Vee

I think there's a fairly clear idea in Season 6. I can't speak for Season 7 yet. What puzzles me is the S6 team claiming they didn't know where it would end or go.

This isn't a print publication. The language used in the voice-over during the feature and promotion all comes from inside the production team at 60 Minutes itself. Unfortunately, no, it's not. Especially when the rest of the feature and promotion presents MTG in narration as 'an outspoken and opinionated congresswoman,' implying that she is just another sitting politician who tells it like it is. You have to challenge this kind of bigotry directly, not say nothing and expect a deeply polarized country to just 'get it' when clearly, they don't. Especially an audience that is not plugged in online and does not know nearly as much about MTG. They can easily come away from this feature with the wrong impression. It is not a secret that management at CBS has skewed conservative for years and is deeply concerned with keeping 'red America' viewers. Using softer language with people like Greene, and not challenging her directly, allows them to keep walking that line with that segment of their audience. It also misinforms the rest of the public.

Kate/Connie was horrible, but it was also very much a car accident that people simply couldn't stop watching. You had no idea what Kelly Sullivan's extra ass would do on-camera from day to day. The other thing is that it was smack dab in the middle of a year full of some good or at least very engaging stories in 2012-2013. There was so much rocky shít in that timespan but also a lot of compulsively watchable stuff, be it good (the water crisis, Heather's baby swap, A.J.'s return), bad (Trey/Kristina) or very ugly like Connie. That has always been the key to Ron's qualified successes: He knows how to make even a bad show often compulsively watchable. I thought the show was a flaming Viking funeral for much of 2013-2015, but I could not stop watching to see what insane madness he did next, or for, yes, the few characters or stories I still did unequivocally enjoy. I would argue that DAYS fans today often feel the same as we did in those years, or at certain points in his equally variable OLTL run. You have no clue what crazy shít they'll put onscreen. I think Ron could've worked at GH long term with a steady and most importantly equally powerful co-HW with more discipline and experience at the show (Karen Harris, Michele ValJean, etc). But since he seems to have disappeared Sheri Anderson at DAYS I can't see that ever happening. And yes, 2014-2015 and the Fluke saga, Denise, Franco/Nina, etc. was his worst.

By his own account, Randolph Mantooth was miserable at GH and fled the show as soon as possible lol.

The issue isn't discussing MTG or even interviewing her per se, it's the treatment of her. The promotion for her appearance was very soft-focus and the language used in ads and in the feature itself said that she was 'strong-willed,' 'opinionated,' 'in your face,' etc. It launders her and smoothes her sharp edges to a general audience, presenting her as a figure that is just 'outspoken' and salt of the earth Americana vs. a deranged bigot. This was also done at times with Trump, DeSantis, Glenn Youngkin, etc. over the years. When Jon Stewart went on Crossfire all those years ago he called Tucker Carlson exactly what he was to his face. Lesley Stahl and 60 Minutes didn't do that; they played it safe, used muted language and let Greene talk and talk instead. It's not 'exposing radical ideas' when the media institutions overcorrect in their treatment of these figures in order to try to appease the radicals and keep them watching their TV show or reading their paper. That's why 60 Minutes is taking heat. Meanwhile:

I saw. Lovely news.

It was a recast of a very minor villain role from the '80s almost no one remembered but Ron. And also, the entire nauseating Levi/Maxie/Nathan saga had already gone on for months and months up to that point. It was a deeply unpopular story which dragged on forever, so I don't think it ever really worked. Also, I think Maxie and Wooden Nathan made out while literally standing over the bad guy's corpse.

I love Janeway, Seven, etc. I just never liked Naomi Wildman and Tom and B'Elanna's romance bored me to tears.

Lord.

I don't acknowledge those Voyager children. 🙄 But I respect your feelings! I had heard that about Marina in the last day or so. I am happy there'll be a new show, but I feel the 32nd century shown in DSC is often a bit boring, not enough of a big change a la TOS to TNG; it feels like the same environment and trappings but with slightly better tech. I would set it further out and go really nuts.

I would have to go back through the Tommy Krasker and other KL website interviews, because I know a lot of the creative personnel from those years discuss it (and I probably will go back when I hit S7). I think Richard Gollance or one of the other writers also did so in the comments section of Krasker's blog. Basically, from what I recall, the writers didn't entirely know where the EV story was intended to end up under the Dunne regime and when it supposedly went 'too far' in the following season the past team claimed a) it was not their intention, while the new David Paulsen team claimed b) they inherited it and were told by the network and/or David Jacobs to 'get rid of Empire Valley' as a first order of business. The ratings may have been fine, but the creative teams seem to have regarded it as a millstone for whatever reason. So far I have little issue with it as a story; I think it is intriguing and ahead of its time, if starting to get a bit cartoonish in places. So it's a lot of fog of war, he said/she said on these long-ago details. I will dig back into it soon, but I'm sure others know more than me.

Taraji P. Henson is playing Janine's mom:

The jab is at a number of people, including the actor revolt against his work as I mentioned above. It's never been confirmed that I know of but I suspect FV is another target since I know Frank was not willing to lose his job over Ron, and Ron's fan club (Daytime Confidential) turned on Frank around the same time as his firing. I agree with all of what you said. Frank and Ron saved GH, that's undeniable, and broke the back of the mob for some time. But with a lot of good things also came a lot of bad stuff, and then their collective ego took over. Today the show is still very flawed but has a lot more equilibrium.

The colors remind me of how Sonny's penthouse looked at a few points, but that's about it lol.

Allegedly, a number of the cast campaigned for a change to be made as the show really went to the dogs throughout 2014-2015. At the time Ron and Frank were very friendly with Daytime Confidential and Jamey Giddens who basically became their unofficial mouthpiece online. This changed when DC went ride or die for just Ron in 2015, with Jamey and co. subtweeting about half the cast daily and then Jamey going on their podcast giving the most unhinged, embarrassing rant I've ever heard rallying to Ron's defense, quoting at length from an old LA Times(?) story about Gloria Monty's second GH run and apparently equating unappreciated, betrayed Ron with poor betrayed Monty who also had actors campaigning for her removal by the end. The fact that Monty's second run was a legendary disaster seemed lost on Jamey in this analogy. DC may have calmed down since those years, but I don't forget. I think Maurice, Stafford, maybe NLG and presumably Geary were among the actors in question, probably more. And since FV is ice cold when it comes to business, when it came to Ron or him I presume he shivved Ron and let him walk the plank. I can live with the Bed Bath and Beyond makeover of most of the Q mansion but yeah, the complete change in spatial dimensions on the Q foyer and the Brownstone dig at me. Sonny's 'penthouse' is strange too. Viewers know some of these old sets very well. Say what you will about the shrinking down of the AMC/OLTL 2.0 sets for budget, but all the doors were where they were supposed to be at Llanfair, La Boulaie, the Chandler mansion, Bo and Nora's, etc.

I'm honestly not sure. But yes, it is framed very differently onsceen. I know Sam and Dante's is the same one Jason had for centuries. Also, holy shít did he really write that in public? Wow.

That explains a lot. There's a number of scenes that feel like that, and I remember one of the writers talking about adding some funny family business with Karen's boys in either the season 2 or 3 finale to fill time. I suspect that happened a lot. There are a lot of Devane moments that are almost certainly improvised, including one a few eps after where I've written up where Gary comes driving up to Greg's new ranch while Greg is on horseback with a noisy dog at his heels. Before any dialogue begins Devane turns to the dog and says 'shut up!' I cracked up.

Woof:

I think we've seen their current home, but I can't recall. (Again, I bet the GH wiki knows.) Mac and Felicia haven't lived there in a long time,. According to the WIki, the Webber/Scorpio house also burned down in 2010 when Maxie knocked over a candle. Sounds like Maxie to me. I do think the house is a landmark - it was so prevalent not just in the '90s and 2000s but in the classic eps of the original Monty, Rick/Lesley, L&L era - and should be rebuilt just like the old Spencer house. OTOH I'm not willing to give up a version of the Brownstone. But hey, they can always trash one of Sonny or Nina's penthouses and redo another set for the re-remodeled Brownstone.

The GH wiki is remarkably detailed on the status of these classic sets and how they've been repurposed. I'm not sure what's become of the original Brownstone sets, but I bet they know. Last I recall seeing it is around 2002-2003, when Heather first returned. The exterior/front facade was shown with Bobbie, Lesley, Heather and little Lulu on the front steps. I think the exterior of Elizabeth's Brownstone now is meant to represent the basement level/side yard of the original Brownstone. I wouldn't mind seeing the Brownstone be redone to resemble the original a bit more inside and out, but I'm just happy it exists still. I am not happy though that the Webber/Scorpio house seems gone in the show. But I also never got over Luke and Laura's '90s home burning down. That was a sin to me.

Don't ask me. It's what they made clear in-show several years ago though. Michael first renovated 'the Brownstone' via ELQ around 2014-2015. I'll be surprised if ABC or GH make a real fuss over that video beyond a gentle wrist-slap. They've seen crazier shít from fans.

In-universe it is supposed to be the refurbished Brownstone from the '80s, but it is indeed a redress of the Webber/Scorpio house.

I wanted to also chime in (belatedly) on Paul O'Grady. What a desperately needed legend.