Steve Burton Weighs in on GH’s Darker Turn

Fans of “General Hospital” have been glued to their television all summer long as several storylines have simultaneously exploded. This time last year, the newly minted writers were being questioned by fans for some of the abrupt choices that were being made (remember when Sonny killed Jagger Cates and no one cared?), but now, it all makes glorious sense.

In the golden era of soaps, summer used to mean lighter storylines with the focus on younger cast members, usually around a pool. Well, GH has the Metro Court pool, but the stories have been pretty dark. There’s the crime family war between Sonny and Sidwell, Willow and Michael’s custody battle, baby Daisy being messed with, and, of course, Drew blackmailing everyone in his path.

Port Charles has been a pretty bleak, hostile place lately, and Steve Burton, who plays Sonny’s enforcer, Jason Morgan, would have it no other way. He shared his thoughts on everything in the latest episode of his podcast with Bradford Anderson, “Stone Cold and the Jackal.”

People Have Forgotten How Jason Used to Be

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Many fans were shocked to realize that it was Jason who had kidnapped Marco on behalf of Sonny. As Sidwell’s son, Marco, ended up being the leverage that Sonny needed to get Sidwell to do what he wanted. He was roughed up a bit before being rescued by Lucas, but in the end, no serious harm came to Marco. Still, some fans were bothered by the dark turn, and seemed to forget what Jason’s job description has always been.

When the topic came up on their podcast, Burton said, “I just don’t know what that means exactly, because we can’t really forget what Jason’s job is. Fifteen years ago, nobody would have had any questions about this at all. Jason’s job, who and what he was, was very clearly defined.”

Bradford Anderson, who plays Spinelli on the soap, pointed out that over the last few years, his hands haven’t been as dirty as Sonny’s hitman. “That’s why I think people are having a hard time adjusting to it. I don’t really do any of that anymore,” explained Burton. Aside from shooting a sniper on the docks about 18 months ago, Jason hasn’t had much to do.

Sonny Is Torn Between Who He Was and Leaving the Business

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Burton believes that the recent changes are the writers trying to bring back more of the GH mobster heydays of the 90s.

“I think they were trying to make Sonny, Sonny again — the old Sonny, compared to this Sonny — when he killed Jagger. I think they were trying to reinstate that edge. He’s in charge. There needs to be more of that, quite honestly, of Sonny in charge. Sonny going, ‘Hey, go take care of this problem.’ And I go take care of the problem. This is what we used to do. I don’t know if it’s been watered down, the power.

Before, when Sonny would say, ‘Hey, go take care of this,’ the audience knew it would be taken care of. Now you’re just not sure if Sonny will follow through, or Jason’s going to say, ‘Hey, maybe there’s an alternative here.’”

At the same time, Burton acknowledges the progression of life and the fact that these characters are aging. Sonny has often mentioned looking for a way out of the business, and since Jason is Danny’s only parent, he seems to like the idea as well.

You can check out the full conversation between Burton and Anderson below!