GH: Anna becoming a Grandma

Was this story just a way to devalue the character of Anna or something else entirely?


This year, Anna Devane will become a grandmother as her daughter; Robin Scorpio is having a child with her boyfriend Patrick Drake. Instead of being thrilled over this news she was horrified over the idea of being a grandma. At first, she acted out due to the pregnancy, which included getting drunk with Luke Spencer and dressing/acting more conservatively. Anna couldn't be both a super spy and be a mother to someone who was a mother. Robin wasn't happy with her mother's behavior, and wanted her support. It isn't exactly easy to be a pregnant single woman with HIV. When Robin became HIV Positive in the 90s, the door was closed to her from becoming a mother, but science has advanced to the point that it is possible. Due to this, Anna should have been even more thankful that Robin could have a child.

Once Anna got to the point of accepting the "grandma" moniker, her groupie past came back to haunt her. In 2007, it was revealed that Anna was a huge fan of Eli Love. Eli Love is Dr. Noah Drake's look-alike. Anna would go to see Eli perform between spy missions. While happy that Eli was back in Port Charles for a visit, she wanted to keep the fact that Robin was pregnant a secret from Eli.

While she had come to grips with getting older, rock star Eli wouldn't like the idea of being involved with someone like her. Robin hid her midsection from Eli, but one night Robin and Patrick ran into Eli and Anna at Jake's, and her pregnancy was visible. At first Eli acted like it was no big deal, that Anna was going to be a grandmother, but a reporter came to Jake's that night. Eli called Anna an old friend and mentioned some girlfriend. Patrick was so angry at Eli's treatment of Anna that the doctor punched him in the jaw.

At General Hospital, Eli was checked out and his jaw was fine. If he couldn't perform, Patrick would have been in a world of trouble. Eli still tried to score points with Anna, but he refused to be in public with her. Noah hearing this punched Eli. He gave tickets to his concert for Anna to go. Robin wanted her to go to make Eli jealous. Patrick and Robin made Anna change her mind.

Robin came up with a plan try to get back her Mom's mojo. She asked for Sonny's help and he allowed her to borrow Max and Milo. After the concert, Max and Milo wearing masks pretended to attack Eli. Anna seeing this put her training to good use and subdued them. Eli was impressed by this and wanted to date Anna regardless of her age. Once it was revealed he wanted nothing to do with his son Elijah beyond paying child support, Anna was over him and wondered why she saw anything in Eli.

So what was the moral of this summer story?

Is there a deeper meaning or was it just about disrespecting a long term character by having her act out of character (Anna being a groupie and then upset about being a grandma)?

When I first saw this material, I was horrified and annoyed with how GH was writing Anna. I didn't appreciate the character being used just as a comedic foil. What kind of person has issues with becoming a grandma? Then my mind began to wonder and it hit me, in soap lore there are stories about actresses who didn't want their characters to become a grandparent. Could this be a play on that lore? Would the staff at General Hospital be clever enough to slip this into their show?

Anna being upset about getting older and she came to the realization that it wasn't important. She could still be the powerful secret agent regardless of her age. That is a good message, isn't it?

Would a show that has barely plays or has gotten rid of most of the characters who are grandparents really potentially make a statement about how it is ludicrous to be upset about being a grandparent?

Was it that they were trying to make fun of the people who whine about the lack of older performers?

See you wanted to see this character over forty and/or first appeared on this show prior to 2000, so we'll come up with the most ludicrous material possible, so you will feel relieved when they aren't on screen?