It’s remarkable that General Hospital’s Carly (Laura Wright) and Sam (Kelly Monaco) have managed to be at peace for all these years and even friends. When Sam first arrived in Port Charles, Carly couldn’t stand Sam because she first got involved with her then-husband Sonny (Maurice Benard) and then wound up in a whirlwind romance with her best friend Jason (Steve Burton). In turn, Sam loathed Carly for always expecting Jason to prioritize Carly over her.
However, as years passed by, Carly backed off a bit, respecting the bond between Sam and Jason. Sam grew to realize that Carly will forever be a fixture in Jason’s life. So as Carly and Sam traded their enemy cards for friend bracelets, I thought we wouldn’t have to revisit their tumultuous dynamic again. But then Jason arrived back in Port Charles this year, after being presumed dead.
Since his return, Sam has been a pent-up ball of rage when it comes to Jason. She’s pretty much loathed him for being away and labeled him as the biggest threat to their son Danny (Asher Antonyzyn). Then, during the week of June 17, Sam went to see her pal Carly to ask her to convince Jason to stay away from Danny, claiming it was for the teen’s protection.
Naturally, Carly objected to Sam’s request and the two got into quite the exchange. (Allow me a moment to commend Carly for exercising restraint and not slapping Sam when the private investigator brought up Morgan [Bryan Craig].)
As the two women stood firm in their stance, Sam was adamant that Jason’s lifestyle poses a life-or-death threat to their son and that it was selfish for Jason to disappear. Now I’ll validate both of the points raised here. Given Jason has spent most of his adult life as an enforcer for Sonny, there is always a looming concern that one of Sonny and Jason’s enemies could indirectly hurt their families. Heck, Michael (Chad Duell) was shot, Kristina (Kate Mansi) was kidnapped and Carly was held hostage, that’s just to name a few instances.
Additionally, Jason made the choice to stay away from his loved ones and work as an FBI informant. He could have let John Cates (Adam J. Harrington) attempt to use the audio of Carly and convict her of racketeering. Although, the bestie bond would never allow that.
Now while I may see Sam’s perspective, I agree with Carly. The Metro Court owner was likely correct when she surmised that the real reason Sam is mad is because Jason left her behind. Sure, Sam is furious Danny was gutted by his father’s absence, but so was Sam. She might have moved on with Dante (Dominic Zamprogna), but for many years, Jason was the love of her life. It’s easy to imagine that love still resides in her heart.
Carly also raised the excellent point that Sam always knew who Jason was. He was an enforcer for Sonny when they met, and he was still working for Sonny when she chose to marry him and subsequently have kids. Sam was never oblivious to the risks involved.
Speaking of risks involved because of professions, at times, Sam takes some pretty unnecessary ones that could result in her spending years locked up and away from her children. Let’s not forget she was convicted of the involuntary manslaughter of Shiloh (Coby Ryan McLaughlin), later paroled, and she literally just worked with the Spinelli (Bradford Anderson) to hack the FBI, a federal offense punishable by time in prison.
Additionally, Sam can’t claim to be concerned about her teen’s safety and yet ignore the fact that they live in Port Charles and are attached to notorious families. Her boyfriend and her sister are Sonny’s kids. She herself is the legacy of the infamous Jerome crime family. Heck, she’s also a Cassadine heir, which makes her prone to chaos. Any one of these connections can prove dangerous to Danny, and she’s ignoring that fact.
Lastly, I’d like to note that if Jason disappeared for two years to protect Sam from going to prison, she wouldn’t be upset. I doubt she’d be voicing all of this concern about Jason’s lifestyle and its impact on Danny. This leads me to close by saying Sam is jealous of Carly. She’s neon green with envy that Jason loves Carly to this magnitude, and I can see it clear as day. She better hope Dante doesn’t, or their relationship is in for some turmoil.
New episodes of General Hospital air on weekdays on ABC. If you miss an episode, you can catch up on Hulu.
