Over the course of a few decades on General Hospital, Sonny (Maurice Benard) has garnered a reputation in Port Charles for being a "good bad guy."
Although he’s built an empire in the underworld and garnered a reputation for being ruthless in his line of work when he deems it necessary, to many of the residents in town, he’s a charming neighbor who’s willing to go above and beyond for those he considers family and friends. Plus, given the caliber of villains that have wreaked havoc on the Spencers, Quartermaines, Webbers and more over the years, Sonny is like a gentle lamb. He usually has certain boundaries he won’t cross when it comes to those not trying to interfere with his business.
Unfortunately, this loveable version of Sonny has all but disappeared in the wake of his split from Nina (Cynthia Watros) and with Valentin (James Patrick Stuart) tampering with his bipolar medication. Sonny has pushed away nearly all of those who have been close to him over the years, including Carly (Laura Wright) and Jason (Steve Burton), who have arguably been his truest confidants.
Plus, since he recently decided to pummel Dex (Evan Hofer), Kristina (Kate Mansi) and Dante (Dominic Zamprogna) aren’t thrilled with their father these days either. We can’t forget, Sonny’s increasingly violent behavior has made him an enemy of Laura (Genie Francis) and Anna (Finola Hughes), the mayor and police commissioner respectively.
With all that being said, we think it’s only a matter of time before Carly figures out Sonny’s medication issues and steps in to once again help her ex-husband in his time of need. After he gets back on track, will he come to realize that a life in the criminal underworld is costing him too much? While Valentin is responsible for his mental health crisis and sudden erratic behavior, Sonny’s career has cost him a lot over the years.
In recent memory, his battle with Pikeman led to Dante being shot and hospitalized. Throughout the years, his fight to maintain his power and territory has led to Morgan (Bryan Craig), Connie (Kelly Sullivan) and Lily (Lilly Melgar) being murdered. Plus, Carly, Kristina and Michael (Chad Duell) have all been kidnapped at some point by an enemy of Sonny’s. Not to mention, Sonny has seen a few bullets fly his way as well.
Considering he still has two young kids and grandchildren, will Sonny decide he’s had enough of all the danger when he’s thinking more clearly? Although Carly once suspected that without Sonny in his role as kingpin all of Port Charles would be in danger of a more villainous person taking over his territory, is Sonny heading into a space where he has to get out of the business and just hope he can find enough security measures to protect at least his family?
Not for nothing, should he retire from the underworld, he still has a coffee business and restaurant that he can officially make legitimate. He also has enough money where he can invest in other businesses.
New episodes of General Hospital air on weekdays on ABC. If you miss an episode, you can catch up on Hulu.
