Sonny Corinthos needs to take a chill pill. Literally. A few weeks ago, as he was smashing his apartment to bits and calling Brenda a "bitch," I was unclear as to whether he had taken his bipolar medication, or if he was just angrily reacting to Brenda leaving him. It seems clear now that Sonny is off his meds.
There is no other explanation for him busting into Robin's house, firing a gun with a child under the roof, wounding Robin, sabotaging Jax's plane, and completely ignoring that his best friend is hospitalized and fighting for his life. And there is no other explanation for his crazy hair. I don't know much about manic depression, but I do know that medication seems to stop Sonny's manic episodes better than Jason Morgan does. So, why Sonny chose now to go off the medication is a little confusing to me. Perhaps it's his way of reacting to losing Brenda.
Here is what I do know. It's hard to defend mobster Sonny on his best days. And when he's out of control and in a manic phase, as he's been the past couple of weeks on the show, it's impossible. I have no idea what is going through Sonny's mind, but kudos to actor Maurice Benard for showing such extreme highs and lows of rage, paranoia, jealousy, and vengeance. I do find it amusing that Robin, who has defended Sonny nonstop for decades, couldn't manage to excuse his most recent behavior either. However, she still didn't call the cops, so I guess that's something. Why she didn't try to get him to the hospital and back on his meds, though, is a puzzler.
We all know that Sonny is supposed to be a villain. But, he's a villain with charisma, charm, and a killer smile, who has a heart that makes him so likeable. That's why viewers have tolerated his beastly behavior for so many years. Sonny has never been held accountable for any of his criminal activities in the past, even shooting his son in the chest point-blank. But his luck may be about to end.
This manic behavior cannot be covered up, when Jason and Carly aren't around to help. Jason is too busy trying not to die in the hospital, and Carly is too steamed about Sonny's attempt to kill Jax to realize that Sonny is going off the rails.
This medication twist is an interesting one. I guess it helps justify Sonny's extreme behavior now, so that when he does eventually swallow the magic pills and returns to a kind-hearted mobster, viewers won't hold a grudge. I'm not so sure about Jax though. Considering his plane took a header, due to Sonny's sabotage, Jax probably isn't going to care whether Sonny was off his meds or not.
Meanwhile:
I am simply giddy at the direction the show has taken, in terms of character balance, humor, and storyline history. (I think I heard them page Dr. Bryan Phillips this week!) Garin Wolf, if I ever see you on the street, you had better run in the opposite direction because there is a very real possibility I will plant one on you with such exuberance that you may think I am in a manic episode and need medication.
Jax is alive! Longtime Jax viewers know he has survived plenty of plane crashes, so I wasn't surprised to see him facedown in an alley at the end of Friday's show. I'm thrilled that he isn't dead. I'm guessing Skye will "hide" Jax, and everyone will assume he's dead. Hey, it works for me. As long as the door is open for Ingo Rademacher to return to my screen, I'll buy anything Garin Wolf is selling with this tale. When Jax tormented Sonny in his dreams at the jail, Rademacher and Benard were at their best. Those scenes were chilling. (Of course, those aren't the kind of dreams I'd be having about Jax, but that's another column.) The Sonny/Jax rivalry is one of daytime's best, akin to Victor and Jack on The Young and the Restless, and I hope we see more of it.
I said I'll buy anything with this Jax storyline, but I am going to nitpick one facet: the pacing of Jax's crash. The town's hotel mogul billionaire's plane goes down in the harbor, and it's not breaking news? Alexis, Robin, Skye -- all the people who care about Jax -- haven't even heard about the crash yet. And Carly's reaction was all about Sonny, not raw grief for her husband. I wish the pacing had been a little crisper so we could have seen those reactions and then Jax's body in the alley, but perhaps I'm just not patient enough. Maybe we'll get those scenes next week.
Did Diane really tease Mac that the suit he was wearing was a "body condom"? Priceless.
Here is an example of how brilliant the show was this week. What seemed like a humorous scene, that left a stranded Alexis and Diane playing strip pool with Coleman, quickly turned semi-serious. Before I knew it, these characters were each showing depth I had only glimpsed in years past. We got to see the layers peeling back on Coleman, as he waxed about his feelings for Kate. We watched Diane examine her life choices and her relationship with Max, and we watched Mac and Alexis trying to grapple with their relationship stops and starts. The moments were subtle but powerful, and I can't believe it unfolded so seamlessly and so quickly. One minute I was laughing at Diane strutting around in her sexy red and black teddy and garter, the next I was watching her expose her innermost thoughts. It was sheer brilliance.
I think we can all agree that the "janitor" Anthony hired to roam the hospital is the worst hit man ever. "Janitor" needs to wander down the hall to Jason's room and get some tips on how to off someone.
Do you think Lucky was smart enough to switch those "drugs" with some Tylenol or something, so he isn't really having to swallow narcotics in front of stoner-dude drug dealer? Let's hope so.
Elizabeth has made some poor decisions lately, but I'm stunned that she's not reporting the fact that patients are getting fake pain pills, just because she's trying to help Lucky with the drug smuggling case. Those poor patients at GH must be in misery, and Elizabeth could help them. I can only hope Elizabeth will remember that the pain meds aren't the full dosage, before someone cuts into Jason's brain again. Ouch!
I know Tracy has a lot on her plate, but I hope she remembers Lulu's birthday. I love their growing relationship, and Lulu needs a parental figure in her life. They've seemed to bond in the past, and I hope it continues.
Epiphany is usually scary, but I couldn't help but chuckle at her germ lecture to Ethan this week. I love it when Epiphany gets humorous lines.
My feelings toward Carly are very much like those with my scale. One day I love her, the next day I want to throw her out the window. What continues to make me crazy about this character is her hypocrisy. One minute, she doesn't want her kids around the mob lifestyle. The next, she defends her right to have her kids around Jason and Sonny. When she realized that Sonny had "killed" Jax, she once again declared Sonny an unfit father. I wonder how long it will last this time?
I've seen Matt more this week than I have the entire last year. Do you think he's the one in on the drug smuggling ring at the hospital? I thought it strange that the sight of a dead body was going to make him lose his lunch. This guy is a surgeon, right?
Poor Sam. The woman is stressed enough watching Jason suffer, and she had to witness Patrick and Matt arguing like school girls about the best way to treat Jason's brain injury. If I had been Robin, I would have suspended both Matt and Patrick for arguing like that in front of a patient. Can you say unprofessional?
With a brother like Steve, you wouldn't need an enemy. He really believes his own sister is capable of pushing Siobhan down the stairs just to get her out of Lucky's life. Nice.
I think it's time to cut the cord on the Michael and Abby relationship. I don't mind an age difference in a relationship, if both partners are on the same maturity level. It's clear that Michael and Abby are not. He seems like a petulant child at times, and she seems like his mother, scolding him about work and his behavior.
I'm disappointed that Skye is selling out her family to Anthony. I know she hates Tracy, but this move is going to end up hurting Edward, and that is not cool in my book. On the flip side, no one rivals Tracy like Skye. Those two could have their own sitcom.
There were so many great lines this week, Scoopers, that I don't have enough column inches for them all. Bravo, Garin Wolf, for injecting humor back in this beloved show! Here is a sample of what you missed, if you didn't see this week's shows.
(Skye throws Tracy's shady past in her face, and Tracy questions how Skye knows all the sordid history.)
Tracy: "So you're still hanging out with hoods and thieves?"
Skye: "One could argue that I'm in the company of one right now."
(Dante can't forget that his father Sonny shot him once, despite Sonny playing the family card to avoid jail.)
Sonny: "Family always comes first."
Dante: "That must be how I got a bullet in my chest."
(Coleman grills Alexis about why she and Mac aren't hooking up.)
Alexis: "Mac is a different kind of gentleman. He's a little more conservative, and he wouldn't agree to put a woman in a compromising position."
Coleman: "Well, then my condolences to you as his girlfriend."
(Diane coaches an uncooperative Mac on how to score with Alexis.)
Diane: "You want to be the fantasy? Then, please, don't ever again mention that you snore. You might stand a chance at slipping between the sheets of a certain attorney."
Mac: "Alexis and I are friends and colleagues."
Diane: "Now I'm going to snore."
(Skye reminds Tracy of her past marriage to a mobster.)
Skye: "Gino Soleito, New York crime family. Big in the '90s."
Tracy: "So were wine coolers."
Thanks, Scoopers, for all the incredible feedback about the Jason Morgan storyline and others. According to my inbox, the majority of you love the new direction the show is taking. I do read every email, and I will try to respond to each of them. Here's a sample of some of your opinions about the show direction. Keep those emails coming! Click the Feedback option at the top of the page, the email link at the end of the column, or just click here.)
