Dr. Gail Baldwin on the GH memorial wall.
The Original Blueprints was a special episode for the ABC soap opera General Hospital, celebrating its 56th Anniversary on April 2, 2019. The episode was dedicated to bidding farewell to the longtime character Dr. Gail Baldwin. The episode also featured the temporary return of the former longtime character Dr. Lesley Webber. In a manner reminiscent of the 30th Anniversary Special and the 10,000th episode, this particular episode was set entirely within the confines of General Hospital.
Storyline[]
Various characters are seen gathering around the nurses' station as Alexis Davis has assembled everyone that Gail Baldwin requested to be present at the hospital to honor her final wishes. This includes her adoptive son Scott Baldwin, Franco Baldwin, Laura Collins, Lesley Webber, Bobbie Spencer, Elizabeth Webber, Monica Quartermaine, Kevin Collins, Lucy Coe, Maxie Jones, Mac Scorpio, Felicia Jones, Sonny Corinthos, Carly Spencer, and Julian Jerome, all converging at the nurses' station. Alexis explains that Gail's request involves each of them receiving a piece of the original blueprint of the hospital before the 2009 fire, Each person is to go to their designated location, find an envelope with their name on it, and return to the nurses' station.
Lesley meets her longtime nemesis, Monica, in the locker room while looking for their envelopes, and they quickly revert to bickering like old times. Bobbie and Felicia find their envelopes near Tony Jones' photo on the memorial wall, which brings back memories of B.J. Jones' death and Maxie's heart transplant that saved her life.
Meanwhile, Lucy is going through some of her Nurses' Ball gowns when Monica comes by. Lucy finds a pocket square of Dr. Alan Quartermaine and tells Monica how badly she feels about how she treated him. She expresses that Alan would want his true love, Monica, to have the pocket square.
When Scott encounters Laura, she is assisting him in deciphering his section of the blueprint. He recalls how Gail forcibly brought him back to Port Charles, despite his resistance, and reflects on how, without her intervention, Laura would not have entered his life. Upon discovering the envelope intended for him, he expresses his hope that it contains guidance on how to move forward in the absence of both his father, Lee Baldwin, and Gail. Franco expresses remorse to his father for collaborating with Jordan Ashford undercover without informing him. Scott empathizes, recognizing that it mirrors his own behavior towards his parents. In a heartfelt moment, Scott conveys his love for Franco, assuring him that he will always stand by him. Through Franco's experiences, Scott gains insight into the challenges his own parents faced.
In the hospital chapel, Sonny and Laura engage in a conversation about her initial belief in the mobster's good nature, while also addressing their respective mental health challenges and expressing gratitude for General Hospital. Elsewhere, Maxie expresses her appreciation to Mac for his paternal support, to which Mac responds that he never anticipated becoming a stay-at-home dad, yet he cherishes that experience immensely. Epiphany Johnson and Elizabeth share a moment reflecting on the nursing profession and the importance of mutual support. Meanwhile, Carly surprises Bobbie with the announcement of her pregnancy. An estranged Julian and Alexis share a poignant moment together. Later, Scott and Bobbie reminisce about their past, culminating in a warm embrace. Sonny is later seen descending the hospital stairs and gazing at the Stone Cates Memorial plaque in tribute. Kevin and Lucy encounter each other, with Kevin affirming his love for Laura. Lucy reassures him of her support regardless. When they arrive at the hospital chapel to retrieve an envelope for Kevin, Laura is already present, prompting Lucy to step aside. Kevin professes that his love for Laura will always remain.
As everyone reconvenes at the nurse's station with their envelopes, they prepare to open them simultaneously. To their surprise, the contents reveal confetti! Alexis continues reading from Gail's letter, urging everyone to carry on her legacy and accomplish remarkable things, while Gail expresses her gratitude for their friendship. At that moment, Scott departed from the group and approached the GH memorial wall, where he revealed a newly added photograph of Gail.
Subsequently, a montage showcased numerous moments previously highlighted in the two-person scenes. As the episode concluded, everyone began to exit the hospital, except for the staff, while Scott observed the gradual return to normalcy in the hospital's operations as a title appeared, "Happy 56th Anniversary, General Hospital."