How Jason Returned to General Hospital as Steve Burton Came Back to Port Charles
Jason returned to General Hospital in the July 13 episode following portrayer Steve Burton’s hiatus from the soap. Here’s how the character made his way back to Port Charles and what happened when he got there.
Homeward Bound
On an airplane, a man (Dean Geyer) was reading Lucy Coe’s (Lynn Herring) Travel Guide to Port Charles when the flight attendant asked if she could get him anything. He was just interested in when they would be landing. The attendant then asked the man in the next seat if he needed anything, and the camera panned around her to reveal that it was Jason, sporting a nasty bruise across the bridge of his nose.
“I’m good,” he replied. “Thank you.” After she walked away, Jason thought for a moment and then muttered to himself, “Soon, I’ll have everything that I need.”
Haunted Memories
Later, Jason flashed back to the night that the WSB took him into custody after he confessed to shooting Director Cullum (Andrew Hawkes) to protect Rocco (Finn Carr). Recalling the anguished voice of his son, Danny (Asher Antonyzyn), shouting and protesting the arrest affected Jason deeply. He then remembered being thrown into a dark cell by a guard and tried to shake off the memory as his companion returned to his seat.
Jason’s seatmate remarked that they’d been in the air for more than 16 hours and the time difference would cause terrible jet lag. He added, “I’m sure you’ll be glad just to be home.”
At one point during the flight, Jason dropped off to sleep for a bit and jolted awake from a nightmare where he heard himself screaming “Nooo!” over and over again. He then regarded some cuts on his hand as he thought back to lying on the cement floor of his cell, writhing in pain as a guard opened the door to announce that he was being released.
As the flight attendant announced they were coming in for a landing, the mystery man informed Jason that a car would be waiting to take him wherever he wanted to go. Jason inquired about the mystery man’s plan, and he replied that he had said he’d get Jason to Port Charles and had fulfilled that mission. “Enjoy the rest of your life, okay?” he said, shaking Jason’s hand.
Much later, the mystery man arrived at G.H. and introduced himself to Liz (Rebecca Herbst) as Tristan Roberts, the new staff surgeon.
Opposite this, Danny walked down to the Quartermaine boathouse and was startled to see someone standing on the dock in the setting sun, looking out at the water. “Dad?” he called out. Jason turned, and Danny rushed into his father’s waiting arms, thrilled to see him back. “I’m home,” Jason assured his son as they embraced. “I’m home.”
A Changed Man
Jason may be home, but the haunted look in his eyes shows that he won’t be shaking off this painful experience anytime soon. In Soap Opera Digest’s exclusive GH Summer Preview, Head Writers Elizabeth Korte and Chris Van Etten previewed that Jason’s “imprisonment has had a profound effect on his outlook, and how he intends to conduct the rest of his life.”
What did you think of Jason’s return and what do you think his changed outlook will mean for his future on GH? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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