Truth be told, viewers are still reeling form the death of General Hospital‘s Sam. Not a day goes by that social media isn’t flooded with messages begging the show to fix what many see as a grievous mistake by bringing back Kelly Monaco and the character she played for over two decades. But this week, the residents of Port Charles gather to say a final farewell to the woman who was the phoenix to Jason’s dragon.
Certainly the idea of Sam returning from the dead shouldn’t be dismissed outright, given how many of the characters who’ll be attending her funeral have themselves risen from premature graves. But with each passing day, that possibility seems increasingly unlikely. And according to Dominic Zamprogna, whose Dante was planning to marry Sam, the mood on set as the funeral scenes were taped had an air of finality.
“I was really impressed by what a room of love it felt like,” the actor told Soap Opera Digest of taping the episode. “It felt like there was such support and love for Kelly, even though she wasn’t there, and for each other, too.”
Obviously, losing one of their longtime fellow castmates was tough. “It was a sad day,” he added, “but a day filled with a lot of support for everyone and from everyone.”
Sam’s funeral is only the beginning for those left behind, and this week’s teasers reveal that there’s a tough road ahead for several locals, including Dante. Even as he attempts to pick up the pieces and figure out what’s next, Dante will be put in a potentially awkward position when Jason turns to him for a bit of advice. Will the man Sam was set to wed be able to help the one who was arguably the greatest love of her life?
No matter what, Zamprogna said that he intends to keep the love Dante and Sam felt for one another alive via his ongoing portrayal. “You can’t gloss over a broken heart,” he said, adding that he intends to “incorporate it into everything Dante does” moving forward.
