GENERAL HOSPITAL 50th Anniversary Episode Is Flawless (Many Spoilers!)

John Beradino played Dr. Steve Hardy for 33 years

GENERAL HOSPITAL's 50th anniversary was Monday but the actual anniversary show aired on Tuesday due to a March pre-emption. The episode was worth the wait, a flawless tribute to the past 50 years in Port Charles which started with a portrait of Dr. Steve Hardy (the late John Beradino) which was going to be hung in the General Hospital boardroom.

Below are some thoughts on the episode (spoilers for those on the west coast)

In the very first episode of GENERAL HOSPITAL on April 1, 1963 head nurse Jessie Brewer (the late Emily McLaughlin) uttered the show's first line. On Tuesday, head nurse Epiphany Johnson (Sonya Eddy) said the first line, and it was a nod to GH creators Frank and Doris Hursley.

"Hey Doris. How'd you like Frank's big surprise?"

Viewers were then treated to a series of returns which started at the end of Monday's show. Alan (Stuart Damon), Emily (Natalia Livingston) and Rick (Chris Robinson) all showed up in the Quartermaine living room as Monica (Leslie Charleson) and Tracy (Jane Elliot) continued to battle it out. After eating a newly-created batch of Pickle-Lila, Monica told Tracy she was kicking her out of the house. I predicted on Twitter, the return of the three deceased characters was probably a Pickle-Lila-induced dream and that turned out to be the case. But what a dream it was. Rick and Alan made peace with each other, and the three of them force Monica and Tracy to call a truce as well, punctuated with an awkward hug.

Brenda (Vanessa Marcil) showed up on Sonny's (Maurice Benard) doorstep, and Jax (Ingo Rademacher) on Carly's (Laura Wright). As they were talking about the past and rehashing issues in their relationships I began to suspect that Brenda and Jax were together again. It turns out Jax and Brenda have moved on... with each other, and are now engaged.

The return of actor Nathan Parsons was one of
the many surprises on the anniversary episode.

The mystery person from the end of Monday's episode turned out to be Ethan (Nathan Parsons), who shared some nice scenes with Luke (Anthony Geary) and Laura (Genie Francis), especially Laura who was happy to meet him.

My favorite part of the superb (and entertaining) episode was happens at General Hospital. Dr. Patrick Drake (Jason Thompson) welcomed a new group of interns and gave them a history lesson about GH. This coincided with the return of Audrey (Rachel Ames) who came to visit Elizabeth (Rebecca Herbst) and to see the new portrait of Steve. Elizabeth told Audrey she was lonely without her family there then gave an update on the much-missed Hardys:

- Sarah Webber is in Monterey
- "Mom & Dad are in Asia" (Jeff Webber and her unnamed mother)
- Tom Hardy is in Africa (Ames' real-life daughter, Christine Cahill, played Tom as a baby)
- Tommy Hardy just graduated from medical school (Tom and Simone's son)

There was even a wonderful flashback of Steve and Audrey.

There were cliffhangers that will be continued on Wednesday, and action all over town (even on water!) but main focus was clearly General Hospital, and the proper reverence and respect was paid to the show's history.

Congratulations to executive producer Frank Valentini, head writer Ron Carlivati, the cast and the crew on such a wonderful episode full of drama, humor and heart. And for 50 glorious years of GENERAL HOSPITAL.

EDITOR'S NOTE: #GH50 and 'Brenda' were both trending on Twitter during the east coast broadcast of GENERAL HOSPITAL.

RELATED:
- Watch the GENERAL HOSPITAL marathon episodes here
- Watch the GENERAL HOSPITAL Special 50th Anniversary Opening
- 20/20: GENERAL HOSPITAL – THE REAL SOAP DISH Airs Saturday, April 6
- ABC Partners With amfAR For Nurses' Ball
- GENERAL HOSPITAL Nurses Ball Photos [SPOILER ALERT]