Time to turn the page

Quite a few storylines have reached a turning point as new writers are poised to take over. Anna is back in action as Port Charles's newly minted police commissioner, Sonny is on the hunt for an enemy within, and Nikolas is facing the music for his wrongdoings. It's Two Scoops of tick-tock, time's up.

One thing is clear if you've been watching GH for any length of time; change is on the horizon. All the signs point to it as several big storylines seem to be on a collision course with each other, and relationships are shifting. Let's dive right in with Nikolas, who returned to Port Charles with Ace after word reached him that his beloved firstborn had perished in the icy waters of the Seine.

After Nikolas poured out his grief over losing Spencer and admitted to some regrets, Laura patted her son on the back and persuaded him to turn himself in and take responsibility for his crimes. It was the right decision, but I'm not sure it needed to be done the way that Laura deemed it should. Nikolas is exceedingly rich, so why couldn't he have hired a team of lawyers to deal with his legal issues while Nikolas found a country without an extradition agreement to raise Ace until things are resolved? Right now, Elizabeth is the only witness against him.

I can't imagine that a decent lawyer wouldn't be able to work out a plea deal with Robert that would allow Nikolas to pay his debt to society with a short stint in Shadybrook while he continued to raise his son. Hey, it was good enough for Amnesia Esme when she faced charges for her crime sprees. What's good for the goose is good for the gander. Nikolas has the same rights to Ace that Esme did, and the writers already established that he didn't break any laws when he took Ace.

Admittedly, I love Nikolas, and right now, I'm a bit miffed with the way Laura treats her eldest son. Nikolas is the only one that actually gives her the time of day, and if he's a mess, then she's partly to blame because she left her infant son behind when she escaped from Cassadine Island, and she did nothing in the intervening years to get him back. Heck, she didn't even tell Luke or the kids about Nikolas until Stefan showed up in Port Charles with her teenage son. I'm genuinely disappointed by her lack of compassion for Nikolas because she, more than anyone, understands the lifetime of traumas that shaped the man he is today.

I thought it was especially cruel that Laura went ahead with a funeral for Spencer instead of waiting until Nikolas could attend. This one hit especially close to home because I lost my niece two weeks ago when she suddenly collapsed and died from a blood clot. It happened in an instant on her 31st birthday, while she was on the phone. I saw firsthand how important that final goodbye is to parents who lose their child without warning. It's not about seeing a body, but rather the last act a parent does for the child they love.

After all, there was no body, so there was no rush. I would never deny someone I love the opportunity to say goodbye to their child, even if it was just ceremonial.

I realize that Laura is the mayor of Port Charles, so it's her civic duty to make sure the laws are enforced, even when it pertains to her own family, but I don't recall Laura insisting that Valentin march Charlotte down to the police station for her role in spray-painting Anna's door, breaking into her hotel room and vandalizing it, and for breaking into Anna's apartment the night of the shooting. Last I checked, those were all prosecutable offenses.

I love Laura, but the writing for her has been horrible in recent months. She was always fiercely loyal to her children, and she was definitely never a stickler for following the letter of the law. Heck, she was married to Luke Spencer for decades.

The one my heart broke for was poor Trina. Her world has shattered. I get her knee-jerk reaction in wanting to drop out of school because she's been plunged into darkness and is living a nightmare. Everything seems meaningless without Spencer, including higher education. Right now, she's raw and needs space to catch her breath. If Portia and Curtis want to do something for Trina, maybe they can call Taggert and let him know that his daughter needs him. It's shameful the writers have cut him out of Trina's life as if he never existed. I hope the new writers do better.

Fortunately, Trina has Ava. Ava knows what it's like to lose a piece of her soul, so if anyone can help guide Trina through the crushing grief, it's Ava.

Elsewhere, Anna turned the tables on Special Agent Jagger -- err, I mean John. She realized that she had a get-out-of-jail-free card simply by accepting Laura's job offer. And just like that, Anna was sworn in as the town's new police commissioner. I'm delighted with this development because this is the Anna I know. That dark, damaged version that the writers created to put her on even footing with Valentin only worked when Vanna were together, but it never sat well with me that it was allowed to eclipse all the good that she had done during her years as a WSB agent. Of course, she's done bad things in the course of safeguarding the world from diabolical villains. It's a necessary evil in the spy biz and unavoidable when dealing with homicidal maniacs like the Cassadines, Cesar Faison, Peter August, and Jerry Jacks.

As much as I enjoyed seeing Anna with a new purpose, I'm less enthused about the obvious chemistry testing between her and John. The problem is John. I don't know who he is. I know who he was, and by all accounts, he's one of the good guys -- but things could have changed. It wouldn't be the first time. Remember when Paul Hornsby returned to take over as district attorney, only to be revealed as a serial killer? I need to know more about who John is today before I ship him with anyone.

Besides, I saw just as many sparks between John and Carly as I did John and Anna. More, because John and Carly weren't screeching at each other like two teens in the throes of their first secret crush.

That brings me to the train wreck that is Drew. Goodness, is this man's pain frustrating. I certainly have empathy for him because that beatdown in jail nearly cost him his life. I also get his anger at Nina. Nina can defend her actions by pointing to Drew's culpability in his crimes, but she can't erase the stink of spite that guided her actions. She is no innocent lamb. Even now, when she essentially has a clean slate with Willow, what is she doing? Nina is plotting to go after Carly and Crimson because Drew had the audacity to fire her and humiliate her in the process.

Nina can dish it out, but she can't take it. To me, turnabout is fair play. If their roles had been reversed, and it was Drew who had turned Nina in for a crime that she committed, there's no way that Nina would have turned the other cheek. This time, though, Nina might be biting off more than she can chew because Drew is laser-focused on stripping everything from Nina and leaving her life in ruins.

I was really pleased that Carly made it clear that she wanted Drew to back off and leave Nina alone. At least someone is the voice of reason. Who would have ever thought it would be Carly?

Folks, the conversation between Brick and Sonny got me thinking. What if Dex has been playing everyone, including Michael? Could it be that John had a connection to the security firm that Michael hired Dex from, and Dex is really an FBI plant used to infiltrate Sonny's organization through Michael? It's a plot twist with far-reaching ramifications, and it would certainly test Sonny and Michael's newfound reconciliation.

I think Sonny could forgive Michael for hiring Dex to try to take him down, since Michael ultimately never followed through with the plan. In the end, both Carly and Michael asked Dex to stay on to keep Sonny safe, and Dex has held up his end of the bargain. Sonny would be furious at Carly and Michael, but ultimately, he'd forgive them because Michael is his son and Carly had good intentions. However, that might be a bit harder if it turns out that Dex is an undercover FBI agent because it would mean that Michael had let the wolf in and placed him at Sonny's throat. Will the new writers go there?

Josslyn assured Cameron that things were good between her and Dex and that he made her happy, but Dex's absence during the funeral was noticeable. He wasn't even there to guard Sonny. Perhaps I'm reading into things, but Brick's sudden certainty that Dex is feeding information to the enemy gunning for Sonny has me questioning Dex all over again. For Josslyn's sake, if Dex is on a secret mission, I hope it's for the good guys, not the league of shadowy hitmen.

Of course, the most shocking twist will soon play out when Steve Burton returns as Jason Morgan. Steve announced that his first airdate is March 4. I know many are speculating that he's the sniper who took aim at Sonny in Puerto Ricco because he's either under someone's control or a victim of brain mapping/brainwashing, but I have my doubts. It's definitely in the Cassadine wheelhouse, but Jason is known for one thing -- he doesn't miss. He definitely doesn't miss repeatedly.

By all accounts, Curtis was collateral damage, a victim of a bullet gone astray. On the island, as bullets whizzed overhead, only one managed to graze Ava's hand. Sorry, but that doesn't sound like Jason unless he's suddenly in need of a pair of glasses. Additionally, the first sniper who was gunned down by Dex in the warehouse was shrouded in mystery. Brick was unable to dig up any personal information on the man, suggesting that he'd been connected to an organization with ties to people in high places of the government.

At the time, Selina denied knowing the man, even though the sniper had some matches from her bar. Brick looked into it, but he never found a link between Selina and the shooter. We later learned that Cyrus had been giving Austin and Mason orders in an attempt to cut out Sonny and work with Pikeman. I had assumed that Cyrus had sent the snipers and that Mason might have been the one to open fire at Metro Court's pool when Curtis was shot. However, why would Cyrus send a sniper to Sonny's island?

There's also Austin's murder, which remains an open case. I recall Dante mentioning that it had been a professional hit, and of course, we now know that the person who killed Austin has been sending Ava ominous warnings, which prompted her to move in with Sonny. As much as I don't trust Cyrus or believe his claims of redemption, I don't think he's behind the snipers or the messages to Ava.

It's a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.

Luckily, it appears that we will all soon get some answers and learn how these strings are connected. I can't wait because this stuff has been dragging on for way too long. I love good mysteries, but I also like resolution. I have no problem with romances lasting for years, but not a plot line, especially when it meanders all over the place with no rhyme or reason.

It's a safe bet that whatever is lurking in the wings ties into what happened to Jason on Cassadine Island when the tunnel collapsed. I'm looking forward to those answers, and I have high hopes that the new writers will give us some wonderful, soapy twists. Will we get another exciting entrance like the time Jason rappelled through the roof of Metro Court's restaurant during the Aurora Media launch? I can only hope.

March 4 can't get here fast enough, and I've already put my family on notice that I will be unavailable during GH on that day. Lucky for me, it airs at 2:00 p.m. ET in my area, which means that I will get the first look at Jason's return. I'm so excited and plan to post live on X, formerly known as Twitter, that day, so feel free to join me.

Another great development that gave me untold joy was the breakup of Martin and Lucy. In fact, Martin dumped Lucy twice, so it was double the pleasure. Lucy loves to play the poor misunderstood victim, but her heartache was all of her own making. She was the one who confided to Maxie -- months ago -- that she felt drawn to Scott and worried that she might give in to temptation. Everything she's done from that point forward led to her rolling around in the hay with Scott, so she gets zero pity from me. She can deflect, spin things, and even blame Tracy for planting seeds of doubt, but I spent weeks watching Lucy use excuse after excuse to stay close to Scott instead of putting distance between them.

I think Lucy loved the idea of being in love with Martin, but she didn't love him. If she had loved him, she would have told him about her plan to take down Tracy, and she definitely wouldn't have been lusting after Scott.

My only hope is that Scott dumps Lucy, too, because Lucy is a faithless shrew who will always find ways to sabotage her relationships in her childish need for constant affirmation. Scott isn't a saint or blameless, either, but the idea of watching two dysfunctional people in a dysfunctional relationship sounds as appealing as having toothpicks jammed into my eyes. If Lucy and Scott want unconditional love, then they should go to a shelter and adopt a pet.

I found it odd that both Spencer and Esme had freshly dug graves, even though no bodies had been recovered. I understand the desire to have a plot -- in case a body is recovered -- and a headstone to visit, but why bury an empty casket? It seems impractical and a waste of money.

I'm confused. Didn't Ava get an offer for Wyndemere a while back that she accepted?

Let me get this straight. Cyrus -- the brother that Laura has next to no relationship with -- attends Spencer's funeral, but Martin -- the brother she actually adores -- was nowhere to be seen? Please, make it make sense, because from what I saw, Martin was in town and otherwise free to attend his great-nephew's services.

I loved seeing William Lipton return as Cameron. Cam is such a wonderful character, and I hate that he's been sidelined. I hope the new writers can remedy that.

Nelle didn't fall far from the tree. And Willow takes after her father. Who they never mention. If the new writers will acknowledge that Willow and Nelle weren't the product of immaculate conception or some drunken hook up at a frat party, that would be great. We know who the father is. There are several characters on the show who were connected to Silas, and I for one would love to see Sam and Willow have a heart to heart about her other parent. -- FleurdLisla

And therein lies a problem that has long plagued GH: Taking characters over the top--and thus out of the realm of believability. For viewers to stay with a character, they must have some semblance of verisimilitude. -- Nancy Dillingham

I want Curtis to walk again so I don't have sit through another Ashford family get together like the one at the hospital. I'm still trying to figure out how he forgave Portia so easily for lying to him and depriving him of fatherhood for 20 years. -- Lucky Lady

What are your thoughts about what's going on 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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