Soap Hub Performer of the Week for GH: Lexi Ainsworth

The fact that Lexi Ainsworth doesn’t appear on General Hospital as Kristina Corinthos nearly as often as we’d like makes it all the more impressive that she walks back into her recurring role with such ease. For her understated performance as the daughter of Sonny Corinthos and Alexis Davis, Soap Hub bestows Performer of the Week for GH honors upon Ainsworth.

Performer of the Week – Lexi Ainsworth

Kristina seems right at home managing Charlie’s Pub. When Sonny (Maurice Benard) dropped by the watering hole to congratulate his daughter on her new position as the establishment’s new manager, we knew we were in for some intimate scenes. Sonny certainly has his share of volatile moments but Kristina softens him — in a good way. Sonny came upon her daughter playing hardball with a vendor about a delivery. He applauded the way Kristina handled the situation but she couldn’t help but wonder if Sonny asked his friend Phyllis (Joyce Guy) to move her up the ladder.

Lexi now brings more maturity to her role as Kristina; while her experience with Dawn of Day was horrific, she emerged from falling for charismatic Shiloh (Coby Ryan McLaughlin) a stronger person. While some of Sonny’s family has a problem with his relationship with Nina Reeves (Cynthia Watros), Kristina informed her pop that she had no intention of not supporting him as he stood by her during her Dawn of Day ordeal.

Kristina attempted to beat herself up a little bit, reminding Sonny that she felt strongly that Carly Corinthos (Laura Wright) wasn’t going to show up that night on The Haunted Star, which resulted in Sonny and Nina making love. But Sonny told her not to feel bad about that. “All I want is for you to be happy. It would be a shame for you to come back to us and not grab life by both hands and make the most of it. And if that means Nina for you…so be it,” a mature Kristina said without reservation.

Sonny responded to the grounded sense of self Lexi Ainsworth brings to her character. Father and daughter embraced and continued their lovefest. Kristina reminded Sonny that he didn’t judge her when he learned of his involvement with Parker Forsyth (Ashley Jones), a woman.

“Looks like we’re stuck with each other, kid,” Sonny said as father and daughter embraced once again. (Kudos also must go to Benard who brought a paternal warmth to the scenes, allowing Ainsworth to shine even more.)

The episode didn’t end before Dex Heller (Evan Hofer) dropped by looking for Sonny. Was that a spark we saw between Sonny’s latest employee and his daughter? Perhaps if Lexi Ainsworth continues to make more appearances, we’ll see her interacting with more of the people in Sonny’s life. That’s fine by us!

General Hospital (GH) airs weekdays on ABC. Check your local listings for airtimes. For more about what’s coming up in Port Charles, check out all the latest that’s been posted on GH spoilers, and for an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.