The Nurses’ Ball maybe be over, but General Hospital’s 50th year on ABC has just begun! Over the past several months Executive Producer Frank Valentini and Head Writer Ron Carlivati have spun their magic, with ratings soaring to 2.8 in the all important 18-34 woman demographic. They continue to bring back a number of fan favorites, as well as give us a storyline we were hungry for…the Spencer-Cassadine war!
This classic storyline that began in the ’80’s, revved up when Lulu received an anonymous Valentine gift in the form of a replica of the famed Ice Princess. Then weeks later Lulu was kidnapped and the race to find her began!
Although Nikolas returned to warn the Spencer’s, he was taken down by a single gunshot before he could tell them what was going on. Luckily Dante, Luke and Laura got a lead after the Haunted Star left port and thanks to Frisco’s contacts at WSG, were able to catch up to it in International waters. After a showdown with Helena, the trio gained the upper hand and thought they found Lulu, but in another well-kept surprise, it was Ethan! In a shocker twist, after 30 years of torment by Helena, her plan to have Laura shoot Luke backfired and the famous duo turned the tables allowing Luke to finally deliver the kill shot straight into Helena’s heart! But that wasn’t the end. They still had no idea where Lulu was and Dante was missing. With Cassadine reinforcements on their way, Ethan played decoy to lure them away from the Haunted Star, however it didn’t work.
Last week in a shocker it was finally revealed that demented Stavros, Helena’s revered eldest son, was alive! He drugged Luke and Laura, then brought them back to Cassadine Island in Greece. Although Laura initially believed Stavros wanted her back, that wasn’t his plan…Lulu is his new love, his ICE PRINCESS! Stavros had been keeping Lulu in an ice chamber to preserve her perfection forever. Ultimately Luke, Laura and Dante thwarted Stavros, locking him inside the ice chamber and saved Lulu. However the damage was already done when she regained consciousness, she had no idea who they were and believes she is married to Stavros!
Fans were ecstatic seeing this story unfold, and are hopeful their favorite villainous family will once again resurface. It is a soap opera after all…no one ever really dies!
On Wednesday I had the pleasure of speaking with legendary Genie Francis, who has portrayed Laura Weber Baldwin Spencer on and off since 1976. I asked what she thought about the return of the Cassadine storyline.
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