DRW50

Wasn't Taylor Miller still playing Nina during the period that Devon was on the show? She was also written out around the time Julia Barr left and Brooke was recast. I wonder if they brought her back because being the doomed non-Nina love interest to Cliff was something they didn't want to give to a woman they cared about, and they didn't want to create yet another Kennicott relation. Then having her for the Lynn Carson story also made sense because if there was intense viewer backlash, she could easily be written out.

Thanks again @Paul Raven It shows you just what a unique and memorable performer Denise Alexander was that I can see her in these moments and hear her even though I've never watched any of the material. On paper it probably wasn't up to much, but I do wish I could see her playing it. Meanwhile, the Diana material continues to seem like one plate of ass after another...I was thinking she had finally been able to move on with the therapy breakthrough, but then we're right back with her believing Peter and Leslie are having an affair. I don't know how much further off the material is that made Valerie Starrett leave, but I can't blame her. I see less and less of Jessie anywhere in this - is this when Emily's health troubles were starting to phase her out of story? Going a few summaries back, writing out Lee, Caroline, her son and his wife seems so rushed. It's a shame Marland, or whoever, killed off all of them (aside from Lee), as they might have given Lee some story down the line. Or maybe the daughter-in-law survived too - I can't remember.

Glad to see BtG bounce back from all those preemptions. GH will keep wafting down until something happens - one way or the other.

I think Dominic's one of the show's better talents. They seemed to have decided very late in the run they needed some kind of forced conflict. It would have been more interesting to me if there had been no conflict because then Gio would have felt even more betrayed.

I think the stories are so moribund many need help unless they are just excellent, but I agree he has mostly done a good job from the parts I've seen, especially when they actually started giving him something to do.

I agree there was a lot more room for nuance in writing and performance, which will be an issue after this big reveal where you can get away with it. Hopefully Dominic will be able to bring out some good performances from him if the writing and directing allows.

The violin smashing was ridiculous but ridiculous in one of those soap moment ways I could enjoy as an end to a dramatic reveal. (admittedly my expectations are at rock bottom with the show in terms of drama so I do think you're right to point out the OTT nature) The clash with Lulu and Brook Lyn has potential if they allow Brook Lyn to get dirty.

For a show that can seem allergic to drama, that was a surprisingly juicy moment, and much as I hate the term, actually very "soapy." It does seem like something where the beats that need to be played out may not be, so the reveal being as dramatic as it was is a great help. I like that Gio is the one who had that reveal, which was an unexpected twist. And the Nurses' Ball being used for drama but not in a way that felt gross (like a sex tape) or inappropriate (like a serial killer). It helps that Gio is easy to care about when used properly, so we feel bad for him and are invested in his reaction. And it was even in a sweeps period. I do wonder why this didn't happen on a Friday instead of a Thursday. Points to Rena Sofer, who was acting for her life in the background. I'm glad the director remembered that Ned should have some involvement too.

I think there are, they just don't usually get as much of the spotlight. This has long been an issue with GH. It's a little better now than at some points in the past. Lulu at least gets called out for her mess, and Kristina, etc. although in Kristina's case she's just exhausting to watch, and the story is directionless (the biggest issue with the show).

Given what a shell 60 Minutes has had to become, I guess they at least have something to be happy about.

Given the cuts being made to treatment and research funding along with RFK Jr's quack theories about HIV/AIDS, it is probably more relevant than in some time, but I know GH is not going to really go there in explaining why (and I'm not sure they could have even back in the day). I guess I should be happy Disney has not decided mention of HIV and AIDS is too "woke" for them.

I have seen little of Wally, but I always think of the backstage story Julia Barr (I think it was Julia) told where he hated his character and storylines so much that at one point he put some form of clown makeup on in his dressing room to show his feelings.

To me that's always what they have been. I figured that was part of the charm to people who enjoy them. They could have just had the legendary Rosalind Cash onstage but instead they have Lucky and Luke (and Justus) in the background to give us some heartwarming comedy as the Pips. I think the Nurses' Ball should just have been left to those first few years, to be honest (any time before we got year after year of Ned "rocking out" and the year of a sex tape being played), but I do know many people love them. My main issue is they often just seem a little too glossy since coming back thanks to the HD format. I was watching the Spinelli performance on Youtube and it is clearly meant to be charming, silly fun, which it is, but it's more suited to the cheap seats era of the Ball where you had someone literally hanging from the rafters, not today's slickness.

We see how well that worked.

I think Grant had just returned, although I'm not sure. I can't remember the exact quote, but I think Kassie said Blake took her storyline, her romantic pairing, and her job (at Spaulding). I can't remember when this was - maybe her leaving interview in SOD or SPW.

I think Kassie was a decent enough support figure on GL but probably not able to play complexity (most of the ingenues who came and went on GL couldn't), although they didn't really give her any either. She once said that they gave Blake everything that had once been there for Chelsea. She does better on OLTL but that took a while too.

All the talk about her in the GL thread and from the McTavish book willed her back... I wonder if she will have any real say over anything this time around. Is Jessica Collins available? And if you do try something a little different you will be railroaded out. As you said, if Griffith goes, that's a big positive.

This was a chance to really shake up the casting instead of more of a revolving door. Frank seems to be trying to find as many former Y&R actors as he can at present. Maybe just let Mark Teschner do his job. Best of luck to Rory.

Thanks.

You can see a few clips of Terri in these videos: Here's a brief promo of her at about 16 minutes:

Thanks, as always.

I'm not sure when exactly they started but I remember Chris Schemering claiming they wrote the Rick/Monica/Jeff stuff as he said this type of melodrama later found them success on Dynasty but did not work on GH. He mentioned dialogue between Rick and Monica like, "You're my heaven and my hell," and, "I have a fever in my blood and you're the cure." (presumably the next line was not about needing "more cowbell.")

Thanks for the link and the articles @slick jones

Thanks @Paul Raven I do think it makes sense if Slesar was writing this last year of the show. Some of the choices, like the music box/clock, I could see being his. Carrie and Avis also seem not far off from his heroines.

The interview also makes me appreciate more how clever it was for Bill Bell to use names like Storm or Thorne. That was a quick talking point for Hirsch with the show. And while I always made fun of it, looking back that's also something that made people I knew who rarely watched soaps always remember B&B.