General Hospital not only rolled out the red carpet for John Oliver, but the show also sprung for an entrance by helicopter after he requested a guest spot on a soap opera. The host of Last Week Tonight With John Oliver delivered the goods after being cast in the meaty, pivotal role of Z, a bigwig at the World Security Bureau.
Brought in to clean up the mess created by Ross Cullum (played by Andrew Hawkes, who gave excellent resting villain face), Z made a powerful entrance to survey the situation.
The story called for Oliver’s character to interact with Carly (Laura Wright), Josslyn (Eden McCoy), and (yay, he’s alive!) Cassius (Ryan Paevey). We’ve seen movie stars come to soaps and not be able to handle the pace of the production, but Oliver played his scenes like he was a seasoned daytime professional!
Very few people say no to Carly, but that’s just what Z did when he informed Carly that he had no intentions of dismissing Josslyn, her daughter, from the WSB.
“Let me put this in language you can understand: ‘That ain’t gonna happen!’” Z steadfastly informed a passionate Carly.
That prompted Carly to slap Z across the face. (You just know that clip is going to get some play on Oliver’s HBO show, right?) Oliver turned his head like he’d been struck by a few daytime divas over the years, and then brought it back into perfect camera position for the tag before the commercial! Sign this man to a contract!
Disney/Christine Bartolucci
The writers could have had Z charge Carly with assault, but instead, they gave the commentator something more fun to do: flirt!
“You pack quite the punch. I could have you indicted,” Z told Carly, who challenged him to do just that.
“Where would the fun be in that?” he replied. This is fun for you, Carly asked.
“I don’t get out much,” Oliver’s character deadpanned.
But he did more than banter with Carly. The actor (yep, he’s an actor) moved the story along by calmly informing Carly that Josslyn was an asset to the WSB. “She’s a weapon. I know you hate to hear that, but it’s true,” Z proclaimed.
He added that Josslyn (a.k.a. Agent Jacks) “was strong” and had “nerves of steel. Now, I see where she gets it.”
Z went on to compliment Carly by telling her that it was too bad that no one had gotten a hold of her when she was younger. “You’d have made a brilliant agent,” he added. “Maybe there’s still potential. Perhaps we could discuss the possibilities over dinner?”
An astonished Carly wanted to know if Z actually was hitting on her. Using his charm, Z said he wasn’t sure…but if he were, was it working?
Z offered to rev up the WSB jet and whisk Carly off to Paris for a late dinner by the Siene. Carly was incredulous. “So, that’s a ‘no’?” Z asked. Carly confirmed that yes, it was a no.
“So…that’s a ‘yes’?” he shot back, attempting to use Carly’s own words against her.
Oliver and Wright were brand new to working together, but they quickly established a Moonlighting-like banter to their scenes. “Yes, it’s ‘no,’” a clearly frustrated Carly clarified.
“My apologies. I thought I felt a spark,” Dave Z said to Maddie Carly.
She assured him there was no spark and then made her exit.
Oliver’s work as Z wasn’t done, however. Next, GH gave him the scene we all wanted to see as he entered the guarded room of someone we all feared had die. “Cassius Faison,” Z announced. “We’ve never met. You can call me Z.”
Cassius had questions, but Oliver continued to play bossman as Z informed Cassius that he was in no position to ask anything. Z told the wounded hero that he had a choice: Go to jail or go to work for him at the WSB! Boom!
It’s all well and good for mainstream stars to pop onto a soap, but it’s even better when those performers are charged with fulfilling a specific storyline beat and they deliver, as Oliver did. Like when Elizabeth Taylor‘s Helena Cassadine put a curse on Laura (Genie Francis) and Luke (Anthony Geary).
The character of Z was integral to the show’s latest action/adventure story. Oliver showed up to play, and he brought the necessary gravitas to the character that he was charged with bringing to life.
Here’s hoping he checks back into General Hospital in the near future!
General Hospital, Weekdays, ABC