Vee

They did alright with Lucy when she first came back IMO, minus the terrible vampire story with ME. I was thrilled when she and Kevin reunited. Why they had to break them up again is beyond me, as it was long before RC's firing and Genie's contract return. They'll never reunite them again now with Kevin chained to Laura and FV clearly unwilling to invest in any other major new love interest for Genie, so Lucy gets whatever random stuff they can throw at her instead as leftovers. She should be much more important and integral, but then both Lucy and Laura should. At least Laura had several years of that more recently, whereas Lucy has been a comic afterthought for over a decade. I do like that Deception has become so important, but not everyone needs to work there nor should it seem so low-rent. Nor should Lucy constantly be the butt of the joke in those scenes while BLQ is shined up.

I assume it is literally about Susan, Morgan, etc.'s insurance. It's a favor Frank (and surely not only him) has done for soap vets many times. I would rather find any other way to do this, any time H&H appears a part of my soul dies. I keep wondering if they've ever officially made Batten's silly character a relative of Luna or something.

I'll just mostly xerox what I said in the other thread: I would've preferred to see Viki, but I cannot fault them for bringing in Monica's family to honor her given her origins. It's a nice touch. And Erika will get to play something different.

90% of the time, Daytime Confidential doesn't run their so-called Rumor Reports unless it's accurate. That's been the way it is going back over a decade. I would've preferred to see Viki, but I can't fault them honoring Leslie and bringing on some of her family. And maybe Erika wants to play something different. And as someone who did enjoy Todd and Blair and the other OLTL characters, I don't think anyone was really decimated on GH. Yes, Todd and Blair broke up as they did approximately 80 other times, but it was handled pretty respectfully. I didn't love the pairing with Carly because it was poorly written and slapped together but Blair's end of things was done fine for me. And in the end they did reunite on Prospect Park, but I also really have no investment in that couple or a serial rapist anymore. Natalie was fine, Blair was fine, Starr lost her baby and boyfriend I didn't care about. Given the history of soap opera crossovers these characters were lucky to stay alive and not be immediately killed off a la Vicky Hudson from AW or many other inconvenient spouses/love interests. The crossovers may have gotten annoying, but in terms of how they treated the OLTL characters it was not that serious.

I do think Hugh had potential with Marcie and a few people, but he was ruined by trying to use him to tie Spencer Truman and Paige, two of Higley's pet characters, deeper into the show. Using him as a decoy for John's 'death' was, I thought, horribly crass. I don't think either sister had it with Antonio but Tika was great with David Fumero. They made a big mistake not reuniting them when he finally left near the end. I just assume Cris and Layla got back together in Europe. Matt Metzger from American Idol was terrible as Duke AFAIC, and also wildly overSORASed. They wasted that character after treating him horribly.

Tristan was far more frail than I expected on Friday based on his appearance the day before, but he seemed sharper than last year. If these episodes are the last time we see him I'm glad it was a better showing.

I'll keep my comments here, I think. What can you say? Another singular legend, like Bill Hayes and too many others, but Lisa was the prototype on many levels. RIP.

I am pretty sure Rena is not gone for good. They seem quite committed to having Lois around doing nothing.

I don't remember Setton being this prudish when she started on GH. I thought it was gradual. I may be wrong. I thought she was perfectly cast at the beginning.

Swickard has a nice body and is willing to play ball with AS' restrictions. Therefore, since Setton is clearly still Frank's favorite, they're supposed to be the central couple of the show. It's very weird and conservative/Quiverfull-esque. Again: If this were Guza II or any other regime (or any other soap) Dante and Lulu would absolutely be heading up the show, especially with a past ABCD star as a well-done recast. But instead they're second fiddle to this. It's just bizarre. And I'm not someone saying BLQ can't be a key lead, or that Setton was miscast. Neither is true, but the way she's been handled due to the offscreen restrictions, the very dull but bland pairing, and the prioritizing of her over Alexa Havins and Lulu or DZ is just crazy.

There's nothing and he's an overgrown little boy. But Setton is Frank's favorite, so they're supposed to be leading the show. It would not happen in any other regime lol.

I don't either. But I think it's largely a question of priorities. Dante and Lulu were one of the closest things to a supercouple GH had after the 2000s, not counting the Jason wars, Scrubs or Spencer/Trina. Even when I disliked JMB's Lulu and couldn't invest in them as a result, I knew they were popular and very capable performers. My ability to invest changed when they got Alexa, and given how hard Dominic has worked for almost two decades. It's a no-brainer given that lasting popularity and two very talented and present actors now in the roles to have them leading the show. They're not (or rather, are distinctly soft-pedaled for months) because neither actor or character IMO is FV's priority. That's malpractice to me.

Thanks. The archives are invaluable.

Like, I'm pretty sure some part of the major BTS drama last year had to do with keeping her lol. The instant PM was gone she's a Scorpio, and she's having Michael's baby! So much for that. I do think she could've gone a little longer now given the Willow/Michael situation, but I would've dumped her with a happy ending pretty quick (my silly little idea before this was to write her off after a whirlwind romance with a nu-Sly Eckert, lol). I would have to think his patience has limits there, given her past antics (and not just quitting). I think she is back because Jason is that hard up. They're lucky he's slotted in so well with the Qs.

The difference is that in the 2000s and early 2010s Lulu was popular with both a large portion of the audience while also a star in the show's eyes, at the same time as many of us also found JMB's Lulu unctuous, cold and insufferable. Technically I could acknowledge Berman was talented and that Dante and Lulu had real chemistry and were quite popular, but the handling of the character as they tried to mold her into mini-Carly (without any of the perceived flaws or hard times) always put me off. Today, Alexa is an excellent recast I think the audience embraced but the writing and BTS focus has changed. Amanda Setton is Frank's favorite, the Qs are ascendant again and he clearly has little time for Laura or her children. So he has no problem treating Lulu's longtime failings much more honestly. I don't have a problem with that aspect of it - what I have a problem with is consistently making Lulu the heavy or downgrading her and letting her take a huge hit, possibly in fear of BLQ losing her perch as the central below-middle-aged heroine of the show. While Setton is talented and I think BLQ should be a leading character whoever is in the role, I think it is undeniable that Alexa is more talented and capable and I also think Lulu's a stronger character warts and all. I don't want to see her go under the wheels for Brook Lynn and her muumuus, lol. Dominic and Alexa should be leading the show in that age range, not Setton's weird BTS preferences and the amiable but uninteresting Josh Swickard as her arm candy. There's simply no comparison performance or chemistry-wise between those duos. It's a far cry from the 2000s, when Lulu was untouchable and BLQ was treated like a disposable sex worker or joke whenever she was rarely seen. There is something cyclical and organic about that change in fortune at a soap, sure. But it doesn't have to be one extreme or the other.

I wonder what spurred this now after they clearly went to the wall to make her more relevant and keep her in the back half of last year. Budget, I suppose.

Bye!

They are, which is why I have no use for either.

I remain convinced Carlivati's original plan with all this a decade ago was to cement Nina and Nathan (who Cartini lusted after endlessly back then) as both a new tier of Cassadines. We know Obrecht had an affair with Thaao Penghlis' Victor, and they openly hinted at that idiot lunkhead being Victor's son. I suspect Nina was not far behind - maybe Victor slept with both sisters - to try and make her work. Thank God it didn't happen. I can't imagine them hanging out at Wyndemere with her calling him "Jay" or "Bro".

I would not be shocked if Corday rehired him just as that show began to allegedly improve, lol. That's classic Corday. I would not be super shocked if he mended fences with Frank, either. Y&R under Carlivati would be uniquely bizarre.

Inexplicably, yes. I have never bought into that whole bizarre family Carlivati created.

Tristan looked very, very frail last year and tbqh I wasn't sure he was in any condition to perform during that recent story. I cringed when they had Robert carrying his own bags in his and Holly's exit, which did feel like a final farewell and something they probably did knowing whatever condition he was in. There was talk of him returning soon, but I suspected it wasn't going to happen. I'm glad he made an appearance, but I think it may be his last. I hope I'm wrong and I very much hope he gets well.

I know there was talk or maybe rumor of Malone using Susannah when he came back in 2003-04, but I can't remember if anything ever came of it onscreen or if she was even mentioned by name again. I tended to keep track of those random mentions he did at the time of long-forgotten or unseen characters he likely had plans for, like Tina and C.J. (both of which got scrapped) or the mostly-aborted influx of Marcie's father and brothers, which though several appeared I think was originally supposed to be a much bigger family than it ended up being onscreen. (Possibly pairing the father with Viki and the gay brother with C.J., etc.)

Ugh. With that cast I really want to see that.

She's also tough as nails and seems like the most capable person at GH next to Liz, when she's not being blackmailed or something. That's what caught my eye from the beginning: Her forcefulness. She's not a neutered character in the way, say, '90s Simone often was, or someone to be taken down a peg for being haughty, as Lainey Winters was treated in her terrible sexist pairing with Mfundo Morrison's Justus. If it was me BK would be leading a lot more story there.