General Hospital has gone above and beyond serving up redemption for the artist formerly known as Franco (Roger Howarth). At the moment, Franco is nowhere to be found, having sacrificed himself so that Cam’s (William Lipton) brain could be preserved and saved.
In a weird twist of fate, trying to save Franco could mean the end of the man. His loved ones are desperate for Franco to regain his memories, and lose the implanted memories of Drew (Billy Miller).
They have reacted badly to this situation. His dad, Scott (Kin Shriner) wanted him quarantined against his will. Now, Scott and Elizabeth (Rebecca Herbst) have decided to have him involuntarily committed to Shadybrook as a way of keeping him from leaving town.
At what point does all of this shady wheeling and dealing cross the line?
It’s an odd dilemma. On the one hand, you have someone who isn’t himself theoretically, so his decision making could be questioned. On the other hand, his loved ones are willing to forcibly manipulate him for his own good.
It’s easy to assume that once Franco is committed, if this happens, they will try to operate on him without his consent. Is this ok? I mean, the same thing happened to Ryan (Jon Lindstrom) when he was sedated and his kidney taken against his will. It depends, I guess, on who’s doing the manipulating and for what reason!
The better question may be, what happens if Franco is altered? There’s no guarantee any attempt to restore his memories will work, and the alternative scenarios are downright scary.
What if the procedure doesn’t work and he remains Drew? Should they try, try again, till his brain turns to mush?
What if somehow wires get crossed and he comes out with a different personality that was somehow embedded in the demented doctor’s memory stick?
Or, what if Franco undergoes a restorative procedure and he comes out the old Franco who existed as a murderer and a psycho?
For now, there are no easy answers!
General Hospital airs weekdays on ABC.