After sneaking around Port Charles for a couple of weeks now, General Hospital’s Jason (Steve Burton) finally found himself in a familiar place by the end of the episode airing on March 22. Of course, we mean in handcuffs and at the police station.
Once Michael (Chad Duell) helped Jason realize that being on the lam is putting his loved ones at risk of getting in trouble and dragged into his crisis, Stone Cold called Diane (Carolyn Hennesy), who was expecting to hear from him. Following one brief conversation, she accompanies him to the police station as he turns himself in as a suspect in the attempted murder of Dante (Dominic Zamprogna). A crime that continues to send shockwaves through town.
Naturally, Sam (Kelly Monaco) and Sonny (Maurice Benard) have been mostly enraged by the possibility of Jason being responsible for Dante lying in a hospital bed. Despite Sam and Sonny having very deep connections to Jason, because they are fueled by concern for Dante and not exactly sure what Jason has been up to for the past few years, they are ready to see justice served.
Then there’s Carly (Laura Wright) and Michael. They may not know where Jason has been and why he was even on the pier when Dante was shot, but they believe in Jason’s innocence. Their trust in Jason isn’t completely blind either, because Jason did save Dante’s life after Jason’s "partner" shot him.
With all that being said and Jason in lockup, it would seem his fate rests in the testimony of Dante. Unfortunately, Dante is still unconscious and lying in a hospital bed, unable to tell his side of the story. However, that’s likely to change. In the very near future, we suspect Dante will wake up, but the question remains if he’ll be able to back up Jason’s claim of innocence.
It would be rather soapy if Dante opens his eyes and is unable to remember what exactly happened the night he was shot. That would be a blow to Jason’s defense, and leave even the great Diane Miller in a terrible bind in trying to free her client. Thankfully for Jason, he has two aces up his sleeve in Carly and John 'Jagger' Cates (Adam J. Harrington).
Carly will defend Jason at all costs and go to great lengths to protect her best friend, turned love of her life. While her loyalty at times drives her to come up with some horrible schemes that have unintended consequences, perhaps a new plan she devises to help Jason finally pans out.
Then there’s Jagger. Through flashbacks, viewers know that Jason has likely been working for him for the last few years, for a reason not yet known. Whatever the reason is, Jagger probably doesn’t want that released to the public. The special agent may move mountains to ensure Jason is either cleared of Dante’s murder or transferred into federal custody to protect him from Anna (Finola Hughes) and the Port Charles Police Department (considering Steve Burton signed a two-year contract with the soap, the first option seems more probable).
So if Jason soon becomes a free man, the big question we have to ask is, "What’s next?" Well hopefully, the full extent of this Jagger mystery unfolds. Plus, it would be nice to see who Jason restarts a romance with in Port Charles. Will it actually be Carly, or will he and Sam find their way back to each other?
New episodes of General Hospital air on weekdays on ABC. If you miss an episode, you can catch up on Hulu.
