Members bellcurve Posted April 22, 2007 Members Share Posted April 22, 2007 Yeah, I went there. Looks like Carruthers is trying to recycle old storylines from PC with the Nurses Strike Storyline... PC's was way more intense and, frankly, far more compelling than the Nurses Strike, or better yet anything that is airing on AMC. PC's Nurses Strike included the entire canvas in one way or another, the true meaning of an "umbrella" story. AMC is using this as a filler plot device. The main players in the negotiations, granted they were dayplayers, but they were so important to the storyline. The day the strike happened, to see the entire staff just walk out was so powerful...even Audrey Hardy walked out the door after apolgizing to her late husband, Steve, for doing it. And there was silence for about 30 seconds with the phones ringing with Alan Quartermaine yelling, "Will someone answer the damn phones?!" I think this storyline helped me branch out from the NBC Shows after BEACH ended in 99, because, before then, I had hardly seen a fast-paced, yet well-written storyline before, nor had I really gotten the opportunity to sample the goods on other networks. This storyline was just written so damn well...and I can't believe that people remember PC as a vampire soap instead of the wonderfully well-acted and well-written hospital drama it was. I only got to Wednesday's show in the AMC Marathon, but I just rolled my eyes at this lame attempt at a "Nurses Strike." Regardless of whether this was a copycat story or not, EVERY storyline on AMC should somehow be interconnected. I don't get a feeling of that, and for me, a Karen Harris lover, it's just more salt in my wound to see Carruthers using her old HW's material to add some sort of lame-ass upcoming sweeps drama. Harris should be writing for GH or another daytime soap somewhere. She's such an incredible HW, IMO of course. But I digress... I'm just upset Carruthers pretty much did a copycat of Karen Harris's PC Story, which sucks on AMC because no one cares about the damn hospital on that show. And with McTavish/or whoever else's hands being on it, obviously thos story would suck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members psychofan Posted April 22, 2007 Members Share Posted April 22, 2007 *sigh* Oh, PC.....I miss it so much!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members juniorz1 Posted April 22, 2007 Members Share Posted April 22, 2007 GREAT post Bellcurve! Nice to see someone else finally speaking out against JHC. Shame on her for arrogantly defending every misstep they've made since she joined the show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cheap21 Posted April 22, 2007 Members Share Posted April 22, 2007 well its definetly not going to be anywhere near PC's level since they only have one character on the show who's a nurse (Julia) and only 2 doctors (Joe and Jeff). On PC, the majority of the cast was related to the hospital at that time and there were alot of recurring characters that worked in the hospital as well. I defiently noticed the link between the 2 shows but I dont think she is doing this as a copycat. The Nurses Strike on PC was more of an event. Here its a plot device Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dr. Jay S.W. Posted April 22, 2007 Members Share Posted April 22, 2007 I, for one, think it was a very good choice for a plot device. I hadn't watched in a few days, and came on to see something, that I care about and hits me close; a nurses strike. It was sort of refreshing, to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ryan Posted April 22, 2007 Members Share Posted April 22, 2007 I don't think this storyline is bad. It's not like it came up from out of nowhere. They mentioned this a few months ago when Julia was at home talking about contract negotiations. Julia and Joe and Julia and Jeff talked about it a few times at work and they let you know when the strike was coming. This is not a "frontburner" storyline, but it's a storyline that keeps Sydney Penny involved in the show instead of sending her out of town or something because she (the actress) is pregnant. The strike timed in very well into the storyline involving Adam/Krystal/Tad/Jenny. And it will probably make the hospital give the nurses a nice bump in pay to prove how valuable they are to the hospital. People give JHC too much flack. People fail to realize that the EP's at ABC don't have as much power as they did pre-Brian Frons. Before he came along, you could say the buck stopped with them, but it doesn't anymore. Last year when SON reported the problems going on backstage at AMC, Julie was one of the main ones pushing (at least according to our source) for McTavish's departure. The actors come and complain to her, and she can't complain to Frons because he "likes" what he sees. We also need to remember that AMC and PC (pre-arcs) are completely different shows. Whereas on PC at the time, everyone was connected to the hospital in some shape or form, on AMC, there isn't as many people. I attribute this storyline even remotely coming off as good as it is thanks to the interim writers, instead of just making this complete backburner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bellcurve Posted April 22, 2007 Author Members Share Posted April 22, 2007 I used to give Carruthers part of the credit for PC's Brief Resurgence in 2000 and even made allowances for her at PC and AMC, but she is just a brainless hack just like nearly everyone else in charge over at ABC Daytime. EVERYTHING that was good during that period is solely credited to Karen Harris now, IMO. To me, it wouldn't have been so bad if there were more characters connected to the hospital other than Joe, Jeff, and Julia. Instead of creating a far more interesting situation for these three characters to endure, they seem to be further islanded in this story.And I guess JR is the new Boardman too... I mean, how will this affect anything on AMC? Will Jenny get kidnapped because of the lack of Nurses looking over the kids? Because, WOW, that would be amazing(NOT!). Carruthers likes to think she's this hip, innovative EP with a lot of vision...but all she and ESPECIALLY McTavish know what to do is recycle what they've done on other shows and warm up the leftovers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Addison Montgomery Posted April 22, 2007 Members Share Posted April 22, 2007 I think you're grasping. It's not as if Karen Harris ever invented the concept of a nurses strike. But I'm willing to bet that the writers (McTavish, or whoever) did it as a plot device and so Jenny could be taken from the hospital more easily. IN OTHER WORDS, it's TPTB's intent to make the nurses strike story PERIPHERAL, or secondary! The real story is Jenny's kidnapping, not that the nurses went on strike. I also think it's stupid to expect a nurses strike story to be full-fledged on AMC, because while PC was a medical show with many characters working at the hospital, AMC is not medical-orientd. But I don't think JHC sat down and went "Hmmm, there was a nurses strike on PC seven years ago, let's try that on AMC!" No, they did it to build the kidnapping storyline. And frankly, any plot device that brings Joe, Marian, Opal, and Stuart out of the woodwork is fine by me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bellcurve Posted April 22, 2007 Author Members Share Posted April 22, 2007 I never said she did. I'm just a huge fan of her Head-Writing work on PORT CHARLES. But then again, it appears as though you are grasping as well. Then why not have Natalie or whoever dress up in their umpteenth costume? Or even better, how about AVOIDING the damn kidnapping stories altogether?! It just reeks of recycling a device used on another show that Carruthers was EP on. I never said the Nurses Strike SHOULD be front and center. I mean, this is flipping ALL MY CHILDREN. But this plot device just seems pointless, when I felt like there were other ways to create conflict between Tad/Krystal and Baby Jenny and even to write Julia out b/c of Sydney Penny's maternity leave other than this lame Nurses Strike. It's stupid to assume I expected this story to be front and center. Pssh. Have you seen AMC lately? It seems like everything is a passionless, convoluted mess. Why couldn't you see Carruthers saying "Well we did one for PC, hell, let's do it for AMC." Oh for their one of their twice-a-year seasonal visits? You know ABC don't wanna pay for the old folk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members All My Shadows Posted April 22, 2007 Members Share Posted April 22, 2007 Wow...and this is just an observation...but I think it's funny how you refer to Janet as Natalie, then act as if you watch the show religiously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members alwaysAMC Posted April 22, 2007 Members Share Posted April 22, 2007 Um - have YOU seen AMC lately? Bc Jenny has already been kidnapped - and you just questioned whether she will be or not. Oh and let's not forget that you just referred to Janet as Natalie. If you really were watching AMC on a regular basis, you'd realize what a poor point you're trying to make. Anyway - WORD to Ryan and Addison Montgomery's posts! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bellcurve Posted April 23, 2007 Author Members Share Posted April 23, 2007 Zzzzzzzzzzzz. This bores me. I never said I watched the show religoiusly. If I did, I would be bitching in the actual show thread instead of creating one of my own. And notice how I said I caught up via SOAPnet's Marathon and I ONLY GOT TO WEDNESDAY'S SHOW. Didn't know Krystal's trashy spawn had finally gotten kidnapped. So great, that makes kid #2 the Tad has floating out there in the world. Maybe you should start reading my posts instead of finding every glaring error you can think of. I swear you AMC Fans never let up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Adam Posted April 23, 2007 Members Share Posted April 23, 2007 I think using this as an attempt to bash Julie Hanan Carruthers or AMC is grasping at straws so to speak.... The nurses strike is not a storyline, it is a plot point but I think its a decent one. It adds an interest facet to the main storyline. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members All My Shadows Posted April 23, 2007 Members Share Posted April 23, 2007 Well, I know you didn't say that. I said that you were acting like it. When you make comments regarding a character doing something for the "umpteenth" time, or "twice-a-year seasonal visits," or ask someone else if they've even seen the show lately, it makes me think that you're a regular, daily viewer. When you said Natalie instead of Janet, I thought it was funny. And I resent that generalization about AMC fans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vee Posted April 23, 2007 Members Share Posted April 23, 2007 Julie Hanan Carruthers let Dixie die. That was the end of my giving her any benefit of the doubt because "she did Port Charles." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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