titan1978

Welcome back impulsive Carly! She could have gone to Diane first. But that’s not Carly is it?

I even sat through every day of her being terrorized by origami. And then later when she had that breakdown story- those lights at the photo shoot didn’t know what hit them. Put her on those stages with her long sleeves with thumb holes and I will watch.

I am thrilled. Cannot wait to see him in scenes with Genie again.

For the folks saying FV is in desperation mode? He might be in nervous mode. But desperation mode is the announcement that Vanessa Marcil is back as Brenda and on contract.

He loved and respected Tony Geary immensely, and Tony is most likely bisexual or prefers no label. He did marry his longtime male companion after he retired, they had been together since his 90’a return. He was also on Nashville, which had LGBTQ stories and he didn’t make negative statements or quit the show about that. He is super Jesus though so time will tell. And even that was mired in misery, they killed her off tragically IIRC. There really could be a deep psychological study of what GH became after Guza returned from mourning his child’s death. JFP’s instincts are also misery is best, and it really spiraled into nothing but misery from the time Michael went to jail until they were both fired. Not accurate. FV kissed his ass plenty- the idea of getting to play a rotten bastard, which became Fluke, was from FV asking Tony what would excite him, what had he not done in a long time or ever before on the show. And Geary has never given Valentini anything but respect. Carlivati however…

So relieved it’s JJ. The show needs more Spencer family for Laura.

I cannot wait for Genie and JJ to share scenes together again, without it being all about Luke and Lucky. They had their own special relationship before the Nikolas/rape reveals, and his other returns were dominated by Geary. I was wondering if it was him when Frank teased it, then it came out the return was more like late summer/early fall. It takes time to relocate your family that is if they were still living abroad. I saw Deadline posted it, I assume they had the exclusive?

Wasn’t it CVE’s story? I doubt they would cut it considering the older writing regime and FV liked using Mills. When has FV demonstrated he has any idea what the audience wants to see and is willing to change course?

I never understood the popularity of Erica/Jack. Erica was never going to be satisfied, that’s the nature of her character. Alan was much more the marrying type. He did have another affair and some flirtations, just not as major as the ones you listed. A nurse maybe after Susan Moore? And he liked them from the wrong side of the tracks- Lucy, Rhonda, even Susan to some extent.

Well, maybe resting was my gentle way of saying get rid of. Plus in theory there could always be a return if they had kids or a story to play, just maybe not the central role they used to be in. I think @NothinButAttitude makes a great point. These newer characters are so poorly developed that they have zero chance of taking the center stage. So we have characters like Nick Newman on Y&R that have been written forever as if they are in their mid 20’s. They even killed Cassie off to help perpetuate this, and she was a viable character for telling stories as she grew up. And his parents have often been written as if they are dealing with life issues a perpetual 45 year old would face, instead of letting them mature story wise. B&B did successfully create a new generation of characters and center the show around them. But by all accounts Brad Bell has made them almost unwatchable by churning them through too much story.

It does suck when there is viability and story still to be told. But I agree with him that sometimes it is time to move on. This is an interesting example, because to me, if I take over DAYS as a HW, I would walk in the door knowing that Hope will need story, and if I am not interested in her (or let’s say Marlena), then I am not right for the job at that show. Not that they should dominate the show like they once did, but they should be used and have stories of their own still. I remember being shocked when they killed John Black off and let Drake go in the late 2000’s. But what we got for Marlena was really compelling, especially her anger. And then they brought him back once again with altered memories, and they had a renewed dynamic. It opened them up for me. The show dumped them both shortly after for budget reasons, and I missed their new dynamic playing out. Diane Jenkins on Y&R is a great example of a character that has been rested several times, and easily helps jump start things when they bring her back. And I think that has worked best for her character.

There has been a lot of debate on the GH monthly threads about the show needing to trim their cast. My question- Is it always a bad idea to cut a long term set of characters? We saw so many terrible cast cuts in the 90’s and 2000’s and beyond, that many of us bristle at the thought of cutting veteran casts. We know all the main culprits- Maureen Bauer, Frankie Frame, Alan Q, the majority of the Winters/Barber family on Y&R, etc. But is it always a bad idea? When I look at shows like AMC in the early 90’s, was it wrong to rest Ellen and Mark? Nina and Cliff? Jeremy? Chuck and Donna? Tom Cudahey? On GH, I think it ended up being the right move when Tristan quit, because the stories we got for Robin without Robert and Anna were some of the best of the decade. People often mention folks like Don and Neil Curtis just disappearing on DAYS. Was there really enough left for them to do to be on contract and vital to the story beyond just audience fondness? I remember loving Delilah, and tolerating Rafe on OLTL. They were another set of characters that slowly faded out. Many of those characters had made room for others that were now mainstays. Would I trade Natalie on AMC or Hailey to keep others in story instead? When is it okay to rest long term characters?

Monica Quartermaine did prefer other doctors. Jeff, Alan, Rick, Pierce, over other men she had affairs with like David Langston and Sean.

I think there should be a way to keep more of her edge. We will see if she intends to blackmail Finn to get help. I like how she feels very much rooted as the head of the Quartermaines, and I have enjoyed her mellowing and acknowledging how much her edge cost her. She’s the only one left from her childhood family, she survived her resentments and her father’s emotional and intellectual neglect. I love that Jane decided retirement wasn’t for her, and came back with a new sense of calm to how she plays Tracy. I have enjoyed the last two weeks. I even enjoyed Sam, and that has only happened before when she went full on vixen! I just read two great hypothesis online about Carly’s reactions to what Sam was saying- Change Jason (or keep him!) for Sonny and protecting Carly for Brenda. If either of them left everyone behind, including their kids, and she thought they were dead, and it was to protect Brenda? Carly would be scorched earth on everyone. We would be seeing some truly old school reckless Carly for that. All Sam has done is tell her how living like this is hell when you have decided the danger is not as important as your family and peace of mind. And then call her out for caring more about Jason always protecting her for her own choices over his family. i never thought we would see scenes like these ever again. Even Korte must have thought it was worth knocking Carly and Jason down a bit.

He suffers from too many cops in the same age range (I know he is a FED). I would rather have any investigation happening by a man on this show as it stands right now being a story for Dante. You know, the good actor with ties to the current canvas! I hate this show sometimes, and thinking about the decade+ suffering through many characters that were pointless while they left people to just languish on their cast drives me nuts! And I am not anti new character! But Franco and Finn and Peter August and Nathan etc were in one story after another and Dante is just there, being wasted. Nina and Willow and Sasha etc, yet Liz only has play if her current man is the focus. Blerg!

It has been interesting to watch how his impact- scenes about something, more beats being played, characters with a point of view- has slowly been dissipating. It feels very much like we are nearly back to the GH that was in play before, but with a little more care being placed in the actual words people are saying. It is nowhere near what it was for the first 6 weeks he was there. But it is better and resonates more, as if PM did bring something out of their scripts and they are trying to keep some of it there. He may still be credited, but that influence is much lighter in the last few weeks. Even Gregory’s funeral is nothing like the depth we got when Dante was shot. Those scripts were old school. it is still more consistently watchable, even though I think his fingerprints are not all over the scripts and certain characters anymore. Nina has already lost a bit of the spark she had been given almost immediately upon his arrival.

They really wasted that actor on Brennan. He and Finola have an interesting dynamic, and his reaction to Jagger suspecting her as part of Pikeman was great. I see no reason to keep Brennan because this story needs to have a strong culmination and some dead weight taken care of. But as another character, even a shady one, I think he could have lasted and fit in well. Sam laying into Spinelli and coming unglued at Jason protecting Carly being what the FBI has on him was excellent. I have never enjoyed Sam more. Much like Nina, this writing team has given some life to neglected characters by giving them specificity and even the littlest depth. It would be interesting to see actual growth from Carly, and she takes that information Sam is obviously going to spill to her and turns herself in. Let Diane/Alexis take the case. And acknowledging that once again their toxic relationship is actually ruining Jason’s relationships in order to protect her. He is making those choices, and she loves always being his person. I keep coming back to this but the show wasting people like Rebecca Herbst and Nancy Lee Grahn is very apparent when they actually give them something to do. Both of them are still compelling. NLG has really been connecting with her scene partners and the emotion of the various stories she is part of. Her scenes with Finn were so good. I have always liked her, but seeing her get to actually play something with depth has made her incredibly watchable again.

Well this is a Bell show. Bill hired his son to write, his daughter-in-law to write, and Lauralee was a dominating character on Y&R for a long time. And at the start was very green and driving story 3 to 4 days a week.

I do not think the show has spent nearly enough time on Sam’s reasoning and Danny since the first month Jason was back. I have never been a Sam fan. However, The reason her feelings/what she said to Carly resonate more with me than what Carly thinks is because Jason is still being shot at. Sonny is still in the mob. Carly is still involved enough that she is trying to insert herself into the Pikeman situation, and would get in the middle of it all in a heartbeat. The three of them have essentially not changed. Sam has. Sam is married to a police officer who has always kept a wall up a little bit where Sonny was concerned. Danny is rebelling, Sam is afraid of not only for his safety but of having her whole life be a constant danger again. Carly doesn’t care about any of that, Carly is ride or die no matter what it means to her family. She tried to take over Sonny’s territory with Jason a couple of years ago. She is always going to believe that Jason will keep them safe, even if history has proven that doesn’t always happen and comes at a cost. If we take the show at its own internal logic, Sam Is an example of someone deeply ensconced in Sonny’s world that decided she didn’t want to be anymore. And that would mean keeping her kids away from Jason too. We finally get these characters having a point of view again that puts them at odds with each other. Natural conflict based on history is so rare on a soap now. I like Jason way more than Sam, always have. But I agree with what she is saying and why. I also think Liz has not shown the same type of growth when it comes to Jason that Sam has. And so it makes total sense to me that Liz would encourage Jason/Jake to work on their relationship. His return started with Dante in critical condition for weeks. I know the show is choppy and drops things too much due to contract guarantees. But there is a direct line for me from Jason’s return to that conversation.

1000% Them becoming friendly was bizarre, and contributes to the overly genial and generic feel the show had. No matter how much time went by, Erica and Brooke were not friends. There was always an edge. They were not lifelong rivals their shows revisited like Dorian and Viki or Katherine and Jill. But they remained strained. Sam and Carly did not have to be actively enemies. But there should always be the edge/tension. Jason and Carly were admitting out loud when Michael went to jail that Sonny was not a better choice than the Quartermaines. They also stayed where they were out of loyalty. Their loyalty to Sonny/each other cost their children a lot. Even now, Carly is very angry with Sonny and they are not close like they used to be. But she still has a pull towards protecting him.

The way FV likes to keep things under wraps makes me think the return (for now), isn’t BC. Because this would piss him off in the past.

There is also the real possibility he is visiting/taking a meeting. His public reaction with these posts has been enough to generate interest in him returning (not from me, but the attention seeking has been noticed). And keeping that up only helps him get back on the show, up to a point. This is Frank, and he doesn’t like that kind of attention too much, for too long. But look at the interest both BC’s and NAC/Gio’s posts have gotten them and the show this past week. GH would be so lucky to have anyone talking about them this much and it’s not just hate posting and complaints. Many of us say this often, but if ever there was a time to bring back Vanessa, lock her in to a 2 year deal with generous time off, it’s now. Also- whatever happened to the possible writing team switch? We are pretty much nearing Korte solo in the credits.

YouTube came though. I just found an episode from July 1980, and Scotty is on trial for the death of Luke Spencer. Lee is defending him, and they think Luke drowned when Scotty punched him off the yacht. This episode also had credits, JB, EM, Denise Alexander, then Rachel Ames. So Lesley was credited higher than Audrey, even though Audrey has been there longer.

I see NAC has been hanging out with Gio recently. I wonder how they became acquainted? Guess the return possibility pool has a new front runner?

I recall that making the rounds back then too. They had taken that one scene of Laura and Lucky visiting the attic with Robin in the early 90’s and tried to build a story out of it. I think her leaving changed a lot of what was planned. Was it Rick’s affair or Scotty, and was it Bobbie or did she think it was Bobbie? I hated what it was, but I have no doubt that both Genie and Denise would have done excellent work if the story had been that Rick molested her. Like a lot of what Guza did when he returned under JFP. I may not have liked it, but I bet it would have been scripted and acted well. I hope they continue to give Liz scenes with their sons. It’s always compelling and really suits her.