Vee

Thanks for this '53 ep. Another gem. GL's decades of layered families within families, villains, etc. that then give way entirely to others is another reason it is so modular and mutable for rebirth IMO.

Yep. Cameron is hilariously fun doing the cartoon villainy tbh, but it could be better. Hence the Jake angle where he could be conflicted, or playing some beats with being wistful about Sam, Danny, etc.

I do think your idea re: Drew buying him up as part of an acquisition a la the right-wing Ellisons is great. It's just an issue of how to weave any kind of film or TV job into the main canvas of a soap opera not set in LA or NY. Maybe Dillon makes edgy films or TV locally, like some boutique directors in their cities or hometowns, and you can weave it in and out of story from time to time. OLTL made Fraternity Row work for years and Erica(?) and Tad had their talk shows on AMC, etc. so it's not impossible to do in a deft way. It doesn't need to be a big deal and Dillon wasn't even a favorite of mine; I just would hate to see a unique job whittled down to another disposable hunk working at ELQ or being a photographer or whatever. So it becomes a unique challenge to puzzle out. I think ultimately you'd have to treat it similar to how some soap characters (like Felicia Gallant, etc.) were novelists. Always working on some new thing, mostly in the background but sometimes in key story. ...Hell, maybe Dillon's dream project out in the Far East or wherever went sideways (a la Apocalypse Now), he got in trouble with the wrong shady investors and Drew manages to buttonhole him into writing and directing an ego-boosting biopic about his days as a Navy SEAL: "The Drew Quartermaine Story." Starring Mark Wahlberg, naturally (or David Vickers)

I always forget Bob Hastings (Burt Ramsey) went on to become even more famous to generations of kids by being the voice of Commissioner Gordon on the Batman animated series and assorted spinoffs in the '90s and onward. He's still the voice I hear reading the comics.

You'd have to make Dillon's interests viable on canvas, which is always hard to do with characters involved in film or TV on soaps. No one goes to Hollywood and then resettles in Port Charles, unless he is going independent/arthouse, or is doing something else like TV or some other vocation. There are ways to do it without it being embarrassing but you'd have to be careful. (I think even Johnny DiMera came back to DAYS wanting to make movies and I guess that all went away too)

They also had a dreadful, typical Frank/Ron himbo recast in Rob Watkins. He was pitiful no matter how he looked in his underwear (this is not an invitation). Dillon could potentially come back today and do well, I think. I didn't used to think so. Maybe even be a strong spoiler for Lulu and Dante given that moribund situation and spice things up (something they tried to have him do with the last recast and which flopped massively). But you'd have to make him not too similar to Cody, who I don't want to get rid of (and Josh Kelly could've easily played that role), keep his entertainment/arts background in a viable way yet find an actual clear purpose for him. Him just going to work at ELQ would be a boring waste of the character's idiosyncrasy for me, none of which Watkins had. If you don't do it right Dillon becomes just another hunk standing around, which is what he was last time. And Scott Clifton is never going to leave the comfortable security at B&B.

I'd take LR back on a soap tbh. But I doubt she's interested (and I'd forgotten she is on Fire Country).

If anyone could've elevated Boatman as a Dillon and made him grow into any more talent, it's actors like Jane Elliot and the old GH writing staff. But the latter are gone and CB is also a bit too young to be a contemporary of Maxie, Lulu, Spinelli, etc.

I agree but we're saying the same thing, I think. Good enough!

I agree, I just think you can add nuance and pathos without fully redeeming him or ending his villainous role.

I agree with all of that. But as for Anna and Alexis, well, Nancy has gotten good material lately but the writing has no real investment in their lives in and of themselves. Finola not in quite some time, and it looks like Anna will next be brainwashed and a dupe again or something, which I'm not looking forward to. What she deserves is a love interest on par with her and she hasn't had one since coming back to the show, Finola's obvious adoration for JPS aside. Ian Buchanan is a wonderful actor but they wrote and played the resurrected Duke as a creaky old sadsack til he died. Instead of her simply serving plot functions I would rather see both her and Laura get strong new love interests. Alexis, the same but who knows what to do with her.

Scout is a cipher who probably didn't need to exist played by a typical smiling soap kid. Like most kids on the show. We have no reason to care about her unless they go out and find a really talented young girl and invest, which they could do and I'd be open to it. But for now, I still think Drew's weakness goes back to both Sam, who's gone, and Jake. They were his closest relationships when he was a better man, particularly when he thought he was Jason in the Billy Miller years, a Jason who was divesting himself of the mob, very close with Monica, welcome at the Quartermaines and moving into legitimate enterprise (Aurora). He has lost Curtis, who he used to be close to. Those are things you can explore to add some shading and dimension to him again. It's even hypothetically possible to redeem Drew too - he could go out and save a bunch of kids or characters we like during sweeps or something - but not only would most of the audience likely never be there for it, mostly I simply see no need for that. He's a great villain. Why mess with it? I don't think either Michael nor Drew and Willow add up to a new Alan and Monica. I suppose you could try with Michael and the new Willow but I'm not interested in that. They can have hate sex, they can relentlessly try to destroy each other but ultimately it would end. They should never be in love again.

Carson has nice nipples but can't act, so that's pretty much where my interest ends in him ever joining GH. Next.

As am I. I just also think it's a great future avenue of attack for schemers like Willow and Drew. I do think Willow must be exposed for the shooting eventually. But why not have fun on the way? I definitely don't think Drew and Willow are the new Alan and Monica though. They're much more twisted and evil than that, with less foundational depth, and eventually they would be shed of each other totally to scheme separately. Just not yet.

It's not like VM's Tony Geary before his death, elderly, crotchety and in Amsterdam. Nor is she a Shemar Moore, happily busy in primetime. She's around, she's popular and it's very plausible. It won't happen because Frank doesn't want it to. We're whining about Paevey because he can't act, never could, has no real character but FV likes his pecs. So he's back and is part of a story that is eating half the show with a score of annoying characters. I enjoy a lot of GH these days and think it's stronger than it's been in years but it still has serious problems, starting with that huge umbrella story and most of its major players.

That is what I remember as well. Jen clapped back at some people in a way that was in fairness unnecessary, then both Kirsten and Farah got involved and stirred up the fans even more. Which was the part I found really egregious against a temp recast who was there what, the better part of a year? Longer? Kirsten was lucky her job was still there to return to in '12, and Lilley did hard work. idk who it was here who said FV openly considered killing Maxie off when he first came aboard during this period due to the long absence.

Has been for years. But Brenda is the way you make it all work for you IMO. Sonny in a reduced role, with a partner Mo has real chemistry with, who elevates him and makes him work harder, who can take the major share of story herself. caroline or others would know more specifics about the JL mess than I do, I can't remember them all. I felt she was unfairly treated while working hard tbh (and Kirsten supposedly was not helpful) but she wasn't exactly quiet about it either. Anyway, here's another bit of tale-spinning: Willow’s next move after she and Drew both find each other out and have freaky S&M demon sex should be to weaponize Drew to use his congressional power to open up the Wagger case. Willow and Michael were still in a good place when Michael was involved in the Wagger cover-up that got totally dropped; she must have some inkling of what went down. Sonny murdered a fed and Michael helped. She can also start gaslighting him to drive him nuts, drug him etc. Tapping into his recent PTSD. That’s her next custody strategy. Drew also still has Jason’s memories, which means he knows all about Sonny and Jason’s operational security with the business. He knows where they hid a lot of bodies for decades. He can do a live press conference about Wagger and start digging all over the Pine Barrens or wherever else. Meanwhile, Willow is openly cucking and taunting him, flaunting her affairs (Chase), only giving him sex on occasion as a reward for a job well done as their sick relationship continues and they both have other lovers. It writes itself! I'm here all month, Frank!

If they cast a real love interest for Michael (like the options I mentioned above), found someone new for Steve and then Frank swallowed his pride and called Vanessa, I think all those combined elements on top of the ongoing Drew/Willow chaos could take the show to a new place. It wouldn't be the end of the many changes needed, but it would be a major boon. You could even play Steve and Vanessa again I suppose, but at this point I am just thinking about containing Maurice in a workable role lol. As DRW noted, he is simply no longer capable of heavy story nor can you fire him without taking a real hit.

Michael will only truly come into his own as a lead when they begin casting new women for him in major, fleshed-out roles of their own. Be it a driven new doctor or someone like socialite-philathropist Serena Baldwin, a Ward girl like he once got paired with late in the Guza years, whoever. Just as they used to bring on real love interests for Sonny or Jason. Not just cheap, trumped-up dayplayers. That being said this team (as well as Passanante and Altman's) has historically had very little success creating any fleshed-out all-new characters of their own, particularly the women. There was a reason Willow and Sasha were basically the same person for years. Say what we will about Carlivati but Ava at least left an indelible impression. For the team today, Gio and Emma were strokes of luck (a preexisting core child, and Mulcahey/Korte created Gio) and Trina was a happy accident they've been running from ever since. Fans have been frothing mad online at both Drew and Willow for at least 18 months now. If it was going to truly hurt the show's numbers it would have already done so. They keep watching because of the havoc those two wreak and how much they hate them, a la Kristen DiMera, Annie Dutton, etc. The show made the right choice letting Willow skate - there is so much more she can do. At least half the show is still a total mess (Britt, Valentin, cold fusion, etc.) but I hope they continue to capitalize on Drew/Willow/Michael, etc. and surprise me by improving it further.

Finally, a promo title reflecting my credit status! (As well as possibly the show's)

Yep.

Thursday's episode (1/22) will have a Tony Geary tribute montage as well as talking head interviews.

There will be a montage as well as talking head interviews next week on GH, on Thursday the 22nd.

Hey, I was the one who started comparing her dramatic turns to 'misty nausea!' 12+ years ago!

Exactly. Nuke it. But they won't, because Frank lusts after Ryan Paevey and Nathan (a worthless character) and enjoys Obrecht. CVE, etc. also clearly enjoy writing for Britt, Obrecht, Brad, etc. FV also presently needs Britt as the only current chemistry option for Jason, though I don't think that will last. Nathan has never been anything more than a body. But Frank has seized on this whole thing wholeheartedly, and it consumes half the show as an umbrella story. I'd dump it all.