titan1978

Thank you for posting this! My assumptions are that the Dobson’s were still under a forced style that didn’t allow them to flourish. They seemed really well suited to Guiding Light though!

Thanks! When I read about those days, I didn’t see a Rita Stapleton type, or the kind of deep psychology that happened with Holly and Roger. Nobody as complex as Alan. I do see a lot of long suffering women in lead stories like Jessie, Diana, Lesley, and Audrey. I think it’s part of why the show was on the decline to be quite honest. Compare those women at that time on GH to the women on Guiding Light, OLTL, Another World, etc. They are modern working women for the times and yet they seem much more old fashioned.

Stefan lost a lot around the time they ran out of Bob Guza’s original 1996 bible. It got wobbly around the time they faked Laura’s death, and the Spencer’s were just off the show for like an entire month, I think it may have been two. They had him shoot Katharine (by mistake), and just kind of stopped his momentum. He was panicky about the shooting, was stuck in a lame romance that didn’t do either of them any favors. They just dropped the marriage with Bobbie months before it actually ended trying to make Stefan/Katharine have some heat from Patch/Kayla rub off on them. While not as pathetic as Valentin, he didn’t have that heat/menace anymore either.

He thought Frank was going to be loyal and Frank is only really loyal to Frank.

I know Bridget Dobson was the daughter of the show creators, the Hursley’s. She worked under them (often contentiously from what I have read about their relationships) as scriptwriter and what we would now consider breakdown writer, until she and Jerome took over the top spot. He wrote there for years too. My question is did any of their idiosyncratic style and characterizations show up on GH? I know their types of stories and characters really shined on Guiding Light when they left General Hospital (were they fired?). Just curious if their fingerprints are as visible during their era at GH as they were on their later runs at other shows. Maybe something for @DaytimeFan or @vetsoapfan to chime in on with their extensive knowledge of that period of time! Were there characters that feel particularly like a Bridget character there, types of stories, etc?

It was a special circumstance, but the ratings growth during the 50th year anniversary was on the back of the OLTL audience that came for the crossover, the return of many popular vets not seen since JFP’s reign of terror, the big umbrella water poison story, and Robin Scorpio. They rested a lot of the driving story on Finola Hughes, from Faison in a mask, Duke, and Robin. While Sonny and Carly were there, they were not the center of the show like they used to be. Who knows how soap audiences, especially the Nielsen households react anymore. Sonny is still very popular, even if I have tired of him ages ago. But much like Reva leaving GL in the early 90’s, I think if the rest of the show is strong enough, people will stay tuned in. But right now they are both pretty marginalized. Jason has more going on, but it’s because they made his circle larger.

Personally I think it only works with Kanan at this point. The show needs recognizable Quartermaines with ties to the original characters. That history combined with the way SK plays him, especially the way he was doing it in that last return, are the only way it works. What is needed is both things- an actor that falls into place because of the history, and is capable of making him a leading man. Warlock is a good actor, but he didn’t bring out those qualities enough. And Hopkins is a footnote, although when he was airing and I was a teenager I did like him. Kanan is pretty outspoken, I don’t know if he would be willing to play the kind of ball Valentini would toss his way for a bygones return. Both AJ and David accomplish similar things- they bring natural conflict with them, and reignite two women who are just drifting along right now- Carly and Anna.

One of the main issues for me is the show wanted Lucky to be angry, to lash out only. If that scene with Laura had involved him breaking, showing his actual heartbreak at learning about his father, it would have been way more acceptable to me. The anger was justified and I don’t have a problem with that per se, but Lucky became so one note. The only thing they wanted to play for Lucky were anger and falling in love with Liz.

If he were an option I would much rather have him playing David Hayward. The hospital could use him, and I loved him with Anna.

It was interesting to see the entire first story, and Bobbie being one of the few people back then that knew it was Luke and she does go after him about it on multiple occasions. I thought it started out incredibly strong. But it does emotionally become more about how Lucky and Luke are dealing with both rapes, and less about Liz and especially Laura. By the time we got to Lucky saying awful things to Laura, and her confrontations with both Lucky and Luke at the Club, I was mostly disgusted. That’s the problem with revisiting it at that time. They mined every aspect of that story for Luke and Lucky, and Laura got a couple of scenes. It could have been a real examination of her building a life with this man, and how as an adult she may see her choices differently, even if she did still love him desperately. I thought Audrey got have some nice emotional material too though, but again, just not enough.

The only fully successful things I can pull from her run were Vanessa Marcil’s original return, the Metro Court crisis was an incredible sweeps event, some excellent casting over most of her tenure, and the hospital set redesign that happened before she left. Everything else had more negatives than positives for me. I can’t praise someone that systematically treats women so terribly, especially in this medium, and lets the men dictate and get away with being assholes.

I disagree. Tony imbued Luke with a lot of attributes that the writers built on, but Marland had a character there. His foundation is pretty rock solid. He was street smart, ambitious, clever, and used a lot of bluster and attitude to cover up his insecurities and childhood traumas. He wanted power so people would look up to him, he didn’t want to be the little kid from Elm street that had to compromise everything to survive. His love of Laura was rooted in also dreaming of a better life, and she had enough damage in her own life to be an “angel” that was attainable, even if he didn’t think he deserved her. I am not excusing her sexual assault or the show’s poor decision to make it into a seduction. If you watch a lot of his original run you see clearly his arc- He and Bobbie have a complicated relationship that is often loving, while also cynical and volatile. Even his turn into heroic stories is also rooted in the fact that Luke likes the attention he got. He wanted to be a big man in Port Charles, gets all the way to mayor, and it’s a hollow experience that still doesn’t make him whole. And then he gets another shot, because Laura is alive. Labine plays out an older, wiser, and also more comfortable version of the original character. He is still iconoclastic, still wants a piece of the action, but the club is more than enough until he can get rid of Frank Smith permanently. Once that happens, he again becomes kind of aimless, and you could argue he stays involved with Sonny out of loyalty and also a desire to be in the action. At this time he has unique and important relationships with Laura, Sonny, Mike, Lucy, Lucky, Robin and Stone. At first, this is the same Luke that Guza writes. But things unravel when Nikolas is revealed. And Luke cannot handle Laura being pulled away from him- his family, his son. And that she could keep it from him. And once again, his most prominent trait is an insecurity around vulnerability. And the final nail is when Lucky can no longer look at him the same way ever again, cementing a deep self loathing that settles deeper every year into the core of his personality until Geary quits the show.

Rumors abounded at the time that Frank and Ron were going to bring Alan back, and Emily too. But Stuart was not in good health and they shifted away from Robin discovering more people were alive during the 50th, besides her and Duke. AJ was brought back, the audience went for it, and he should have still be there. SK was a chemistry machine with both Liz and Carly. It’s still such a shame. I think Duell had his moments, and I loved him for the first few years of his run. He was a nice counterbalance to his parent’s constant selfishness and drama. He had great big brother energy with Kristina, Morgan and Molly (I know Molly is not his sibling, but she might as well be). But somewhere around AJ dying again, Starr to Kiki he just became a bore. The only sparks I have seen from him in years was when he was bff’s with Chase, and we know none of them were going there.

Chad could not pull this off, so another plus for recasting here! What I love is that for years, he was essentially a kind person who was not hysterical or plagued by mental illness like Carly and Sonny. And being burned has kind of radicalized him. This is some straight up old school Quartermaine behavior. Something Tracy would be able to pull off (even if only temporarily).

This is part of the reason why I didn’t jump on the train of her being singled out for special treatment. Because we don’t know what is in her contract, what her ABC insurance mandate is, etc. I have worked in management with employees going out for medical leave, and more than once the person did not wish anyone to know it was a medical leave, etc. and people get very bitchy about not knowing private information that I could not share, beyond they are on a leave of absence. When I saw her Maurice Bernard podcast episode a couple of years ago and learned she was bipolar, and at the time was clearly having difficulty recovering from her brain surgery when she came back, a few pieces clicked into place. I personally assumed this time there was more than just relocating her daughter on the table, and again, the show makes the decisions, not her as far as what happens on camera. I would hope that an employer would accommodate this stuff. It’s not her fault the show handles it on air so poorly. BTW- this is not meant as me attacking or chiding other posters! Just agreeing that maybe some grace or just moving on is called for.

I wish her the best too. I don’t fault her for the show’s poor decisions. They chose to put Maxie in a coma a couple of weeks before her husband returned from the dead, being poisoned by the big bad which is another stalled story. She was in the middle of the Deception story about Sonny, all tied together and then just dropped. On a balanced show, we would still be seeing the other Deception characters dealing with this, and Sidwell gloating, or at least talking about what happened. Sonny/Jason/Spinelli trying to figure out the mistake with the laundered money and the dead judge. They even have these characters on screen since Maxie left, and nobody talking about any crossover stories. I assume it’s because they film so out of order that it makes it to hard for Frank to puzzle the episodes together. Also- I like Marco. But increasingly I see the need for these supervillain characters to have a confidante that can add to the push/pull. Celeste with Stefano comes to mind.

My fear with the sudden shift is that we are getting a classic Valentini interference reset. Lots of stuff is working but not for him or some other exec, and they derail it. It’s usually noticeable because stories just stop, couples they have been forcing on us for years suddenly break up, etc. Time will tell I guess!

I don’t have any ill will towards any parent wanting more time with their kids, especially newborns. And considering how much of a troubled time she had as a young woman, I assume this was a wonderful time for her. But I do remember Guza’s Michael Logan return interview in 1998, and when asked about her he said he would practically beg to get her back to the show. And the return at the ball was spectacular. Add me to the list of folks that are kind of sad for Spinelli with this Nathan stuff. He was one of my favorite parts of the Britt nonsense last week, when he confronted her at the hospital. I like when they use his brain. I was already seeing the writing on the wall when James said he wished Cody was his father. Which is fine if they were going to explore it in any way. But I would like him to show a depth of feeling for Spinelli too. And as far as Chase or Nathan, Chase is at least more charming and engaged.

There have been a couple of moments when KT has played a slight note of being afraid of something. She just needs to do more of it. And writing her as a spoiled brat isn’t working. I could handle sarcastic, an edge, but that would need to be tempered with some vulnerability. Fear about the big bad, actual longing for Jason, something. I think she also could use a dose of seeming slightly calculating instead of everything annoying her and just happening to her. And everyone saying Nathan has been having sinister looks, where? If that’s what he is supposed to be doing it’s not coming through for me. Both Laura and Trina became an afterthought after Spencer died. Her mother passed away in early 2024, so I kind of understood the limited appearances that spring and summer. But unless she requested a lighter load, she should be knee deep in the Sidwell/Sonny story and having fun fighting with Ezra and Drew. Not to mention everything with Lucky. He came back tied directly to Sidwell. The fact that he barely had anything to do with that once Sidwell arrived in PC, barely spoke to Isaiah again, and had limited interactions with his close friend and partner Dante tells a clear story. And for that matter, Dante should be all up in the Drew story, enough that he could even be considered a suspect after how Drew has acted with Sam’s kids! I personally think the momentum has slowed down, and the all in on the Obrect/Faison family return is not as compelling as what was happening with Drew before he was shot. Michael circling this particular hooker ain’t it either. I also think the Ronnie thing, while lovely to see Erika again, is also killing momentum with something we know is already over as far as filming goes! The one thing they had going for them was the pace was fast and the twists were fun.

Even soured on the pairing, when he left and was being pretty honest about things Geary still said they had an acting connection that was special and nothing like what he had with anyone else. When you look back at where they were when the trial happened and the Felicia affair (vomit) became public, there was a moment there where I thought it would have been interesting for Laura to become an alcoholic. And at the time I think it would have been wrong for her to be “saved” by Luke anymore. I think their instincts were correct, she didn’t want to play a fragile victim anymore, an eternal ingenue at 45, and he didn’t want to play Laura’s hero. I just think there was a way to do it without crapping on what came before. Bob Guza seemed to only want to write Laura’s fragilities, and not her strength. She had both. And you could argue Luke being broken up by what happened to Laura paved the way for the character to get sleazy. But not the way Geary represented Luke always being that way. What makes me sad about this Ronnie stuff is that LC was there for years, deserving of a story and this could have played out onscreen. Revisiting Monica’s history is actual fertile story ground. And I do believe that Monica, when married to Jeff, would have pushed away any part of her past. I just wish we got to see this with her actually there playing out in a different way. But let’s just throw a twin at Jason and Alan, who was also long dead, for Monica to welcome into the family. I think Willow made actual points in her conversation with Michael about feeling like the visitation with the family therapist would be used to ultimately keep the kids from her. It’s paranoid but it also fits with the hostility this process has included so far.

Too bad mostly generic ass GH doesn’t write with anything close to this specificity.

It’s like a cut to commercial scene on classic Bill Bell Y&R, but without the lush music, immaculate staging, impeccable style, old Hollywood glamour and actual good writing. I used to look at her work and ask who the hell is she looking at?

What I remember of that was the kind of implication that Luke didn’t see anything wrong with being with a prostitute, especially at that moment when his marriage was not just fraught but was blown apart. The rape reveal with Lucky and Laura’s lies about Stefan/Nikolas paternity and eventual relationship with him happening all at that time. I don’t remember it being about his time with Laura when they were together. I do have some sympathy for Geary. By the time Genie was defacto fired in 2002, he had been on the show a couple of times in limbo while she was gone. He had lots of stuff to do, but it wasn’t really actual stories that hinged on him and had emotional depth until the 1998 stuff with trying to kill Helena with Alexis and Lucky finding out about the rape. The Cassadine story was in a holding pattern while Genie was on maternity leave for over a year. And at first in 2002 after she left he was stuck in stories about what amounted to a blond wig on a mop. Fighting with Scott over Laura’s guardianship, then Heather Webber. The 2006 mini story was really beautifully written for what it was, but both of them were not happy about it. Genie has said she actually felt manipulated about them getting married again, that they both thought it was kind of hokey to go that route and was not clearly explained to them before it was already happening or they would have pushed back. By then they also both wanted to stop being stuck in Luke saves Laura stuff. The problem for me is that he took his real life frustrations and being burned out and torched a history we all saw, and retroactively tried to make Luke worse than he ever was (beyond the aforementioned sexual assault, the Luke he imagined was a scumbag, not the canny, while impulsive walking wound he had played for the entire time before that).

I know the story is still airing, and I am catching up, but I hate another story where Tracy is grieving an important loss and gets shafted in the will. It would be one thing if they tied this to when she and Luke faked Alan’s will. I don’t believe for a second Monica would be cruel to Tracy at this stage. I’m sure there are twists to come, but the jar on top of Ronnie getting most of the estate is really gross. And the absence of ELQ stock stuff is also a waste. There are so few people on the show that had actual scenes of significance with Monica from before the JFP era. I would think she would leave something to Laura, and I would have even included Lucy. I would have had some fun with Lucy getting something red in tribute to her Q wedding dress. Lucy, Tracy, and Jason being the sceptics of Ronnie would also work for me, each in their own way. It’s slim pickings, but for the audience it’s the kind of nostalgia that works. That damn jar is not beloved like they think it is.

I think it matters to the discussion about Britt, because it demonstrates that those little connections matter. I wouldn’t need much as far as Britt and Spencer go, but the truth is there was more there than with Rocco. Spencer was part of the show moving her into a new direction. But the show has miscalculated how much I will tolerate Britt without any vulnerability. Especially acting like a spoiled brat. This woman is over 40. And not to keep harping on it, but imagine Laura’s family being rebuilt with the kind of attention the Obrect family is getting. Lulu is certainly used a lot, but she and Dante should already be moving back together, Laura should have something real going on, and Lucky was a disaster of the show’s doing.