Surviving the Puerto Rico Adventure (1994)
In November and December of 1994, the singer Miguel Morez planned to hold a concert in his homeland of Puerto Rico, prompting several residents of Port Charles to travel to the island. This journey to Puerto Rico served as the ultimate confrontation with mob boss Frank Smith.
Storyline[]
Sonny Corinthos and Brenda Barrett on the beach (1994)
L&B Records employees Lois Cerullo, Brenda Barrett, and their silent partner, Sonny Corinthos, are having a big concert for Miguel's triumphant return to his native Puerto Rico. Miguel has recently reconnected with Lily Rivera, his childhood sweetheart and the mother of his hidden child, Juan Santiago, after being separated from her due to her unscrupulous mobster father, Hernando Rivera. Acknowledging that their son was well cared for after being adopted, they were subsequently joined by Sonny, Brenda, Lois, Ned Quartermaine, Lucy Coe, and Luke Spencer.
Damian Smith, the son of mobster Frank Smith, coerced Luke Spencer into working with him, leading Luke to assist Frank in his prison escape. However, Frank was cognizant of the possibility that Luke might attempt to kill him. In a desperate act, Frank took a heavily pregnant Laura Webber hostage, using her as a shield to aid in his escape.
Frank ultimately appears in Puerto Rico and contacts Sonny, expressing his desire for a meeting upon Sonny's arrival. Frank is displeased with Sonny's new acquaintances. Sonny resolves to exit the mob and seeks a clean separation, yet Frank still wishes to converse. Sonny informs Luke about Frank's meeting, prompting Luke to decide to follow the gang to Puerto Rico. Tiffany Donely pays a visit to Laura, who informs her of Luke pursuing Frank. Tiffany then contacts Sean Donely, who sets out to find Luke under a alias. Luke intends to attend the meeting with Frank in Sonny's stead. However, Sonny firmly believes he must attend personally to sever ties with Frank. Sonny receives a call from Frank, requesting a meeting the following day at a cemetery. Sean intends to be present at the meeting when it occurs. Ultimately, Sonny consents to allow Luke to take his place at the meeting, while also requesting additional security for the concert.
Luke Spencer is shot and falls off a speed boat driven by Sonny, off the coast of Puerto Rico (1994)
A final showdown takes place the next day at the cemetery, when Luke arrives in Sonny's place. Sean manages to tail Frank to the cemetery but is quickly discovered and shot. Just as Frank was moving in to kill Sean, Luke appeared and shoots him dead. Back in Port Charles, Damian receives news of his father's death, and the radio reports that Frank Smith has died. Damian suspects that a war will ensue over who will take Frank's place and travels to Puerto Rico with Katherine Bell to retrieve his father's body. Later, Damian discovers that it was Luke who killed his father. Brenda is captured by Rivera's men, and Sonny approaches Luke to inform him about the trouble with Rivera regarding Brenda. Luke then rents a boat. Sonny eliminates the guards, reaches Brenda, and they make a run for the boat. Lucy Coe observes their escape. Luke is shot and falls overboard. Eventually, Sonny and Brenda swim to the beach and wash up on the shore. Sonny inquires about Luke from Lucy, but she informs him that he has not reappeared, and the authorities have yet to locate him. Although she wishes to assist, Sonny cautions her to forget that she saw them and to attend the concert instead.
Later, at the concert venue, Sonny and Brenda attempt to clarify the situation regarding Frank Smith to an irate Lois. Sonny informs her that following the concert, they need to swiftly escort Miguel into a waiting limousine and proceed to the airport. He then tells Brenda that he plans to meet with Rivera to arrange a deal. Brenda expresses her concern that they will kill him, to which Sonny tries to provide reassurance.
After the concert, Lois hastily explains the situation regarding Frank Smith to Ned, who is horrified at the thought of potential violence. Sonny, Brenda, Miguel, and Lily are forcibly taken to Rivera's residence. Sonny informs Rivera that he should not be trifled with. Frank's lawyer, Phil Cusack lacks the qualifications to succeed, and now Rivera must decide which side to align with. Sonny demands the release of his friends, but Rivera declines. Rivera issues threats towards Miguel and Lily. In response, Lily insists that her father must free them, or she will report his activities to the authorities. Rivera concedes, and Brenda along with Sonny head back to the hotel, much to Lois' relief. Shortly after, Sean arrives to interrogate Sonny regarding any communication from Luke. They arrange to return to PC on the ELQ jet as soon as possible.
Damian and Katherine later arrive in Puerto Rico. Katherine expresses her concerns regarding Damian potentially initiating a new vendetta against Luke, yet Damian remains resolute in his intention to confront him. He claims his father's remains and requests their cremation. Meanwhile, Sean and Sonny return to Port Charles and inform Laura of Luke's disappearance. Sonny meets with Cusack, conveying that he is assuming control and taking over the Smith organization. He tells Cusack that he is out and has 24 hours to vacate PC. Damian inquiries about Lucy's presence in Puerto Rico. Lucy extends her condolences to Damian regarding his father and informs him that Luke is presumed dead. When Brenda presses Sonny about Puerto Rico again, he remains evasive. Sonny aims to manage the business in a manner that appears almost legitimate and confides in his associates that he requires trustworthy individuals and substantial funds.
Damian confides in Katherine that he is growing more at ease with his father's legacy. He discovers from Cusack that Sonny is taking over Frank's organization, and Cusack presents him with Frank's will. Damian declines the proposal to collaborate. Sonny pays a visit to Damian, stating that he had no motive to wish Frank dead, but now that he is deceased, Sonny is interested in a business partnership. Damian informs Katherine about his encounter with Sonny, revealing his intention to exploit Sonny for his own gain. Laura directly asks Sonny if Frank Smith's associates will be pursuing her and her children. Sonny reassures her of their safety and takes on his new position as the mob boss of Port Charles.
Trivia[]
- Ricky Martin was set to perform a concert in Puerto Rico while he was a member of the General Hospital cast. The show decided to film his concert and incorporate it into the storyline. He sang the song Susana.
- This plotline was filmed entirely on location in Puerto Rico.
- This storyline also marked the start of Sonny assuming his position as the head of the Corinthos mob family, which was previously Frank Smith's organization.
- In 1995, the action sequences involving Sonny, Brenda and Luke evading the mob would subsequently be integrated into the opening credits of "Faces of the Heart" and remained in use until the sequence was retired in 2004.
- Although Frank was shot and killed on screen and subsequently cremated, he made a return alive and wheelchair bound in 2015. This narrative choice was made by head writer Ron Carlivati and faced significant criticism from Anthony Geary, who remarked; "I loved that they brought back Emma Samms [Holly], Genie Francis [Laura], Jonathan Jackson [Lucky] and Nathan Parsons [Ethan] so I could work with them one last time, but I did not like the conceit that brought us all together. It was ill-conceived, cheesy and showed a lack of imagination. We saw Luke shoot Frank in the back over 20 years ago. And by the way, that character was old then. He would have been in his hundreds by now."[1]