Ever since the news broke that Kelly Monaco was exiting General Hospital, fans have wondered how the character would be killed off. However, when Sam was temporarily recast for the second time in a little over a month, that sparked more fan speculation.
No more Sam for Lindsay Hartley
Lindsay Hartley, who temporarily replaced Monaco in 2020 and 2022, was back as Sam McCall in August and again in September, causing some fans to wonder if she would play out Sam's last scenes rather than Monaco.
After GH let Marcus Coloma go at the end of 2022, Adam Huss played Nikolas' final scenes before the character was allegedly killed. (He turned out to be alive, and Huss still recurs in the role.) However, according to Kate Mansi, Monaco's exit won't present a similar situation.
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Mansi, who plays Sam's sister Kristina Corinthos-Davis, spoke with Michael Fairman TV in an interview.
"Lindsay Hartley is not coming back," Mansi said. "Kelly is finishing out, and I do have some scenes with Kelly. Working with her has been great. I love Kelly Monaco, and she was nothing but warm and welcoming when I got on. I think she’s super-talented and going to go on to do really great things."
In late August, Monaco and Mansi shared emotional scenes when Sam told Kristina she could understand the pain of losing a child at birth. Kristina had just lost Irene, and Sam's first daughter, Lila, was stillborn in 2004.
Is this how General Hospital ends Sam's story?
While we now know that Monaco will play Sam's last scenes, we still don't know how Sam will die.
Sam has already told Dante she is willing to dive into the river to find the gun Alexis tossed to prove it was not used the night John Cates was killed, but she is clearly trying to avoid that dangerous plan.
When Sam begged Carly to stop protecting Sonny and to tell the truth about what happened the night John was killed, it seemed she was trying to save Alexis without having to take a deep dive into the river. Sam and Carly had their argument right in Lulu's hospital room, causing some to wonder if Sam's death helps provide the liver that Lulu needs so Lulu can live.
Whatever happens to Sam, the character's death and Monaco's exit will provide emotional moments for GH fans.
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