General Hospital
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Rebecca Herbst, William Lipton & Kin Shriner Break Our Hearts as Franco’s Loved Ones Learn of His Death
Wednesday’s episode of General Hospital lived up to what viewers were preparing themselves for – what would happen and what would be the reactions of Franco’s (Roger Howarth) family when they learned he was shot and killed.
In story, Peter (Wes Ramsey) has hit a new low, even for him, by covering his tracks, deleting the recording of his confession to his crimes on Franco’s phone, and leaving Franco to die after the two struggled for the gun, following Franco having kidnapped Peter.
Courtesy/ABC
Elizabeth (Rebecca Herbst) believes Jason (Steve Burton) killed her husband, because the hitman was at the crime scene, and because of the pact Franco made with Jason- that if evil Franco should come back (due to his brain tumor returning) that Jason would kill him so he would not do harm to anyone, or those he loved. Jason is taken down to the PCPD for questioning, while Elizabeth would not let Franco go, so the police could do their investigation and take his dead body. However, Jordan (Briana Nicole Henry) was able to get through to Liz and we watched a sheet being placed over Franco as he was being taken out by paramedics just as Cameron (William Lipton) leaves Franco a message on his cell telling him he misses him and there are some things he wants to tell him.
Laura (Genie Francis) gets a call about Franco’s shooting and death and heads down to the PCPD. Meanwhile, Mac (John J. York) calls Scott (Kin Shriner) and tells him to get to the police station immediately. As it turns out, it is Laura who tells Scott that his son is dead. An anguished and emotional Scott shares how three of his children are now gone. When Scott sees that Jason is being held for questioning in Franco’s death, he loses it and goes after Jason. When Kin Shriner plays a vulnerable story beat as Scott, he always touches the heartstrings and this was no exception.
Courtesy/ABC
Then, in the most heartbreaking moments of the episode, Elizabeth comes home to tell Cameron, who just woke up from a dream where Franco came to see him (in another touching scene between Roger Howarth and William Lipton), that Franco was shot and killed. Cameron is gut-punched and is beside himself as Elizabeth tries to console her son, while also trying to deal with the unimaginable herself. Liz decides she will tell Aiden and Jake in the morning about Franco since they are sleeping. However, Cameron says they will do it together. Elizabeth hugs her son. Kudos to Rebecca Herbst and William Lipton in these scenes.
Courtesy/ABC
Meanwhile, Maxie (Kirsten Storms) has turned her back on Peter for now, when he shows up in her hospital room after Franco’s death. He says it’s not over between them, after she tells him the man she loved never existed.
So, what did you think of today’s emotional General Hospital and the performances by Rebecca Herbst, Kin Shriner, and William Lipton? Comment below.
Unbelievably touching. Elizabeth and Cameron crushed me. Such an amazing episode.
I hate that they killed Franco off RH had just off the charts chemistry with Becky and I know they enjoyed working together! Lipton is indeed one of the best finds teenagers kudos!
My opinion only but they have written Steve Burton into a corner he is capable of feelings etc why they want him to be a robot is beyond me
He did begin to show some emotions when he originally returned… but it seems like either he or TPTB want “Stone Cold” to come back, which is boring and predictable.
Steve Burton had a lot more depth with his role as Dylan on Y&R than he does as Jason on GH currently. If he stays on GH, then Britt is a good possibility for a romantic connection. But honestly, I would like to see him return to Y&R and allow Drew as Billy Miller return to GH. Victoria and Billy are over. Oh, and Avery could return to YR as well…
I feel for Scotty since they keep giving him these long lost kids and then killing them off. But I must inform Counselor Baldwin that Hell will NOT be with him if he attempts “revenge” on Jason, who had nothing to do with his alleged son’s death.
Just like Sonny had nothing to do with Karen’s death, but Scotty’s still throwing that accusation around, decades later. And I think he still blames Lulu for the fact that his other long lost son Logan literally walked right into a knife as he was attacking Lulu. Logan actually looked like Scotty’s son, so they probably should have kept him around.
Frodd should have never been tied to the Baldwin family in either case. It’s really too bad that they never brought back Serena, the kid Scotty actually raised. We saw her for about 5 minutes when Lee Baldwin died, but other than that, you would never know she existed.
All 3 were outstanding, but Lipton moved me the most. Gut-wrenching, raw emotion. He has a great future in acting. Someday, we’ll be telling our friends that we saw him first on General Hospital.
Poor Scotty has joined Monica in the triple deceased children club.
Great having Mac on every day for over a week. What a great connectivity from the wedding storyline to Franco’s demise.
Finally, don’t care how it happens, but Peter must be removed from our screens as soon as possible. Not since Courtney have I considered one character that well overstayed their reason for continuing on the show.
Thrilling soap throughout March, so far.
To say that kid hit it out of the park is not praise enough
I want Franco back. He’s finally got the love of his life and the children he loves. Not fair it was Franco that was killed and not Peter. Franco had turned from his evil ways and was becoming the man he wanted to be
William Lipton, like the rest of the teen cast, continues to turn out incredible work. Rebecca Herbst, on the other hand, did not bring any kind of emotion out of me. Sorry, but, her reaction has fallen flat for me. I also cannot help but think back to when Maura West (Ava) collapsed, crying over Kiki’s lifeless body on the Haunted Star. Now THAT is a reaction.
Scott, I had a similar reaction. At first I thought she was putting on a brave face. But I’ve seen more hysteria when a kitten dies. Do you think it’s because she knows Franco will probably be back before long? I read that RH is only off screen temporarily and is still on contract. What do you think?
Soaphound and Scott( fan)
Well, thought it was just me. I have never been a big Liz fan but kept waiting for her to really break down, but the next morning in the L.R with her friend talking, she just seemed upset or not feeling well, not grieving the love of her life’s death a few hours ago. So many fans out there thinking Franco is still alive, I think he looked really dead to me on display at the hosp.morgue for poor Cam to see. That young man really acted and I bet he was drained after those horrific scenes.
Oh, just had a thought of when Ava and Liesel find out
Franco is dead. Roger is coming back; we just don’t know if he’ll be a new character, Todd Manning, a flashback, dream, etc.
I thought Rebecca was amazing. I love West but, to some, the scene you described was more an example of over-acting rather than fine acting.
Bostonnc
You are right as we will see when Ava gets the bad news. That will be how grieving should look!
Completely agree. Cameron – William Lipton is painful to watch but not because he brings any emotion out of me, he just over acts everything. He’s terrible. I’m sorry I know he’s young but someone needs to tell him to underplay, that’s the only way he might get back to anything believable.
Yes I use to think he was such a great young actor but as of lately he way way over acts with his face especially. his coach needs to tell him to tone down the facial expressions a little bit.
I cried my eyes out watching the show.
Oh my goodness! O found myself struggling not to cry right along with them. Rebecca just broke my heart with her understated reaction and William just let it rip; he was sooo raw! And Kin, in typical Scotty fashion…when he acknowledged three of his children were dead…oh my lands! How horrible to imagine! But Kin left no doubt about how painful it must be.
Stellar writing and acting from all involved!
Call me jaded but after 55-plus years of soap viewing, it’s hard for me to get too emotional when a character “dies”. Even when my idol Billy Miller left, I was only sad that I wouldn’t see him every few days. I never really thought Drew was actually dead. Same with Franco. It makes more sense that he’ll survive and resurface. And that recent funeral for Sonny was even worse. Yes, the actors are a treat to watch, but we already know Sonny is still alive. Now, when Jeanne Cooper passed and I knew I’d never see new stories with Katherine Chancellor, that WAS a sad time for me.
if Franco not dead then its all pointless…
I can’t believe they killed Franco. They never let Elizabeth just be happy. They had the best chemistry on that show. I’ve watched since the 70’s and this was a disappointment for me. Roger Howarth and Rebecca Herbst are amazing and I’m sorry that the storyline ended that way.
William Lipton and Rebecca Herbst were absolutely fabulous. They both deserve an Emmy for their performance. The pain and anguish portrayed by William was so pure and real, I felt so deeply for him! I even had tears in my eyes. Well done on both their accounts.
Emmy please
William Lipton Outstanding Younger leading actor.
Becky Hurst Outstanding Supporting Actress.
General Hospital best show!
Best show on TV
This was emmy material.
Go GH!
Really the Emmy’s cannot pass this …Cameron his , and in more than one scene…really Amazing!!
write Cameron’s name on the Emmy today….
Brilliant writing, seasoned young and mature exceptional actors. You all NEVER seem to disappoint! Thank you!!
If William Lipton doesn’t win an Emmy for this performance next year, there should be an investigation. They struck gold when they cast him as Cameron. I’ve been a fan of his since day one. He had me in tears watching along at his reaction to Franco’s death. So raw and so real. Incredibly touching performance. He’s so good already at such a young age. The sky is the limit for this talented young man!
Kin Shriner’s performance really hit me, as well. You never see Scotty react like that to anything. He’s usually just playing the bumbling goof comic relief. And a very nice touch to have Laura be the one to break the news to him, given Kin and Genie’s long history together on the show.
That week of shows from the double wedding blow up, to Franco’s death, one reveal, one twist, after another after another, my god, my head is still spinning. But in a very good way, lol. Incredible performances across the board from the best cast in daytime, great writing, kudos to everyone involved. GH is on fire, and really it’s been that way since they returned from the COVID hiatus last year.
The scene with Cameron and Elizabeth made me cry. So well acted and emotional. I hate to see Franco go. He started out as a terrible person but I grew to like the character over the years.
Franco will be gone but- Roger isn’t going away.
It was made clear Roger would return as????
They needed to tell that so the fans wouldn’t tear up
Tweeter/internet for letting Roger go.lol
Good move–
Excellent acting by all! The shock on steve Burton’s face when she accused him of killing Franco until the scenes w Terri to Cam and Franco saying Goodbye it was superb
I didn’t like the fact Franco is kill off the show, Also when his wife came on the scene.When he
took his last breathe he told her I love you,
The writer should had Franco mention before he
passed away that PETER kill him.
Today was supposed to be a sad one for Liz and the boys. No surprise when it came to Liz, acting like it was just another day. She was all dressed up, hair and makeup done and so ready to accuse Jason just because of the pact he had with Franco. She makes me sick!
Could william liston overact just a little more?!!!
General Hospital
RATINGS: ‘The Young and the Restless,’ ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’ Remain No #1 and # 2, ‘General Hospital’ Only Soap to Lose Viewers
The latest Nielsen ratings data is out for the week of April 27-May 1, and three out of the four network daytime dramas posted gains in total viewers, while one showed a loss in audience numbers, which may come as a surprise.
Let’s take a look at the ratings period with data from Soap Opera Network and then provide some context. The Young and the Restless remained as per usual in the top spot coming in at 3,14,000 on average total viewers slightly up +20,000 more eyeballs for the week.
In story, Y&R served up Matt’s plot to blow up the Newmans inside the abandoned gas station on the outskirts of Vegas, Sienna believing she killed Matt, only for him to be revealed alive with a severe contusion on his head by week’s end, Nick going on a bad drug trip thanks to the fentanyl laced with something else via Matt, and Cane and the Winters family learning that he is a donor match to save Malcolm’s life, while Sally got engaged to Billy.
Photo: JPI
FASHION HOUSE PROBLEMS
Y&R’s sister soap, The Bold and the Beautiful clocked in with 2,795,000 viewers for the week up +38,000 from the previous ratings period. In story, The Bold and the Beautiful gave viewers; the fallout from Katie’s successful fashion show for her new fashion house, Logan. Dylan continuing to be freaked out. This time when doing her work at Forrester Creations, out from the clothing rack comes somebody that scares her enough to have her let out a blood-curdling scream. In addition, Liam suggested to Hope that she consider coming to work for Logan where she will be appreciated, after Steffy tells her that ‘Hope for the Future’ is back-burnered for now.
General Hospital, which many have considered being the most entertaining on a consistent basis with their storylines, most likely lost some viewers for the week because on Monday April 27, the show was preempted for a special report on the attempted shooting at the White House Correspondence dinner. If viewers did not catch it on Hulu, it aired on the network after Nightline on Tuesday at 1am. In total, GH was the only soap to lose viewers for the ratings week. GH tallied -1,809,000 which is down from the previous week by -168,000.
Photo: ABC
PAYBACK AND A SHOCKING REVEAL
In story that week, Carly’s double life with Brennan and Valentin caught up with her, Michael initiated a strategic plot against Willow, and Josslyn found herself in immediate danger after a run-in with Cassius.
Beyond the Gates, while having two days of the week fully preempted for UEFA Champions League soccer games, actually increased its viewership. BTG tallied 1,655,00 total viewers which also boasted the highest audience gains across any soap adding +42,000. In story, the soap opera spotlighted: Ashley stealing antibiotics to keep Grayson alive, Smitty zeroing in on a possible suspect in the plasma ring, Vernon taking over Martin’s debt to Joey Armstrong, while Kate recognized a name tied to Lynette’s finances.
It should also be noted for the ratings week; The Bold and the Beautiful once again topped Y&R for the top spot in the key Womens 18-49 demo and in the Womens 25-54 demo, Beyond the Gates once again bested General Hospital for the 3rd spot.
*Nielsen ratings are based on the Live+Same Day Big Data+Panel model.
So, let us know your thoughts on the current ratings picture? Then weigh-in; what soap opera is serving up the best drama right now that is keeping you engaged to catch it every day? Which soap has you the least interested? Drop a comment below.
On the Friday, May 15 episode of General Hospital, Elizabeth (Rebecca Herbst) and Dante (Dominic Zamprogna) shared a heartfelt talk on trauma. Dante is so concerned for Rocco (Finn Carr), and how it affects someone for the rest of their life, which is something Elizabeth knows all too well, but got through it.
It all begins when Elizabeth shows up at Dante’s office ready for her date with Ric Lansing (Rick Hearst). How beautiful she looked did not go unnoticed by Dante. When the talked turned to how Dante told Rocco that he knew his son shot Cullum (Andrew Hawkes), he admits he is scared for his child, because he lost his innocence with the emotional baggage he now must carry forever of shooting someone.
Dante notices how Rocco is becoming more and more withdrawn and he wants to know how to help him. Elizabeth bring up how she can absolutely relate to trauma at a young age, just like Rocco. However for Elizabeth, her trauma came in the form of a brutal rape by Tom Baker. Speaking from experience, Elizabeth details that it was her friends and family like Lucky and Bobbie who helped pull her through. She encourages Dante to continue to show up and be there as support for his son.
Courtesy/ABC
SPECIAL DELIVERY
Next, an officer delivers to Dante the evidence from the pier shooting, which Dante plans on destroying. Before she leaves for her date with Ric, Liz reassured Dante he is doing the right thing to protect Rocco and she has done the same. She has left no record of Rocco’s hospital visit the night of the shooting. Liz leaves for her date.
THE WRONG SUSPECT
Then, Cullum storm troops in to Dante’s office demanding the evidence that the PCPD must have collected at the site of his shooting. Dante says that the evidence must be misfiled in the warehouse, but they will find it. However, Cullum realizes Dante is stalling and lying. Before heading to Dante’s office, Cullum paid a visit to Carly (Laura Wright) and saw a photo of Danny with Jason, triggering him to now believe that Danny may have been the person who shot him in the back on the pier!
Courtesy/ABC
DINING WITH RIC
At dinner at Café Cherie, Ric handed Elizabeth the folder with the priceless piece of artwork he’d purchased for her through Ava. Elizabeth loved it and went over to Ric and planted a kiss on him.
Will GH move Elizabeth into a romance with Dante? Do you think Liz and Dante make a cute couple? After today’s episode, it’s clear they very much like and admire one another. If so, what happens to Liz and Ric’s burgeoning repeat romance? Share your thoughts and picks via the comment section below.
In well-played scenes on the Thursday, May 14 episode of General Hospital, Dante (Dominic Zampogna) finally had a talk with his son, Rocco (Finn Carr) informing him that he knows the teen shot Cullum (Andrew Hawkes).
Rocco has dreaded his father finding out, because he is the acting police commissioner of the Port Charles PD and feared his dad will have to arrest him for the crime.
Dante asks Rocco in his own words to recount what happened the night on the pier. He assured his son, he is not going to arrest him and noted there are very extenuating circumstances surrounding the crime.
Courtesy/ABC
FATHER AND SON
Rocco explained how he followed Britt (Kelly Thiebaud) to the pier. Then, how Cullum attacked Britt. Jason (Steve Burton) showed up and fought with Cullum and how the gun came loose.He remembers the other weapon Cullum pulled out to kill Jason and that’s when he shot him.
Next, Dante explained that he was proud of his son for saving Jason and Britt’s lives. He also tells Rocco that he is very concerned in Britt’s involvement in all of this stemming all the way back to the Five Poppies, and feels she is still tied into everything that is happening.
Dante tells Rocco that nobody else can know about this involvement in the shooting. He also touchingly said, that he is his father, he will protect him. However, Rocco is worried that if the truth came out that he shot Cullum, his dad would be in serious trouble for covering up a crime. Dante tells Rocco, he should not worry about that right now, but he needs to stay in Port Charles so he and his mom can keep him safe.
A SHOCKING CALL
Suddenly, as father and son hug it out, Dante gets a call from Justine (Nazneen Contractor), alerting him to the fact that she just met with Cullum and he is looking for the evidence and the file from his shooting. Dante rolls his eyes, knowing things are about to go from bad to worse, and how is he going to keep his son safe from the evil WSB Director?
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
Dominic Zamprogna always delivers a nice counterbalance to the often histrionics of other characters in Port Charles in his portrayal of Dante Falconeri. So that, when Dante breaks or gets emotional, it counts. Finn Carr has continually shined in the storyline as Rocco continues to teeter on the edge of knowing what he has done and being wracked with guilt. Next up has to be Danny learning his brother is the reason Jason was carted away. Stay tuned!
So, what did you think of the scenes between Dante and Rocco? How on earth will Dante keep Rocco safe? Share your thoughts via the comment section.
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