General Hospital Loses an Iconic Character and Fan Favorite

This week, fans were up in arms over the exit of Jason Morgan, Steve Burton’s iconic character on General Hospital. A little recap…

After finally accepting Sam’s baby as his own, reuniting mom and son, a frantic message from the Corinthos accountant Bernie Abrams cut their evening short. As always, Jason headed to the rescue only to find the long-time accountant down, with Joseph Scully, Jr. hovering over him and about to issue the final kill shot!

In a Western-style shoot out between the two men, Jason emerged the victor, kicked Scully’s gun to the side, then tried to talk to Bernie. Although Bernie attempted to tell Jason he had been threatened by Duke Lavery into transferring all of Sonny’s money into Kristina’s account, it was in vain. Suddenly, out of the darkness, a shot was fired! Jason was shot in the back…by Lavery!

Duke emerged from underneath the pier, issued the final kill shot to Bernie, then turned his attentions to Scully. Jason lay on the edge of the pier, bleeding, motionless as Duke callously kicked him into the water, where Jason disappeared! Scully escaped.

News of Jason’s death rippled through Port Charles. Sonny, Spinelli, Sam all dove into the icy waters looking for Jason to no avail. The only thing found was the mini dragon momento he carried with him that symbolized his love for Sam. Though everyone appears to be accepting Jason’s death, Sam and John McBain feel he could still be alive.

Meanwhile at the Quartermaine mansion, Tracy and Monica rehashed their family history, each blaming the other for Jason’s death. It was heartbreaking to hear the list of those Monica lost- Lila, Alan, AJ, Emily, Justus…now Jason! It was heartbreaking when Monica screamed she was the only one left! The week ended when AJ, played by Sean Kanan, showed up at the Q’s to a relieved Monica. Looks like she knew he was alive all along! What will happen next?

Steve Burton has been on General Hospital for 21 years and has literally been key in building the show to what it is today. While some believe Steve left due to the integration of One Life to Live characters into General Hospital, the actor made it clear he opted not to renew his contract in favor of moving his young family to rural Tennessee. The debate over meshing the two soap operas continues and personally, I have actually enjoyed the new life Executive Producer Frank Valentini and Head Writer Ron Carlivati have breathed into this iconic soap.

Many long-time fans first came to know Jason Quartermaine as the ‘golden child’ with a bright future as a physician in the family business. Fate had other plans when a drunken AJ caused a car accident, which completely took Jason’s memory! Fans grew to love Jason Morgan, lovable hitman for Sonny Corinthos. Though nicknamed ‘Stone Cold’ he had a heart of gold.

Through the years fans have passionately debated over who Jason should be with, and many old timers believe his romance with Robin Scorpio was the best. Whether you were a Liason fan (Liz and Jason) or Jasam fan (Jason & Sam), the one thing fans agreed on was Steve Burton! He has been a major part of the show that will celebrate its 50th anniversary April 1, 2013. With his signature black t-shirt and leather jacket, he brought great dimension to Jason Morgan. Every single character on General Hospital is connected to Jason in some way, so it will be interesting to see how the show progresses. Is Jason really gone or did he survive the freezing waters? My bet is we’ll see Jason Morgan return someday….it is a soap opera after all!

RHeart Radio, the Fan’s Voice is doing a special tribute to Steve Burton November 7 honoring his 21 years on General Hospital. What do you think about Steve’s exit? Send your comments to be included during the show.