General Hospital’s Head Writers On Britt’s Return And Reunion With Jason: ‘He Can’t Stay Away’ (EXCL)
Now that Kelly Thiebaud has made her triumphant return to General Hospital as Britt Westbourne, a big mystery is underway. Just how is it that she is alive following her on-screen “death” in 2023, and who is she working for as she toils away at the Five Poppies resort in Dalmatia? The co-head writers of GH, Chris Van Etten and Elizabeth Korte, spoke exclusively to Soap Opera Digest about what’s in store for Britt as the storyline continues to unfold, how Jason Morgan (Steve Burton) factors in and more!
Building A Mystery
When the scribes first got word that Thiebaud was in discussions about returning to the show, they report reacting with “equal parts excitement and trepidation. Excitement because we love Britt; and trepidation because we love Britt. We didn’t want to get our hopes up too high only for it to not work out. We should have had faith in Frank [Valentini, executive producer]! He made it happen, and we’re grateful that he did.”
In the opinions of Van Etten and Korte, the character is unquestionably a value-add to the canvas. “Britt is great because she’s spiky on the outside and spiky on the inside,” they explain. “Deep down she does have a vulnerable streak, but you’re sure to get poked through with holes trying to bring it to the surface. What’s fun is learning who on the canvas may risk getting hurt in order to get to that vulnerability. She’s also dead sexy and has a snarky wit and an entrenched sense of entitlement.”
Of course, to reintegrate into the canvas, the writers first had to come up with a plausible explanation for her presence in the land of the living. While they aren’t giving away the story secrets behind Britt’s resurrection just yet, they allow, “Bringing someone back from the dead is always dicey. Some returns are harder to execute than others. But good actors and characters reward the effort – and that’s the case here. It helps that Britt is the offspring of two larger-than-life parents. Faison and Obrecht [Kathleen Gati] exist in that soap opera space in which anything is possible.”
Right On Q
Korte and Van Etten began laying the groundwork for Britt’s return by having Rocco (Finn Carr) discover the truth about how he came into the world — namely, via Britt’s ill-advised decision to steal Lulu (Alexa Havins) and Dante’s (Dominic Zamprogna) embryo and impregnate herself with it. This dip into the annals of GH history has also ramped up the rivalry between Lulu and Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton), who was indirectly responsible for Rocco learning of his origins.
The writers say that the wider consequences of this long-held secret coming out are only beginning to be felt. They point out, “Brook Lynn has never been a through-and-through hero. She’s always had a streak of Tracy [Jane Elliot] in her. She just hasn’t had a lot of reason to draw upon it lately. Lulu changed that when she exposed the truth about Gio [Giovanni Mazza]. That gave Brook Lynn every reason to lash out. She aimed to give Lulu a taste of her own medicine – pointing out her own child-related hypocrisy – but pulled back at the last second… too late, though, to stop it from getting back to Rocco that his was not a traditional conception. This dovetailed perfectly with Britt’s return. And it will have story implications for a long time to come. Brook Lynn has started a chain of events that will spiral out of her and Lulu’s control, and be felt across the canvas.”
A Second Chance At Love?
Britt and Jason’s romantic entanglement began and ended in 2021. Even though they weren’t together for very long, they had begun to build a strong fan base — one that was disappointed when the pairing was cut short. The writers think there is a simple reason that the combination of the two characters struck a chord with viewers.
“Britt does not buy into the Jason myth,” they declare. “And Jason has seen the vulnerability beneath Britt’s hard and brittle shell. Each has the other’s number, and neither will let the other forget it. But they also challenge each other. Proximity to Jason compels Britt to do better (even if it drives her crazy); and proximity to Britt gives Jason a migraine. But the pain must feel good, because he can’t stay away.”
He is trying, though. Having laid eyes on a woman at the airport in Paris who looked so much like Britt he could only conclude that it was indeed his former lover in the flesh, Jason had an internal struggle over whether to pursue the theory. He questioned whether Britt wanted to be found, ultimately concluding that she was likely hiding from her loved ones in Port Charles due to her diagnosis of Huntington’s disease, which is fatal. “I intend to honor her choice,” he told Sonny on August 5.
However, Jason’s decision is far from final. Korte and Van Etten tease, “Jason might have been willing to let Britt be, as others advised. But events elsewhere on the canvas prompt a third party to step in and counsel Jason to seek her out.”
Doing so will come at great risk, the writers warn: “What Jason doesn’t know is that confronting Britt may put other people in danger — one person, in particular, who is very close to him.”
Who do you think they’re referring to? Do you think Britt’s boss is someone we know, or a new super-villain? Are you rooting for Jason and Britt to get together? Let us know what you think and share your theories about what’s coming next on GH in the comments below!
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