Actors Laura Wright and Eden McCoy offered General Hospital viewers a standout performance in the episode that aired Thursday, August 16.

The scenes between Carly and Josslyn featured a mother’s discovery that her daughter had shoplifted, a discussion of the reason behind the stealing and the best way to take responsibility for one’s actions.

General Hospital viewers know that Carly spent the last few months remanded to a mental hospital for the criminally insane after being falsely convicted for a crime she didn’t commit. And poor Josslyn faced not only having her mother taken away from her, but her own guilt for doubting Carly’s innocence.

In the episode before Thursday’s emotional scenes, Carly was clued in by longtime rival Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst) on Josslyn’s involvement with shoplifting when Liz’s son Cameron had been arrested for stealing an expensive pair of earbuds. Since the store security footage showed Josslyn by Cameron’s side, Elizabeth questioned whether Joss had shoplifted as well. Carly took Elizabeth’s statements as an accusation of Josslyn being responsible for Cameron’s crime, that it was she who lead him to steal. But with the discovery of the stolen merchandise at Sonny’s house, Carly was confronted with the harsh truth.

What made the scenes where Carly questioned Josslyn about the shoplifting standout was the way they were executed from script to performance. Instead of approaching her daughter in an accusatory manner, Carly began by simply telling Josslyn that she was going to ask her a question and wanted a truthful answer, reminding that if Josslyn lied to her something would be lost between them. Then, Carly asked her daughter point blank whether she had shoplifted. Tearfully, Josslyn admitted to stealing the items. The teen explained how her world was turned upside down when Carly was sent away and the only control she had over the situation was the shoplifting; it was how she felt in charge.  But the high Josslyn experience from stealing was immediately met with guilt in knowing what she had done was wrong. But guilt for shoplifting wasn’t Joss’ primary guilt…why did she doubt Carly’s innocence in pushing Nelle down the stairs?  Listening to her daughter’s admission, Carly offered assurance of her love: “There is nothing you can ever do to make me stop loving you. I don’t love you because you are my biggest champion or because you’ve had my back, I love you because you’re you.” With Carly’s words, Josslyn felt relief; she had disappointed her mother, but Carly was in her corner as she had always been.

I liked that Carly’s punishment was fair and made Josslyn take responsibility for her actions. Joss was told that she had to return the stolen items back to the store and own up to what she’d done. Additionally, Carly would compensate the store for the theft and Josslyn would work to pay her mother back. As the store had no idea Josslyn had shoplifted, Carly could have easily encouraged her daughter not to say anything.  But Carly was a responsible parent raising her daughter to be a responsible person.

Laura Wright and Eden McCoy’s performance in the scenes continued to demonstrate the talent of these actors and how realistic they are as mother and daughter. Yes, physically they look enough alike that it’s easy to believe they’re related. But Wright and McCoy’s appearance is just a small part of why their mother and daughter scenes work.  The comfort between them translates on screen so well that I can almost forget I’m watching a television episode. I applaud Laura Wright and Eden McCoy.  Laura is a seasoned Emmy winning actress. As Josslyn, Eden McCoy has emotional depth in her acting that pulls you into the screen while watching her scenes. Eden has a promising career ahead of her (and I hope an Emmy nomination for playing Josslyn Jax).

Kudos Laura Wright and Eden McCoy.  I can’t wait for more moments like this between Carly and Josslyn.

Photo Courtesy of General Hospital Official Twitter. Video Courtesy of ABC and General Hospital

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