On Thursday, May 4th, Jane Elliot was seen for the last time as Tracy Quartermaine on "General Hospital." The last few weeks have been filled with rumors, innuendo, and spoiler alerts that turned out to be incorrect. One persistent theory that became a reality was the return of Anthony Geary as Luke Spencer.
Luke returned
Tony Geary retired from the soap, and his character left Port Charles 2 years ago. It was said that he swore never to return. For months, the rumor mill consistently stated that Geary would indeed be back on the set to say goodbye to his "Spanky Buns." This turned out to be true.
It was not, however, the grand storyline with suspense and adventure that fans had been anticipating. Luke Spencer was on camera for less than 60 seconds.
The final days for Tracy Quartermaine brought closure to most of her relationships. Fans were able to see a kinder, gentler Tracy, whose immediate family and close friends assembled in the Quartermaine mansion to bid her farewell. Her last minutes with sister-in-law Monica were tear-jerkers, and something that needed to take place. Her meeting with Luke, however, was about 2 weeks and 59 seconds too short. Because there was such a buildup, the end was sort of a letdown. It was a beautiful moment, still, like something out of a romance novel.
The final 60 seconds were worth their weight in gold.
The end for Tracy Quartermaine turned into a beginning
Tracy went to Paris and sold her 20 million dollar painting for 60 million. That's quite a hefty profit. She asked if there was a coffee house nearby, and was told that one was across the street. She walked in the door and immediately the viewers could see the top of a man's head, his hair white as snow.
Tracy was awestruck, and a smile slowly crept across her face. She and the audience realize at the same time that it is Luke. He shyly, and slowly raised his eyes, and gave his "Spanky Buns" that sly Luke grin -- and the rest was left to the imagination.
It would have been nice to see them embrace, or maybe have a conversation.
What if Luke Spencer were the anonymous buyer of the portrait? What has he been doing all this time? Does he finally have money of his own, or is he ready to drain Ms. Quartermaine dry one more time? Alas, these questions will never be answered. Loyal fans will never even know if the couple rode off into the sunset together.
Perhaps it's better this way. After all, Anthony Geary said he was not going to return to this role, so there must have been a lot of coaxing to get him our of retirement. One would think that he would have had a larger role, but the final moments, and that smile, were worth more than several pages of script, and 30 minutes on camera. The last scene spoke volumes. Loyal fans probably would not have had it any other way.
