The fictional city of Port Charles has been infected with mob violence for several years, and by now, fans of General Hospital have already been accustomed to storylines revolving around aggression and bloodshed. However, a recent plot in which 12-year-old Michael Corinthos was accidentally shot in the head has fueled viewers to pass judgment on the soap and has even prompted them to question the motives of the show’s writers.
After accidentally shooting Kate (Megan Ward), Michael (Dylan Cash) experienced an overwhelming surge of guilt and learned that his actions do not go without consequences. His dad Sonny (Maurice Benard), who is known as the local mob boss, decided to make some changes in his life to keep his family safe and even invited his son to visit his warehouse in order to make him realize that that his business is more than just violence. Of course, Michael jumped at the chance, not knowing that his trip to the warehouse would eventually lead to a catastrophic event.
On last Friday’s episode of General Hospital, Claudia (Sarah Brown) and Johnny’s (Brandon Barash) murder plot against Sonny went terribly wrong. When Ian (Seamus Dever), the hired sniper, took a shot at Sonny, who manages to push Kate to the ground, the bullet ricochets and hits Michael instead. Surgery was immediately performed on Michael, who has a bullet lodged in his brain. Unfortunately, Michael remains in a coma.
Fans have immediately created a buzz out of Michael’s storyline, airing out their sentiments on message boards, forums and chat rooms all over the internet. While others perceive the shooting of a child as a risky move, some fans view this as an opportunity to age up Michael and eventually replace the character’s portrayer, Dylan Cash.
Fans will just have to stay tuned to General Hospital to find out what will happen next. For now, General Hospital head writer Bob Guza Jr. hints that Michael’s shooting plays into a larger theme he wants to promote.
”It will play out for months. It’s a major, major thing. And the ripple effect to the emotional lives of the characters is going to go on for maybe years,” said Guza. ”You’re going to see relationships shatter, new relationships forged out of grief and a need to understand the un-understandable. That’s the only way you can justify doing it.”
‘We’ve been accused before of glorifying violence. But we always try to show the consequences… 12-year-olds shouldn’t be picking up guns. And if they do, there’s got to be a consequence…I like it from an emotional standpoint. I also like it from a responsible standpoint,” he added.
-Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: ABC, EW.com
(Image courtesy of ABC)
Staff Writer, BuddyTV
