General Hospital blog - February, 2023
February 1st, 2023
Michael and Nina manage to not fight while waiting for news on Willow. Harmony's all, "Come toward the light, Kali," and Willow almost does, but she somehow hears Michael pleading with her to stay alive, and she comes through. Stella really wants to confront Portia about her paternity secret, but when Portia talks about family and asks her to wear an heirloom bracelet to the wedding, she chickens out. Spencer is eager to hold Nikolas' fake confession over his head to make him give up rights to the baby. Trina wants him to go to the police instead, since that would leave the door open for him to eventually repair his relationship with his father (and also because Nikolas should face the consequences of his actions). Nikolas urges Esme to trust him, and to sign paperwork that I think he's implying will preserve her parental rights, but which I'm sure we can all agree won't. Esme's like, "I need a little more time to wrap my head around the fact that I'm having a baby with my ex's father, and also facing prison time." Carolyn tells Elizabeth what Nikolas is up to with Esme and guesses that Nikolas used his friendship with Elizabeth to drag her into something bad (and possibly illegal). Carolyn won't participate since she doesn't want to hurt anyone the way she once hurt Elizabeth. Carly, Josslyn, and Bobbie worry about Willow while hanging out with the newest member of their family, the first in the fourth generation of Spencer women. Curtis thinks something is up with Jordan yet again, but all she does is make a pointed comment that she hopes things turn out well for him, Portia, and Trina.
Could they have gotten a bigger baby to play this newborn?
"I was there for you." You pimped your daughter out to a cult leader! Go back to Hell, Harmony.
"I don't think God would bring your daughter into your life only to take her away from you." Well, He did before, so...
The only reason to not have Stella call Portia out now is that something much more dramatic is going to happen, most likely at the wedding.
February 2nd, 2023
Obrecht doesn't like that Britt's memorial is being held at the hospital, but to Brad, it's the place he got to know his best friend, and the place where she spent most of her time and worked so hard to help people. He brings ice cream and a spoon to her office for one last moment together and promises that he'll never forget her. Her memorial is full of people talking about how she was both fierce and big-hearted, and how they're glad to have had her in their lives. Pushed by Trina to talk to Jordan, Spencer just asks what would happen to the baby if their parents were both in jail. Later, he tells Trina that it was nice to have Britt as a friend because they could be themselves with each other. He's decided to keep the confession recording a family matter for now, and may be about to let Nikolas know that he's seen it. Elizabeth blasts Nikolas for trying to get Carolyn to do to Esme what she did to her daughter. Nikolas is like, "I guess you're okay with going to prison, then, because we could still both go to prison." Elizabeth is completely done with him, though I think we've heard that before. Laura and Finn catch them at the end of their argument, and Finn almost goes nuclear when he sees Nikolas grabbing her arm. Laura has some harsh words for her son, because she still hasn't gotten after all these years that he's not the person he used to be. He tells her he's done trusting Victor, but other than that, he's not sure how to get out of this semi-evil rut he's in. He does vow to be a better parent, though. Meanwhile, Elizabeth finally starts coming clean to Finn, starting with the confession that she was never pregnant with Nikolas' baby. Heather tries to talk Esme out of signing the paperwork Nikolas gave her, which Esme thinks would only temporarily terminate her parental rights. She's already hesitant to sign because right now the baby is all she has. Heather can tell her from experience that she would regret it forever if she gave up her child. Esme finally encounters Ryan, but Heather reminds her to keep her distance because he's dangerous. Then she tells Ryan that Nikolas is trying to take Esme's baby, and that the police are digging for information on Maggie.
Y'all know I don't care about Brad or Britt, but his scene in her office with the ice cream was nice.
Who quotes Sun Tzu at a funeral??
Dante going to Britt's memorial feels so weird to me. And honestly, I'm ticked that Josslyn couldn't be bothered to show up.
"Why would Nikolas be in prison?" Crimes. He did crimes, Jordan.
If it's not Tyler Christopher, fine, but can we please get a Nikolas who doesn't get outacted by every single person he has a scene with?
February 3rd, 2023
Spencer quotes Nikolas' confession to let him know that he's seen it without cluing Laura in. Nikolas is furious that Ava is turning his son against him and says that for someone who's said he wants to be his own person, Spencer is sure like the other Cassadines. Laura urges Nikolas not to walk away now, because he might only have a small window of time to keep his relationship with his son from being damaged irreversibly. He doesn't listen. Elizabeth tells Finn everything about the Esme mess, wanting him to get the full story before she turns herself in to the police. Chase puts a deadline on Operation Make Linc Pay, wanting to wrap it up before he goes before the review board again. Brook takes it personally, thinking he wants to cut ties with her. Blaze isn't any happier to hear the news, since she's miserable working with Linc, and Chase is the only thing making her life less miserable right now. Dex thinks he's ruined Josslyn's life, like, dude, she wouldn't be at your apartment seeking comfort if she felt the same way. Linc is ready to make his offer to Brook official and give her back her catalog in exchange for her NDA and promise to say good things about him. Ava and Austin hang out, and nothing really happens, but Mason is nosing around, and it looks like he sees Ava as a bit of a threat.
Okay, I'll admit it, Adam Huss did a good job today.
That was a clever way for Spencer to let Nikolas know he'd seen the recording without busting him in front of Laura.
Spencer, no one believes you aren't motivated by revenge any more than they disbelieve the same thing about Carly.
"That's when I discovered he had gotten himself into a bad situation." That's a funny way of saying that he broke the law.
I need Finn to stop calling Nikolas "Nik." It's weird.
February 6th, 2023
Nikolas tells Ava that he didn't hook up with Elizabeth, and that the cover story was her idea because she needed Finn to back off. Then he admits that he had Esme locked up in the house and didn't say anything to Ava because he was protecting Elizabeth. He'd hoped that eventually he and Ava could work things out and reconcile, but now that she's turned Spencer against him, that's off the table. He threatens to take Avery from Ava to remind her how much it hurts to lose a child. I'll admit that Ava is kind of justified when she knocks him out. Spencer refuses to tell Laura what he's holding over Nikolas' head, and he keeps insisting that he can raise the baby, and that the baby would be better off without either of their parents. Laura thinks she's responsible for Nikolas' downward spiral, since she left him as a baby. Brook signs Linc's agreement and gets her catalog back, telling Chase that she just has to write some commercial stuff for him in exchange. This would leave Blaze fending for herself with her skeezy manager, but Chase has decided to stay in the music business until he's taken Linc down. Finn tries desperately to talk Elizabeth out of turning herself in, noting that she'd lose everything and should let Nikolas take all the blame. He can't get her to change her mind, but he does convince her to sleep on her decision. Unlike the rest of her family, Trina is surprised that T.J. doesn't want to talk her out of being friends with Spencer. He has a different perspective on Spencer, having seen him as a kid, and thinks he was lonely and cares more than people know. Austin declares Ava off-limits to Mason, who claims he wants to pursue her romantically.
If they kill Nikolas, I might scream. Not because I like him or anything, but because that's one more legacy character the writers will have ruined and then sent away. Maybe he'll just end up comatose in a room next to Lulu's.
Nikolas acting like he went along with a lie Elizabeth made up because he wanted to protect her is sooooo in character for the person he's become now. But the Avery stuff feels out of left field. Also, Sonny would just kill him if he thought Nikolas was going to try to take Avery from Ava. Your revenge scheme is weak and unrealistic, buddy.
Kiki mention – drink!
Yeah, Brook, another lie is the right way to deal with this.
However things turn out for Elizabeth (and I highly doubt she'll do any prison time), it looks like she and Finn are on the path to getting back together.
"If we all got what we deserved, who'd be left to run this place?" Terry, who, as far as I know/am concerned, has never done anything wrong in her life.
I like that T.J. and Trina are getting closer, since they're about to be family (or possibly already are), but their conversation about Spencer felt contrived.
"You are so boring like this." Does that mean Austin used to be interesting? Can we have that Austin? Actually, if he's heading to Wyndemere right now and he finds Ava with Nikolas after knocking him out, and he tries to help her cover that up, he could get really interesting.
February 7th, 2023
Nikolas is dead (ALLEGEDLY), and when Austin shows up at Wyndemere, Ava stashes his body in a closet in the stable. Austin catches her and she confesses, then offers him whatever it'll take to keep him from turning her in to the police. Austin believes that she didn't mean to kill Nikolas, and he promises to help her cover up his death (or whatever) and protect her from Victor. Portia was expecting to get married without her family present, but Curtis surprises her by arranging for her father and brother, Sterling and Zeke, to come to town. The mood drops a little when Stella claims to be sick and has to bow out as the officiant, but Laura is more than happy to take her place. Victor basically uses Valentin's "death" to get Spencer to commit to being a family team player. Spencer shares his plan to get custody of Nikolas and Esme's baby, and Victor fully approves. He sees it as a form of leverage, while Spencer just wants what's best for his sibling. Jordan and Taggert were both invited to the wedding, but they're both skipping, since it would be too weird to see their exes get remarried. Taggert thinks that Jordan is still hung up on Portia's lie, which for a moment she thinks is a reference to Trina's paternity. He actually means her infidelity, which he seems to think was justified. He assumes that Jordan suspects that Portia will cheat again, but Jordan is sure that Portia loves Curtis. Felicia wants to pull the same trick she, Mac, and Sean once pulled on Ryan, driving home her "death" by haunting him. Valentin knows that'll never work on Victor, but Anna and Felicia have already put things in motion to haunt Eileen instead. Eileen fully believes that Anna and Valentin are dead, just because Laura told her, and she wants out of her partnership with Victor, since he originally told her that no one would get hurt. He won't let her go, telling her she knew the risk she was taking when she teamed up with him. Marshall feels bad that he can't perform at the wedding, but Drew assures him that Curtis is just happy to have him there. Trina interrogates Molly about the DA's charges against Esme, and Molly tells her that she could end up with a reduced sentence or no punishment at all. T.J. is worried that he and Molly will end up like Portia and Taggert, with jobs that keep them too busy to maintain their relationship. Drew and Elizabeth are filler, pretty much.
How many deaths is this for Nikolas? Four? Forgive me for not buying it.
And just like that, Austin has a plotline. Also, he actually made me laugh today. More of that, please.
I can't remember the last time we saw a character's never-before-shown family come to town for their wedding. The only time I can think of is Olivia's introduction, when she came for Sonny and Kate's wedding.
Also, Zeke can stay. For once, I won't complain about the show already having enough characters. They've killed enough off to earn a couple of new or returning ones. (I liked Sterling, too, but I'd say it's less likely that he would stay, if he has a wife who needs so much care that she can't travel.)
Spencer, time to ditch your plan. If Victor supports it, it can't be good.
Speaking of his plan, I wonder if the possibility of Esme going free will get Trina on board with Spencer's custody idea.
How long till Victor decides Eileen is losing her mind and kills her so she can't jeopardize his plans?
Shouldn't Anna and Valentin's "deaths" be bigger news around town?
February 8th, 2023
Ava dreams about Nikolas coming back from the dead, then tries to get Austin to dismiss himself from the situation, thinking she can handle the rest of the cover-up herself. Austin warns that Mason is after her, but Ava's just grateful that he wasn't the cousin who showed up while she was dealing with a dead body. Laura comes by next, and Ava tells her that she and Nikolas fought, but he left. Laura is worried that she's lost her son for good. Willow is doing well (as well as she can be when she still has leukemia), and she and Michael name the baby Amelia. Now she's eager to find out if the stem-cell transplant can take place. Finn asks Alexis for hypothetical legal information about Elizabeth's crimes and learns that she could be facing felony charges. However, she might be able to negotiate something if she testified against Nikolas. Basically, it would be better if Elizabeth kept her mouth shut, but before Finn can find her and tell her that, Obrecht complains that she called Scott away for something important. Laura asks Elizabeth if she knows what's been going on with Nikolas and why the two of them fought. Elizabeth can't bring herself to tell Laura the reason. She does say that she might be done with Nikolas for good. Laura mentions that Spencer could feel the same, making Elizabeth wonder what turned him against Nikolas again. Obrecht practically eggs Nina on to go after Carly, tempting her to find out why Carly and Drew might want to hide a relationship. Alexis thinks that Gregory is bored with teaching, so she offers him a job at the Invader. Carly and Sonny are able to remain civil as they gush over their new granddaughter.
Ava and Austin should find a way to frame Mason for Nikolas' death. Kill two birds with one stone.
Please give the giant newborn a pacifier so we can hear the dialogue during her scenes.
I like the name Amelia, but why did Willow choose it?
Isn't Austin a neurosurgeon? Why is he involved in Willow's case?
If I were Alexis, I would be up all night trying to figure out who Finn was talking about and what crime they committed.
Laura: "Do you know what happened between Spencer and Nikolas?" Elizabeth: "You'll have to narrow it down." Heh.
February 9th, 2023
The stem-cell transplant is a no-go, and without another treatment, Willow may only have weeks left. Apparently no one has considered yet that Obrecht could be a match, but Obrecht herself finally steps forward to get tested. Just as Elizabeth is about to tell Scott about her crimes, Ava shows up to discuss the things Nikolas told her about Esme and her captivity. She lies that Nikolas may have left town forever, so if Elizabeth confesses to her part in things, she'll be the only one taking the fall. Ava's real motive for trying to change her mind is that the police will come to Wyndemere, which is the last thing Ava needs right now. Elizabeth still wants to ease her guilt, so the ball is back in Finn's court to talk her out of turning herself in. Obrecht claims she wants things to go well for Elizabeth because they're sort of family, as connected through Scott. She seems to think that Finn will tell her what's up with Elizabeth, and she promises to help deal with anything Elizabeth might need assistance with. Alexis doesn't think any of Gregory's reasons not to join the Invader's editorial board are good enough, so she bugs him until he agrees. There's some filler with Sonny, Nina, and Donna, that's basically just them being happy about having a new family member before getting the news that Willow's running out of time. Nina thinks this could all be punishment for her misdeeds, but Sonny's like, "I've done worse and my life is pretty awesome, so that can't be right."
What are the odds of Willow having another death-bed wedding?
I'm impressed that Ava hsn't tripped up yet talking about Nikolas in the present tense.
Freaking A, Alexis, sometimes the answer is no.
Heh, Sonny basically said, "If this were about karmic payback, all of my kids would be dead."
February 10th, 2023
Portia and Trina share some nice mother/daughter moments as they get ready for the wedding, and though Portia is clearly uneasy about walking down the aisle without revealing her secrets, that's what she's going to do. Jordan, however, thinks she's making a big mistake. Curtis has no nerves or second thoughts about getting married, but Marshall's worried that he'll have some sort of episode, and he asks Drew to help him handle it if he does. Ava's eager to move Nikolas' body before Elizabeth goes to the police and they come search the island. Austin agrees to help, but he thinks they should be more intentional with their actions and, at the very least, wait until it's dark to do anything. Spencer comes by to ask if Ava talked to Nikolas after his fight with Spencer, and she smoothly lies that he's probably left the country and won't be back. Austin: "You're frighteningly good at covering up murder." Ava: "You're not so bad yourself, and don't think that doesn't make me suspicious." Willow wants to talk about Michael and the kids' lives after what she thinks is her inevitable death, but Michael resists, not wanting to give up on some kind of treatment or cure. He eventually relents, and she decides that before they cover anything, she wants to get married. Finn still thinks Elizabeth should keep her crimes quiet, but she knows she wouldn't be able to live with herself or be a good role model to her sons if she didn't confess. He finally backs off and only asks her to wait until the next day to go to the police, to make sure Scott has time to properly represent her. Nina thinks that the half-heart necklaces were actually meant to connect her daughters rather than her and Nelle, so she gives them to Willow. At this point, I think Willow would rather die than talk to her again.
Ugh, I was hoping no one would ever mention that ridiculous voting episode again.
Marshall, I guarantee that if anyone makes a scene at the wedding, it won't be you.
So much for Ava and Austin keeping their connection under wraps, huh?
Willow needs to tell Nina (or have Michael tell her) to stay away, or Nina's going to keep showing up and trying to talk to her.
If the necklaces were supposed to link Nelle and Willow, why did Madeline give one to Nina instead of Willow? Whatever, Willow's not going to want them either way.
February 13th, 2023
Jordan is the last person Portia wants to talk to right now, but she keeps pressing Portia to reveal her secrets before she gets married. She tells Portia that Stella knows about Trina's paternity, but Portia's sure that she'll keep quiet, since she spent 40 years keeping the secret about Marshall. Jordan thinks that the truth will eventually come out somehow, and if Portia doesn't spill it now, she's ensuring the end of her relationship. Portia resists over and over, but she's clearly burdened. On top of getting married (in two weeks), Willow wants to go home so she can try to have a normal life, no matter how little time she has left. Michael supports that but confirms that she's going to fight as much as she can to live. Obrecht is mad at Carly for keeping Nina from Willow, something no mother should ever do to another. She wants Carly to atone by helping build a bridge between Nina and Willow. Carly can't/won't, but she offers to build a bridge between Willow and Obrecht instead. Obrecht doesn't mention that she's going to get tested to see if she's a match, but she tells Willow that she's now part of a family full of women who take care of each other. Spencer gets all macho with Dex, and Josslyn and Trina have to separate the two of them. Not taking Spencer's bait just makes Dex look better in Sonny's eyes. He shares that the Pikeman deal is going down in two weeks – the same day as Michael and Willow's wedding. In England, Sam and Dante strategize how to approach Maggie and what to say to her about Esme.
"Stay out of my business, Jordan. I'm warning you." What's your "or else," Portia? What are you going to do if she doesn't stop?
If the wedding doesn't happen (I'd say the odds are 50/50), maybe Molly and T.J. can renew their vows.
How bizarre that Michael would feel like he needs to make sure Willow isn't going just lie down and die. Like, of course she's going to try to stay alive! Come on!
It's fine, Michael – get married in the afternoon and go take down your father at night.
"You call yourself a mother? No one worthy of that title would ever deprive a woman of her own child." Hey, Obrecht, remember when you helped keep Robin captive, both depriving a woman of her child and a child of her mother for two years?
Ugh, Obrecht, no. The last thing Carly should do is get MORE involved in this mess.
If Spencer does get custody of the baby, he's going to get in so many playground fights with other parents. "Your child just cut in front of my child in the line for the slide. Are you going to let that stand? Are you just going to sit there and do nothing? This is a matter of honor!" And when that kid brings home a love interest for the first time...man, Spencer's going to be unbearable.
February 14th, 2023
Despite a brief pause where Portia looks like she might lose it, the wedding goes forward and Curtis and Portia are officially married. Trina feels bad that Stella's missing it, so she skips her maid-of-honor toast to go get her. Heather is all ready to put her plan in motion and escape with Ryan and Esme. She'll just have to figure out how to get Esme on board. Ryan's skeptical that everything's been thought out and will go smoothly, but he'll participate as soon as he's taken care of one last thing. Sam and Dante talk to a barmaid who says she might have known Maggie once, but Maggie never mentioned Esme, and the barmaid has no idea where she is or how to get in touch with her. It's completely obvious to anyone who's ever seen a soap that the barmaid is Maggie, and though Sam and Dante are sure she's lying, they don't figure that out. Jordan and Stella lament that the wedding is happening without Portia coming clean, which means whenever the truth comes out, there will likely be major fallout.
I actually can't believe the wedding went off.
Not that I'm complaining but how random for Yuri to show up at the last minute. He didn't even get any lines.
I'm going to call Heather's gift to Ryan Chekhov's shiv. He's totally going to use it on her.
Just to be clear, Sam and Dante think Maggie's lying partly because she can name all the Spice Girls.
No one talks about how the revelation about Trina's paternity will affect...you know, Trina. This secret isn't just about Curtis. It's going to completely change her life.
February 15th, 2023
While the wedding reception continues and Marshall surprises everyone by playing with the band, Trina tries to find out the real reason Stella chose not to attend. Stella makes references to things you shouldn't say and not wanting to keep secrets again after keeping one from Curtis for 40 years. Trina thinks that Curtis is keeping something from Portia, and all Stella will say is that she has that backwards. Heather's annoyed that Ryan's still into Ava, especially since they only have one shot at a successful escape. She goads him into getting aggressive so he'll be his old, evil self, then steers Esme toward their exit point. Dante wants to put the investigation on hold and enjoy a night alone with Sam, but she's worried that the barmaid will warn Maggie that they're looking for her and she'll run before they can find her. This is a fair concern, since Maggie's in the process of making arrangements to flee town. As Sam sends Dante to talk to her again, she chats with the woman who runs the B&B where they're staying and finally learns that the barmaid is Maggie.
Portia and Taggert really should have been more worried about Trina disappearing when there's a serial killer on the loose (though she hasn't killed anyone in six weeks). Even worse, she could have been off making out with Spencer!
Aww, Curtis' face when Marshall was performing. That was really nice.
I guess the writers ran out of time to actually write Elizabeth's toast.
I'm amazed that Nina didn't catch the bouquet.
Nice detail of Sonny holding water intead of champagne during the toasts.
Ava is basically a functioning alcoholic, so I don't expect her to pace herself, but this is the worst possible time for her to drink.
"Hey, Esme. Road trip?" Jon Lindstrom is so perfect in this role.
It would be really fun if Ryan went to Wyndemere to see Ava and caught her and Austin moving Nikolas' body.
"Harlot"? Who says "harlot" in 2023?
Dante: "I respect you and your diligence." Me: "But it's Valentine's Day, so take off your clothes already."
February 16th, 2023
Trina confronts Portia, who, instead of making up a story to cover her secret, starts outlining the love triangle between her, Curtis, and Taggert 20+ years ago. As soon as she mentions that she found out she was pregnant after she and Curtis broke up, Trina puts it together that her paternity is uncertain. She's justifiably furious with her mother for keeping something so important from her for her entire life. As she's storming out, her two fathers arrive. Heather tells Esme that they need to do what Ryan says because he's volatile. The three are in the process of fleeing Spring Ridge when Mac comes across the two women and almost takes them into custody. Ryan knocks him out and is ready to kill him, but Heather convinces him to keep moving. Felicia wants to talk to Ryan about the murders, but Mac doesn't want her to get involved. Instead, she goes to Ava and gets her to agree to work on him again (but not right now; Ava's kind of busy). But they'll have to deal with Ryan sooner than expected, because he's suddenly at Wyndemere. Once Sam and Dante have convinced Maggie that they're not going to hurt her and really do want her help for Esme, she willingly confirms her identity. She hasn't heard from Esme in a while, and she thought that her father had taken her and sent Sam and Dante to make sure Maggie never says anything about their relationship. Then she spills that Ryan is Esme's father. Austin keeps trying to slow things down on the doing-something-with-Nikolas'-body front when all Ava wants to do is get rid of him and move on. Curtis, Taggert, and Marshall interrogate Spencer, who for once didn't do anything wrong and has nothing to do with their sudden family drama. While Elizabeth tells Terry that she thinks she and Finn can remain friendly, Yuri basically advises Finn to work things out with his ex. Sonny, Pikeman, whatever.
Now I'm waiting for Esme to go into labor on Spoon Island and for Austin to be like, "Well, I delivered a baby before; I can do it again."
Heather might actually be able to get away with her lie that Ryan forced her and Esme to go with him. Esme seems to be buying it.
I need Austin to stop acting like this isn't a big deal.
I'm BEGGING Nina to go one episode without making things about herself. But I'm probably asking for too much.
I think I speak for the entire audience when I say that no one cares about this Pikeman stuff.
Heh, Elizabeth is going to go to the police station in the morning to make her confession and they'll be like, "We're a little busy; you'll have to come back another time."
February 17th, 2023
Ryan is thrilled to have Ava and Felicia in one place, and he has no concerns about taking one of them along to continue the road trip with Heather and Esme. Austin returns to Wyndemere as Ryan's about to decide who to kill and who to take with him, so it looks like someone might be able to save the women. Then Heather creeps in with her a hook. Jordan finds Mac, who's okay and is able to raise the alarm that Heather and Esme escaped from Spring Ridge. No one can figure out who else was with them until a bed count reveals that Ryan put the guard he killed in his room to fool everyone. Mac keeps calling Felicia, who of course doesn't answer, and finally gets through to Ryan, who threatens to kill her if the cops get involved. The police don't know where Felicia is, but when Mac mentions that he thought Ryan had ended his obsession with Felicia when he fell for Ava, Laura has a guess about their location. Trina tells Curtis and Taggert that there's a question of her paternity, then leaves so she doesn't have to talk to Portia anymore. Portia makes a bunch of excuses for not telling the guys before now that she didn't know who Trina's father was, but none of it is acceptable to Curtis. Taggert is the only one who stays mostly unemotional, as he just wants to make sure Trina's okay and reassure her that their relationship won't change even if he's not her biological father. Maggie gives Sam and Dante some details about how Esme latched on to the idea that Ryan's her father (a brooch left with her when she was given up was commissioned by Ryan's ex, whom he had killed). They assure her that Ryan is both locked up and unable to hurt anyone, but when they get looped in on what's going on back in Port Charles, Maggie gets worried that Esme's in the middle of a dangerous situation. Victor won't accept Eileen's pleas to let her out of their deal, insisting that she get to work whenever he tells her to. She doesn't think she's useful to him, but she disproves that when she clues him in to Esme's disappearance. Anna and Valentin are really bored in hiding and entertain themselves by "haunting" Eileen again.
Too bad the date and time of death wouldn't fit because Ava could say that Ryan killed Nikolas.
Kiki mention – drink!
Portia really has no justification for what she did. Oh, Curtis left, so she just didn't bother to tell him she was pregnant? Come on.
I'm not surprised at all by Taggert's reaction to the big news. He's a good guy.
Eileen clearly doesn't get that if she really is no longer useful to Victor, he'll kill her.
The Anna/Valentin stuff is boring, but I would watch a reality show about the two of them, Lucy, and Martin all living together.
February 20th, 2023
Heather hooks Austin, and Esme's screaming alerts Ryan to their entrance into Wyndemere. While he's distracted, Felicia knocks him out, giving Esme the opportunity to escape. He tells Heather to take care of the women while he goes after Esme, but Heather has no interest in increasing the body count, so she tells Ava and Felicia they can go. But before Ava leaves, maybe she'd like to know how Ryan has messed with her life over the past few months? Ryan finds Esme (it's hard to escape from an island, you know), who announces that her water broke. Spencer comforts Trina and welcomes her to the One of My Parents Lied to Me About Something Really Important Club. In Trina's case, however, she knows her parent will never abandon her. She's also come around to believing that Spencer won't, either, and the two of them finally confirm their feelings for each other with some kissing. Jordan and Mac scramble to come up with a plan to rescue Ava and Felicia, asking Laura to draw them a route through the tunnels under Wyndemere. Kevin learns of Esme and Ryan's connection, and since he thinks Esme's memory loss is real, he notes that she's as much of a victim here as Ava and Felicia are. Alexis gets a scoop on the three Spring Ridge escapees, and she and Gregory try to figure out why the three of them are all involved. Alexis goes back to the letter Captain Hook sent her, which somehow clues her in to the Spring Ridge connection, which in turn gives her an idea of the killer's motive. Portia continues not telling Curtis anything that excuses her actions. Her admission that if the truth hadn't come out, she probably never would have said anything is basically the nail in the coffin, and Curtis might be completely done with her.
Is Ryan going to deliver the baby with one hand?
So much action today and all anyone cares about is a kiss. (No judgment. It was a long time coming.)
Why do they figure Laura knows the tunnels? They should talk to Spencer. I guarantee he knows all the secret passageways and hiding spots on that property.
It would be cool if Alexis tied Captain Hook to Spring Ridge via the typewriter because she used it while she was there.
"I made a mistake." Come on, Portia. This is a little bigger than a "mistake."
Where did Taggert go? I assume to a bar, to get really, really drunk.
February 21st, 2023
Ava can't fight the temptation to find out what Ryan did to mess with her life, but Heather wants to leave that story to him. Mac and Jordan show up and anticlimactically take control of the situation, sending Austin and Felicia off the island and having Heather taken into custody. Heather tells them that Ryan is Esme's father but leaves out the part where she's Esme's mother. Esme is very, very adamant that Ryan stay away from her, labor or no labor. Ava finds them, and while she's shooting Ryan in the arm and anticipating revenge for Kiki's murder, Esme heads back to Wyndemere. Ryan tells Ava that Esme is his daughter and he sicced her on Ava to get her away from Nikolas and back to him. Ava figures that means he's to blame for Nikolas' death, so now she has even more motivation to kill him. Trina and Spencer make out for a while, but he doesn't want to take things any further until they can be in a more special setting (and her emotional state is a little more stable). Anyway, I think it's fair to say that the two of them are together. Marshall tries to convince Curtis not to completely turn his back on Portia because she made a mistake. Alexis wins the prize for being the first to put together that Heather is Esme's mother. When Laura and Kevin tell her that Ryan is her father, the trio's breakout makes a lot more sense. I guess it's fair that Alexis will get the scoop for the Invader.
Of course Ryan's delusional, but he's especially delusional if he thinks Ava's going to let him live after she told him she killed Nikolas.
Kiki mention – drink!
I had to laugh at Esme slipping off while Ryan and Ava were talking, like, "I'm getting the f%$# out of here and away from all these crazy people."
Speaking of which, who ever expected Esme to be the sanest person in her family?
I don't know if there's still a place for Esme on the show but it would be interesting to watch her try to make a life for herself in a town full of people who hate the person she used to be.
As much as Marshall defended Portia today, I can see him tearing into her the first chance he gets.
February 22nd, 2023
Ava's gun is out of bullets, so when she's unable to shoot Ryan, he says now they'll have more time together. He really doesn't seem to get that she wants nothing to do with him and definitely isn't going to run off and start a life with him. As he charges her in anger, Mac arrives and shoots him. Ding dong, Ryan's dead, and Kevin's the only one who feels anything other than total joy. Esme's labor progresses quickly, and Kevin determines that there's no time to get her off the island before she gives birth. Heather wants to stick around, but Esme doesn't want her there, and that's even before she learns that Heather is her mother. Kevin and a paramedic deliver the baby while Laura acts as Esme's birthing coach. Spencer, Trina, and Alexis wait for news on the docks, and when Spencer learns that Esme's in labor, he insists on going to Spoon Island. Esme tells him that she knows that Nikolas is the baby's father, but she doesn't seem opposed to Spencer having a relationship with his new brother. Trina realizes that for the first time in months, there's no killer lurking around, so there's nothing to be scared of. Heather gets off one last scare, though, by letting Spencer know that he would have been her next victim. Felicia's curious about why Austin was at Wyndemere, since it's not like he and Ava are close friends. He plays innocent, saying they got to know each other when he treated her after she was hooked. When Ava comes by later, a nurse keeps her out of Austin's room, so they don't get a chance to make sure their stories line up before Nikolas' death potentially gets exposed. Someone please tell Finn that we get it, Elizabeth gets it, everyone gets it, he doesn't want her to confess and risk prison time, enough already. Elizabeth continues to ignore him, and she finally tells Scott everything she and Nikolas did. Scott thinks she's nuts for going along with his schemes, and he's not confident that he can keep her out of prison, but he's going to try his best. Taggert is mad at Portia, of course, but not as mad as Curtis, and he assures Portia that the two of them and Trina will always be a family.
Why have Mac kill Ryan? It would have been a lot more satisfying if it had been Ava or Felicia.
Not to be graphic but they need to cut off Ryan's head or something to make sure he never comes back.
Apparently I wasn't the only person who thought that when Kevin opened the body bag, Nikolas might be inside instead of Ryan.
Am I imagining things or did Austin look kind of evil when Ava saw him through the window blinds?
If I had to choose two chracters from this show to deliver my baby outside a hospital without any obstetricians availabe, Kevin and Laura would be high up on my list.
Trina and Ava's friendship is still weird to me, but I think it's going to be really good for Trina right now.
"You were next." Eeesh. Creepy.
February 23rd, 2023
Willow isn't sure how or if she and Michael should tell Wiley about her possible impending death. Carly tries to reassure her that she's done the best she could and shouldn't get stuck on the decisions she's made. Sonny asks Brook to work on getting Willow to allow Nina into her life. He asks the same of Michael, who says no, knowing that if Willow wants Nina around, she'll speak up. For some reason, Sonny considers this the last straw and says that whatever happens next is on Michael. Nina's upset that Willow checked out of the hospital, since it seems to indicate that she's giving up. Drew tries to explain that there's nothing the doctors can do for her, and she wanted to spend whatever time she has left at home with her kids. Nina, of course, thinks Carly influenced that decision and launches into her umpteenth rant about her. Drew tells Nina that everything she's mad about is because of her and she can't blame anyone else. She accuses him of being as heartless and uncaring as Carly and warns that payback will bring them both down. Josslyn overhears Dex on the phone making arrangements for the Pikeman thing. She thinks his warning about possible federal charges means he's putting himself at risk for Sonny, so he tells her that the only one facing charges is Sonny. He finally reveals that he's working on taking Sonny down from the inside, though he refuses to tell her who he's working for. Then he offers to walk away from the whole thing if Josslyn doesn't want Sonny to end up in prison. Cody catches Sasha posing as a lawyer so she can see Heather at the PCPD. Heather falls for the ruse and pretends she has gaps in her memory and doesn't remember what happened on Spoon Island. Cody asks Dante to intervene without getting Sasha in trouble, which Dante does. Sasha tells him that Heather plans to use the insanity defense, then reveals that she's the widow of one of Heather's victims and is going to make it her personal mission to ensure that Heather goes to prison for the rest of her life. Sam admits to Cody that she's come around on him and seen that he's a better person than she first thought he was. He laments that Taub's necklace caused so much trouble for him and Britt, but Sam thinks that having it taken from him was a good thing, since it came from the supposedly cursed Ice Princess.
Nina: "Everyone needs to get over the fact that I lied to them for months." Also Nina: "How is Drew over the fact that Carly lied to him for months?"
So for Sonny, the end of the road with Michael is the fact that he won't bug Willow to do something she clearly doesn't want to do? Yeah, sure.
Really, Dex? After all this work, you're willing to throw it all away for Josslyn?
I like backbone Sasha.
Sorry, Heather – Esme already has the faulty-memory excuse. You'll have to find another one.
I guess the show doesn't want to bring up the death penalty but Heather killed a police officer, which is a capital crime, so she might end up on death row.
If Cody was honest about the paternity test, he might never have to pay another parking ticket.
"She's a nice lady." Who under the age of 50 says that about someone else under the age of 50?
"I'm too tired for irony." Don't worry, Sam – that wasn't irony.
February 24th, 2023
In exchange for a visit with Esme, Heather confesses to all of Captain Hook's murders and attacks, including the one on Nikolas that the police didn't know about. She denies having anything to do with Ryan's escape plans, but Esme tells Mac that she seemed to have some sort of leadership role there. Spencer is thrilled to have a brother and thinks that Nikolas needs to come back and be in his life. Ava brings him down by telling him that Ryan and Esme orchestrated his whole relationship with Esme and used him as a pawn to break up Ava and Nikolas. Spencer blames himself for Nikolas' departure, but Ava and Laura tell him that it's all on Ryan. Esme worries that since she's the daughter of two crazy criminals, she must be a criminal, too, and she's guilty of everything she's been accused of. She thinks her son should be kept away from her so she doesn't corrupt him. P.S. She's named him Ace, not realizing that that's what she called him while she was in captivity at Wyndemere. Josslyn and Dex consider his options when it comes to bringing Sonny down: He can back out now and play innocent, he can let himself get exposed and have to go into hiding for his own protection, or he can proceed as planned and hope he comes out looking like he wasn't involved. Since the third gives him the best shot of being with Josslyn, he chooses that one. Scott tells Robert that he has a client who can offer insight into Esme's whereabouts during the hook attacks, but only if Robert will agree to a deal. Robert won't until he knows more, so Elizabeth finally makes an appearance at the police station to confess. Elizabeth also tries to help Cameron with his Josslyn issues, worried that he doesn't get that people's mistakes don't have to ruin his relationships with them. Like Felicia, Mac has some questions about why Austin was at Wyndemere. Ava implies that she doesn't know.
I love that Heather will confess to five murders but not masterminding the escape. I also love that "venom guy" still doesn't get a name.
Yeah, the woman who's escaped from custody more times than Houdini would totally be allowed to go see her daughter just because she asked. Come on!
Even if Esme stays out of prison and gets to raise the baby, I think Spencer would just have to tell her he wants to help out and she would be totally fine with him being around. He'd get plenty of time with the baby whether or not he had custody.
Ace? ACE? Esme, honey, no, we're not doing that.
Not only is Esme Franco's sister, as Cameron pointed out, she's also Steven's. That means Steven has four sisters – Elizabeth, Sarah, Hayden, and Esme – and Nikolas has slept with all of them.
Spencer is so cute about being a big brother.
Kiki mention – drink!
February 27th, 2023
Spencer is full of emotions about how Ryan managed to manipulate him, and how he and Nikolas could have fixed their relationship if Ryan hadn't interfered. Laura comforts him and tells him that the work he's done to be better over the past couple of years means he's a good person. She refuses to let him believe that anyone other than Ryan is responsible for the damage done to their family. Heather thinks that she can get transferred back to Spring Ridge, and she and Esme can raise Ace together, since by New York law, Esme can keep him with her until he's 18 months old. Esme tells her that she will never be allowed to meet her grandson, and as far as Esme's concerned, Heather's as dead as Ryan is. As Heather's being dragged out of the hospital kicking and screaming, she accuses Laura of poisoning Esme against her and vows revenge. Meanwhile, Spencer informs Esme that he and Laura are going to take care of Ace while she serves her time. Once Elizabeth has confirmed that she's getting immunity, she tells Dante and Molly about her and Nikolas' crimes and cover-ups. She's surprised that they really have no interest in prosecuting her for anything. They're more focused on finding Nikolas and getting a move on searching Wyndemere. Elizabeth doesn't feel like she deserves immunity, but Dante thinks it says a lot that she came clean and feels bad for what she did. Like Spencer, Ava feels manipulated, but she goes so far as to say that she wouldn't have killed Nikolas if Ryan hadn't messed with her life. She somehow figures out from a brief conversation with Finn that Elizabeth has gone to the police, and she makes Austin check himself out of the hospital so they can try to move Nikolas' body before the police find it. Curtis confronts Jordan over what she knew when and is shocked to learn that she's had suspicions about Trina's paternity for around two years. He's mad that she didn't say anything, and though she acknowledges that he has the right to be upset, he needs to remember that no one kept secrets to hurt him. Trina tells Josslyn what she missed after she left the wedding reception, both the stuff about her paternity and about Spencer. Josslyn gives her lots of support and promises to continue it. Trina appears to want to avoid all the involved parties in her paternity mess, but Curtis seeks her out.
One of the many reasons I want Tyler Christopher back is I'm desperate to see him and Nicholas Chavez act opposite each other.
How many more people's children is Laura going to agree to take care of?
Man, Molly finally gets to do something lawyer-y and she has to recuse herself.
Elizabeth mentioned Victor's involvement, so she should start running now.
Some people are mad that Elizabeth ratted out Nikolas, but I'm okay with it. She doesn't owe him anything. Plus, she thinks he fled town and left her holding the bag, so I say she gets to clear herself in whatever way works best for her.
Ava's really going with "I killed Nikolas because Ryan manipulated me"?
I can't say for sure that Curtis would have believed Jordan if she'd told him that Trina might be his without any proof. Save your anger for Portia, my friend.
February 28th, 2023
Ava and Austin spend 20 minutes talking about their options before Dante shows up with a warrant to search Spoon Island for Nikolas and/or anything tying him to Elizabeth's statement. To no one's surprise, he wants to open the door Nikolas' body is behind. Trina doesn't want her relationship with Taggert to change, and she's not interested in a DNA test to find out whether he or Curtis is her biological father. Curtis is very understanding and is pretty much going to follow her lead on handling the situation. Elizabeth still feels bad that she threw Nikolas under the bus, did crime, and got away with that crime, but at least she doesn't have to feel the burden of the secret anymore. She fully acknowledges that she's in for it from Obrecht, and sooner than she thinks, because Scott just told Obrecht what Nikolas and Elizabeth did. Sasha's going to help plan Michael and Willow's wedding, which Michael wants to go all out for. Sasha urges Willow not to think of the rest of her life as just the time she has left. She thought that there was nothing worse than losing people she loved, but now she knows it would have been worse to never have Brando or Liam in her life. Wiley finds the half-heart necklaces, which Willow asks Sasha to get rid of. Sasha tells Willow that she's not going to push her to connect with Nina, and Willow replies that she doesn't want her to feel like she has to choose sides. Portia admits to Jordan that her warnings were accurate and she feels like a coward. Jordan is sympathetic and thinks she was just putting her family first. Obrecht finally tells Nina that she's waiting to hear if she's a match for Willow, which will allow her to both save a life and get some revenge on Carly.
I can't believe Ava and Austin stood around talking for 20 minutes. If Ava gets arrested for murder, I won't feel sorry for her.
I'm going to be legitimately mad if there's a body in there. I don't think there will be, though. In the preview, Dante seems uncertain about what he sees in there, but if it were a body, I think he'd know right away.
No questions from Dante about why Austin is at Wyndemere again? Come on, Detective.
I guess that shot of Dante picking up his gun means someone's going to get shot, huh?
Kiki mention – drink!
Trina should talk to T.J. He's been through the exact same thing she's going through now. (Speaking of which, I think the writers forgot that Jordan has been in Portia's position, which gives her even more reason to try to warn Portia that everything was going to blow up in her face.)
In Elizabeth's defense, the police were never going to connect Heather to the murders even if they'd known that Esme wasn't the killer.
Scott, my man. Attorney-client privilege.
Why do people keep asking Finn questions about Elizabeth?