General Hospital: The Cassadines may surpass the Quartermaines in dysfunction and comedy

General Hospital: A Cassadine Thanksgiving

General Hospital has been celebrating Thanksgiving all week and the Quartermaine fiasco that resulted in pizza was pretty much predictable and not entertaining. What fans were not, however, prepared for was what may become a new holiday tradition of drama with the Cassadine family. The holiday at the home of Alexis Davis (Nacy Lee Grahn) was a dysfunctional treat and there is probably a lot more in store.

Cassadine family tree

Here is a brief history of the Cassadine family tree that gets us to where we were on Thanksgiving. Mikkos Cassadine (John Colicos) was married to (Helena Cassadine (Constance Towers) and their son Stavros Cassadine last (Robert Kelker-Kelly) was the father of Nikolas Cassadine (Marcus Columbo) whose mother is Laura Collins (Genie Francis). Mikkos had an affair with opera singer Kristin Bergman (Mia Martin) who has only been seen in flashbacks and their daughter is Alexis.

Helena had an affair with her brother in law Victor Cassadine (Charles Shaunessey) and Valentin Cassadine(James Patrick Stewart) is their son.Valentin thought Mikkos was his dad until helena said she had an affair and that he really was nto a Cassadine. Alexis and Valentin became as close as sister and brother and were sad to learned they were not blood related but now they are.

General Hospital: Perhaps a new tradition is beginning

On Thanksgiving a stunned Shawn Butler (Sean Blakemore) st00d by as drama unfolded with Spencer Cassadine (Nicholas Chaves) who did not want to share the day with his father. As Spencer and his gilrfriend Esme Prince ( Kristen Avery Pohl) were about to leave, first Alexis and then Victor announced that no one was going. A stunned Ava Cassadine (Maura West) looked horrified as Victor declared that the Cassadien family was stronger together than when fighting each other. Bringing this clan together will nto be an easy task but perhpas there may be some changes by Christmas when they meet again.

Sean once dated Alexis and the two are getting close again but there is bad blood between Sean and Nikolas who paid him off to keep quiet about what happened to Hayden Barnes. Spencer is angry with his father for trying to trick him into admitting he was Ava's stalker and Nikolas does not want anyone to know that he was aware his uncle was alive for 3 years. Ava does not trust Victor and Esme is finding the entire situation intriging and will no doubt find a way to use it to her advantage.

Victor Cassadine has appointed himself as leader

Victor has named himself the family patriarch and will try to keep everyone in line so this will be intersting to watch. The Cassadines also have something the Quartermaines do not which is that the family name continues through the generations. Spencer announced some time back that he was no longer a Cassadine but his great uncle might change his mind.

Over with the Q's Jason and Drew are the sons of Alan (Stueart Damon) but their last names are Morgan and Cain. Their children carry the last names of the mothers. Austin Gatlin Holt (Roger Howarth) is part of the clan but does not have the family name. Ned and Brook Lynn Wally Kurth and Amanda Setton) are going by Quartermaine but the buck stops there.

The Cassadines who showed up in 1981 are considered villians but they have been on General Hospital almost as long as the Q's who arrived in 1978. Perhaps it is time this family turned a corner and improved their reputation. Now if only Victor can find a love interest and leave Liesl Obrecht (Kathlene Gati) and Scott Baldwin (Kin Shriner) alone. The one good thing thus far is that "Natasha" and Valentin who are as close as a brother and sister are really related which is what many fans were hoping for.