Brenda Barrett
Encyclopedia
Brenda Veronica Barrett (formerly Jacks, Morgan, and Corinthos) is a fictional character
from the ABC
daytime
soap opera
, General Hospital
. The role was originated by Vanessa Marcil
on September 18, 1992. After a six-year run with the show, the character of Brenda was believed to have died after her mentally ill mother drove their car off a cliff. After a four year absence, Marcil reprised her role for a few short months. Marcil was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award
in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Brenda in 1997 and 1998, and she won in that category in 2003.
After years of rumors, Marcil returned to the soap on August 11, 2010. -ABC
Brenda left again on July 21, 2011.
, who is in love with Jagger. Brenda also becomes best friends with Robin Scorpio
.
in 1993, bringing General Hospital some of its highest ratings since previous Supercouple Luke & Laura. Brenda nurses Sonny back to health after he is shot in his attempt to break Frank Smith out of prison. Despite all who care for Brenda warning her about how dangerous Sonny is, she refuses to believe it. Brenda agrees to wear a wire hoping to prove all of her friends wrong. Sonny discovers what Brenda is doing and furious, kicks Brenda out of his apartment leaving her devastated. Brenda does not give up and does everything she can to get Sonny back. Sonny finally admits his feelings for Brenda and attempts to leave his new wife Lily for Brenda, but shortly after, Lily discovers she is pregnant. Knowing what having a child means to Sonny, Brenda realizes they can never have a future together. Sonny dedicates himself to being a good husband, whilst still longing for and loving Brenda. Immediately after her breakup with Sonny, Brenda is comforted by the dashing billionaire Jasper Jacks
, who demands that she marry him immediately and giver herself a real chance at happiness (without Sonny). Brenda marries Jax at the same moment that Sonny's wife, Lily is killed in a car bomb. After mourning his dead wife Lily, Sonny dedicates himself to getting his true love Brenda back. Sonny does everything he can to force Brenda to admit her true feelings for him, but Brenda denies it and wants to honor her husband Jax. Sonny proves Brenda's marriage to Jax to be invalid by bringing Jax’s supposedly dead wife, Miranda, to Port Charles. Brenda decides to stay with Jax, which was the height of the very popular Sonny-Brenda-Jax love triangle. Later Brenda is kidnapped in an effort to frame Sonny. When Sonny comes to rescue her, they are trapped together in a cave, where the two admit their feelings for one another and make love. Brenda tells Jax the horrible truth. Brenda decides to end her relationships with both Jax and Sonny because she cannot choose between the man she loves (Sonny) and the man who made her happy (Jax).
The mid-1990s storyline of General Hospital's Sonny Corinthos, Brenda Barrett, and Jasper "Jax" Jacks is often referred to as "the hottest love triangle in soap opera history" by the soap opera media.
, for a short period of time and then moves in with Jax. He tries to help her deal with Sonny’s betrayal and calls on her estranged sister Julia to help. Brenda’s emotional and mental health only gets worse, which leads to her being institutionalized. After recovering, Brenda decides she wants to be with Jax because he is healthy for her. As she and Jax prepare to marry, Sonny returns but understands she has moved on. Brenda’s estranged mother Veronica Wilding arrives in town in 1998 revealing she has a mental illness which could be hereditary. Brenda gets tested. Before she can see the results, Veronica drives a car off a cliff with Brenda in the passenger seat. Believing Brenda is dead, Jax tears up the test results without reading them to learn if Brenda had, in fact, inherited her mother's "crazy genes".
. Alcazar later convinces an envious Skye to help him kidnap Brenda. He whisks Brenda away on a plane not knowing Sonny is hiding on board. The plane crashes in a jungle. Jason and Carly rescue Brenda and Sonny. Jax discovers the truth about Brenda’s illness and dumps Skye for keeping the truth from him. He then tells Brenda she is not dying and professes his love.
When Alcazar is killed, Skye is hurt and angrily blames Brenda for the murder. Jax confesses to protect Brenda. The truth is revealed. Brenda is arrested along with Jason as the accomplice. Jason and Brenda decide against an annulment so they can’t testify against one another during the murder trial. When evidence is discovered that could send them to prison, Brenda’s attempt to persuade Jason into skipping town with her fails. Fortunately, evidence is found clearing Jason and Brenda of all charges. Brenda and Jason then leave to get the marriage annulled. She convinces him to get the annulment in Port Charles, which would take longer, because she is not ready to marry Jax.
Brenda runs into Sonny the night before her wedding to Jax and forgives him for leaving her at the altar. They then share a passionate kiss which Carly witnesses. Jax finds out about the kiss and does not say the expected "I do" at the wedding. Jax tells Brenda he does not trust her. Brenda runs into Sonny. He reveals Carly had left him too. Jason returns home. He finds Brenda crying She announces she is leaving Port Charles. Jason drops her off at the airport. Brenda tells him he deserves to be happy more than anyone.
Night Shift
, one storyline surrounds a woman visiting from Europe
– Brenda lives in Italy
. The dark-haired woman has an accident at her hotel and then suffers from severe burns when the ambulance she’s in explodes. When the patient’s heart stops, she is sent to the hospital morgue but she regains consciousness. The woman's face remains bandaged and she is on bed rest until the season finale. In the final episode, the woman flirts with Damian Spinelli
without showing her face. Later, she watches as Jason and Robin share an embrace. The unknown woman leaves, revealing a tattoo similar to the one Brenda has on her lower back. Although the name "Barrett" was shown, the woman is never explicitly stated to be Brenda.
now a world famous supermodel and the face of the Alliance to Save Exploited Children. She is at a press conference. Just before she steps on stage, a man tries to kill her. Brenda's bodyguards stop him before he reaches her. Brenda finally faces the crowd, with tears in her eyes. Brenda is shocked to see Sonny in Italy. He reveals he is running from the police. After reminiscing about their tumultuous relationship, she persuades him to return home. When Brenda's security seems to be failing, her friend Suzanne contacts her ex-husband, Jason. Jason comes to Rome
and steps in as her bodyguard though they constantly bicker and emphasize their dislike for one another. When Jason finally decides to go back to Port Charles, the Balkan's thugs get a hold of Brenda and inject her with heroin. Jason returns just in time to save Brenda. He ultimately decides it would be safer for her in Port Charles. Jason and Brenda arrive in town on September 30, 2010 where she meets Spinelli
, who is like a brother to Jason. Spinelli gives her the nickname "The Divine One." On October 8, 2010, Brenda visits Jax's and they talk about how things are doing for them. When Brenda goes to Sonny's house, she runs into Dante
, who asks her what she is doing there. Sonny then comes in and introduces Brenda and Dante, but clearly they seem to know one another already.
Through flashbacks
and her discussions with Dante and Jason, the audience learns Brenda was once involved with the Balkan's son, Aleksander. Once she learned he was involved with exploiting children, she broke up with him and traveled to Manhattan
. Dante, along with three other officers, was hired to guard Brenda. One time, while she and Dante were out on a walk, Aleksander tries to attack Brenda. While Dante and Aleksander fight, Brenda picks up the gun Dante dropped and shoots him. Once she realizes she killed him, she panics. Dante tells her no one will find out. He then dumps the body. It is also revealed the secret involves a baby, but details are not made clear.
On December 22, 2010, during Luke Spencer
and Tracy Quartermaine
's wedding reception, Sonny proposes to Brenda in Lila Quartermaine's rose garden. After some convincing, she accepts. Meanwhile, Spinelli reveals to Carly that Brenda and Dante had a child together. Tracy throws the bouquet. Brenda catches it. She and Sonny then announce their engagement to the wedding guests. She returns to Jason's penthouse. Theo Hoffman stops by, informing her he is her new defence attorney, when he is really the Balkan. He questions her but she leaves to go on a walk. She runs into Dante and tells him she is considering telling Sonny about the baby, He says if the truth won't do any good, then she should not tell him.
In January 2011, Brenda sets her and Sonny's wedding date for Feb. 18, 2011. Jason agrees to walk her down the aisle to Sonny at their wedding. On February 1, Dante asks Brenda about what happened to the baby, because she never told him. Brenda tells him she was not able to talk about it before, but after having a conversation with Sam McCall about the loss of her daughter, her feelings about her own baby came back. She was able to talk about what happened. Brenda breaks down and tells Dante she lost the baby, a boy, while on a relief trip to Africa for ASEC. It is presumed Dante was the father since he signed away his parental rights away. On February 4, Brenda and her best friend and maid of honor, Robin
, arrive back at the Penthouse to see her newly delivered wedding dress, but when they get to her room, they find her wedding dress ripped to shreds. Believing Carly
was responsible for destroying her dress. Brenda and Robin confront her. Later, she tells Sonny that Carly was responsible. It was revelead Suzanne was responsible for destroying the wedding dress and is married to Theo Hoffman (the Balkan) and was Aleksander's mother.
At the wedding, Brenda objects because if she does not, Carly will. After starting to explain, Carly stands and pulls out the proof she has. Dante intervenes saying he claimed Brenda's child and signed over custody, but it was in friendship as Brenda was pregnant by someone else. After apologizing to Sonny, and claiming her love for him, she walks down the isle to leave. Sonny calmly stops her, and tells her he made that mistake once and would not make it again. Her father lied to her (when he said she was not worth loving), and Sonny loves her and still wants to marry her. After getting through everything and hugging in front of all their wedding guests, the couple say their vows, exchange rings and are pronounced husband and wife in front of a mostly happy crowd. As Brenda gets into a limo to wait for Sonny the limo explodes.
When the authorities finally get through the wreckage, everybody is shocked to discover Sam, amazingly still alive, inside the limo with no sign of Brenda; the Balkan, with the presumed help of Jason's old enemy Franco
, had swapped Brenda out for Sam and blown up the limo as a distraction, while Brenda is in the clutches of the Balkan. After being interrogated by Theo, Brenda manages to escape into the woods with the help of Jules, a sympathetic servant to Theo, only to be recaptured shortly after.
Eventually, Brenda manages to convince Jules to get a message to Sonny and lead him to Theo's hideout, but is found out by Theo. When Brenda repeatedly fails to give Theo the answers he wants, he loses his patience and injects her with a deadly neurotoxin
. Brenda tells Theo she doesn't really know what happened to the baby because she was not awake when the baby was born. When Sonny, Jason, and Dante finally arrive, they discover Brenda semi-conscious on the couch.
With Brenda's life hanging in the balance, Sonny wisely chooses to get her to the hospital over pursuing Theo and airlift her to the hospital. Brenda is given an antidote and regains consciousness with Sonny at her side. At this point Brenda is unaware that her son is alive and was previously kidnapped and put up for adoption by Suzanne.
Sonny and Brenda depart for Positano, Italy for their honeymoon, but upon discovering Jake Spencer, Jason's son with Elizabeth Webber
, has been hit by a car and killed, they immediately return to be there for the devastated Jason. Brenda later meets up with Carly in the hopes of coming to a truce, but Carly is uncooperative and refuses.
identifying Suzanne as Lucian's kidnapper and offering a reward for any information on her whereabouts. Sonny, Dante Falconeri, and Carly Corinthos become involved in the search for Lucian. Lucian was returned to his real family in Phoenix, by Suzanne. Sonny, Carly, and Dante find Suzanne and Alec instead. After a confrontation with Suzanne, Sonny brings Alec back to Port Charles. Alec is introduced to Brenda, who is thrilled to have her real son but feels deeply betrayed by Sonny for choosing to take Carly on the search for her son, instead of her. Brenda has a hard time bonding with Alec, unlike Lucian.
Jax tries get full custody of Josslyn which causes promblems in Sonny and Brenda's marriage. In June 2011 Jax tells Brenda that he is going to subpoena her to testify to Judge about how bad Sonny's life is. Brenda refueses to do so. In early July Brenda and Alec are shot at while getting in a car. Brenda is visibly shaken, but Sonny dismisses the incident and claims the shooters were not aiming for her or Alec, but simply wanted to warn Sonny that his family is in danger. Sonny tells Brenda not to mention the incident to the judge. On July 15, 2011 Brenda tells the judge about the incident whilst also saying that Sonny is a good father. Brenda later learns that Jax's has been arrested for attacking the court mediator Grace Yand and having drugs in his suite.
After finding out that Sonny set Jax up Brenda tells Sonny, to the great distress of both, that she is leaving him. Brenda realizes that she must prioritize her son Alec's welfare over her own happiness with Sonny. Sonny begs her to stay and asks what he can do to fix what he has done. On July 21, 2011 Brenda gives Sonny her rings back and says goodbye to Robin Scorpio
. Brenda also asks Robin to give Sonny a letter that she wrote when she feels its the right time. Jasper Jacks
flies Brenda to Rome with her son Alec.
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
daytime
DAYTIME
The Daytime Protocol is a service in the Internet Protocol Suite, defined in 1983 in RFC 867. It is intended for testing and measurement purposes in computer networks....
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
, General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
. The role was originated by Vanessa Marcil
Vanessa Marcil
Vanessa Marcil is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Brenda Barrett Corinthos on General Hospital, Gina Kincaid on Beverly Hills, 90210 and Sam Marquez on Las Vegas....
on September 18, 1992. After a six-year run with the show, the character of Brenda was believed to have died after her mentally ill mother drove their car off a cliff. After a four year absence, Marcil reprised her role for a few short months. Marcil was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award
Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming...
in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Brenda in 1997 and 1998, and she won in that category in 2003.
After years of rumors, Marcil returned to the soap on August 11, 2010. -ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
Brenda left again on July 21, 2011.
Character history
Brenda Veronica Barrett is born to Harlan Barrett and his former lover, Veronica Wilding, on March 31, 1975., however, it was celebrated on-screen April 5. In 1992, the 17-year-old drops out of boarding school and turns up on the doorstep of her older sister, Julia. Julia has been blocking Brenda’s access to her trust fund until she agrees to finish school. She later moves in with Jagger Cates and clashes with Karen WexlerKaren Wexler
Karen Wexler Cates was a fictional character on the ABC soap operas General Hospital and its spin-off, Port Charles. She was portrayed by Cari Shayne on General Hospital from April 1992 until November 1994 on General Hospital...
, who is in love with Jagger. Brenda also becomes best friends with Robin Scorpio
Robin Scorpio
Dr. Robin Scorpio-Drake is a fictional character from the ABC soap opera General Hospital and its prime time SOAPnet spin-off General Hospital: Night Shift, originated and portrayed by Kimberly McCullough since 1985. The character came to mainstream attention when she was diagnosed as HIV-positive...
.
Sonny Corinthos or Jasper Jacks
An 18-year old Brenda begins an unforgettable romance with older mobster Sonny CorinthosSonny Corinthos
Michael "Sonny" Corinthos, Jr. is a fictional character on the popular ABC soap opera General Hospital. Maurice Benard has played the role, that of a manic depressive Mob boss living in Port Charles, since the character's storyline originated on August 13, 1993...
in 1993, bringing General Hospital some of its highest ratings since previous Supercouple Luke & Laura. Brenda nurses Sonny back to health after he is shot in his attempt to break Frank Smith out of prison. Despite all who care for Brenda warning her about how dangerous Sonny is, she refuses to believe it. Brenda agrees to wear a wire hoping to prove all of her friends wrong. Sonny discovers what Brenda is doing and furious, kicks Brenda out of his apartment leaving her devastated. Brenda does not give up and does everything she can to get Sonny back. Sonny finally admits his feelings for Brenda and attempts to leave his new wife Lily for Brenda, but shortly after, Lily discovers she is pregnant. Knowing what having a child means to Sonny, Brenda realizes they can never have a future together. Sonny dedicates himself to being a good husband, whilst still longing for and loving Brenda. Immediately after her breakup with Sonny, Brenda is comforted by the dashing billionaire Jasper Jacks
Jasper Jacks
Jasper "Jax" Jacks is a fictional character from the ABC soap opera General Hospital. He has been played by actor Ingo Rademacher from January 1996 to August 2000, and from August 2001 to July 2011. In January 2008, the role was temporarily filled by Gideon Emery...
, who demands that she marry him immediately and giver herself a real chance at happiness (without Sonny). Brenda marries Jax at the same moment that Sonny's wife, Lily is killed in a car bomb. After mourning his dead wife Lily, Sonny dedicates himself to getting his true love Brenda back. Sonny does everything he can to force Brenda to admit her true feelings for him, but Brenda denies it and wants to honor her husband Jax. Sonny proves Brenda's marriage to Jax to be invalid by bringing Jax’s supposedly dead wife, Miranda, to Port Charles. Brenda decides to stay with Jax, which was the height of the very popular Sonny-Brenda-Jax love triangle. Later Brenda is kidnapped in an effort to frame Sonny. When Sonny comes to rescue her, they are trapped together in a cave, where the two admit their feelings for one another and make love. Brenda tells Jax the horrible truth. Brenda decides to end her relationships with both Jax and Sonny because she cannot choose between the man she loves (Sonny) and the man who made her happy (Jax).
The mid-1990s storyline of General Hospital's Sonny Corinthos, Brenda Barrett, and Jasper "Jax" Jacks is often referred to as "the hottest love triangle in soap opera history" by the soap opera media.
Failed marriage and exit
Brenda and Sonny later reunite as Hernando, Lily’s father, is attempting to frame her for the murder of Dr. Pierce Dorman. Sonny later kills Hernando in self-defense and ultimately clears Brenda of all charges. Sonny finally proposes and Brenda happily accepts, assuming they can leave Port Charles and the mob behind. On their wedding day, Sonny realizes Brenda will never be safe with him and sends Jason Morgan to tell her he has left town. Brenda is distraught and later moves back in with Jason’s family, the QuartermainesQuartermaine family
The Quartermaine family is a very wealthy and prestigious fictional family on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital. The Quartermaines have been a staple on General Hospital since their introduction in the late 1970s....
, for a short period of time and then moves in with Jax. He tries to help her deal with Sonny’s betrayal and calls on her estranged sister Julia to help. Brenda’s emotional and mental health only gets worse, which leads to her being institutionalized. After recovering, Brenda decides she wants to be with Jax because he is healthy for her. As she and Jax prepare to marry, Sonny returns but understands she has moved on. Brenda’s estranged mother Veronica Wilding arrives in town in 1998 revealing she has a mental illness which could be hereditary. Brenda gets tested. Before she can see the results, Veronica drives a car off a cliff with Brenda in the passenger seat. Believing Brenda is dead, Jax tears up the test results without reading them to learn if Brenda had, in fact, inherited her mother's "crazy genes".
Return and second exit (2002-2003)
Luis Alcazar, an arms dealer, rescues Brenda from the water after her accident and brings her back to Port Charles in September 2002. Alcazar reveals to Brenda she really does have Veronica’s illness. He wants to care for her as long as she is alive. Luis becomes very jealous of her past romances with Sonny and Jax and plans to kill them. Brenda discovers Alcazar’s plans and escapes. She then has someone lure Sonny to St. Timothy’s Church, where they were supposed to marry, without revealing her identity. Brenda opens the doors of the church to a shocked Sonny. She watches in horror as he is shot multiple times. Jason arrives and finds Brenda crying over Sonny who orders him to keep her safe. Brenda blames herself for Sonny’s "death" and tries to escape from Jason to warn Jax. Brenda finally escapes and finds Jax as he is marrying Skye Quartermaine. Jax is shocked to see Brenda but she does warn him about Alcazar’s plans. Alcazar finally locates Jax and shoots him. Jax survives. Sonny returns and attempts to kill Alcazar. Jax is paralyzed. Brenda decides to help him in his recovery, much to the chagrin of Skye. Brenda comforts her by revealing she is dying and won’t interfere with their life. Despite her reassurance to Skye, Brenda and Jax get close again. Meanwhile, Skye learns Brenda is not dying. Brenda begins to worry about the damage her renewed love for Jax could do, and blackmails Jason into marrying her. Jason agrees but only to keep Brenda away from Sonny who is now married to his best friend, CarlyCarly Corinthos
Caroline Leigh "Carly" Corinthos Jacks is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital. Originated by Sarah Brown on April 8, 1996, the role of Carly has been portrayed by Laura Wright since 2005...
. Alcazar later convinces an envious Skye to help him kidnap Brenda. He whisks Brenda away on a plane not knowing Sonny is hiding on board. The plane crashes in a jungle. Jason and Carly rescue Brenda and Sonny. Jax discovers the truth about Brenda’s illness and dumps Skye for keeping the truth from him. He then tells Brenda she is not dying and professes his love.
When Alcazar is killed, Skye is hurt and angrily blames Brenda for the murder. Jax confesses to protect Brenda. The truth is revealed. Brenda is arrested along with Jason as the accomplice. Jason and Brenda decide against an annulment so they can’t testify against one another during the murder trial. When evidence is discovered that could send them to prison, Brenda’s attempt to persuade Jason into skipping town with her fails. Fortunately, evidence is found clearing Jason and Brenda of all charges. Brenda and Jason then leave to get the marriage annulled. She convinces him to get the annulment in Port Charles, which would take longer, because she is not ready to marry Jax.
Brenda runs into Sonny the night before her wedding to Jax and forgives him for leaving her at the altar. They then share a passionate kiss which Carly witnesses. Jax finds out about the kiss and does not say the expected "I do" at the wedding. Jax tells Brenda he does not trust her. Brenda runs into Sonny. He reveals Carly had left him too. Jason returns home. He finds Brenda crying She announces she is leaving Port Charles. Jason drops her off at the airport. Brenda tells him he deserves to be happy more than anyone.
Night Shift mystery
On the General Hospital spin-offSpin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
Night Shift
General Hospital: Night Shift
General Hospital: Night Shift is an American prime time serial that first aired on SOAPnet for a 13-episode run from July 12, 2007 to October 4, 2007. A spin-off of the ABC Daytime soap opera General Hospital, the show is SOAPnet's first original scripted drama series and follows the nighttime...
, one storyline surrounds a woman visiting from Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
– Brenda lives in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. The dark-haired woman has an accident at her hotel and then suffers from severe burns when the ambulance she’s in explodes. When the patient’s heart stops, she is sent to the hospital morgue but she regains consciousness. The woman's face remains bandaged and she is on bed rest until the season finale. In the final episode, the woman flirts with Damian Spinelli
Damian Spinelli
Damien Millhouse "Spinelli" Spinelli, a.k.a. "The Jackal", is a fictional character on the ABC daytime drama, General Hospital, played by actor Bradford Anderson since November 13, 2006...
without showing her face. Later, she watches as Jason and Robin share an embrace. The unknown woman leaves, revealing a tattoo similar to the one Brenda has on her lower back. Although the name "Barrett" was shown, the woman is never explicitly stated to be Brenda.
Third return and the aftermath (2010-2011)
On August 11, 2010 Brenda appears on-screen in ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
now a world famous supermodel and the face of the Alliance to Save Exploited Children. She is at a press conference. Just before she steps on stage, a man tries to kill her. Brenda's bodyguards stop him before he reaches her. Brenda finally faces the crowd, with tears in her eyes. Brenda is shocked to see Sonny in Italy. He reveals he is running from the police. After reminiscing about their tumultuous relationship, she persuades him to return home. When Brenda's security seems to be failing, her friend Suzanne contacts her ex-husband, Jason. Jason comes to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and steps in as her bodyguard though they constantly bicker and emphasize their dislike for one another. When Jason finally decides to go back to Port Charles, the Balkan's thugs get a hold of Brenda and inject her with heroin. Jason returns just in time to save Brenda. He ultimately decides it would be safer for her in Port Charles. Jason and Brenda arrive in town on September 30, 2010 where she meets Spinelli
Damian Spinelli
Damien Millhouse "Spinelli" Spinelli, a.k.a. "The Jackal", is a fictional character on the ABC daytime drama, General Hospital, played by actor Bradford Anderson since November 13, 2006...
, who is like a brother to Jason. Spinelli gives her the nickname "The Divine One." On October 8, 2010, Brenda visits Jax's and they talk about how things are doing for them. When Brenda goes to Sonny's house, she runs into Dante
Dante Falconeri
Dante Angelo Falconeri is a fictional character on the popular daytime soap opera General Hospital. Dante is the son of the popular character Sonny Corinthos and his old flame Olivia Falconeri. He has been portrayed by contract player Dominic Zamprogna since June 22, 2009.-Character description...
, who asks her what she is doing there. Sonny then comes in and introduces Brenda and Dante, but clearly they seem to know one another already.
Through flashbacks
Flashback (narrative)
Flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story’s primary sequence of events or to fill in crucial backstory...
and her discussions with Dante and Jason, the audience learns Brenda was once involved with the Balkan's son, Aleksander. Once she learned he was involved with exploiting children, she broke up with him and traveled to Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. Dante, along with three other officers, was hired to guard Brenda. One time, while she and Dante were out on a walk, Aleksander tries to attack Brenda. While Dante and Aleksander fight, Brenda picks up the gun Dante dropped and shoots him. Once she realizes she killed him, she panics. Dante tells her no one will find out. He then dumps the body. It is also revealed the secret involves a baby, but details are not made clear.
On December 22, 2010, during Luke Spencer
Luke Spencer
Lucas "Luke" Lorenzo Spencer, Sr. is a fictional character in the American television soap opera General Hospital, and has been played by Anthony Geary since 1978.-Early years :...
and Tracy Quartermaine
Tracy Quartermaine
Tracy Angelica Quartermaine Spencer is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital...
's wedding reception, Sonny proposes to Brenda in Lila Quartermaine's rose garden. After some convincing, she accepts. Meanwhile, Spinelli reveals to Carly that Brenda and Dante had a child together. Tracy throws the bouquet. Brenda catches it. She and Sonny then announce their engagement to the wedding guests. She returns to Jason's penthouse. Theo Hoffman stops by, informing her he is her new defence attorney, when he is really the Balkan. He questions her but she leaves to go on a walk. She runs into Dante and tells him she is considering telling Sonny about the baby, He says if the truth won't do any good, then she should not tell him.
In January 2011, Brenda sets her and Sonny's wedding date for Feb. 18, 2011. Jason agrees to walk her down the aisle to Sonny at their wedding. On February 1, Dante asks Brenda about what happened to the baby, because she never told him. Brenda tells him she was not able to talk about it before, but after having a conversation with Sam McCall about the loss of her daughter, her feelings about her own baby came back. She was able to talk about what happened. Brenda breaks down and tells Dante she lost the baby, a boy, while on a relief trip to Africa for ASEC. It is presumed Dante was the father since he signed away his parental rights away. On February 4, Brenda and her best friend and maid of honor, Robin
Robin Scorpio
Dr. Robin Scorpio-Drake is a fictional character from the ABC soap opera General Hospital and its prime time SOAPnet spin-off General Hospital: Night Shift, originated and portrayed by Kimberly McCullough since 1985. The character came to mainstream attention when she was diagnosed as HIV-positive...
, arrive back at the Penthouse to see her newly delivered wedding dress, but when they get to her room, they find her wedding dress ripped to shreds. Believing Carly
Carly Corinthos
Caroline Leigh "Carly" Corinthos Jacks is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital. Originated by Sarah Brown on April 8, 1996, the role of Carly has been portrayed by Laura Wright since 2005...
was responsible for destroying her dress. Brenda and Robin confront her. Later, she tells Sonny that Carly was responsible. It was revelead Suzanne was responsible for destroying the wedding dress and is married to Theo Hoffman (the Balkan) and was Aleksander's mother.
At the wedding, Brenda objects because if she does not, Carly will. After starting to explain, Carly stands and pulls out the proof she has. Dante intervenes saying he claimed Brenda's child and signed over custody, but it was in friendship as Brenda was pregnant by someone else. After apologizing to Sonny, and claiming her love for him, she walks down the isle to leave. Sonny calmly stops her, and tells her he made that mistake once and would not make it again. Her father lied to her (when he said she was not worth loving), and Sonny loves her and still wants to marry her. After getting through everything and hugging in front of all their wedding guests, the couple say their vows, exchange rings and are pronounced husband and wife in front of a mostly happy crowd. As Brenda gets into a limo to wait for Sonny the limo explodes.
When the authorities finally get through the wreckage, everybody is shocked to discover Sam, amazingly still alive, inside the limo with no sign of Brenda; the Balkan, with the presumed help of Jason's old enemy Franco
Franco (General Hospital)
Robert "Franco" Frank is a fictional character on ABC's daytime drama General Hospital. He has been portrayed by James Franco since November 19, 2009 and was listed as special guest star before the opening credits. Franco left the role for a short time on January 11, 2010.James Franco returned to...
, had swapped Brenda out for Sam and blown up the limo as a distraction, while Brenda is in the clutches of the Balkan. After being interrogated by Theo, Brenda manages to escape into the woods with the help of Jules, a sympathetic servant to Theo, only to be recaptured shortly after.
Eventually, Brenda manages to convince Jules to get a message to Sonny and lead him to Theo's hideout, but is found out by Theo. When Brenda repeatedly fails to give Theo the answers he wants, he loses his patience and injects her with a deadly neurotoxin
Neurotoxin
A neurotoxin is a toxin that acts specifically on nerve cells , usually by interacting with membrane proteins such as ion channels. Some sources are more general, and define the effect of neurotoxins as occurring at nerve tissue...
. Brenda tells Theo she doesn't really know what happened to the baby because she was not awake when the baby was born. When Sonny, Jason, and Dante finally arrive, they discover Brenda semi-conscious on the couch.
With Brenda's life hanging in the balance, Sonny wisely chooses to get her to the hospital over pursuing Theo and airlift her to the hospital. Brenda is given an antidote and regains consciousness with Sonny at her side. At this point Brenda is unaware that her son is alive and was previously kidnapped and put up for adoption by Suzanne.
Sonny and Brenda depart for Positano, Italy for their honeymoon, but upon discovering Jake Spencer, Jason's son with Elizabeth Webber
Elizabeth Webber
Elizabeth Spencer may refer to:*Lady Elizabeth Spencer , wife of Henry Herbert, 10th Earl of Pembroke*Elizabeth Spencer, Baroness Hunsdon*Elizabeth Spencer , American novelist...
, has been hit by a car and killed, they immediately return to be there for the devastated Jason. Brenda later meets up with Carly in the hopes of coming to a truce, but Carly is uncooperative and refuses.
Sons: Lucian and Alec (2011)
Suzanne gives Lucian, her believed-to-be dead son, back to Brenda on April 5, 2011. Though shocked, she quickly falls in love with Lucian and bonds with him; however, Brenda and Sonny begin to have some difficulties. Brenda has doubts about raising Lucian in a mob environment. Sonny doubts the child is actually Brenda's. In May 2011, it was revealed Suzanne took Brenda's biological son away and in his place gave Brenda - Lucian, as a decoy in the place of Alec (her real son). Suzanne kept Alec hidden from her, so she would be able to spend the rest of her life with her grandson, and they would never be apart again, while Brenda spent her time happily with Lucian, believing he was her true son. Suzanne's plan fell apart, however, after Brenda, with the advice of Sonny and best friend Robin, decided to take a DNA test on Lucian to see if he is really her biological son. When Suzanne heard of the plans for the DNA test, she kidnapped Lucian taking him down to San Antonio, so Brenda would never find out Lucian is not her true biological son. Brenda was distraught at Lucian's disappearance. She went on television with her ex-lover and friend Jasper JacksJasper Jacks
Jasper "Jax" Jacks is a fictional character from the ABC soap opera General Hospital. He has been played by actor Ingo Rademacher from January 1996 to August 2000, and from August 2001 to July 2011. In January 2008, the role was temporarily filled by Gideon Emery...
identifying Suzanne as Lucian's kidnapper and offering a reward for any information on her whereabouts. Sonny, Dante Falconeri, and Carly Corinthos become involved in the search for Lucian. Lucian was returned to his real family in Phoenix, by Suzanne. Sonny, Carly, and Dante find Suzanne and Alec instead. After a confrontation with Suzanne, Sonny brings Alec back to Port Charles. Alec is introduced to Brenda, who is thrilled to have her real son but feels deeply betrayed by Sonny for choosing to take Carly on the search for her son, instead of her. Brenda has a hard time bonding with Alec, unlike Lucian.
Jax tries get full custody of Josslyn which causes promblems in Sonny and Brenda's marriage. In June 2011 Jax tells Brenda that he is going to subpoena her to testify to Judge about how bad Sonny's life is. Brenda refueses to do so. In early July Brenda and Alec are shot at while getting in a car. Brenda is visibly shaken, but Sonny dismisses the incident and claims the shooters were not aiming for her or Alec, but simply wanted to warn Sonny that his family is in danger. Sonny tells Brenda not to mention the incident to the judge. On July 15, 2011 Brenda tells the judge about the incident whilst also saying that Sonny is a good father. Brenda later learns that Jax's has been arrested for attacking the court mediator Grace Yand and having drugs in his suite.
After finding out that Sonny set Jax up Brenda tells Sonny, to the great distress of both, that she is leaving him. Brenda realizes that she must prioritize her son Alec's welfare over her own happiness with Sonny. Sonny begs her to stay and asks what he can do to fix what he has done. On July 21, 2011 Brenda gives Sonny her rings back and says goodbye to Robin Scorpio
Robin Scorpio
Dr. Robin Scorpio-Drake is a fictional character from the ABC soap opera General Hospital and its prime time SOAPnet spin-off General Hospital: Night Shift, originated and portrayed by Kimberly McCullough since 1985. The character came to mainstream attention when she was diagnosed as HIV-positive...
. Brenda also asks Robin to give Sonny a letter that she wrote when she feels its the right time. Jasper Jacks
Jasper Jacks
Jasper "Jax" Jacks is a fictional character from the ABC soap opera General Hospital. He has been played by actor Ingo Rademacher from January 1996 to August 2000, and from August 2001 to July 2011. In January 2008, the role was temporarily filled by Gideon Emery...
flies Brenda to Rome with her son Alec.
External links
- Brenda Barrett profile at soapcentral.com