Why General Hospital Fans Think Evil Esme Can't Really Be Dead
Soap opera characters often come back from the dead, per Soaps She Knows. There are various retcons and explanations as to why a particular character is not actually taking a dirt nap. For example, on "Days of Our Lives" Dr. Wilhelm Rolf (William Utay) has used a special resurrection serum to bring several characters back from the dead. At the end of 2021, Fame 10 made some predictions about which soap characters would return from the grave in 2022. Only a couple of their picks actually came back, but none of their "General Hospital" predictions were correct.
"GH," like other soaps, has to constantly re-invent itself to keep the characters and stories compelling while also remaining creative to keep the audience engaged (via Write 2 Be Magazine). Soap audiences understand that characters can come back from the dead, especially if the body isn't found. It's the way in which the story unfolds that keeps the audience guessing and coming back for more.
One particular story on "GH" has viewers on the edge of their seats. Evil Esme Prince (Avery Pohl) has worked hard to ruin people's lives, but she particularly targeted Ava Jerome (Maura West), having seduced and slept with her husband Nikolas Cassadine (Marcus Coloma). Everything came to a head recently when Ava confronted Esme, and Esme accidentally fell off the parapet at the Cassadine home Wyndermere (via Soaps in Depth).
She appears to be gone, but fans have every reason to suspect that Esme is not dead.
Other characters have cheated death on General Hospital; fans think Esme will, too
Prior to Ava Jerome's confrontation with Esme Prince, she was pretty much going to leave Nikolas Cassadine after learning of the affair. However, as Daytime Confidential pointed out, once Esme plummetted from the parapet, Ava needed her husband to help hide any evidence of what happened and map out a strategy for their next steps.
The official Twitter page of "General Hospital" posted "Ava still needs Nikolas for the time being ... Can they keep Esme's apparent demise under wraps?" Fans rushed to weigh in. "Each person made the right call. Nikolas 100% needed to show her he supports her and wants to protect her. But ALSO, Ava has her dignity. She made the right choice for herself leaving Wyndemere," one fan speculated.
A savvy fan noted, "They can but this is a soap, since there's no body, Esme is alive." A long-time viewer stated, "... Out of everyone who fell off the parapet only one person died and it took two falls to do that. Ava needs to jet." Speculation in the fandom abounds, and the viewers already overwhelmingly posted their happiness that Ava tossed Esme to her apparent death. Theories and observations of details are all over social media.
While some fans posted negative comments citing that the story is repetitive or boring, they're obviously still watching "General Hospital." Whatever the writers are cooking up, they're continuing to engage the audience whether the response is positive or negative.