A lot of Guza II, especially later Guza II, was nihilistic, edgelord and miserable. But they still had a very strong daily team in place, and you could still find great scenes and explorations amidst the dross. It's why we refer back to it so often around here, because that dialogue team was often stellar and the actors were there with them. There were stories that had potential. And yes, there was so much more texture and layers to many of the characters, and a long sense of institutional memory. For better or worse. That and a more adult sensibility is what I miss most about the Guza years, even as I hated a lot of them. And I miss that skill level a lot these days.
I think some of the sins of that regime are attributable to Frons, as some people in that era (MVJ, etc.) so often like to point to him. But not enough of them. I think it was a perfect storm of misery.
I think part of the reason they kept fixating on Holly's first 6 months on GH is because of Tony, frankly. I think he was clearly enamored with revisiting that last Laura-less period when Luke and "English" were traipsing about, and it got inflated into more than it was. This idea that she is an inveterate con woman ended up defining the latter half of Holly's existence.
It's notable that Laura had also just come out of her catatonia for good at this point, in fall '08. Genie had returned (at her slimmest and very confident) and had clearly had a hand in crafting her return after being unhappy in '06; the Laura that came out of her illness was strong, forthright and took no shít from Luke or Tracy. It was a very solid return and ended up with Laura in a good place, leaving Luke behind. I don't think Tony phoned any of that in onscreen, but maybe he'd felt some type of way in its wake.
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Vee ·
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