Port Charles Press: Crime and Punishment edition

Victor's enemies are closing ranks, but will it be enough to thwart his evil plot? Now that Esme is free as a bird, will she fly away or revert to old habits? The stage is set for a battle between good and evil as General Hospital prepares to celebrate its 60th anniversary and kick off the 2023 Nurses Ball. Let's discuss all this -- and more -- in this week's Two Scoops.

We are gearing up for another epic battle to stop another Cassadine supervillain. This time, the target is Victor, and the mission is to foil his evil plot, which likely involves mass casualties and world domination. It's how all dark Cassadines roll, and in this latest edition of Cassadine versus the world, we have son pitted against father in a race against time, thanks to in no small part to Lucy Coe.

Never have I wanted to reach through the television set and slap sense into a character more than I did Lucy when she parked herself at a table on the patio of Metro Court's restaurant. Of all the selfish, stupid things. I understand that Lucy loves planning the Nurses Ball, but I did not find her antics amusing. I hope Maxie ignores every single one of Lucy's suggestions, and the 2023 Nurses Ball turns out to be a smashing success. It would serve Lucy's ego right, but I digress.

Back to Victor's nefarious plot. I suspect first blood will be drawn on Monday when Victor realizes that he's been tricked by Eileen, and he turns his wrath on her.

I should feel sorry for Eileen, but I don't. She knew exactly who she was getting into bed with -- literally and figuratively -- when she struck her devil's bargain with Victor. If she didn't, then she's an even bigger fool than I thought. There's no excuse for her because even Violet could run a basic search on the Internet and find a good dozen or so pages of Victor's notorious past, family, and presumed deaths. Eileen has zero excuses, and if she somehow survives all of this, she will rightfully be arrested for all the crimes that she committed because she chose political ambition over law and order.

Unless Eileen develops amnesia and pops out Victor's love child. In Port Charles, that's a get-out-of-jail-free card. Just ask Esme. Yes, yes, I know it's all part of a greater plan to bide time while building a stronger case against Esme, but how? Does everyone think Esme will be willing to make a full confession if her memories return? If so, they are morons, because Esme would rather cut out her own tongue than sing like a canary and give her enemies the means to lock her up and throw away the key.

I do understand the desire to get the baby away from Esme, but I have to be honest; I don't think Spencer has any business raising that poor child any more than Esme does.

I'm no fan of Esme, but even I was taken aback by the arrogance of Spencer to expect her to hand over her child to him and move into a room above Kelly's -- a guy who has lied, manipulated, and bullied her since she woke up in the hospital with amnesia. I love Spencer, but his behavior had been low-key scary lately, and I'm starting to think Spencer needs anger management counseling before he's allowed anywhere near that baby alone. He's always angry and threatening these days -- except when he's with Trina. It worries me.

Esme is no better. I find it odd that she has not once asked anyone about her past. You know, all those years between when Heather abandoned her as an infant and when she turned up at Spencer's boarding school to seduce him into doing her diabolical papa's bidding. Had she, Esme might have discovered that she really doesn't need Laura or Spencer's charity because she has a trust fund that Martin could easily help her access now that she has a child to support. Instead, she seems dedicated to playing the role of forlorn waif in need of saving -- but only on her terms.

Esme's move to block Spencer's efforts from taking custody of Ace was brilliant, but it didn't jibe with her claims that all she knew of the world was from waking up in the hospital and her time at Spring Ridge. That's something I would have expected the old Esme to do, not someone who is allegedly a babe in the woods. But what really raised a flag with me was Esme's suggestion that she and Ace move in with Laura. That was just straight-up manipulative -- and very much up scheming vixen Esme's alley. Why not just insist that Ace go with her to the room above Kelly's or another more suitable apartment? It also irks me how Esme acts like the amnesia absolves her of any wrongdoing. It doesn't, and whenever someone says something even remotely to the contrary, she immediately goes into victim mode.

I definitely saw a glimpse of the old Esme when she acted like she had caught Spencer and Trina doing something naughty in the hallway. Why would Esme care or ask why Trina was still there? The old, jealous Esme would because she was particularly threatened by Trina. Obviously, it was a sign of what's to come. It was as subtle as an anvil falling that Esme is going to be a wedge between Spencer and Trina. Oh, joy. Here we go again.

Another dropped anvil concerned Epiphany. Elizabeth had a hearing with the hospital's ethics committee, but no one heard from Epiphany, despite Elizabeth's union representative reaching out to our beloved sassy doctor-in-training. After Elizabeth learned that her job was safe, she fired off a text message to her mentor, but there was no reply. Cue the big lump in my throat. I know exactly where this is going.

My advice to everyone is to stock up on tissues -- I prefer the ones with lotion because they don't chafe -- this weekend because we have a tearjerker in store for us on Wednesday, March 29, when GH airs their tribute episode to the late, great Sonya Eddy and her character, Epiphany Johnson. A part of me had hoped that they would write Epiphany off by having her move away and start her career as a doctor, but that's because I prefer happy endings over tragic ones.

However, Epiphany would never do that. After losing Stanley, Epiphany adopted the doctors, the nurses, and a lot of the people around Port Charles as her family. She was a devoted mother, and she became an equally devoted friend to the people she loved. Epiphany wasn't just Elizabeth's mentor. She mentored Felix, Willow, and everyone else who worked at the hospital. She also found romance with Milo Giambetti and, most recently, with Marshall. She had a lot of history in Port Charles, so I couldn't imagine her becoming a doctor and not returning.

As sad as it will be to watch, it's more fitting that Sonya's smiling face join the photos on the memory wall of all those who have left a lasting and indelible mark on General Hospital. It sucks, though, that we lost her far too soon, and just when she was on the brink of taking Epiphany in a brand-new direction. Godspeed, Sonya, and thank you. You will be dearly missed.

Elizabeth is going to have a rough week. Not only will she be losing a dear and beloved friend, but Cameron is moving away to attend college. Luckily, her legal woes are behind her, and the ethics committee decided that she likely saved Esme and Ace by helping Nikolas. I love my girl, and I was definitely rooting for her to keep her job, but I thought it was a little over the top to paint her actions in such a generous light. That said, I'm proud of Elizabeth.

Unlike Esme, Elizabeth took responsibility for her actions, she hired a lawyer, and she went to the police to deal with the fallout of her poor choices head-on. She also came clean to Esme, and she didn't try to mitigate her actions by blaming it on her own recent breakdown from a repressed childhood trauma. Did it factor in? Probably -- in a small way. But the reason that Elizabeth helped Nikolas was because she loves him. She always will. They are each other's ride-or-die, and even though she has good reason to be mad at him now, I know that she will eventually get over it.

Elizabeth will be the first person to help Nikolas should she ever get wind of the fact that Mason is keeping Nikolas on life support in an undisclosed location. In fact, a part of me is hoping that is exactly what happens. I'd love to see Elizabeth save/rescue Nikolas. If Ava finds him, she's more apt to pull the plug, which I most definitely don't want to happen. My hope is that Nikolas wakes up like the old prince, back before he turned up in Ava's gallery with a tale of woe and a list of excuses for letting everyone think he was dead.

I want more for Elizbeth than another round of romancing Finn. I liked them in the beginning, but Finn became too domineering. He didn't respect Elizabeth's boundaries, and it seemed like he only listened to her to disagree. Even now, he has to constantly remind himself to back off and allow Elizabeth to do things on her own terms. A good relationship shouldn't require that much work and effort.

I'd love to see Hayden return, because she spiced things up for Finn. Plus, they share a daughter who has been missing her mother. The writers ruined things for Finn and Elizabeth by having Elizabeth indirectly kill Finn's wife Reiko. It was such a pointless plot twist, and I'm still miffed that the writers did that to Elizabeth -- and Jeff. Jeff is another reason that I want Hayden back. It's time for Jeff to be a father to both of his daughters, and what better way to start than by welcoming Hayden home?

The added bonus if Hayden returns is that it will clear Nikolas of those foul play suspicions following her disappearance. I have long suspected that Victor killed Hayden's mother, Naomi Dreyfus, and that Hayden had been in hiding because she was linked in some way to Victor's plot. If I'm right, it would make sense for her to resurface once Valentin, Anna, and the Port Charles Justice League take Victor down.

The Nurses Balls has always been chock-full of exciting bombshells, shocking moments, climatic conclusions to storylines, and, of course, entertaining performances. Remember when Nelle went on her little rampage and slit Brook Lynn's throat before heading to the Quartermaine mansion to kidnap Wiley? How about the time Bobbie and Jerry Jacks's steamy love tape was shown? There was also that time that Helena and her recently defrosted golden child -- Stavros -- ran amok with a deadly biotoxin. That would happen on several occasions, including the deadly chimera virus that Helena had programed a young Jake to unleash on the good citizens during the Nurses Ball.

It was Valentin who saved the day from Jake's deadly magic trick. Valentin had sold the deadly virus to Helena decades earlier to finance his reconstructive surgery. At the time, Valentin hadn't known that Helena was his mother, but it was a fascinating storyline with endless twists and turns involving twins Drew Cain and Jason Morgan.

This year's Nurses Ball promises to be just as thrilling, especially since it corresponds with GH's 60th anniversary, so I anticipate a lot of wonderful surprises. It boggles my mind that my beloved soap has been on the air longer than I've been alive. What an amazing accomplishment.

Meanwhile, Curtis is a month into his pity party, and things haven't improved much. He's still furious with Portia, but he did have a great talk with Trina. They even hugged, but poor leper Portia showed up, and the tender moment was dashed. Portia barely got a "Hello" out before Curtis and Trina skedaddled. Ouch.

Ever since it was revealed that Portia and Curtis had history, and Portia denied that Trina was his daughter, I knew she was lying. I called her out for it so many times that I've lost count, and I will say to my dying day that what she did was wrong. BUT, at some point, there needs to be a path forward, however that path might look.

I lost my father in 2019, and I know what it's like not to have an opportunity to say goodbye. It's something I will always carry with me, and while I know that my dad loved me -- and he knew that I loved him -- there was so much left unsaid. I don't wish that on anyone. The truth is forgiveness is not the same as forgetting, and everyone carries baggage. Everyone.

Portia is a kind person. She's a loving mother and a dedicated doctor, and she's clearly respected by her friends and coworkers. She made a terrible choice at a time when she thought that she would never lay eyes on Curtis again, and it snowballed from there. By the time Portia did run into him, nearly two decades had passed. She was afraid of hurting Trina and potentially taking away the only father that her daughter has known. It wasn't done out of malice. At no point, was Portia driven by spite or trying to hurt anyone.

I love that Curtis pulled his head out of his behind and gave Trina really great advice about giving Portia a chance. Everything he said was spot-on. I just wish he hadn't ruined things by blowing up at Portia when she suggested marriage counseling -- a perfectly reasonable request -- and going to Charlie's Pub, where he promptly toyed with Jordan's emotions by talking about "what if." Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that he was finally able to see that he, too, played a role in the breakdown of trust, but that near-kiss was not cool.

Jordan deserves better, and so does Portia. Whether the marriage survives or not, Portia will always be Trina's mother, and as such, she will be a part of Curtis' life -- if it turns out that he's Trina's father, which he will be. Don't be messy because it will make everything worse.

That brings me to Aunt Stella. Why exactly is Curtis mad at her? She and Jordan did the absolute right thing by leaving it to Portia to tell him. It was not their place because the first person who needed to be told was Trina. Trina is not a toddler. She's a grown woman who was entitled to the truth, first and foremost, because she is the one who is going to be most impacted by the fallout of the paternity test. At worst, nothing will change for Curtis, and at best, he will gain a daughter.

Trina will always love Taggert, but she has admitted that she has already felt a shift in their relationship. Is it temporary? Who knows, but she fears that finding out that Curtis is her father will only change things further between her and Taggert. Curtis needs to stop blaming everyone for not telling him. The only person who owed him the truth was Portia.

Finally, the cat is out of the bag. Michael knows about Josslyn and Dex's relationship, and Josslyn knows that Michael is the one who hired Dex. Folks, I'm so over this stupid storyline. The Pikeman stuff is interesting, but Michael and Dex are grating on my nerves.

I understand why Michael decided to go after Sonny. He was hurt that Sonny chose Nina over Carly and the family because Michael has always viewed Nina as a threat -- for good reason. Nina has taken Michael to court on multiple occasions to force him to let her be a part of Wiley's life, and now she has Sonny cheerleading for her. Michael's concerns were valid. Nina has had an acrimonious relationship with both Michael and Willow and a history of unstable behavior and kidnapping, and she broke the cardinal sin of telling Wiley that Willow was not his real mother. Nina also has a very bad habit of trying to whitewash every horrible thing that Nelle did -- including trying to murder Michael -- and blaming it on Nelle not knowing a mother's love.

When Michael found out that Willow was pregnant, he should have dropped the vendetta. As much as Sonny loves Michael, he's not going to go down without a fight, and Michael should know that. Michael needs to be focused on his family, especially since he already effectively cut Sonny out of his life. Why waste all this energy on something that really wasn't necessary to safeguard his loved ones? To be honest, there's always been a part of me that questioned whether Michael really had it in him to follow through on his threat. Would Michael really be able to hand over evidence to a prosecutor that could put Sonny away for life? I had my doubts, and I still do.

However, the minute that Michael learned that Willow had end-stage cancer, Michael's priorities should have shifted. I'm disgusted that he takes time out from Willow and his children to meet with Dex and plot against Sonny. If Carly has been able to forgive and move on, so should Michael. This is doubly true now that it's been revealed that Nina is Willow's mother. Nina is not going anywhere and punishing Sonny won't change that.

Where does Michael see things going if the transplant is a success and he goes to war with his father? Does Michael think Willow is going to be happy that Michael is choosing revenge over their family? Absolutely not.

If Michael wants to fight crime, he should join the police force. Dex, too, for that matter.

I cracked up when Esme mentioned that she was breastfeeding. Having nursed both of my children, I couldn't imagine wearing a tight, form-fitting top like the one Esme was wearing in Laura's apartment -- with no buttons, zippers, or snaps -- during the first few months. Between constant feedings, pumping, and unexpected leaks, it was nursing tops and bras for me for the first six months.

Why is Spencer living with people? He has access to his trust fund. Shouldn't he be looking for a place where he can raise the baby, or does he plan to take custody and hand Ace over to Grandma Laura?

Dear Chase and Brook Lynn, try dating others. I know it's slim pickings in Port Charles, but it's just painful to watch these two constantly disappoint each other. Kristina is single and looking to mingle.

Although I will NEVER accept the idea that Ava would ever forgive Nina, much less befriend her, I DO have to admit that their occasional gossip sessions have more than a little entertainment value, if only for Maura West's seemingly endless bag of facial expressions, when she's reacting to Nina's recent shenanigans. As unlikely as it is, their friendship is one of the more realistic adult relationships on the show. You almost get the impression that Nina wouldn't pull HALF the outrageous crap she does, if she couldn't tell Ava about it, later. -- Scrimmage

I am not saying this because I think Esme is good or blameless. She did horrid things. BUT I laugh at Spencer's outrage of her being near the boy. Who are his two main supports and role models. His uncle Sonny the mob boss who made his first hit at a younger age than Esme is now and was a full gang member. Then there is Great-great Uncle Victor. SO those two being near Ace is just fine? -- Mary Keely

Was that sniper trying to take out Sonny or Dex? How do you miss at that range with a sniper rifle? And of course, Sonny had to be the one to take out the sniper. -- JDF

What are your thoughts about what's happening on General Hospital? Do you agree or disagree with anything that I've shared in this week's column? I love hearing from everyone and reading your thoughts, so drop me a comment in the Comments section below. You can also join us over on the message boards for even more conversation!

Take care and happy viewing,Liz Masters

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