General Hospital
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Mike’s Family Says Their Goodbyes in Emotional Episode Filled With Touching Performances
For anyone who has been watching the emotional Alzheimer’s storyline play out on General Hospital, Wednesday’s episode was a key moment in the storytelling and for the Corinthos family. To say that the cast delivered in this episode is an understatement; everyone had their moments, and of course, chief among them, Maurice Benard (Sonny).
Mike’s (Max Gail) life is coming to an end as his body is shutting down from the disease. Stella (Vernee Watson) comes to Mike’s room at Turning Woods and tells Sonny that Mike is waiting for permission to let go. She explains to Sonny that Mike is torn between this world and the afterlife. Stella helps Sonny prepare for the final moments of Mike’s life, dimming the lights, giving Sonny ice chips to put on his father’s lips, and for Sonny to put on some of Mike’s favorite music – jazz. She also gets Mike a blanket because he is getting cold. Then in a touching moment played to perfection by Vernee Watson, Stella says her own goodbye to Mike and hugs Sonny and tells him how grateful she was to know Mike.
Carly (Laura Wright) had been by Sonny’s side every step of the way in the final days of Mike’s life. At one point in Mike’s room with Sonny, she has a dream where Mike tells her she is his daughter. It was another heartbreaking moment – this time played beautifully by Laura Wright. Earlier, Michael (Chad Duell) said goodbye to his grandfather and Josslyn (Eden McCoy) had also come to Turning Woods, as has Brando (Johnny Wactor) to be there for the end of Mike’s life and to support Sonny
Sonny tells Mike, (who can hear, but cannot truly respond as the disease continues to shut down his body), that he has made peace with what went down between them when he was a child. He tells Mike, “I just want you to go in peace and go with love.” Later, Sonny had a recollection seeing his father pray in the back of the church when he was a child, which sparked an idea for him. Jason (Steve Burton) and Sonny know that Mike wants to be forgiven for his sins.
Then in the tearjerker, Father Ramos arrives to bless Mike and cleanse him from all of his sins, as Sonny, Carly, Michael and Josslyn witness it.
Afterwards, Jason realizes that Mike probably does not want to die in front of Sonny and tells Sonny to take a break, but Sonny does not want to – so Jason whispers to Mike that he should not worry that he will take care of Sonny. The two hope Mike will meet up with Morgan in heaven.
At the end of the episode, alone with his father, Sonny tells Mike not to be afraid, or to worry about him, and then remembers the night Mike walked out on him and his mother when he was a kid. He says he knows his father always loved him … maybe too much. We fade to black. Maurice Benard’s work was again outstanding throughout these moments, making Sonny’s life-long pain, and love for this father, palpable.
As someone who went through this horrible disease with his mother, I can say, that GH played the beats of the story to perfection, honoring those afflicted with Alzheimer’s and the family members they leave behind.
So, what did you think of this emotional episode of GH and the performances by the cast? Comment below.
Well done GH. Sorry to hear of your mother as well Michael.
It’s time for Mike to pass and the family to mourn quickly. They’ve done a good job with the disease, but there’s been so much changed history in order to just create this storyline with MG as Mike. Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s episodes were too much. All these “dreams”. No one had a relationship close to this with Mike. Had they not killed off most of the Quartermaines this would have been a great Alan Q story. But they created this story for a man who was not a good father and was an absent grandfather. And I’m not a Sonny hater, but they can spread the storyline love. He didn’t need this story. He has plenty of story.
Buzz was that GH was planning to do an Alzheimer’s story with Audrey in the late 90s. This was after BJ’s death and Monica’s breast cancer. Either the producers or network thought their were too many consecutive sad stories and pulled the brakes.
When you have a recast, as in the case of Max Gail, they couldn’t use real flashbacks. That led to the peculiar flash forwards.
Really odd that no one even mentioned Kristina. Will she become the new Chuck Cunningham or Judy Winslow?
It’s a shame that GH passed on the Alzheimer’s storyline with Audrey, as Rachel Ames was an outstanding actress in that iconic role, and she was given so little to do after the 1980s.
Mr. Fairman, first, my empathy for what you went through with your mother. I had the same thing happen with my favorite uncle who was like a father to me.
I totally agree that GH has done a wonderful job playing the beats in this story from start to finish. I shed so many tears along the way and it has been cathartic.
My hat’s off to the cast, crew, writers; everyone at GH for this emotionally charged and beautifully executed story. It will be one for the books.
Of course it was Courtney who came to escort Mike upstairs. Because Morgan ain’t up there… and he’s not down here either.
And they pretty much confirmed that…. just like they confirmed Jason wasn’t dead when all the Quartermaine ghosts assembled to usher AJ out of his mortal coil a few years back.
AJ didn’t go the same direction Mike did, but that’s a discussion for another time.
This story was well done all the way through, even if it was painful to watch, and that’s coming from an immortal cranky old bastard like the Devil himself.
Great work by all the actors, but is anyone else finding it hard to empathize with Sonny having this profound pain about his elderly father dying when we have seen him pull out a gun and shoot someone across the table for looking at him the wrong way? I think it would be a great plot point to acknowledge Sonny’s hypocrisy, since he doesn’t think twice about the suffering families of the people he’s killed, including his own son Michael’s real father, AJ’s. I’m finding the focus on Sonny’s pain (without any insight about the irony) to be a hard sell.
That’s it in a nutshell, Francine. Everyone should find it hard to empathize with Sonny, given his abundant history of crime, abuse, and murder. The powers that be have tried so hard over many years to humanize this murderer, to get the viewer to like him, to cheer for him, to feel his pain. And it’s a hard sell, given the reasons you’ve outlined.
The GH braintrust have repeatedly pushed other great characters (actors) aside, rewritten history, and thrown away any moral compass to focus on the despicable character of Sonny. The Alzheimer’s disease storyline was fabricated solely for the purpose of glorifying Sonny and netting Emmy gold for his portrayer.
Francine…you and James make really good points. Many are probably the reason I muted most of Sonny and Carly during the Mike saga.
Thank you, Rose. I concur with your moments of mutings!
From beginning to end, this has been the best storyline GH has done in many years. As someone that has lost several close family members to Alzheimer’s Disease, they told it as raw and real as it gets. The acting, the writing, everything has been top notch. Mike’s death today, having Courtney be the one to come get him, was the perfect ending. Much like when they had Lila come to get Edward when he passed.
Just give Max Gail another Emmy. His portrayal of Mike over the past couple of years, playing the realty of Alzheimer’s Disease, has been one of the finest performances I’ve ever seen, not just in soaps but in television period. I wish he could stay on the show forever. But unfortunately, this was the way the story was always going to end from the day they started it, because there are no happy, miracle soap endings when it comes to Alzheimer’s.
Max will have more gold to put on his mantle above the fireplace, for sure! And my friend CC, I hope you can tip your hat to the wonderful job Maurice has down!
My father died from this,,,
The biggest flaw in how this story was presented in the final stretches was the absence of most of Mike’s grandchildren. Yeah, Michael & Josslyn were there. Ironically neither of whom are bio-related to Mike.
Morgan is still presumed dead. We all know he isn’t, but it’s a valid excuse since he’s probably got amnesia or whatever.
Dante’s out of the country, but somebody could have told him what was going on with Mike a little earlier than they did. Why didn’t Olivia mention this in her emotional plea to him through the locked door, for example? Maybe he’ll make it home for the funeral, since he was last seen asking about that “new assignment” the WSB wanted for him back in Port Charles.
Avery?? Yeah, she might be too young yet to really understand what’s going on, but I think she should have had a chance to say goodbye to Grandpa. And of course, baby Donna… who they seem to have forgotten about entirely. At least she’s excused, probably not having any memories of Mike at all.
But where in Hell’s name were Kristina & Spencer? Krissy seems to have dropped off the planet entirely since the COVID hiatus. Spencer’s mom can pop in as a ghost to lead Mike “upstairs” but he can’t bother to show up himself??
Overall, a very well written story. But those are some big holes in how it was presented.
The cast was absolutely amazing!
Max Gail : Mike Corbin’ February, 2018 – September, 2020.
had it not been for – you –
you are a stand alone act.. you could be any one’ : dad, grandpa, uncle, friend,
I stress : ANY ONE
thereby: you made the Corinthos’
all of the Corinthos’ family benefited… you were milked for their advantage
You are a riveting Man
struck by your presence
STANDING OVATION
Jason: dumb
Patrick…It wasn’t always an easy story to watch, especially since you knew what the final outcome would be. So I agree Standing Ovation to Max for making it feel real, personal and even healing to viewers. And as I write this sadness for Ruth Bader Ginsberg who also died today and will be missed as an example of an incredible life well lived despite many health problems through out her life.
The acting was awesome.
The writing stunk.
It was an overkill of a slow death.
Mikes death was a soapy campy tear-jerker=a 7.
Max/Mike– 0ooh lordy he is a treasure..
Too sad he was brought into GH to die.
He would have been a loved character for years.
Perhaps we’ll be seeing him again in ghost form.
Max=gold– I will miss him 🙁
General Hospital
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Carly Fears Escalating Tensions Between Sonny and Josslyn: ‘I’ve Already Lost One Kid Because of That Man. I Won’t Lose Another’
On the Thursday, November 12 episode of General Hospital, as battles line are drawn by Carly’s (Laura Wright) ex-husband, Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) and her daughter, Josslyn Jacks (Eden McCoy), she realizes things are about to get a whole lot worse, and she expressed her fears to Valentin Cassadine (James Patrick Stuart).
After Sonny came to see Carly to get her daughter to back off of him; especially when Josslyn lit into him in front of nuAvery (Ayla Bullington), Carly is terrified that Sonny could retaliate against Josslyn. Realizing, Josslyn is in danger, Carly won’t sit by and let anything happen to her. She tells Valentin, “I’ve already lost one kid because of that man. I won’t lose another.”
Viewers won’t soon forget the devastation Carly felt when Morgan (Bryan Craig) died in a car bomb explosion back in 2016 because of Sonny’s dealings in the mob in a complex story involving Julian (William deVry) and Olivia Jerome (Tonja Walker).
Courtesy/ABC
SONNY IS READY FOR WAR
Meanwhile in the aftermath of his visit with Carly, Sonny told his brother Ric what went down when Josslyn disrespected him in front of his own daughter and hurt Avery. Since Josslyn already make it known that she no longer considers herself part of Sonny’s family, he’s decided to treat her accordingly.
Sonnys first step in payback is to take away her support system at JJE by approaching Hudson Parker (Troy Lennon Appel) again, but this time in a much less-friendly way.
Ric points out that this would go against every move Sonny made as a legitimate businessman in Port Charles and would mean he’s back in the mob? Sonny doubles down, saying Josslyn changed the game when she involved Avery. While he showed concern of how bad Carly would feel over all this year, he said he is ready to finish what Josslyn started.
At the Metro Court, Ava (Maura West) is listening to Avery explain what happened between Sonny and Josslyn and how much she hates Josslyn right now, which Ava seems to be OK with.
WILL JOSSLYN’S WORLD BLOW UP ON HER?
Speaking of Josslyn, she is on the pier still after her talk with Hudson and still crying over her confrontation with Sonny and Avery overhearing it, and what she told her sister. Lucas comes across her at the pier while out for his run.
Explaining how badly she feels for what she said about Sonny to Avery, Lucas says that eventually Avery will discover the truth about Sonny. He explains to Josslyn that even though Avery hates her now, she will come to realize that what she said about her father was the truth, and that Josslyn was not lying to her at all.
So, what do you think about Sonny ready to play dirty to take down Josslyn? How will Carly ensure her daughter does not wind up dead? Who do you think is in the right here? Is Josslyn’s vendetta against Sonny justified, at the cost of the relationships with her family? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.
General Hospital
‘General Hospital’s’ Cynthia Watros Honors Former ‘Titus’ Co-Star Stacy Keach Following His Passing
General Hospital star Cynthia Watros, who can currently be seen in on the ABC soap opera in the role of Nina Reeves, has had a enduring career in television. That included her time on the 2000-2002 Fox sitcom, Titus.
In Titus, Watros starred along with Stacy Keach as Erin Fitzpatrick and Ken Titus, respectively. After the November 10th news that Keach had passed away at 85 while living in Poland, Cynthia took to her Instagram on Thursday, November 12 to pay tribute to the great actor.
Watros expressed, “My first prime time show was along side Stacy. I loved him instantly. What an amazing talent and man.❤️”
Photo: ABC
In Titus, Stacy played stand up comedian Christopher Titus’ heavy-drinking, chain-smoking, five-times-divorced father who frequently pulled cruel pranks and tried to toughen his kids up. Cynthia played by Christopher’s level-headed, big-hearted girlfriend trying to build a normal life with him. In fact, Cynthia’s role on the sitcom was first series regular role after her Daytime Emmy run of Annie Dutton on Guiding Light which ran from 1994-1998.
STACY KEACH’S WIFE ON HIS PASSING
Keach’s wife, Malgosia shared the news of the actor’s death publicly in a statement with PEOPLE. Malgosia expressed, that Stacy had, “a long and difficult battle with a serious heart condition and heart failure.”
She added, “Stacy peacefully departed this world. He fought for so long, with extraordinary courage, determination and strength. He was a true warrior, facing his illness with the same remarkable spirit and resilience that defined his life.”
Małgosia continued, “Stacy was not only a legendary actor, admired and loved by audiences the world over, but also my beloved husband, my companion and the heart of our family. His passing leaves an immeasurable emptiness in our lives. But his extraordinary spirit, his unforgettable voice and the love he gave so generously will remain with us forever.”
Now, let us know do you remember when Cynthia made her sitcom debut in Titus? Share your thoughts via the comment section on Cynthia’s many TV roles and the passing of Stacy Keach in the comment section. But first, check out the very first episode of Titus with Cynthia Watros below!
The latest ratings are out for the week of October 26-30, 2026 and the big takeaways include: that CBS daytime’s Beyond the Gates was separated by only 23,000 viewers behind third place (of the soaps) General Hospital! For the last several weeks, Beyond the Gates has been closing the gap on this year’s winner for Outstanding Daytime Drama Series, and continuing to best GH in the key demos.
According to the latest Nielsen ratings breakdown from Soap Opera Network, the final week of October brought Beyond the Gates 1.790 million on average tuning-in and the show set a season high in total viewers. Meanwhile, General Hospital hit a new season low! The long-running ABC soap had 1.813 million for the week, and once again the series did not go over the 2 million mark.
Meanwhile, in the key Women 18-49 demo, Beyond the Gates was firmly ahead of GH with a rating share of 0.21, while General Hospital had 0.17 rating share.Then, in the key Women 25-54 demo, Beyond the Gates was once again ahead of the ABC soap with a ratings share for that demo at 0.30 while GH came in with 0.26.
Photo: CBS
MORE BY THE NUMBERS
In addition and comparatively, Beyond the Gates +22,000 viewers week-to-week, and had the largest gains in viewership year-to-year in daytime TV with +267,000 from this in 2025.. However, General Hospital seems to be going in reverse. The show was down -56,000 viewers week-over-week and down -22,000 year-over-year .
BEYOND THE GATES
Let’s take a look at some of the storylines that had people tuning-in to Beyond the Gates during the ratings week:
Hayley (Marquita Goings) attempted a massive shocker regarding her pregnancy and tried to use it to extract money from Bill Hamilton (Timon Kyle Durrett). Although, Bill saw right through her game, he demanded a paternity test, and made it clear he has no intention of raising the child—planning instead to pay her off to take the baby and leave. Meanwhile, Hayley confided her plan to her cousin Randy (Maurice P. Kerry).
Jacob Hawthorne (Jibre Hordges) and Naomi Hamilton (Arielle Prepetit) clashed over Jacob’s ongoing investigation into The Impaler, causing significant strain in their marriage. At the same time, Smitty (Mike Manning) considered taking matters into his own hands—including potentially heading to Mexico for evidence—while Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon) worried about what comes next.
Photo: ABC
GENERAL HOSPITAL
Over at General Hospital for the ratings period, the story served up included:
Carly (Laura Wright) and Valentin (James Patrick Stuart) teamed up to investigate what really happened to Jack Brennan (Chris McKenna). Later, Danny (Asher Antonyzyn) leads them to Jack’s dead body.
Jude (Wil Traval) dropped a bombshell claim to Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn); that he is Phoebe’s father, while Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) and Chase (Josh Swickard) signed their divorce papers.
Then, Danny caught Rocco (Finn Carr) and Scout (Kayden Brenna Tokarski) sharing a kiss, plus the shocking return of Heather Webber (Alley Mills) capped the week.
Now the questions become; without having much promotional synergy in the ABC day-part to draw more eyeballs it is not helping but hurting General Hospital. It seems Beyond the Gates is also a benefactor of a one-two-three punch of CBS soaps (Y&R, B&B and BTG) and promotion.
However, that still doesn’t take away the fact that Beyond the Gates is close to besting GH in all ratings category as they go head-to-head in some markets across the country.
So, are you excited to see Beyond the Gates climb in the ratings? Are you concerned for General Hospital? Do you think they can stave off Beyond the Gates in total viewers or will the upstart soap overtake them in the next ratings report? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Carly Fears Escalating Tensions Between Sonny and Josslyn: ‘I’ve Already Lost One Kid Because of That Man. I Won’t Lose Another’
‘General Hospital’s’ Cynthia Watros Honors Former ‘Titus’ Co-Star Stacy Keach Following His Passing
‘Beyond the Gates’ Emmy Winner Ambyr Michelle Wants to Compete on ‘Dancing with the Stars’: ‘Pick Me’ (Exclusive)
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Katie Kicks Bill to the Curb … for Now
RATINGS: ‘Beyond the Gates’ Inches Closer to ‘General Hospital’ in Total Viewers
Y&R’s New Head Writers Share Vision for Genoa City: Contemporary Homage to Bill Bell, Mixing Heightened Escapism and Grounded Reality
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS Preview: Episodes From New Co-Head Writers, Jamey Giddens and Dan O’Connor, Begin to Air
‘General Hospital’ Casts Ayla Bullington as the New Avery Jerome-Corinthos
‘Days of our Lives’ Kyle Pryor Debuts as Dominic Marino and Says of Alleged TV Mom, “Deidre Hall is the Absolute OG, Amazing” (Exclusive)
‘Days of our Lives’ Celebrates 61st Anniversary: EP Ken Corday Teases New Character’s Arrival in Spring 2027
‘General Hospital’s’ Cynthia Watros Honors Former ‘Titus’ Co-Star Stacy Keach Following His Passing
‘Beyond the Gates’ Emmy Winner Ambyr Michelle Wants to Compete on ‘Dancing with the Stars’: ‘Pick Me’ (Exclusive)
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Katie Kicks Bill to the Curb … for Now
B&B’s Sydney Bullock Weighs In on Future of Dylan and Will: ‘I Think She Can Hold on to Him for Awhile’ (Exclusive)
‘Days of our Lives’ Veteran James Reynolds Reveals Parkinson’s Diagnosis
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