dc11786

IIRC, Raunch is out for about a month before Conboy arrives with Mary-Alice Dwyer Dobbins actings as de-facto or interim executive producer. I want to say Raunch left in mid-November, but I could be wrong. Bill and Beth started when Daniel Cosgrove arrived as Bill for Reva and Josh's wedding in June, 2002. I'm pretty sure that was when Millee Taggart and Lucky Gold were writing. I agree with you on Bill/Beth. I wasn't watching much in early 2002 and tuned back in for the wedding/anniversary episodes with the returns of Ed, Vanessa, Bill, and Trish. I remember seeing Bill talk about his mysterious love/wife and then the quick reveal that it had been Lorlei/Beth and I turned it off. We discussed late 2002/early 2003 within the last year or so. December 2002-February 2003 has a lot of very strong material.

Lena and Fred Eckert are siblings. Fred wasn't happy when Lena married Tim Spencer, Bobbie, Luke, and Pat's father. That was the source of the supposed feud between the Eckerts and the Spencers. I'm in early March, 1991, and Ruby (at bequest of Bobbie) has decided to make an ongoing commercial order from Eckert's for the diner, which should end some of the bad blood. What wasn't resolved will end in late May, 1991, when Fred Eckert has his heart attack. I suspect that the Eckerts were from some soap that Monty had spent the past year or so prior to returning to GH trying to launch. She was living in Portland with her husband and was trying to establish a production facility where she was going to develop said show. When ABC signed Monty, a development deal for a new soap was attached, but I'm not sure if ABC was really ready to cut the cord with "Loving" yet. Anyway, I suspect the Eckerts were the central family of that show. I am wondering if the Eckert/Spencer connection was a result of signing Tony Geary rather than developing a story for Tony as a new character. I think Bill (accused of sabotage) and Bobbie (a pariah because of the baby swap) had some potential on paper, but even eliminating the cousin element there is no sexual chemistry between Geary and Zeman. Most of the references this spring to Eckerts has been in relation to donuts. There is supposedly a late night donut window (according to Kristina) and Sam or someone brought donuts from Eckerts' to Dante's homecoming. March, 1991 is already becoming a bit of a drag. Everything is either an Eckert story or Mac/Robert related. The resolution of Dawn's murder happens fairly quick (Frisco found a tape of Edge bludgeoning Dawn and it's announced that Edge had been found murdered). There is a bit around the ELQ end of the fallout of the sinking of the Tracy, but it is very community based (how will this effect the poor (offscreen), working class people of Port Charles. I think the setup is for Ned and Jenny, but maybe that's just me reading into what was coming down the pike.

I think there was potential for both characters prior to Gloria Monty returning to the credits in February, 1991, even though she was back in the studio in early December, 1990. I think Edge's potential was long gone by the time Monty is in the credits, but Cheryl should have been kept around as a roadblock for Anna/Robert at the very least. Could you imagine Cheryl hooking up with Mac just to get to Robert? Palumbo sets up Cheryl and Edge for several different scenarios which were equally interesting to me, but never crossed their paths the way I would. Palumbo brought Cheryl Stansbury back in September, 1990, at the bequest of Tracy Q as she is trying to build some business acumen and take control of ELQ. She wants Cheryl as her financial advisor as she had previously advised Edward, who is "dead" at this point in the story. Cheryl comes back and the set up is clear that Robert is going to be the father of Cheryl's baby, but there is also a brief flirtation/chem test between Cheryl and Ned Ashton. Tracy wants Ned/Cheryl so that Ned will get his mind off Dawn. Cheryl and Ned interact a bit at ELQ but it never goes very far. With the Robert thread, it would have been easy to tell an Edge / Anna / Robert / Cheryl story with Edge being a real Jerome claiming he is an imposter because he wants Anna. Anna and Robert growing closer because of Robin's machinations and desire to see her parents reunite. Cheryl aligning herself with Edge hoping that Edge can win Anna so she can have Robert. Eventually, I would have Edge convince Cheryl to keep custody of baby Lucas she should present a stable family life (either leaning into Cheryl's mental instability or even allowing Edge to gaslight Cheryl). I'd have Cheryl and Edge unite to raise Lucas, claiming he's a Jerome, so that they could get the inheritance money that Lucy had wanted. I'd have had Lucy press Ned to pursue Cheryl as well in order to get information about the inheritance (as she was the original heir to the diamonds because she "found" them). Cheryl and Edge would cause conflict for Robert / Anna as they both begin to suspect something is amuck. The other possibility presented was going with an Edge / Dawn / Decker / Ned / Cheryl situation. In this alternate scenario, I would still have Edge pursuing Dawn because he thought she had money but then allowing Ned to be jealous of Edge's relationships with both Dawn and Cheryl, with Decker's business relationship with Edge complicating things as Decker and Edge started to present themselves as more serious power brokers in Port Charles' business community through the involvement in their ad agency. Ultimately, Riche/Levinson (and possibly Maralyn Thoma, if she was still there) made the right choice in killing off Cheryl and presenting a custody fight between Tiffany and Bobbie over Lucas. *** I'm reaching the end of February, 1991. The Monty revamp is wild. It is completely different show. The issue that I am mostly seeing is the emphasis on the Eckerts has destabilized the existing cast. One of the issues is that the show seems to want to present class conflict between the Eckerts vs. the Quartermaines, which I find intriguing, in theory. Though, I think part of the issue is that the size of the Eckert and Quartermaine sets means that both sets cannot be used in the same episode. Most of February Quartermaine scenes were set in the Q gatehouse, which I suspect was so that Monty and team could have the Eckert sets constructed. In regards to the Eckerts themselves, they need work. It seems like Norma Monty is writing "Ryan's Hope" fan fiction with an Italian/German working class family who run a bakery. The family is loud and boisterous and talking a lot about how they are a family without really defining the characters as well as they should. Sly is the cute kid. Fred the strict father. Angela the mediator mother. Joey is a womanizer. Jenny is flaky jumping from cause to cause. Bill is a man trying to pick up the pieces of his life after losing his job and his wife (Nancy has recently left him it seems). The two second generation Eckerts have potential. Jenny has recently been humbled when she decides to crash the Quartermaines formal function thinking it is a society bash and not Dawn's memorial reception. Bill seems to be trying to navigate the thinly drawn feud between the Eckerts and Spencers while also trying to defend himself against sabotage charges. One of my bigger issues with the Bill story is it runs directly up against Decker falsely being accused of murdering Dawn at the end of the video piracy plot featuring the Berlin gangsters. Bill and Decker having to both defend themselves at the same time seems like overkill. Though, it may be worth noting (if I didn't already) that it is the Wish version "Die Hard" villains in the piracy story who first make mention of Eckerts bakery when the main villain (Hans?) goes on the campiest of hedonistic declarations about how wonderful the Eckert streussel is while threatening to end Edge's life. The goodbyes are constant. Colton, Carla, Frankie, and Charlene are all shipped off to Colton's cattle ranch in Santa Mauro while Decker and Dawn are left to die at Body Heat. Simone has escaped to Bucharest to help the war orphans leaving Tom and the Hardys to raise Tom, Jr. At least Steve and Audrey get some reflective scenes raising Tom Jr. Edge is caught by the German villains after bludgeoning Dawn to death. We still have Decker left to depart and then at some point I think Larry Ashton fades out, but I am not exactly clear when that is. Even in the exiting stories, the Eckerts are centered. When Dawn and Decker get engaged, at the bakery, it is done in a wideshot so we can see clearly Fred and Angela Eckert watching the event. If there were more depth to the family, I could enjoy it, but so many scenes are just them yelling. It's like that was the defining trait of working class families on soaps in the early 1990s (Addie Walsh treated the Slavinski/Rescott crew similarly on "Loving.") The sinking of the ELQ Tracy would have meant more if the characters had appeared prior to all this heightened drama. Also, a lot of the secondary players are starting to find there way into the story. Finian arrives as part of Mac's community service after hitting Guy Lewis and Scorpio while alsoscratching Frisco. Stacey Cortez is appearing very early as Sheila Cantillion (in a scene at the hospital with Joey trying to help him get a job). Joseph Whipp I think appeared in late January as Marty the cannery foreman who will appear through at least March, 1992. Noah Blake has started as Patrick Pulaski, who I suspect was suppose to be a slightly bigger role. He was working at the cannery and was fired by Ned only to work at Wyndham's as a mannequin repairman. He's Jenny's initial partner in crime who Jenny drags to the Qs with Jenny's intention for reading the Qs for filth for the excess and greed. It is a beautiful moment when Anna (who knows Jenny through Robin) relays the information that this is a funeral reception and pompous Jenny is humbled. Patrick's sister Carol has yet to be introduced, but she becomes a love interest for Bill briefly. Their father was smentione,d but I don't think seen. The family is Polish-Irish because it seems a Monty mandate is we know everyone's ethnicity and talk about things like the Gulf War, PCB chemicals, Romanian orphans, the recession, etc. To at least compliment something, I do appreciate the more serious tone that the material is presented in. I just find it very hard to cover with the story because it's all deconstruction or construction. It's very odd.

I thought today's episode was very tight. I don't like all the short scenes the show does, but cutting from Liz and Portia at the hospital talking about their worries about their parenting only to lead into Natalia just being the meddling mother worked well for me. Later, having Portia asked by Curtis about his work with Drew on the fitness division felt like we were seeing the internal conflict that Portia was just talking about as a mother in action in her marriage. Natalia works for me as the source of conflict. She is homophobic, but she doesn't think she's homophobic. I am pretty sure I called it a few weeks back when I said Natalia would use the pregnancy as another reason to keep the couple apart. Natalia is a woman who has controlled every step her daughter has taken. This must be killing her. I do hope that Natalia starts actively doing things to undermine the relationship, but I'm content with what is going on right now. No one is buying Natalia's line of thought. Alexis has dismissed her. Brook Lynn has pointed out that the ideas are outdated. The one issue I do see is whether or not Blaze/Allison is worth all this trouble. I think the actress is growing, or I am just accepting the work she is putting out there. I don't know which. I am enjoying the character based drama in the surrogacy story with the conflict being the connection to Sonny with the sprinkles that Kristina is becoming attached to the child. I appreciate that there are finally T.J./Molly scenes because so much of their story has been told in separate scenes. Though, like many of the stories, there will need to be some action at some point. Drew and Nina continue to be fun. I think the sexual tension before Curtis' phone call was good. I am enjoying them as thick as thieves, but I will be curious to see how things progress once Jordan is thrown into the mix. I think someone mentioned a shift in Aiden's story from the liking a guy to the bullying, but I sorta hope that they are linked. What if the bully is the guy that Aiden likes and has decided to avoid outing himself by targeting Aiden? I recently saw the film "Monster" that played with that issue. I still like the potential of where things are going, but I will admit it isn't always the most exciting way to get there.

I am at Valentine's Day, 1991. Cheryl gets the baby back the last week of January/early February just as Norma Monty starts to be credited (it looks like she might be credited late January as there looks to be a name underneath Palumbo's but the credits are cut off in my episodes). On V Day, Cheryl tries to get some hairstylist to do her hair, but the man chooses Anna instead. Cheryl and her frizz try to win over Robert, but he's out with Anna and Cheryl, instead, accepts a job offer in Phoenix and departs town after sharing a quick goodbye with Tiffany and Sean. Monty clearly wanted to wipe the slate clean. I think the long plan under Palumbo/Hardy was a repairing of Anna and Robert. The emotional climax of the Faison/Casey the Alien/Crystal Caper is Sean revealing on his hospital bed that he arranged the destruction of Anna and Robert's marriage years ago through some scheme involving the Swede and possibly an affair between Anna/Faison. Actually, I suspect the original plan was to reveal that original plan was to play the beat that Robin may be Faison's daughter as the timing of the affair and Robin's age suggested he was a contender. This was never explored although a great deal of time was spent on a relationship between Robin and Faison as they were collaborting on a book together in the summer of 1990. Given what plays out onscreen, the only thing that makes sense was that Palumbo/Hardy planned on revealing that Robert was Lucas' father. There is a scene in September 1990 between Scorpio and Frisco that alludes to both Scorpio having more children and Frisco's past relationship with his own father. Then, Broxton reveals that the number on Victor Jerome's diamond pouch is the number of Cheryl's file with Dr. Perry, who sold the baby to Bobbie. The diamonds were Victor's insurance policy when he got out of jail. The only reason that makes sense about this is if Victor planned to blackmail Robert to leave him alone with evidence of the baby's location. If it was a Jerome grandchild, why allow him to float around? I think the plan for Evan Jerome, Jr. was for Edge to be Evan. I think Hardy's departure may have lead to some changes as there were clearly sweeping changes happening even before Hardy is out the door. Evan may have even been in the works when Palumbo/Kenney were EP because of Duke's role in Evan's father's death. Edge should have been an intriguing obstacle for Anna, but instead, he is quickly abandoned. I thought the potential of a Cheryl / Robert / Anna / Edge scenario was very intriguing given the fact that Lucas was either Robert or Julian's. Cheryl also weaponizes Lucas' paternity in her final days trying to get a reunion with Robert because he is their son. It makes Bobbie more sympathetic because even though she lied I don't think she was using Lucas to keep her marriage together. She lied to keep Lucas, not Tony. I'm glad that Riche revives the custody battle over Lucas with Bobbie/Tiffany. After watching this all play out, I think it is a brilliant move.

I don't know what to think of Jordan, to be honest. The actress doesn't wow me, but the writing hasn't really made the character pop either. I could take or leave Jordan. At present, she feels like a piece of the bigger puzzle. I suspect she will be around for a bit (at least a few months) with the surrogacy story in place, the hint of a romance with Drew, and the focus on the activity in the mayor's office. However, given that there was a focus on having Laura and Jordan reveal their tax information, I could totally see someone using that information to create some sort of corruption scandal that would knock Laura and/or Jordan out of office especially since Laura has now declared war on Sonny. I was referring specifically to the fact that Nina has asked Drew to help her rebuild her relationship with Willow. Like most of you, I agree this will ultimately come to bite Nina in the ass when Drew decides that he can have both the mother and the daughter. I see the potential of the Nina/Drew/Willow/Michael quad being a variation on the old Tracy/Paul/Jenny/Ned story. Overall, right now I feel like there is a real attempt to make all the pieces fit on the canvas in order to build a level of cohesion that wasn't present several months ago. Some of those pieces might be removed as time goes on, but if Trina and T.J. end up becoming a thing (which I think they might), I think Jordan might have a position. The potential Ashford family drama would benefit from Jordan's presence given the family's history of paternity for both T.J. and Trina. I'd also bring back Marcus Taggert to help in the takedown of Sonny, toy with a relationship between Jordan / Marcus post-Jordan/Drew, and let the drama hit the fan.

Made my way through January, 1991, quickly. It was easy because the show was pretty compelling thanks to two major storylines: (a) the Lucas saga and (b) the end of Lucy's pregnancy. In the main plot, Cheryl ended up in the hospital on New Years' Eve because of an injury she got in a fight with Tiffany leading Tiffany to learn that Tiffany has been hoarding Christmas presents for her husband Robert and son Robbie. I definitely think Robert was at this stage suppose to be the baby's father. Why else would the Jeromes have kept the baby secret? It only makes sense if Lucas was Cheryl and Robert's child. Jackie Zeman is amazing playing all the facets of Bobbie as she desperately attempts to keep the truth from Cheryl about Lucas' identity. Scorpio is onto Bobbie as she has been in cahoots with Broxton, the Jerome attorney (her knows the baby is Cheryl's). As a result, he blackmails Rita Lloyd Jones out of Port Charles, but not before Rita implies to Tony in a letter that Bobbie is having an affair. The back and forth continues until Frisco lies for Bobbie, after also catching her in Broxton's room during an arrest. Bobbie now has Frisco and Ruby in her scheme. Eventually, Robert learns and even keeps quiet for an episode or two until taking the baby and giving it to Cheryl. Once given the baby, Cheyl continues her crazy claiming the baby is Robert, but a paternity test shows its a lie. Then, we get a cat fight between Bobbie and Cheryl over Lucas. Any real energy this part of the story could have is avoided because this is the uncredited Monty era before the big revamp. The story with Lucy's baby is smaller, but equally powerful. They quickly have Scotty quit ELQ, dump Tracy, the Qs set up a trust for the baby, and then Scotty reveals to Alan in Lucy's presence that the baby is his. Lucy loses the baby as a result. There is a suggestion that Alan may be lead to physical violence (there is a montage of the Monica/Rick/Alan story randomly) leading to Lucy and Scott filing a suit against Alan to bring criminal charges against him blaming him for the baby's death. In the end, it's a money scheme, but it loses steam because Lucy is shipped out of town on a cruise so Herring can go on maternity leave. In what I'm watching now, there is some Scotty / Bobbie scenes that makes me thinkthey maybe they should have gone this route. The Monty mandate that we talk about the real world has lead to a ongoing subplot about the crisis facing Romanian orphans who have been liberated by the fall of communism but still face health issues such as disabilities and HIV/AIDS. Simone is immediately overwrought leading to her exit story. Other exit stories also involve the real world. Colton and Carla are planning their return to Santa Mauro, where El Presidente has given Colton a cattle ranch. First, Colotn has to sell Body Heat, but because of the recession is a hard sell, figuratively and literally. If there was a drinking game where they mentioned the recession, you'd be drunk pretty quick. There is lots of talk about the economy. It has also led to Monica, newly returned to the Q mansion, making sure that the whole family is put on notice. The Tracy branch is regulated to the gatehouse and the rest of the family is also placed on a budget. It's fun set of scenes, but it isn't sustainable. It at least reestablishes the family as a unit. The other transition story is the piracy act between the newly reimagined businessman Colton and the newly stripped down Edge. Edge's romantic interest in both Dawn and Anna is abandoned and he is now strictly a sleazy businessman. It works given the nature of where they are going. In what I'm watching now, Jenny Eckert has made her first appearance. So I am into the true Monty II era.

A lot of random comments from this week... I enjoyed the parallel betrayal conversations between Carly / Sonny and Ava/Nina. I didn't expect Nina to sign the divorce papers. That was a pretty nice shock for me. I didn't mind the montage, but the song wasn't for me. I think the show is planning an immediate triangle with Nina / Drew / Jordan with the story being set in Drew's work to help the city change the image of Port Charles. There seems to be a slowly building campaign to clean up PC which I expect will also involve the arrest of Sonny. The clincher for me was the Jordan / Drew flirtation at the bachelor party where Jordan made it clear that she doesn't need a man. This is a direct contrast to Nina, who needs Drew to help her. Playing the dynamic between the clingy Nina and the independent Jordan is intriguing, but I imagine that Jordan will be the loser. The potential of Drew/Willow is good, but I think it will be the second arc of the story between Nina and Drew because for the Nina / Willow conflict to have real meat I would expect there to be a relationship between Nina and Willow first. @Khan I was thinking of you when Brook Lynn pointed out that Natalia's concerns about Blaze's sexuality is outdated. It seems pretty clear to me that the impact on the career is not the real issue. I thought the back and forth over Blaze wanting Brook Lynn to focus on her wedding was a great contrast to the Brook Lynn / Natalia confrontation earlier in the week. I think the wedding preparation was fine, but something is missing. These sorta nice everyday gatherings are more meaningful when there is something on the horizon ( an ex returning to town, a secret). It just seems to be present without the dramatic tension that would make it pop. I thought the blending of stories in both settings was nice. Josslyn and Kristina's confrontation was a surprising highlight. I enjoy the animosity that is building almost as much as I enjoy Kristina honing in on Ava's duplicity. I know some people think Ava will cause Kristina to miscarry, some think Josslyn will, but I am of the camp that Ava will somehow manipulate the situation so it looks like Josslyn is the cause. Especially if Nina and Carly come together to go after Ava now that they know that Ava has set her sights on Sonny. Kristina going to Molly for the truth about Sonny was a smart move and allowed us to play the dramatic irony of knowing that Molly knows all about Sonny / Cyrus and will have to prosecute him, which will only piss off Kristina. I liked the ensuing conflict between T.J. / Molly. T.J.'s point of view on this issue has remained pretty consistent since Dante's shooting; the presence of Sonny is a threat to his unborn child has been the topic of most of T.J.'s limited scenes. I was happy we finally got the conversation between Molly and T.J. after it being between T.J. and Jordan and T.J. and Marshall. I also thought the T.J. / Trina / Ace scenes weren't about Trina being a nanny, but rather setting up a dynamic where Trina is involved in Ace's life as a springboard for T.J. and Trina to interact more if Kristina were to lose he baby. I felt it was more a chemistry test, but no one else seemed to feel that way so maybe I'm wrong. I know the reaction to the Gregory story seems mixed, but I find it rather emotional. The paralysis moment was rather dramatic. I keep wondering when this is going to end, not because I want it to, but just because I am invested. I thought Finn / Gregory's conflict over the caregiver made sense. Both men want to be in control. Tracy's intervention was also smart both in the officiant conversation and in the caregiver conversation. I like the chemistry between Gregory / Tracy and I think their romance has twinges of tragedy that I think that Jane Eliott is going to play the hell out of when it reaches it climaxes (hopefully on trial for easing Gregory's misery). The Finn / Alexis scenes seem to be leading to some sorta of connection. I think the fallout of Gregory's inevitable passing has the potential to create enough dramatic ripples to carry the show for a bit. The potential of either Alexis or Finn falling off the wagon works for me and I like the potential of Finn once again going after his father's woman, even though they seem to be leaning more into Gregory/Tracy than Gregory/Alexis. Laura turning down the donation of art from Sonny was good. I feel like Ava is being set up to take over the powerbase once Sonny is sent to jail with the potential for Sonny to go straight (have they done this before? does anyone else think they might go in this direction?) In the end, I think Sonny will end up back on top of the mob, as he always is, but I can hope to see the elimination for at least a little bit. Sasha the cook seems like an attempt to do some Upstairs/Downstairs set up with the Quartermaines. I do feel there needs to be a bit more work to make the Qs a strong force again, and I don't have a problem with using Cody/Sasha until they can actually build a stronger presence.

Most likely eBay https://www.ebay.com/itm/235534598649?itmmeta=01HWGGE5XW0W3GDBE3J51JSJT3&hash=item36d6f4c1f9:g:8bIAAOSwPz9mKBJ~&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA8AbIWxB8p86gLwpleaF3LpVGmAYfK73IqnKLsm%2BksvS5dxNF1Z0SNWGHJ5RmLjGz5OBwjKhofoqCwFFndLd9PAA%2Fy9Be%2BjZwNrqRH%2FMNUrgHfR686U1s8%2B4VxUl%2BW5dV8rr90JUF8hDijGwEm%2FMxc5peBj3zBwJQyWtRifK6NUe8%2FDqmSAJNvvEEbwVSHx6w6ody2lA2PMwDIvfjU8bfDowbpCPTD7UWl4dhpeMKqAR08y%2Fr8IvwjPInLfPg0pxg1S4yq2nequSGkMuA%2B6J9oA%2BteA%2Bdq4SlaRXQDUHZiFUcb3ZKWQVLjl8M25WsPUTDPw%3D%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR_zeuJDkYw

Frank Andre played Dom Corso, who sung in a night club as early as December 1965. He seems to be one of the leads by the fall of 1966. Also working at the club was Stash (Bayard Swopes). Corso sang a rendition of the show's theme song. I suspect that Dom may have been a love interest for the final actress (that we know of) who played Linda Driscoll (Beret Arcaya). I also suspect there was a third Steve Reynolds. There is a question in a newspaper TV column asking why Tom Holland (Steve #2) left. Given the timeline, it's possible that Steve just left town with his and Jane's son Mark after Jane's death in late November, 1966. I suspect though the final Steve appeared sometime late in 1966 when Steve was on a business trip in South America. I wish more information would appear on this show. The latest episode summaries in TV listings I can find are from December, 1965 in newspapers. I do wonder if TV Guides might not have listings for the show, but I haven't really explored that option.

Today was a solid episode. I think most days tend to be solid, but not always remarkable. One of the standouts today for me were Josslyn going to Anna about Dex's recruitment to the academy. I thought Joss' impassioned speech was well written and well delivered. I think Finola Hughes played the conflict well, but I am not necessarily sure what major aim of going forward with the case against Sonny for Cyrus' assault is and having Molly prosecute. Is she purposely hoping that this will reveal that Dex was involved to get him kicked out of the academy? Or is she trying to get Sonny put away quickly to protect Dex? I am started to see why people were upset about Anna pushing for Dex to be recruited. I still think it's an interesting arc, but it doesn't necessarily make Anna look very intelligent. The wedding planning stuff today was more effective than I usually find it. I actually enjoyed Lois trying to arrange Sonny's seat among his enemies only for Lois to consider whether or not they were inviting Jason, who's place in the Q family I was curious about. If I cared about Carly/Jason as a couple, I would enjoy their scenes. Jason explaining his isolation and need for something that was just his worked well. I thought the city inspector angle was good as it continues this civic sensibility that has been permeating throughout the show. I actually thought the good cop/bad cop thing was stupid until Carly explained it, and then I just thought that Carly lives by her own rules. I think it was smart to do the whole Danny and the jacket scene without any dialogue. The lighting looked good in that scene. Nina getting played is fun. She is definitely not as smart as she thinks she is, which makes her a little more human. Her realization today that Ava is exactly the person that Drew said she was was gold. I just wish that Drew was there to see the moment. I did enjoy the set up of that scene with Sonny and Ava grabbing lunch as Carly arrives to tell Olivia. The episodes do feel tighter as the new writers continue to find their groove.

I watched Peggy McCay sell Wanchai Ferry for weeks on end so I'm not a good judge here, but I didn't mind it. It was a bit cringey, but I think it is important to show some part of the test since they've invested the time in telling the story of Dex entering the academy. For a show that has been trying to show every important beat, I think it was a smart move, but definitely not executed in way that emphasizes the show's strengths. The show still seems to be finding its way. I like the general tone and atmosphere, but the dialogue could be a little crisper in places. I think there were a lot of small choices today that I appreciated. Ava choosing Trina over the call from the lab made Ava a little more layered. Michael joking about Carly having a new boyfriend. Lois micromanaging every bit of the wedding down to asking Finn if they need a standby officiant reminding Finn of the reality of his father's condition. Dante inviting Anna to the bachelor party. I also appreciate the crossover in stories. Dex and Cyrus running into each other at the police station. Joss learning about John's beating and pointing out how hopeless this will be for Dex. Dante taking over the bachelor party planning as Finn continues to be overwhelmed. I'm sure there are spoilers, and I don't want any, but I appreciate the building anticipation towards Brook Lynn and Chase's wedding even if I'm not finding every step exciting. I feel like something Sonny related should be happening whether it will be another attempt on his life or his being arrested. The immediate follow up should be Alexis' hearing about being reinstated. I also imagine that Gregory will probably kick the bucket not long after. All of this is interesting to me so I don't mind waiting as long as they play different angles in the meantime.

I agree. The number of romantic pairings of contract players with recurring actors is such an odd choice. I think there will need to be some shifts made. I still don't get a sense of what the main stories are on the show that I am suppose to be seeing center stage. A lot of what is working for me right now is character's individual journeys. I just don't necessarily feel these are actual stories yet, but rather motivation and character exploration. I imagine there will be some sorta of legal situation involving Sonny being potential sent to prison for the assault on Cyrus since that has been a talking point since Korte and Mulcahey were being credited. Dex and Joss broke up over it. There was all the talk the last two days about it. Now, whether or not Sonny's medication will be used as an excuse is to be seen. I thought the Anna / Laura conversation was fairly strong. I appreciate the amount of introspection that characters are doing regarding explaining why they are who they are or why they have chosen to act the way they have. In some ways, Anna and Laura have been characters that has been drawn to dangerous men so their relationships with Sonny make sense. I'm curious to see if this attitude will be maintained as the show moves forward. I thought the strongest scenes today were in the story revolving around Gregory's failing health. The show has done a really nice job the last two days having Gregory dispense rather sound advice to other characters regarding parenting as it highlights not only who he is as a person, but makes me care a bit more about him. I am going to be upset about his passing. I don't think this is the level of Stone's death, but I appreciate that there is an honest examination about a person's feelings regarding the fact that they are in their final days. I am not always thrilled with Michael Easton's choices, but I did find he did a better than usual job portraying the guilt Finn has over the affair with Jackie and the bitter hostility he has felt for his father. Alexis and Finn's scenes were really well done and that wasn't a dynamic I was expecting to enjoy. Gregory's analysis of the Jake/Jason/Liz situation was intriguing because it leaned into Liz's feelings over this situation. I liked Gregory trying to compare Jake to Finn as I imagine this is a dynamic that they were trying to develop in those few pre-Mulcahey and Korte episodes I watched. I am assuming the vape story is being dropped. Who was vaping? I thought Chase and Brook Lynn reflecting on their backgrounds was insightful, but I am only interested in this thread because I imagine Chase would receive some sort of money following Gregory's death and how that money will impact their dynamic.

I'll give you using some inflection in his voice rather than his typical monotone droll seems to be a choice that required more effort than usual, but I felt like he was complaining about how hard the New York Times crossword puzzle was rather than allowing his father make his own medical choices. it's a shame too that the actors in the Hamilton/Chase crew aren't always the strongest emotionally because they are, structurally speaking, similar to the Jones crew with the singing cop brother and the doctor brother. The dad involved with a woman who had also been involved with his son. Thanks. I just would like to see the shows do something different every now and then. Regarding Blaze/Natalia, I don't think Blaze's career would be negatively impacted by coming out in 2024. And, if Natalia dug deeper, even she knows that wouldn't have a negative influence on her career. From my perspective, the real issue is Natalia doesn't want the people in her own circle to know she has a gay daughter for two reasons. The first is she thinks Blaze's relationship with Kristina is a trauma response to the Linc Brown harassment. The second is that Natalia isn't comfortable with the idea of having a gay daughter. Natalia is a woman who likes to be in control and has micromanaged her daughter's life to a T. This is something that Natalia has no control over and it is cause a great internal conflict. Or that's how I am choosing to fanwank it.

I hear what you are saying about real life diseases, but I do appreciate the approach that is being taken since the change in headwriters. I think showing someone who wants to have a say in how they live their life as well as how they handle their medical care is interesting. Gregory asking Finn for help with editing his article and then resigning from the paper were some of my favorite scenes so far. Unfortunately, anything else that has asked Michael Easton to do any sort of emotional work has been a struggle. I am curious if they will take this anywhere dramatic like having Greg making the choice of having the right to die and the potential family conflict if Tracy sides with Greg and the boys are determined to keep their father in their life. Given Lucy's history with Bobbie, that would be a powerful moment of reflection that Lucy used to be very good at. Given how much of Lucy's humanity came from her relationship with Dominique, if himbo Cody has to stick around it wouldn't upset me too much if Lucy started to try to mother him a little bit in only the way Lucy could. i'm hoping to see some real stories develop for the characters you've listed. I've been impressed with what I've seen of Brook Kerr as Portia in the hospital setting. I am looking forward to how Portia will handle the Heather Webber conviction issue when it eventually goes to court. To expand upon what @titan1978 said, Natalia specifically nixed the part of the contract that required Blaze to be a spokesperson for the company. She could appear in the advertising, but couldn't be forced to make personal appearances due to issues of exposure. It would have been interesting had Blaze showed up because it would have pissed off her mother and then her mother could have fought whoever she thought was behind the decision. Whether or not Blaze is in a position yet to defy her mother seems up in the air. Has the show ever had a male Face of Deception? Or for that matter, has any show had a cosmetics company develop a make up brand for a male clientele? In real life, I know the brand War Paint was a thing a few years ago, but I'm not sure how that panned out.

I've made it to the end of December, 1990. It's hard to tell who has done what because the credits aren't always included in my episodes. As of December 26, 1990, no executive producer is credited. Earlier in the month (c. December 6-7), Joseph Hardy is still being credited. According to the newspapers, Gloria Monty's first day back in the studio was December 4, 1990. So I imagine that Monty was at least making some choices by the on-air mid-December episode. December was a month of change, which wasn't uncommon on Palumbo and Hardy's GH. There is definitely some noticeable shifts in dialogue towards the end of the month that suggest that Monty may have been on set. On the December 17 episode, the Quartermaines are preparing for Christmas and Lila announces she has decorated the tree in yellow ribbons for the troops in Saudi Arabia. Monty stated the dialogue would include more real life references. A few episodes later (December 21st), Shep Casey is quickly shipped out. The papers state Bradley Lockerman was the first of Monty's victims. Shep's departure would seem to mark the arrival of Monty and the purge sets in motion upon her return to the show. In the course of two episodes, Shep learns that Cheryl has been hoarding Christmas presents for Robert, which leads Shep to the realization that Cheryl is still hung up on Robert. In the next episode, Tiffany learns that Shep has optioned the out in his contract and is leaving the station and Port Charles. He leaves a cryptic comment to Tiffany and Sean saying that they should be careful about who their friends are. In other news, Decker has returned to town from Watson's break with a shift in personality. He now appears to have a bit of money and he wants to win back Dawn. They are leaning into Edge being after Dawn's money. The triangle isn't very engaging, but there are some nicely lit scenes where Decker confesses to a "sleeping" Dawn where her face is lit by the light coming through the blinds. I am realizing though that Watson is either not good at, or not interested in, the emotional scenes. I can see why Monty would want to dump them. Had Hardy stayed, I imagine Decker vs. Ned in business deals would have been what occurred much in the manner that Jenny/Ned/Paul/Tracy was a thing later on. The Willow Shore mystery is functional in the way the Conmargo surgery hostage situation was functional. The mixing of the hospital staff and the police crew works well. I noticed this worked well during the early Riche years as well with stories like the original Ryan Chamberlain story and even, to an extent, the David Langton story. In the last variation, the Willow Shore mystery now has brought in the police crew after keeping them sidelined (it seems like Tristan Rogers was off the show for a few weeks). It is Robert's return that seems to kick things up a notch when he realizes that there is a connection between Bobbie Jones and Broxton. The show has centered a lot of the drama (smartly) around Bobbie Jones. Realizing the connection between Lucas and the Jeromes, Bobbie has become involved in a flirtation with Mark Broxton, the former Jerome attorney. Broxton has emerged as the sorta short term big bad that the show has engaged in a lot in recent months. He is not only the owner of Willow Shores, he was at the center of the search for Evan Jerome, Jr., and now he has proof that Lucas is Julian's son. Bobbie is slowly self-destructing. She is skirting around Broxton's attempts to sleep with her, she is keeping the truth about Lucas from Tony, and she is having a panic attack almost every time she sees Cheryl. Bobbie's emergence as a leading lady again after a year with not much story (Zeman's pregnancy kept her limited in her story) has been a pleasure. It is hard watching Bobbie be her own worst enemy, but the stakes are high enough (Lucas) that I can understand. It is hard to picture where they were going to go with Bobbie after this situation. I imagine Tony and Rita would have gotten together. Lucy and Alan's relationship is pretty much over. Tracy and Larry know about Scotty being the father of Lucy's child. There is a brief Larry/Tracy attempted romance where Larry proposes to Tracy, and Tracy considers saying yes not because of love, but because she wants to go after Lucy without people thinking she is bitter about losing Scotty. Colton and Carla are back. They get engaged pretty quickly upon return. Their current story is money issues with Colton looking to possibly sell the health club to get out from his debts. Cheryl is losing her grip on reality buying gifts for her dead son, who obviously is alive and is Lucas. Since Shep left, there is a shift that this is a Tiffany story, and it only feels more like that in early 1991 when Cheryl slips into a coma. Cheryl collasping into Robert's arms on New Years' Eve while presumably trying to tell him that he has a son is pretty dramatic, but doesn't even warrant an end of episode cliffhanger, which is a shame. Onto 1991...

The Tracy stuff has improved so much since I started. I feel I get what they are trying to do with her by having her grapple with who she is as a person who she feels she should be as the head of the family. The spectre of both her parents haunting her in different ways as played by Jane Eliot is quite beautiful. The Tracy/Gregory stuff is sweet, but I'm mostly interested in seeing Tracy having to process what it will mean to love and lose another person. The will they and won't they with Jason and Carly is fine for now as a person who hasn't watched it a million times, but I imagine this is gonna grow old pretty quick. Lucy is a tough character. There have been so many versions of the character. I've never been a fan of Lucy the fool. It's a choice. I don't find it that amusing. I appreciate seeing Kin Shriner and Lynn Herring together, but I wish there was a bit more meat. I apologize if I asked, but does Lucy know that Cody is Dominique's son? If they are gonna tell this story, I think Lucy's reaction would be important if they aren't going to bring back Serena. The movement in the Nina/Ava scenes was nice with Nina obviously falling for Ava's spiel because she wants to believe it. I also love that they've reverted back to Nina not liking Drew, which is deliciously refreshing and makes their eventual reunion more satisfying for me. Nina considering selling the hotel to win back Sonny is a nice angle to play because Nina has been nothing but desperate. I am not sure what journey Sasha is on, but I'm hoping the destination takes her far from Port Charles. @John Thanks for posting the credits. I don't always catch them and I know there has been some questions about the breakdown writers.

I think Alan may have returned to the post. Tom departs in March, 1993, rightbefore the anniversary episodes. Tom wasn't appearing much anyway in 1993 before he was dumped, from what I recall. I might just be making that up though. Around the same time, you have the Ryan Chamberlain story peaking and everyone is involved in gaslighting him at the hospital leading to the Hardys being held hostage so they may not have taken a moment to replace the position. Regarding the history of the position, I believe Alan stepped down in late 1989 because he had assume the presidency of ELQ following Edward's death. It was used to bring Harrison Davis to town to continue telling the story of Tommy Jr.'s paternity. I may have mentioned this in the "Port Charles" thread, but I think they should have considered using the Hardys as an anchor family on the spinoff. I would have had Debbi Morgan's Ellen tied to Harrison Davis somehow, either a blood relative or a wife/ex-wife, and revisited that dynamic. Matt Ashford left GH I think right before the spioff so they could have recast.

Mansi came on as Abigail when I was still watching "Days of our Lives" and I liked her from the beginning. She was usually able to do a lot with a little so I am not surprised that the writers are giving her more. The actress playing Blaze comes off like she is appearing on a sitcom for kids (Marci Rylan gave off similar energy). I hope that with some more introspection maybe the actress will develop more range. Sasha doesn't work. I find her and Cody bland. Cody could work as the aging himbo but I'd still probably only want to see him on recurring unless they found some place for him. I think him being Mac and Dominique's son is a bizarre choice even as someone who liked Mac and Dominique. I do think Dom was offscreen in late 1991 between actresses and there was space for them to say Dom had a kid then as she was locked in a psych ward, but I don't think she and Mac went to bed until after Shell Danielson was in the role because the sexual violence during her marriage to Leopold was a stumbling block for the couple in January, 1992. It just feels like they are leaning very hard into a Carly/Jason romance and that this is just another attempt for Jason to show how much he cares about Carly. I don't think it will work (for either Carly or the audience), but that's the sense I get. I thought the scene where Nina rationalized the need for the gossip seemed a bit meta, saying it cannot be hard hitting, topical every day that there needs to be some sleaze in there too. I would imagine once Alexis gets her law license back that the most you'll see if the gossip reporter appearing at social events or trying to get Intel somewhere. That's what I imagine from very limited viewing the modern era. Gloria Stuart played Faith Rosco's grandmother who I think Faith murdered. I remember watching that back in the days of SoapNET.

I thought the post-hook up conversation between Nina and Drew was very strong. I thought Drew's comment about needing more than 45 minutes of fun from Nina was hilarious. I think the dynamic is interesting and I can't wait to see it continue. I expected Nina to improve under Mulcahey's pen with Cynthia Watros in the role. Cameron Matheson's blossoming as Drew is really the shock. I am finding Drew's scenes among my favorites. Moving into the wellness and fitness arena will allow the show to move more into the hospital realm if they do it right. I think everything is heading in the right direction, but it still seems like it's in flux. The Nina bashing regarding Metro Court is heavy handed, which is a shame because I thought some of the actual plotting worked. The silly "firing Pierce" conversation actually played into the later Nina/John/Carly situation even if it was heavy on plot. Nina running up to tell Drew with Michael present really isn't going to help her case with Willow, but it seems Nina is her own worse enemy. Kristina and Blaze's conversation regarding her staying professionally closeted was interesting. I haven't kept up with all the gay stories on soaps, but has an American show done this? I imagine some of it was done with Maya on "Bold and the Beautiful" though that story was slightly different. I think Kristina's arc is developing nicely. The T.J./Marshall scenes seem to show that they will be continue the conflict over the family dynamic rather than jumping into Kristina just wanting to keep the baby (which she may do in the end). The Lucy stuff is not appealing. I think Lucy can be a hard character because she has evolved so much and different people might enjoy different versions of her. I didn't like the Home and Heart scenes because they were unnecessarily humiliating. I did appreciate the conflict between Maxie and Lucy over Maxie's loyalty to Brook Lynn and how Lucy saw that as a conflict of interest. Alexis' arc regarding her return to law is fine. I am curious if they will follow up on who her source is in the D.A. office. I like the Molly/Alexis conflict as I suspect it is going to become more and more contentious when Alexis gets her law license back. I appreciate that Alexis' meeting will be at the same time as Brook Lynn and Chase's wedding leaving Tracy free to act as Tracy's defacto date. The Brook Lynn/Chase stuff is fine, but I still struggle to figure out what is A-story vs. B story because a lot of stuff is more day to day rather than long story. I thought the Tracy/Brook Lynn stuff about Chase being more traditional was intriguing, but it is hard remember the social strata when everyone's set looks the same. I know the Quartermaines have money, but it's not like Chase should be struggling. Gregory is a doctor and Jackie was a reporter so it's not like they grew up clipping coupons and counting pennies. I thought the insight into Tracy's life is interesting. I imagine they will revisit a bit of Tracy's grief over Luke with her interest in Gregory.

I am trying to be spoiler free for once in my life lol so I haven't read the article. I only asked because the fact that they brought up how Nina was asking for help with her child while mentioning how Drew was kept from his by Nina's involvement in his SEC fraud imprisonment was an interesting lead up. Also, with the hinted at Jordan/Drew angle, I wasn't sure if there was more to the story. Personally, I love the idea of Drew and Nina as a sorta hot mess powercouple.

I thought there was a lot nice setup here. I think Nina on the board of Aurora in order to get closer to Michael and eventually Willow is intriguing. There seems to be an attempt to rebuild a business community, which I hope they follow through on especially if they maintain the civic angle as well. The hook up with Drew and Nina worked for me. I'm curious to see how this will play out. I caught the line by Willow and I thought they were alluding to the fact that she might lean into the money from Nina and the Reeves clan down the line. I appreciate how some of the focus in the Kristina/Sonny/Ava scene was on just Kristina reacting to the dynamic between Ava and Sonny. I also think there is just a lot of nice beats played. Sonny learning Nina was back at Crimson leading him to question Ava, who had a good deflect. Ava's manipulation works well for me. I hope that Ava blows the lid on Drew and Nina's hook up to Sonny. I really want to see Maura West and Cynthia Watros tear each other to shreds. Some of the Diane stuff intrigued me because it almost sounded like the government signed off on Jason's death certificate in order to investigate his holdings, but would hey really need to do that? Or did I misread the situation? I feel like Willow should suffer some consequence for her stealing the meds. I don't need her to lose her license, but I think it is a beat that needs to be played. I will be curious if Willow will quit before it becomes an issue or if this will just set up her life post-hospital work. Are we sure that revenge isn't Drew's endgame here? Seems like they could very much go the route that Drew is building up Nina's dependence on him which could lead to an even bigger fall for Nina when she realizes that Drew is only playing her. Also, if Drew happens to hurt Carly in the process, that would just be icing on the cake. I think what I appreciate the most about what I am seeing with the show in general is the potential. There are many directions that the show can go in.

@carolineg You were asking about Tom Hardy's role at the hospital. He was a psychiatrist, but in November, 1990, he was promoted to assistant chief of staff. This is probably would you were remembering. He replaced the departed Harrison Davis, who was briefly presumed to be the father of Tommy Jr. Before Davis, I believe the position was held by Alan Quartermaine, but I might be wrong on that. Maybe he held it afterwards. I'm in mid-December, 1990. Joseph Hardy's final days are a bit bittersweet. I find the story with Rita Lloyd Jones to be quite compelling still. Frisco has discovered she was getting money sent to her in San Francisco by a series of men and assumes she must be a high end call girl. It's an odd angle for Frisco to harp on given Bobbie's history. It's almost as if they are purposely trying to make Frisco look bad. Anyway, Rita remains a pretty neutral character despite being pushed into the center of Tony and Bobbie's marital issues. Not only is she lending Tony an ear so he can talk about his issues, she has run into Bobbie on several occasions going into Broxton's suite at the Port Charles Hotel (Bobbie is there to get proof about Lucas' adoption). In the later episodes when Monty is there, Rita is portrayed as a clear schemer and quickly run out of town by Scorpio. The Edge/Dawn relationship continues in Decker's absence. Now that Edge isn't a Jerome he is said to be pursuing Dawn because he thinks she got a huge divorce settlement from Ned. Obviously, this isn't the case as she is living at Willow Shores. Dawn is now pretty sick in the hospital as the polluted water continues to wreck havoc on her system. Dawn has also managed to get involved in some modeling for Frankie, who clearly wants Dawn and has used her to further his own chances to work with Edge on the music video he will be producing for Frisco. It's all very plot heavy with not enough introspection. Cheryl seems to be losing touch with reality more and more each day. The show seems to continue to build towards the revelation that Lucas is Robert's son, but I think Monty undoes that pretty quickly. Her and Shep's relationship seems to be wrapping up as well as he is super jealous. Poor Bradley Lockerman. I think Shep has some potential, but I won't say I'll miss him. It was pretty wild realizing that it was Don Jeffcoat playing Robin's older boyfriend. It's actually a bit unsettling. The end of diamond caper is pretty silly. I've been working on some episode summaries for Palumbo's run of "Rituals" and I find myself seeing the same scenario play out: Scheming woman (Lucy/Taylor) trying to convince her potential suitor (Scotty/Logan) of her new ways with something ended up thrown into the lake (the diamonds/Taylor's sable coat). Scotty and Lucy are fun. Alan and Lucy are done. I think the show would have gotten more mileage out of Alan and Lucy's marriage if the baby had been Alan's and the child had lived. Monica raising Lucy's daughter would have been something else and filled the void of Dawn's loss. I'm not sure how far I got into 1991. It wasn't very far, but I know I was also jumping around. I'm morbidly curious to see the day to day, blow by blow deconstruction and reconstruction of Monty's 1991 "General Hospital."

I mean if you are faking your death and keeping away from your kids, I would hope that they would at least explore a relationship between Jason and Carly. Either way, Jason comes off pretty bad, but I think it's worse if they don't at least try and go there. Not that I necessarily need that. Paul Anthony Stewart would have worked. Hard pass on Vilasuso.

That was kinda why I was asking. He seems to have purpose with his role in Jason's return, but otherwise, he just feels kinda there. I don't hate Adam Harrington, but even though Anthony Sabato, Jr. wasn't the strongest of thespians I always feel there is a level of pain just below the surface with his performance (whether it is missing his brother and sister or pining for Karen). I just find Harrington rather cold. He seems more than competent, but John Cates feels like a different person than Jagger. I am definitely aware of Mulcahey's feelings on Carly. I also really enjoy Laura Wright as a performer (from not only "Loving," but "Guiding Light"). I still don't necessarily get a sense of where all this is going for Carly as she seems sorta consumed with Jason's return that I cannot really get a handle on what they will do with her. I think Eden McCoy does a good job emulating some of Wright's mannerisms and I don't find Joss as painful as I expected, but I definitely don't root for her as a heroine rather as a self-absorbed catalyst for drama. I thought Carly's role as talk-to for Joss' dilemma with Dex was compelling given Carly's only place in the mob world. I suspect we might end up with Jason/Carly/John, which I think could be a surprise hit or a complete disaster. I am also curious to see how Mulcahey handles Carly without Bobbie. One of the strongest moments I saw in the last couple weeks (of many strong moments) was Carly trying to recount seeing Jason and discussing how she had to tell him Bobbie had died. Thanks. It doesn't answer my question, but it does in a way. I was wondering if they shoehorned in John Cates into other material that was already completed. It would also explain why he might have just meandered around if they were trying to lock the actor down in a role in a story they knew would be coming up.