General Hospital Review: The Adventures of Bobby and Andy

Secrets finally came to light, leading to unexpected partnerships this week on General Hospital.

The latest batch of episodes was far better than last week's decidedly mediocre ones, if you ask me. There were still aspects that left much to be desired, but overall, I was pleasantly surprised with several developments.

Let's take this piece by piece, shall we?

The Zany Adventures of "Bobby" and "Andy"

OK, so perhaps "zany" isn't quite the right word here. But I will gladly take many more team-ups between these two pseudo-enemies.

The first pleasant surprise was that, following their confrontation at the end of last Friday's episode, Drew decided to (sort of) give Franco the benefit of the doubt. Anyone with half a brain can see that Jim Harvey is shady, so thankfully Drew listened to reason rather than his innate hatred of Franco.

Drew was willing to consider Franco's (probably correct) insistence that Jim wasn't telling the whole truth about their childhood.

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This led to the two working together to confront Harvey, then trick him into contacting Betsy, and then find Franco's mom in order to get the whole truth out of her. Unfortunately, it didn't quite go as planned.

As of now, Franco and Drew are trapped together, courtesy of "legitimate businessman" Jim's goons – because what legitimate businessman doesn't have a couple of goons on call? – and waiting for a rescue.

Personally, I don't care how long it takes for these two to get rescued from their subterranean makeshift prison.

I love their bitchy, almost frenemy-like chemistry. And if there was any doubt that, on some level, Drew cares about Franco, Drew busting in to help Franco when his former foster brother went all babbly after speaking to Jim clarified that.

That moment was actually very sweet, as Drew tried to make sure a near-catatonic Franco was okay and demanded to know what Jim had done to him.

Of course, it ended quite badly for the two, as they were knocked out and imprisoned by Jim's goons.

On the bright side, we seem very close to the reveal that I'm increasingly convinced is happening: That Jim was abusing little "Bobby" and "Andy" all along and gaslighted Franco into thinking he was responsible.

And shout-out to Ned for finally seeing the light and standing up to Jim! Go, Ned!

Sam and Liz to the Rescue!

While Franco and Drew were trapped by Jim, Sam and Liz had an unexpected sort-of team-up of their own.

Becky Herbst and Kelly Monaco play great foils to one another, and I love it whenever they have any reason to butt heads – or interact at all, in pretty much any context. This week was filled with juicy drama between two of Port Charles' leading ladies.

It all started when Liz accidentally overheard Sam and Jason discussing Sam's love confession and Sam's insistence that she needed to tell Drew about it. Interestingly, Liz kept this secret to herself – for now, anyway – rather than throwing it back in Sam's face.

Although, of course, she couldn't resist at least one snide comment about how she probably cares about Drew more than Sam does. Harsh, Liz – especially when Sam is already freaked out about her missing husband!

What's interesting about the Sam/Liz team-up to find their missing men is that Sam wholeheartedly believed that Franco had something to do with Drew's disappearance.

It was abundantly obvious that Sam was more concerned than usual because of her guilt over the Jason-loving secret she's keeping from Drew.

But does anyone else find it super obnoxious how Sam keeps on repeating that she wouldn't be scared if it was Jason who disappeared? That's sort of disrespectful to Drew and makes it sound like he's somehow less of a man than Jason.

Since when does Sam feel this way about her husband? I get that she's torn between the two brothers, but it seems like the writers are beginning to torch Dream in favor of Jasam, and I'm not loving that (despite admittedly being captivated by the emotional drama of Sam's love confession).

Liz, meanwhile, refused to believe that Franco was responsible for anything that may have happened to Drew, despite caring about Drew deeply – all this in spite of the fact that she and Franco had a massive falling-out prior to his and Drew's abduction.

Liz and Franco's confrontation before Franco headed off with Drew for their ill-fated Jim Harvey ambush was absolutely fantastic for a number of reasons.

For one, I am so damn relieved that Franco's secret about his childhood with Drew is finally out in the open. Obviously, the reveal went about as poorly as Franco thought it would, but that made for some great, intense work for Becky and Roger.

I'm not even that big of a Liz/Franco fan at the moment, and I was practically tearing up throughout the scene. Becky played Liz's heartbreak, betrayal, and distrust perfectly. Liz was visibly crushed by Franco keeping yet another secret from her – especially one as potentially violent and dangerous as this.

Franco, meanwhile, was completely devastated and scrambling to stop Liz from rejecting him, which just served to push her away even more.

I've mentioned in prior reviews how annoyed I was that the "Franco's secret" storyline dragged on for this long.

Between this reveal, Franco and Drew's abduction, and Liz's knowledge of Sam's secret love for Jason, I'm so glad that Liz is finally getting something to actually do. Several somethings, in fact!

Nelle's Scheming Takes Form

It had already been hinted that Nelle's plan to take down Carly had something to do with Morgan. Now, Nelle's scheming is finally coming to light.

While it hasn't been explicitly stated, I'm guessing (based on Nelle tracking down the exact scarf Morgan had and then covering it in blood and dirt) that the scorned young woman is planning on making Carly think that Morgan is somehow still alive. That's really dark, and if Nelle goes through with her plan, I doubt there's any coming back from it.

Also, her plan is not a very smart one, since she used her own blood on the scarf. Girl, what are you thinking?

Regardless, once again, Chloe Lanier does a great job at nailing Nelle's desperation and her loneliness. Carly has become an emblem for everything wrong in her life. Of course Nelle is acting irrationally, but Carly isn't blameless in this situation.

The writers have gone to great lengths to establish that, if Carly were to genuinely give Nelle the benefit of the doubt, Nelle might back off and abandon her plan. But because she won't, Nelle is determined to get revenge on her unborn baby's grandma.

It's a vicious cycle, and it will certainly end with Nelle's death at one point or another. Whether the baby will survive this is anyone's guess (but please, writers, let's avoid a baby-swap with Maxie's child).

Heck, even Ava suggested that Nelle leave Carly be! That's how you know Nelle is really off the deep end – when even Carly's #1 mortal enemy is telling her to cool it with the revenge plot.

In other Nelle-related news, I imagine a confrontation with Michael's new love interest, nurse Francesca, is coming down the pipeline.

Poor, deluded Michael seemed to think that seeing him dating someone else would convince Nelle that things were really over, romantically, between them. Clearly, he has no idea what Nelle is really capable of, despite his knowledge of everything she's already done.

Unfortunately, Nelle has convinced herself that all that stands between them reconciling is Carly. When she finds out that Michael has another woman in his life, I don't imagine she'll take it well.

Watch out, Francesca!

Mike Comes to Terms With His Diagnosis

There wasn't as much of Mike and his Alzheimer's diagnosis this week as there's been in prior weeks. But what we did get was wonderful, as per usual.

The one major scene this week regarding this storyline was all about Sonny and Carly attempting to convince Mike to get his affairs in order by signing a power of attorney form, giving the two of them control over his finances and medical decisions.

Mike struggled with the idea of handing over the reins of his life to someone else.

I really applaud how dedicated the writers are to seeing this story through in painstaking detail. Hopefully, they're educating real people whose loved ones are going through the same things and helping them feel less alone.

Max Gail made me tear up during Mike and Michael's conversation on the patio, when Michael had to gently explain to Mike that Lila and Edward had both died long ago. He is doing a stellar job at evoking Mike's fear, confusion, anger, and denial. A Daytime Emmy award is certainly in his future.

I was also pleasantly surprised to see Stella in her role as a social worker. I don't care for Stella when she's sparring with Jordan (so much ugh), but she's much more bearable interacting with... just about any other character on the canvas.

Her conversation with Sonny, as she cautioned him to accept help when he needs it, was great.

Where in the World is Henrik Faison?

Now that Anna knows her child with Faison was a boy, she has figured out that the mysterious (possibly villainous) Henrik is her own child.

I still don't love the idea that younger Anna had sex with Faison, but at the very least, this is a dramatic and major storyline for a talented older actress on the show.

Given this reveal, it's only a matter of time before everyone puts together the pieces and figures out that Peter August is actually Henrik Faison – and that Henrik is Anna's son.

Interestingly and unexpectedly, Griffin is on track to be the one to put all the clues together first, thanks to Peter seeking him out to be tested for Huntington's Disease.

All the pieces fell into place as Griffin talked with Nina and Anna throughout the week.

Nina informed him that Maxie's baby had tested negative for Huntington's Disease (thank goodness!), and that Faison had been a carrier. Anna then told him that she needed to track down Henrik to let him know that he might be a carrier of the disease.

And what are the odds that several unrelated people would be getting tested for the same genetic disease at the same time? Low, I'm guessing.

Now, all Griffin needs is the paternity test result he ordered from Brad on Friday, confirming that Peter is related to Faison. But who will he tell? And can he tell?

I'm guessing Griffin will struggle with the idea of breaking his doctor-patient confidentiality and stew on this knowledge for a good long while. It'll be interesting to see how he interacts with Henrik once he knows the truth.

I'd also love it if Anna eventually confides in Grifin that Henrik is her child with Faison – something that not even Peter knew. It's clear that the writers are leaving the door open for Henrik/Peter to be a good guy, given that much of his anger stems from his (incorrect) idea that his birth mom handed him over to crazy Faison willingly.

Will he forgive Anna when he learns the truth? Probably. This is GH, after all – few of the best baddies stay villainous for long.

Kiki and Dr. Bensch Get a Little Too Close for Comfort

A storyline that's been hinted at in previous weeks appeared to pick up steam this past week on General Hospital, and I super duper hate it.

Kiki and Dr. Bensch (aka David, Alexis' sorta ex) seem to be getting a bit too close for comfort.

Whose comfort? Well, mine, for one.

David is certainly an attractive older guy. There's no denying that. And I'm not particularly against soap couples with age gaps. But this thing brewing between David and Kiki is just so, so wrong. And creepy!

For starters, David and Kiki got to know one another when he became her med school mentor. That already puts them in a power imbalance. The idea that David is showing a very clear romantic interest in seeing Kiki outside of "business hours" is so inappropriate.

I'm not really sure if that's what the writers are going for, or if they're (badly) going for a "forbidden illicit romance" type of thing. If it's the latter, I'm calling it a flop, because those two have no chemistry whatsoever.

Kiki herself seems intrigued but also aware that what's happening is not okay, since she turned down his dinner invitation.

I have to wonder why the writers pivoted so abruptly from apparently testing the waters with a Michael/Kiki reunion to this clearly #MeToo-inspired Dr. Bensch/Kiki storyline. Since Francesa came around, I'm guessing the Michael/Kiki reunion is off the table.

Does it have something to do with the fact that Hayley Erin landed a role in the new Pretty Little Liars spinoff? I wonder if they're writing her off. If that's the case, I would hate it if this Dr. Bensch sketchiness is her last major storyline as a regular cast member. What a waste.

The Older Crew's Love Sextet

The romantic drama between the 40- and 50-something set in Port Charles wasn't as much of a focus this week (in favor of more focus on the Franco/Drew/Jim Harvey drama). But there were several important moments involving the love sextet of Anna, Andre, Finn, Alexis, Julian, and Kim.

Most importantly: Kim finally acknowledged, aloud, that she has unrequited feelings for Drew. That's pretty major, especially since it's happening at just the same time that Sam finally admitted (to herself and Jason, at least) that she still loves Jason.

I'm continuing to love the chemistry between Kim and Julian, which has yet to turn explicitly romantic. That said, I wouldn't be even remotely surprised if it does turn sexual soon enough, when one or both of them feels rejected by their true love interest (Drew in Kim's case, Alexis in Julian's case).

At the very least, it's refreshing to see that they're both on the same page about not being over their respective exes. I feel like it's rare to see a soap opera would-be rebound couple where both members are aware they're each other's rebound.

As for Anna, it's becoming increasingly clear that Andre still has more-than-friendship feelings for her. He followed her around the world looking for answers about her child with Faison, for Pete's sake. Andre telling Anna that he cared about her feelings most of all in all this was a sweet moment.

That said: Although they didn't interact this week, I don't imagine Anna is remotely over Finn. Which would seem to put any romance with Andre out of the equation. For now, at least.

Speaking of Finn...

Another big reveal this week came courtesy of Finn's confrontation with Julian over Roxy the bearded dragon.

Well, really it was a confrontation over Alexis, and Roxy was just a proxy.

In any event, it was really satisfying to see Finn punch Julian. In my opinion, Julian deserves a few more good punches before he gets redeemed for that whole terrorizing-and-almost-killing-Alexis thing.

The altercation led to a reveal that I hadn't expected or even considered: Harrison Chase, the new detective who replaced Nathan at the PCPD, is Finn's long-lost half-brother!

I expected that the writers would tie Chase to the cast somehow, since he kept showing up repeatedly after his introduction a few weeks ago, first with Mike's arrest, then with bringing Josslyn to the hospital after the earthquake. But I didn't think they'd tie him to Finn.

So far, I'm not really vibing Chase, but perhaps the writers will surprise us and give him something interesting to do. A good start would be allowing him to interact with other Port Charles residents outside of his capacity as a member of the police department...

Stray Thoughts:

I like that the writers seem to be developing a Kim/Liz friendship. Liz needs more female friends! And also friends in general.

Fun fact: Nurse Francesca = adult Avery from Ava's surgery hallucination-dream.

I truly can't stand Lulu at this point. I find all of her desperate attempts at making amends with Maxie so grating. It's beyond obvious that seeing Lulu is just causing Maxie more pain and sadness. Lulu's repeated attempts to get Maxie to forgive her are so blatantly attempts at easing her own conscience.

Admittedly, I'm also all for Maxie and Lulu being ostracized because it's giving Maxie plenty of opportunity to grow closer to Peter. Yep, I totally ship them. Sorry, not sorry!