Vee

I've said before I think Eden has certain skill at certain things. The relationship with Tabyana feels very real when they play it with Joss and Trina. I think she actually has a facility for comedy if they let her play the spoiled/scheming heiress side of the character. I think she works very hard, above her actual skill level. But she's never going to be a lead no matter how hard Frank has pushed to make her the second coming of the Starr Manning youth demo numbers from about 20 years ago just because she is young, white and especially blonde. I would put her in comic B-stories for a bit or with a Spinelli/geek type, but probably ultimately recast a little down the line. I think it could have worked, but they weren't there for it. I still might play with them today having a fling as part of a quad with Emma and someone else in the ways I've mentioned before, but the endgame would remain Gio and Emma. Those two are gold, and TA could be again too with the right partner. I also do still think GM could've pulled off a Spencer recast, but I am happy with where he's at.

Yes. Their relationship has been a key thing in his interviews. Gio was initially intended for Trina, per magazine stuff at the time. That never really materialized beyond Gio taking intrigued note of her when they first met, and Trina noticing a resemblance to Spencer. I think TPTB obviously decided they didn't want to 'waste' a potential young male on a young woman of color they didn't care about and then spun their wheels for months. Then Emma came along and that clicked for Gio, but that too clearly wasn't really expected to be a big thing. Both Mazza and BB have said they had to interject physical stuff into their scenes for most of last year to try to jumpstart the story, probably because FV and co. were going full tilt on the WSB Agent Joss saga with Vaughn, Britt, etc. at the time. Now they're getting a bit more focus and Joss is once again in a liminal place, but I would not be hugely shocked if they tried one last ditch effort at putting her with him since he's become popular. I don't think it'll work though. If they were going to do it they would've already.

It had its issues at times. Someone on staff clearly wished they could try him with LW/Carly and kept going back to that friendship, and there were a few too many scenes of people like Anna and others telling Robin how lucky she was to have landed a hunk like Patrick, how grateful she should be and not screw it up, etc. But they knew they couldn't touch her and that she was still very popular, so there were a lot of these sort of passive-aggressive swipes at her where possible. But for the most part, yes I totally agree she was in a golden place. And probably would have stayed longer on contract, if not for Garin Wolf.

I see a largely positive shift in the show, but so far none of it has been towards centering a bunch of white characters IMO. Anyway, it's a short term role.

Absolutely. As I said on PTV, Frank has always been enamored of celebrities who love the soaps. He would much rather keep playing Stephen A. regularly and have him threaded into story than have to write for most of the actual Black characters IMO. Let alone add any strong new ones. The show seems to actively resent the only dynamic actor in the older POC set (Brook Kerr). I've said it too many times, but at this point I'd add someone like Cassandra Creech or whoever as Keesha Ward just to try to really fúck with the heads of the fanatical Jason fanbases lol. But unlike the '90s I'd be amazed if Great God Jason with a woman of color ever made it to air in these modern times so never mind. (And yes, Creech did play an assassin on GH for a hot minute in the 2000s.) I agree. This building tension started around Emily and was very present in Guza II from then on, but they never pulled the trigger. The endpoint was obvious. It also might've led to Dante taking over the mob, something DZ has claimed was the long plan, but I am grateful that never happened. Same goes re: Michael. This has always stayed with me. Imagine the show if they'd ever broken the seal on that couple again (something I had hoped they might consider when Billy Miller arrived). I don't fault Kimberly for opting out though - the rise of Robin and Patrick (along with Grey's Anatomy) helped begin to fundamentally shift the show back to the hospital as a major hub, and despite fits and starts it's been back in a major way ever since.

Yes, I remember LB. Sweet guy.

No, totally him. They're always the type.

I think Errol just said over in the ratings thread BTG recently had a much better week. I may be wrong. As I said in the crossover thread, it's a smart move. EB/Victor still has a lot of pull with the casual audience, no matter the sorry state of Y&R.

It's a smart move. Victor still has enormous cachet with the general and casual audience, like it or not. Martin and Kyle totally did oral in college. Minimum.

They're delusional. He's doomed. Brennan was always little more than a stopgap elevated dayplayer who was never going to last no matter who the actor, and FV is clearly all in on the latest Save Valentin project: Pairing him with Carly.

IIRC they were split up officially by Brennan but I thought he was still hanging around town. I assume he'll pop up soon like he hasn't been gone for weeks/months lol. But I wouldn't hate if he just vanished. He's made zero impression and the whole story has been another flop for Joss, she's been barely on for awhile now til quite recently.

I suspect Demi Moore was a case of wrong place, wrong time and wrong condition. Gloria Monty always had an eye for emerging raw talent, and Demi was definitely that. But she was coming on the heels of LNL with Tony, and she was also nowhere near ready to play opposite Tristan Rogers. She also already had major issues with alcohol, etc. from a young age by her own admission in recent years via her memoir (and of course the BTS video that now lives in infamy). That could not have helped with her scene partners. IIRC she still allegedly had major issues a few years later when she broke out on St. Elmo's Fire.

I had some classic GL thread pages bookmarked to read maybe 3 weeks ago and man that thing moves like wildfire. I wouldn't know where to begin. I think it's hilarious that the GL thread is outrunning this one. I don't think Jason Thompson really wants to leave per se, but his comments recently re: wanting to play opposite Braedyn Bruner on GH (who plays his former character's daughter) does make me wonder if he's a bit wistful. I wouldn't hate JT's Patrick appearing for a short stint as a Steve Hardy-esque figure to mentor some new doctors. He's still a very handsome man but he's aged quickly in the last decade and he was always an odd fit for Billy at best. I think JFP (and subsequent producers) were much more enamored of him and his talent vs. his ever being right for the role. No one will ever be Billy Miller (even poor David Tom who got a raw deal a little over a decade ago), so if this show ever gets its shít together again they might as well recast yet again. Fans won't blink at this point.

I got you. (Not sure why they won't embed) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9h3MnzLAm4s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5bUnj6csnQ

Chris Marcantel's Loving reunions are still on YT, FWIW. Unless you're talking about something else.

I thought Vaughn sucked tbh. I had zero interest in him or that couple, just as with Dex.

Yes, they need to not waffle on ICE or DHS. You can't fund them anymore under this government, and ICE will have to finally go come the next administration if indeed we have one.

And as I've said before, you could tell onscreen in that period. Jason's rage at Carly over Alcazar was intense, misogynistic and did not feel like acting.

The ongoing collapse at CBS continues. Everyone is leaking against Weiss. Meanwhile, Bezos is trying to slash WP's foreign and sports desks. They briefly said they would not send anyone to the Olympics and now have reversed it.

Too little too late from Suozzi: As awful as this all is, the people of MN have been inspiring. ICE should never have existed, and now it should be erased.

Never gonna happen.

Always lovely to see Cassandra Creech.

I'm way behind on all this because I've been preoccupied by IRL and the current soaps (as well as some classic GH). But if anyone is dying for yet another take on late 1991 I'm sure mine will come sometime soon.