One of the great things about General Hospital is that it doesn’t appear to be showing signs of aging. As the oldest soap opera currently on the air, General Hospital is rich in history and has an ensemble of very talented actors, which help to keep things fresh.

As a long-time viewer since 1981, I had the pleasure of watching one of the greatest soap events of all time live- The wedding of Luke and Laura. I’ll never forget how excited I was to see Laura Baldwin and Lucas Lorenzo Spencer tie the knot. In the days before the internet, if you didn’t watch live you missed it (unless you were fortunate to own a Beta or VCR).  Anyway, the Spencer family became one of my favorites on General Hospital and I eagerly followed their escapades.  In March, 2015, a new family member was introduced, Valerie.  It was revealed that Luke and Bobbie Spencer had an older sister Patricia and Valerie was her daughter.

I immediately took to the newest Spencer.  This was due to the actress who created the character, Brytni Sarpy.  There was a sensitivity as well as power in her performances. Having Valerie become involved with cousin Lulu’s husband Dante could have been the kiss of death for the character, who could have easily been dubbed homewrecker.  But through Brytni’s acting, viewers could see that Valerie wasn’t a bad person.  She made a mistake as a result of misunderstandings on the part of all parties involved.  Although the Dante/Valerie pairing was popular among fans, I feel that separating the characters and having Lulu and Valerie come to peace with what had happened helps cement the Spencer family bond.

But it looks like Valerie won’t be alone. A romance is developing between she and Curtis Ashford. Donnell Turner plays the exciting new General Hospital character. Curtis is the former brother-in-law of Police Commissioner Jordan, so he already has his own Port Charles family ties.  Curtis is charismatic and despite past mistakes, is basically a good guy. And he and Valerie have excellent chemistry.  They have the potential to be the next Jesse and Angie (The first black super couple from the now defunct All My Children).  General Hospital uses its African American characters in positive ways, not just as window dressing and should be applauded.

I look forward to seeing the romance of Valerie and Curtis develop as well as the characters’ interactions with other Port Charles residents.

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