‘General Hospital’ POLL: Best Moments of 2015 – Vote for Your Favorite GH Scene!

‘General Hospital’ has seen so many great moments in 2015 – Soap Opera Spy takes a look back at 20 of our favorite scenes and plots from the past year in Port Charles – some are happy, some are sad, and some were outright earth-shattering. Read the list then vote in the POLL below!

Ins and Outs

#1 Return of Little Jake Spencer

No one expected to see Jake Spencer [James Nigbor] again. His tragic death made his return all the more shocking. No one saw it coming when we found out Helena Cassadine [Constance Tower] had kidnapped little Jake and had raised him on her evil island. We still don’t know what went down there – likely this story will still be bearing fruit well into 2016.

#2 Return of Laura Spencer

It had been a couple of years since we had seen Laura Spencer [Genie Francis] in Port Charles. And when her return was announced in conjunction with Luke’s departure from the show, we assumed she was back for just a bit. So when Francis signed a three year extension, it was a welcome shock. We can’t wait to see what Laura will do in coming months.

#3 Introduction of Hayden Barnes

Who doesn’t love the sassy, sensual and oh-so-sinful Hayden Barnes [Rebecca Budig]? Hayden was only supposed to be in town long enough to run a con on Jake Doe at the behest of Ric Lansing [Rick Hearst] but, due to fan response, they brought her out of the coma and installed her at Wyndemere to make more mischief. Let’s hope she sticks around for a long time.

#4 Luke’s Final Exit

Luke Spencer [Anthony Geary] has been in and out of Port Charles in recent years, but no one expected him to up and retire. Luke later blamed his untimely exit on Ron Carlivati, then Carlivati left too. It was like soap-quality drama in real life. Luke’s exit dragged on for months, but when it finally happened and he said goodbye to Port Charles and Sonny on the docks, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

#5 Carlos Death and Return from the Dead

Everyone was stunned when Anna Devane [Finola Hughes] brutally gunned down Carlos Rivera [Jeffrey Vincent Parise]. Sure she was grieving the death of Duke, but it was way out of character for Anna. Granted Carlos had faked his death but Anna thought she killed him. And now that Carlos is back and Sabrina preggers, expect more trouble from the sexy assassin.

Revelations

#6 Carly Discovering Jake’s Identity

It was fitting that Carly Corinthos [Laura Wright] would discover Jake Doe’s identity and realize why she felt so close to him. Wright did amazing work as she struggled with the revelation that Jason Morgan [Billy Miller] was alive and then again when she had to convince an angry Jake that he was Jason and everything was falling apart around him.

#7 Jason Morgan Reveal

Once Carly and Jason knew the truth, it was time to let the rest of Port Charles know – at Jason’s thwarted wedding to Liz Webber [Rebecca Herbst]. Of course, Jason thought this was news to all present but Liz, Hayden and Nikolas Cassadine [Tyler Christopher] already knew. Billy Miller did nuanced work when he angrily announced his identity to his fiancée and wedding guests. Wow!

#8 Morgan’s Bipolar Struggle

Morgan Corinthos [Bryan Craig] has always been the black sheep of the Corinthos kids but it turns out there’s a medical explanation for his troublesome behavior. Morgan’s struggle to accept that something was wrong, the big scene when Carly and Michael Quartermaine [Chad Duell] dragged him out of the cabin, and his acceptance of the bipolar diagnosis have been poignant.

#9 Ric Lansing Humiliation at the Nurse’s Ball

Sure Ric is a jerk, but the scope of the humiliation that Carly served up to him at this year’s Nurse’s Ball was nuclear. Yes he’s a rat, but he really does love Liz and that musical proposal was inspired. Too bad Liz was already in love with Jake by that time. Likely Liz would have not said yes to the question anyway, but she never got the chance. Ric’s panic when Liz ran out was authentic. The slap looked good too.

#10 Denise DeMuccio is Ava Jerome

Denise DeMuccio was a hoot – the comically dark hair and outrageous accent wasn’t even much of a disguise. It was the DNA results that sold it. Thanks to the Silas cancer cure, she appeared to be someone else. Then Scotty Baldwin [Kin Shriner] did the whole A Few Good Men thing and she cracked on the stand. It was a relief to have Ava Jerome [Maura West] back and say farewell to Denise.

Tragedies

#11 Silas Clay’s Murder

Fan outrage over Silas Clay’s [Michael Easton] murder was monumental. Then there was the murder mystery for a couple of weeks until we found out Nina Clay’s [Michelle Stafford] evil mum Madeline Reeves [Donna Mills] was the culprit. But even fan backlash couldn’t bring Silas back from the dead and the show is poorer for his exit, but the drama of it all was staggering.

#12 Helena Cassadine’s Death

Sure Helena has been dead before, but it looks like the evil matriarch of the Cassadines has finally met her maker. Nikolas swears he buried her on Cassadine Island and at Constance Towers age, retirement in the form of character death makes sense. But how will the landscape of Port Charles look without the spectre of Helena looming? And who expected her to go out with a whimper, not a bang?

#13 Sonny’s Shooting and Paralysis

Sonny Corinthos [Maurice Benard] has been shot more than a target at an NRA convention, but he’s never been really hurt before. As he clung to life, the scenes around his ailing body stunned. Then when Sonny came out of it paralyzed and frustrated, the real drama started. Sonny hates feeling weak and now he’s stuck in a wheelchair. These were incredible moments for the whole Corinthos clan.

#14 Dante and Lulu Breakup

No one saw it coming when the strongest couple in Port Charles hit the skids. Once Dante Falconeri [Dominic Zamprogna] thought Lulu Spencer [Emme Rylan] was cheating and he slept with cousin Valerie Spencer [Brytni Sarpi], the writing was on the wall. The public reveal of the affair on the Haunted Star was humiliating but more shocking was when Dante decided to stick with Val.

#15 Duke Lavery’s Death

This was another final legacy character exit this year that stunned fans. Duke Lavery [Ian Buchanan] has been presumed dead before, but this time he’s really gone. Anna was devastated and so were legions of GH fans. It’s not surprising that Duke’s death was violent given his past, but this was still a stunning loss. It’s worse still that Carlos and Julian Jerome [William deVry] evaded justice for the killing.

Touching moments

#16 Sonny’s Reaction to Jason Reveal

The revelation of Jason’s return spawned so many storylines and touched so many lives in Port Charles, but Sonny’s tearful recognition of his former BFF’s return was fine work. Even though Sonny knew Jason didn’t know him from Adam, he was still thrilled to have him back in his life. This was a profound turnaround for Sonny who had hated Jake Doe passionately for months.

#17 GH 52^nd Anniversary Episode

The anniversary show was spot-on with its black and white throwback to the ugly history of the Spencer clan with Rebecca Herbst, Jason Thompson, Ryan Carnes, Laura Wright and Anthony Geary playing character blasts from the past. This played nicely into the setup for Luke’s final exit from Port Charles and was beautifully scripted and played.

#18 Sonny’s Pentonville Pardon

It was hard to see Sonny in Pentonville convicted of AJ’s murder. Sure he’s done plenty of crimes, but we never thought he’s do the time. When Sonny refused Carly’s visits, it was rough to watch. And then the escape came – and Sonny threw away any chance at freedom to save those on board the Haunted Star from Helena’s bomb and earned his pardon. Everyone but Michael was happy to see the mobster back.

#19 Brad and Lucas Proposal/Marriage Drama

Brad Cooper [Parry Shen] and Lucas Jones [Ryan Carnes] are a groundbreaking couple in Port Charles and their engagement after Brad’s surprise proposal at the Nurse’s Ball was thrilling. But then we found out Brad had a wife in sneaky Rosalie Martinez [Linda Elena Tovar]. Now their marriage plans are on hold and we have to wonder when are they going to get the wedding they deserve?

#20 Sabrina’s Surprise Pregnancy

When Sabrina Santiago [Teresa Castillo] lost first Patrick Drake [Jason Thompson] then their son Gabriel, it was beyond tragic. And now she’s pregnant again and so it should be a time of joy. Michael is thrilled and the two have bonded over their baby-to-be, but what about Carlos – the real father? It’s been tough and touching to watch Sabrina’s struggle over the baby news which should be a happier time.

So what was your favorite moment of 2015? Vote in the POLL and share your comments below – and be sure to tune in to Soap Opera Spy often for more ‘General Hospital’ spoilers and gossip.