GH mashup sonny mike carly nina
Credit: ABC (2)/ABC screenshot (2)

“He’s not the same Sonny.”

Viewers who wanted General Hospital‘s “Mike” to regain his memory and reclaim his former life got their wish when Sonny finally returned to Port Charles. But the man who came home just in time to prevent Jason and Carly from celebrating their new marriage the old-fashioned way (which we still feel was a big mistake) is a different guy from the one who fell off a bridge nearly a year ago, in part because of everything which happened to him while in Nixon Falls.

GH Sonny Mike Nina kiss

Above: Short of getting amnesia again, Sonny’s not likely to forget the kisses he shared with Nina.

“He’s not the same Sonny,” portrayer Maurice Benard told Twitter followers recently. “He’s the ‘now’ Sonny. A lot has changed!” And certainly many fans have noticed the difference in everything from how the mob boss reacts to the way in which he carries himself.

While some fans had big issues with the Nixon Falls storyline, others enjoyed seeing a different side of Sonny, and Benard himself said on numerous occasions that he fully enjoyed having something new to play after so many years in the part. And while Sonny didn’t actually have multiple personalities ala One Life to Live‘s Viki/Niki or General Hospital‘s own Kate/Connie, Mike was, in some ways, his own man. Which led Benard to suggest it might be interesting for him, as an actor, to sit down and do an “interview” with both Mike and Sonny. And as it happens, the actor hosts a weekly chatfest called State of Mind on which he could do exactly that!

Meanwhile, the General Hospital episode airing September 29th perfectly set up a confrontation literally months in the making. Viewers will recall that upon first discovering Sonny in Nixon Falls, Nina did reach out to his wife… only to keep quiet after her conversation with Carly took a nasty turn. But things are about to get a whole lot more intense now that Carly knows the truth. “You stole Sonny’s life,” a furious Carly spat at her rival, “and bitch, you’re going to pay!”

gh nina carly abc

Above: Seeing the ladies back to back makes us think they should take 10 paces, twirl dramatically and then fire… off their best insult.

Credit: ABC (2)

Clearly, Carly is out for revenge… but might attacking Nina wind up actually causing friction between her and Sonny? Because clearly, despite being unhappy with the way Nina handled things, Sonny is opting to brood rather than explode. He’s even done something Carly’s unlikely to: try and see things from Nina’s point of view.

More: Why GH suddenly had to recast [spoiler]

“I was furious,” he admitted to Jason. “But what’s the point? Nina’s a sad woman. Her mother screwed her over, she went through a bad period in her life, she finds out she had a child and it’s Nelle… that would mess anyone up!”

While he agreed with his longtime best bud/henchman that Nina “absolutely should have told the truth,” Sonny concluded that he didn’t “see the point in wasting my energy hating her.”

Jason and Carly tell Harmony story to Valentin at Quartermaine estate General Hospital

Above: The real love triangle at play? Jason having to choose between Sonny and Carly!

Credit: ABC screenshot

Something tells us Carly will find that a perfectly acceptable energy expenditure. And that could, ultimately, have unintentional consequences. Because as Benard explained during a recent Facebook live chat, “[Sonny] still loves Nina, right? And he loves his wife, so he’s going to protect his wife and stand by Carly, but anytime he’s near Nina, stuff happens!”

Throw in the recently-reawakened feelings between Jason and Carly and you have the makings of some deliciously messy soap opera.

So what do you think, General Hospital fans? Share you thoughts as to how you’d like to see this all play out in the comment section below. Then check out our guide to the sprawling Corinthos family as we ponder where, exactly, Nina might wind up sitting when Thanksgiving dinner rolls around!