Jason Morgan (formerly Jason Quartermaine, Born Jason Moore) is a fictional character and the current main protagonist on the ABC soap opera, Night Shift and has appeared on its SOAPnet spin-off series, General Hospital: Night Shift]. He is one of the longest-running characters on the show, having been played by various actors since the character's birth in 1982. The role is currently played by Emmy Award winning actor Steve Burton, who joined the cast in 1991.
Within the show's storyline, Jason is the biological son of show icon Dr. Alan Quartermaine, from an affair with Susan Moore. Originally a bright and ethical teenager whose main ambition in life was to become a doctor, the character would be revamped into a organized crime family enforcer and hitman in the Corinthos Crime Family, after sustaining a massive head injury that resulted in permanent brain damage and substantial memory loss.
Storylines
Childhood and Adolescence
Jason with his father Alan in 1982.
Jason was conceived out of his father, Alan Quartermaine's, affair with Susan Moore. When Jason was born, Alan supported him financially but was fighting for custody over his other son. Jason had lived with his mother and Scott Baldwin up until her death upon which he moved in with Alan and Monica. Jason and A.J. were sent off to boarding school as children.
When Jason and A.J. returned, Jason, who was a successful student and athlete was treated as the family favorite while A.J. was failing and dealing with alcoholism. Jason had relationships with Karen Wexler, Brenda Barrett, and Keesha Ward, who A.J. also loved. Jason had supported Monica through her health crisis and adored his adoptive sister, Emily Quartermaine.
In December 1995, an intoxicated AJ ran his car into a tree. Jason, who had been attempting to stop AJ from driving, was in the passenger seat and hit his head on a large boulder after being ejected from the car. To spare AJ, his cousin Ned Ashton claimed responsibility for the accident. Jason suffered brain injuries that resulted in total memory loss.
Upon waking up from his coma, Jason had no recollection of his past and resented all the Quartermaines except his grandmother and Emily. He became Sonny Corinthos's enforcer in his mob business and began to date Robin Scorpio. Due to the fact that Robin was HIV-positive, Jason began to sleep with Carly Roberts but Jason chose to be with Robin instead. Jason and Carly still remained friends. Jason, working for Sonny, discovered that a drugs were being imported, which caused his sister, Emily to collapse. Due to the fact that the mob was too much for Robin, the couple split up but Jason held a promise never to be romantically involved with Carly.
Jason (Steve Burton) & Robin (Kim McCullough)
To help Carly, Jason pretended to be the father of her baby so that neither of the two men that she slept with could take her baby away. Robin returned to Port Charles and Jason confessed that the child was A.J.'s according to a paternity test but would still like to be the child's father until Carly can take care of her son.Jason and Robin reunited and made love for the first time.
Jason & Carly
After Robin was almost killed in an explosion, Jason left the mob. Carly was released from the hospital and began to put a strain on Jason and Robin's relationship. Robin told AJ that he was Michael's father in an attempt to free Jason and the baby from Carly. This sent Carly in to depression and left town. Jason and Michael bonded over this time but Jason temporarily lost custody of Michael. AJ and Carly married, and a judge awarded joint custody to Jason, Carly, and AJ. Jason feared his hatred of AJ would hurt Michael and signed away all rights. He remained a big part of Michael's life and they are very close.
Jason began comforting Elizabeth Webber over the death of her boyfriend. Carly misunderstood their relationship and slept with Sonny. Jason was unable to deal with the betrayal of Sonny and Carly, and left town. Sonny and Carly began a real relationship, which Jason eventually accepted.
Relationship woes
Jason was forced to protect Sonny's sister, Courtney Matthews, when she was being stalked by A.J. Quartermaine. Jason and Courtney began a relationship which they had to keep secret, fearing Carly and Sonny's disapproval. After Luis Alcazar was murdered, Brenda and Jason became the prime suspects and were forced to wed to refrain from testifying. They divorced soon after, and Sonny discovered Courtney and Jason's affair which led to him firing Jason. Sonny eventually gave his approval, however, and Courtney and Jason became engaged. However, on the night of their wedding, their best friend Carly was kidnapped.
Courtney was pregnant, but lost the baby when trying to escape from Lorenzo Alcazar. Eventually, she and Jason married in France but due to the mob lifestyle, they divorced.
Jason and Sam McCall were arrested for aiding and abetting Sonny. Jason offered her a million dollars to leave town when he discovered that Sonny and Sam had had an affair while he was married to Carly. Sam refused and moved in with Sonny. Sonny and Carly reconciled, but Jason discovered that Sam was pregnant with Sonny's child. She was planning on leaving town but Jason convinced her to stay, with Jason pretending to be the father of Sam's baby in order to protect Sonny and Carly's reconciliation. However, Sonny and Sam's child died, and Jason and Sam eventually began a relationship, falling in love and getting engaged. They almost adopted a baby named Hope but that fell through. Jason and Sam did make it to the altar, but their wedding did not go through.
When all three of Sonny's children were kidnapped, Jason and Sam worked together to discover that A.J. Quartermaine and Faith Roscoe were the kidnappers. Jason and Sam decided to move to Hawaii after the crisis ended. In late November 2005, Sam convinced Jason to go on an experimental drug that Robin Scorpio founded that would help him regain his memory. The drug worked but this caused a brain aneurysm, and Robin and Dr. Patrick Drake were forced to operate on him. Although Jason initially refused, Sam and Carly managed to change his mind, and helped him regain his life.
Jason and Sam later discover that Sam's mother is Alexis Davis. Although Sam wanted to have children, she was shot with a bullet meant for Jason, resulting in her inability to become pregnant again. Sam slept with her mother's husband, Ric Lansing, to cause her mother grief but Jason walked in instead. Jason slept with Elizabeth Spencer, which resulted in a pregnancy. They agreed to let Lucky believe he was the father in order to protect their child from the mob.
Jason also had to come to terms with Sonny dating his sister, Emily. The relationship drove a wedge between Jason and Sonny, and Jason took over Sonny's business entirely without Sonny's consent. This resulted in a fist fight between the two that a teary-eyed Emily had to break up.
Jason's estranged father Alan died in early 2007 during the Metro Court hostage crisis, just as they were beginning to rebuild their relationship. Jason took his death hard, and privately confided to Monica during the memorial service that he had flashes of good childhood memories of Alan and that he regretted all the years he pushed him away.
Mob entanglement
Elizabeth gives birth to a son, Jacob Martin Spencer, in May 2007. Sam watches and says nothing when she sees Jason and Elizabeth's son, Jake, being kidnapped. Jason and Sam's relationship ends, and Jason recovers his son with the help of Amelia Joffe. Jason and Elizabeth admit their love as her marriage dissolves. Jason reveals Jake's paternity to Lucky at the Black and White Ball. Lucky and Sam agree to keep the secret, and Elizabeth and Jason begin to meet secretly. They become engaged but when Michael is shot, Jason ends their engagement. He had asked Elizabeth to go to Italy with him, but the shooting of Sonny's fiance the trip is cancelled. A war with the rival Russian mob began to escalate in November 2008. Jason agrees when Lucky proposes sending Elizabeth and the boys, along with Sam, to hide in a cabin in the woods. During a shootout with Russians who had followed the women to the cabin, Jake is kidnapped once again. Sam returns with Jason to search for Jake, and they return him safely to Elizabeth. Jason and Elizabeth once again vow to never see each other again for the safety of the boys.
Jason denies Sonny access to the organization when he wants it back. In order to regain his power, Sonny becomes head of the Zacchara organization by marrying Claudia Corinthos. Jason is later offered a blanket of immunity by Agent Rayner if he informs on Sonny Corinthos and Anthony Zacchara, but he refuses to give up Sonny. After Spinelli was set up by a geeky undercover agent named Winifred Leeds, he was arrested for his illegal activity. Jason is forced to agree to Rayner's deal to gain Spinelli's freedom. Jason asks Sonny to quit working with the Zaccharas, but Sonny refuses. Spinelli is freed from the FBI's hold when Sam, with the help of Winifred, destroys all the evidence against him. Jason and Sonny reconcile, and Jason is more than happy to give Sonny back the business.
Sam helping Jason recover from a gunshot wound in 2009.
Jason obtains evidence that Claudia Corinthos is responsible for Michael's shooting. Jason is also dealing with Carly Corinthos and her unstable son. In May 2009, his nephew Michael Corinthos wakes up from his year-long coma, but due to brain damage he is now an aggressive 17-year-old. Jason refuses to allow Michael's request to join his father's business and agrees with Carly that Michael should live at the Quartermaine Mansion for his own good. Jason resumes a friendship with Sam, who has partnered with Spinelli in her quest to start a private investigation firm.
Jason depends on Sam's skills to help him with an issue involving Dominic Pirelli, a new mob soldier who was trying to make his way into Sonny's organization. When Michael and Kristina run away because both teenagers each believed themselves to be the driver responsible for Claudia's car accident that resulted in the loss of her unborn baby, Jason and Sam take off to Mexico after them, recapturing some of their former closeness along the way. A resurfaced Jerry Jacks manages to capture Sam, luring Jason into a trap. During the ensuing shootout, Jason is pinned beneath a pile of rubble and Jerry taunts Jason with lies about Claudia's innocence before shooting him twice and leaving him for dead. Sam escapes and returns just in time to rescue Jason and nurse him back to health, and then they make love. On August 28, 2009, Jason and Sam find Michael and Kristina in Cancun, Mexico, and bring them back to Port Charles a few days later. Jason tells Sonny about his altercation with Jerry and about Jerry's claims of Claudia's innocence in Michael's shooting.
Despite their denials, Jason and Sam's renewed closeness is apparent to everyone, especially after they are caught kissing by Maxie and Spinelli. Jason is given a lecture from both Carly and Maxie on how he should treat Sam if he wishes to stay with her. Jason listens to Carly's advice and refuses to let Sam back out of going to the carnival with him. The carnival takes a chaotic turn when Jason's grandfather Edward Quartermaine has a drug-induced heart attack and passes out behind the wheel, plunging his car down the carnival midway. Jake is injured at the carnival, and Jason turns to Sam for comfort and reassurance multiple times during this ordeal. While at the hospital, Jason witnesses Nicholas and Liz kissing, and ends up at Sam's apartment, and they end up making love again. Believing themselves to be alone, they are caught by surprise the next morning when they come downstairs in each other's arms only to find Spinelli and Maxie's wedding party planners in the living room.
Notes
- His son Jacob Martin Spencer has his initials JM and goes by the nickname "Jake."
- After Alan Quartermaine's death, it was revealed that Alan's last will and testament stated that he wished to leave a quarter of his fortune to Jason's first child (who would be Jake). Tracy Quartermaine and her husband, Luke Spencer stole his will and made many changes which were far from Alan's wishes. Jason and Elizabeth are unaware of Jake's inheritance.
References
External links
- Jason Morgan profile at soapcentral.com
- Jason Morgan profile at ABC.com