Deception Reaches All-Time High On General Hospital - Here's Where We Think The Lies Will Lead

We were on the edge of our seats during the September 1 episode of "General Hospital" as lies and secrets begin to come to a head. While sprinkled with a few rather negligible subplots, the tension was palpable in a major storyline. Former drug lord Cyrus Renault (Jeff Kober), an inmate at the Pentonville maximum security prison, pontificated religious biblical passages to his fellow inmates and followers with a sinister gleam in his eyes. His words were a thinly veiled message that mafia don Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) was about to be taken down, seemingly for his own amusement, as his 'flock' appeared oblivious to his true meaning. But he could also be recruiting them as possible flunkies for future use.

As he spoke, the Coast Guard and the FBI moved in on the docks toward Sonny's henchmen, who were preparing to move a crate belonging to the military contracting firm, Pikeman. Sonny's chief lieutenant, Dex Heller (Evan Hofer), managed to escape unseen, but the big man himself was arrested while having dinner with his family at the Metro Court Hotel. It certainly looks dire for Sonny, but all is not as it seems. No one knows that Cyrus is behind a mysterious criminal organization with many wheels in motion. Very few also know that Sonny allowed this group to get their hands on phony information about his dealings with Pikeman, and now it looks like it's all going according to his plan.

Austin Gatlin-Holt (Roger Howarth) and his cousin Mason Gatlin (Nathanyael Grey) have been connected to this unknown organization seeking intel on Sonny Corinthos and Pikeman. Until the August 23 episode of "General Hospital," Mason referred to their boss as a woman, but that episode revealed Cyrus Renault is behind everything. What gives?

Finally, on September 1, a bomb was dropped on us as the Pentonville Warden Gartner (Diahnna Nicole Baxter) entered the room while Cyrus sermonized. The two then talked cryptically, indicating they had an alliance and their plan was moving forward successfully. The juxtaposition of Cyrus' preaching and Sonny and his men getting busted was masterfully done.

Clearly, the whole Pikeman shipment is a ruse, and it's a sure bet there's nothing illegal in the crate. The authorities will have to wipe the egg off their face once that's revealed. We can't wait to see the look on Cyrus' face when Sonny and his men are exonerated. Now, with the revelation that Warden Gartner is potentially the other partner running this new gang, the stakes will get even higher. There was also a subplot that included attorney Diane Miller (Carolyn Hennessey) trying to find out why a judge threw the book at Drew Cain (Cameron Mathison) for inadvertently committing insider trading, and that plot thread might also be connected since Drew is a known associate of Sonny's.

Prior to all of that excitement, on the August 31 episode of "General Hospital," Lucy Coe (Lynn Herring) and Martin Grey (Michael E. Knight) were having a serious discussion about the lawsuit Tracy Quartermaine (Jane Elliot) has against Lucy's cosmetics company, aptly named Deception. Tracy alleges that Deception stole her proprietary design of a product called the Deceptor. However, she blackmailed her granddaughter, Brook Lynn Quartermaine (Amanda Setton), into stealing sensitive info about it, so she's most likely lying. Lucy previously stated that Martin helped inspire this product, but she recently learned he's getting $50,000 a month alimony from his unnamed third ex-wife. It's possible that Tracy was wife number three and set the whole thing in motion to grab control of Deception.

But, with the announcement that Kassie DePaiva is reprising her role as Blair Cramer, Soap Hub speculated that she's the mysterious third ex and may be connected to the whole Deception mess. Lucy asked Martin if he stole the concept of the Deceptor from Tracy, and he responded that he didn't steal it from her. That could imply he stole it from someone else, maybe Blair. And if so, this whole thing will explode — perhaps not on the same level as Sonny's story, but it will have implications for several characters moving forward. No matter how you slice it, "General Hospital" has been thoroughly engaging lately, and we're looking forward to the fallout from these major stories!