OzFrog

I’ve been going back to 1996 GH recently (as it was the year I first started following GH as a teen back in Australia), specifically the Jax/Brenda/Sonny/Lily storyline, and it strikes me how even back then the writing was so deep, rich, and character-focused. I’m curious to know though when exactly Labine stopped and Guza started. In case anyone is interested, link to the 1996 Sonny/Brenda playlist is here, featuring such memorable events as Jax’s eccentric introduction, Tracy’s re-entry and exile from the Qs, and most importantly Clink/Boom!

Sometimes there are some shots when rewatching old storylines that just make you so happy. Having made it all the way to Karen and Jagger’s wedding, I can honestly say that this shot is one of the sweetest ever (Stone and Jagger immediately post-wedding). In another thread, a poster commented that back in the old times, the payoff was worth it. This was no exception - these two worked hard to repair their sibling relationship for ages, and this was the moment it finally came together. What can I say, I’m a sucker for happy moments like these…

Currently watching 1994 Karen and Jagger, and I was today years old when I learned that they originally brought on *Miguel* as a potential spoiler. Also funny that even Jagger was warning Brenda against Sonny back in the day! On a related note, the Labines were such incredible dialogue writers, and every scene actually meant something. For example, this simple scene between Jagger and Rhonda has a surprising amount of depth to it… For any long-time fans out there - is the Ned/Jenny/Paul/Tracy quadrangle worth rewatching?

I fantasised for a long time about getting Rena Sofer back to play Lois against Amanda Setton’s Brook Lynn - and I’ve been nothing short of mesmerised by how natural these two have been playing mother and daughter. This scene here, for example… they just bounce off each other, and it’s as though they’ve been doing this for YEARS…

WTF is this? 😂😂😂

It’s scenes like these which make me yearn for the days of old. Just pure character interaction - no plot device, no contrivance, just watching people naturally interact with each other. And that last scene between Edward and Carmine… perfection! Some more observations from this whole storyline… I ❤️ Lila! She truly was such a rock for the Qs This was also the first time I had watched Jason as a Q, and I’m actually impressed. He had the moral compass of the family - it’s fascinating to think about what might have happened if Jason Morgan had regained his Q memory…

This scene is *amazing*, so much cringe! It’s the first time Lois’s parents met the Qs…

Yep, up to January 1995 - Puerto Rico looked amazing. On a tangential note, one of the big features of this Ned/Lois playlist is all the bloody clips of Ricky Martin and his Miguel performances (we see a bit of the Miguel and Lily relationship as well).

Now up to October 1994 - the infamous birthday has come and gone, L&B have made up, but Ned is still trying to win her back. Katherine has tumbled down the stairs and is in a coma. and OMFG how f***in dysfunctional are the Qs?! 🤣🤣🤣

Yep, I eventually figured it out as I continued watching (now up to late July 1994). Currently, Ned has done the bigamy, Lois has moved into the gatehouse, and Katherine into the Q mansion. Katherine has already warned Lois to stay away from her man, with Lois not knowing WTF she was on about. I’m assuming we’re not far off from Katherine’s infamous birthday now…

Been binge watching the Ned/Lois storyline from the very beginning, including the machinations of the ELQ/Damian Smith development negotiations. Currently up to March 1994, and I’ve been intrigued by the scenes with Ned and Damian trying to jostle for Katherine’s and Lucy’s ELQ votes, respectively. It’s fascinating seeing how this interweaves into other stories (Claire Labine’s storytelling is just incredible), and a couple of questions have arisen in my mind as a result: With Damian trying to charm Lucy for her vote, was this where the bet for Damian to sleep with Bobbie came up from? There were a couple of scenes involving the fallout from AJ stealing $100K from the Port Charles Hotel, and Alan bailing him out (Ned and Edward questioned both of them on it). What was the backstory behind the 100K?

This was brilliant!!

I have waited *years* for this, and it didn’t disappoint. Rena Sofer and Amanda Setton have got the mother-daughter dynamic nailed, and RS’s adversarial chemistry with Jane Elliott is still there in spades. BLQ’s facial expressions during the Lois/Tracy exchange were gold…

Been revisiting the early 1984 episodes involving the culmination of Steve/Betsy/Craig. The 2 and a half minutes starting at 44:00 in this episode is to this day one of the most emotionally gripping clips I’ve ever watched in daytime soaps. Scott Bryce and Anne Sward were just amazing here… And also the 3 minutes of this one starting at 21:55… this is what soaps are all about…

I have been WAITING for that pic!

On a slight different tangent, I know personally that I’ve always thought about what Amanda Setton’s BLQ would be like playing against a powerhouse like Rena Sofer. So for me… BRING IT ON!

I will say that I’m still kinda digging how Taylor and Brooke are sitting there together like the two matriarchs that they are - I honestly hope that the writers do continue to maintain this friendship in some way shape or form.

Thanks to @Huntress and @I Am A Swede for updating! And we have even more… Firstly, the UK have internally chosen Mae Muller with “I Wrote A Song”… Israel’s Noa Kirel also released her entry, “Unicorn”… Cyprus’s Andrew Lambrou released his song, “Break A Broken Heart”… We have Victor Vernicos’ entry for Greece, “What They Say”… And last but not least, Portugal selected Mimicat last night as their Eurovision entry with her song, “Ai Coração”…

Ok so I find this curious. I know that Colton was apparently Lucy’s cousin, and Decker was Colton’s (half?-)brother. Does that mean Charlene was the mother of Decker and/or Colton?

So two more songs to add… Firstly on Sunday night, Poland chose their song in their National Final… and they have selected Blanka with “Solo”… Secondly, the Netherlands’ much anticipated entry co-written by Duncan Laurence has been released this evening, with Mia Nikolai and Dion Cooper showing off their duet, “Burning Daylight”…

And after a somewhat chaotic national final tonight in San Marino (which included the likes of Alfie Alcuri from Australia Decides 2019, as well as Ronela who represented Albania in Turin last year), we finally have their entry for this year! Bring on Piqued Jacks with “Like An Animal”…

Finland’s turn! In their UMK national selection tonight, it was a landslide result both in the jury and televote for Käärijä and his song, “Cha Cha Cha”…

This was such a good scene - and afterwards when it finally sunk in for Spencer just how far he had overreached with his father, I couldn’t but feel so bad for him. Another thing just occurred to me - Ava’s hitting Nikolas on the head, and she and Austin moving the body - did that all happen on the same Port Charles evening as Ryan, Heather and Esme breaking out of Spring Ridge?

Ok, hang on… Heather confessed to attempting to murder Nikolas at Wyndermere? I love that this is ambiguous AF as she is a crazy mad lady - is this the plausible deniability we need to believe that Nik is indeed still alive?

Slight hitch with that theory… Ryan has a missing hand, so he couldn’t pull off a switch anymore without someone noticing that “Kevin” suddenly doesn’t have a right hand anymore…