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 🙁
There was never any doubt that in watching the riveting and emotional scenes on General Hospital which featured Finola Hughes as a PTSD-driven and mentally tortured Anna Devane, that when the climatic moments in Anna’s story aired, that we would not be singing the praises of Hughes. Once again, Finola showcased why she is one of the soap opera genres greatest assets and actresses.
In the key scenes, Anna has had a complete breakdown as she has lured and cornered Britt (Kelly Thiebaud) on Mount Emerson, and even thought through how she would kill her and cover it up, all thanks to hearing the voice and seeing a dead man, Peter August (Wes Ramsey). It’s visions of Peter that keeps egging Anna on to pull the trigger on Britt while in her delusional state.
Before Britt realizes that Anna trapped her in meeting her in Mount Emerson, she is very confused as to why she was all the way out in the boondocks to talk about what happened to her brother, Cassius Faison. However, Britt soon learned that what Anna was about to do is personal, and not professional, as she pulls the gun on her.
Courtesy/ABC
ANNA FIRES HER GUN IN GAME-CHANGING MOMENT
When Jason (Steve Burton) shows up to save the say, he tries to talk Anna off the ledge, begging her to not shoot Britt and make one of the greatest mistakes of his life. When Jason figured out Anna felt she needed to kill anyone related to Cesar Faison, he made her think twice, because that would mean, she also would need to end the lives of two of Maxie’s children, James and Bailey Lu.
Anna can’t stop seeing hallucinations of Peter pushing her to shoot Britt. Suddenly and completely overcome, Anna fires bullets straight in the direction of where she sees Peter as she declares this all must end tonight.
After the shots are fired, Anna realized what she had done and just sobbed and shook. It was a devastating and heartbreaking moment for longtime General Hospital fans to see the beloved Anna Devane, super spy, so lost. Anna explained to Jason, after he was able to disarm her, how she was being pushed to kill Britt by her visions of Peter.
EMMY-WORTHY SCENES FOR 2027
In another hankie-inducing moment, Anna just grabs Jason and breaks down in his arms. If these weren’t Emmy-worthy scenes, we don’t know what is, and it must be remembered by Hughes, General Hospital, and hopefully the voting body of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) when Emmy submissions and voting get underway in 2027 for the 54th annual Daytime Emmys.
From everything we noted above, to the sheer brilliance of her work, Michael Fairman TV names Finola Hughes, this week’s Power Performance of the Week.
Now let us know, do you agree with our pick of Finola? Were you moved to tears during the gut-wrenching scenes? Should Finola include these scenes in an Emmy submission in 2027, should she decide to compete for Lead Actress gold? Weigh-in via the comment section below.
General Hospital
RATINGS: ‘General Hospital’ Shows Most Gains in Total Viewers Week-Over-Week and Up in Key Demo
The ratings are out for the week of August 24-28 for your favorite broadcast television soaps, and it was ABC’s General Hospital which added the most total viewers and planted itself firmly in third place in its battle with Beyond the Gates in the key demos of women 18-49 and 25-54.
According to Soap Opera Network, all daytime dramas were up year-over-year, and General Hospital was joined by The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful with gains in their total audience viewership, while Beyond the Gates was only slightly off pace for the ratings week.
Let’s take a look at what had viewers tuning-in, starting with General Hospital, who added +79,000 viewers. While still under the 2 million viewers mark (which they can hopefully return in the coming weeks) their overall tally was an average of 1, 935,000 tuning-in, while still up year-to-year +136,000.
GENERAL HOSPITAL
In addition, GH while actually down from the previous week in the 18-49 ratings share, they still out performed Beyond the Gates for third place. However, GH was firmly in third place for the 25-54 ratings share.
The stories that were featured for the week included: Anna’s (Finola Hughes) PTSD and struggle with painful memories tied to Cesar Faison, and her concocting a plan to get rid of Britt (Kelly Thiebaud), Willow (Katelyn MacMullen) recording Jack Brennan (Chris McKenna) threatening her, and later running into a severe threat from Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn) regarding Kai (Jens Austin Astrup) and Drew’s (Cameron Mathison) shooting, and Drew enlisting Ava (Maura West) to gain leverage over Jack, which resulted in Ava drugging him, while Drew went snooping for the evidence Brennan had against him.
Photo: JPI
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS
Y&R remained in the top spot amongst all the soaps once again with 3,062,000 tuning in, and up +35,000 for the week, while year-to-year still showing strong gains at +231,000 viewers. However, while Y&R remained #1 for the 25-54 ratings share, it fell to #2 in the 18-49 ratings share behind The Bold and the Beautiful.
In story for the week, Nick’s (Joshua Morrow) sobriety in rehab was a focus, as was Victoria (Amelia Heinle) and Kyle Abbott (Michael Mealor) hitting the Jabot office couch and having sex for the first time, and Lily (Christel Khalil) and Billy (Jason Thompson) battling over control and ownership of Chancellor Industries.
Photo: JPI
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL
B&B is continuing to be inch closer to Y&R for the top spot, separated by a little more than 300,000 viewers. For the ratings week, the series posted a total audience of 2,719,000 adding +31,000 eyeballs overall, and like Y&R, is up year-to-year in its performance.
The CBS soap now , now in its 40th season is +217,000 from the same time last year. In the key demos, The Bold and the Beautiful was in the top spot for the women 18-49 ratings share and number two for women 25-54.
In story, the major threat to Steffy (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) and Finn (Tanner Novlan) and Carter (Lawrence Saint-Victor) and Daphne’s (Murielle Hilaire) marriages continued as Steffy and Carter swore they would not tell their spouses that the two had a drunken hook-up. But as viewers know now, Steffy is pregnant!
Photo: CBS
BEYOND THE GATES
Beyond the Gates tallied an average of 1,611,000 total viewers for the week, up +72.000 year-over-year and down slightly in tune-in for the week losing just -36,000 viewers. The CBS soap came in fourth place in the key demos for the week behind General Hospital, with whom they are often trading places for the third spot.
In story, after Bill Hamilton (Timon Kyle Durrett) was released from the hospital, Hayley (Marquita Goings) stuck to her plan, doubling down on poisoning him and even getting caught in a major lie or meeting with Randy (Maurice P. Kerry), as Vernon (Clifton Davis) may be on to her machinations.
The ratings report is generated from Nielsen (Live+Same Day Big Data + Panel) for the week of August 24-28, 2026
So, what did you think of the performance of General Hospital for the ratings period? Which daytime drama has you most likely to tune-in each day? Which has you tuning-out? Let us know what’s working, or not working for you in story, via the comment section below.
General Hospital
Kelly Sullivan Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’s’ Maura West Recalling When Ava Shot Connie (Exclusive)
It was just over 13 years ago on General Hospital when Ava Jerome (Maura West) shot and killed Kate Howard/Connie Falconeri (Kelly Sullivan) in an effort to keep her quiet from revealing that Derek Wells was actually Ava’s back-from-the-dead brother, Julian Jerome (William deVry). It’s a crime that somehow Ava never has quite paid for either.
The episode back aired on August 13, 2013 and viewers had to say goodbye to Kelly Sullivan who played Kate and her alter, Connie. In the story, just before she died, Kate/Connie scrawled the letters AJ in her own blood, initially making the PCPD and Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) think that it was AJ Quatermaine (Sean Kanan) who did the deed.
Now, Sullivan recalled sharing scenes with the three-time Daytime Emmy-winning West, during a live conversation on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel. Kelly was the special guest talking about her recent return to the soaps in her new role as The Bold and the Beautiful’s Darcy Dylan.
Photo: JPI
FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF MAURA WEST
Speaking of her final GH scenes and working with Maura West, Sullivan gave her then GH co-star major props. “If you’re going to be shot by somebody (on the soaps), you want to be shot by Maura West, c’mon!”
Maura West debuted back in May 2013 as Ava, and Sullivan remembered when the As the World Turns favorite began on GH. “I remember when Maura West first arrived at GH. She walked in with this cute little bob (hairdo) and she’s just delicious,” shared Sullivan.
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE
Kelly revealed more about Maura, adding “I think she’s amazing! I remember right before I left the show, someone suggested, and I would still love to do this with her, if she ever want to, but someone suggested that they wanted to direct the stage play A Streetcar Named Desire with Maura and I, where I would play Stella and she would play Blanche! Wouldn’t that be great?”
Speaking of the Ava/Connie showdown scenes, Sullivan expressed, “On television and on General Hospital specifically, Maura West is able to play a character who does the most horrendous things and you still care about her and that’s the mark of a really great actor. In other words, you’re able to be liked in the midst of the most horrendous things, and as a performer not shying away from that, and to just have the courage to do what’s on the page (in the script).”
Photo: JPI
KELLY SULLIVAN PARTING THOUGHTS AS SHE LEFT GENERAL HOSPITAL
Kelly also shared her sentiments when she walked off the set of General Hospital after her run back in August of 2013. “I really was honored. Every day I would go to work and I would say a little prayer, which is I want to do justice for my character, explained Kelly. “It’s between me and my character. I get to walk this path with her and to leave the show on that note, which is, I left every out there. I just gave it my all and again what an honor it was to play Kate/Connie.”
You can catch the full conversation with Kelly where she talks about her time on General Hospital, The Young and the Restless where she played Sage Warner and now The Bold and the Beautiful below.
So, do you remember the Ava and Connie scenes where Ava shot and killed her? What did you think of Kelly Sullivan’s sentiments about Maura West? Share your thoughts via the comment section. But first, watch the reveal where Ava recalls murdering Connie below!
‘General Hospital’s’ Finola Hughes Delivers the ‘Power Performance of the Week’
RATINGS: ‘General Hospital’ Shows Most Gains in Total Viewers Week-Over-Week and Up in Key Demo
Kelly Sullivan Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’s’ Maura West Recalling When Ava Shot Connie (Exclusive)
Steve Burton Reportedly Signs Three-Year Contract with ‘General Hospital’
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Steffy Tells Carter She’s Pregnant, But He Has a Way ‘Out of This Situation For All of Us’
‘General Hospital’ to Rebroadcast Special Episode in Tribute to Anthony Geary
Vivica A. Fox Exits ‘The Young and the Restless’ For Now to Film Netflix’s ‘Women Like Us’
Jess Walton Memoir ‘The Young and the Rest of Us’ Set for Release in 2027
‘General Hospital’s’ Braedyn Bruner Reveals Her Daytime Emmy-Nominated Scenes and How Emma is Getting Her ‘Edge’ Back
‘General Hospital’s’ Bluesy Burke Marks 1 Year as Charlotte Cassadine: ‘It’s The Best Gift I’ve Ever Received’
Kelly Sullivan Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’s’ Maura West Recalling When Ava Shot Connie (Exclusive)
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Steffy Tells Carter She’s Pregnant, But He Has a Way ‘Out of This Situation For All of Us’
‘Beyond the Gates’ vs. ‘The Young and the Restless’ in a Soap Opera Showdown on ‘Flip Side’ Season 3 Premiere
‘The Bold and the Beautiful’s’ Heather Tom Talks Daytime Emmy-Nominated Scenes and What’s Behind Katie’s Deep-Seated Issues with Dylan (Exclusive)
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