, be sure to check out our photo album of the sexiest leading men in daytime.
