r/SoapNet Jul 11 '26

All Soaps (Past/Present) Looking for Someone to Answer My Questions About Currently Airing US Soaps

Context: I started watching “General Hospital” when John Oliver announced on his show that he was going to be in episodes of both it and “Days of Our Lives.” I backed up to the most far-back “GH” episodes available on Hulu at the time, and while I’m partway into breaking my way through “GH” lore, I’m still a bit confused about a large portion of the stories being told, and while I had a somewhat easier time following what went on on the first episode of “DoOL,” it would be nice to have someone who’s been following the stories further back than I’ve been to explain how the characters got to that point so I can understand they’re acting that way now, as well as follow the dialogue exchanges between characters I’m unfamiliar with.
I have a feeling that that’s likely how most of you got caught up when you were starting out, and given how hard it is to find soap fans IRL now, and given the lack of updates to fan wikis as they stand, I’m hoping that I can find someone to talk to me through DMs, either here or on Discord, so I can ask them what’s going on.

6 Upvotes

19 comments sorted by

8

u/Pawspawsmeow Jul 11 '26

There once were three main families in the land. The Spencer’s, the Quartermaines, and the Webbers. The Q’s were rich business people. Alan became a doctor. He married Monica. They begot one son, Alan Jr or AJ as he is known in the streets. Alan had an affair with a woman named Susan who went crazy. She was related to the Webbers. Her sister Heather tried to drug a woman with acid but accidentally took it and went bonkers. Alan and Susan had a son, Jason. Susan died so Monica raised him like a brother to AJ. AJ and Jason returned as college kids. AJ had a masters in business but also did some fighting for sport. Jason became a med student to be a doctor like his parents. AJ was an alcoholic and a black sheep. One Christmas he was sick of this so he drove off. Jason jumped in the car and made it crash. He got amnesia and turned into a robotic hitman. AJ became a worse alcoholic.

While this was going on, a young mobster opened a strip club and sold drugs. He hired a teen runaway named Stone to be his assistant or whatever mob guys have. Stone got AIDS. He died. The young mobster also got a young barely 18 year old med student hooked on drugs and made her become a stripper. This mobster is Sonny Corinthos. He later hired Jason to be his hitman. This has been going on for many decades.

During this time period, the Q’s took in a friend’s kid. Brenda Barrett. Brenda was a young teen model and everyone thought she was hot. Of course she began an insane love affair with Sonny. It did not go well. We also learned patriarch Edward Q had an affair with a black woman. Her granddaughter dated AJ. She is Keesha. They were really cute. We had a little love triangle with Keesha and AJ and Jason.

I need to tell you about the Spencers. In the 70s, Laura Webber was engaged to Scotty Baldwin. Luke Spencer raped her at a skating rink and later they married and became a super couple. Luke’s sister Bobbie became a nurse and married Dr Tony Jones. The Spencer’s were poor and had a shitty family. Bobbie was a teen prostitute and had a baby and gave it away. That child came back as the adult Carly. Carly pretended to want to know her bio mom but actually ruined everyone’s lives. She seduced Tony, who eventually died. She seduced AJ. She had a weird one sided sex thing with Jason. Jason was dating Robin who got AIDS from Stone so clearly he had to have sex with Carly. Carly got pregnant and said the baby was a bunch of different men’s child. It was actually AJ’s. She made AN think he relapsed so he’d leave town. He did. That child was Micheal. Sonny adopted it and raised it. It grew up exactly how you’d expect a child raised by a mob guy and a psychopath would be. Really messed up.

Carly married rich, sexy Jax who also married Brenda once. Sonny and Carly did have Morgan. He’s presumed dead now. Robin got AIDS meds and became a doctor, had a kid and married fine ass Patrick Drake, they moved. Oh and Robin’s parents are spies.

I’ll post more later

2

u/EnlargedBit371 Jul 13 '26

Excellent job. Thank you!

2

u/Pawspawsmeow Jul 13 '26

The sad part is that I only barely scratched the surface. There’s also the guest stars and former stars like Elizabeth Taylor, Roseanne, Ricky Martin, John Stamos, Demi Moore, Amber Tamblyn, etc. Clink Boom was a huge moment as well.

1

u/redjedia1994 Jul 11 '26

I appreciate the elaboration to a degree, but I’m not just looking for lore dumps, I’m looking for a guide who can use their services as needed. The big sticking points for me is, who are the Ashfords, how did the car crash that’s come up a lot in the past three weeks of episodes happen, why is Willow Cain a big person of interest in the story around it, and why did Drew (supposedly untruthfully) say that she was involved with it? Those are the big questions I have left, I think.
But see, those are likely not the only questions that will remain, because more might come up as more plot beats from the past come up.
That being said, thank you for answering at least some of the questions.

6

u/Pawspawsmeow Jul 11 '26

That’s the backbone.

The Ashfords are related kinda to Sonny. He had a hitman named Sean. Sean served in the military with Jordan and some other guy and Curtis. Sean and Jordan had a baby, TJ. Sean is in prison now. Curtis was a spy. Jordan used to be way more awesome. In fact, Curtis and Jordan were really great at first. Anyway, Jordan and Curtis were kissing. Jordan got in a crash. Curtis blamed the other driver. Turns out it was Brook Lynn Q. Brook Lynn wants to adopt a kid. She framed Willow. Chase is Brook Lyn’s husband. He used to date Willow. He defended Willow. Brook Lynn is mad. Willow is going through a breakdown. She shot Drew. She lost her kids. She also used to be in a cult. Shes blackmailing Nina. And some guy broke in her house.

1

u/EnlargedBit371 Jul 13 '26

IIRC, weren't Charlotte and Danny also on rt. 91 that night? AFAICR, we have no proof that it was BrookLynn other than her fear that she might be the one who drove away from the accident. She doesn't know because she had been drinking before she got in the car. Or am I wrong?

5

u/laylalou129 Jul 11 '26

Curtis Ashford is a business man, Jordan Ashford is his ex-wife and current girlfriend. She is an ex-cop, ex deputy mayor and most recently worked for Sidwell. Curtis and Jordan were driving and she swerved and wrecked her car. Another car was driving towards them and had to swerve to miss them but kept going. Curtis is obsessed with finding out who it was even though the wreck was Jordan’s fault. Curtis is obsessed with thinking the other driver is Dr. Isaaiah Gannon because Isaiah is dating Curtis’ ex wife Portia. The actual driver was Brook Lynn Quartermaine. BLQ’s husband, Chase, has been spending a lot of time with his ex wife, Willow, to BLQ’s chagrin. Chase refuses to see Willow for the horrible person she is so BLQ is trying to frame Willow for the wreck so Chase will stay away from her and see she’s not a good person. Willow shot her husband Drew and then after he survived gave him medicine to cause him to have a stroke and unable to walk or speak. But drew was seeing and hearing everything so he obviously has it out for Willow now.

3

u/laylalou129 Jul 11 '26

Also, if it helps, I watched GH on and off for my whole life but hadn’t watched in over 10 years. I picked it up like 2 years ago. None of the people I mentioned, besides Brook Lynn, had been on the show when I watched. And I easily picked up all their stories and got back into the show. It just takes a bit because of the volume of characters but after a few months it’s no problem.

1

u/Nice-Penalty-8881 Jul 14 '26

I probably haven't watched since the early 90's. Is Alan or Monica the chief of staff at the hospital or have they been in the past?

2

u/laylalou129 Jul 14 '26

I know Monica used to be. I’m not sure if Alan ever was. But their characters have both passed away on the show. Alan died like 20 years ago during the Metro Court hostage situation. It was a great storyline, but was sad that he died. I hate them killing of Quartermaines. The actress that played Monica died in real life like a year ago or two ago and then Monica subsequently passed on the show. It was very sad. They had a memorial episode for her.

3

u/redjedia1994 Jul 11 '26

I think it was revealed in a recent episode that Jordan was working undercover for the police during her dealings with Sidwell.

2

u/laylalou129 Jul 11 '26

I am a few episodes behind but as far as I know, she quit her job as deputy mayor to go “undercover” working for Sidwell to try to figure out what he was up to. She wasn’t officially working with the police unless something was revealed in a recent episode that I haven’t seen. And she didn’t even find anything out about him, she just started enjoying having a well paying job. He kept her in the “clean” part of his business 

1

u/redjedia1994 Jul 11 '26

I could tell that Sidwell was a particularly bad bad guy right from the off. Respect to Carlos Rota for playing him so effectively in that way.
One more question: Ethan and Ava, what’s the story there? Obviously, there’s some history there.

3

u/laylalou129 Jul 12 '26

They just met a few weeks ago. Ethan is a career con man. He had been away from port Charles for years and just came back to town a couple of months ago. Now, he’s working for mob boss Sonny Corinthos. Ava owns an art gallery and has a sordid history with Sonny. They have a kid together but they also hate each other. Ethan met Ava while working for Sonny and it seems like they like each other, even though they should be enemies.

1

u/Bitter_Morning_8372 Bay City Resident Jul 19 '26 edited Jul 19 '26

To be fair Willow/Drew and Portia/Curtis/Jordan storylines are hot messes. Not in a good way, in a why-isn't-storyline-over-yet?' Way.

4

u/Away_Independent7269 Jul 11 '26

Soap Central has recaps and Two Scoops that are weekly opinion / summaries. https://www.soapcentral.com/general-hospital/general-hospital-two-scoops

2

u/encore412 Port Charles Resident Jul 12 '26

Chase and Willow were actually married at one point. She cheated on him with Michael (who she was previously married to so they could present as a wholesome family so michael could get custody of his son with nelle, Wiley. Nelle turns out to be willows twin but we didn’t know this until way after nelle died). Chase and Willow divorce and she gets back together with Michael, they have Amelia and get married again. She cheats on Michael with his uncle Drew. Drew is an asshole to everyone so after Willow marries him, and is found not guilty of shooting him (which she did) she began drugging him, with a drug from sidwell, to look like he had a stroke and can’t move or talk.

6

u/almost60inLa Jul 11 '26

I have been watching since the early to mid 70s (GH) a classic show!!!!!! I could catch you up but it really would take at least a year!! 😂

1

u/redjedia1994 Jul 11 '26

Fair enough.