Jump to content

GH: Will Night Shift 2 be Nightmare 2?


Recommended Posts

  • Members

Veteran soap critic Marlena De Lacroix isn't very hopeful after viewing the the first episode of General Hospital Night Shift 2! From clunky writing to cliche casting Marlena isn't very optimistic about headwriter Sri Rao's first full-blown soap opera. Jagger's chest: been there, seen that a long time ago. Robin and Patrick's arguing: how entertaining is that? Foul language, semi-nudity, that's not what is going to make a soap good. Read more of Marlena's thoughts at

http://marlenadelacroix.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 12
  • Created
  • Last Reply
  • Members

I disagree with the entire column. No the first episode of the second season of NS wasn't perfect, but it was damn sure better than ANYTHING GH has produced all year.

Robin and Patrick's relationship is that of contention. They argue, they make up. Their argument on the first episode of NS was based in reality. Patrick was looking out for the best interest of Robin after being injured during the accident. He's worried about her and the baby. Robin of course being the person she is didn't agree with that. The difference between their NS fight and their GH fights is the writing. This wasn't some stupid fight, it was serious, and the motivation behind it was out of genuine concern.

As far as Robin being up without a scratch, Robin did not get up after the accident. She was hospitalized, which is why Patrick didn't want her going back to work. He didn't fire her, he relieved her of her duties (IE sent her home). I thought it was cute that Robin snuck back into work and tried to use her ID card only to find it had been disabled. Patrick knew Robin would try that and he countered her.

I think Marlena looked at NS with a skewed perspective. There was no build up to this season. Hell, Kimberly and Jason didn't even appear on Tuesday's episode of GH. There was no talk of them working the Night Shift, there was no story on GH that suggested they were bringing in new interns to the show. Oh wait, that's right, because they devote all their time to that fecking whore Carly and her nonsense; moody broody crazy JoLubook and the mob BS.

NS has more diversity than GH does, and yet they can't get credit for that? It's not as if they have a show set in the suburb PA that's a suburb near Philly and yet there's only WASPs, a Hispanic family and 3 black people in town. Yeah, that's diversity. Kudos to NS for trying something different, continuing with the trend of ethnic diversity and not going for the obvious.

Robin waking up with Patrick and being in her bra is normal. An intern changing clothes in normal. Rather see that than disgusting limo sex with a whore and a misogynistic sex, or similar characters using violence or tragedies as an aphrodisiac.

Maybe if Robin & Patrick were analyzed as being in their element, and walking the line of having their professional and personal lives cross over, the criticism would have been different, but it wasn't. IMO there was a bias going into watching the first episode, and that ruined it for her.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Bang! Bang! There - I got you!

The fact that's it's better than GH means nothing. Pretty much everything can be better than GH at the moment.

Night Shift had a whole lot of cringe-worthy (oh, how much I hate that adjective) moments. Being different from GH does not equal quality. :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Co-sign with Ryan. I haven't watched GH in over two months, and when I sat down to watch NS, I experienced that old reflex whenever I watch GH -- of stealing myself, mentally preparing myself to stomach the mob pimping and couples I despise in order to get a few glimpses of actors I do like.

5 seconds into NS, that reflex (Frons's Train-The-Audience Reflex © ) had completely relaxed. I didn't have to force myself!

Yes, some of the production techniques are not JFP's trademark dark, teflon-smooth aesthetic. Yes, some of the newbie acting is dodgy, to say the least.

But for the first time since Kimberley McCullough returned, Robin was watchable and relatable to me. And, by extension, Scrubs was watchable -- and surprisingly sexy. Epiphany? Also watchable -- with glimpses of warmth and humor I don't always get from her on the mothership.

And Jagger topless? Just because it happened 15 years ago doesn't mean I have to say no to seeing it again. :)

The story-telling was simple (in a good way), some of the dialogue was humorous and funny, there were very few PSAs or finger-wagging at the audience, a couple of the newbies, including Kyle and Leo's "brotherly" hatred, look very interesting.

Sure, it's got a long way to go. I want to see the Qs and a Nurse's Ball and Robert & Anna before I decide whether this is "the real GH" (which it patently is not). But something about the soapiness I saw -- and the warmth with which Sri Rao and her writing team treats all the characters -- struck me as more of the GH I have been missing than anything its Daytime counterpart has produced in the last decade. JMO.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I'm watching it now. I think it is good for what it is. Nice humorous and sexy moments. A good mix of old (returning vets) and new (some fairly intriguing newbies...both Kyle and that Medieval Faire woman make me laugh).

It works for me because I really stopped with GH before Stone and Jagger ever came on...so I have a minor knowledge of some of these characters, but it is basically a new show. An in that context, for summer programming, it is fresh, light and relatable.

I honestly think this kind of thing is the future of soaps--even the future of OUR current soaps.

So, I say bring on the experiment.

When you plant a seed, you have to give it some time to flourish. Why rip it apart on the first day it starts to sprout?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I'm just gonna fall in line with the rest of ya and co-sign Ryan's post.

"Did anyone else make it through the entire hour?" Um, yes, Marlena. A lot of us. :P

Robin did have scratches. I guess Marlena was too busy psyching herself up to hate the show to notice. :lol:

I couldn't disagree more with the "coddling" of the driver of the car. Patrick was completely out of line when he tore into her. It was not his place as a doctor. So it certainly wasn't "coddling."

As far as the question of "where were the cops?" Well...I haven't seen cops on GA much while they're dealing with the background stories of why someone did something criminal. Its a hospital show. They focus on the medical aspect. Not much of a stretch. Its an hour long show. They deal with their subject matter. Medicine.

Marlena may complain about the "chicks in bras before the opening credits," but really it was for the fans. If you read all the PR out there about NS2 (even NS1) its about how much freedom they have in primetime that they don't have in daytime. Showing Robin and Patrick that close is for the fans. And btw, I thank them for that as a vidder. :P

And gmab with the Epiphany and integrity comment. Puh-lease. Homegirl runs around the halls of GH bitching at people. AND THAT'S IT. That's integrity? On NS, that's the only medium that she isn't a walking talking prop.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Ryan, I love ya man but the beginning of Nightshift was HORRID. I was appalled watching it. It had some saving graces and towards the end FINALLY got better. It was the cheesiest dialgoue I have ever seen. The way Dr. Ford died? Ludicrous. I laughed seeing him collapse. It was all just so rushed and ridiculous. Yeah, primetime is rushed and quick, but dang ... it sucked.

The second half, thank GOD, got better. We got to know Batra better. Robin and Patrick were way more enjoyable on NS than GH. Jagger was meh to me. I think Sabato is overrated as an actor and he's even worse when given crappy dialogue. I wasn't a big fan of the new Leo Julian at all. The character is far too unlikable for me to see any saving grace in him.

Only two I liked were Claire and Kyle. Obviously a rip on George and Izzy from GREYs but I loved them. Really enjoyed them. I would say I'd love them on GH but GH would never use them and pretty much destroy them.

There was too little Epiphany and Touissant for my tastes. Hopefully Tristan Rogers and Robert Scorpio can spark things up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.



  • Recent Posts

    • Please register in order to view this content

       
    • 6-6   Hmmmm. Not my favorite of the week. However, it showed the strength of Jazmen's script writing against RC's breakdown. And he's good enough to rise above almost all of RC's tics. Though I guess the real question would be would I have caught 'Carl' author thing if I had not heard it mentioned here?

      Please register in order to view this content

      I felt the stories moved and while there were situations, they weren't the slapsticky I would expect from a RC breakdown. Well-done, Jazmen.   I guess I liked it on a second viewing. I'm just sorry that outside of Bill's subplot and Chelesa's love life C plot, it did not continue the majority of the stories that were going on this week. I still liked what I got so I guess it was worth it for potential flow interruption. Though I have to note that Eva and Kat have been dancing around each other all week and since it is a by-product of the SilkPress storyline, I love how the story can be used separate from the main part of that plot, which kept this episode with a thread attached to the main stories of this week.   It has been a minute since I saw a situation where a character has to get into someone's room and it seems plausible. Of course, Kat has to use her family name. That said...those scenes did not seem implausible at all, but that could be my industry experience showing. Meanwhile, Eva and Tomas continue to grow closer. But even I had to side-eye when he finally declared his interest for Kat. Because it seem like he had been working hard to give mixed signals to Eva and Kat. And NOW he's devoted to Kat? And I am smh at Kat thinking Eva is the one who ran Laura off the road now. Just le sigh. BUT keeps their rivalry going if she accuses Eva and it turns out to be false. Eva will be looking for the payback. And she will be justified.   I know I'm in the minority, but I enjoyed the Doug/Vanessa/Joey scenes. I've mentioned it before, but of all the B stories, it was the only one that was given enough room to grow and had a build to it. And you could cut the tension in that room with a knife. Everyone gave a good performance. You could see the distance between Doug and Vanessa. And for all that drama...there still was more to play with the other shoe dropping of Doug finding out Vanessa and Joey slept together. Just juicy. Even if the end goal apparently seems to be money laundering.   Lord...Bill wasn't really even out of the hospital for an episode without having to go back in again, was he? lol. Good to see his separate story progressing.    Same for Chelesa and her love life. I'm not sure if Naomi is right. That said, I do like the cliffhanger of Mystery Woman being Bill's doctor. Not to mention Kat with the evidence. 
    • Speaking of 1986, YT recommended me some 1986 episodes revolving around Kyle/Reva/Maeve/Fletcher/Cain. What struck me most about the episodes is Zimmer seems at a loss. This does not feel like Reva at all. Was Kyle always such an a-hole? Why was the pairing so popular? He's so unlikeable, and Malloy's theatrical acting does not help matters. Jay Hammer is extremely charming as Fletcher--did they ever try Reva and Fletcher? The real star of these episodes is Leslie Denniston. When she tells Kyle she wants a divorce, it's a fantastic scene and Denniston is putting in some great work while the stuff around her is just weird and off-putting. 
    • The Day Of The Jackal author Frederick Forsyth dies
    • 6-5   Case in point...lol.   Kat and Jacob can soooo have a spinoff. Just watching her being adamant that Eva is up to no-good while Jacob continues to try to play straight man to the craziness continued to be a hoot to watch. And the sad part is that Kat is on the right trail, just following the wrong clues. Or worse coming to the wrong conclusion. All because of her dislike for Eva.    Meanwhile, Eva continued to make inroads. I know I have said this since the start of the show, but I love how for the most part, the writers write the characters in gray. Not completely white. Not completely black. Most of the characters have moments where they resonate with the audience and then have moments where they are unlikeable. Like technically, Eva should be a pariah. I like that she knows this, understands this, and still shows remorse and still tries to work to get back the lost trust. It makes her so rootable. And played by a star is a bonus.

      Please register in order to view this content

       It is also what makes the rivalry between Eva and Kat so much fun to watch. Also played by a star. Neither one is perfect really, but they are oh so watchable and a nice by-product of the SilkPress storyline.    Same for Anita. I love the regal coldness TT has given to the role. The sense of ruthlessness beneath the beautiful face. And yeah it can be a turn-off. And it's been nice to see a softer side to her throughout this story of her and her bandmates. She is far from perfect. She...is also NOT a doormat so it was great to watch her versus her bandmates this episode.    I like the run-in between NuTed and Nicole. I'm getting used to NuTed. And Nicole's presence has been a little too light for my liking. I can only assume that is to build to the next Nicole vs Silk Press Sheila confrontation which rumor has it will be another good one.    Speaking of which...LAURA IS OUT OF THE HOSPITAL!!!! Praise it be!!! And I thought it was so adorable that Nicole, Kat, and Mona were on hand to welcome her back. I liked that Laura has an open mind toward Eva (unlike her feelings toward SilkPress). Another layer to add to the Eva vs Kat rivalry. 
    • Victoria Principal clearly stacked her Dallas coins real good. In the grand scheme of things, she was smart to walk away from Dallas when she did.
    • When Robert Calhoun became EP I thought GL was finally hitting its stride after some pretty rough years. Unfortunately the ratings during Robert Calhoun's run did not reflect the quality of the show.
    • There was a five week break between the last Friday episode and the Thursday episodes which were the final four episodes. I have a feeling the final four episodes were refilmed to wrap up the storylines. 
    • Yes, I forgot there was a gap between his exit from GL and his start at ATWT. This almost makes me want to cry. He really turned ATWT around (and good for them). It would have been great if someone had done the same for GL. Can't imagine who. The Dobsons were doing Santa Barbara at this point. I mainly blame Kobe. She may not have been the worst EP they ever had, but she almost totally destroyed the Bauers and decimated much of the rest of the cast, sometimes for egotistical reasons. That was a huge mistake and made it that much harder for the show to recover.
    • Douglas Marland began at As the World Turns in September 1985 but it took about a year for his run to show growth in the ratings. 1986 As the World Turns becomes CBS's #2 daytime drama after Y&R.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy