General Hospital Recap: Drew Pressures Michael, Portia Hooks Up With Isaiah, and More!

Moves were made in the August 28 episode of General Hospital that will have serious repercussions moving forward. Portia (Brook Kerr) threw away her marriage to Curtis (Donnell Turner) and found comfort with Isaiah (Sawandi Wilson), Drew (Cameron Mathison) used his new leverage to threaten Michael (Rory Gibson), Dante (Dominic Zamprogna) and Gio (Giovanni Mazza) experienced a thaw — and that’s not all! Let’s run down all the drama…

A Step in the Right Direction

Brook Lynn arrived at the police station to urge Dante to go to the church to talk to Gio because their son was hurting. Dante was reluctant, given the state of their relationship, but she pressed, and he soon headed out. At the church, Gio talked aloud to his late mother and grimaced as he noted that he hadn’t been able to play the violin since finding out the truth about his birth parents. After Gio finished a prayer, Dante echoed his “amen” and asked if he could join him.

Gio assumed Brook Lynn sent him, and Dante said he should have remembered it was Camila’s birthday. He recalled how Gio would stay with them while his mother was on concert tours and brought up one specific Christmas Eve where one of the seven fishes caught fire, and while everyone else was dealing with the mess, he was left with Gio. He confessed that he had been terrified because it was the first time he’d held a baby, but recalled that when Camila came home, he could see the instant connection between mother and son.

As he moved to leave, Gio thanked him for the story, and Dante replied that he had plenty more. “I appreciate today,” Gio said haltingly, “but… I’m not… very interested in the two of us being close.” Dante understood, but made a point of finally apologizing for the way he’d treated Gio when Rocco was rushed to the hospital. Affected, Gio paused on his way out to turn back and ask what Dante would have done if he’d learned about him when he was younger. Dante said he’d like to think he would have stepped up to be the father he deserved, but they’d never know. “What I do know,” he added, “is that I’m really sorry I didn’t get the chance.”

Circling the Wagons

In the interrogation room, Stella refused to talk until her attorney was present. Trina arrived looking for her great aunt, but was told only her lawyer was allowed in right now. At that moment, Alexis arrived with Sonny in tow and demanded to speak with her client. As Alexis bought them all some time by pointing out where the investigators had failed to get a judge’s signature, Trina thanked Sonny for coming. He noted that this case was small potatoes for this particular unit, and Trina shared her suspicion that Stella was being targeted.

After Sonny visited with Stella, Trina took her turn. Sonny told Alexis that Stella wanted him to stay out of it, and Alexis agreed that was a good idea because his reputation would further complicate things. Sonny complained that Drew’s fingerprints were all over this and vowed, “Sooner or later, that son of a bitch is gonna pay.” Inside, Stella warned Trina to stay out of this or she would become one of Drew’s targets, too. On her way out, Trina asked Alexis to stay with Stella while she went to get some answers.

Tracy to the Rescue

Tracy was annoyed to find Martin in the Quartermaine kitchen, and he reluctantly admitted that he needed her help. She was stunned to learn that Stella stood accused of insurance fraud and agreed to use the Quartermaine name to leverage the hospital into backing her up. Tracy was annoyed that he’d opened his big mouth to Drew and set the whole mess in motion, calling Martin a buffoon. Still, she promised to do everything she could to help Stella — then ordered him out of her house. “It’s not your house,” Martin reminded her. “All this? Belongs to Monica.” After he left, Tracy stewed, irritated.

Later, Brook Lynn entered and informed Tracy that Alexis, Sonny, and Trina were at the police station supporting Stella. Tracy promised that Martin would pay for running his mouth. She asked her granddaughter why she was at the station, and Brook Lynn explained that Gio was in a bad way and she’d sent Dante after him. When Brook Lynn fretted that she would never have the same kind of relationship with her son that Camila had, Tracy tried to reassure her that Gio wasn’t done writing his story yet.

Drew Has a New Weapon

Drew barged into Michael’s office at Aurora to order him to bring Amelia and Wiley to Willow today and then apologize to his ex-wife and the kids for keeping them apart before announcing that he and Willow would share equal custody. Michael declined, reminding him of the judge’s ruling, but Drew revealed that it was null and void now that he knew it had been bought and paid for. When Michael insisted he had no idea what he was talking about, Drew explained that shortly before Judge Heran made her ruling, a million dollars appeared in her bank account. He warned that 50/50 custody was a great deal considering that if he exposed the bribery, Michael would be lucky to ever see his children again.

Dismissing the accusation, Michael accused the congressman of abusing his power once again. Drew promised to expose the bribery and ensure that the judge who replaced Heran would be swayed to Willow’s side. “This really isn’t shaping up well for you, is it, Michael?” he needled. Michael argued that if he had proof, he’d be shouting from the rooftops, and assumed Drew was planning to fabricate the evidence he needed. When Drew warned he was making a big mistake, Michael countered by threatening to postpone the custody hearing indefinitely. “So congratulations, Uncle Drew,” he hissed. “You may have just cost Willow the chance of getting her kids back a second time. This really isn’t working out for you, is it?” After Drew issued one final warning and left, Michael’s facade fell, and he looked legitimately concerned. In the hallway, Drew called Kai to ask him to locate Carly for him.

Damage Control

At Wyndemere, Sidwell was furious to learn that his son had told Drew about the custody judge being paid off. Marco argued that Michael would blame Sonny if the bribery cost him his kids — then Sonny would lose his son just like Marco lost his mother. Sidwell complained that he meant to use this leverage to gain control of Sonny’s piers, but Marco insisted he should pay for his part in Natalia’s death. “I agree!” Sidwell bellowed angrily. “That was all part of the plan — until you imploded it!” He declared that the best-case scenario was everything coming out. “Worst case is… far worse,” Sidwell cautioned. “Corinthos gets to Judge Heran first, figures out exactly who’s behind this, and we find ourselves staring down the barrel again.” They had to make sure they got to the judge first.

Meanwhile, Michael called Sonny to his office to brief him on Drew’s threats. Sonny promised that he did not bribe the judge, and Michael wondered if it had been Drew. Sonny decided that they should get the answers directly from Judge Heran herself.

The Bitter End

Curtis followed Portia into her office to ask what her outburst was about, and she complained that the drama with Stella gave him an excuse to work closely with his ex-wife, just as he’d always wanted. He reminded her that his aunt was just arrested, so he didn’t have time for her petty jealousy. Portia shot back, “You don’t have time for our marriage, period!” Curtis insisted nothing was going on between him and Jordan, but she didn’t believe him. Portia cried that he had more faith in Jordan than her, and Curtis groused that Portia’s default setting was lying to solve problems, like with Drew’s blackmail, which had led to Stella’s arrest. Portia insisted she had just been trying to protect Trina, and Curtis argued that he would have helped if she hadn’t cut him out.

Portia refused to apologize for her lies and accused him of living one. “You’ve been lying to me, Curtis,” she spat, tears in her eyes. “You lie next to me in bed every single night. You kiss me. You make love to me. You tell me how much you love me. And you may love me, but… your heart… your heart belongs to Jordan. And please don’t insult me by denying it.”

Curtis pointed out that he’d never given Jordan a second chance, but had given her more than one. Portia wondered if he’d only done that because he was on the rebound, and now wanted to get back together with his ex. He noted that he may have a history with Jordan, but he has a daughter with Portia. Upset, she came to the conclusion that the only reason they were still married was because he wanted the family he’d missed out on.

Curtis reminded Portia that her lies were the reason he didn’t know about Trina until she was older. Growing angrier, Curtis admitted that he’d been burying his resentment towards Portia, hoping it would go away, but it didn’t. Appreciating his honesty, Portia understood that he’d never forgive her for lying about Trina’s paternity, and she’d never forgive him for loving Jordan. Curtis was desperate to go help his aunt, but Portia tearfully declared that if he walked out that door, she’d know that their marriage was truly over. Grimly, Curtis walked out that door….

Opportunity Knocks

By the nurses’ station, Jordan asked Isaiah if he’d seen Curtis, and the doctor informed her that he was with his wife, putting extra emphasis on the word. Jordan reported she had news about Stella, and he bitterly wondered if they had to hear it from her. She asked what was up with the attitude, and Isaiah declared it was clear she and Curtis had feelings for each other, adding that he’d seen them together in the park. Jordan insisted she wouldn’t cross that line with a married man, and Isaiah questioned whether Curtis was fighting for his marriage as hard as Portia was. He sang Portia’s praises and said she didn’t deserve to be caught in the middle of Curtis and Jordan.

Jordan insisted nothing was going on between her and Curtis, but Isaiah wondered if Curtis felt the same. He lamented that they could have had something great together, but they never had a chance because her heart had always belonged to Curtis. Just then, Curtis showed up, and Isaiah stalked off, feeling proven right. Jordan told Curtis that her digging had proven that someone with strong political power had been behind the tip-off that got Stella arrested. Later, Drew was in his office calling Willow to update her on his progress with getting her kids back, and Curtis interrupted by pressing down on the phone base to hang up on her. “This crusade you have against my family needs to stop,” he announced. “You need to end it. Or I will end you.”

In her office, a distraught Portia threw her wedding photo across the room in a burst of rage and then grew frantic as she desperately tried to remove her wedding ring. Isaiah rushed in and offered to help, and as he held her hands, sparks flew. While working to get the ring off her finger, Isaiah gently wiped away her tears, and the charged moment led him to pull her into a passionate kiss. The couple continued making out as he dropped her ring to the floor and pressed her up against the bookcase, pulling off her coat.

Will Portia regret falling into Isaiah’s arms? Will Gio begin to accept Dante and Brook Lynn as his parents? Can anyone keep Stella out of prison? And which of Drew’s many enemies will follow through on their threat first? Share your thoughts and predictions about GH‘s storylines in the comments below!