General Hospital left viewers with quite the curveball when Friday’s episode ended on a shocking cliffhanger.
Austin (Roger Howarth) was shot after returning home to retrieve evidence he promised Dante (Dominic Zamprogna) at the PCPD.
Whoever shot Austin was behind the camera, but there are a few possibilities for who could’ve done it.
The way things ended and the fact that we are more than halfway through November Sweeps leaves fans questioning whether Austin is dead and Roger Howarth is leaving General Hospital.
Without much else, this could be the death teased months ago, though many believed it would be Mason (Nathanyael Grey) who would bite the bullet.
Here’s what we know about Austin being shot and what that means for Roger and General Hospital.
Will Austin die on General Hospital?
The biggest question is whether the General Hospital writers are killing off Austin.
It appears to be the case, mainly because he was ready to spill the beans on Cyrus (Jeff Kober) after telling Ava (Maura West) the truth.
After the confrontation with Cyrus and the warning he issues, it’s assumed he is the one who shot Austin at his home.
However, Cyrus could also have contracted the job out, which is why we didn’t see the shooter.
Given the state of relationships Austin has with those in Port Charles, it isn’t likely anyone will be heading to his house to find him anytime soon.
As of writing this, there has been no information about Roger Howarth’s status with General Hospital. He didn’t release a statement, and GH didn’t, either. Contracts aren’t openly discussed, so it will be interesting to see if this is where things end.
One of the things viewers are questioning is why the writers would kill him off as the executives seemingly adore Roger. He has been given three separate roles since joining General Hospital.
Roger came to Port Charles as Todd Manning but had to be put into a different role after negotiations about who owned the character names from One Life to Live got heated.
From there, he was put into the role of Franco, which was odd as James Franco had originated the role and wreaked havoc on Port Charles. And when Franco was killed off, they put Roger in the role of Austin Gatlin-Holt, which only complicated things further.
He debuted during May Sweeps in 2021, which only puts him two and a half years into a contract, which is usually four years.
General Hospital viewers weigh in on Austin being shot
The general consensus about Austin on-screen is that he isn’t needed. No one seems interested in him, and he isn’t in a relationship that people can root for.
General Hospital viewers took to X (formerly Twitter) to voice their opinions about Austin being shot on Friday’s episode.
Another user used an eye roll gif to address the situation of their timeline.
And one more suggested Finn (Michael Easton) should have been killed off before Austin.
Be sure to tune in this week to find out what happens to Austin and if Roger is leaving General Hospital.
General Hospital airs weekdays on ABC.
I’ve never liked Roger; as Austin, Franco or Todd Manning. He is kind of creepy. I have grown to like Finn. Please let Finn and Elizabeth have a happy ending.
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