Charlie Mason
Tuesday, May 16th, 2023
Credit: ABC (3), ABC/Courtesy of the Everett Collection (2)
Kid Stuff
When Scotty Bentley arrived in Port Charles in 1965, he brought with him a lot of baggage — mostly mom Meg’s. First she lost her fiancé to her stepdaughter, then she married attorney Lee Baldwin, who gave Scotty his surname as an adoption present. Only after the youngster returned from law school in ’77 — with dreamy soap icon-to-be Kin Shriner assuming the role —was he given storylines of his own. Oh, and what storylines they were, too, starting with a romance with impetuous Laura Webber.
The Newlywed Game
Despite the best efforts of smitten hooker-turned-nurse Bobbie Spencer, Scotty put a ring not on her finger but Laura’s. Which honestly didn’t work out so well for anyone concerned. After the bride went to work for Bobbie’s brother Luke at the Campus Disco, she was raped by the boss — then nevertheless fell for her attacker, moved heaven and earth to protect him and… Oh, right — Scotty. She dumped his ass like he’d been a blind date that just hadn’t panned out.
Going Dark
The next time Scotty came home to Port Charles, the chip on his shoulder was as prominent as his new beard. Now a schemer to the marrow, he delighted in contesting his divorce from Laura in order to muck up her new life with Luke, then married Susan Moore for her money while carrying on behind her back with her equally conniving cousin, Heather Webber.
Two of a Kind
We’d have sworn that Scotty had found his soulmate when he hooked up with fellow plot-hatcher Lucy Coe in the late ’80s — until, that is, he moved on to Dominique Stanton, who touched his heart in a way that no one had since Laura. After Scotty and Dominique married, the bride discovered that she’d be going straight from the wedding to her own funeral, so Lucy stepped in to act as a surrogate mother for the child that the doomed Mrs. Baldwin so wanted to give her beloved.
Like Father, Like Daughter
Despite appearances, Scotty and Dominique’s daughter took more after her angelic mom than her devilish dad. And though the moppet was front and center when Shriner was spun off to Port Charles from 1997-2003, she’s only passed through General Hospital for quick visits. Perhaps wisely. You’ll understand why in a moment. Please stay tuned.
Who’s Your Daddy?
Thrice in his life, Scotty discovered that he had children of whom he hadn’t initially been aware. First, there was ill-fated Karen Wexler, whom Sonny Corinthos turned into a drugged-up stripper as a teenager. Then, there was GI Logan Hayes, who met his maker at the hand of, of all people, Luke and Laura’s daughter, Lulu. And most recently, Scotty found out that Serena had a big brother in Franco only a few years before the reformed killer became the final victim of Peter August’s reign of terror. That just leaves — yikes — Serena. Be careful, kiddo!
Seems Like Old Times
On Port Charles, Scotty once again began playing with fire — in other words, Lucy. But, to his chagrin, they weren’t the only characters to cross over to the offshoot. Also along for the ride to the other side of town was Dr. Kevin Collins, whose annoying habit of being morally superior to Scotty made him a formidable romantic rival.
No Longer Loving in Sin
In 1999, Scotty finally made an honest woman of Lucy. Or at least as honest a woman as she was ever going to be. But alas, that wedding band slipped off as easily as it did on. (We did mention that Kevin was always hanging around being all handsome and wise and stuff, didn’t we?)
‘I Love Lucy, But… ’
Even when Scotty was in an off-again phase of his and Lucy’s on-again/off-again relationship, his dance card remained full. His most noteworthy Port Charles romance was with Eve Lambert, who played doctor like she’d been to medical school. Which, um, she had.
Oh Yes We Kin
Port Charleswasn’t just about love affairs for Scotty. There were also family affairs to tend to with dad Lee, stepmom Susan, Serena and Karen.
Once More, With Feeling
While representing Luke at his trial for murdering nemesis Stefan Cassadine back on General Hospital, Scotty managed to drive a big enough wedge between Laura and her husband to squeeze on in there and begin seeing her again. But when even his best efforts didn’t inspire the same kind of feelings in her that they did in him, he reunited with a reformed Bobbie, who soon discovered that she wasn’t as attracted to Bad Scotty as she had been to Good Scotty.
Fourth Time’s the Charm?
In 2013, Scotty finally succeeded in once again making Laura his wife. But it was as plain as the tears glistening in her eyes that Luke was still the man with whom she wanted to be. So rather than saddle the two of them with a marriage in which only one of them was truly invested, Scotty soon set Laura free —and, with her, in a way, himself.
Past Imperfect
Upon finagling his way back into the D.A.’s office in 2015, Scotty attempted to do Port Charles a solid by getting his bonkers ex Heather thrown back behind bars. Ha, she replied. More or less. Rather than quietly let herself be hauled off, she revealed that years and years ago, she’d spent a drunken night with her sometime lover that had resulted in the birth of Franco — who, as you can see, was as excited to learn the identity of his real mother as Scotty was to find out that he was forever tied to Heather.
Life After Death
In time, Scotty and Franco grew close — so close, as a matter of fact, that when he had his memories replaced by those of pal Drew Cain (don’t ask), Dad stepped in to help daughter-in-law Liz and grandson Cameron regain the fella they so dearly loved. Needless to say, Scotty was also there for his extended family when Franco’s weird, weird life was cut tragically short by Peter’s homicidal tendencies.
At Long Last… Love?
In 2021, Scotty was caught as off guard as viewers when he found himself enjoying a one-night stand with kindred spirit Leisl Obrecht. The new lovers were even more surprised to realize that…Oh. They didn’t actually just want one night together. Maybe, we dared to hope, Scotty had finally found in the reformed baddie a lasting love.
Spoiler Alert
Over time, Scotty and Obrecht fell truly, madly, deeply in love. There was just one problem: After rising from the grave, an obsessed Victor Cassadine wanted to resurrect his relationship with Liesl, too. And you know how terrible Cassadines are at taking the hint and moving along!
Pleased to Beat You
Scotty shouldn’t have extended his hand so much as he should’ve ducked his head upon meeting Cody Bell. Dominique’s heretofore-unknown son, under the mistaken impression that he’d treated her shoddily, introduced himself with a sucker punch that only later would he realize had been thrown in error.
The Point of No Return
Following the death of Liesl’s daughter at the hand of The Hook — well, at the hook of The Hook — the doctor pulled the plug on her relationship with Scotty. He’d known that Esme Prince wasn’t the killer and had let the police waste time trying to track her down, anyway. In Liesl’s mind, she’d lost another child as a result.
