Vee

If you haven't seen The Conversation, do. One of both Coppola and Hackman's best films, and a great spooky set of performances Harrison Ford, Frederic Forrest and even Cindy Williams. (Teri Garr is there too, being Teri Garr.)

The towering Gene Hackman has died, along with his wife and dog. Santa Fe police say no foul play is suspected. I'll remember him for so many things, but especially his brilliant work in Coppola's The Conversation, Arthur Penn's Night Moves, Friedkin's The French Connection, The Firm and the underrated Narrow Margin. I need to finally watch Scarecrow.

Kat, Ted, Vanessa, Andre and Leslie/Dana are definitely the standouts to me of the new faces so far.

Martin is perhaps the weakest link along with the Mild Whites (Nurse Ashley and that man whose name I don't remember). The last two days he was greeting at Epcot Center, and today dude delivered his lines like he was hosting the Mr. DNA Tour at Jurassic World just before the raptors get loose. It is painful. Chelsea is green too and I'm not sold on Naomi yet, but Martin, who is currently the most important of the kids, is a problem. Besides that: The show continues to mostly steadily build well. I was right that Bill and Dani still have it; KM and Timon Durrett are great together. And I thought Karla mostly ate today tbh, despite never being a big fan of hers previously. She shone not only in the material with Bill but running herd on the kids at the family meeting. Yes, she goes big because she's written to but she's also been given nuance in the last two days and we see her break. The little cry in the elevator was a bit Erica Kane melodramatic, but to me that's the character. The family meeting felt organic and like the Quartermaines getting together; it felt comfortable and was the most interesting they've all been so far. They feel like a real unit. Am I ready for Tunie to stop using her awards show announcer voice and stop talking largely in proclamations and exposition though, yes. Her scenes with Dani the previous day, where they got to just talk like two close relatives, were her best so far. Between that and the have-not characters at the diner recapping the plot in classical soap fashion - something that Leslie and Nicole's Black assistant actually carried very well for the most part by being authentically gossipy in how they delivered it - I am hoping MVJ can drop the B&B-style declamations of expository plot once the first week or so is out of the way. Leslie/Dana/whoever is more fun to watch than I'd expected and I'm invested there. The reveal of her after the crash was very well-filmed and lit. Some of the moving camerawork and angles they've chosen here this week remind me of The City, in a good way. Ted, Nicole, Kat and Andre continue to take it. Ted is insanely fine. The Vanessa stuff was silly but inoffensive. Her husband is fine too. Oh, don't go there! But it's true. And Dana Sparks is one of my MVPs for WOAT (Worst of All Time).

That's true so far, but as I said it's been two days and the marriage is clearly on the rocks. I am not going to jump to conclusions yet.

No, the gay characters have a major storyline and in fact the secret about one of them (which doesn't appear to be sex-related) is already a source of blackmail for the core family. The issue for me atm is that the lead character from the core family (a gay Congressman) is so far quite wooden. I am not going to judge them on not making out yet since it's only Day 3, they've only both been on two days and the marriage is very clearly troubled from the first moment we see them together. I expect an interloper or two will appear. I actually think Rena's return has been a success in many ways - she fits right in again, livens up the show everyday she's on and has not missed a beat as Lois after decades. The problem is more that they've give her no real story or man of her own, because Frank does not want to invest in veteran story unless it's one of his chosen few. And she should be frontburner in her own right, not just supporting possibly the most boring couple on the show (and Kai and Trina are a close second).

She was with Jax at the time. She and Sonny still slept together after leaving Michael at the clinic, grieving and so forth. From what I've seen DAYS seems still pretty horny, but that's Ron being oversexed and it's not necessarily done very well. BTG has come out of the gate pretty hot and heavy, which is good. The pendulum has begun to swing back in some media and not others - we'll see how long that lasts. GH is behind. I would absolutely bring Justus back from the dead (for Portia), but I would give Lois an entirely new man. On contract: The dreaded word for FV with anyone over 40 and not from OLTL or another soap.

They'll just put her with another random recurring guy Frank likes with no real story and call that 'writing for Lois'. It's the same reason we're expected to clap away for Tracy being shackled to the newly non-Southern Martin instead of having a major story. (And tbh Kevin and Laura are a version of the same.)

Dominic is still sexy and virile, and can be played that way if they choose. Giving him Gio hurts him and Lois. Brook Lynn is a lost cause as long as Setton remains in the role, which is sad because she should be having sexy, mischievous capers on par with a Brenda or someone like Anna Kendrick/Blake Lively in A Simple Favor.

The only aspect of Gio and the mob I think would be a worthwhile angle to explore (and one Guza would absolutely do if he were here) is Sonny sort of sublimating his past failures/losses, etc. with Michael, Morgan and Dante and his need to produce a true heir onto his new grandson. Gio is basically a sweet summer child, an innocent and happy go lucky young man whose current persona largely coasts on Giovanni Mazza's very winning performances and chemistry with the cast where the writing fails him. I can see Sonny trying to groom him into the life (as he did Jason) and Dante and Lois, etc. reacting. That's the only angle I would pursue, but I would not make him part of the mob. Gio would turn away from that. I do think Gio going full Euphoria/Skins (or Danielle Manning, IYKYK) and becoming a drug-addled playboy or club kid when he realizes his entire life is a lie is something GM could also play. Nor would it go against his current energy onscreen, but I think Mazza has proven recently opposite Braedyn Bruner that he can do more. While that holds true soon, we'll see. Well, they were actually both still kids then IIRC but that was a very different time and a very different show. Sex and real stakes were still a major part of GH in those years - or even in the Carlivati years when the boys were adults, when both S&C had wild flings with Ava and A.J. The GH of today, since at least 2018-2020 if not earlier, is often thoroughly desexualized and seems highly avoidant of any edgy content. Brook Lynn is presented as lacking even the sex drive of Kelly McGillis' Amish mother in Witness.

Dani and Vanessa are friends. It was shown in the first episode.

I'll believe Frank can be fired when I see Donald Trump out of office.

BLQ is aged up, boring and matronly enough with Setton in the role, and she should be fired and recast if this issue is not going to change. Giving her an adult kid desexualizes both Brook Lynn and Dante even more and ages them up too much when they are still relatively young, viable leads. But it's happened, unfortunately. I'd still undo it if I could. I have no interest in Gio in the mob. I do think him turning into a partying club kid/hedonist or playboy to lash out would work for a time. As for Finn, I would put nothing past Frank to try to get him and Violet back on the show lol.

Because it's bad.

A good thread on the odious Alex Thompson, who finally got the book deal this week the 'boring' Biden era denied him. The only solace I have is knowing he will someday be out on his ass and out of favor again. Today's horrific Bezos news at the Post I will leave for someone else to cover. I can only stomach so much in one day, and I have very limited mental bandwith for our current shitshow.

I'm still not sure about Dani's pink Big Brother house couch.

Allegedly, cause of death was not related to her transplant. Michelle frankly hadn't seemed well for many years. Her bizarre manner of posting msgs on social media (with lots of stop/start sentences) always unsettled me. It's a tragic loss of a very talented young woman, and I hope she's at peace.

I have been saying it will be Bill/Dani (Dani/Bill?) together again at some point.

I agree. She fit like a glove. What happened to Daniel Reubens between when he got involved with Doreen (in summer of '90, I think) and the end of the show?

I find her astonishingly boring. Frankly even the GH girls have more spark (especially since Willow began porking Drew). But I get why they didn't hire a major daytime vet, like Eden Riegel who I'd mentioned. Plus they seem to be going for a lot of new ATL talent. I just hope they recast (or dump both characters) unless she suddenly turns around and amazes me.

Maybe this is a regional thing. I'm in the US and it absolutely shows up as free on Prime for me on my computer.

I think Malone teased him with both Blairs, as well as of course playing him with Angela Holliday (or as Cord called her 'Ain-gela') and maybe even Luna briefly. But I agree he never got a firm handle on Cord for A-story, which is too bad. I have heard that before Todd Cord was considered as the endgame for KDP's Blair. Maybe it would've worked. But yes, John Loprieno is and was so underrated.

I've seen the Maggie Vega they ended up with after Santiago passed. It's not hard to realize why that died.

LMAO I just noticed that. Maybe they renewed their vows? I'll take my cut, Michele Val Jean.

It is wild that they actually brought on a lovely girl to play Amy, Penny Hughes' long-forgotten Asian daughter in this England storyline with Frannie and (AFAIK) did not bring her back to Oakale or put her on contract. It's such an obvious move. I wish more of this key period was available; this is where the uploads for '86/'87 get thready for awhile.