Planet Soap

I agree with the posters who said Frank needs to go. It's been 13 years now! But others have said he brings the show in under budget so there's little incentive to get rid of him. This was a telling line... Carly said the most attractive thing about Sonny was that he could get her custody of Michael, so she ignored the dangers that he posed. Some self-recognition! It's crazy how the story lines of 1996-1997: Jason's post crash personality, Jason going to work for Sonny, and Michael's paternity, still directly affect so much plot today.

It's not. It's crazy to think of all the soaps that got canceled We were left with B&B! Stephanie's death should have been the end! I hope not. Hopefully BTG is better written and acted.

Same. The desk clearing scene looked over the top. The cinematography on this show looks quite different than other daytime soaps. It reminds me of the Tyler Perry soaps on OWN. Great quote. Reports have shown that white/mainstream audiences do not watch majority black productions because they don't empathize our identify with the characters. The irony is, black people see themselves in the characters when watching predominantly white shows all the time. I love CBS Sunday Morning. Even when they use the show promote CBS books and productions it's still an informative segment. This was a much needed attention boost. Same. There's just too much scripted content out there right now. I love watching Only Murderers in the Building because it's 30 minutes so I can get through the season quickly. The 30-minute format would have been better. I suppose it has to do with the amount of advertising they're trying to sell.

For a non-sweeps month, this is been a very active time on GH. What's in store for February! Exactly. Where does Wilh*e You get off trying to be Michael's medical proxy. Similar to the discussion we had in the Leslie Charleston tribute thread, I found the writing for the Quartermaines went from comedy drama in the '80s to more serious in the '90s. Particularly with Alan and Monica, in the '80s it was like War of the Roses but in the '90s it was more of a complex dramatic exploration of a dysfunctional marriage. Yes the Quartermaines were a loving family that had moments of funniness but there was a lot of toxicity and drama as you mentioned. Still, everything Drew said to Carly in the chapel was correct. Michael's entire chaotic life is because of Carly, and the desire to shut AJ out of his life was just for Carly's sake, not for what was mess for Michael. Getting shot, raped, and dodging bullets was a heck of a lot worse than the scheming machinations of the Quartermaines.

I never thought of Monica as serial cheater because of how she was presented. Dr. Monica was always modestly dressed looking like a conservative, middle aged wife, mother, and grand mother. Learning about Monica's past was like learning about Kim's messy history with Bob that led to Sabrina on ATWT. You wouldn't expect THAT from THAT character.

I would rather know and get to see years of great material than live in ignorance of what soaps used to be.

Absolutely. Its like THIS WOMAN did THAT? YouTube has been a gift and a curse for me. On the one hand it has showed me the golden age of soaps that I would never get to see. On the other, it's pretty much ruined modern soaps for me because you realize how piss poor our current state is.

I don't get it. Why so much contempt from one of the best families in daytime? The Q characters had range. Drama, comedy and topical issues. Not to mention their stories having a family mixed with doctors and businessmen opens the possibilities for a range of soap stories. Overall Leslie was great as Monica. Growing up on 2000s GH I assumed she was just a regular soap matriarch...just one of several fading characters like Bobbie & Tony that used to have alot to do. I had no idea she was this gritty female lead that had several affairs and did so much great material like the cancer story.

I can agree that the love and the comedy always remained. Quartermaine stories were never HBO level dark. But I definitely felt like their dysfunction was presented more serious and emotionally layered in the 90s than the 80s. I would also agree the Jason & Carly's logic for keeping Michael away from the Quartermaines was illogical. Jason and Sonny legit kill people and are always dodging bullets and bombs. The most the Quartermaines would do is lie and backstab. (Ignoring the time Alan tried to kill Monica and Rick, lol). Thats why I'm glad Drew (of all people) recently told Carly her decisions back then were self serving.

The AJ paternity triangle IMO was Alan & Monica's best story. They were at their most vicious and ruthless. What I find interesting about the Qs is that their machinations were comic relief in the '70s and '80s. No matter how vicious Monica and Alan were to each other, especially during the AJ birth story, there was always comedy drama. When the '90s rolled around, under Riche, their drama took a serious tone. Viewers were given a complex psychological examination toxic relationship that headed a dysfunctional family. The scenes surrounding AJ's drinking, Monica's cancer, Jason's personality change and their pairs various affairs were serious in tone. No wonder Emily was hesitant to get adopted by them, she witnessed so much trauma. Boy who didn't read Sonny the riot act. Were everyday people willing to talk to Tony Soprano or Michael Corleone like this?

Y&R: Maura West as Diane Jenkins. I actually didn't mind her as Diane, she was just a lesser of the three. Fans really didn't seem to like her in that role compared to GH's Ava or ATWT's Carly. SB: I wish Michael Park would make a guest appearance on GH to see Jack and Carly together again one more time. GH: Roger Howard as Austin & Franco. I can understand why writers thought it make sense on paper to have ex Todd Manning play a reformed Franco. It did not work out. Franco did too much to be reformed. GH: Michelle Stafford & Cynthia Watros as Nina. Both women were popular in their roles on their respective soaps (Michelle was popular when she could act) But Nina is just unlikable.

There were a few that came after Sonny & Brenda. I would argue, the OG Lucky & Liz, Robin & Patrick, Jason & Sam, and most prominently Sonny & Carly were all super couples. I would not consider Jason and Elizabeth a super couple. They were broken up most of the time. Maybe I need to go back and watch. Its crazy that the entire show of was centered around the coupling of Sonny and Carly from about 2000-2013 which speaks to their power (and the writers obsession). Jason and Sam were the B super couple. In my opinion, a super couple's stories are deliberately centered on their romance, they get a significant amount of media, fan, and writer attention. For example Luke & Laura were a super couple because a large part of their stories were centered around their relationship, and they receive significant media attention and popularity. Luke and Tracy were not a super couple because they're two characters with individual stories that happen to be paired together. The relationship is not the focal point of their stories. Kevin and Laura on GH are another example.

What elevates a soap couple to SUPER status? What attributes do they have that differentiates them from just a regular soap couple? For example Why are Victor and Nikki a super couple but not Victor & Ashley? Why are ATWT's? Jack & Carly or Tom & Margot considered super couples but not Bob & Kim? Likewise, are there any underrated couples you think should have received the super couple designation?

With the news of Leslie Charleston's passing it has me reflecting on Alan and Monica Quartermaine's marriage. Next to Tom and Margo they are one of the few examples of a non-elderly couple (elderly being Chris & Nancy on ATWT) that withstood years of trials and tribulations without divorcing that often. When we talk about great couples in the history of GH, Alan and Monica don't often get brought up. They are just lumped in with the Quartermaines. But this couple should stand on their own. We got a complex psychological presentation a dysfunctional marriage. Their chemistry was comparable to that of sitcom couples like The King of Queens. 1997 anniversary recap of their affairs A 1993 recap of their fights features the rare scene of Alan raping Monica out of anger in the 80s at 5:29.

Totally agree. Not a fan of his leadership but I do like his involvement of the veteran cast. The most underrated and perhaps best couple in General Hospital. This long-lasting marriage fueled great years of toxic television. Rip to Monica and Alan Quartermaine.

Interesting points. I think there's growing support for Joss now because Willow's actions were worse, but in the months following the Dex affair, I recall mass backlash against Josslyn. I'm surprised to see the downplaying of Joss's actions these days. *Note this is not an attack on your perfectly valid opinion, just an observation on changing support for Joss.

He'll be back...eventually.

Don't get me wrong, in the heat of the moment Joss wouldn't be clear-headed, and WiIllow shouldn't seek sympathy. Yes, realistically speaking people often don't recognize their hypocrisy when judging someone else for the actions done against a loved one. From an objective standpoint, however, Josslyn should understand Willow's actions because she did similar. Both Joss and Willow were trash for their affairs, only the stakes were just higher for Willow's. My point is that Josslyn was in no position to criticize Willow as entertaining as that scene was. Joss judging Willow would be the equivalent of Carly judging someone for concealing paternity.

I get Willow on that though. As someone who cheated on their boyfriend to "follow their heart" (to borrow a line from Brooke Logan), Josslyn should understand the emotions that lead to cheating.

As much as Willow deserved that talking to that was very rich coming from Joss! Heck, I would have accepted that guilt trip more from Kristina. Yes the implications of Willow's affair are greater than that of Joss', but at the end of the day Joss still hurt a really sweet guy who did nothing but love her. As for Michael The affair is karma for Chase. Why would you trust a woman that cheated on her boyfriend to get with you? Is this the beginning of Michael's coma 2.0.

Y&R: would love to see video clips of Katherine driving Philip off of the cliff and his death, the aftermath and the Suzanne Lynch story. OLTL: 1968-1975... Really would like to see Victor Lord Sr death's death and fall out, more of the Carla story and early Nikki Smith. ATWT: anything 1968-77, the rarities on youtube. GH: Anything 1963-77, pre Monty. There was a YouTube channel with a lot of GH content from that period that was taken down. These are the only few I can find: 1967 1974 1975 Overall the late '60s to the mid-70 seems to be the lost period for soap episodes.

Some of the scenes with Michael were legitimately disturbing. I thought they would have just had a wrapped up body and written him off the show. I didn't expect to see Michael conscious and suffering with burning pains. I saw a report on Facebook that said General Hospital would be issuing a viewer discretion warning during the California wildfires. Presumably this is because of some of the difficulties with Michael recovering from burns.

Someone probably said this already but Roger Howarth as Franco. Just no I might be in the minority but I found Billy's portrayal as a tortured lost soul AJ, to be pretty sympathetic. It's when they outright made him vengeful and psychotic and trying to get his son back is where the character fell off. It wasn't until later I realized AJ was on GH as late as 2005. But I totally concede that Sean K was the superior AJ.

Michael's charachter has endured enough. Now this. This reminded me of Barbara on ATW.T after that house explosion.

Totally agree. I would love to see all old soaps available on streaming platforms. Even if we can't get every single episode at least the most critical episodes from each year. It would be a shame for decades of dramatic work with such a strong fan base to sit in a basement vault and rot. Exactly. It just sucks that soaps and broadcast television had to collapse in my lifetime, When I'm old enough to appreciate both.