Swimming With the Fishes: General Hospital Two Scoops For the Week of July 20th

It's the dog days of summer on General Hospital, so Port Charles took it to the pool, to the lake, and even the basketball court. But when we got to the boathouse...well, who didn't see that coming? And who hasn't watched it on a loop over and over again?

We expect we'll see it replayed on Monday, as GH gets down into the nitty-gritty of the week to come. But the week that was ended in its own epic way, so that's where we begin, digging those two scoops in for a boathouse adventure like no other.

Worse News For You, Drew

We knew Nina was going to have a wild idea and we pretty much knew what that wild idea would be, but when she carried it out, it was more glorious than we ever imagined it could be. And it was also as Nina as it gets.

For the past dozen years, Nina has gotten herself into situation after situation where she reacts rather than acts. Impulsive act after impulsive act has never ended well for Nina and this will surely be no exception. Nina never wants to do the things she does, but she does them anyway, and that's why we love her. We also know she is not everyone's cup of tea, but this time she took one for the team, right?

This is also the second time in about two months where Nina needs to get herself out of a situation, so she does the first thing that comes to mind during the last 10 seconds of your average Friday. Feeling she would have to flee Port Charles with Willow or lose her, Nina had to do something, so when Drew spoke, Nina did.

With a mighty force of anger and desperation, she put her weight behind it and shoved Drew and his wheelchair into that lake with a gusto. Drew was stunned and Nina was horrified. But Nina is always horrified when she does things like this. Cause she doesn't really want to hurt anyone; she just has to do what she has to do. Plus, this is Drew...

Twin Reflections

Jason wants to make amends...Drew? Not so much | Image: ABC

So, we think the question the GH fandom has had on its mind ever since Willow put Drew in that locked-in state six months ago has been answered. Will Drew reflect and think about the actions that got him here? The answer seems to be a firm no. Drew is still Drew. Which was why we were all cheering on Nina.

Drew's twin brother certainly spent time reflecting when he was in international prison in Jakarta. He returned to Port Charles sporting a collar, took off for a few weeks (so he says, it was two PC days) on a father-son road trip, and returned in a Polo shirt. He hasn't even seen Carly and Sonny yet, so we'd say this is a changed man indeed. (Is Jason now a black Polo shirt guy instead of a black T-shirt?)

But not Drew. No matter how altruistic Jason was, no matter how many times Scout begged, Drew refused to even blink his approval of his daughter spending time with the big brother she loves so much. It looks like Drew might be a permanent creepy, mustache-twirling villain because there isn't another one living rent-free in Anna's head at the moment who we thought we got rid of years ago. (More on that later.) So much for that olive branch, Jason.

Willow's World

The mirror has two faces for Willow | Image: ABC

It's more than clear that General Hospital is finally wrapping up the second of its two biggest storylines that have been going on for way too long. Willow and/or Nina have been trying to kill Drew for nearly a year now, with no success, something Jack recently pointed out.

Just like the Sidwell/Cullum/Cold Fusion mess, Drew's time as a locked-in victim of his unhinged wife has to come to a close. And Willow's house of cards has to come tumbling down. And it looks like that is what's happening. We hope. Because if she puts on another sob story for Chase and he believes every word she says, we want to throw Chase into the lake too.

It's been exasperating enough watching Elizabeth get thisclose to figuring out what her saccharine sweet friend has really been up to, only to just miss. While we anticipate a few more twists, turns, and even swims along the way, it might be time to draw this story to a close. So much new is happening in Port Charles that Willow's old world needs to at last be dealt with.

But About the Black Box

Josslyn was ready for duty to help Jack find the black box Valentin had | Image: ABC

Let's not forget that this part of this lake shove part of the arc occurred because Jack prematurely told Willow that he couldn't find the black box, so oh well, get to the airstrip and get the hell out of Dodge. We're surprised that Jack gave up on something so valuable so fast, but Jack is looking a little more carefree after his own brush with Nina and Willow-induced locked-in syndrome.

What neither Jack nor Nina knew was that Nina's ex-husband was going to come along with that black box the moment Nina decided to shove Drew into the lake. As per usual, Nina's impulsive moves are ones she didn't actually need to make. The leverage against Drew was coming. Nina just had to be patient. Oh well, Drew.

Shoot Some Hoops

Brick got to play basketball | Image: ABC

Drew may be in the lake, Willow may be trying to escape Chase, and Jason may be wearing a Polo shirt, but Valentin got to play some hoops, so we say he had a better week. We're not sure why GH needed to go on location at an outdoor basketball court right by the studio so that Brick could fail to scare Valentin, but that's what the show did.

But seriously, did Brick and Sonny really think that Valentin was going to leave town just because they told him to? What was that even about except for a way to get Stephen A. Smith to shoot some baskets?

And what will Carly even find on that flash drive that is worse than things Sonny has done? The whole thing is ridiculous, as if Sonny is a safe guy for Donna to be around. He has just as many enemies as Valentin does, except Valentin's are a little more elegant and may speak French.

Outback Solution

Maxie and fam are moving to Australia. That came as out of left field as Kristina going to medical school, but we guess when a show is tasked with writing an actress out when she already had months of story planned, unexpected exit plots with the door open for their return is de rigeur now.

While a recast might work in this situation, we understand GH's reluctance to do so at the moment and give Kirsten Storms time amidst health issues. In an Instagram post, she made it clear she had no plans to return to work for the moment so Maxie and her brood relocating was the best thing the show could do. But at least we got a Deception plot with Michael (and Serena Baldwin) in the thick of things coming.

Curtis the Menace

Portia needs to put Curtis in his place | Image: ABC

Baby Boy Ashford has a name, but it was not one we expected. We were sure this child would be named Marshall, but it turns out his name is Desmond. Will he turn out to be Curtis' son? For the moment, Desmond is "my child," so we guess Curtis gets to revel in it until a paternity puzzle may appear.

While we didn't expect the name Desmond, we had zero doubt that Curtis would immediately want to start spending the night at Portia's place. Boundaries, Portia. Set them or this man will never leave.

Young and in Love...or Lust?

Charlotte has he sights set on Gio | Image: ABC

As GH winds down July, the August setup is there. Charlotte has a crush on Gio; Emma can see it. Gio is about to embark on a music career with Trina, who apparently has a stalker. And Scout and Rocco seem to be eyeing one another up. We are not sure if that is better or worse than Danny and Charlotte. Those two might be distant cousins, but Rocco really did refer to Scout as his sister at one time, which just has us shaking our heads no. That doesn't mean GH is saying no. We can only hope so.

And with that, it's time to wait for Monday when Gio the lifeguard will inevitably come to Drew's rescue, Valentin will get his money, and Jason will change into a new black Polo shirt.