General Hospital’s Infamous Panic Room Tale: When Ric Was The Captor, Not The Captive

They say turnabout is fair play, and on the August 26 episode of General Hospital, Ric Lansing awoke to find himself chained to a cot, held captive —  certainly a fitting punishment given that he was previously responsible for the same fate befalling a pregnant Carly back in 2003, when the role was played by Tamara Braun. It was all part of a twisted plot to steal her baby for him and Liz (Rebecca Herbst) to raise, but naturally, things spiraled out of control, and it didn’t end well. If you weren’t watching then or would just like a refresher, let us take you on a trip down memory lane (to relive a time Ric would probably rather forget)!

By Any Means Necessary

Ric was looking forward to having a child with Elizabeth, but his pregnant wife miscarried after Faith Rosco pushed her down the stairs. Unaware of the true cause of the loss, Ric blamed Sonny, his half brother, and decided to take his revenge by stealing the child Sonny was expecting with Carly. Ric purchased a new home that came complete with a soundproof panic room and outfitted it with a baby crib and mobile as well as security cameras. He then drugged his wife so he could more easily abduct Carly and secretly stash her in the hidden room.

Ric executed his deranged plan during Jason and Courtney’s wedding rehearsal. Once he had her inside the panic room, Ric shackled Carly to a bed and insisted that she eat, revealing that he intended to raise her baby with Liz. Horrified, Carly fought back, refusing food and desperately attempting to get free. Ric insisted she had to eat for the sake of the child and also thwarted her various escape attempts. At one point, Carly reached Sonny by phone, but Ric intervened before she could say too much. Later, she broke one of the surveillance monitors and was accidentally electrocuted.

Maintaining Control

As he kept an eye on Carly and kept Liz in the dark, Ric remained convinced he could actually pull this off. When Liz thought she heard noises in the house, Ric dismissed his wife’s concerns as nonsense. Others in Port Charles, like Sonny and Jason, suspected Ric of kidnapping Carly, but searches of the house turned up no evidence, as the panic room was well hidden.

Given that he expected them soon to become parents by other means, Ric began drugging Liz with birth control pills so that she wouldn’t become pregnant again. Carly discovered what he’d done and warned her captor that Liz would uncover the truth eventually. And Liz nearly did when she stumbled across the panic room and saw Carly trapped inside! Unfortunately, the nurse suddenly collapsed from a pulmonary embolism due to the drugs Ric had been feeding her. Ric rushed his wife to the hospital, fearing his plan had been derailed, but when she awoke, her memories of discovering Carly were hazy, and he convinced her it was all a bad dream.

It All Goes Wrong

Ric’s control over the situation continued to erode as Lorenzo Alcazar uncovered Ric’s plan and decided to use it to his own advantage against Sonny. Meanwhile, Liz’s memories returned, and she immediately went to the cops. But when they arrived at Ric’s home, they found him injured and alone after Alcazar and his men had absconded with Carly for themselves! Liz was horrified to learn the depths of Ric’s plan, including how he’d drugged her, and ended their marriage.

In the end, Sonny was able to rescue Carly from Alcazar, but the birth of their son, Morgan, was still fraught with drama. After falling down the stairs of the home Sonny had purchased for them, Carly went into labor, and Alcazar was the one who found her. When Sonny arrived, he fired at his enemy, and one of the bullets also struck Carly! Sonny delivered the baby, who was healthy, but Carly slipped into a coma, and Ric arrested his brother for attempted murder.

Ric clearly hasn’t changed his ways, as his recent blackmailing of Alexis shows. Perhaps being held prisoner in a basement could be a wake-up call for the devious attorney? Share your thoughts and predictions on what will happen to Ric as his GH tale unfolds in the comments below!