titan1978

Watching Friday’s episode, and it feels more like an episode by the prior team than anything has since Dante was shot. There was a lot of plot regurgitation and a lack of some of that deeper humanity that had been there since PM arrived. At least to me.

Jeffrey Hunter was an incredibly attractive man more in line with a matinee idol. Do these people have eyes?

I will miss these longer scenes. Dante and Kristina was a great scene today. DZ should be one of the leads on the show, not relegated because Frank doesn’t get him. I don’t get why we see so much of Dex, and that eye isn’t helping. Cliffhanger watch- Sonny approaching Dex should have been the end of the episode. Even if I don’t care about that story, it should have been a set up for the next day.

Damn, this is just so sad.

Frank has been doing this since OLTL. HBS and Bob Woods talked about how hard it was on their performance, as they shoot out of sequence based on sets and contract guarantees. GH has a bigger studio and more sets stay up, but they still shoot multiple days/sets at once and edit them together into separate shows. Films often shoot out of sequence, but they are at least telling a linear story, nothing like soaps do. The only comparison I can think of is people like Jamie Lee Curtis and Neve Campbell on horror films had a number 1-10 terror scale- how upset are they in the filming sequence because it’s out of order. Carpenter or Wes Craven would give them their number based on what they are shooting right then vs where they are in the overall story. It’s also just a balance issue. Alexis had three separate scene partners that could have been split up, the stuff with Finn should have been one episode. Then the will/scenes with Diane. Then Ava. Other stories would be woven in around those to make a complete show. And we can’t blame Mulcahey, the show was actively doing this when Dante was shot and in the hospital. Stuff was breathing and beats covered, plus other stories/characters were being used too.

Maura West was an absolute dream in those scenes with Alexis. She had a couple of line readings that were chilling, but also had some fun with it. She and NLG played it so good. Hey FV and team, if you are listening/reading, I know making a soap today is hard. But take a step back. You had a perfect cliffhanger twice in those scenes with Alexis and Ava. The first was Alexis just walking in and a couple of closeups would do. An even better one would have been after Alexis told Ava she knew it was her, the first scene break. We could have gotten two episodes out of this needed drama, and an actual cliffhanger from one episode to the next to keep tuning in.

Ryan terrorizing her and killing Kiki was not a redemption arc. At her core. Ava has always had an unstable, violent streak. Easton actually he chemistry with NLG. An easy, adult chemistry. If they had paired them up instead of trying to force Finn on Anna and Liz he might have had a chance. We may never know what exactly happened backstage, but onscreen is the biggest mess I have ever seen watching this show. Bigger than Brenda and Sonny being terrorized by origami.

I felt she had more of that banter chemistry on GH with Hearst and Tony Geary (pre 2002ish) than with Lane on GH. I have only seen Mason and Julia in clips, They did crackle together in what I saw. Not on GH though.

Very shocking and sad.

Except he has been featured in story, heavily depending on his schedule, for years. I am ready for others to be featured, or even new bliss to be brought in.

Here is the problem for me- I hate to lose Maura West. And at the same time, Ava only worked for me as the current version when she was allowed to be in a toxic relationship with Nikolas. A modern Alan and Monica. Otherwise, Ava had overstayed her welcome and was more than due for comeuppance. I just read an online comment that said “Finn wasn’t on today so no point watching!” Bunch of likes. I will truly never understand the people that watch this show in 2024.

She really did have repercussions that lasted. I know part of that according to NLG was Frank punishing her for something (Alexis in jail). When they did the drug story with Alan, he really hit rock bottom. But I don’t remember him having the kind of repercussions that Alexis did on his way back up. I wonder if Frank just really wanted to have kids in his personal life, and this is how he expresses it. We know he is one of those EP’s that is a workaholic from the casts at both OLTL and GH. At least at OLTL it wasn’t as bad because there were not as many of them being annoying at once.

Dante telling Sonny there need to be changes was excellent. Dante absolutely should be a lead on the show. Did I miss a doctor examination that said Kristina was high risk? Because the tired old trope of not upsetting a pregnant woman is ridiculous. Dex also had a realistic reaction to being asked to protect Sonny by Michael. The show is full of people I could do without. But Mulcahey has at least made sure they have decent characterizations instead of just regurgitating the plots all episode long. That wallpaper is hideous. Monica would never. Olivia maybe.

We were just spoiled. Look at GL in the early 90’s. You had a stacked cast full of fantastic actors. And we also got to see Dylan with his shirt off. It was a win/win. Sometimes, with a Rick Hearst or Peter Reckell on DAYS or Kristoff on Y&R, you get one that can do both- highly charged emotional scenes and hotness. Every soap knew this and fed their audience appropriately. For every Terry Lester’s Jack or Robert Woods as Bo we also had a Brad Carleton and a Cord Roberts.

I could not agree more. It started with the one I have blacked out that was dating Joss. Then Mike. Now Gregory. None of them elicited any emotion in me, and I am the easiest cry on the planet.

Stamos said it was going to be revealed during the 50th that Blackie and Jackie were together, they were going to walk the red carpet together, I believe for the nurses ball, and he refused. I think he was also going to be in Rick Springfield’s band. He wanted Blackie to have a more meaningful return with people he had scenes with, Kin, Tony, Jack Wagner, Denise Alexander if she was there, etc. After he refused I’m not sure what happened with Demi. The show might be a mess, but PM worked some magic with both Drew and Nina. I haven’t cared for Cam’s Drew, or either Nina. Now I am actively looking forward to Nina scenes.

My problem is I don’t care. I am not invested in Finn, his family stories, or his kid. Michael Easton isn’t the problem, it’s not his fault Frank keeps hiring him. Three characters in 10 years is just too many. Same with Roger. Their boss should not have put them or the audience through that nonsense. I have said it many times around here- those characters might have worked if they had tried to hire other actors. Maybe Finn and Anna or Liz could have been rootable if he was played by another actor. Instead we have wasted Liz trying to make two characters work over the course of a decade. They tried to tie him to a name from the past with Jackie and threw Rebecca Budig at him. That is a lot that should not have been needed. I like the actor but it was time for some people to hit the road, and Gregory might as well get the party started.

I understand your point, but I think any good drama should include death, even in a slow and realistic form like ALS. The tomorrow for me is how the other characters rebuild their lives, including if appropriate new loves down the road. Sometimes they play it too close to reality though. I thought Labine told Stone’s story with so much community and heart that it didn’t feel bleak. Had they told the proposed Audrey story, I might not have felt the same way. When they fake killed Lucky, the first month of Luke and especially Laura grieving was almost too realistic. I think there is a happy medium to showing that kind of grief, and they went so dark it was hard to watch.

The ratings didn’t really crater until the last few months of the Stone story. And truthfully, it was the only story they were telling at that point. They had just broken up Brenda and Sonny (the wire), Miguel was not popular, Luke and Laura were still fighting because of the shootout in their house, etc. Labine stayed to finish that story, and although better balance would probably have helped the ratings, I wouldn’t want to change anything about that period. I am sure being close to the character’s ages helped cement how special that story was for me as a viewer. I also had watched for years and kind of grew up with Robin. Nothing any soap has done since was as big a risk as Robin being HIV+. The medications were not really there yet like they would be in just a couple more years, let alone today.

Thank you!

Imagine the fun the show could have had if Dillon was gay or bi and was like Tracy? That feels way more modern already for an old soap staple.

So did Rinna. And Alison Sweeney’s parent pulled her off the show until he was gone. Having a relationship with an underage costar will do that. He also didn’t get along with people at AW, so how is this on her?

Also- Part of it was Steve decided he was a serious actor so no more shirtless scenes, even though he clearly had the body for them. But we had others to take up the slack- GV’s Lucky, for one. Plus Maurice had zero problem with a sex scene. Can you imagine a soap hunk in the 1980’s refusing to play love scenes? Hell Kristian Alfonso and Peter Reckell hated each other at times during their original run. The show kept them together anyway!

Hands touching can be incredibly sexy when the talent knows how to play it. These two decided their boundary wasn’t just bedroom scenes, but a feeling of sexiness at all. They don’t even exchange longing looks, they feel sexless. And that has nothing to do with wanting her to film bedroom or unclothed scenes. And for me, that means they shouldn’t be sold as a huge romance. Balance the show out a bit- if there was something hot going on it doesn’t put all the pressure on them. Spencer and Trina helped, because you had two performers that did get the subtext and played it- passion. And again, I’m not just talking about in bed- that leap into Spencer’s arms was hotter than anything BLQ and Chase have ever accomplished. And I like the performers!

I personally am waiting for Ann Jillian’s incredible turn as Olivia’s older sister suffering from dropsy. So brave.