If there’s one defining moment in American soap operas, it’s Luke and Laura’s wedding on “General Hospital.” The nuptials of the super-couple (played by Anthony Geary and Genie Francis) was a major television event when it aired in November 1981, bringing in 30 million viewers to the ABC series and making the duo one of the most iconic couples in soap history.

But as famous and beloved as the couple is, their relationship started on an extremely ugly note. In an October 1979 episode, Luke raped her, and although the show initially played it as such, the event was later looked back on as a “seduction” due to the popularity of the pairing. Although the characters remained together for years, with their love story a major part of the series until Geary left the cast in 2015, the assault cast a large shadow over the rest of their storylines. And Francis,...