Port Charles is buzzing after a jaw-dropping twist on General Hospital. On the January 8 episode, fans finally learn who shot Drew Cain. It

was none other than Willow Tait who pulled the trigger. Behind the scenes, head writers Elizabeth Korte and Chris Van Etten revealed why Willow had to be the one to shoot him.

 

 

The Drew Cain shooting storyline was years in the making. In a recent interview, Van Etten told Soap Opera Digest that the groundwork started over a year ago, back when Drew and Willow had their secret fling while she was still married to Michael. Their first kiss and meet-up at the Quartermaine mansion stirred up drama that echoed through multiple storylines, eventually leading to the shocking shooting.

“The idea was hatched, really, around the time of Drew and Willow’s affair, which would serve as a real split in the family and cause a big reaction across the canvas. It would send both Willow and Drew down a road that could cause a bunch of people to have problems with them … or singularly with Drew,” Van Etten explained.

Further, Korte stated that once the affair came out at the Quartermaine holiday party in December 2024, the writers started figuring out who might have grudges against Drew.

By spring 2025, they decided to turn it into a whodunit, using the summer to plant clues. Drew’s moves, like blackmailing Curtis’ wife and manipulating Willow, were all carefully crafted so multiple characters could plausibly be suspects. “We definitely gave ourselves the whole summer to plant those seeds, but the actual ‘Let’s do this!’ was probably April of last year,” Korte said.

However, it seems the writers always knew Willow would be the one to pull the trigger. “One thing after another was building to this moment where she finally opened her eyes and found herself in a pit of her own making, and had to act to get out of it,” Van Etten said.

But the drama is far from over. Willow has yet to face the legal and emotional fallout, while Trina and Kai are dealing with their own tangled roles that night.

Port Charles is buzzing after a jaw-dropping twist on General Hospital. On the January 8 episode, fans finally learn who shot Drew Cain. It was none other than Willow Tait who pulled the trigger. Behind the scenes, head writers Elizabeth Korte and Chris Van Etten revealed why Willow had to be the one to shoot him.

The Drew Cain shooting storyline was years in the making. In a recent interview, Van Etten told Soap Opera Digest that the groundwork started over a year ago, back when Drew and Willow had their secret fling while she was still married to Michael. Their first kiss and meet-up at the Quartermaine mansion stirred up drama that echoed through multiple storylines, eventually leading to the shocking shooting.

“The idea was hatched, really, around the time of Drew and Willow’s affair, which would serve as a real split in the family and cause a big reaction across the canvas. It would send both Willow and Drew down a road that could cause a bunch of people to have problems with them … or singularly with Drew,” Van Etten explained.

Further, Korte stated that once the affair came out at the Quartermaine holiday party in December 2024, the writers started figuring out who might have grudges against Drew.

By spring 2025, they decided to turn it into a whodunit, using the summer to plant clues. Drew’s moves, like blackmailing Curtis’ wife and manipulating Willow, were all carefully crafted so multiple characters could plausibly be suspects. “We definitely gave ourselves the whole summer to plant those seeds, but the actual ‘Let’s do this!’ was probably April of last year,” Korte said.

However, it seems the writers always knew Willow would be the one to pull the trigger. “One thing after another was building to this moment where she finally opened her eyes and found herself in a pit of her own making, and had to act to get out of it,” Van Etten said.

But the drama is far from over. Willow has yet to face the legal and emotional fallout, while Trina and Kai are dealing with their own tangled roles that night.