GENERAL HOSPITAL — The Best and Worst of 2018

By Chris Eades December 6, 2018

As the year winds to a close, it’s time to reflect on 2018… and that includes making end of the year lists like this one! Soap fans all have their own opinions on what they liked and didn’t like about GENERAL HOSPITAL over the past 12 months, but this is our list of the best and worst in characters, storylines, and trends.

(Photo Credit: Jim Warren)

Take a look through the gallery below to see what we thought were GH’s highs and lows over the past year and see if you agree with our picks!

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Kelly Monaco Steve Burton

Jim Warren
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Most Inevitable Reunion

Try as we might, we’ll never get why GH wasted an entire year before finally moving Jason and Sam back into one another’s orbits. Because let’s face it: We all knew that was where they’d wind up! Had the show spent that time playing a tortured triangle between Sam, Drew and his back-from-the-dead twin, the wait might have proven worthwhile. Instead, all three characters inexplicably treaded water for an eternity. Even after all this time, Sam and Jason are still only flirting with one another, while Drew — despite having connections to Sam, Kim and Margaux — spins his wheels in the corner.
Gh Ava Nurses Ball

ABC
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Best (Show) In Show

The Nurses Ball is always a good time, and this year was no different. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house after Sonny joined dad Mike on stage to help finish his perfor- mance of “The Summer Wind,” and Dante’s attempt to punk Chase failed miserably when the newbie rose to the challenge by shakin’his groove thing to“Feel It Still.”Then there was Valentin putting his heart on the line by crooning “The Book Of Love” to Nina... only to have the spotlight stolen by Robert, who stormed the stage to cold-cock him! And who among us will ever forget a white-clad Ava fiercely belting out “You Don’t Own Me” while looking those who’d judge her right in the eye!
Gh Sasha Ava

ABC
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Worst Trend

If ever a show needed to stop introducing new characters, it’s GH. Thanks to the already-huge cast, characters disappear for weeks at a time, often while in the middle of a storyline! Somehow, Franco and Elizabeth planned a wedding, dealt with Aiden’s issues, were peripherally involved in the Oscar situation... and yet still only appeared once a week or less! Perhaps it’s time to institute a new rule: For every character introduced (Sasha, Willow, Margaux), two must be written off. Conveniently enough, there just happens to be a serial killer running around Port Charles...
Gh Michael Chase

ABC
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Best Trend

Bromance is alive and well in Port Charles! Drew and Franco’s unlikely connection continued to develop, while Cameron helped Oscar keep his secret. We’re particularly enjoying the slow build of the friendship between Michael and Chase. Left to his own devices, Michael can be a bit of a bummer, even when not dealing with the “death” of his child. Chase helps bring out his lighter side. And unless we miss our guess, Chase might also bring out Michael’s competitive side if they both continue to bond with Willow!
Gh Valentin Alexis

Howard Wise/jpistudios.com
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Slowest Burn

Months ago, Valentin presented Alexis with her late mother’s watch. Flash-forward to the present, and while the watch occasionally, mysteriously stops at 10:10 every now and then, the whole situation has largely been a waste of, ahem, time. Then again, this isn’t the first occasion on which a Cassadine present has yielded more frustration than storyline. Far as we know, Laura’s still trying to figure out what Helena actually left her in her will!
Gh Carly Mike Sonny

ABC
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Best/Worst Story

Believe it or not, a single tale managed to incorporate both honors! Thanks to incredible performances by Max Gail (Mike) and Maurice Benard (Sonny), the all-too-relatable scenario of a son seeking closure with his father even as a cruel disease threatened to tear them apart forever has made for must-see TV. But the story which arose from it — in which Margaux became the latest in a decades-long stream of people looking to bring down Sonny — was as doomed as her plan for vengeance. From the start, the audience knew her mission would fail. (They don’t call Sonny the Teflon don for nothing!) Worse, the story actually rewrote itself midway through, changing Sonny from the person who’d buried Margaux’s dad to the one who’d killed him!
Laura Wright Chloe Lanier

Jim Warren
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Best Troublemaker

Fans hated Nelle. Like, they really, really hated her... which just goes to show what a great job portrayer Chloe Lanier did with the part. Sure, Nelle’s schemes didn’t always make sense... like that time she singlehandedly managed to rewire Carly’s entire house. And you’d think someone smart enough to concoct the plots she did would also know better than to even think about risking her life (and that of her unborn child) by getting into a car she’d rigged to do away with Michael. Despite it all, we can’t help missing Nelle, if only because when it comes to pushing Carly’s buttons, nobody does it better!
Gh Cameron Josslyn Oscar

XJJohnson/jpistudios.com
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Most Traditional Soap Story

Stop us if you're heard this one before: A guy finds out he's dying, so he pushes his true love away without telling her why. In order to win him back, the girl convinces a guy pal that they should pretend to date in order to make her former beau jealous. But of course, the friend’s feelings are very real... and messiness ensues. GH has done a lovely job of telling this familiar tale with Oscar, Josslyn and Cameron... three very young people dealing with some very adult emotions!