Almost an entire episode of General Hospital devoted to people smiling, laughing, having a good time? Mac flirting with Alexis? Coleman calling back to his thing for uptight, prissy, drunk women by putting the moves on Kate? Matt’s lack of a love life actually being addressed? Jason and Sam being all adorable and going home to hit the sheets? It was like watching Bizarro World GH. Sure the 9/29 karaoke night after Spinelli and Maxie’s non-wedding was light on plot and heavy on the questionable song choices (The Jackson Five, GH? Two words for you: “Too soon.”), but it was also light on gunfire and angst.

I mean, my embarrassment squick is pretty sensitive, so I did spend part of the episode cringing, but the hysterical, excruciating, “Macho Man” sequence pretty much encapsulated the awesome that GH could be. The irony of Patrick and Mac (and Coleman!) singing about wanting to be the show’s macho men…ha. Sorry guys, we know that’ll never happen. But the meta aspect aside, Father Coates gettin’ down? Patrick trying to pull Jason into the conga line and Steve Burton in all likelihood breaking character to stifle laughter? That stuff was brilliant. And I adored seeing Alexis and Carly dance with their kids and Jax bopping around like a big dork, too.

Watching soaps shouldn’t be a chore, shouldn’t be an exercise in patience. And when GH whips out these episodes that are fun, that are human, it really showcases what the show could be…and what the show once was. People are raving about the Coleman and Kate scenes (temporarily forgetting how Kate’s character was sacrificed on the Sonny altar just like Olivia’s is being now) because it was so unexpected and so fun. Does that mean we’ll ever see them together again? Probably not. Coleman is the show’s go-to bartender, but he hasn’t been involved in actual story in years. And Mac and Alexis? Fugeddaboutit. Mac’s love life, again, is serious low priority on the totem pole.

I’m not saying we need to have karaoke episodes once a week, but the sense of camaraderie, of joy, that comes from set-ups like this…it can be easily duplicated in standard soap stories. And giving airtime to fan favorite characters who have long languished on the backburner…that’s an easy proposition as well.