After months of waiting to see how the showdown between General Hospital’s Drew (Cameron Mathison) and Willow (Katelyn MacMullen) would play out, in the episode airing on July 28th, viewers finally got to see the fireworks. And boy, were they spectacular.
First off, hats off to Mathison. The way he portrayed an unhinged man with an axe to grind against his wife, who previously tried to kill him and then paralyzed him, was superb. If he’s not at least nominated for a Daytime Emmy for the scene, it would be a true snub and shocker. Also, MacMullen making sure her Willow character came off terrified, and less of the terrorizer she’s been for the last few months, was exceptional as well.
When Drew and Willow were hashing it out, with the intentional “shakey” camera capturing it all, it was pure cinema. He was ripping into her for her treacherous behavior toward him, and she was tearing up, desperately looking for a way to escape his murderous glances, but real threats of sending her to prison.
Sadly, the scene was ruined by Nina (Cynthia Watros) and Jack (Chris L. McKenna), playing Willow’s hero. Jack presented the blackmail to Drew and got the former congressman to back off of his payback plans for Willow (for now at least). By the end of the episode, it became clear that Willow wasn’t going to prison for paralyzing Drew, Nina wasn’t going for trying to drown Drew, and Drew wasn’t going for misappropriating funds. This brings us to the issue.
Nobody Is Paying for Crimes in Port Charles
Yes, General Hospital is a soap, and soapy things happen all of the time. As such, it stands to reason that characters would commit crimes or engage in morally corrupt behavior and not face any punishment for it, every now and then. However, it’s getting to the point these days where it seems no one is facing repercussions for their bad actions.
Outside of Willow going on trial for the attempted murder of Drew (which she was actually guilty of but found to be innocent), people are committing crimes left and right. While some may be brought in for questioning, no one is being arrested, charged, and convicted. Let’s run down the list (it’s not exhaustive).
- Valentin (James Patrick Stuart) and Ava (Maura West) never paid for tampering with Sonny’s (Maurice Benard) medication.
- Sonny never paid for murdering John Cates (Adam J. Harrington).
- Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn), Ric (Rick Hearst), and Ava never paid for embezzling from the Cassadine estate.
- Alexis, Ava, and Kristina (Kate Mansi) never paid for kidnapping Ric and locking him in a basement.
Why the Rampant Crime in Port Charles Is a Problem
ABCThis all becomes problematic because it’s leaving unfinished, or in some cases unsatisfying, storylines. For example, many don’t want Sonny hauled off to prison for John’s murder, but at least he could be arrested and cleared by a trial or technicality. And Alexis may be on grandma duty, but she should face some kind of repercussions for stealing from Ace Cassadine or locking up her ex-husband.
Look, Willow has been in her villain era for a while, and her ability to taunt people and make threats as if she hasn’t done horrible things that could sink her entire life is draining. For that matter, before Drew was incapacitated for months, he too was insufferable like Willow. If neither one of them is going to face prison, then at the very least, can we see the two either knock each other off their pedestals or have someone else come by and do it? Heck, even if that person is Tracy (Jane Elliot), who can’t stand either one?
