It’s Only My Opinion: Save General Hospital’s Jason And Other Story-Starved Soap Men!
Supporting other characters is fine, but too many A-list soap men are treading water right now. Being on screen doesn’t equal story!
I’m looking at you, Jason Morgan. The General Hospital anti-hero can always be counted on to save his son or hide a body, but he hasn’t driven major story for a while — and there’s been no romance since he returned almost two years ago.
Jason (to Britt): “Why would you have a key fob to Dalton’s lab?”
He’s putting together the pieces of her story at The Five Poppies, but she’s hedging as usual (four months and counting).
Jason: “I know you’re in trouble and I want to help, but I can’t when you keep me in the dark.”
Britt: “I have to know you are worth me risking my life.”
Jason: “You can trust me.”
Britt: “If I tell you the truth you’ll stick around no matter what?”
Brrrring! It’s Sonny calling, saying Jason has to retrieve Dalton’s body from Laura’s trunk. Britt kicked him out. It’s hard to see them as a couple when Britt runs so hot and cold and gets mad because he has a job. If Jason was a doctor on call, would she be such a bitch when he had to leave to remove a gall bladder? I think not.
Jason’s most memorable moments since his return to GH have involved his escape from Sidwell’s compound with Anna, covering for Michael as the father of Sasha’s baby, standing by his son Danny, and the amazing scenes surrounding his mother Monica’s death. That’s not nothing. But those stories mostly supported other characters. And the closest Jason has come to a liaison (see what I did there?) involved dangling his legs in the Metro Court pool with ex-flame Elizabeth and a clandestine kiss with Anna in prison. He needs a Jason-centric tale (like Luke Spencer used to have). Something like going to find his missing son Jake with Elizabeth or infiltrating Sidwell’s organization or bringing down nasty WSB honcho Jack Brennan (save Joss!).
Sonny was spinning his wheels too, but they revved him up by making him Laura’s first call after she found Dalton in her trunk. Now the mayor and the mobster share a deadly secret, and it’s divine.
Sonny: “No body, no crime. Act surprised when you hear Dalton has disappeared.”
It’s not surprising Laura called Sonny instead of the cops since we watched her murder David Hamilton as a teenager (and let her mother Lesley take the rap). Laura’s panic during the ordeal was harder to buy after all those years running from the mob with Luke, but I digress.
Nick on The Young and the Restless is another one who hasn’t seen any real action for over two years; not since Sally dumped him for Adam (who she then dumped for Billy). His most recent stories include searching for Sharon when she went missing, searching for Mariah when she went missing and searching for Noah when he went missing. You see the problem. He’s got kids we never see (Christian, Faith, Summer) and does little more at the office than have the occasional fight with Victor or Adam. That gives short shrift to the scion of Genoa City’s most powerful family. It doesn’t make sense for Y&R to give front burner stories to recast versions of Cane Ashby and Matt Clark when Nick and fellow OGs like Adam and Devon sit languishing.
Nick (to LA cops): “Did either one of you even know that Mitch isn’t his real name? His name’s Matt Clark. This guy has terrorized me and my family since high school. We thought he was dead but now he’s back to finish what he started.”
Another back-from-the-dead villain bringing trouble to Nick and Sharon so soon after Cameron returned from the grave feels lazy. Nick needs a serious love interest (Sharon? Phyllis? Lily?), at least one kid onscreen, and a real job at Newman Enterprises. I’d love to see him boss Adam around… a girl can dream.
Bold and Beautiful has resurrected Bill Spencer by reuniting him with Katie but that rascal needs more. He should plan a big wedding to Katie that she doesn’t want, fight about Ridge and Brooke’s place in their lives (please have Katie insist Ridge be a groomsman!), clash with Liam at work, stick his nose into Will’s business, etc.
Deacon is another one getting new life. He was never believable with psycho Sheila; their union diminished him. Deacon’s hatred of Sheila’s equally psychotic granddaughter Luna is a good step towards finishing them.
Deacon (to Sheila): “Come on, Luna was nuts. I am not going to feel bad for the monster who killed my friends. Karma’s a bitch and it finally caught up w Luna.”
His flirtation with Taylor will upend a lot of people. Good!
Now, can Ridge please have a story? Something besides following Brooke to Italy and calling her his destiny?
Ridge: “We’ve got to pivot away from this whole Luna thing.”
Exactly.
Days of Our Lives is so close to making EJ a formidable leading man with his dangerous DiMera edge and funny sense of humor. He was the straw that stirred the drink when he ran into Sami’s other ex-husbands Rafe and Lucas at the Brady Pub.
EJ: “Oh God, I’m surrounded.”
They dished Sami’s engagement to Dante Vitali whose family is in the mob, but Rafe insisted he did a background check.
Rafe: “The guy’s clean, I looked.”
EJ: “Look harder.”
Aw, he still cares! Post-meeting, EJ surprised his former father-in-law Roman by thanking him for putting up with him. Roman responded that EJ is the father of his grandkids and he always wants to be civil. Enter EJ’s estranged son Johnny with new baby Trey who EJ hadn’t officially met, and the guy melted. It’s hard to reconcile that misty grandpa with the villain who ordered Gwen to keep Leo out of the lab or “Tony and Kristen won’t be the only ones missing,” but throw in a good love interest (I still like Belle) and they’re on the right track.
Which brings us to Beyond The Gates. It’s a little early to call out the new soap for mistreating its men, but Bill Hamilton had better go scorched earth on Hayley when it comes out that she’s a big home wrecker poisoning him for his money.
Hayley (giving Kat advice): “Happy men don’t stray.”
Do they do background checks? Because Bill is too smart to have fallen for that hooch’s act. Fix it!
Hey. It’s only my opinion.
Conversation
All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. Soap Opera Digest does not endorse the opinions and views shared by our readers in our comment sections. Our comments section is a place where readers can engage in healthy, productive, lively, and respectful discussions. Offensive language, hate speech, personal attacks, and/or defamatory statements are not permitted. Advertising or spam is also prohibited.