titan1978

I would have written a newlywed Black couple so you immediately have a timely angle to explore in the neighborhood, Black folks making real middle class money moving to the suburbs that were created for white flight. Same careers, same house, etc. I think it would have been interesting to see someone like Sid having to overcome unconscious bias thinking he and Karen were such accepting liberals, while neighborhood scumbag Richard was welcoming right from the start.

It was kind of gross how much they wanted Sonny and Jax with some hot young thing, when NLG was very attractive and her intelligence came through the character onscreen. Plus she was strong enough to act with MB, and had that light flirtatious touch that worked so well with Jax. I don’t think Guza wanted Sonny/Alexis either though. And the way I hear the V thing was it was Riche who liked her and Guza who didn’t, and neither wanted her with Jax. Again, splitting their resources between GH and launching Port Charles was a huge mistake. GH suffered and Port Charles was a mess.

IIRC part of the issue there was Tyler Christopher did not like the idea of pairing her with Nikolas and it showed on screen.

Yeah it was already so full of newish characters, it helped that Marland had ideas on using the Webber brothers in better stories, same with Monica and young Scotty and Laura. I assume Marland also decided to link Jeff to Steve, but I am not sure if that was already in place and he simply revealed it. I think it didn’t hurt that the brand new characters they did bring on/were left as leads worked so well- Alan, Tracy, and Bobbie for earlier in 1978.

It was a couple years after Zimmer left. But Marcy Walker felt used by JFP after the fact, and Tangie was a pretty big miss by that talented writing team. But by then Jill was very much interfering with the writing. My favorite thing about Miranda at GH was that her entire Cassadine backstory that was supposed to be revealed over the course of a storyline got ported over to Alexis. Bob Guza was rehired, he and the writing team started reworking the show with him uncredited, and that entire story was told to Alexis in one episode by Luke. Whoever said they should have been screen testing Mirandas with Vanessa was right! Had they found someone that could shine and stand up to her and be noticed next to her, the role might have had real legs.

At the time I thought he was cute, not a great actor though. But I also thought his involvement with Jerry Jax gave him some storytelling possibilities, as did his last name. He also becomes Maxie’s second dead partner (eventually of four, so she has a full set).

The original story was interrupted by a writer’s strike. So if Garin Wolf who went Fi-CORE and JFP knew the original plan they changed it into that hack ending with Diego Alcazar. That whole period of time still pisses me off. They had the best set of young characters since the early 90’s with Coop, Maxie, Lulu, Logan, Georgie and Spinelli. And they never should have killed Emily or Georgie. I know the rumors about Josh Duhon being difficult, so I still wonder if Logan was supposed to be another victim or the killer. Because after the strike ended those writers came back and got rid of him pretty quickly. None of it made sense, but it did fit the pattern of the show becoming bored with a set of characters after introducing them and letting the dominate.

My major complaint for years! They should rename it genial hospital. There is so much talent on the show right now and as you say, mostly inert. Drew/Willow is a success because something is happening! Agree! I love events like this. The problem is it’s just an event. Something like the GL Blackout was about characters and story, even though it was a huge plot driven event. Even the 90’s earthquake on GH was there to create new sets lol! This one is just because. At the very least Chase and Willow should have sex! I am still team Tracy/Cody. Martin can go anytime.

I remember a little visible annoyance on Sam’s part when it came to Spinelli’s interest in Brenda. But it never fully engaged. And they even went comically in on Brendabots when Sam was in the limo that exploded instead of Brenda. Which was stupid anyway! Kimberly didn’t want to be a cog in the Sonny/Jason/Carly/Michael machine, and I fully understand that. Because when she came back from school the first time that is exactly what happened, minus Sonny because he was gone. She even had a Lily slow motion carbomb fakout, which felt like cheap storytelling to me when it happened. I also think she will be back and we will get scenes with Emma when they honor Tristan.

Meeting Tiffany is one of the best parts of the Ice Princess story. She was Victor Cassadine’s arm candy, and she ends up helping Luke, Laura, and Robert when she realizes how dangerous Mikkos and his family are. She and Laura become very close too, she’s Lulu’s godmother.

Vaughn/Joss was DOA for me because there was just too big an age difference between the actors. That just doesn’t fly IRL anymore and the show already has a hard time dealing with their online fandom’s complaints. He’s an attractive man and fine for a WSB hunk. Just not for Joss. Especially because the show wouldn’t touch the complexity inherent in her having sex with an older man who has authority over her.

The original image is comically over the top. It’s supposed to be gothic and have at least one turret. I picture it more like Balmoral Castle but a little smaller.

At first they had Gio in a lot of scenes with Joss and Trina while he kind of settled into the role. I love him now, he has an inherent sweetness that comes through and he played the sadness about his family life blowing up pretty well. Putting him fully in the Q orbit with Tracy and also Emma was great for both of them. But I will also not forget him just smiling all the time for months before that and his hilarious reaction to Kristina flying out of the window and into the pool. He has come a long way.

Robin having as much agency as she did and the resurgence of the hospital was a real bright spot for me from Guza/JFP. Unlike all the other needy women at the time, Robin dipped into that a little here and there but for the most part wasn’t played the same as pretty much all the other women on the show at that time. Yes she was in a romance with Patrick but it wasn’t layered with the same misogyny that was there for Carly, Emily, Sam, Liz, etc. they were all so focused only on the men in their lives. I felt like they were equals and both the focus of the Hospital universe.

I loved him as Will on AMC- he was sexy, menacing, and did great work there. And Valentin is just such a drag.

I don’t think it helped that she got there in a time period where the show was not particularly well written, and was being kept afloat on the charisma of the talented cast more than actual stories. Plus Monty was on some kind of medical leave in early 1982 and losing Laura had cost them millions of viewers. Jackie Templeton and her sister were kind of DOA and never fully recovered. Compare that to Holly’s arrival not long after, and you can see a stronger storytelling focus is there, even if the show is still not as good as it was in the writing from 78-81. Tiffany was a great character and I wish Sharon Wyatt felt camera comfortable because I can think of many places she would fit today as a recurring player.

The one thread I think Laura Wright has fully kept alive from SJB’s Carly is that I think she loves Jason in every way, not just as her friend. And I agree that thread just isn’t there as strongly for Jason. It started as love for Michael and a deeper relationship with Carly came along for the ride. Then it was his sense of honor about Sonny/Carly. Then it was because he truly loved Sam. Sonny became something they both had to survive around the time Michael went to jail and the show never picked that thread up fully because the logical conclusion was Sonny finally going to far and Jason having to kill him to protect everything else. It was a line I saw start during Sonny/Emily, and they picked it up again during Claudia and that tension was there until Guza was gone. The writing was always skewed that Jason was morally correct even though he was also an assassin, and both Sonny and Carly were capable of crossing that line. Which was always funny to me, that Jason was supposed to be the most honorable man in town while being a mob enforcer. As far as Burton and SJB, it always read to me that he wanted Jason to be with the good girl, and in the case with the Brenda/Sam story- could fall in love with someone not so good if they were psychologically fragile and he rescued them. And that was never going to be Carly played by Sarah or Tamara. But he still wanted it to be Robin when McCullough came back, and she was the one that didn’t want to be stuck in Sonny/Jason/Carly/Michael land again.

That middle 2000’s GH was filled with personal stuff showing onscreen. The summer of sleeze, every aborted attempt at Jason/Liz, the stuff with Alcazar, MB and SB throwing their weight around and fighting everything from love scenes to costars. Then we got to the last couple years of JFP/Guza and everyone was kind of defeatist about the show lasting much longer, and they were hanging on because the clock was ticking. Maurice and Tony Geary especially were in that camp. I have my issues with Frank, but except for those on the outs or the ones that are a problem for him (Monaco for example) the actors and bts are not the den of vipers it used to be.

The Stephen A stuff is the starf*cker in FV- a relic of the Frons days that any non-daytime celeb is a get. In the old days, he would have been played by someone that was an actual actor and available enough to eventually betray Sonny and get killed off. Instead we just limp along to nowhere.

I think they were pretty much not rumors. Burton actively didn’t want Jason to be paired with Carly. I recall him saying in a SOD or Weekly interview that Jason would never have feelings for someone like Carly. It stood out to me then because it was a dig and the show was clearly trying and had been for a minute. And then later the show made a huge deal out of a betrayal when he almost died and Sonny/Carly were in bed. But Burton had been playing against feelings for Carly for so long it was unintentionally funny to me, and when I really began to see the love story was Sonny/Jason. When Kimberly left the first time, the plan was she would return for breaks and Burton played Jason as still with Robin. Then she came back, and they played a pseudo family with Robin/Jason caring for Michael and Carly trying to come in between them. Then Robin told AJ and everything was about Jason/Carly again because of Michael, and Robin was gone for years. I do think Guza and that writing team intended Jason/Carly until Burton quit. And sometimes it would bubble up again, like TB’s Carly asking Jason to kiss her during the PC Hotel fire sweeps event, and Carly always being jealous of Jason’s relationships.

He was popular, but not so much that anyone picketed GH and wrote letters when he was let go, which did happen with Lesley.

This actually had me lol! Same.

He plays Chase so smug that I hope we get to see the fall when he learns he blew his whole life up for a killer. Bring on the affair and the multiple reveals. And again, if this show was cleaning house or going all out Chase could also end up dead at the hands of Willow if he learned the truth. I’m not ready for Willow to leave, she’s been fully revitalized here, or go so far as to become a killer killer. What she did to Drew is bad but not so terrible I want her punished and gone. But the ground is seeded for a killing spree with a bunch of victims that only Trina and Alexis could put together fully. Which puts both of them in danger too. I just hope Kai and Trina don’t panic tell Chase before we get to an affair and humiliation for his stupidity.

Those tight ass shirts should have been ripped up! Michael’s pants were so tight I’m surprised there wasn’t an accidental split down the seam too. Willow is so much fun now! And unlike a lot of the stuff that happens on GH just for the plot, this descent is actually justifiably character driven. I like that we have several credible people that will believe Willow did this. And if KM was leaving the show they have set up a killing spree pretty well. We have Kai who is recurring but has been around long enough, and Alexis/Diane’s assistant has been established. I would hope they don’t go that route because this version of Willow is great. Sonny/Jason have certainly committed worse crimes and are still out and about Port Charles. And who can blame her? Drew is a jerk. I don’t think I can stomach Anna in that room talking to Anders Hove on the telephone for three months. And I love both of them.

And they have other options for a past antagonist! Grant Putnam wasn’t killed off, IIRC he was placed in a sanitarium that he had already escaped from twice. You could easily say after the Snowman storyline that he became obsessed with Anna instead of just wanting revenge on Robert, and go from there.