General Hospital Recap: Monica’s Emotional Memorial Begins — and Drew Crashes The Service!
The family and friends of Monica Quartermaine (Leslie Charleson) gathered together at All Saints Chapel on the September 25 episode of General Hospital to say good-bye to the beloved doctor and matriarch. The lovely memorial service featured moving speeches from Elizabeth (Rebecca Herbst), Laura (Genie Francis), Jason (Steve Burton), Michael (Rory Gibson) — and even Monica’s enemy, Lucy (Lynn Herring). But what wasn’t on the program was uninvited guest Drew (Cameron Mathison) crashing the service! Keep on reading to see how it all went down.
Here In Spirit
In the Quartermaine foyer, Ned picked up a framed photo of Monica and flashed back to a conversation they’d once had about Alan, during which Monica called him an irreplaceable friend. Olivia descended the stairs, and they tearfully discussed how Monica’s presence would forever be a part of the house and the family. “Whether she’s physically here or not,” Olivia sniffed, looking up to the ceiling, “it doesn’t really matter. This will always be Monica’s house.”
Brook Lynn, Chase, and Dante then joined them, and Chase went ahead to the church to check on something for Michael. Before leaving for the church, Olivia asked Ned if he had “the letter,” and he patted the inside pocket of his suit jacket. Next, Tracy came downstairs, chastising them for standing around when they needed to go say good-bye to Monica.
Man On A Mission
Martin arrived at Drew’s hospital room, surprised to see him in a wheelchair, dressed in a suit. Martin didn’t think it was a good idea for Drew to crash the private memorial service. Drew shot back that he was aware that the family didn’t want him there, but he had every right to be in attendance. Despite the rocky status of their relationship at the end, Drew shared, Monica had accepted him as soon as she’d learned he was Alan’s son. Drew reluctantly admitted that shortly before her death, Monica had reached out, but he didn’t return her call because he thought she’d side with the rest of the family over Scout. Drew said he would always regret losing sight of how important Monica was to him, but he refused to let his anger toward the rest of the family stop him from saying good-bye to his mom.
Martin questioned whether Drew attending was what Monica would have wanted, but Drew was confident that they would have eventually reconciled. “Look, we loved each other. She’s the only mother I’ve ever known,” he stated, then flashed back to the Thanksgiving Day when he delivered pizza to the Quartermaine mansion. Back in the present, Drew got angry at the thought of the Qs keeping him from celebrating Monica’s life and Jason pretending that he was her only son. Pointing out how angry Drew sounded, Martin wondered if going to the memorial was really about Monica… or another way for Drew to screw with his family.
The Welcome Wagon
Jason was alone in the chapel when Elizabeth entered. After they shared a hug, Jason said that it didn’t seem real that Monica was gone. When Liz noted that Sonny and Carly wouldn’t be attending the memorial service, Jason acknowledged that Monica blamed Sonny for taking him away from the family, but it had been his own choice. Jason added that by keeping his distance from the Quartermaines for so long after his accident, he caused his mother a lot of pain. Liz reassured him that no matter what had happened in the past, Monica was happy to have had him living at the mansion for the past year.
Laura was next to enter the church and extended her condolences while pulling Jason in for a hug. Lesley had planned to attend, Laura noted, but had gotten sick and was unable to travel. Lulu checked in with Michael, remembering how Monica had allowed her to live at the mansion when Luke was married to Tracy. Stella and Jordan arrived. Knowing that small talk was not Jason’s cup of tea, Michael offered to relieve his uncle of hosting duties, but Jason insisted that he be the one to greet everyone so he could thank them for honoring his mother. As Jason welcomed Felicia and Lucy, Felicia recalled how Monica’s hands had been the ones to give Maxie new life when she’d had a heart transplant as a child. When Lucy began to ramble about how brilliant Monica was, even if she was no saint, Felicia nudged her friend to hush.
Across the chapel, Lulu wondered if her mom knew what she was going to say during her eulogy. Laura had a pretty good idea, even if it had been hard to narrow it down since she and Monica had been through so much together. Then, Laura recalled a conversation they’d had about the wellness group when Monica was battling breast cancer. Returning to the present, Laura told her daughter, “I think I will just speak from the heart and hope that I can find the words to express what Monica meant to me.”
When Gio arrived, he explained to Jason that he wasn’t there as a member of the family but to honor Monica, who had welcomed him into her home, not even knowing that they were related. He hoped that some people didn’t get the wrong idea about why he was there, Gio added, just as his parents entered the church’s foyer. Smiling, Brook Lynn told her son that Monica would have been so touched that he came, and Dante added that she’d loved hearing Gio play the violin. The chit-chat took an awkward turn when Gio declined Dante’s invitation to sit with them. Once their son had entered the church, Dante and Brook Lynn agreed that his being there at all was progress, and once Chase got there, he was surprised to see Gio in attendance. Brook Lynn swallowed her irritation over observing Gio’s warm greeting to Lulu.
Finally, Ned, Olivia, and Tracy (who took a deep breath as she crossed the threshold) arrived. Hearing from Michael that Jason had been the one to welcome the guests, Tracy noted that it would have made Monica very happy. Entering the church itself, Tracy froze at the sight of the flowers and Monica’s portrait, but pulled herself together after receiving a reassuring smile from Stella.
Tears In Heaven
The memorial service got underway with Ned speaking first, sharing that Monica had wanted a gathering to celebrate her life, not a sad occasion. In a heartfelt speech, he called Monica the anchor of the family, who was always ready to welcome people into “her” house; Tracy then recalled a moment when Monica teased her about the house that Alan gave her, doing so because it always got Tracy riled up. Then, when Ned said that the Qs all felt a little lost without Monica at the house, Olivia flashed back to when Monica told her to think of the estate as her house, too. Back at the pulpit, Ned pulled the letter out of his coat pocket, which turned out to be a note from Monica. There was hardly a dry eye in the church as he struggled to read Monica’s words, where she asked her loved ones to share their memories, to be happy, and promised them that she’d had a wonderful life and she loved them all.
Next, Elizabeth spoke, sharing how she’d known Monica her entire life since she was close friends with Grandma Audrey, and that she’d been intimidated by “the Dr. Quartermaine, Chief of Staff” when she first began working at G.H. But Monica was patient with colleagues and patients alike. “We were her second family, and she took care of us. Just like she took care of the Quartermaines,” Liz professed. Then, Elizabeth flashed back to when Monica confronted her about Jake being Jason’s child, and back in the present, she expressed how lucky she was to be a part of both of Monica’s families and that Jake was lucky to be her grandson.
Mayor Collins was the next to share her memories of Monica, whom she first met when she was a teenager volunteering at G.H. as a candy striper. She was always impressed by Monica, Laura noted, especially seeing how she navigated her way around the Quartermaine family and dealt with formidable patriarch Edward. At the mention of her father’s name, Tracy flashed back to a conversation she and Monica had after Edward’s heart attack when her sister-in-law praised her for taking such good care of him. Noticing how upset Tracy was, Ned grabbed his mother’s hand, and Brook Lynn lovingly placed her hand on her grandmother’s shoulder from the pew behind.
Continuing her tribute, Laura spoke of how much Monica loved and treasured her family, and of the heartbreaking losses she’d suffered with the deaths of son AJ, daughters Emily and Dawn, and husband Alan. Laura also praised Monica’s strength through her battles with breast cancer and alcoholism, and how her struggles deepened her compassion for others. Then, Felicia remembered the time she’d brought Monica a get-well picture from a young Maxie, who was sure that Monica would get better soon because G.H. had the best doctors and nurses. Finishing her speech, Laura said that Monica’s legacy would live on in her family and in her legacy at the hospital.
Second Thoughts
Tracy was scheduled to speak next, but she couldn’t bring herself to stand up. Lucy told Felicia that Tracy would regret it for the rest of her life if she didn’t say a few words about Monica and decided to buy Tracy more time by speaking herself. To the shock of those gathered, Lucy stepped up to the altar. Lucy began her speech by saying that while they were more rivals than friends, she and Monica had a shared passion. The entire crowd breathed a sigh of relief when Lucy said that passion was the Nurses’ Ball (and not Alan), and Laura shook her head in disbelief as Lucy carried on about how important the special event was to both of them.
“And, of course, we also shared a husband, the dearly departed Alan,” Lucy chirped, as Felicia looked horrified and Laura disgusted. As she spoke about how much she and Monica hated one another, Lucy flashed back to one of their verbal sparring matches over the doctor. Returning to the present, Lucy noted that no matter how often they fought, Alan and Monica were the loves of each other’s lives. Dante and Lulu shared a look from across the church as Lucy reflected that the lesson they all learned from Alan and Monica was that love doesn’t look the same for every couple, and it made her happy to know that Alan and Monica were back together again.
Then, Olivia wondered if anyone else was going to speak from the family, and Jason stood up. Taking a deep breath, Jason shared that Monica loved Alan so much, she’d taken him in when he was a baby and chose to be his mother. Growing emotional, Jason stated that even when he tried to push her away, Monica had faith that he’d find his way back to her. After remembering a time when Monica expressed her love for him, Jason tearfully shared that it took him a long time to realize his mother loved him unconditionally, and it wasn’t until he became a father that he realized how deep that love ran for Emily, AJ, and himself. Jason’s words resonated with Gio, who looked across the church to Brook Lynn. Speaking on behalf of all of Monica’s children, Jason thanked the crowd for being there. Then, turning around, he placed his hands on the casket and choked out, “I don’t think I said it enough, but I love you, Mom. I love you.”
Funeral Crasher
As Jason returned to his seat, Tracy hissed at Michael that it was his turn as the last speaker. Ned mentioned that everyone would understand if Tracy needed a minute to collect her thoughts, but she was adamant that Michael was holding things up. After a nod from Brook Lynn, Michael went to the altar to deliver his memories of his grandmother. He recalled how, despite being a powerful woman at G.H., she always made time for him and then for his children. After inviting everyone back to “Monica’s house” to continue celebrating her, Michael asked if anyone else had something to say before they parted. Then, to the shock of everyone gathered, the church doors opened, and Drew wheeled himself in!
Do you think that Drew will get tossed out of the church? Which flashback of Monica did you like the best? Let us know what you thought of today’s GH in the comments below!
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