Five reasons to watch General Hospital right now

General Hospital is going through some growing pains that have produced some welcome changes.

A head writing change is never easy for a soap, as there will always be bumps along the way. General Hospital is still a soap in transition, but new stories, new-old characters, and new mysteries are helping it along.

Jason Morgan is back and has been since March. While some fans are not happy that he stayed away for Carly's sake and abandoned his own sons for more than two years, with him back on the canvas, the story can go in any number of directions.

Jason has two teenage boys. One wants nothing to do with him; one hangs on his every word. It's been heartwarming watching Jason bond with Danny. Now that Sam knows some of what Jason has really been up to, she also wants to get in on the action. That will complicate her relationship with Dante, and complications are exactly why we watch soaps.

For too long, Maxie seemed like a shadow of her former self -- passive, in the background, and not the quirky go-getter fashionista she was once known to be. We get that she had a rough few years, falling for a man who turned out to be a criminal sociopath after the man she loved was killed by his own father, but it seemed to take her way too long to get her groove back. A lackluster pairing with Dr. Austin Gatlin-Holt didn't help her situation.

This new Maxie is more like the old Maxie. She is assertive and in control, always has a quick wit comeback, and looks fantastic in chic ensembles that remind us of the Maxie of yesteryear. Having Spinelli back in her life is an added bonus for Spixie fans, but this Maxie is certainly a woman who can stand on her own.

Sure, they may not be an official couple anymore, but any time that Finola Hughes and James Patrick Stuart share scenes, it is absolute magic. We still never figured out why the soap chose to split Vanna to begin with. It took them six years to finally get together, and then poof -- they were over.

Neither of them trusts the other at the moment, but that is just par for the course for Anna and Valentin. There has always been a level of mistrust between them, as well as passion and love. Plus, there is a mystery involved. We know there is more to what Valentin is doing than meets the eye and can't wait to find out what it is.

He doesn't have an official love interest yet, but that's okay. John Cates is a very available bachelor with connections to the canvas and a justified grudge against Sonny and his entire organization. His interactions with Carly have left us intrigued, but we also know he led a whole life outside Port Charles between high school and now.

He even has a grown son with autism out there, so the possibilities for this character seem endless. Does he have a lost love out there somewhere, too? Will his son come to town? Will he manage to get Carly to forget about Jason as anything other than a devoted BFF? Not knowing the answers to these questions is a reason to tune in.

That's it. Just Tracy. When Jane Elliot left in 2017, she left a crater-size hole in the Port Charles canvas that was only filled with her brief guest appearances. Last year, Elliot returned to her old stomping grounds for the foreseeable future, and it's been nothing but a delight ever since.

The woman who selfishly withheld her father's heart medication while he seemed to be dying on the floor decades ago has softened with age and is now reflecting on the life she has lived. Her scenes with Brook Lynn just before the younger Quartermaine walked down the aisle brought tears to our eyes with the combination of heart and acerbic humor only Elliot could deliver.

Is GH must-see TV? What is your favorite story on GH right now? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.