GL: January Discussion

[UKBoi]

Discuss the first weeks of 2009 in Springfield here!

[Cashton]

I'm one of those viewers who stopped watching GL even before the format change. I couldn't stand watching it and the stories and characters bore dme to tears. But since GL will probably be off and with Phillip returning, I thought, WTH, why not. Here's my thoughts:

First of all, the show looks ok! I saw bits and pieces when they started the new format and it looked horrible. But the production, directing and editing seem to be tighter and there seems to be some semblance of a "look" to the show.

- Natalia and Olivia are living together? Why?

- Bill and Lizzie are a couple and I guess he was on trial for some fire. It's clear to me that I won't be able to understand what's going on but I'm looking for moments of great acting, good writing or that part where I go " Ooh this looks good. What's going to happen?" So far none of that.

- I still hate the theme song. It's just too happy. It feels like a song you might hear in church. The identity of this show has changed so much. I used to love GL's opening sequence back in the day with "Hold on to love". It was so regal, glam and had a dynasty feel to it. Now it's just 'let's feel good".

- One of the downsides of the new format (I guess it's stupid to say new but I have no other way to describe it), is that all the shots are cloe-up. Most of the shots just show the actor from the chest up. It's like you hardly ever get to see all the action.

-Wow Ashley looks great. Her acting is still bad.

- Seems like money and economics is a big deal on the new GL. People watch soaps for escapism not realism. Even Olivia's broke too? Where's the power in this town? Is everyone broke? Is this even a soap?

- I thought Dorris was the mayor. Who is the mayor then?

- Mel is back to being a lawyer.

- Bill and Lizzie really are a good couple.

-The court set is laughable.

- One point I need to make is that the show is almost entirely built on plotlines. The actors are just props for the s/l's. That's not good. i haven't felt any real emotions or anything deep or resonant.

- If the show can't hook a veteran soap watcher who actully knows the characters, what hope does it have to catch a new viewer?

Final thoughts? Well GL may still be called GL, but it is no longer a soap, and no longer GL. It is a version of GL. I wish Reva, Alan, Josh, Dinah and Jeffrey were on today so I could feel as if I saw the best of the show. But this little experiment just proved I'm not missing much. I'll still watch again just to see how they deal with Phillip's return but I'm not even sure why I did this! It feels like a wasted hour that brought no joy or real interest.

[UKBoi]

May I direct you to this thread...

http://boards.soapoperanetwork.com/index.php?showtopic=29061

[jfung79]

Cashton, interesting to read your thoughts as someone who hasn't watched GL in awhile. I am still liking GL a lot, and here are my reactions/responses to your thoughts:

Glad you think the show looks ok!

Olivia has a weak heart and is paying rent to Natalia so that Natalia can afford the mortgage on the house and also so that Natalia can be available to care for Olivia. The heart was a transplant from Gus when Gus died -- this brought Olivia and Natalia closer.

The really great acting/writing/suspense moments come the most from Beth/Coop (who have been seeing each other), Alan, and Buzz these days, and they weren't on.

Bill was on trial for supposedly kidnapping Lizzie. The fire was Dinah torching the evidence against Bill for that trial. However, the real kidnapper was Grady, Cyrus's brother, and Dinah was in on it too.

To me the theme song is perfect. It isn't happy, it's bittersweet and inspirational. Everybody has highs, yes, but also everybody has lows is what the song is saying, and you have to get through it and the way to get through it is love.

I wish there were more close-up shots, actually. It would be more intense. I feel like they are still too zoomed out, although still closer in than most other shows.

I watch soaps for both escapism *and* realism. I like that money and economics are a great deal, that is relatable. Olivia is not broke, what gave you that idea? She is just sick.

Doris is the mayor. I don't understand why she was acting as a prosecutor though.

Mel is still both a lawyer and a doctor.

Yes, I agree Bill and Lizzie are a good couple. Lizzie's faith has been a strong story element the past month or so.

The court set has two levels, it's really not that bad. I don't see where there are these great court sets on other soaps?

I strongly disagree that the show is built almost entirely on plotlines. Lizzie's faith in Bill, Daisy's faith in Grady, and the family reactions to that, are all emotions. Olivia wanting to do the best for Natalia by setting her up with Frank, that's real, that's resonant, that's about character. If anything, the show needs more plot right now to add more suspense.

The show feels written week to week right now, without much of a strong plot but staying true to character.

But the Beth/Coop and Buzz stuff has been the best at combining both plot and character. It is laying a great foundation for Philip's return. Lillian pegged it last week that Beth sees Philip in Coop, although Beth denies this -- the shining knight who views her so romantically and will rescue her like Philip rescued her from Bradley.

About not hooking even you so how can it hook anyone else, everyone wants different things out of their soaps. GL didn't hook you but it could hook someone else.

Of course GL is still a soap. A soap is serial storytelling, and GL is obviously still a serial. GL is more true to the roots of soaps than all those 1980s adventures were on various soaps, but the 1980s adventures were soaps and so is GL now.

I think Reva, Alan, Josh, Dinah, and Jeffrey might have hooked you but could also have been more boring for you ... I think it would have been good if you caught an episode with Buzz, Lillian, Beth, and Coop from the last couple weeks.

[jfung79]

WOW. GL was awesome Monday's episode, 1/5. Every scene had conflict and/or purpose, Vanessa was on, things happened (tense/awkward public statement, Lizzie/Bill breakup, Lizzie hiring Cyrus to work at Spaulding-Lewis), the music was soapy instead of the same old low-key-folksy, there was suspense before commercial breaks, you saw what every character wanted in each scene and felt for them-- whoever wrote the breakdown and the script needs to be bottled up and replicated. The director Brian Mertes also deserves credit.

If GL gets Emmy nominations for the actors or the show in 2010, or a Writers Guild nomination, this could well be an episode to submit.

Tuesday looks like it will be a boring day though. Everyone praises the new Shayne, but his "I'm so bitter" attitude sucks the life out of the show to me. Combine him with Jeffrey and it's a double dose of boredom.

Also, the discontinuity of the four-headwriter rotation still reared its ugly head on Monday ... Suddenly Doris Wolfe's brief answering the press upon leaving the courtroom last Friday became a "press conference."

[Mitch]

The show is built entirely on plots, the only problem is, they change every day, week month. My main problem with the show is that there is NO direction, it just meanders and changes. We are treading water waiting for Phillip's return but the show should be doing the opposite, building toward that return. Why are we worried about the stupid kidnapping (first of all, Lizzie saw the kidanapper, who looked nothing like Bill, and even had Grady's accent, so her "faith," is ridiculous, a blind person would know its Grady) when we should see Lizzie trying to reclaim her heritage by fighting Bill for Spaulding (not that I believe either one of them could run it) We need to see Bill fighting for that also, as it was his grandfather who partnered with Brandon to start the company, so he should feel he has as much of a right to it as Lizzie does. Lizzie should be tutored by Alex on how to be a female Spaulding and right the wrongs of the men, she should be conflicted about Alan, but eventually turn on him for all that he has done to her and others. We should have Lizzie and Alex vs. Bill and Van and Billy for control..with Alan licking his wounds and playing both sides to his advantage. Josh should be back at Lewis and be pulled into this by Billy. We should see Olivia pulled back in by Alan, and we should see Alan blackmailing Beth to stay with him, threatening to cut off her access to Peyton with the blackmail of something she did as Loreli, (stole money from a business, etc.) only we see that Alan isnt really Peyton's dad, Rick is (remember, Alan had someone change the results right before Cassie did. This sets the stage for Phillips return. As it is, do we know what Rick is doing now? Why is Olivia outside of the Spaulding sphere, her daughter is a Spaudling, etc. The Phillip return is the umbrella which should give the show direction for the next six months.

Instead we get crap and lazy writing. Why is the Police evidence a shed out in the middle of no where ungaurded??? Why was Doris, the mayor in the shed??? She would need police escort wouldnt she? Why is she prosecuting? Its dumb, its sloppy, its boring.

[MarkH]

My goodness. I'm embarrassed to say I have the People's Choice Awards on.

But that's not my point. You know what I just saw? I primetime, 60-second COMMERCIAL for Guiding Light!!!

CBS spending $$ on primetime promotion???? For GL??? How cold IS it in Hell?

But here is what is even more interesting: They showed mostly veterans and favorites (e.g., Phillip, Josh, Reva). They showed more outdoor scenes (which don't look bad, especially the autumnal ones). The screen had a steady logo on it of "Visit Springfield". (At first I thought it was an ad for a leisure community or something). The Guiding Light logo only showed up at the end. The slogan was "Life Happens Here".

In other words, they were PROMOTING it like a REALITY SHOW, but they used veteran faces to lure lapsed viewers too.

Remarkable. I can't process all the dimensions of this. Promotion? CBS? for GL? as a reality show? but using vets? Wow wow wow.

This is clearly the last ditch, pull out all the stops for GL, methinks. If GL can't trend up with this, I do believe the show is toast.

[Soapsuds]

I saw it too. ATWT is suppose to have one too. That is what Errol said. The only good part about GL's promo is seeing Philip.

[MarkH]

Isn't it odd that they wouldn't also promote two of their STRONGEST shows?

I wonder if P&G either helped pay for these ads, or offered to advertise some of their other brands on the show in return for GL/ATWT slots?

[Soapsuds]

The People Choice Awards is run by P&G, That's why they are getting the promos.

[MarkH]

Really? P&G? Really? I did not know that! Wow!

[Soapsuds]

Yup

[AddictedToSoaps]

Haha, well that explains it.

[MarkH]

I saw the ATWT promo.

I have nothing to say.

It featured Austin and Katie and Henry.

But it had NOTHING NOTHING to do with the show!! "Ultimate Fighting Housewives"???

[Soapsuds]

It Sucked!!