General Hospital
The Cast of General Hospital: The Alzheimer’s Storyline – Delivers The ‘Power Performance of the Week’
General Hospital’s depiction of the battle of Alzheimer’s disease and how it affects the dying, and the loved ones they leave behind, came to its heartbreaking conclusion this past week on the ABC daytime drama series.
Led by storyline standouts: Maurice Benard (Sonny) and Max Gail (Mike), who once again acted their hearts out in their final scenes together, the entire ensemble of actors who were part of this storyline each had their moments and each delivered which made Mike’s passing all the more poignant.
In a first since we started giving out our weekly kudos several years ago, Michael Fairman TV is giving our Power Performance of the Week to the cast of GH who participated in last week’s scenes for their riveting work.
From Laura Wright’s beautiful goodbye scene as Carly with Mike, where she dreams of him telling her she is a ‘daughter to him”, to Steve Burton’s all-knowing Jason, who tells Mike he will take care of Sonny and not to worry, to Michael (Chad Duell) and Josslyn (Eden McCoy) picturing how key moments of their life would look with Mike being witness to it, and the advice he would give his grandchildren, to Dante (Dominic Zamprogna) finding out that Mike is dying while being so far away from his family – each of these beats brought even more heart-tugging moments to the ending of Mike’s journey.
Even the actors who played a part in Mike’s care were touching as Vernee Watson’s Stella prepares Sonny on how to help Mike pass before saying her final goodbye to her friend. Then there was Felix (Marc Anthony Samuel), who helped Carly and Sonny through Mike’s last moments at Turning Woods, who was also trying to keep it together through his sadness. Brando (Johnny Wactor) showed up at Turning Woods too, trying to make peace with the death he saw in the war in Afghanistan and now losing Mike.
Of course, there was the surprise moment where Mike is met by his late daughter Courtney and escorted to heaven that both Alicia Leigh Willis and Max Gail played so beautifully without saying hardly a word.
But in the end, it was Maurice Benard who showed us the devastation and acceptance of a son having to let his father go, while trying to make peace with their troubled past that was acting at its best, and perhaps some of the finest in his storied daytime career – and there was Max Gail – the centerpiece of the storyline – who’s emotional heart was seen in all the scenes last week with the actors as the characters visualized moments with Mike. Throughout the entire story, Gail played the tragedy of a human being trapped within this horrific disease with brilliance. He will be missed.
So, what do you think of our choice of the cast of General Hospital for this week’s Power Performance of the Week? Share your comments below.
Dammit, it takes a lot a get the tears flowing, but Friday’s episode got me! Well done!
Everyone but Maurice Benard made me feel something this past week.
Really? You couldnt dismiss your hate for Maurice for one week? He did a hell of a job! You dont have to like the man. BUT, to be a man, step up and say something good when it is earned. Scott, turn off your TV and click onto Youtube and watch ATWT’s reruns!
Evaluating someone’s performance is not “hate.” Scott (ATWT fan) is not wrong and Timmm is not wrong. There is no wrong or right in artistic opinion. Timmm was moved by Maurice’s performance; Scott was not. That’s how art works. No need to get all angry about it and accuse someone of not “being a man.” Sheesh.
Bravo!! Kudos to the writers and actors probably one of the best done story arcs in soap operas in a very long time.
I am a caregiver to family, and this story was written and portrayed so beautifully and true. I am thankful to all
Many tears were shed during this last week. After going through this as my mom slipped away, many tears have been shed throughout this whole story. Sonny, Mike, Joss, and Carly were STAND OUT characters!
Calling it now, GH will win best writing and/or best drama for this week’s episodes. This story was written incredibly well, the acting was on-point throughout, and the conclusion was just as heartbreaking as I knew it would be. Kudos to everyone involved in bringing this story to life, and what a treat it was to see Alicia Leigh Willis again!
It was beautiful but where was Kristina? Her name was not even mentioned. That was only miss to otherwise great story
If Maurice and Mike don’t win Daytime Emmys for their performances then something is very wrong with how the awards are handed out. Heartbreaking story – true to the disease – and told from the point of view of those who are affected.
From the day that Max Gail debuted as Mike, I knew we were in for an emotional journey. He did not disappoint. I wish I had taken out stock in Kleenex, haha. I cried more this week with Mike’s passing than all of my other 50yrs of soap watching. I even cried reading this beautifully written article. A job well done to all… Bravo!!!
Excellent!! A fantastic week! Very heart warming! Felt like it was part of my family!
This storyline was well written and the acting was superb! Max Gail is a wonderful actor and made everyone around him better!
Okay, let me start out by saying the Mike storyline was heartbreaking and sad, but my only criticism was this long weak of stretching it out and as they say milking it, sorry but it just played out to long for me, the only saving grace was the show smartly balanced it out with the spy caper, I don’t know who to give credit to but somebody knew to much air play of mike dying and Neal getting killed off to was to much death in this Covid era, so thank goodness for the spy caper, but even that one was flawed by added Olivia in the mix, It should of been Anna there With Robert, Olivia was just to much if you ask me, and I’ve been hearing that the show Is planning on pairing her w/ Robert, I don’t like that already. oh well, as for mike dying, yes its was sad, performances were great, Maurice made it to real, so kudos to his performance, Jason and Carly were I don’t know just blah for me, she cries over anything anyways and Jason tears up over anything too, so they to me didn’t do it for me.
Did the storyline go on for too long? Maybe, maybe not. But it was certainly an accurate reflection of the reality of this horribly unforgiving illness.
Alzheimer’s disease doesn’t take its victims quickly; instead, it shuts down the organs one by one, slowly, inexorably, unrelentingly. It’s not simply memory loss, but changes in thinking and behavior, organ failure, nerve cell death, and brain tissue loss, and it takes several years for death to occur. In fact, it can take years after the onset of Alzheimer’s before the actual diagnosis is made.
Had the story wrapped up in just a few months, it would have done a disservice to all of the families who are struggling with it. Those families know the agony of watching a loved one slip slowly out of their grasp, knowing that they are powerless to stop this monster.
Teresa
I almost agree with you but your last paragraph changed my mind.I would never want to relive long weeks or months of watching this type of torture to the dying person and their family. Once would be more than enough, and I certainly wouldn’t feel like it was a disservice to not have them drag this kind of thing on.
Thank you for recognizing the storyline they were telling. It was beautifully done, and accurate. Those of us who have lived this Thank GH and all who were involved, and YOU for your praise of this work!!!
I thought this was wonderful. I work at a place like Turning Woods. Going thru this disease is hard enough but going thru with Covid times its crazy. We are all safe and as healthy as can be, Well done
Crystal from Seattle fan since early years. Thank you
I work with a hospice pioneer who publishes end of life materials, so I am aware of how things transpire at the end. Your writers were SPOT ON with everything, and I am so thankful for the knowledge I have gleaned from this work.. The way this was handled was absolutely wonderful. Yes, I definitely cried!!
Clearly Max Gail and Maurice Benard should share the spotlight as performers of the week. They were brilliant . The entire cast performed to perfection, however, and should also be acknowledged in this catergory as well. They showed love and support to both Sonny and Mike as both men journeyed towards Mike’s ultimate end and Sonny’s struggle to let his father go. One of the best, if not the best work on a soap opera.
I think all the actors did an excellent job. They all were so amazing it made me want to cry it was so sad.
AS I’ve said many times before, GH ~ everyone single person involved in front of and behind the cameras ~ did an outstanding job with this story. The only small quibble I have is the “forced” little ending where Sonny and Carly are leaving Turning Woods and they rush out with the bike Mike bought Sonny and the staff “forgot” to give to Sonny sooner. That was way too convoluted for me and left a sour taste in an otherwise wonderfully touching story.
People love to hand out Emmys because of a single performance. Most times I agree but actors are paid to act. Having said that, to get a whole show who is involved in one storyline to put in the work to make the story the BEST story on daytime in many many years, GH will win the Emmy, hands down for best soap at the 2021 Daytime Emmy awards show. It just nailed it! They took the time to write the story and tell it with patience. Nothing was rushed. They didn’t whisk Max in and out to save money and move on to something else, they nurtured the cause and respected families who lived and are living with a loved one who has this. Also, they brought in Courtney to chaperone Mike to heaven. That was unexpected and I appreciate the show putting the work and money into the guest spot instead of just mentioning it off camera. I don’t think they need a funeral. Everyone has said what they needed to say and they did some good flashbacks with Mike and other characters. Max, you get and A plus and more gold is on the way! Maurice, you were right there along side your buddy and you did a wonderful job! GH STILL knows how to put out relevancy!
Love Max Gail. Also, loved Ron Hale as Mike in the 90’s. I miss the 80’s and 90’s so much. I miss going home after school and hoping that Sonny and Brenda would be on. I would watch their scenes over and over on VHS.
Back to Max Gail, he did an outstanding job.
From day one this storyline was brilliant and rang so true, as a person who lost a parent to this horrible disease everything about this was so spot on. I cannot say enough about the brilliant actors who played their roles with so much heart and emotion. Bravo to everyone involved and thank you for bringing to light the effects Alzheimer’s can have on the whole family.
Thank you, GH for shedding light on this very painful subject.
Your casting was just great and really touched my heart.
I’m not a fan of the character of Sonny, I always FF thru his mob scenes, but there’s no doubt in my mind that Maurice Benard is a fantastic actor. He proved it again this week. I loved how they let Max Gail do scenes where he was more coherent, which just amplifies how good an actor HE is. Good point someone made about the absence of Kristina. Yes, the storyline was drawn out and sometimes uncomfortable, painful to watch….just like real life. Handled much better than Dina’s Alzheimer plot on Y & R–love Marla Adams, though. I did shed tears when Mike died. Doesn’t happen often on soaps these days. Kudos to all and a well deserved pick for MF Power Performance which had the added bonus of Courtney!
I was in tears for most of last week’s episodes. Sonny and Mike and The rest of their family and friends were so real in their performances. You could clearly see how much Mike was loved and how much he would be missed:-(( The entire cast gave their best emotions to that very sad situation. I’ve never dealt with Alzheimer’s personally, but these people made me understand how difficult it is for patients And their families…
Dante , Liz , Stella, and Felix…. etc… et al? … “Dante , Liz, Stella, and Felix”
ARE – the 4 characters – who DANCED in the PULL of’ Mr. Max Gail
When Max Gail started … in February, 2018. he was already : lapsing …
we never got to see .. EVER: Maurice Benard.. Sonny’ LIVE with his father, have heart to heart talks, confrontation, denial, giddy discovery, bonding … human nature didn’t grow here
it was a much easier “job” for MB Sonny to wait for the react/response from the script AND Max Gail. it was always “confused” and Sonny would react accordingly …
THE word : “Alzheimers” has a life of it’s OWN . scare the bejeezus out of any one. I don’t recall Sonny or Carly from one end of the spectrum… disbelieve to petrified.. acceptance denial… FEAR !!!! christ
the word; AND Max Gail… was a one man show
I do not think the Corinthos family NEED any nod
every person, in real time… experienced , LIVED, fraught, anxiety, the LOSS
from February 2018, to September, 2020… Max Gail performed with HEART.
the reaction… which was NEEDED to make this RICHER… was pale.. so Sonny shared a song @Nurses Ball…. that WON EMMY
now that this chapter is logged in with Sonny and Carly STAMP ? whats to recall?
“Max Gail”
THANK GOD IT”S OVER !!!! till Frank Valentini throws another storyline their way… which is why I will never let up… okay it’s hardened … give this show a fighting chance !
F E A T U R E – your best cast
haven’t we bellowed … i will soapbox… I want Frank Valentini to know he threw this away
thankfully, a let, for me
Britta, and just the sighting of Nathan Parson … exciting… what’s Brando going to live… his own? or under the fold of Carly and Sonny.
Kevin !!!! WOW !
Mac and Felicia – incredible
Hi Monica AND Bobbi !
my light @Port Charles : Valentin
Happy dance the partay IS OVER !!!!
now that Nelle is “gone”; RIP Mike, Max Gail,you were WONDEROUS amazing AND still zinging IT
what POWERS are left
it’s Sonny and Carly
could you mean any thing
That was the longest goodbye/death in history. Good God I couldn’t wait for Mike to die! What started as a great storyline became so embarrassingly bad. And having Joss, who I couldn’t hate more (SHE IS BORING!), had nearly an entire episode dedicated to her goodbye? Gross. And all of these other “Oh, Mike, thank you for doing so much for me (us)” crap was nauseating. WE NEVER SAW ANY OF THESE PEOPLE INTERACTING WITH MIKE EXCEPT FOR PERHAPS NEAR THE END. As a viewer it’s difficult to get invested and emotional when none of these relationships were ever developed through the years. I’m sure we’ll have to sit through weeks of “I miss Mike” episodes. Hard pass. Hopefully Sonny takes some time to mourn on his own and leaves Port Charles for a few weeks. Or years. It’s all fast forward material.
Now Holly, Robert, Olivia, and Ethan is a storyline I can get behind!
Scott
I have kind of felt as you do but not so strongly. Reading your words actually make me feel embarrassed . I forget there are others that enjoy this type of misery. I have enough of my own, to watch this type of long, drawn out suffering, Hopefully in the future I can be more patient and let others watch what they like without comment.
I loved this storyline from the start, when Sonny and Mike got the diagnosis that Mike had Alzheimer’s Disease. Everyone associated with Max after the diagnosis had Emmy worthy performances… None more worthy than Max and Maurice. I was brought to tears for two years whenever these two took to the screen. I so do & will forever miss Max!!!
Mike will be missed but Max Gail deserves the top award for having to just lay there with just a thumbs up once in awhile, listening to all that stuff added by the writers that never happened. It wore me out. I thought that if my relatives ever do that to me, I’ll come back and haunt them.
Re the Alzheimer’s SL with Alexis. To all the ladies out there unfamiliar with this desease. Please don’t wait until it happens to you. I was just getting up from the sofa while bracing myself on the coffee table in front of me when I head my bones crunch through my lower back. I’ve never fully recovered from this fracture. I wish I had known about this when younger. All it takes is a Bone Density test that they do while lying on the table, and you stay fully clothed. So don’t wait until you are old like me, though I have fallen a number of times but so far haven’t broken any more bones. Lucky me!
You all did the old-timers with grace and dignity God bless you all
Ryan Murphy‘s anticipated new series The Shards, based on Bret Easton Ellis‘ prep school thriller novel, will premiere August 5 on FX and Hulu, as well as Disney+ and a very familiar face is set to appear within the series, when General Hospital alum, Colin Cassidy (ex-Aiden Webber, formerly known as Aiden Spencer) took to his Instagram to reveal the exciting news.
Colin shared, “I’m super excited to share that I will be appearing in Ryan Murphy’s The Shards premiering August 5th on FX, Hulu and Disney+! I will appear in episode 5 as Rohmer, a fun lovin’ party animal with a secret! I had a blast working on this project and I can’t wait for you all to see it!”
Cassidy played the role of Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst) and Lucky Spencer’s (Jonathan Jackson) son on the ABC soap opera on and off from 2024-2025.
Courtesy/ABC
The character was written off the canvas to explain Lucky’s sudden decision to travel abroad and leave Port Charles in June of 2025, Aiden went with his dad to get to know him better. During his run on GH, one of Colin’s most memorable scenes occurred when Aiden came out to Lucky after his father had been away for over a decade.
WHAT IS ‘THE SHARDS’ ALL ABOUT?
As for the The Shards, it’s a dark coming-of-age tale with semi-autobiographical facets for Ellis. Set in Los Angeles in 1981, the story follows a 17-year-old version of Ellis during his final year at the elite Buckley prep school. Upending the character’s world is the arrival of a mysterious new student, Robert Mallory, whose unsettling presence coincides with the activities of a serial killer known as The Trawler.
According to the official loglines: “Igby Rigney stars as Bret, an aspiring writer and keenly observant teenager whose reality begins to unravel with the arrival of a mysterious and magnetic new student, Robert Mallory (Homer Gere, the son of motion picture star, Richard Gere), Transferring in just before his senior year, Robert’s appearance coincides with the growing terror of The Trawler, a serial killer targeting teenagers across the city.
Alongside Bret is his elite social circle, which includes Susan Reynolds (Kaia Gerber), Debbie Schaffer (Hayes Warner) and Thom Wright (Graham Campbell), a glamorous and deeply entangled group drawn into a life of wealth, beauty, parties and excess. The promise of their youth is contrasted with the dark and cynical world of the adults surrounding them: Terry Schaffer (Wes Bentley), Liz Schaffer (Evan Rachel Wood) and Steven Reinhardt (Jordan Roth).
You can check out the 2nd official trailer for The Shards below,
So, are you looking forward to seeing Colin Cassidy in The Shards? Do you hope that General Hospital brings Aiden back to the canvas with or without his father, Lucky? Let us know via the comment section.
General Hospital
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Jason Tries to Help Rocco Move On; Nina Makes Last Ditch Effort to Silence Drew
The Friday, July 24 episode ended with quite the cliffhanger with Nina Reeves (Cynthia Watros), pushing a wheelchair-bound Drew Cain (Cameron Mathison) into the lake surrounding the Quartermaine boathouse.
Previously, Nina received a call from Willow (Katelyn MacMullen) telling her that she received very bad news from Jack Brennan (Chris McKenna).
The WSB Port Charles Bureau Chief called the congresswoman to inform her that the black box containing the leverage he has over Drew has gone missing. Saying he owed Nina, Jack was willing to provide a plane out of town for her and her children, Wiley and Amelia, with passports for new identifies, but they must leave tonight.
Courtesy/ABC
Willow tells her mother she can join them if she wants to, but it’s up to her since she has a life in Port Charles, but she has to go and get ready and to let her know. Suddenly, Chase (Josh Swickard) shows up at Willow’s office telling her he has to take her down to the PCPD.
DREW PUSHED INTO THE WATER IN A WHEELCHAIR
After her call with Willow, Nina becomes desperate, so she unlocks the wheels of Drew’s wheelchair in horror, when suddenly Drew speaks (as had been in the ABC promo for GH released on Monday), “What’s wrong, Nina? Get some bad news?” A shocked Nina replied, “Bad for me. Worse for you.” Suddenly, she pushes Drew’s wheelchair with Drew in it into the lake.
Meanwhile, the heart of the episode was brought by Steve Burton and Finn Carr who finally had the scenes where Jason and Rocco talk about what happened the night on the pier, when Rocco shot Cullum and Jason took the blame and was carted off by the WSB for several months.
Jason attempted to ease Rocco’s guilt telling him he is indebted to him for saving his life and Britt’s. When Rocco questioned if Jason would do the same thing all over again knowing how much it cost him, he told Rocco, that they both have to find a way to move on with their lives. Jason tells Rocco its best for him to try to let this all go. Can Rocco? Can Jason?
BRITT IS A COMMON THREAD OF JASON AND ROCCO
Rocco becomes emotional when talking to Jason about going on the run with Britt (Kelly Thiebaud), and how scared he was for her due to her “illness” with symptoms of Huntington’s.
Later, Jason comes to General Hospital and runs right into Britt, who is all smiles when she lays eyes on Jason. However, with Jason seemingly looking for a fresh start and a new outlook, is there any future for Britt and Jason after all that has happened? Stay tuned for the Monday, July 27 episode for some answers/
Now below, and in case you missed it, check out the scenes between Jason and Rocco from today’s GH.
Then let us know, what did you think of the performances of Steve Burton and Finn Carr? Do you think Nina just made everything 10,000 times worse, and Drew will be swimming around in no time in the water revealing he is A-OK much to the chagrin of Willow and Nina? Share your thoughts and theories via the comment section.
The answer to what General Hospital fans have been speculating about for months has come to a conclusion, for now.
On the Thursday, July 23 episode of the ABC daytime drama series it was revealed in story that Maxie Jones (Kirsten Storms), along with her man, Spinelli (Bradford Anderson) and her three children, Georgie (Lily Fisher), Bailey (Miley and Riley Plonski) and James (Gary James Fuller) are headed to Australia to live after Spinelli received a job offer he couldn’t refuse.
However, the message of the status of Maxie and her clan, came from none other than Cody (Josh Kelly) during a conversation where he explained that they were all packing up to head to the land down under the following night and they were just “itching to get out of Port Charles.” In addition, Maxie has divested her shares of Deception Cosmetics and sold them to Michael Corinthos (Rory Gibson).
Photo: ABC
IS THERE A FUTURE FOR MAXIE TO RETURN?
All of this paves the way for the series to deal with the longer absence of Kirsten Storms who is back in Tennessee and not having her figure into any immediate storyline.
While the family uprooting themselves to Australia certainly doesn’t look like any return in the near future would be likely, the series can always decide down the line and take their time of what to do with Maxie, if Kirsten Storms, should never return to the role or they would decide to recast, if needed.
This does complete Maxie’s story for now. It was back in February of 2026, that Maxie came out of her coma and was reunited with her family and saw her believed-to-be husband, Nathan West (Ryan Paevey) back from the dead, who later proved to be Cassius Faison. Storms comeback lasted about a month and by March she was no longer on the series.
It was back last month in June that Storms took to Instagram to share that “As for what is in my future, where GH is concerned…. Given what’s been going on, I can’t say I will feel comfortable heading back to Los Angeles and returning to work.”
All of this stems from her reported break-ins to her apartment, the hacking of her devices all occurring in Tennessee, coupled by the restraining order served to her by her ex-husband Brandon Barash (ex-Johnny, GH and ex-Stefan/Jake, Days).
So, how do you feel about General Hospital writing out Maxie Jones with a sudden move to Australia, taking Spinelli and the kids all seemingly off the canvas? Do you like the way this leaves a door open for Maxie to visit or return to Port Charles one day?
Do you think the series should honor the work Kirsten Storms did in the role and not recast, or should they recast down the line? Let us know via the comment section.
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