Parker Forsyth

Parker Forsyth is a fictional character from the American soap opera General Hospital, portrayed by Ashley Jones. She made her first appearance on January 29, 2016. Parker had been previously mentioned on the soap as the university professor that Kristina Davis (Lexi Ainsworth) offered sex to in exchange for a higher grade. However, it was not revealed that Parker was a woman until her first appearance. Jones had to keep her casting a secret in order to make Parker's gender a surprise to viewers. Jones initially appeared in a recurring capacity until April 2016, before returning that summer for a brief stint. Jones later reprised the role in August 2017 before being written out and last appearing on October 11 of that year, alongside Ainsworth.

Parker's introduction was used to explore Kristina's sexuality, which Ainsworth said was a big socially relevant issue. Parker and Kristina eventually kiss and have sex following Parker's split from her wife, but Parker is convinced by Kristina's mother, Alexis Davis (Nancy Lee Grahn), to leave. Parker later returns and begins a relationship with Kristina, but she is fired for having a relationship with Kristina whilst she was still a student, which leads to Parker and Kristina leaving Port Charles for Oregon. Jones explained that the storyline was cut off short and was meant to be revisited, which it was not. Kristina and Parker's relationship was referred to by the portmanteau "Pristina". Jones herself commented on how fans felt betrayed over the storyline not continuing, but believed that the strong response was a testament to the writing and acting. The relationship also received praise from critics for its LGBTQ+ representation.

Ashley Jones made her first appearance on General Hospital as Parker Forsyth on January 29, 2016. Her casting was not announced beforehand in order to surprise viewers. When Jones made her first appearance, she had already filmed two episodes as Parker. Jones was happy to join the soap, explaining, "I've watched General Hospital over the years, so it's just a pleasure to see all these people on set and in and out of the makeup room". Jones, who has portrayed Bridget Forrester on another soap opera, The Bold and the Beautiful, on-off since 2004, was reunited with her former co-star, William deVry, who portrayed Briget's uncle, Storm Logan. Jones ran into deVry on her first day and commented, "It made me chuckle to myself about how small the soap world is! I still think of him as my uncle". deVry believed that General Hospital was "lucky" to have Jones joining the cast, calling her "such a professional and a lovely person". Jones was pregnant whilst filming at General Hospital. Parker's initial run lasted through to April 2016. On June 21 of that year, it was announced that Jones had returned to filming at General Hospital, with Jones posting a picture on social media of her with co-star Lexi Ainsworth, who she said she loves working with. Parker's return stint ran from June to July of 2016.

In July 2017, it was announced on the Instagram page of General Hospital that Jones had returned to filming again, with the actress commenting that it was "Good to be back in Port Charles". Jones revealed that she had wanted to announce her return for "quite some time", but had to keep quiet in order to not spoil anything. The soap's executive producer Frank Valentini had previously teased on Twitter that there would a new addition to the cast. Jones did not reveal her return storyline, but teased that there would be "fun and drama". Jones also praised costume designer Shawn Reeves, explaining, "I appreciated that he wanted [Parker] to be bright and fresh. That's probably all I can say for now without getting myself in trouble". Jones returned that August. Parker's return aired in August of that year. In October 2017, it was announced that Jones and her co-star Lexi Ainsworth had been written out of General Hospital and they last appeared on October 11 of that year. Jones, like Ainsworth, did not release a statement about her departure, but when asked by a fan on Twitter if she would return, she replied, "Time will tell (hopefully sooner than later)...", and told the fan to "hang tight".

In 2015, Kristina Davis (Lexi Ainsworth) returned to General Hospital with a "big secret". She eventually confides in her half-sister Sam McCall (Kelly Monaco) that she handled a breakup with her ex-boyfriend badly and fell behind in her university classes, so she prepositioned Parker, her professor, in a "last ditch effort" to raise her grade. Kristina believed that Parker was giving her signals that she was interested, but Parker was not, which results in Kristina being put on academic suspension for a semester and keeping the secret from her parents. However, Parker's gender was not revealed, which was why Jones' casting was announced prior. Jones explained that the soap bosses were "so secretive about it that I've been scared to tell anyone [about joining]. They made it very clear that Parker's gender was the reveal and they didn't want me to give it away." It has been assumed by many viewers that Parker was a man due to Kristina's past relationships being only with men. It is revealed that Parker and Kristina had met after class and shared alcohol, with Parker telling Kristina that her needs were not being met at home.

Parker's introduction scenes showed her show up to Kristina's home to confront Kristina on her "smear campaign" against her, as Parker believes that Kristina has posting negative reviews about her online. Kristina is stunned to see Parker on her doorstep. Parker then meets Kristina's mother, Alexis Davis (Nancy Lee Grahn), and finds out that she has not told her about her suspension, which "sets the stage for innuendos and more". Parker and Kristina both reveal that they have gone to "great lengths to protect their secrets that would threaten their lives", with the married Parker admitting to Kristina that she has a good life with a career, a home and a wife. Parker reveals that she agreed to not talk to Kristina's parents in exchange for Kristina not talking to Parker's wife. When Parker tells Kristina that she prepositioned her, Kristina replies, "Because you wanted it!" Before leaving, Parker tells Kristina that it would be a shame to throw away her life on a single mistake as she had a lot of potential, and tells Kristina to figure out "what she wants and who she wants to be" before her parents figure it out themselves.

Parker's introduction was used for the exploration of Kristina's sexuality. Speaking about the storyline, Ainsworth told Soap Opera Digest, "General Hospital has always been really great about touching on subjects like this, socially relevant issues, and this is a huge one. Everyone is talking right now about sexuality being fluid, and there are many people who have come out and said that they're not just attracted to one sex: they're attracted to who they're attracted to, whether it be a man, woman, transgender. It doesn't matter: love is a universal thing". The continuation of the storyline sees Kristina telling Alexis and her father, Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard), about what happened, but does not reveal that her professor was not a man. Sonny tries to investigate and track Parker down to send "him" a message, not knowing that Parker is a woman. Meanwhile, Kristina tells her half-sister, Molly Lansing (Haley Pullos), the whole truth, with Kristina revealing that she is questioning her sexuality. Kristina believes that she is bisexual but is worried about what her parents will think. When Molly questions Kristina about her feelings for Parker, it becomes clear that Kristina is "smitten" with her.

Parker returns to town and she and Kristina cannot contain their chemistry, which leads to a kiss. When the truth is revealed, Alexis confronts Parker about her relationship with her daughter. Jones teased that Alexis would go "all Mama Bear" on Parker. Jones was nervous over how the scenes had turned out, writing on her blog, "I've been a fan of Nancy Lee Grahn for years, so getting to work with her in this realm was a treat. We both had a ton of dialogue! I loved exploring the arc of these scenes with her, running lines and then taping". Jones also commented that it was nice receiving "real Mom advice" from Grahn due to Jones expecting her first child. Jones also joked that she would bracing herself following the airing of the scenes as she knew that fans of the soap are "super intense, loyal and opinionated".