The vibes surrounding Ava (Maura West) on General Hospital have some viewers worried it may be lights out for the beloved actress.
When Ava busted on the scene during May sweeps in 2013, she added another layer of drama. She was a Jerome — a part of the General Hospital 80s mob crime family.
It was messy, and the addition added another layer of 80s nostalgia to the show. Ava was also added to give Derek Wells, later revealed to be Julian Jerome (William deVry), another family member.
And while she has been around for 11 years, there is speculation that Ava could be done for, or at least exiting Port Charles in the coming weeks.
The writers have backed Ava into a corner. She lives with Sonny (Maurice Benard), knowing his medication dosage is off. This is reminiscent of the storyline with Morgan (Bryan Craig), which ended in his death because she messed with his medication.
Could this be the end of Ava on General Hospital?
Is Maura West leaving General Hospital?
Casting is typically hush-hush in the world of soaps. The network and show executives don’t comment on comings and goings, so there is no clear-cut answer about whether Maura West is leaving General Hospital.
However, rumors on “Soap Twitter” have been swirling for several days, indicating Maura is leaving the ABC soap.
One X user wrote, “If Maura West leaves #GH, she should become a cousin of Brooke’s on #BoldandBeautiful, down on her luck, who is out for some of that Forrester money. KKL vs Maura. She could mix it up with Ridge and even $Bill.”
Another said, “Open Thread to @GeneralHospital, @nathanvarni & @valentinifrank : I’ll cut to the chase #SoapTwitter has been awash with rumors that Maura West may be let go from #GH. I tend to not comment on such things but this is an exception because, if true, this is a grave mistake…1/14.”
Someone else said if General Hospital was “stupid” enough to let Maura West go, they deserved to continue to hemorrhage in the ratings department.
General Hospital is setting up a whodunnit
This isn’t soap fans’ first rodeo when someone gets backed into a corner on a daytime drama.
There is a feeling that the General Hospital writers are working on a whodunnit mystery regarding Ava.
The character has been backed into a corner and essentially torn apart. Yes, she came on the scene as a villain, but the things happening now aren’t necessarily characteristic of her.
Other clues have been mentioning her shooting and killing Connie Falconeri (Kelly Sullivan) and her dissolved friendship with Nina (Cynthia Watros).
When it comes out that Ava knew about Sonny’s meds and continued to enable it to happen, there will be hell to pay. It was also revealed that Ava had a part in Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn) losing her law license because of what she believed the lawyer did to her brother, Julian.
This sets up several people who may want to get rid of Ava in one way or another, and it also opens up the show for a storyline that will carry them for at least a few months.
Will Maura West be exiting General Hospital? Is there a way forward for Ava in Port Charles despite the less-than-stellar writing?
General Hospital airs weekdays on ABC.