Not too long after General Hospital’s Ric (Rick Hearst) returned to Port Charles, we speculated that he would make a play for Elizabeth (Rebecca Herbst). However, given Lucky (Jonathan Jackson) is back, we predicted Ric wouldn’t get very far with his ex. She has even made it abundantly clear to Ric that she has no desire to reunite with him.
And then there’s Ava (Maura West). After her failed marriage to Nikolas (Adam Huss), her short-lived romance with Austin (Roger Howarth) and her one-way crush on Sonny (Maurice Benard), one has to wonder if she’s finally due her next great love story. Could the other half in this story possibly be Ric?
Well, we have to bring up the fact that we once predicted the possibility of a Ric and Ava pairing. The two have quite a bit in common. They are both town pariahs, they both are master manipulators and they both can’t stand Sonny, despite Sonny and Ric being brothers. When you add the fact that each of them is also single and now Ric is representing Ava in her custody hearing as she battles the dimpled kingpin, we just think a potential connection for the two is looming.
If Ava and Ric were to get together, there are plenty of people who probably wouldn’t be happy about it. Molly (Kristen Vaganos) would likely be horrified that her father would fall for a woman she partially blames for the loss of her baby. Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn) also wouldn’t be too pleased with her ex-husband’s choice in a romantic partner either, and Carly (Laura Wright) would likely be disgusted to see two of the people she despises most hooking up.
Beyond these three ladies, no one may be more furious than Sonny. Ric and Ava are two people who have inflicted quite a bit of damage on him and his family over the years. Ric once kidnapped a pregnant Carly, Ava once switched Morgan’s (Bryan Craig) bipolar medications which arguably led to his death and now Ric and Ava are both working to take custody of one daughter away from him while antagonizing another (Kristina [Kate Mansi]).
Sonny could assume that Ric and Ava becoming an item could mean bad news for him and the rest of the Corinthos crew. So would he do what he could to sabotage them? Sure.
It’s not hard to picture Sonny speaking with them individually and planting seeds of doubt in their minds. Again, they both have sordid pasts, so perhaps Sonny shares some past sins of Ava with Ric and some past sins of Ric with Ava. Considering Ava and Ric aren't completely naive about each other, Sonny’s sharing of secrets may not do as much damage as he hopes, but it could leave Ava and Ric questioning each other.
We can’t rule out the possibility that Sonny resorts to bribing to split a potential #Rava. He could offer Ava the prospect of sharing custody of their daughter if she promises to stop dealing with his brother. In terms of Ric, Sonny could attempt to manipulate Ric by claiming he wants to be close to his only brother, stressing how the loss of his father Mike (Max Gail), Brando (Johnny Wactor) and potentially Sam (Kelly Monaco) has taken its toll. If Sonny can actually convince Ric of his desire to have a real sibling relationship, Ric may attempt to pump the breaks with Ava, to her chagrin.
Now given how slick Ava and Ric have proven to be in the past, we’re doubtful they can be outmatched by Sonny. So his manipulative ploys probably won’t work. But considering he’s under a heavy microscope after John Cates’ (Adam J. Harrington) murder, he has to keep things above board.
New episodes of General Hospital air on weekdays on ABC. If you miss an episode, you can catch up on Hulu.
