The 2025 Port Charles Pal Awards: General Hospital Two Scoops Year-End Extravaganza

It's that time of year again — the end of the year! And General Hospital has had quite a year. First, it was by far the best soap of the year, at least in our humble opinion. ABC learned it was getting a little soapy competition in its time slot from one of its most celebrated former writers and stepped up. Beyond the Gates gave GH a run for its money during the CBS soap's first year, but GH pulled out all the stops in both subtle and spectacular ways.

GH also suffered loss after devastating loss this year, first off-screen, but it translated to on-screen out of necessity. In January, we lost Leslie Charleson (Monica Quartermaine). Over the summer, we lost Tristan Rogers (Robert Scorpio). And, right before Christmas, we lost Tony Geary (Luke Spencer). It was rough, but the show must go and it did. Now, it's time to take those two scoops and dig into the year that was in Port Charles and hand out these super-duper, awesome, not-very-real awards.

The Reason to Watch GH Award

Tracy. That's it. Tracy. Jane Elliot emerged as the leading lady she was always meant to be this year, picking up the mantle from Monica as the Quartermaine matriarch, as Monica picked it up from Tracy's mother, Lila, all those years ago.

The year started with GH clearly trying to position Tracy to take over for Monica before Leslie Charleson's death. With some eloquently written scenes that were filmed before Charleson died, but aired in the days following, Tracy spoke to Stella about age and losses, and being women of a certain age.

We then saw Tracy's humanity shine through all over the place this year. Her tender scenes with Brook Lynn when she learned her granddaughter had given birth to a son as a teen had our hearts in our chests. Her stunning scenes with Gio when she learned he was her great-grandson took our breath away. And finally, her quiet scenes with Jason after Monica passed had tears in our eyes and our jaws on the floor.

That did not mean that deep, emotional scenes led the day. Because she is Tracy, we also found ourselves laughing — a lot. Tracy seemed to spend more time in the PCPD interrogation room than her nephew, Jason, as she kept getting herself arrested. From 'kidnapping' Wiley and Amelia to chaining herself to the family crypt, Tracy did it all. Her banter with Michael E. Knight's Marty had us in stitches, and her fight for that house she knew Monica would never leave to a non-Q had us cheering her on. There is nobody quite like Tracy Angelica Quartermaine and we wouldn't have it any other way.

The Greatest, Most Long-Awaited Comeback Award

Jason Quartermaine is HOME, guys. Or should we call him Jason Quartermorgan? Just as GH positioned Tracy as the Q matriarch, knowing Charleson was in ill health, the show also FINALLY decided to turn Jason into a Quartermaine again after nearly three decades living the mob hitman life.

Now, Jason is still a mob hitman/coffee importer, but he is also the Quartermaine protector, especially Aunt Tracy's protector. The transformation started in January when Jason stunned Tracy by choosing his family — namely, his mother — over Sonny when he knew Monica needed to be near Wiley and Amelia. Jason's place in the family was solidified by September when he acknowledged his regrets about not being there for Monica for so many years while isolating himself from his family.

But it was Jason who found her body, Jason who comforted Tracy, and Jason who greeted guests at the funeral and gave a eulogy that had us all bawling. Welcome home, Jason Quartermaine. We have missed you.

The 'OMG! This Is The Best Thing Ever!!!' Award

Yeah, we never saw it coming, but when we came, the only thing we could do was squeal with pure, unadulterated joy. Thanks to Ava's instincts to pick up paperweights and slug them over jilted lovers' heads, Ava, Alexis, and Kristina tied Ric to a gurney with a ball gag in his mouth and left him there for a month. O.M.G. WHAT FUN!!!

We don't even know where to start; we just like typing the words. Ric was tied to a gurney in Alexis' basement with a ball gag in his mouth. That was the most glorious turn of events ever and everything we all needed. It even miraculously made Kristina sane again. And bonded her to Ava after Kristina began the year by trying to kill Ava, but nearly killed Ric and Elizabeth instead.

And Cody and Outback finding him? And his ridiculous explanation to a clueless Molly about where he had been all that time? Just perfection and everything we needed. And we need it again. What could these ladies do to Ric in 2026? Well, it depends on what he does to them...

The Most Surprising New Favorite Character Award

We admit it. We NEVER expected Portia Robinson to emerge as one of our favorite GH characters, but she has, and that says everything about the talents of Brook Kerr. This year, Portia remained the hot mess she had always been, but became so much hotter of a mess than we ever imagined. And it was glorious!

Portia sure is a clever one, choosing to give Drew ketamine to stop him from blackmailing her. She wasn't about to take that lying down anymore. Of course, it didn't do any good. So, Portia kept on letting Drew get under her skin. She also let Jordan get under her skin. And Nina. And Curtis. And so many people. And that's because Portia was tired. Oh, so very tired. We hear ya, Portia. And we feel for you and love you.

Go stand tall and walk out of that hospital hand-in-hand with your new man while your self-righteous husband continues to carry on his emotional affair with a woman who can't mind her business. We were never TeamPortia before, but now we are TeamPortia all the way.

The Teflon Drew Award

And why did Portia's cheme with the ketamine not work? Because nothing touches Drew, not even two bullets, it would seem. Remember the Teflon Don. That was John Gotti, whom Maurice Benard once played in a television biopic. Some people even call a current real-life politician a Teflon Don, as nothing ever touches him either. It doesn't matter the scandal. Somehow, this politician always comes out on top.

And we can say the same for Congressman Cutthroat. Sleeps with his nephew's wife? No problem. He just takes her to his swearing-in, and nobody bats an eye. Ingests illegal drugs and does body shots off a prostitute on a nightclub bartop? Whatevs. Tries to marry his nephew's now ex-wife, and it's revealed he had an affair with her mother? Nobody cares. (Except his nephew's wife, for obvious reasons.) Now, Portia just accused him of extortion while under oath. And what will happen to him? Probably nothing. Ho-hum.

Also, Drew is horrible. There are few words that even exist that can describe the depths of his horribleness. It's also the reason for our next category.

The Dumbest Shooting Ever Award

Because Drew is so horrible, we had been predicting since January that a 'Who Shot Drew?' story would emerge. But, by the time it finally did in September, we were praying for a 'Who Killed Drew?' story because Drew really is that unbelievably awful. We don't even understand how he became so awful and why General Hospital decided to do this.

And whoever shot him (Nellow?) did a really, really bad job. They shot him TWICE in the back, and he is just fine. Sure, Drew Cain now walks with a Cane, but he is just as vicious and vile as he was before he was shot. What was even the point of this? Drew is not dead. He is not paralyzed. He didn't have a reckoning with his horrible ways. He is just Drew, and all we can say is...ewww.

The Trainwreck, Dimwit, Dolt of a Daughter Award

"Drew can reach across the ocean..." The second that dumbo named Willow uttered those words to Elizabeth, we knew there was no dumber. We know we should feel bad for Willow because she grew up in a cult and somehow saw Drew as her savior, treating him like a cult leader in her one-woman cult, but we don't feel bad at all.

Little Miss Priss saw nothing wrong with committing adultery and moving her children from home to home to do it. She saw nothing wrong with Drew announcing his intentions to fake Michael's lab results so he'd look like an opioid addict. She saw nothing wrong with using her husband's burned body as leverage to see her kids. She also took Drew's side and believed his version of things when Drew emotionally abused her son. The only time she got angry at Drew was when she learned he slept with her mother. But he did this before they were together and while she was married to Michael, so even we still don't see the big deal.

Oh, and let's not forget that Willow stalked Sasha and Daisy and ran them out of town. The only thing that can redeem Willow at this point is if she has some alters residing inside her and one of them is the one that shot Drew. Then, the real Willow has to finish the job. Please. And thank you.

The 'Is This Really Him?' Award

Talk about a recast. How is this even Michael Corinthos? Rory Gibson's take on the character is such a total and complete 180 that we are floored. While Chad Duell gave us one Michael, Rory Gibson gives us another one who is more dark, brooding, and calculating than the one we watched grow from a teen into a man. Both Michaels were great, but this Michael takes the character to a whole other level.

Michael is even being written differently. He is much more self-assured than he ever was before, and that's exactly what we want to see from Sonny and Carly's son. Michael Corinthos, where have you been all of our lives?

The Story That Was Not Supposed to Work Award

Retconned kids don't always work, but they do when that retconned kid plays the violin as spectacularly as Gio Palmieri — and Giovanni Mazza — do. We had an inkling around this time last year that Gio would end up being Brook Lynn and Dante's never-before-heard-of son in a story in which Brook Lynn and Dante had a never-before-heard-of romance.

The story got off to an odd start, as Cody, whom Brook Lynn did not know when he first parachuted into the Metro Court pool, was suddenly the summer camp confidante she told about her pregnancy. But as Lois revealed the information to Marty, and Lulu found the info during her search for Charlotte, things grew more compelling.

The added touch of Dante resenting Gio after he failed to take care of a drunk Rocco properly worked perfectly. Brook Lynn and Gio were already close because her family helped raise him, but Gio's dad now had an issue with him. By the time the reveal came at the Nurses' Ball, we were invested. And we became even more so as every single character in this story broke our hearts in the days that ensued. From a crushed Gio and a shocked Brook Lynn to a stunned Dante and some truly taken aback grandparents, this story has everything and still does. And now it has Gio playing the violin again, too.

The Absolute Most Wasted Character EVER Award

Ok, what gives? Why does General Hospital hate Elizabeth? What has she ever done to this show except be a reliable heroine since the 1990s? After they trapped her in a dead-end gag-us (not ball gag) romance with Hamilton Finn for more than two years, it then did nothing with her. Jason is still there, but pining after Britt. Lucky was in town for a hot minute. Ric will do anything for her. But Liz? Nope. She is all alone. No man. No kids around. Just eye mites and a spare bedroom for her adulterous friends. That is all Liz is relegated to — playing slumber party with female hospital staff members who screw up their lives. Sigh.

The Other Retcon That Worked Award

Monica had a long-lost sister. Her name is Ronnie. She was played by Erika Slezak, who is probably going to get another Emmy for her mantle. And that is why the story worked. Erika Slezak, FTW.

The Longest Planned Retirement on Earth Award

Wasn't Sonny Corinthos, soaps' oldest mobster, supposed to retire this year? He talked about it over and over and even had heart surgery at some point, but we are still not sure why.

Sonny's year was a fascinating one, indeed. Natalia's in, Natalia's out. He didn't want to sell his piers, but then he sold his piers. He wanted to retire, but hasn't retired. He still has no idea who planted the fire bomb in his apartment a year ago, but at least he lives in Valentin's house now and it's a pretty nice house, so there's that.

So, is Sonny going to retire in 2026? Will he get his piers back? Will he bring down Sidwell? Will he find love? Will he solve the three-year-old Pikeman mystery? (Was that solved? We are still not sure.) Will he and Laura decide they are madly in love after all these years? (That would be so fun!)

The Instant Presumed Dead Family Award

So, hmmm, Liesl Obrecht had no kids. They both died. So, she left town for a few years and returned because Rocco wanted to know a woman he thought might be his kinda-sorta grandma. Then, lo and behold, one child returned when Britt ended up back in Port Charles after dying in her mom's arms nearly three years ago.

And now Nathan is back. And we are not sure why he is back or if he is Nathan and the whole thing is just plain weird. Faison might even be alive, too, but we are not 100 percent sure of that. We just know that someone kidnapped Anna and is trying to make her believe Faison is back. At Wyndemere. Cause that's right, Sidwell is somehow involved with this, as he is involved with everything else.

Sidwell essentially ate Port Charles, right along with Drew, this year. We also don't think it's a coincidence that Sidwell chose to put Maxie in a coma to keep her mouth shut just as Nathan was set to return. Liesl, buckle up, cause 2026 is sure to be fascinating...

The Snore and Bore Award

Trina and Kai? What is the point? They are boring. They are beyond boring. And Trina deserves SOOOOO much more interesting than Kai. Like Dex, he has no past, no family, nothing. He is just a guy who is there and nothing more. Where were his parents when he was hospitalized? Where were his parents when he had surgery? Where does he even live? Kai feels like a placeholder for something more for Trina, but we are not sure what. Could Kai and Trina have been interesting? Perhaps. But the writing could have been better, so that there was actually a point here.

The We Really Like Them Award

Sometimes couples emerge that you root for from the start and sometimes you're just not sure about them but grow to love them anyway. We had both this year on GH. First, there was the sweet and slow romance between Emma and Gio. Their love grew from friendship as they became each other's person. When they finally kissed, the sweetness was just the right amount of sugar. Perfection, indeed.

And then there is Molly and Cody. When she first found him in a jail cell in her position as assistant district attorney, we were still smarting from Molly and TJ's breakup, and were appalled that the show was actually chem-testing these two after turning Sasha and Cody into cousins for no real reason.

But after months (and months and months) of a slow burn...something (can we use the word romance?), Molly and Cody finally kissed on Christmas Eve. And we were happy. The end.

The Worst Career Planning Award

And finally, what on Earth is happening to Josslyn and why? No, really. Why is Josslyn a WSB agent? We will never stop asking this question. (Anna will also probably never stop asking this. And Carly. Even Valentin.) Josslyn cosplaying as a super spy will never work, so please, 2026, find this girl a new career. STAT. Yes, maybe she should just go back to her idea of becoming a doctor, since this is General Hospital, after all. Over and out, and Happy New Year!

Catch all-new episodes of General Hospital weekdays on ABC and Hulu.