General Hospital viewers learned a while back that Marshall Ashford walked out on his family so they wouldn’t be burdened with knowing he has schizophrenia. The show’s scribes added a new dynamic to this tale which allowed Robert Gossett, Marshall’s portrayer, to shine even more brightly. Therefore, Soap Hub is bestowing Performer of the Week honors for GH on the talented actor.
Robert Gossett – Performer of the Week
Dr. Portia Robinson (Brook Kerr) is doubly invested in Marshall’s medical history as he may be the grandfather of her daughter Trina (Tabyana Ali). Marshall, however, isn’t interested in the good doctor’s theory that he may not have schizophrenia at all. “Enough! Why can’t you just mind your own business?” Marshall blasted a well-meaning Portia in a recent episode’s prologue, whetting the appetite of viewers.
Why was Marshall so irate? Had he been lying about having schizophrenia all along and he didn’t want that secret to come out? Had he walked out on his family all those years ago for some other reason? Time will tell, but one thing was for sure — Marshall didn’t want Portia (Brook Kerr) butting into his medical history.
Curtis (Donnell Turner) entered the scene, prompting Marshall to, perhaps reluctantly, share Portia’s theory with his son. Portia presented her case citing Marshall not having an instance of schizophrenia in 40 years. She added in Curtis not having genetic markers for the condition as to what led her to believe that Marshall simply doesn’t fit a clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia.
Marshall started to feel outnumbered when Curtis (Donnell Turner) suggested that his dad see a professional. “You young people, you think you know everything,” Marshall said, hoping to dissuade the two from pursuing this matter. A determined Portia took things a step further, suggesting that it wasn’t schizophrenia that was holding him back but that it was the belief he had it that prevented him from leading a more full life.
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“My reasons are mine alone,” Marshall maintained as to why he didn’t want to pursue this matter further. “This damn disease,” he continued as his voice broke, “ruined my life…forced me to abandon my family, miss out on precious years with my sons…if I was misdiagnosed…that means all those sacrifices…it was all for nothing!”
Marshall went on to point out family moments he was robbed of due to a possible misdiagnosis including Tommy’s death, TJ’s (Tajh Bellow) birth, and Curtis’s struggle with addiction. “Have I wasted…please…have I wasted my entire life or worse…was it stolen from me?” an emotional Marshall asked. Portia urged Marshall to get tested as Curtis has expressed concern that schizophrenia could still take his father away from him. Then, Curtis suggested to his dad that his past is something from which he can’t run away.
Robert Gossett ended his performance related to this story development with an enigmatic look. Is there something more to his not wanting to be tested? Or is he about to be swayed by Portia and Curtis’s pleas? Either way, we can continue to count on powerful performances from the talented Gossett.
General Hospital airs weekdays on ABC. For an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.
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