Vee

Exactly.

Airplane glue, no less!

I've always thought it was a mistake not to use some of her dark history again in a new story. Not that the Laurelton mess was popular, but it's fertile ground to revisit that backstory sometime. Maybe a copycat, or a scheming true crime podcaster (something toyed with re: Felicia in the Ryan revisit, but I don't think much came of it).

That's all Lynn.

I definitely don't think Tabyana was ever a miscast. I do think this incredibly dumb material in the last year has hurt her. But you could say that for a lot of people.

Yeah, Buzz Stryker is also a strange character to me. Everyone seems super into him for awhile and then you never hear of him again. Were all of these Monty initiatives or did some come later?

Thanks for all this. That is a crazy timeframe. Did Celia leave Jimmy Lee because he was suddenly poor, or because of that setup?

I still am trying to understand what exactly happened with Jimmy Lee, Celia and his future wife and when. Were Jimmy Lee and Charity ever actually together onscrene before they went off together? Why did they write Celia out and how did it seemingly happen so suddenly?

GH still consistently has a ton of promising elements and actors in recent years, which is why I stick with it fairly regularly this last year-plus. And when they lock in it can still be compulsively watchable for weeks or months. The shame of it is the BTS biases and lazy habits that drag those good bones down.

They still got a few too many of them on the show, and not just from Martin! But his approach is unique lol. I respect that they want to shine a light on social issues on the show - I remember people being touched when they discussed the Black female incidence of some specific form of cancer or something like that a couple months back out of nowhere - but it can be slotted in a bit less clunkily. Which is not to say the cancer saga on GH back in the '90s didn't have some of that writing. In the end on daytime when you handle this stuff it always comes back to educating the audience, and it should. But it needs a few more passes on this show at times not to sound like Claybon or Tunie or whoever is reading off the prompter. (Ironically I have always used the '-' dash a lot when posting and now I guess it's a cornerstone of AI-written responses. Oh well!) I will say also re: fan engagement, Sean Freeman's IG is consistently hilarious. I had no idea a bunch of the cast did the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Walk a couple months ago and the many fans on the scene went apeshít for him, MM and even ol' Randy.

That would be hilarious and they should pursue it. Let Claybon have some more lighter fare in between having to do a lot of ChatGPT motivational speeches. He has loosened up a lot in recent months but he is particularly good with Mike Manning, Colby Muhammad and Ambyr Michelle, and they need to play those sibling bonds more for fun. Let us see why people voted for him.

I don't think the online feedback on BTG on social media has been too out of bounds, really. Compared to the savage shít you see re: the other soaps it's tame, and I mostly find it pretty healthy and encouraging in terms of volume and attention. Some stuff is unreasonable or parasocial but most of it is just typical intense soap engagement, which is good for the show. There's a lot of intensity especially re: Eva v. Kat and Leslie - you can tell some of it comes from people who are just not used to a five day a week soap opera with an ongoing villain and are throwing fits over it, but some of the complaints re: the confused POV on the show from day to day on Eva and Kat are valid. The show wants it both ways with Eva especially right now, and it's getting tedious to watch. As is the very blinkered take on Kat and Tomas which I hope will change. Leslie can sometimes be inconsistent too but that's a larger issue with the overall broader writing on the show. I do think they've got something interesting going for her with old Marcel. I have a suspicion someone in here was right (apologies for not remembering who) when they said WinterFest came and went in part because it was a planned exit hatch for the show if they didn't get picked up in order to wrap the storylines, and then they did. They're still playing the Laura angle with Leslie after the fact and that means that sooner or later she has to pay. I am very curious if there was any taping gap between the 'seasons" (a term I despise re: a daily soap opera) per any retooling.

@Errol was there any break in taping between 'season 1' and 'season 2?' (I refuse to call them that re: a daily serial but I know those intervals exist BTS)

Yes, that is the post I mentioned.

I actually became a fan of hers because she seemed so hypercompetent and no bullshít several years ago, and BK had the authority to match unlike a lot of the hospital crew at certain periods. Then they got her involved with Heather and began dragging the character full time, and now she's a mess. In other news Jason Thompson had an intv the other day gushing about Braedyn Bruner and wanting to work with her and explore the adult Emma, but insisting he was very very happy at Y&R. I do wonder.

I also would really like some actual ChelseaKat business drama. Preferably with a rival. I am all for Bill running against Martin, but they need to get deeper into the political arena for that to work and flesh it out as opposed to the vague stuff they did early on. We all knew Martin was never really going to run for president and there's a certain specificity they obviously have to elide, but you can still add more detail to that part of their world. I'd also be very much for a proper courtroom battle between Bill and Naomi.

Mazza did once again kill those scenes with the violin and going into the other room to cry. I did love that it once again ended on him and Tracy embracing. The camera pan across the group reaction shot was unfortunately briefly deflated by showing Wiley's vacant stare as he calculated the location of the nearest container of Elmer's Glue. Also BLQ dressed like Dr. Dre. Final tróll move of the week was Lulu and the kids showing up at Laura’s door like ‘and we brought one more surprise!’ and then instead of Lucky it’s just Sonny again, lol. Come on, you see him every week.

Not that anger isn't warranted but it is legit hilarious how quick the entire Ashford clan all turned on Portia. I am fairly certain I remember Aunt Stella sucking her teeth and hissing about Jordan the troublesome jezebel a couple years ago to Portia and Marshall. Now it’s all come on in Jordan, you’re not Trina’s harlot mama! The Black characters, particularly women unlucky enough to be paired with Curtis, are largely interchangeable on this show. Stella and Bug Eyed Marshall's favor just swaps between them depending on the year.

Didn't she only get that job in the first place last time because the cardboard villain of the moment (Cyrus? Victor? Shiloh? idk) pulled some strings? Whatever. It's wild for Rocco and the mutant to be sitting there chatting about getting to see her dad right in front of Blonde Ace. That little dude's gotta be sitting there like "'Dad?' What's that?"

Tonight in idle, stupid thoughts: They had Laura looking very decent on Monday but Tuesday it was back to the Austin Powers ruffles. Elton John, check your closet! “Sure, Martin, I’m mad about what you did to the Quartermaines. But that plotline is over and the writers don’t care about it anymore blah blah my brother blah blah love you." Whatever! If Martin sent that note (and assuming he is not the shooter, which I don't think he is) this dude officially has no life. AFAIK it's just him practicing pure hateration on the folks involved. Just hating strictly for the love of the game. I have to respect it! BLQ is out here looking like David Byrne's Big Suit in these damn getups. Like a bunch of kids dressing up in a trenchcoat trying to get a ticket to Die Hard. Drew blaming Alexis for 'ruining Portia's life' is just hysterical work. Insane trollery. BLQ and Chase should’ve had a real nasty-ass knockdown drag-out fight after what he did on that stand. Instead they’re fine! She should’ve flat out accused him of still wanting to fúck Willow and being checked out on her the instant he found out she had Gio. They should’ve gone at it hammer & tongs. Brook's first love and the father of her child just suspended his ass from the force after he threw Michael and the entire department under the bus on the stand and they’re fine and happy still going to Christmas parties? Presumably the show is saving a bigger blowout between the two for sweeps and/or when he fúcks Willow, but it's just not realistic for these reactions to be this muted. They can fight bad and still make up, there can be levels to this chaos. LMAO at Portia just casually packing up her office. No shít! Elizabeth looking at her talking about coming back like 'no chance, bitch.' Not that she has room to talk. I remember what she did to Drew in the Billy Miller days. Frank is really flexing on these other soaps. Let’s show Mac's damn kitchen for a 15-second scene. Why not? Meanwhile the outdoor pool set on B&B has a crease in its backdrop! James (looking and sounding more like Howdy Doody than ever) is jabbering away about Daisy and Zombie Nathan grinning through all this on the reaction shot like ‘who?’ Never change, Paevey.

I don't know when, but it has been a consistent throughline across several regimes and I do appreciate that. They have kept it going this past year pretty regularly, likely because FV is so enamored of Josh Kelly. But I think Mulcahey was the one who played with the romantic potential. (That line from Tracy about Cody reminding her of Gregory shortly after his death will always stay with me, it was a clear signpost IMO.)

I do think that relationship started before PM, to be fair. I do think Gio and Emma are great and I would play them heavy, but with more wit as well as more edge. My only interest in Gio and Trina at this point is I think they'd be hot together down the road, as part of a romantic quad with Emma and a new, more exciting partner of color for Trina. They could swap partners for awhile and I think GM and Tabyana would have enough heat. These are sexy young people and they should all be utilized as such vs. the prudish ways the show often handles them. But the endgame couples would remain Gio/Emma and Trina and the new guy I've mentioned before, excepting the possibility of Spencer which I haven't factored in at present.

The impressive thing is that it's both very in line with the stuff they'd pull and also not all of it is at all bad. Kudos! You're bringing their level up! (Not that I think you're a bad writer, it's just two different things to write according to FV/ABC's tastes vs. one's own.)

Are you sure you're not auditioning for the show?

Of course, but it's been maybe a decade? of trying with her and they have other popular young people coming up. She's also been drifting in story and airtime a few times now, more than he'd usually allow for Joss.