Why Sonny selling the piers to Sidwell is a good thing on General Hospital

Mafia stories have been a large part of General Hospital’s history ever since Luke Spencer (Anthony Geary) tangled with Frank Smith. Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) worked his way up the ladder and eventually became the don of the Northeastern Seafront. It should be mentioned again that Sonny defends Port Charles, keeping out guns, drugs, and prostitution as best as he can. But Sonny’s thinking about retiring because his family is always in danger, and the latest baddie, Jenz Sidwell (Carlo Rota), has offered to buy him out.

This may actually be a good thing, but probably not in the way you were imagining it.

The blight would be gone

Let’s face it, once you’re a made man, there’s no getting out of the mob. Sidwell has offered to buy the piers from Sonny, effectively taking control of the territory. For many characters, like Tracy (Jane Elliot) and Drew (Cameron Mathison), that would be a good thing. The person they consider a “blight” on the Quartermaine family would finally be gone for good. The bad news for Sonny is that it leaves him with no protection, and any enemies could easily swoop in and get revenge on him, possibly through his family.

Many folks like Mac (John J. York), Robert (Tristan Rogers), and Scotty (Kin Shriner) have all said that Port Charles would be better off without Sonny. But would it? Let’s speculate about that: Sonny peacefully bows out, sells his piers to Sidwell, and becomes a regular citizen. Sidwell’s an international criminal who’s never been convicted of any crime. He possibly even has connections to the intelligence community that grant him access to weapons like the incendiary bomb used on Sonny’s penthouse.

It could get worse

Sidwell might make a deal with the government weapons supplier, Pikeman, and allow them to transport their merchandise through Port Charles. He probably wouldn’t care if drug trafficking increased, as he would see it as a viable revenue stream, along with prostitution. All of those crimes would increase, plunging the citizens into a dark age. If Councilman Ezra Boyle (Daniel Cosgrove) is elected mayor, and Congressman Drew backs him, the town would become as corrupt as Gotham City.

Simultaneously, in the immediate aftermath of Sonny’s departure, the remnants of the five families -- which includes Ms. Wu (Lydia Look) -- might see this as an opportunity to seize the port. Let’s not forget, Port Charles is modeled after Buffalo, so it has access through Canada to the Atlantic Ocean. An all out mob war would break out, with Sidwell trying desperately to hold on to his newly acquired territory, and there would be bloodshed everywhere.

This is where Sonny’s retirement becomes good for General Hospital. We would finally get to see characters who hate Sonny realize how much better off they had it when he was in charge. People like Mac and even Tracy would have no choice but to rally behind Sonny and figure out how to get him back in power. Sonny knows all the ins and outs of the “business” and would know where and when to strike against Sidwell. He and Jason (Steve Burton), along with Brick’s (Stephen A. Smith) help, would be able to run the baddie out of town and defend the city against the other families. If Sonny’s really smart, he might convince Ms. Wu to side with him, perhaps with a promise that she could eventually be the heir.

Trending

If General Hospital does this right, it could become one of the most exciting storylines ever.

You can watch new episodes of General Hospital on ABC and Hulu.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback