Before the accident, Sonny Cooke (Sam Nivola) had a pretty good life. He was close to his mother, Ellen (Connie Britton), the principal of Delby High School, and had a girlfriend, Chloe (Mahaela Park), and a longtime best friend, Vogel (Maliq Johnson). But after a car accident leaves him hospitalized for a week, Sonny wakes up convinced that his mother has been replaced by an imposter on Phony. Warning: Spoilers for Phony Season 1 Episodes 1 and 2 ahead!
Although everyone else recognizes Ellen, Sonny sees someone different. Even their secret code, squeezing each other’s shoulders to say “I love you,” no longer works. But as Sonny becomes increasingly obsessed with proving his mother’s identity, he begins pushing away the people closest to him in favor of those willing to believe him.
Vogel initially tries to help, but Sonny’s increasingly erratic behavior puts a strain on their friendship. At a school dance, Sonny shoves Vogel to the ground when his friend tries to intervene. The incident lands them in the counselor’s office, where Vogel reveals Sonny’s suspicions about Ellen, further damaging their relationship.
Meanwhile, Sonny begins shutting Chloe out. Although he initially tells her that his mother looks different, she doesn’t see what he sees. Making matters worse, Ellen, who previously disapproved of Chloe, has suddenly become friendly with her. Rather than confiding in his girlfriend, Sonny grows increasingly suspicious of their newfound closeness.
Instead, Sonny turns to Mallory (Grace Brennan) and her cousin Weldon (Colter Lee), two people who were hardly part of his inner circle before the accident.
Talking to TV Insider, Sam Nivola explained Sonny’s state of mind and how he found solace in strangers when he couldn’t find acceptance in friends.
Disney/David Astorga
“I think a lot of that has to do with, like, the kind of person that Sonny is, which is that he is this character archetype that, God bless Nick, I have never seen before, which is such a relief, of a guy who is popular at school but not cool. And he is friends with everyone, and everyone likes him, but, like, he’s not the guy you necessarily want at the parties,” explains Sam Nivola to TV Insider. “And I think, as a result, his life is kind of a performance to try and garner love and affection from all these people at school. And so then when he meets, I mean, re-meets Mallory and meets Weldon, they’re kind of the weirdos. They’re kind of the outcasts, I would say, of the school. And I think when he’s starting to feel like a weirdo himself, and like he’s going insane, he takes solace in finding people who he thinks might just be crazy enough to believe him.”
His relationship with Mallory is complicated. The two kissed during a camping trip, but she subsequently ghosted him. Mallory later reveals that she visited his house afterward, only for Ellen to tell her Sonny wasn’t home, something his mother claims not to remember.
Weldon, meanwhile, has an interest in conspiracy theories and is willing to entertain Sonny’s belief that Ellen has been replaced. Mallory is more skeptical, but she’s still willing to help him search for answers.
“I also think he might be looking for some sort of connection or support from Mallory, given that they had a history a long, long time ago,” adds Colter Lee. “And Weldon is pretty simple. I believe him right from the very beginning, and I never once ever doubted him. So I am extremely enthusiastic about it. So why would he not talk to me about it?”
“You have Weldon, who is there with him completely and believes in him 100%, and then Mallory, who doesn’t believe in him at all. So he has, like, the angel and devil on his shoulder with us kind of thing,” states Grace Brennan.
Together, they examine old photographs, investigate Ellen’s behavior, and attempt to hire a private investigator. Eventually, Weldon introduces Sonny to Sharla (Meera Syal), an unconventional investigator who agrees to look into his suspicions.
The more Vogel and Chloe question Sonny’s behavior, the further he retreats from them. Mallory and Weldon, on the other hand, offer him something his closest friends cannot: the willingness to take his fears seriously, even when they sound impossible.
And as Sonny trades his oldest relationships for these newfound allies, Phony raises another unsettling question: Is he finally finding people who understand him, or simply surrounding himself with those willing to believe what he wants to hear?
Phony, Tuesdays, Hulu