In the sixty-year history of General Hospital, the city of Port Charles has become synonymous with high-stakes drama, medical miracles, and a sprawling criminal underworld that operates in the shadows of the docks. For the average citizen—or the unlucky viewer dropped into a hypothetical nightmare—the streets are a minefield. Imagine, for a moment, that the worst has happened: you have been snatched off the street by a rogue mob faction. You are being held in a secure location, and your captors have granted you exactly two phone calls. The first call is to someone who can extract you from this physical danger. The second is to a legal mind who can ensure that once you are free, you stay out of a jail cell.

This isn’t just a thought experiment; it’s a deep dive into the shifting power dynamics of daytime television’s most dangerous city. As we navigate the landscape of late 2025, the options have never been more complex or more lethal. The choice of your “Savior” and your “Shark” reveals a lot about how you view loyalty, power, and the blurred lines between right and wrong.

The Extraction: Sonny, Sidwell, or Brennan?
When it comes to getting out of a mob-held warehouse alive, you need more than just a friend; you need a force of nature. The candidates for your first call represent three very different philosophies of power.

Sonny Corinthos: The Legacy of Loyalty For decades, Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) has been the undisputed king of the Port Charles docks. Calling Sonny is a call to a man who operates on a code of “Coffee, Family, and Loyalty.” If you are under his protection, he will move heaven and earth to get you back. However, the 2025 version of Sonny is a man grappling with his own legacy and a fractured family. A rescue from Sonny often comes with “Corinthos baggage”—the risk of a retaliatory strike against your loved ones or being caught in the crossfire of his never-ending war with rival syndicates. Sonny is a heart-led savior, which makes him reliable, but also predictably emotional.

Jenz Sidwell: The Unpredictable Predator Then there is Jenz Sidwell (Carlo Rota). If you find yourself held in a remote location or by an international threat, Sidwell is the man who doesn’t care about rules, borders, or “codes.” He is a predator in every sense of the word. Choosing Sidwell means inviting a level of brutality that most people can’t stomach. The risk? Sidwell doesn’t do “favors.” If he rescues you, you might find that you’ve simply traded one captor for another. He is the choice for the desperate—those who believe that to defeat a monster, you must hire a bigger one.

Jack Brennan: The Tactical Surgeon Finally, there is Jack Brennan (Charles Mesure). Brennan represents the “new guard” of power—the intersection of corporate interests, intelligence agencies, and high-level mercenary work. A call to Brennan is a call for a tactical surgical strike. He doesn’t show up with a tommy gun; he shows up with a drone, a satellite link, and a team of professionals who leave no fingerprints. Brennan is the “clean” choice. He gets you out, wipes the digital trail, and disappears. But Brennan’s loyalty is to the highest bidder or the most strategic outcome. If saving you doesn’t fit the WSB or Pikeman agenda, you might find your call going straight to voicemail.

The Legal Shark: Alexis or Rick?
Once the dust settles and you are breathing the fresh air of freedom, the second nightmare begins: the legal fallout. The police will have questions, the DA will have warrants, and you will need a lawyer who can dance through the raindrops of the law.

Alexis Davis: The Moral Compass Alexis Davis (Nancy Lee Grahn) is arguably the most brilliant legal mind in the history of the show. She knows the law better than the people who wrote it. If you are innocent and want to remain that way while maintaining your dignity, Alexis is your champion. She fights with a moral compass and a fierce sense of justice. However, in the “gray areas” of mob-related legalities, Alexis’s conscience can sometimes be a hindrance. She won’t lie for you, and she won’t bury evidence. She wants to win the right way, which isn’t always the fastest way to stay out of Pentonville.

Rick Lansing: The Master of the Shadow Then there is Rick Lansing (Rick Hearst). If Alexis is the light, Rick is the shadow. Rick doesn’t just know the law; he knows how to break it, bend it, and twist it until it’s unrecognizable. He is a shark in a three-piece suit. Calling Rick means you aren’t interested in justice; you are interested in a “Not Guilty” verdict by any means necessary. Rick is comfortable in the gutter. He will manipulate witnesses, “lose” inconvenient documents, and find technicalities that would make a Supreme Court justice dizzy. For a mob-adjacent extraction survivor, Rick is the ultimate insurance policy. He is the man you call when you have secrets you need to stay buried.

The Strategic Verdict
So, who do you choose when the walls are closing in? The “Sophie’s Choice” of Port Charles boils down to what you value more: safety or soul.

If you want a rescue that feels like a classic hero story, you call Sonny and Alexis. It’s the “Old Port Charles” way—principled, passionate, and deeply rooted in the community. You might go to jail, but you’ll do it with your head held high.

If you want to survive at any cost, you call Brennan and Rick. This is the 2025 “Power Duo.” It is a combination of high-tech tactical efficiency and ruthless legal maneuvering. It’s a choice that ensures your freedom but likely leaves you forever indebted to men who don’t have a “heroic” bone in their bodies.

The “Sidwell and Rick” option? That’s for the truly lost—the ones who know they are already villains in someone else’s story and are simply looking to stay on the board for one more round.

In the end, Port Charles is a city that tests the mettle of everyone who walks its streets. Whether you are being held by a mob or standing in a courtroom, the people you call define the person you have become. It’s a hard choice, perhaps the hardest one you’ll ever make. But in the world of General Hospital, the only wrong choice is not making one at all.