titan1978

Had N’Neka Garland, who everybody loved and had worked her way up had not passed away in 2023, I do think there would have been a more realistic ability to pass the torch from Frank. Everything I have read about her makes it seem like she was kind of a linchpin under Frank. Right now I don’t see that person currently at the show, and I just don’t think ABC is looking elsewhere. Valentini also doesn’t seem to be ready to let go on his own either. Speaking of 2023, I skimmed a couple of the episodes up on Hulu because Spencer was in the thumbnail. Dex, Drew with Carly and her being sanctimonious about the crime she actually did commit, Sam/KM bored to be employed, Willow’s unending pregnancy and cancer, Duell’s mopey Michael. We have had a significant upgrade. The only things I want back are Spencer and Cameron. The Alexis/Ava/Kristina story is such a waste. NLG and Maura have the chops and in-character histories to play both sinister and humor, and Mansi with her hysterical version of Kristina could have been fun to watch unraveling while the adults try to keep the wheels from falling off. Plus Hearst is a game actor for just about anything! It also would help spread out the twists and cliffhangers- Ric should have been near escape at least once a week while they get better at restraining him. They are ripping off 9 to 5 anyway, give me the garage mechanism and dog collar!

You know, one of the little things that still breaks me up when I see it again is when Stone died, and Robin tells Luke over the phone. And he calls her Love, and she tells him that her dad used to call her that, it’s a sad but sweet moment, they both play it well. It’s such a small thing, but these types of conversations help soaps have a sense of humanity. But that’s not what they are after with Britt at the moment.

Right? This is a soap! They let Gio cook and he has become a decent actor and still had his natural charm. Emma came on a little bit of a cliche, but they wisely made her driven by her own sense of social justice and not just a bitch to spite Anna and Robin. They slow burned them right off the stove. And from everywhere I have been, they both have gained popularity with several segments of the current audience. Part of the reason soaps always used to take advantage of this was to ride the train until one or both of them don’t renew their contracts and leave for the big time. The other part was they are cheap! They burn them up when they cost the least!

At least one of them could be going through a medical issue. This is General Hospital after all! And yes, they have a wealth of talent when it comes to women in that same 50-60 age range, and most of them are just there right now. They are also incredibly talented actors! Give them something to do!

I just saw a new instagram post by Maurice, very much kissing the FV ring, and calling out his costars including the placeholder DA. So they are continuing that direction. She is a stunning woman. And miscast here.

Increasingly it feels like we have a collection of twists, then favored performers kept onscreen no matter what, but few actual stories. Even soaps, where stories never end, told them with a beginning, middle, and end. It is working for me somewhat in that it took how Valentini likes to produce the show already, and infused it with energy. So it has upped the fun factor and given it the illusion of a faster pace. But the seams and deep ravines still show up in stuff like the Ric story, where it is dropped for weeks at a time and the characters involved do not interact enough. Or Laura’s campaign, the Gio/Emma story, hell all of Emma’s story. What is happening with Gio and Emma really reminds me of what they did with Spencer/Trina, minus the racism of course. I would think even with guarantees, these young cast members have to be cheaper than most, so use them!

Krista Allen…I can actually see it. I think the issue is we have a romance problem on General Hospital. Sonny has no viable partners. Laura is in limbo somewhat because Kevin is. Nina has no viable partner. Liz has no viable romance. Alexis has no romance, and Kristina too. Much like his father and mother, Michael has a placeholder to flirt with when they should be investing in a real character and romance for him. Anna is also single with no prospect. And I do like Brennan, but he doesn’t spark with LW as much as he needs to. I will forever love Patrick Mulcahey for bringing back nasty Ava. Her two confrontation scenes with both Alexis and Nina were some of the best stuff the show has had in years.

The sets are excellent and varied. I don’t see one office as being used for everybody with a different colored vase on the shelf to note a different workspace. But they do share a way too similar color pallet, and they do look very Wayfair. The only thing missing for me is that the dwellings do not really show some semblance of socioeconomic distinction. I don’t want every scene to be set there, but I do miss the seedy motels that we used to see for shady characters and people on the outs. Line the Pinecone Inn. Kelly’s used to have a more working class element that has been stripped away over the years.

Technically her house is supposed to be kind of remote. IIRC It was originally Angel Sorel’s house. What a terrible story that was, brought to us by the twin hacks of JFP and Megan McTavish. Both of whom had seen better days. The dagger just hanging around is another one of those drops of history that soap writers use, usually in superficial ways. It’s one of Carlivati’s specialities on his shows too, and it seems to be the extent of show historian Korte’s actual historical contributions.

GH finally cracked a 1.3 in households again!

I think there is more going on. He was there during the very rough year when Mulcahey was forced on Valentini, and that year was one of the times that backstage stuff was very clear to viewers. I think it goes beyond just his favorites, but I am sure that is part of it. It seems to me with soaps you are either an executive producer worried about producing the best show possible, or one that still wants a good looking product, but is more concerned with the trains running on time. Anyone can look at GH and see that while it has become more exciting and watchable, it’s still messy with the details.

Is that the story where they ended up in Corinth in the Alden mansion?

For years I have thought Sean would have been the better person for that reveal, not Holly. She spent the majority of her run not being a con artist, but they fixated on that part. Add to that Luke would not have cheated on Laura back then, especially during a time they were on the run.

Thank you! I knew he wasn’t there the whole time, just not the dates. Same with Rachel Ames as Audrey in the mid 1980’s. She wasn’t on contract for part of that decade but everywhere online has her not leaving until Jill doesn’t renew her contract in 2003. Same sites have Tristan as 1981-1992.

Petty with the actors. She was really a tyrant as the year went on and her initial plans collapsed the show. From all accounts she was pretty bitter and quite distraught about her husband as the run was nearing its end. Anna and Robert were the superstar leads of the show, and she wasn’t stupid. Jack Wagner left. She brought that star system to GH- it’s why she didn’t do recasts during her first run after Heather Webber. When someone left back then, so did their character. She did a couple of them in round 2. One of the things that hammered Riche at first was GH had been so star driven, like Reva at GL, so it took a minute to build others back up. And truthfully, Guiding Light had more amazing actors there just waiting for their chance to shine, and they did. Tony was almost a lead character during the first five years of Riche, and he really wasn’t used that way before, he was always in the third tier- you had the folks like Felicia, Frisco, Anna, Robert, Duke, then the next group was the Quartermaine characters and Bobbie’s circle. Then Tony and the rest. People like Lucy and Scotty moved between groups, but Tony was a true supporting player. Sad to say by the end of Monty’s first run the hospital characters were pretty much dead last. I also think Tristan was just fed up, and burned out. People seem to have liked Wes Kenney, collaborative and a leader but not as controlling or with the nasty streak Monty had at times. And IIRC Joseph Hardy was not liked and that was a difficult time too.

Is it possible that anticipating a need for a change, JFP was brought in to “help” Josh with the actual producing of the show. And in reality was also there to train/mentor Sally McDonald? Because it is a process, and while she has been there a long time, we don’t know if she was completely ready to just step in as EP.

She had an out, and used it to work on the new show Jack’s Place. Depending on the interview, she was going to leave anyway. But more recently Finola said ABC was trying to convince her to do both, and they wanted her to stay on the network. And Monty told her either right before filming a scene or right after that this was her last day. No party, no goodbye, no notice. I believe she even still had time left on her contract or had agreed to film longer than Monty was willing to. Petty. Tristan has been more open about what happened in the last few years than she initially was. And he also complained to ABC executives that Monty was out of control. Riche did reach out to them both to try to get them to stay/come back, and it didn’t work out. I do believe Tristan was headed out the door anyway. But he had taken at least one extended break or left and came back in the 80’s. It’s what lead to Anna and Burt being co-chief of police and the Mister Big storyline, he was gone for months. So who knows if he would have stayed had the last year not been so miserable.

I don’t remember that at all. She was close with AJ and Jason, Ned, and Edward and Lila. I don’t remember her having much to do with Alan or Monica. She was closer to Ruby than Alan or Monica!

It been a welcome return this time as far as his investment in having emotional scenes. Before he was Stone Cold, but was still Jason Morgan, he still showed a lot of emotion. At a certain point with the dual volatility going on with Sonny/Carly, it kind of felt like Jason was the only stable one in that group. Steve has done an excellent job this week with both having restraint, and also letting the emotion out. What a treat to see Erika acting with Jane. I can’t believe how long OLTL has been gone. What a terrible decision that was.

It’s hard to remember because he coasted for nearly a decade. The truth is I never bought Chad as a mature adult. I often felt when he had to carry the load it didn’t work. Yes the writing did him no favors. But this is the soap we have now. Performers either make the material work and show up, or they don’t. These men are arrogant and lazy. Laura Wright has had to sell a lot of crap in her tenure. Same with Becky Herbst. And Genie Francis, Finola, Jane. Hell it’s been happening for a couple of years with Brooke Kerr and Donnell Turner, who finally decided he would try to sell a relationship again as their marriage is falling apart. I shouldn’t be able to tell they are bored or don’t like a story, certainly not all the time for years.

Let me add this to the discussion- with Rory Gibson’s Michael, they actually have a chance to go in a new direction. They finally have someone in that role that is capable and willing to play Michael as strong, and it doesn’t seem silly or out of place. He is the one that is facing down the major threat right now, which is Drew. He is also very good looking, and clearly not fighting a shirtless scene, and as an audience member I thank him for his sacrifice. When I watched him on yesterday’s episode, he just fit in with the Q’s, and his comments about Monica felt genuine, especially considering he never worked with LC. What the hell happened at Y&R?

I get what you are saying, but to me, they have demoted him. Sonny is a shell of a character. They clearly don’t know what to do with him. Going out by dying in a blaze of glory or reunited with Brenda for a happier ending, both require Maurice being ready to go. Even in the fight over his piers, he is marginalized because they are barely telling that story. Nothing else revolves around him anymore, including Carly, Jason, and Michael. A story where he had a breakdown, and actually went through medical intervention, possibly being institutionalized and started therapy won’t happen because Maurice send himself into distress every time they start a story like this. My idea for a long time is he finally gets caught at something, and goes to jail. He meets basically a younger version of him there and when they get out (it’s still a soap, something will get them out early), this kid who he has grown loyal to does to him what Sonny did to his mentors, Frank Smith and Scully, by taking a power grab for his territory. It would need to be paced out, possibly two years to get to the climax. And even if Sonny survived, he would have to confront that he cannot maintain his control over PC anymore. But would the show or Maurice be willing to play that Sonny is older and resembles the men he killed now.

Thank you for directing back to the last time several of us dissected that run. Your casting list is a great resource for that turbulent 13 or so months!

The Dante part had me actually laughing. I will admit while I soured on the character during his relationship with SJB’s Carly, Maurice was still doing intense work and was very attractive to watch smolder onscreen. And taking generous viewing breaks helped during JFP’s era. But the show kind of evolved everyone around him, and left him in the dust. Carly and Jason both grew as people during the late 2000’s, and Sonny has honestly regressed, then just got old. They want to keep him the same, but it doesn’t work anymore for the show or even for Mo.

Jane being bored in retirement was the best gift she could have given GH fans. She has been the best part of the last couple of years, seeing an evolved but still formidable Tracy has been awesome.