General Hospital’s Adam J. Harrington Addresses His Exit as Cates: ‘Thank You for the *Shot*’

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It seems a bit callous to say that “It’s about time!” when a soap takes out a character, but you’ll forgive us if that was the first thought that went through our heads when General Hospital‘s Sonny took out Agent John “Jagger” Cates.

The character had been written into such a corner lately as he threatened Ava, went after a grieving Kristina and tried every underhanded tactic he could to get to Sonny. He’d been pushing virtually everyone’s buttons in Port Charles, and his demise seemed inevitable. It was (almost) no surprise, then, that Sonny took him out during a confrontation on August 30 at the Quartermaine boat house.

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GH's Sonny stands over Jagger's body in the rain, gun pointed at him with blood on Cates' chest
GH's Sonny stands over Jagger's body in the rain, gun pointed at him with blood on Cates' chest

The two faced off in the rain after Cates arrested Kristina for manslaughter, forcing Sonny to finally act. “Kristina is about to go away for assault and murder,” John spat at Sonny as the rain poured down on them. “You could save her by just turning yourself in and confessing your crimes. But no, you’re too selfish.”

And maybe Sonny was too selfish to turn himself in. But not to put an end to the threat against Kristina, his family and his loved ones. That’s one thing Sonny’s never had a problem doing. And before he ended Jagger for good, he made that very, very clear.

“You’ve been banging the same old tired drum about Karen for decades,” the don threw back, gun leveled at Cates. “You still don’t understand. And now you target my daughter. That was the biggest mistake. Let me tell you something, Jagger. I’ve told you over and over and over. You can come after me, but when you go after my daughter, that’s unacceptable.”

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And that was that. Sonny put not just one but two bullets into his nemesis, seemingly going right for the heart. “Well, General Hospital, it was a blast, literally!” tweeted Adam J. Harrington on September 1. “To [executive producer] Frank Valentini, producers and writers — thank you for the shot at joining your world. I loved it.

“To the phenomenal cast and crew,” he continued, “it was a honor to witness the caliber of your work. Now, seriously, I will miss you all.”

Finally, Harrington spoke directly to the audience. “To the General Hospital viewers and fans,” he said, “it’s been an honor being in your world and feeling your passion. To those who have written a goodbye, I’ve read every word and I’m deeply humbled. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Until we meet again… ”

Take a look at all of General Hospital‘s recent exits in our photo gallery.