Who Framed Sonny on General Hospital? The Pentonville Attack, Explained

Short version: Drew Cain and Ava Jerome framed Sonny Corinthos for the Pentonville attack on Jenz Sidwell and Curtis Ashford. The Wednesday, Sept. 30 episode showed it: the plan was Ava's, the money was Drew's, and the go-between was Vito, a man Sonny thought was working for him.

That's the answer to the title. The part worth a full page is the gap between what the audience has seen and what Port Charles believes, because six episodes in, almost every character is working from the wrong version.

The frame-up so far, episode by episode

Six weekday hours, start to finish. Each row links out below if you want the full scene list.

Who framed Sonny on General Hospital?

Drew and Ava. The Sept. 30 scene at Drew's house had him telling her the plan had worked. Michael Fairman TV and Soap Opera Digest both describe the split the same way: Ava came up with it and Drew bankrolled it.

Ava wasn't celebrating. Curtis is her friend, and he ended up in a hospital bed for a scheme that was only supposed to touch Sidwell. Drew's read was colder. A respected witness naming Sonny is worth more than Sidwell's word. Our Sept. 30 recap walks through the scene.

How did the setup work?

It ran on an order Sonny really did give. He told Ric he'd sent Vito to Pentonville so that Sully, an inmate Dante recognizes as one of his father's men, would watch over Sidwell and step in if anyone moved on him.

Vito was also taking Drew's money. Sidwell got beaten instead of guarded, the attackers dropped Sonny's name on the way out, and visiting-room cameras had already recorded Vito sitting with Sully. A protection order and a hit order look the same on that tape.

👉 Sonny's own instruction is the best evidence against him, which is why denying it hasn't helped.

Why did Drew and Ava want Sonny blamed?

To wreck his claim that he's out of the mob. Sonny's line has been that he stepped back from the business, and a prison beating ordered in his name makes that sound like a lie. Soaps.com's recap has the pair wanting the town to see him as a thug.

It's landing with the people who matter most to him. His son is the cop who had to hand the case off. The woman he's quietly seeing, Justine Turner, is the prosecutor who'd have to charge him.

Who knows the truth, and who still blames Sonny?

Count it up: three people know the whole story, one teenager has seen a piece of it, and everyone with a badge or a law license is looking at Sonny.

Does Dante believe Sonny?

No. Dante is a PCPD cop and Sonny's son, so on Sept. 28 he gave the investigation to Joe, citing a possible conflict of interest. Privately he was already leaning toward Curtis's account.

He asked Sonny outright on Oct. 1. Sonny said he'd been set up, Dante pointed to the prison video, and it ended with Sonny ordering him out. Thursday's recap has that round, and Friday's has Dante leaving alone after Gio arrived.

What did Scout see, and why does it matter?

She saw Drew and Ava with Vito outside Drew's house on Sept. 30. Soap Opera Digest and Michael Fairman TV both have her catching the part where Vito says their dealings are finished and he's going.

Scout is Drew's daughter, and that same day she'd been defending him to Alexis. She's the one loose thread Drew doesn't know he has. Whether she understands what she saw is a separate question, and the show hasn't answered it.

Who else is coming for Sonny?

Three people, from three directions.

• Curtis told Jordan he was collateral damage, and his statement naming Sonny stands. Monet is now pitching herself as his lawyer; our Monet explainer covers who she is.
• Willow, a congresswoman, offered Curtis her help on Oct. 1 in exchange for dirt on Sonny. He agreed.
• Josslyn heard from Trina that Curtis was hurt, and on Oct. 2 she swore Sonny wouldn't walk away from it. She tied that to her new job with the WSB.

None of them knows about Drew and Ava. That's what makes it grim to watch.

What do the previews say for Oct. 5–9?

These are published spoilers, not aired scenes. Daytime Soap Stop's day-by-day list has Sonny challenging Justine on Monday, Oct. 5, Ava pitching Drew a new target on Thursday, Oct. 8, and Dante's investigation hitting a wall on Friday, Oct. 9, the same day Sonny reassures Gio.

Celebrity Dirty Laundry reads the week the same way on two points: Sonny and Justine's relationship is coming apart, and Gio keeps faith in his grandfather.

The show airs weekdays at 2 p.m. ET on ABC, and local times vary. If it's missing from your station, our GH schedule page has the week's listings, and the how-to-watch guide covers streaming.

FAQ

Did Sonny order the attack on Sidwell and Curtis?
No. He says he ordered Sidwell protected, and the Sept. 30 episode showed Drew and Ava arranging the beating through Vito.

Who is Vito on General Hospital?
The go-between. Sonny sent him to Pentonville with a message for Sully, and Drew paid him to turn that visit into an attack. Drew and Ava told him to leave town.

Has Sonny been charged?
No recap we checked through Friday, Oct. 2 has him charged. Justine has said she wants more than Curtis's word before she files.

Does anyone besides Drew and Ava know?
Vito does, and Scout saw the three of them together. Sonny knows he was framed but not by whom.

Keep reading

The story starts with the Sept. 25 attack, continues with the ER scenes on Sept. 28 and Sonny's explanation to Ric on Sept. 29. Everything newer is in the General Hospital section.

Sources

• Michael Fairman TV — Sept. 30 recap, the reveal
• Soap Opera Digest — Sept. 30 recap
• Soaps.com — Sept. 30 recap
• Soaps.com — Oct. 1 recap, Dante and Sonny
• Daytime Soap Stop — spoilers for Oct. 5–9
• Celebrity Dirty Laundry — week of Oct. 5 spoilers

Episode numbers via TVmaze. Aired events are drawn from the published recaps above and our own daily recaps.

By the Soap On Air desk · Updated Oct. 4, 11:09 a.m. ET