Cynthia Watros‘s tremendous versatility as an actress means we get to see her play General Hospital‘s Nina as vulnerable, protective, loving, and forceful – all in the same episode. The Daytime Emmy winner’s acting over the last week on GH has earned the actress our Daytime TV Performer of the Week honors.

Nina’s week began with a pleasant cup of tea courtesy of an invitation extended to her by Tracy Quartermaine (Jane Elliot). However, the tea barely had time to seep before Tracy drew battle lines. She wanted Nina to take action so that Gio (Giovanni Mazza), Sonny’s (Maurice Benard) grandson and Tracy’s great-grandson, didn’t become the latest casualty in the Port Charles mob wars. Tracy blackmailed Nina into doing her bidding or else she’d blab to Willow (Katelyn MacMullen) that Nina once slept with Drew (Cameron Mathison).

Nina’s no pushover. If Tracy were going after simply just her, the Quartermaine heiress would have found a viable threat (and she still may). Watros, however, plays Nina as a loving mom, desperate to protect Willow and make up to her for the years that they’d been separated.

Watros met Elliot toe-to-toe as Nina initially denied Tracy’s claim that she’d had a romp with her daughter’s boyfriend. After Tracy produced verbal receipts, Nina attempted to reason and even plead with her enemy to keep the secret safe, but soon realized she had to conceded to Tracy’s demands.

“I won’t forget about this, Tracy,” Nina whispered just out of Tracy’s earshot. “You just messed with the wrong bitch!”

While Nina’s vulnerable to her children and grandchildren, her family is also a great motivator. Don’t be surprised to see Nina come back swinging hard.

On her way out the door, Nina ran into Sasha (Sofia Mattsson), the woman she once thought of as a daughter. Sasha broke the news to Nina that she and her daughter, Daisy, were leaving the country out of a concern for their safety.

Watros shifted Nina from the bitch that Tracy had better watch out for to the compassionate mother we know and love her to be. Nina was taken aback when Sasha said she couldn’t even share where she was going. The Crimson magazine chief knew in her head that that was best, but, in her heart, she felt that the secret only added to the upcoming physical distance that was going to stand between them.

“Our relationship may have started with a lie, but it’s real now,” a teary Nina shared with Sasha. “I think of you like my daughter.”

Nina blamed herself for Sasha having to leave town as she was the one who blabbed to Ric (Rick Hearst) that Daisy is Sonny’s granddaughter. Rather than let that fact generate conflict between them, neither woman went there.

“We’re cut from the same cloth,” Nina emotionally shared with Sasha. “We fought to survive when everybody and everything was against us. We’ve loved hard and we’ve lost more than we thought we could bear and we kept going, didn’t we?”

“And, now, we both have a daughter that we need to look out for,” Nina said, referring to her Willow, and Sasha to Daisy. “Well, I have two…I will always be here for you.”

Having to move forward with Tracy’s demands, Nina approached Curtis (Donnell Turner) about smearing Sonny in the press. Sometimes, Nina’s too good of a person to be a convincing liar – especially with a good friend like Curtis. She admitted there was more to the story. Watros opting to play Nina’s secrets underneath is one of the reasons she’s so watchable.

Next, Nina was visited by her ex-husband, Sonny, after an interview in which she painted him in an unflattering light was posted. She informed him that Tracy had information that could destroy her already vulnerable family. That’s the only reason she came forth with unflattering quotes about him.

It’s an understatement to say that Sonny’s not one to forgive people who betray him easily. However, the vulnerability and love Watros infuses into the Nina/Sonny dynamic prompted Sonny, in this case, to quell his anger. Watros revealed a gentle smile on Nina’s face when she realized Sonny came to a quick understanding of what was going on. Very few people can reach Sonny. Nina’s one of them.

Then, Nina gently told Sonny that the upcoming round of articles was going to focus on his questionable mental state. That news coming from anyone else could have sent Sonny into a tailspin. However, Watros plays Nina as loving, vulnerable, and understanding. Sonny feels safe with her. GH doesn’t revisit these two in one-on-one scenes often, but it’s always must-see TV when the show does.

Sonny came into Nina’s office hurt and betrayed but, thanks to Nina’s support and love, he was a different man by the time he left. Before exiting, Sonny spoke of the future, speculating that their grandchildren should always stay friends, a reference to the friendship that Sonny and Nina now share.

“The story doesn’t always end the way you think,” he said. “It doesn’t, does it,” replied Nina. Both were wistful about their own future not working out.

ABC

Capping off Watros’s sensation week was Nina’s reunion with her Aunt Leisl (a hearty welcome back to GH, Kathleen Gati! Port Charles just got wickedly fun again!)

Watros is an actress who is well aware that there are things we can confide in and emotions we can share with certain people in our lives that we simply can’t with others. Nina is able to open up to Leisl especially when it comes to her past with Drew and how it could destroy her relationship with Willow.

“I’m scared that I’m going to lose her every day,” fiercely lamented Nina, who injected abject fear into her voice. Then, she angrily declared that watching Drew and Willow together makes her skin crawl.

Viewers got a lot of everything from Watros this week. Brava to the actress for delivering diverse and poignant performances over multiple episodes.

General Hospital, Weekdays, ABC