General Hospital: Port Charles says goodbye to both Bobbie and their guardian angel

It sure was a treat for fans of General Hospital to have Brighton Hertford back; the actress who played BJ Jones three decades earlier. In a shocking turn of events, we have learned that reporter Angela Brighton is none other than the ghost of Barbara Jean!

And it somehow breaks our hearts even more. “Angela Brighton” was the key that allowed Carly and Felicia to finish what Bobbie started.

With her information, they were able to go to Amsterdam and track down a woman named Cornelia, whom Bobbie had at a safe house in Canada. With the help of Robert Scorpio and some favors he called in, young Cornelia will have a safe life after escaping the sex trafficking ring.

Sadly, not only must we say goodbye to the legend that was Bobbie Spencer and the amazing talent that was Jackie Zeman, but we bid farewell once again to BJ Jones and Brighton Hertford. It was truly something special to see BJ all grown up and embracing all of the connections of the people that she watched over.

Soap operas don’t always get everything right, but General Hospital knocked this out of the park in this everlasting heartwarming story that would be Bobbie Spencer’s last.

General Hospital: Was BJ Jones real?

As promised, young Angela arrives at Kelly’s to meet Maxie and gather more information on the people around Bobbie’s life and the experiences they had with her for the article. Angela Brighton wants all the details good and bad.

People seem reluctant at first to give it, but Laura is the first one to admit she and Bobbie didn’t always get along, especially when they were fighting over a man. Lucas Jones shares a nice memory about his sister BJ right in front of BJ/Angela, which really brought on the feels.

He explains to her how he got the nickname, “champ” and how Bobbie hated it. BJ would call him Champ just to spite his mother and then it just stuck with him.

The story was to show that Bobbie never backed down from anyone and would move heaven and Earth to protect her children and the people she loved. Sadly, she couldn’t do that with BJ.

The more heart-wrenching stories would come from Lucy Coe and Elizabeth Webber. Elizabeth reveals that Bobbie is the reason she has dedicated her life to nursing.

After going through her sexual assault as a teen, Bobbie was there for her and never made her feel like a victim. When she was in such a vulnerable and fragile state, it was Bobbie who told her what happens to you does not define you.

And then there was Lucy. Sure, there were many snarky stories that Lucy could tell, a whole book's worth. But she kept it simple.

Despite their years of hatred, there was one thing Bobbie and Lucy shared: their love for BJ. Angela thanks Maxie for pulling all of that together and Maxie reassures her it wasn’t that hard.

There were many more people who would be blessed to have the opportunity to talk about her. Maxie exclaims the two women share so much in common, but little does Maxie know it’s because they are the same, in a sense.

Before Angela walks away, she tells Maxie she’ll be seeing her soon. But before Maxie can respond her mother calls and Angela vanishes into thin air.

That was the moment we all knew it was the ghost of BJ Jones. It was then time for Lucas to say his goodbyes which led to one of the most touching scenes I’ve seen in the history of the show.

We all know the story of BJ’s heart is one of the most harrowing stories in daytime drama history. But bringing Brighton back has felt like the goodbye to BJ Jones that fans have needed and wanted for years.

As Lucas thanked Angela, the woman who he thought was the young reporter, replied with “Anytime, Champ.” There was something so heartbreaking with the way those words cracked from the emotional Brighton Hertford that gutted us, but it was also something we needed.

Bringing BJ back in this form was poetically divine and they couldn’t have written this much better. In the closing moments, Felicia makes some calls about Angela to what she said was her job at the AP, but nobody has ever heard of the name.

Maxie also had no luck finding any information on the woman, which astounded her in this day and age of technology. Seconds later it hits Felicia that that was no reporter at all.

It was Barbara Jean this whole time. Felicia’s tears brought back the memories of her tears when she found out that Tony had given his daughter’s heart to her own. Decades ago, we had to say goodbye to BJ Jones.

In such a flash getting able to have a second goodbye is something we didn’t know we desperately needed. Hertford told Soap Opera Digest it was such a meaningful experience for her.

Whatever it meant for the fans, meant just as much to her. The fans of General Hospital welcomed the actress back with open arms as much as the cast did.

Many would love to have her fully back in Port Charles and for forever. Unfortunately, we have to say goodbye to Brighton Hertford for now, but in two episodes she brought such a masterclass performance that if anyone deserves an Emmy for guest appearance, it should be her.

It would be wonderful to get to see BJ Jones again in some way or form. Let’s give her a new heart or make BJ a twin.

If Helena can keep coming back from the dead anything is possible, right? I know for a fact Brighton would love the opportunity and adores her GH Family.

Not only did Brighton help take some of the sadness out of saying goodbye to Bobbie, she helped take out some of the sadness from actors who were the closest to Jackie Zeman. Everyone knew this storyline was going to be a hard one to get through.

Brighton brought back so much history and deep connection through this story that combined both past and present. We all miss Jackie terribly and this was a moment that will be forever etched in General Hospital history as a beautiful goodbye the way that Jackie and the fans deserved.

Being able to mesh both old writing and new writing will leave a lasting impact on all fans. Until we meet again BJ.

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