Turkeys, blessings, and unexpected hellos

It might have been a short week, but our columnist has a lot to say about all the exciting developments and heartbreaking twists. It's turkeys, blessings, and unexpected hellos in this week's Two Scoops with Liz Masters.

I don't know why I thought this would be a quiet week and worried that I would struggle to cobble something together to discuss. I should have known better. There's never a dull moment on GH or in Port Charles -- doubly so in Greece on Cassadine Island.

Let's start there because things wrapped up with a tunnel collapse that seemingly claimed the life of Jason Morgan. Of course, we know better. Those coveralls have kept Michael Myers alive all these years, so they will certainly protect our handsome dark knight. I'm sure Jason will be fine. I mean, he has survived far worse deaths.

If I had to guess, I would say Victor hopped on a jet bound for Cassadine Island to take care of some unfinished business. No one knows the Cassadine tunnels, which are notorious for hidden rooms and secret passageways, better than Victor. He probably dug half of them himself.

Was Victor in the tunnels to collect a prisoner -- perhaps the mystery woman -- and ended up stumbling across an unconscious or injured Jason ripe for the plucking? I wouldn't put it past Victor. Victor is a crafty fella, and the more pawns the merrier. Why not take Jason? It wouldn't be the first time.

Ever since Victor returned from the dead -- those Cassadines are harder to kill than stink bugs -- I've suspected that he's the one who snatched Holly Sutton. The fact that Drew mentioned a mystery prisoner to Anna tells me that we are soon going to find out if I'm right or not. Plus, not too long ago, we learned that Dallas Kirby replaced Winston Rudge at the casino, and he was the one in charge when Holly vanished.

With Victor off the radar and Drew on the hunt for justice, it's a good bet that this storyline is going to pick up steam in the coming weeks. I look forward to it. I love Holly, and I adore Robert and Holly even more.

I digress, though. Back to Jason and his departure from the canvas.

Steve Burton confirmed his exit from the show, but he made it clear that he was open to return when the vaccine mandate was lifted. If you're expecting me to comment on that, I'm not going to. This is about GH, but I hate that Jason is once again gone. It's like Jason and Drew cannot coexist at the same time and place, which I find both frustrating and tragic because they are identical twins who have been separated since birth. There's so much to explore between the brothers.

Not only do Jason and Drew each share a child with the same woman, a romantic history with another woman, a mother who adores them both, and scores of people who respect and admire them, but Drew has all of Jason's memories up until the last time that Jason died. Arguably, Drew knows Jason better than anyone -- perhaps even Jason himself. I'm so incredibly disappointed that we've been denied the opportunity have these brothers get to know each other as more than passing strangers.

This might be an unpopular opinion, but I wouldn't mind a recast, especially if Billy Miller returns as Jason. He did a phenomenal job the first time around, so we know it would be a seamless transition. If Austin and Finn can walk around and no one comment on how much each man reminds them of other people, then Billy can step back into Jason's shoes.

Meanwhile, Drew is back in Port Charles, and his first stop was Sam's place, where Sam and Dante were busy making holiday plans as a dating couple and blended family. I was surprised to see that each of the children -- Danny, Scout, and Rocco -- had suffered a recent bout of SORAS (Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome). Both Rocco and Danny now appear to be in their early teens, while Scout seems closer in age to Avery, who I believe is three years older than Scout. Each, though, looks like a perfect blend of their parents.

GH is downright masterful at casting when it comes to parents and their children. Julie Marie Berman/Genie Francis, Eden McCoy/Laura Wright, James Nigbor/Steve Burton, and Ava Scarola/Maurice Benard are just a few of the many examples. It's eerie how much some of the kids look like their television parents.

I look forward to seeing more of the trio, but sadly, Drew's reunion with Scout and Sam is going to be marred by the news that Danny is going to get about his dad. Sam will no doubt be upset, too, but I don't think it will hit her as hard as it did the time that Jason was "killed" on the piers. Sam's days of living for Jason are over. She has moved on, her kids are safe, and she has made peace with the past. What happened to Jason will simply drive the point home that she made the right decision to end things with him.

I do like Dante and Sam together, but I still believe that they are a transition relationship not a forever-after pairing. I think there is unfinished business between Drew and Sam, especially since Jason chose a different path when he was faced with the same choice as Drew. Jason couldn't walk away from Sonny and Carly, even though Danny had nearly been caught in the crossfire of a mob hit. Drew did turn his back on the mob as Jason, and he did so without having to be asked.

Even if Sam and Drew don't rekindle things, I do want them to have that discussion. Perhaps then I might be more inclined to see Dante and Sam going the distance.

Sonny and Nina are another pairing that I don't see lasting. It's lust more than love.

Folks, I don't buy this new kinder and gentler Sonny nonsense. To start with, he's actively lying to Carly about the nature of his relationship with Nina in Nixon Falls -- and since his return. He's not doing it for Nina's safety, but rather, because he doesn't want to deal with Carly's wrath. It's why he told her that he was tired of talking about Nina and fighting, even though Carly threw the door wide open to come clean. Sonny should know Carly well enough to realize that she's never going to let things go with Nina because she senses that Nina is still being deceptive.

Sonny is downright gaslighting Carly by withholding the very important detail that he and Nina were a heartbeat away from consummating their love. It really gets under my skin how both Sonny and Nina act like Carly is overreacting to Nina's lie when, in fact, her instincts are on point.

As far as I'm concerned, Sonny is indulging in an emotional affair. He might not be sleeping with Nina, but I don't expect that to be for much longer. Mark my words.

The other issue I have with Sonny's new softer version of his old self is that he's still a mob boss. A ruthless one at that, because he sure didn't mince words when he paid Cyrus Renault a visit. Striking up a friendship with Phyllis, giving her Kristina's position at Charlie's Pub, and making goo-goo eyes with Nina doesn't make Sonny a better person. Being a decent human being to someone who is worried that their grandson might die and dispensing advice to a terrified father doesn't make Sonny a changed man. He's always shown acts of kindness and compassion for those he respected and cared for, as far back as Stone Cates.

To me, Sonny is exactly the same man that he's always been, and it is only a matter of time before Carly finally puts the pieces together. Will she catch Sonny and Nina in a close moment? Walk in on them during a kiss? Overhear a shocking admission?

I don't know how it's going to play out, but it's not going to be too much longer because Carly isn't blind, and Sonny and Nina are constantly together. It's not going to go well for Sonny or Nina when that happens, especially since Carly's world is about to implode with the news that Jason is missing and presumed killed.

Hell hath no fury like Carly scorned and with nothing to lose. It's going to be epic, and I'm going to be Team Carly all the way.

Now, let's discuss what happened to Brando and Sasha. Poor Sasha was rushed in for a C-section and delivered a baby boy. Unfortunately, there were complications, and the baby ended up in NICU on a ventilator. Brando and Sasha were devastated, but I wasn't all that shocked. I suspected that things were going to go south when Brando and Sasha seemed much too happy and confident about their future. On a soap opera, that's a worse omen than an argument at the top of a staircase.

It was heartbreaking to watch unfold, and we still don't know if Brando and Sasha's baby suffered any lasting effects from the hypoxia. However, I commend the writers for going there. One of the reasons that I love General Hospital and shows like ER, House, and Grey's Anatomy is because I find medicine fascinating, and I love learning about various treatments and cures. I've noticed an increase in these types of storylines, not just with Sasha's pregnancy but also with Leo, Valentin spending more than five minutes recuperating, and even Sonny following up on his bipolar medication. I'm hoping for the best for the little tyke, but I also think it would be interesting to see soap opera parents raising a disabled child.

We need more empathy and understanding in the world, and I think it's great that the writers are giving us a more diverse slice of life in Port Charles.

Both Sofia Mattsson (Sasha Gilmore) and Johnny Wactor (Brando Corbin) gave us wonderful performances this week. I look forward to Brando and Sasha's journey with their son, and I'm really hoping that these two end up at the altar. They are such a sweet couple and supportive of each other, too. No one can seem to stay together for long, so it would be nice to have a couple that does.

Gladys' reaction to everything was also a refreshing change. This was the first week that I wasn't ready to chuck a shoe at my television when she popped up on the screen. Dare we hope that Gladys is about to turn over a new leaf? I'm always down for a good redemption storyline, so my fingers are crossed.

Now, let's discuss the other big development this week.

Chase figured out that "Bailey" is really Louise, and it was just in time for him to claim that he was the baby's father before Brook Lynn spilled the beans to Valentin. Valentin was shattered by the news, but I'm not too worried about him. As soon as Anna returns home, she will talk some sense into him.

Does Brook Lynn deserve to be punished for what she did? Heck, yeah, she does. That woman faked a pregnancy to force Valentin to relinquish his shares of ELQ. She also dragged Charlotte into it, which was a bridge too far for Valentin. Ironically, the truth -- that "Bailey" is really Louise -- would go a long way to soothe the savage beast that Brook Lynn awakened, but Brook Lynn opted to go the route of more lies. I'm fairly certain that Valentin's call was to Martin Gray to get the ball rolling on securing controlling shares of ELQ. Yes, I know that Martin is in hiding, but I also know that Valentin is not the type to let a little thing like witness protection stop him from talking to his attorney.

Chase has agreed to keep up the charade, mainly because Maxie begged him to. Maxie doesn't trust Peter not to escape or wiggle out of his legal charges, and I can't blame her. Peter appears to be immortal, impervious to bullets, made of rubber, and always a step or two ahead of everyone. To be honest, he's far more enjoyable as a villain than he ever was as a reformed bad boy. There is no bar too low for Peter to slither under.

Chase, on the other hand, is a police officer with a strong moral code -- or so I thought. His easy acceptance of Brook Lynn's faked pregnancy bothered me because it technically was fraud -- and a crime. I hate that Brook Lynn keeps getting a free pass on that because it was a terrible thing to do. She might be doing good by helping Maxie, but that doesn't mitigate the deception. She faked a pregnancy, lied to everyone -- including her own family, and dragged innocent children into the mess. It really annoys me how Brook Lynn acts like the end justifies the means, because it doesn't.

Not that Valentin is an innocent lamb. He isn't, and I'm surprised that Maxie didn't remind him how he had cut her best friend Lulu out of their daughter's life for years and even told Charlotte that another woman (Claudette) was her mother. However, Valentin wasn't the only one impacted by the lie. Others were, too, including Brook Lynn's own father, who has bonded with a child that he believes is his granddaughter. Charlotte and Leo aren't the only children that live in the mansion, Wiley is there, too. Plus, I'm pretty certain that both Danny and Scout have been by to visit their grandmother Monica and meet their new cousin.

At some point, I want Brook Lynn to understand just how many people she hurt by faking the pregnancy. Had Maxie not dropped Louise into Brook Lynn's lap, Brook Lynn would have been forced to tell everyone that the baby had died and to watch everyone grieve for a child that had never existed. That's twisted, and it's not something that she should be able to walk away from just because she did a good deed.

Finally, next week is all about Thanksgiving, since Wednesday's show had many making plans to celebrate the holiday. There are so many things that I'm thankful for about GH. Above all, I love the fans who have kept this show on the air for all these decades, the wonderful scribes over the years who have given us some of the best programing on television -- ever -- and, of course, all the incredibly talented actors who consistently give us amazing performances.

I can't imagine GH not being a part of my afternoon because it's been such a big part of my life. When I was a kid, I'd come home from school, grab a snack, curl up on the sofa with my mom, and watch GH. When I was a teenager, GH was the show that I unwound with before doing my homework. As I grew older and spread my wings, one of my first purchases was a VCR to record GH.

Later, when I got married and became a stay-at-home mom, I scheduled the children's afternoon naps around GH. I'd brew a cup of coffee (loaded with a sweet creamer), settle on the sofa, and lose myself in the show for an hour. There were days that the trials and tribulations of the people in Port Charles kept me sane. When the babies outgrew naps, GH was quiet time for the kiddies to color or read. Eventually, my kids ended up watching the show, just as I had with my mom.

My son found greener pastures when he got his first gaming system, but my daughter stuck with it and now catches a few episodes a week, thanks to our streaming services.

There were a lot of storylines this year that had me glued to my television, and I often found myself eager for 2:00 p.m. to roll around. There were also some lows. One of my least favorite storylines ever -- and there are over four decades of stories stored in my memory banks -- played out this year.

However, you will have to wait for my Best and Worst review of 2021 in a few weeks. For now, I want to thank all the wonderful readers who give me the opportunity to share my thoughts about our favorite soap week after week. I feel incredibly blessed and honored to be a part of such an amazing community.

Funny how Sonny and Nina lived in the same town for years but barely ever crossed paths, yet these days it's like they are joined at the hip. I'm surprised they haven't bumped into each other in the shower yet.

What was the point of putting Brando in a sterile gown and booties, but not sliding a pair of sterile gloves onto his hands for when he reached into the baby's incubator?

Since Rocco, Danny, and Scout are all older now, I fully expect Jake to return from his trip to Washington with a wife and two kids. After all, Jake is a couple of years older than Danny.

Papa Marshall is a creepy dude. If you're going to reunite with your son, you better be prepared to answer all his questions, starting with why you are another back-from-the-dead zombie. Until then, stay away from the kids, even if they are grown.

I have no idea how Phyllis could make Charlie's better. The energy, the decor, the bar, the crowds, the people that went there constantly, because it so good that they were willing to patronize "evil" Julian's establishment? Comparing the 2 bars is like a comparing a broken down shack to the White House LOL -- Lucky Lady

I'm liking Madame Wu. Hopefully, Brad will make parole. We could use more of Parry Shen's Charming Weaselyness! -- Missez Premise

I also agree that someone should shame Spencer by pointing out that both his mother and Grandpa Mike were happy to work at Kelly's back in the day. Although, what is particularly annoying about Spencer whining about working there is that he is probably qualified to be a French tutor or TA at PCU since he should be fluent but is too lazy for it to occur to him. -- Bianca Jackson

I love hearing from readers, so please feel free to leave a comment below or email me.

Take care and happy viewing,Liz Masters

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