GH: Brenda Comes Home

The latest in General Hospital news is the return of Vanessa Marcil in her role of Brenda Barrett. The character that first appeared in Port Charles over 15 years ago is loved and missed by many. Of course, while many love Brenda some do not and worry the character will take over the canvas.

My hope with the return of Brenda is that they don’t forget what made the character entertaining in the first place, and don’t erase her past relationships. In recent years, Brenda has only been mentioned in passing due to Stone Cold Jason Morgan’s unfortunately pink guest room as she lived there as Jason’s wife. The marriage between Jason and Brenda was short-lived and for convenience sake. It occurred during Vanessa’s last stint on GH. Way back Jason and Brenda dated, but once Jason had his head injury they were no longer the friends they once were.

While Brenda no longer has any biological family in Port Charles, she does have friends and past love interests. Having Brenda back in town hopefully will give Robin more to do, as they have been close since high school. Edward had a soft spot for her also. The big GH triangle of the 1990s was Brenda torn between Jax and Sonny. The hatred those men share continues to this day, and has been exacerbated by Jax’s marriage to Sonny’s former wife Carly. The issues between Jax and Sonny aren’t just about the safety of Carly, Michael and Morgan as their roots began with Brenda. It will be interesting to see how and if Brenda will interact with Sonny’s children as that’s the future she never had.

Of course, it is possible Brenda’s return will just add more ammunition in the battle among Jason, Sonny and Jax. While Jason has been loyal to Sonny for years, their relationship has even become more strained. Jason is no longer on Sonny’s side, but Michael’s and will do his best for him even if it defies Sonny. Jax will do anything to protect Carly and her children, but throwing Sonny aside hasn’t fixed anything. Sonny is trying, but his loyalties are in conflict as while he wants to help Michael he cannot totally turn his back on his oldest son Dante.

The other story I hope that Brenda gets involved in is Carly’s plot to destroy Dante and Lulu’s relationship. While Brenda doesn’t know Dante, and Lulu was just a girl when she left Port Charles, she should love Brook the girl Carly is paying to destroy the couple. Brook’s mom Lois and Brenda were business partners and best friends. I doubt Brenda would be happy that Brook would be selling herself to get out of debt.

Whatever may happen with Vanessa Marcil’s return, I hope it goes well and does not muddy the love people have for the character of Brenda. The character has ties to all the major families and she should be able to interact with all of them.