Table of contents for March 23, 2020 in ABC Soaps In Depth

The In Depth Story: Will’s first order of business is laying into Victor for the months he lost behind bars. After all, it was Sonny’s uncle who’d framed Will in order to protect his drunken wife! Meanwhile, Sonny has his own confrontation to have now that he knows Evan is Jordan’s ex and the father of baby David! With Evan a prime suspect in Jordan’s murder, Sonny and Rafe hope to get some answers from the manny. But Evan doesn’t budge an inch. Without revealing to Sonny and Rafe where he’d stashed baby David, Evan later meets up with the last person anyone would expect him to be in cahoots with! While Sonny may come up empty-handed in his quest for answers from Evan, he does get to right a…

IN After the news broke that onetime PASSIONS leading lady Brook Kerr (Whitney) would make her GH debut on March 5, she Instagrammed, “And the new adventure begins” and used her character’s name — Dr. Portia Robinson — as a hashtag. Judging from this photo of the physician in action, it’s a safe bet that she and Trina are familiar with one another… and probably not a coincidence that they share a last name! Might the newcomer actually be the teen’s mother — you know, the workaholic whom Trina’s dad, Taggert, had trouble reaching before his untimely death? As of press time, there had been no word from ABC as to whether Kerr’s run on GH would be short- or long-term.…

With a Mob war unfolding on the streets of Port Charles, danger surrounds Sonny, Jason and everyone they love. When Jason needs a place in which to seek refuge, he finds out you can always go home. That’s how he winds up at the Quartermaine mansion on Monday, March 9. Sonny makes his plans and intentions as clear as possible on Wednesday, March 11. For more on Renault’s determination to punish Jordan and take control of the city Sonny calls home, turn to the Cover Story, page 24.…

Victor does what Victor does best when he shakes things up on Monday, March 9, while wife Nikki goes far outside her comfort zone on Tuesday, March 10. Chelsea is making plans for the future on Wednesday, March 11, while across town, her husband-to-be’s motives are being questioned. Jill manages to catch Billy off guard on Thursday, March 12. And on Friday, March 13, Phyllis plays a game with Chance. What game? Why, hardball, of course!…

1 Franco’s advice. “You should not insult the person who’s about to paint you,” Franco told Ava. 2 The stutter. Cameron’s nervous awkwardness around Trina’s intimidating dad was downright adorable. 3 The morning after. Nina checking her breath, then pretending to be asleep, upon waking up in Jax’s bed was priceless. 4 The warning. “I pity anyone at the receiving end of Lulu’s moral superiority,” Brook Lynn told Dustin. “Wait until it’s your turn.” 5 Chase’s perspective. “From my experience with the Quartermaines, they are living proof that money doesn’t buy happiness,” he noted. … And 1 Thing We Could Do Without… The jet-setter. Given how often her relatives have been kidnapped, should young Emma really be flying cross-country solo?…

Now that THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS’ Victor has accepted Adam’s offer to run Newman Enterprises, will fans be seeing a softer, gentler relationship between the rogue and his dad? Or could Adam’s desire to lend a helping hand turn into a power grab? “Adam is a wild card!” concedes Mark Grossman, who plays the schemer. “We always have to wonder if he’s being genuine or if it’s a power move. Is he doing it to prove to Victor that he can run this company better than anybody so he can then take over, or is he doing it to mend their relationship?” For his part, Grossman believes that it’s the latter. “Deep down, Adam wants Victor’s approval… and love, even though he doesn’t want to admit it,” he suggests.…

… or did GH somehow, incredibly, make you feel bad for Brad? It helped that as Carly and Bobbie were attacking him, we couldn’t help reflecting on the fact that each had committed their fair share of sins (some markedly similar to his) in the past. Then there was the fact that his actions had been motivated by love, as opposed to those of Nelle. (Heck, put anybody next to Nelle, and they’re going to look sympathetic.) Finally, there’s Parry Shen, who manages to bring humanity to every crazy, despicable and self-serving thing Brad does… a challenge (which he rises to regularly) if ever there was one!…

Jordan seemed to be going soft — especially after she and Taggert found another one of their former DEA task-force members had been taken out. Considering this was the powerhouse who’d tried to keep tracking Ryan even as her kidney was failing her, it seemed out of character when she turned to Taggert and woefully sighed, “We’re next.” But after Jordan’s sitdown with Port Charles’ new baddie, Renault, it all started to make sense! When the commissioner got to Pentonville to see the drug trafficker, she was back in form — or at least, she was doing a good job of faking it. Renault’s former protégé (?!?) held her own as he grinned and taunted her. We had already started to suspect Jordan was his “personal” reason for being transferred…

Hot Topic: The Fight For Baby Jonah! OUR TAKE It was a long time in coming, but the truth about GENERAL HOSPITAL’s Wiley — or should we say Jonah — has finally come to light. On the surface, it would seem that what happens next is simple: Michael reclaims the son he’d believed to be dead and lives happily ever after. But something tells us that’s not how things are going to play out. (And this being a soap opera, would we really want it to?) Willow spent over a year believing Jonah to be the son she’d given birth to, and she’d gotten very close to the boy, especially in recent months. She may have no actual claim to Jonah, but does anyone really think Michael — being the…

Terri Ivens had a blast playing Simone on ALL MY CHILDREN. “I loved that they allowed her to be a little bit funny, have a brain, be rich and dress impeccably!” she giggles. And “the fact that I got to work opposite Michael E. Knight (Tad; now GENERAL HOSPITAL’s Martin) was just golden! My favorite bed scenes were with him.” Lather, Rinse, Repeat Ivens says that she’d join GH “in a heartbeat,” especially if it meant sharing the screen with Knight. “I’d do anything to work with him again,” she gushes. However, she’s currently Orchid, the wily prostitute who was recently revealed to be the niece of A Martinez’s Nardo on Amazon’s THE BAY THE SERIES. “The storyline opens up all of Orchid’s past,” Ivens shares. “He’ll be stepping in…

the day that a reception was held at the mayor’s mansion in honor of the newly-elected Luke Spencer should have ranked among the happiest of his life. Considering his humble upbringings — not to mention his years in the employ of the Mafia! — he had done awfully well for himself. But Luke was as focused on the past as he was on the future — maybe even more so. Ever since his beloved wife, Laura, had vanished in a fog, never to be seen or heard from again, there had been a hole in his heart that neither his ambitions nor his subsequent girlfriends could fill. It would always be that way, he feared. When you’ve found The One, no one else will do. After the lavish party was…

PLEASED TO MEET YA! GENERAL HOSPITAL’s Eden McCoy (Josslyn) recalls her introduction to Jason’s legendary portrayer, Steve Burton. GOOD ’N’ BAD! Briana Nicole Henry (Jordan) reveals why she loves working with Jon Lindstrom as Ryan. VALENTIN’S DAY! James Patrick Stuart opens his character’s heart. Don’t Miss The Next Issue Of ABC SOAPS IN DEPTH On Sale… March 23 April 6 April 20 May 4 May 18 June 1 June 15 June 29 July 13 July 27 August 10 August 24 September 7 September 21…

PAUL. Following the explosion of the S.S. Tracy, Alan and Monica hired Paul to run the business. To their dismay, Tracy fell in love with and married the attorney, who, unbeknownst to the family, was part of a drug cartel that was after her stock shares. ALCAZAR. When it was time for the board to vote on a new leader, interim CEO Tracy thought she had the position in the bag. That is, until hubby Luke threw his support behind principal shareholder Alcazar, and the arms dealer was named CEO instead. LUCY. With her single share the deciding vote as to whether Tracy or A.J. would hold the title, Lucy found herself wooed by both wannabe execs. By agreeing to fund the Nurses Ball, Tracy got Lucy’s backing and named…

Maxie once again proves herself to be Peter’s biggest supporter on Monday, March 9. Of course, that’s a move she might come to regret over time! Brad is on the receiving end of a warning on Tuesday, March 10. But which of his less-than-thrilled neighbors might be issuing that threat? Stella pays Curtis a visit on Thursday, March 12, while something seems to have amused Michael that same day. And on Friday, March 13, Michael and girlfriend Sasha sit down to have a very important, very emotional conversation.…

Unaware that he’s under the influence of his kinda-sorta dad, Stevano, Chad tries to smother Gabi on Monday, March 9. Fresh off that, Chad receives orders that he’s to kill Kate on Tuesday, March 10. Needless to say, Kate is completely unaware on Wednesday, March 11, that her life is in danger! Meanwhile, Nicole has a few suspicions that could cause trouble for Xander on Thursday, March 12. And sure enough, by Friday, March 13, it looks as if Nicole might be on the verge of figuring out the truth about the baby switch!…

While GENERAL HOSPITAL’s Anna crossed a line to protect Peter, it’s become hard to root for her son — or should we say her nephew? After all, she spent months traipsing around the globe in search of the truth last year, only to return without ever finding out whether the conniver is her offspring or that of her sister, Alex. “When I first heard about that [question], I was intrigued,” says Wes Ramsey, who plays the erstwhile Henrik. “There’s so much potential for a huge story to unfold there. It seems like that’s been put on the backburner, but the fact that they’ve touched on it means that there’s room for it to be revisited later.” In the meantime, Peter not only has shown signs of father Faison’s villainy but…

If we’re being honest, we weren’t thrilled with the way GENERAL HOSPITAL handled the big baby-switch reveal. It felt odd to us that, after over a year of wanting Michael to find out his baby was alive, the actual moment became all about… Carly. As she went off on Brad, we were struck by the fact that Lucas and Michael were relegated almost entirely to the sidelines. Fortunately, the aftermath of the reveal put Wiley’s two dads back where they belonged, with Michael debating what was best for the boy and Lucas ultimately handing the child over, saying, “Take good care of your son.” Then there was Willow, dealing with the shocking truth that the child she’d loved enough to give up — yet remained in the life of —…

General Hospital In Depth asked… Should Valentin return to the dark or stay semi-reformed? Reader Reaction: 63% STAY REFORMED 37% GO DARK It’s no real surprise that our readers prefer Valentin walking the thin gray line, so let’s hope he doesn’t start backsliding! This issue’s question… Do you think Lucas should forgive Brad or dump him and move on? TOP 5 GH COUPLES 1 Elizabeth & Franco Baldwin 2 Laura & Kevin Collins 3 Maxie Jones & Peter August 4 Carly & Sonny Corinthos 5 Alexis Davis & Julian Jerome TOP 5 ACTORS (as voted by Soaps In Depth readers) 1 Last Issue: 1 Maurice Benard (Sonny, GH) 2 Last Issue: 2 Roger Howarth (Franco, GH) 3 Last Issue: 3 Jon Lindstrom (Kevin, GH) 4 Last Issue: 5 Wes Ramsey…

General Hospital Rick/Monica/Alan The Woman In The Middle: Monica Quartermaine, already an old pro at love triangles by this point, owing to her marriage to Jeff Webber — and attraction to his brother, Rick. Bachelor No. 1: Alan Quartermaine, Monica’s husband, a hothead whose dark side it was best never to let come to light. Bachelor No. 2: Rick, the one who got away — and from whom Monica just couldn’t seem to stay away! Who Won? Alan — by default. Monica would certainly have begun a new life with Rick after her insanely jealous husband tried to kill them upon learning of their affair… if, that is, Rick hadn’t opted to stick with his wife, Lesley. (The three of them were not exactly poster children for fidelity!) Did The…

Jason Morgan —AND — Sam McCall September 22, 2011 On the night before GENERAL HOSPITAL’s Jason and Sam were to marry, the “perfect” affair that Maxie had promised them was feeling more like a disaster. The invitations never went out, the rings were inscribed with the wrong names, and the wedding dress was MIA! All that bad luck, however, turned out to be rather fortuitous for this untraditional bride and groom. A Two-Ring Circus When Edward arrived unannounced, Jason warned his grandfather that nothing could talk him out of marrying Sam. “Good,” the Quartermaine patriarch smiled before giving Jason not only his approval but the ring he’d once put on his beloved Lila’s finger. Across town, Monica showed up bearing Allan’s ring for Sam to give Jason. “He’ll always be…

Back in ’72, Bill Hayes already had two decades in showbiz under his belt. But as a newly-single dad, he decided that having a regular job on DAYS OF OUR LIVES would be good for his family life. Prior to auditioning to play Doug Williams, “I’d never seen it,” he admits. “Then I showed up for my first show and thought, ‘Holy mackerel, these el, these actors are fabulous!’” Now 50 years later, the nonagenarian thinks of them all as family, but especially Susan Seaforth Hayes (Julie), his wife on screen and off. “Julie and Doug have a wonderful relationship, and so do Susan and Bill — and they’re so close!” Hayes reflects. “Our whole life has been sustained through DAYS.” In honor of his golden anniversary with the soap,…

Nelle Is Set Free! After bringing his son home, Michael took a temporary leave of absence from ELQ and handed the reins to Ned — who had no intention of handing them back! Michael also wanted to give Wiley his last name and, to Carly’s horror, told Jason that no one was to harm Nelle. To save herself, Nelle stuck to her story that Brad stole her baby and, when the incriminating passport and travel papers went missing, her lawyer got the case against her thrown out. After thanking Valentin (who insisted he’d had nothing to do with it), Nelle served Michael with papers and announced she was suing for full custody of their son. Sam, meanwhile, was suspicious when Julian looked into finding Brad a lawyer. WILL BROOK LYNN…

There’s no doubt that the Corinthos clan knows how to band together in a time of crisis. But the coming weeks on GENERAL HOSPITAL will test the family in ways they can’t even imagine. As enemies approach from every direction, the family will have to circle the wagons if they hope to come out the other side in one piece! Common Enemies Sonny and Jason have good reason to be worried about their loved ones. Despite their best efforts to keep drugs off the streets of Port Charles — and to do so with a minimum of violence — a Mob war has broken out in “their” town, and it’s all because of drug runner Renault. If there’s one upside to the dangerous situation surrounding the Corinthoses, it’s that Sonny…

THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL’s Steffy has kept that giant photo of her and Liam up for years after their relationship went belly-up. Will biding her time finally pay off for the brunette? When asked a few months ago if Team Steffy was justified in feeling hopeful about a Liam/Steffy reunion, his portrayer, Scott Clifton, chuckled, “The Steffy/Liam/Hope triangle, if [EP/headwriter Bradley Bell] has anything to say about it, will never die.” Hope’s connections with Thomas and Douglas have definitely done damage to her relationship with Liam. “Then there’s Steffy. Although Thomas is her brother, Liam feels he can treat her as a confidante.” What he still doesn’t know is that Steffy has been deceiving him by never confessing that her brother had something to do with the kiss Hope…

We suspected that Anna’s decision to support Peter would lead to trouble but never imagined it might have so quick and severe an impact on her relationship with Finn! What’s interesting about the story is that the couple is being tested by children who only recently came into their lives. Each is doing what they believe to be in the best interest of their own child, which automatically puts them at loggerheads. Once adorable moppet Violet showed up, we assumed the big issue between Anna and Finn would be Hayden. But this is an even better roadblock because, if and when they manage to circumnavigate the whole Peter thing, Hayden can still come back and rock their love boat yet again! YOU WIN SOME… T.J. was ready to marry girlfriend…

Rogers also appears on two series now streaming on Amazon. “There’s THE BAY, which I’m still involved in, and STUDIO CITY,” he shares. “When I get to go into a production where we shoot just two pages in a day, I’m happy. You can bring your book and kick back. You can also really get into the character at a different level. Scorpio is in the blood. I don’t have to sit down and prep him. But the character I play on STUDIO CITY is a different animal altogether. This first season was kind of a set-up for the characters and how they’ll evolve over time. Everyone’s saying, ‘We want more!’ Well, that’s a good thing. We don’t want them to say, ‘Meh, I’ve had enough.’”…

Q. On a recent episode of GENERAL HOSPITAL, Nelle mentioned that Michael was a convicted felon. What was he convicted of? Ashleyvia E-mail A: Michael was tried, convicted and sentenced for murdering Mob boss Claudia. Though he’d initially gotten along fairly well with his stepmom, the family turned on her pretty quickly once they learned she’d been the one to put Michael in a coma. She kidnapped a very pregnant Carly before Sonny could retaliate, only for her prisoner to go into labor. Michael was the first to find the two, and when he heard his mom begging Claudia not to take his new baby sister, he grabbed an axe, hit the kidnapper over the head with the handle and killed her! Everyone agreed to cover the incident up, with…

Though her alter ego’s penchant for keeping secrets has gotten the character into trouble at times, THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL’s Jacqueline MacInnes Wood (Steffy) is an open book when it comes to chatting about what life is really like be-hind the scenes on a soap-opera set. Here, the actress dishes the dirt on everything from slapping scenes to filming between the sheets, answering all of our burning B&B questions in the process! What’s your secret for memorizing your lines? “Repetition. For me, the brain is a muscle, so the more you do it — the more you say the lines out loud — that’s what works for me. I’ve noticed that when I take care of myself and I’m healthy — when I’m taking vitamins and treating my body right…

 Robert: “The union between a bride and a groom is the union between the phoenix and the dragon. The dragon, the symbol of strength, can scare off evil spirits, protect the innocent, bless those around him with safety and bring wealth to all those who hold his emblem. The phoenix — the goddess of all winged creatures — harvests luck, success and prosperity. She can turn bad luck into good. Together, the phoenix and the dragon are the ultimate sign of yin and yang. Male, female. Strength and beauty. Alone, they bring happiness, but together, they bring double happiness.”…

Mix & Match Amber Tamblyn (ex-Emily, GENERAL HOSPITAL) made a cool move by turning this plaid pantsuit into two outfits! She’s Got The Edge We love the hint of rock-star finesse that GH’s Finola Hughes (Anna) brings to her fashion choices, as exhibited in this all-black ensemble. Line Up! Just as knowing their lines is a professional must, these current and former stars of ABC Daytime earn their “stripes” on the red carpet!…