Vee

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.

The closest they got was a couple weeks ago where Nathan flubbed chain of evidence on a random case. That was a clear signpost. But that's it. Tiresome.

This explains a lot:

It's his diabolical counterpart and longtime rival agent: Fresno.

Thanks for this.

Why does Valentin keep saying Brennan being exposed will 'exonerate me?' They were both the heads of Pikeman! Brennan scapegoated him to stay out of Steinmauer but Valentin was guilty!

I don't care about the breakdowns, lol. I'm just saying I thought it was a decent sequence.

I can see it coming from her as her imagining her enemy capitalizing on her weakest moment.

Lucas would be the closest, and that's pretty shaky atm. Jason qualifies but I just don't need any more of them together right now. And yes, Sonny and Carly both feel profoundly adrift. Jason would too still if not for the Qs.

I did think the sequence was good at least, unlike a lot of them. Hayley's lines were indeed straight out of the Kristen DiMera playbook, and Marquita sold it beautifully.

That is actually something I will blame Ron for. He used to use that one a lot, straight out of the JER school. I grew to hate it.

Ashley is much improved opposite a seasoned actor. Jen Jacob was working those scenes like she knows this is her last shot at getting paid twice a week lol. She and Jordi did have chemistry and the dialogue was decent, I'll give it a whirl. I swear Carlton's crazy-ass beard grows like a Chia Pet in anxious situations. It sprouted wild in like 2-3 episodes.

I feel like we see Michael with his paste eating child at least as much as any soap parent, probably moreso because Frank loves having these kids around all the time. Unless they're Liz's.

Imagine it going off while he's hitting it with that hooker! Deep in the weeds!

They appear to have forgotten Vaughn exists, so it is about time for him to turn out to be evil, die or both. Another Eden McCoy success story.

Drunk, volatile Nicole was the most relatable I've found her in quite awhile. Frankly they should've let those scenes be with Kial Rollins. I want to see that side of her as opposed to the serene earth mother more often, and I want to see it with Greg Vaughan. I also liked Anita openly critiquing the myth of 'the Duprees.' It was very interesting how they contrasted Nicole's minor crashout with Dani and Andre coping maturely while blissfully in love. You compare that to a little over a year ago where Dani was binge-drinking and passing out daily.

I see they've cast yet another obviously evil dayplayer with this WSB guy to spice things up in the cold fusion story I was just complaining about. I'm sure that'll make all the difference in a story populated largely by recurring players, randos, Valentin (also recurring) and Britt. Laura Wright is not getting paid enough to shoulder this on the Valentin end. I even feel bad for Steve tbh.

That's my concern as well. But yes, I would like to see Lucy work against Sidwell and possibly get herself in over her head marrying him while trying to secure the bag for Deception. Then you can have some fun with Lynn, Carlo Rota and Maura playing off each other before he gets nixed in hopefully swift order, and Ava can get a new power base from sifting through the ashes. I just don't care about this cold fusion plot when it spins largely around Britt and Nathan. Every time they cut back to her talking to one of the villains or Brad I zone out. (I would try to save Adrian Anchondo and Marco, who they have rapidly turned into just Sidwell's lurking stooge - now that Brad is back they obviously want him and Lucas back together as I feared, and want to 'prove' that Sonny and Jason were right to abduct Marco in the first place so Lucas can do the inevitable Sonny/Carly apology tour in 6-12 months.) I do think Sidwell's Wife did well in those court scenes last week, but she's terrible at anything else.