GH: 30 Years of Sonny Corinthos

[Planet Soap]

One of the most polarizing characters in the shows history has been on for three decades. He was the show's lead from roughly 2000-2017.

Questions to ponder:

What was his best or worst storyline? What were some of Sonny's best/worst scenes? Who does he belong with, Carly or Brenda? Who were his best relationships besides those two? When exactly did Maurice's acting get bad? When did Sonny's charachter go downhill? 

[Kane]

If he had stayed gone after leaving Brenda at the altar, that would have been fine with me. I thought he was a good character during his first run and, having recently rewatched that period, I enjoyed his redemption arc (if it can be called that) when he and Luke were working together and he was first getting together with Brenda and there was lighter material mixed in with the darker material. Really, other than the Karen story, I can't think of a point during his first run where I wasn't interested in the character and his stories (even if I didn't necessarily always like him). Him returning and increasingly becoming not only the center of the show, but somehow the moral center, is part of what drove me away from the show for over a decade (along with Luke's never ending vendetta against the Cassadines and the show just generally becoming darker).

Best story was Sonny/Brenda/Jax.

Sonny belongs with Brenda. Carly belongs in the gutter. As for other pairings, I find his relationship with Nina surprisingly tolerable. Although I didn't like it at the time, on rewatch I think he had a nice, relaxed vibe with Lily.

[titan1978]

I also have very little issue with Sonny during his first run, which culminates pretty well with leaving Brenda at the altar. He did stuff I hated, but he wasn’t presented as the heart of Port Charles. I was never a fan of pairing him with Carly, and it just got worse from there.

Stuff I enjoyed- I liked him with Luke and the club, and I cannot imagine GH without Stone and Sonny’s relationship with Brenda.

Scenes I will never forget- Sonny in the penthouse after Lily died, just tortured by what had happened. The scene with Brenda and the wire. Leaving Brenda in the rain. So much stuff when Stone died. During the later years his conversation with Brenda when he admits power will always trump everything else in his life, including her.

One small scene I have never forgotten and still moves me is Sonny holding Liz after the fire that killed Lucky, and he looks almost sick at her pain. It was a little moment but it was so well acted by everybody.

Worse stories for me are the relationship with Emily, Angel, most of the Reese stuff and now with Nina.  Brenda’s second return and the Balkan stuff just didn’t materialize as well as her first return.

[carolineg]

I obviously will agree with Sonny's first run being pretty much perfect (outside the Karen stuff).  I have said ad nauseum on here that Sonny's character should have stayed gone after he left Brenda at the altar.  His character arc was complete.  Not every character needs to last forever.

I will say that early SJB's Carly/Sonny was great.  The show really had something there and I think Sonny was still decent through Brenda's first return.  Sonny had a lot going on back then, but if there was a way to write him off with Brenda I would have done it then.  I can't think of a Sonny story I have liked since then.  I guess the Dante storyline and Mike's illness had moments, but also some critical flaws.  

And obviously I believe Sonny belongs with Brenda lol.  The only romance I liked besides Carly/Brenda was his romance with MW's Kate. 

[AMCOLTLLover]

Sonny overstayed his welcome in my opinion..

But I came to terms to tolerate him. I swear to God by 2018 I was even alright with him and Carly and the Corinthos Clan being a small little functional family. But since they ruined that i don’t give a damn anymore.

Carly and Sonny are amazing together BUT I prefer Brenda as his partner. But I came to a realization that she is better off without him

[j swift]

I wonder if the character of Morgan lasted longer, whether we would've seen more interesting generational stories?  My main problem with Sonny in 2023 is that he is still cast as a romantic lead.  Currently, he is the father to a toddler, he is planning a big fancy wedding, and he is struggling to find his one true love.  However, the optics seem weird that this old man is still motivated by the allure of courtship.

I would think that thirty years later, Sonny would be focused on managing the succession of his empire.  He should be coming to terms with who will be suitable to maintain his company.  Given that Sonny has always escaped justice, I'm not looking for someone to finally send him to jail for importing coffee.  But, it would be much more interesting to see how Gen Z gets groomed to run the business.

There was a perfect setup of Michael, the business minded one, Dante, the moral compass, and Morgan, the impulsive ne'er-do-well who all represented parts of Sonny's personality.  But, now with just Michael and Dante, there's nobody interested in continuing the mob in Port Charles.  The Godfather and Goodfellas taught us that organized crime depends on a strong family.  But, Sonny has nobody who wants to back him up. 

[Planet Soap]

I'm surprised Morgan, somewhat a legacy birth, and the only biological child of the show's lead supercouple was killed off.

I'd always assumed they'd write him back in. The fact that Ava is still around and co parenting with them is crazy.

Sonny's last two children were just unnecesary. He has enough as it is. How many times has he gotten a woman pregnant now nine...counting the babies that didn't make it?

Edited August 26, 2023 by Planet Soap

[carolineg]

I still assume Morgan's death is not permanent.  I think the show will bring him back eventually.  Honestly, we don't even need Morgan to tell multi-generational stories for Sonny.  Find a new Michael and actually use Dante.  We are getting a lot more of Kristina and I think that's a good start.  Kristina was woefully underused and in a lot of ways she has similar traits to Morgan (outside the bipolar disorder).

I agree about Sonny still being a romantic lead.  Not even a romantic lead, but a man in his late 50's trying to find his one true love.  Sonny/Carly as a happy family worked fine those last few years like others have said.  I don't see a point in breaking up Carly/Sonny if he's not going back to Brenda.  We all basically know he's ending back to Carly so there is nothing to invest in.

[BrendaB]

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Perfectly put.

I agree with everyone's views on 1990s Sonny being watchable, even though I still liked almost all of the other male characters on the show more than him back then.  The problem with the 2000s Sonny, in addition to what everyone has already said, is that they made him into a hero instead of the anti-hero he was always supposed to be.  I think the best acting I've ever seen Nancy Lee Grahn do was when she tore into Sonny, Jason, Carly, etc. at her sister Kristina's funeral.  Alexis really spoke for the disenchanted audience when she laid into those toxic characters back then.  I still don't understand how she ended up sleeping with and having a child with Sonny, but this current Kristina seems like the most interesting offspring Sonny has ever had (besides the Dante surprise, I guess).

[titan1978]

I am one of those people that thinks Sonny has more chemistry with Alexis than he had with LW’s Carly, all the Brenda clones, broadway Kate, and Nina. It would never work now for me though like it did when they conceived Kristina.

Kate Howard/Megan Ward was great. She had the chemistry with Mo, and more than just Sonny’s girlfriend going for her. Plus she was fun to watch as a demanding boss to Maxie and Lulu. Miranda Priestly-Lite, but very fun on GH. I will never understand why they got rid of her. That recast was dreadful.

[Planet Soap]

That's what kills me, lol. Alexis held Sonny to account...yet slept with him months prior.

The last decent performance that I've seen from Sonny is when he tore into Claudia at her birthday party.

What was your opinions on Sonny & Claudia? I think that has been his only interesting pairing over the last 15 years...unless you count OG Kate? 

Edited August 26, 2023 by Planet Soap

[AMCOLTLLover]

I always thought Sonny would become a Carlo Hesser type of Mob Boss when getting older and I’m mad that they didn’t went that route.

I‘m in the minority but I enjoyed Sonny during 2006-2013/14 (But I hated him ever since that AJ murder happened. he died for me)

I have to admit that I hated the writers for turning the Corinthos Clan into the leading family of GH.. But the minute I got used to it and their dynamic it got ruined again. (Morgan’s Death, all the Kristina cast changes, Nina-Sonny and so on.) 

I still think there is still some life left in that character but they just won’t give up on the Nina and Sonny pairing and him paddling between weird stories lately. They need a straight line for him again 

[Antoyne]

I’ve never seen 90’s Sonny so all I’ve known is mumbles Corinthos and the constant need to make him some sort of hero when he’s an awful person Portrayed by a terrible actor made me give up on GH. The one thing RC ever did right as a writer was limiting the focus on the character of Sonny for awhile and then that went to shi.t as usual.