Photo Credit: HutchinsPhoto.com

On General Hospital, Dr. Patrick Drake (Jason Thompson) has been put through the ringer over the last few years, mainly due to first: grieving over his presumed dead wife, then allowing himself to fall in love with another woman, only to have his wife return very much alive. After the fallout from that, and having his beloved Robin (Kimberly McCullough) back in his arms again, she up and leaves (with an ominous assist from Victor Cassadine) to go save the life of her dear friend Jason Morgan!  Then, Patrick and former girlfriend Sabrina’s (Teresa Castillo) little boy tragically dies after a car “accident” that sent their vehicle off the road, which resulted in the premature birth of baby Gabriel.  Sabrina then has a meltdown and heads back to Puerto Rico for some r and r.

Meanwhile, Patrick and good friend Sam (Kelly Monaco) find each other spending more time together as they try to piece together the puzzle of who put the now deceased Rafe (Jimmy Deshler) up to the accident that ran Patrick and Sabrina off the road.  And it is beginning to look like these two might turn out to be more than just friends in the very near future, especially after Patrick found out and witnessed with his own eyes, that Robin is actually an hour away at the Crichton-Clark clinic doing her “research” and did not come home to her family after she disclosed to Patrick that she could not revive Jason … and that Jason is “dead”!  But as fans of the series know… Robin lied to protect Patrick, and now Patrick wants a divorce.  Oh, the tangled web!

On-Air On-Soaps caught up with Jason Thompson at last week’s GHFCW 2014 to get his thoughts on where Patrick is at with the women in his life, what he would like to see happen for Dr. Drake in the romance department, and if it’s time for the good doc to just go back to his philandering ways.  Here’s what Mr. T had to say!

So what do you think about where things are headed in the relationship between Patrick and Sam … and getting the opportunity to work a lot more with Kelly Monaco (Sam)?

Courtesy/ABC

JASON:  I think on paper it makes a lot of sense. They both have been through similar things. They are both single parents right now, and they both know what it feels like to lose somebody.  Obviously, there is a big secret that Patrick is holding and we will see how that unfolds.  And then personally, Kelly Monaco and I have known each other for a really long time now.  We haven’t worked a lot together, but we have here, and there, on some things. But to actually get to do something together, I think we are both looking forward to it.  I think we can hopefully use our real-life friendship, and the ins and outs that we know of each other, to kind of bring to the characters a little bit.

Would you be all for a romance between Patrick and Sam?

JASON:   I mean, romance can mean a lot of things.  I don’t know if Patrick is ready for a relationship yet.  There is a part of Patrick that from the beginning wasn’t trying to be in a committed relationship, and that has been gone for a long time, because Patrick was in a committed relationship.  But if you look back on it, and he lays there at night going, “How well has this really worked out?  I have a beautiful daughter, but other than that, I have been through hell in a lot of ways.  I don’t want to lose that again.  Once we did get it back (referring to Patrick and Robin) I thought we had it back, and now it’s gone again.”   So, I don’t know what romance might mean.  But, I don’t think it’s so far away that the guy wants to be wanted again, by somebody.  Sabrina was there, and that’s still evolving too.

Do you think Patrick and Sabrina (Teresa Castillo) might find a way back to each other after all that happened between them?  And would you even want that for Patrick?

Courtesy/ABC

JASON:  I don’t know.  I think there is a way back for him, but I don’t know if there is a way back for her, and as a character and as a strong woman.  I don’t know if it would work for Sabrina to come to Patrick.  I think she should evolve on her own to a certain extent and find somebody, because Patrick kind of played with her quite a bit.  And now Patrick has to tell her he is getting divorced again.  So now it’s all of that, and what they could have had. Now it’s gone again.  I think Patrick and Sabrina have a lot of water under the bridge, and I don’t know if it will ever work again.  But, who knows?  I am sure if it does, they will find a way to make it work.

Is it difficult for you as an actor with Kimberly McCullough (Robin) coming and going, and coming and going, to figure out where Patrick is coming from at certain points in the story?

JASON:  Yeah … definitely!  But I think GH does a good job at making it difficult on us, which I like.  There are times when I don’t know what to be playing, because there is so much to be playing.  But logistics-wise they have to make it work!

Do you call her up and say, “Kimberly! You are screwing up my entire career on this show!” (Laughs)

Courtesy/ABC

JASON:  (Laughs) No, not at all.  I love when Kimberly comes back.  They will always have a history there.  That is one of the things we get to play around with in our genre … that people can come back and forth, things can be rehashed and open and closed again, and never really closed.  I think there is a going to be a really big part of that moving forward.  But at the same time, Patrick and Robin’s relationship is changing, personally and together. I am kind of excited for that, because it’s a different time for Patrick. We will see where it goes.

And yet, Patrick has no idea that Robin is being forced against her will by Victor (Thaao Penghlis) to stay put at the Crichton-Clark clinic and continue her research to resurrect the Cassadines and Jason … otherwise his life and Emma’s are in grave danger!

JASON:  Right.  There is more going on with her story, too.  There is more going on with Robin than Patrick knows.  So as much as Patrick feels he is doing everything he can, he does not know her truth.

When the truth is revealed down the road … that just might end up pulling Patrick and Robin finally back together.

Courtesy/ABC

JASON: Exactly, or to just explain it.  Things happened, and just because it’s explained doesn’t mean the feelings are still there.  Things can be explained, and they can have a mutual agreement of, “Well, we both did what we needed to do, but this is not the same.”  I felt like that could have been that way after Robin’s whole traumatic two years away.  How could it not be after what she went through, and what Patrick went through?  It doesn’t mean they don’t love each, and that they possibly could make it work in the future.

With what he believes is the knowledge that Jason Morgan is “dead”, do you think it would be out of character for Patrick to sleep with Sam?  It could make the whole thing palpable for him as he believes Jason is dead.  But imagine the shock when, and if, Jason should return very much alive?  It would turn the Patrick/Sam/Jason/Robin story on its ear!

JASON: I think there is a part of Patrick that is figuring what is in character, and what is not in character for him.  If it is out of character maybe that is a good thing – spin it, and put a wrench in the spoke, and see what happens.  I don’t know if he knows what he wants right now, or what’s there, or if he will be like: “I don’t know if this is right, but I’m doing it anyway just to see what happens.”  There is a recklessness to him underneath it all.  I think it’s gone away a bit because of his daughter and being a father.  He can’t be completely irresponsible, but Patrick was a young guy and a hot shot for awhile.  He liked that and there was a reason for it, and the reason he didn’t want to get into the place he finds himself at now, because of where he is.  So maybe there is a part of him that wants to go back to that old lifestyle a little bit, but obviously, he is still a single father, and that’s the most important thing to him.

Courtesy/ABC

And finally, what can you say about working with your cute as a button, little scene stealer of an on-screen daughter, Brooklyn Rae Silzer (Emma)?

JASON: Brooklyn did one of the very best pieces of work I have seen in long time a few weeks ago.  She will break your heart and she was unbelievable.  She took her acting to a whole other level.  We sat and talked about it a lot and she was amazing in the scenes. It’s a two box hankie moment.  She was so good in it.  Everyone on set was so proud of her.

So, who do you want to see Patrick end up with romantically …  Sam, Sabrina, Robin, or do you want him to not be tied into a relationship at this point in the story?  What do you think about Robin telling Patrick that Jason is “dead” to protect him, and their daughter Emma?  Do you think Sabrina will still want Patrick after all when she returns?  And, what will happen if Sam sleeps with Patrick, only to later learn that Jason is alive? And, what about Silas (Michael Easton) in all this?  Share your thoughts below!