carolineg

I get both your points. If that were the case they might as well have kept Guza but I assume it was a last attempt to save money or maybe they were eyeing RC/FV all along. For all I know GW was following Guza's outlines. I think I recall GW's GH being slightly less dark and liked some of what he did with Sonny (temporarily) hit rock bottom. I would have to refresh my memory of that period because I can't actually remember much more than the Sonny arc. I don't think GW was necessarily head writer material and it would have been awful for GH to close out the show with him at the helm.

Yes. Unless you are super interested in Stephanie/Alex, Leo/Dmitri, or Rachel and Sophia I can't think of any reason to watch those months.

Guza generally seems to like couples he creates like Carly/Sonny, Jax/Brenda, and potentially Jason/Brenda. He never really wrote for Sonny/Brenda as a couple together besides the last return. I do think it was fairly wise to keep Sonny/Brenda apart in the first run because of Carly/Sonny's popularity and the length of Vanessa's initial contract. I am pretty certain everyone assumed Vanessa would stay, but at the time it was probably a solid decision when VM bolted. Unfortunately, Carly/Sonny will end up torturing us for the next two decades lol. At the time blowing up the very rushed Skye/Jax pairing was a smarter choice.

He was spent creatively for sure. I do get it. He was with GH a long time and it was clear he preferred a certain type of story. I am sure he was frustrated he couldn't make a Brenda/Dante story work the way he wanted, but I have always said I don't think he has much fondness for the Sonny/Brenda pairing. I am too! I thought GH was toast and 2011 didn't do much to help that. I do think Garin Wolf tried to change the tone slightly in his brief stint, but I also don't think a ton of effort was made to drastically change things until Ron stepped in.

Yes. Suzanne ended up killing her husband because........I can't remember lol. It was a lot of weirdness because she gave her grandson away to save him from Brenda and then gave him back after some minor hijinks. I am not sure if Suzanne was ever originally intended to be evil. She called Jason herself to make him come and protect Brenda. Why? I think Guza's big twist was Dante/Brenda's baby and the Balkan was going to a secondary bread and butter Sonny/Brenda villain. It all got lost when Dante/Brenda wasn't the vibe and he realized the Balkan had to be the main story. To me this story is the main reason Guza got fired finally.

It was a real shame to waste good actors plus Brad Rowe like that lol. And you are correct. The pacing was so off. Practically nothing happened for 3 months and we had very repetitive scenes of people recapping Brenda's love life (including her) for weeks. Then the wedding, the kidnapping, the kid, the break up, etc. were wrapped up in another 3 months. I assume the Balkan story got changed and the Dante baby idea was scrapped, but it literally made no sense. Not even in a wacky Stefano Dimera kidnaps Marlena in a cage way. These two big time, dangerous criminals were playing the long game with Brenda? Suzanne spent years working for her? Created a charity? Then decide to strike when Brenda has everyone from Jason to Jax to Sonny protecting her? What? They had approximately 5 years to kill while Suzanne was her closest confidante and didn't.

None of her stories have ever lined up. I am sure something did happen and if you were hacked and robbed maybe leaving that area is for the best? There is a child involved, so I hope everyone is okay and I think Brandon Barash is a very hands-on parent. But perhaps cutting the cord with Kirsten on Gh would have helped years ago? It also could have made her spiral worse and I think that was what everyone was afraid of. But, hey, I am sure GH doesn't care about my input lol.

Well, Kirsten certainly leads a dramatic life. I can see why this might not be the best time for her to be working.

I don't think Xander/Sarah bring out the best in one another. One of them is always lying about something and it feels like they make the same mistakes over and over again. I still think they will get back together because they are popular and have great chemistry. Sarah isn't the one for Brady nor do I think they are like John/Marlena or any endgame pairing. I do like the way the show is giving them scenes of getting to know one another and taking it slowly. I think LG and EM have a little bit of chemistry. I am not sure if it is more friendship or romantic though.

I don't hate Brady/Sarah either. Both Sarah/Brady have such angsty past pairings. It's nice to see them laugh and enjoy one another's company. I have no doubt Xander/Sarah will end up back together though.

I am not terribly impressed with their first year. I agree that Paula/Jeanne try and don't openly hate their jobs and their show like Ron, but I don't see a huge difference. The same characters are featured, the same characters are ignored, and I can't say they knocked it out of the park with any storyline. The closest was John's death, but I am still not a fan of how they killed him off either. I have been fairly neutral on them up to this point and hoped it would improve, but if I were Days I may start looking for new writers.

😂 Correct. It was odd Steve gave Stephanie the gun without her actually knowing how to shoot it. I know he went over a million safety things beforehand, but it's still a gun in her house. It's also weird Alex wasn't there because, again, it's a gun in their house!!!

I don't even see how Nina can be the worst boss when it appears Jacinda has tons of time to disappear throughout the day and, frankly, Nina does too lol. Britt comes off petulant and bratty now when trying to be prickly and bitchy. She really doesn't have any true edge, so the writers should pick a lane. I don't necessarily think she works as a heroine or romantic lead either, but KT seems a bit more comfortable playing that. Aside from having good chemistry with Steve Burton there isn't much positive to say about her. She remembers her lines? lol

Oh, I agree. I love them. I wish they had a bit more to do. It is nice to have a more lighthearted young couple though. That's kind of why I am coming around on Molly/Cody. They aren't anything that special, but it is nice to see people really like one another without (too much) angst.

I agree about Britt. I have never understood why they make KT do camp or go with the "britch" persona. Those scenes never work. Gio/Emma are kind of in their own bubble. They are good together, but maybe they could get involved in Jordan's crash and secretly find out Brook Lynn was the driver? Or help Kai/Trina with the Willow/Drew mess? Once Anna is back I am hoping there will be some story for them.

Kelly Thiebaud is almost 44 lol and Britt is probably the same age. Rocco is not too old to be her "son". It's weird she considers him that, but it's not like KT is 25 or anything. Alexa Havins is 45 for reference.

Finn Carr is pretty good. And I don't know how to type this, but..........I thought Kelly T. was good today too.☹️ Her hair even looks less scraggly. Gio/Emma have almost a 90's throwback feel to them. Sure, Gio was on Broadway and never told anyone, but fun New York trip incoming lol.

I assume Isaiah is the daddy and Stella tampered with the results.

It would make more sense for Tate to join Brady at Black Patch. I know neither are the sharpest, but at least there are story options for them with that.

When Fathan disappears Lulu should obviously be paired with Dante. It's one of the most obvious pairings to do. Unless the show is for real about the Dante/Liz thing, but that hasn't had any movement so who knows?

Oh, definitely. I am sure the show could have worked something out with her (especially in 2002) if they gave her the time she wanted. I don't know if JJ or VM ever spoke about this, but I do wonder if Lucky and Brenda being stuck with new characters and day players for months in their last returns soured them on it off the bat. It was fine to introduce them like that, I suppose, but the months on end in Rome or Africa had to be irritating for them. Both had specific ideas about where they wanted their characters to be and almost immediately they were let down.

I would go as far as to say that Isaiah isn't ill-defined, he isn't defined at all lol. He's been on the show for, what, almost 2 years and I know about 4 things about him. He is a Dr., he was buddies with Lucky, he has a cabin, and he likes Portia. Am I missing anything? I do think Isaiah had potential, but at this point I wonder if it's too late. Poria, Jordan, Curtis, and Isaiah will just keep swapping partners forever. I almost understand DT's obsession for Curtis to be paired with Laura. At least it's something new for him to do. I also have no idea why Portia is pregnant. Everyone in the quad is basically fine with it, so it's not even dramatic.

I agree with what everyone else had said about JJ and VM. I also don't think VM or JJ loved the pace of daytime at that moment either. It had changed a lot and I know VM said it was more fast paced than she thought. She specifically spent years on Las Vegas as a supporting character because it was easier (and more money). There obviously was a ton of chaos happening if both VM and JJ had issues in that era with writing. Both were basically slam dunk ratings winners and it didn't pan out. Sonny and Brenda did get some steam and ratings, but will anyone ever recall Lucky/Siobhan?

To be fair I am not the biggest Billy Flynn stan. I like him, but he's not irreplaceable in my mind so I am more open to it. So far so good. Nothing felt awkward or weird from him. I do miss Cary Christopher as Thomas more lol.

I'll chime in with my opinion lol. I thought Connor was fine. Too soon to tell, but I didn't notice any immediate issues. I do crack up at the fact that Julie, an 80 year old woman, gets left with 4 young kids at once. Eli/Lani's twins and Chad's kids. Like give the woman a break. She has a business to run too!!