GH: In an Early 80s Haze

I've been catching up on the General Hospital marathon viewing the late 70s and early 80s episodes. I feel like I'm in a time warp or some sort of haze. Below are my general thoughts on the episodes from 1979-1981 that were in this weekend's marathon.

For the record, I did watch the second 1963 episode, which was mainly about Jessie (Emily McLaughlin)  being insecure about her marriage to the younger Dr. Phil Brewer. Phil and Steve work together in the hospital.

The first chronologically was the December 13, 1979 episode, which focused on the birth of AJ. Monica (Leslie Charleson) is delirious and tells Lesley (Denise Alexander) that Rick (Chris Robinson) is the father of her baby. At this point, Monica is married to Alan (Stuart Damon), and he assumes he's the father, but Rick cheated on Lesley with Monica, so it is possible he is the dad. Tracy (Jane Elliot) is also on this episode with Edward (David Lewis). Tracy's husband Mitch (Christopher Pennock) is out having an affair and returns lying to her about his whereabouts.

The second chronologically was the May 16, 1980 episode, which focused on the end of Rick and Lesley's marriage. Lesley went to court to get a divorce, and felt like it was an assembly line. The material was quite sad. Scott (Kin Shriner) and Laura (Genie Francis) are still married. They are friends with Luke (Tony Geary) and his fiance Jennifer, which just seems so odd considering what happens later. Jessie and Dan are involved, but she cannot commit to him fully, and Jeff (Richard Dean Anderson) is still dealing with the emotional fallout from Heather's actions. Since she's institutionalized, he can't move on yet with Annie Logan (Susan Pratt).

The third chronologically was the June 19, 1980 episode. Luke has found out that his boss Frank Smith (George Gaynes) has hired some corrupt people. Bobbie (Jackie Zeman) and Ruby (Norma Connelly) are worried about how this may effect, them, but Frank agreed with Luke. Alan is in the hospital due to what happened at the docks. Amy (Shell Kepler) and Alan share scenes and secrets as Amy changed the blood type of the baby temporarily. Monica is trying to get confirmation that Alan is the father of her baby, due to the inheritance issue with the Quartermaine family.

The fourth chronologically was the July 7, 1980 episode, though it was still the 4th of July in Port Charles. Scotty and Laura talk about their anniversary, and Frank gives them a pass for missing the party which will be held for Luke and Jennifer due to it being their special day. Brian and Claudia are also at the party. Luke wants to get information on Frank Smith as he suspects his boss of wrongdoing. Joe (Doug Sheehan) has a special pie from Kelly's at the event. Monica provokes Alan to admit to his crimes of trying to kill her and Rick. These scenes were intense and Alan was menacing. This included what happened at the docks, which is why he was in the hospital in the June episode.

The fifth chronologically was the August 6, 1980 episode. This was the one where Luke and Laura danced in Wyndham's department store, kiss though she falls asleep and Hutch is following them. I saw this episode many years ago on Daytime to Remember. The Monica, Rick and Alan situation is still in full force. Alan takes advantage of how Monica and Rick want to work at a clinic on the docks. Since Frank Smith isn't going to be helping to fund GH, Alan took advantage with the help of his father Edward. They spoke with Steve and Audrey (Rachel Ames) at the Floating Rib where Susan was a hostess. Lesley was out on a date as well. There is to be a benefit and both Monica and Rick have to go.

The sixth chronologically was the February 16, 1981 episode. This episode was like deja vu, as it involved Heather Webber (Robin Mattson) escaping from an institution. Alan is nearly caught in a lie after Amy forgets to share phone messages with both him and Monica. Amy tells Monica that Susan called Alan, but he had already told the whole family he'd be out of town. Alan meets up with Susan in the home he bought for her. He can see her place from the Q mansion. Jeff gets extremely upset with Diana, when she tells him that PJ is Steven Lars, and that must have been what Peter tried to tell him before he died.

The seventh chronologically was the August, 11, 1981 episode. Robert Scorpio (Tristan Rogers) is with Luke and Laura on a deserted island. Hutch is in the hospital bonding with Rose Kelly. Tiffany (Sharon Wyatt) is an actress who feels like a prisoner with the Cassadines.

The eighth chronologically was the September 21, 1981 episode. This was the Ice princess episode, where Luke broke the code and was shown on Daytime to Remember in 1997. The main locations were the island, where Victor, Luke, Laura and Robert were. The hospital, where Amy was a great help and a command center for all of Pot Charles, and Kelly's Diner. Dr. Noah is with Nurse Anne and Rose and Joe calls up about Diana's murder.

The last episodes from 1981 were three days from November (16, 17 & 18) which were about Luke and Laura's wedding. They showed them preparing for the wedding, the ceremony, and the reception. The 18th had Luke and Laura away on their honeymoon. Over the years, I've seen all three of these episodes, which is why I'm not summarizing them.

I've enjoyed what I've seen of the General Hospital marathon so far and was surprised by how many episodes they had in a two year period. While I would have loved to see material from even earlier, I know that much of it has been destroyed, so I'm not complaining.