Perhaps it’s the legacy of his time as Mike in Nixon Falls. But Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) showed he was a different man when he tried to reason with his son, Michael, asking him to end their estrangement. Soap Hub is bestowing Performer of the Week for General Hospital honors on Daytime Emmy-winner Benard.
Maurice Benard – Performer of the Week
Falling in love with Nina Reeves (Cynthia Watros) wasn’t something Sonny could control but his family, including Michael (Chad Duell), sure wishes he had. The coffee importer mobster used the occasion of Brando Corbin’s (Johnny Wactor) death to try to reach out to his son and implore him to reunite. Of course, Michael’s loyalty to his mother Carly Corinthos (Laura Wright) is admirable but Michael’s an adult. He knows that Sonny didn’t choose to lose his memory but he can’t come up with a way to express his feelings — other than to lash out.
At first, Sonny was incredibly patient with his hotheaded son. However, his patience has limits. When Michael played the ‘I’m a dad, too, and I’d never hurt my kid card’ and insisted that Sonny take ownership of his actions, Maurice Benard tapped into Sonny’s ire. “No! Put yourself in my shoes!” the mobster snapped. “What if Wiley thought you screwed up and he started treating you the way you’re treating me? Would you just give up on him? Or would you do everything you possibly could and hope to God he met you halfway?”
Move over Diane Miller (Carolyn Hennesy)! Sonny argued a great point, but as far as Michael was concerned the jury was already out. “I get it, Michael — betrayal, anger, disappointment. I’ve lived with that my whole life…you think I wronged you,” Sonny conceded. “I think you wronged me. It’s like a never-ending circle…but I still love you and this has got to end before it’s too late.”
Sonny pointed out that not only had they lost Brando but also Jason Morgan (Steve Burton) and his voice cracked when he added “my father” (Mike Corbin played by Max Gail). “I don’t want it to be us [that’s next].”
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They say that timing is everything in comedy; it is in drama, too, because at just that moment when it appeared that Sonny was reaching Michael (how could he not after the great performance by Maurice Benard?), Nina, the living embodiment of Sonny’s betrayal, as far as Michael is concerned, walked in. Nevertheless, Michael slipped and called Sonny ‘Dad.’ But there was no reaching him beyond this and he turned his back on Sonny, prompting the patriarch to explode in anger. Fortunately, Dante Falconeri (Dominic Zamprogna) arrived in time to act as referee. This blowout came to an end but the war is far from over. Our two cents — the multi-faced Benard may want to keep this particular confrontation with Michael in mind when assembling his next Daytime Emmy reel.
Maurice Benard brought further colors to his character later in the week when he confabbed with an unlikely support source –Ava Jerome (Maura West) — over his current family drama. There’s no love lost between these two, however, they do share a child, Avery. And, for better or worse, they’re more alike than each of them might prefer to admit. Sonny was forthcoming in sharing information with Ava related to his kidnapping of Dex Heller (Evan Hofer) — something he curiously hasn’t done with Nina.
Honorable Mention: Tristan Rogers (Robert Scorpio) has said that someday Robert and Anna Devane (Finola Hughes) will end up together sharing a drink, looking off into the ocean — not because they’re the great romantic loves of each other’s lives but because they’re best friends. Their recent scenes together were a reminder of why Rogers’s vision will likely come to fruition. The two actors shared intimate scenes in which Anna urged Robert to pursue a personal life. They spoke to each other in a way that only longtime pals can. And it’s just time, ironically, as Robert’s OTP (One True Pairing) Holly Sutton (Emma Samms) is about to show up on the canvas.
General Hospital airs weekdays on ABC. For an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.
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