Daytime TV Performer of the Week: ‘General Hospital’s Maura West Delivers a Tour de Force as Trina’s Protector & Drew’s Reluctant Bride

Maura West had a busy week on General Hospital last week as Ava Jerome. We saw Ava Jerome as Brook Lynn’s (Amanda Setton) confidante, Trina’s (Tatyana Ali) fierce defender, Avery’s (Ayla Bullington) protective mother, and Drew Cain’s (Cameron Mathison) reluctant bride!

For showing a rainbow of colors to her delicious character, TV Insider is bestowing Performer of the Week honors on Maura West.

Brook Lynn met with Ava because she desperately needed some information about baby Phoebe’s birth father. Normally, Ava doesn’t put her neck on the line unless there’s something in it for her, but even when Ava’s at her most ambitious, West never forgets that, at heart, Ava’s a mother.

The art gallery owner not only filled Brook Lynn in on everything that she knew about Phoebe’s paternity, she also promised to keep quiet about the matter. “They won’t [find out],” Ava assured Brook Lynn. “Not from me. Mother to mother, Brook Lynn, you do whatever you have to do and take care of your girl.”

GH has reintroduced the character of Heather Webber (Alley Mills) to the canvas. Thanks to the old “cobalt poisoning” explanation, Heather’s murder spree as The Hook was explained away. She’s free to walk around Port Charles. Or maybe not.

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Heather’s murderous rampage stemmed from wanting to hurt people closest to Trina. Ava had already taken a maternal interest in Trina, following the murder of her own daughter, Kiki (Hayley Erin; now, Claire on The Young and the Restless), and that interest is as strong as ever.

Ava made it clear to Heather that she wasn’t going to tolerate any more lethal antics from her. Heather tried to make nice by telling Ava that she looked well. It didn’t work. “As are you,” Ava icily replied, staring Heather down. “A little too well, in my opinion.”

Ava deftly asked Emma (Braedyn Bruner) if she could have a word in private with her “assailant” (ouch!), as Ava had been one of Heather’s victims.

“Heather I’m going to make myself real clear: If you ever come near me or my daughter or Trina again, I will slice you like a cheap steak, and then I’ll call the cops and say it was self-defense,” Ava continued.

Rather than raise her voice or go into histrionics, as a less experienced performer might have done, West maintained a controlled tone to Ava’s voice. She remained calm and quite serious.

Ava deftly showed Heather a knife that she partially disguised with her purse. The blade was a nice touch, but even if Ava hadn’t brandished the weapon, Heather knew from Ava’s tone that she was not kidding around!

West brought a chilling confidence to the encounter Ava had with Heather. However, the actress shifted into a totally different state of mind when she connected with Drew, as she feared that Drew and she were becoming the latest suspects in Jack Brennan’s (Chris McKenna) death!

While Ava would have no problem convincing the cops that her killing Heather would be self-defense, Ava’s feeling a bit more remorseful over her role in Brennan’s death. She drugged the WSB boss and later, he wound up dead in the Metro Court pool, having drowned.

Soaps are filled with larger-than-life scenarios, but West plays the reality of Ava’s predicament, which was made worse by Drew’s nonchalant attitude. He believes that no eyes are upon them (he’s wrong), and Ava believes otherwise.

“Well, there are certainly eyes on me,” a frightened Ava pointed out. “I was the last person seen with Brennan that night, and the autopsy is going to show that sleeping pill or whatever it was you told me to slip into his drink!”

Even when Ava feels the walls closing in on her, as she did in Drew’s office, West knows how to tap into Ava’s rage. “If you think I’m going to allow myself to be seen as the prime suspect in a murder while you coast, you are extremely mistaken!” Ava said, pointing her finger at Drew.

Disney/Christine Bartolucci

There’s nothing quite as entertaining on daytime as watching West’s Ava blast someone with what she might do. Her threats make you want to tune in tomorrow to see just how she’s going to make good on her word.

Just as she had with Heather, Ava informed Drew that she wasn’t afraid of fabricating a story to the police if necessary.

“If I get arrested, I’ll say that you masterminded everything,” Ava threatened. “I’ll tell them that you planted Brennan’s wallet in Nina’s [Cynthia Watros] car. I may even tell them that you pushed Brennan into the pool for good measure. I’ll make up any story I want to take Brennan’s death off me and put it on you!”

West brilliantly plays Ava as both strategic and loving when it comes to her relationship with Avery. The young girl was livid over her big sister Josslyn (Eden McCoy) blasting Avery’s dad, Sonny (Maurice Benard), for his wicked ways, not knowing that Josslyn spoke the truth.

We saw West play Ava as a mother who chose what to reveal to her daughter at this crucial time. She could have confirmed Josslyn’s accusations, but she both wanted to protect Avery and not risk incurring Sonny’s wrath.

Asked point blank by Avery if what Josslyn said was true, Ava lied that none of it was, comparing her to her mother, Carly (Laura Wright). “[Josslyn] had no right to attack him like that,” Ava said.

In her performances last week, West reminded us that Ava is nothing if not a survivor. Drew came up with the idea that they got married so they would not be compelled to testify against each other, should they be charged with Brennan’s death.

Dressed out all in black ensemble (complete with a cape that would be perfect should Ava ever perform a paso doble on Dancing With the Stars), the bride-to-be was left momentarily speechless.

She quickly wrapped her head around the merits of Drew’s plan, telling her nephew Lucas that she didn’t need real — she just needed legal.

The bride, the groom, Lucas, and Drew’s friend lawyer, Martin Grey (Michael E. Knight), met at city hall for the ceremony. Who needs vows and rings when Ava’s got quips and comebacks!

“Figures you’d be Drew’s witness. He hasn’t got any actual friends,” Ava snarked at Martin.

She then informed her husband-to-be that he’d be getting her a ring, “a big one!”

Loveless marriages are a soap opera staple of the ’80s and ’90s, so we can’t wait to see how Drew and Ava play out their new dynamic.

Kudos to West, a three-time Daytime Emmy-winning star, who never fails to entertain and captivate viewers with her portrayal of Ava Jerome (soon-to-be) Cain!

General Hospital, Weekdays, ABC