What popular pairings has Becky had in 12 years? Lucky and Ric. Jason was a disaster. 2 in twelve years compared to Ingo having what 5 or 6?

are we talking actual popular pairings or just ones you prefered?

because she was super popular with JJ's lucky. Ric. Jason.

She also has a pretty big fanbase with GV's Lucky and her and Zander were also popular.

wtf does ingo have to do with anything? By the way - he had what, three really popular pairings? Brenda, Sky, and i guess Alexis?

He and Carly have a fanbase, i love them, and hes got fans with other pairings but i wouldnt say really popular ones.

is Bh a chem magnet? no. Nobody on Gh really is to be honest, but shes a good actress who tries hard to sell any crap they give her and she has had chem with every man they have paired her with, save JY's Lucky.

I would not even count soap mags anymore as the "great determinant" of what is popular. Because the mags now must kiss the asses of the networks and execs they once - very well and thoughtfully - critiqued. Probably why the mags, like the soaps they cover, are in deep trouble.

So whatever person/people who are covered and are ON the cover - and it is down to a core few - are pushed by the bigwigs.

In reality, I don't think there IS a bonafide way to glean popularity beyond fanbases. Go door to door? Polls? Well, door to door is out, and polls are worthless thanks to robovoting and the other fact that casual fans don't care enough TO vote.

As an example of the discussion, I am a Scrubs fan (I know, how obvious). But I cannot say they have wide appeal, because there's no way to know. That said, they got a cover for Emma's birth, their wedding (the completed one, but a write up for #1, too, if I recall), and the ridiculous crap with Jerry and Nik when Robin had to pretend to have fallen for Nik.

Do covers make them more widespread and popular? Doubt it: The network wanted it promoted, more likely. But MAYBE - for Scrubs, Liz, or anyone else - the fact that there did end up more than one cover or story highlighted meant the average person cared enough to buy it, so the next cover came about.

Very much "chicken or the egg".

Good points. I had not considered the role that the network and executives may play in pushing specific couples and stories onto the soap mags. I took the soap mags' comments made to Roger Newcomb at WeLoveSoaps about how they choose who is on their covers at face value. The soap mags tend to repeat covers that sell well so I still think that coverage in the soap mags gives some indication of the popularity of a character or couple in the wider audience though it is not definitive.

I'm with you. The only pairing that Liz has had that I could consider popular beyond her fanbase is the one with Lucky. I don't even blame Becky. The Lucky/Liz pairing is the one that was well written and got real attention from the writers.

I agree. I think original recipe LL2 is the only truly popular pairing that Liz has had. Maybe that couple could still be popular with GV in the role, but the writers have pretty much done everything possible to make sure that isn't the case.

what could have been...

However, that was @ three years ago, back when Laura Wright joined the show and L&L2 were about to get married and honeymoon on a luxury train.

Now, though? Guza is *never* going to show Lucky this way again. Not only because GV looks so damn HOT on those caps, but because Guza knows fans would probably rather see some Love in the Afternoon rather than Sonny doing his "you're dead to me" speech to Carly/Brenda/Alexis/Olivia/Kate/take your pick.

Greg Vaughan is being punished. For asking he could have more work. For asking to be put on recurring so that he could audition elsewhere. For daring to audition elsewhere (at DOOL, for one thing).

If L&L2 are never going to happen, though, then I still stick by my feeling that the Liz/Nik kiss was hot. It's all subjective, I know. I don't see why Liz/Rebecca Herbst is being slated so badly, though. She certainly isn't anywhere NEAR the Anti-Chemistry that is Lulu. Or Spixie. And one kiss and Liz is the whore of Babylon? Are we forgetting the fuckfest that was JaSam's reunion two weeks' ago? Jason has no reason to feel aggreived whatsover.

I don't see why Liz/Rebecca Herbst is being slated so badly, though. She certainly isn't anywhere NEAR the Anti-Chemistry that is Lulu. Or Spixie. And one kiss and Liz is the whore of Babylon?

But no one has come on here to tell us these people are chemistry magnets. When and if they do, I have no doubt many people will voice their strong disagreement. As you say, it's subjective, although I would argue that it is not completely subjective. For whatever reason, there are cases where a huge majority see the chemistry (Luke & Laura, Bo&Hope). I don't think GH has any couples like that right now though and I don't have much hope they ever will under this writing regime.

Liz isn't a whore, but she is about to screw Lucky over again with his own brother, right after lying to him for nearly a year about Jake being his. If she doesn't want him, she needs to stop screwing with him and let him go once and for all.

Are we forgetting the fuckfest that was JaSam's reunion two weeks' ago? Jason has no reason to feel aggreived whatsover.

Has anyone said he does? If so, I missed it, but Jason himself even said Liz has the right to be with whomever she chooses. He's concerned that Jack will be hurt if Liz and Lucky part ways in a nasty manner, but I think that's a legitimate concern. Not that I care much about Jason's concerns myself, but it at least made some sense. Who knows, maybe Jason will ultimately claim his child, since many fans seem to want that to happen.

Edited September 14, 200916 yr by Juliajms

Jason himself even said Liz has the right to be with whomever she chooses. He's concerned that Jack will be hurt if Liz and Lucky part ways in a nasty manner, but I think that's a legitimate concern. Not that I care much about Jason's concerns myself, but it at least made some sense. Who knows, maybe Jason will ultimately claim his child, since many fans seem to want that to happen.

LOL. I suddenly have a visual of Jason on his "special missions":

...with this slung over his back and Jake inside it:

^ I wouldn't put it past this show. They will go to any lengths to prop Jason Morgan. The only other character I can think of that has had this type of long term OTT propping is Victor Newman.

I give it a month before Sam starts living and breathing for Jason.

I give it a month before Sam starts living and breathing for Jason.

I don't see a whole lot of reason to think this time will be any different than the last. I've been a little surprised that he's been the one pursuing her so far, but I can't see it continuing.

I am a bit curious as to how someone can know whether or not a certain couple is liked beyond their fan base. How can you tell whether or not the general audience also likes a certain couple?

I have never been a fan of the character Elizabeth but there have been times when she's come off as very sympathetic...most specifically during her rape s/l. The writing and acting of the story of her and Lucky getting together was terrific. Since Jonathan Jackson's departure the writing (and sometimes portrayal) of Lucky has been bad to awful.

Viewers attitudes toward Elizabeth as well as the other characters depends on how emotionally involved in the show they are. I tend to think that online there is this heightened emotional aspect that someone who isn't invested doesn't experience.

The basic formula for soaps has been to put couples together and break them up and maybe put them back together again. Had I never ventured to an online soap site I wouldn't know that all this possessiveness and obsessive behavior existed over soap couples. The idea that this or that couple was broken up or destroyed to make room for some other couple being so painful is kind of sad because soaps are supposed to work like that. The storytelling is not about eternal soul mates (even if some people want to believe that). Since groups of viewers wear their soap viewing hearts on their sleeves and open themselves up to manipulation by the writers or Brian Frons, etc. then they will continue to take all of this too personally.

All I ever looked for was decent writing and acting. I don't care who gets thrown together if the writing supports the union and as long as the acting doesn't drain the energy out of a scene. Sure I would have preferred them to let the whole Lucky and Elizabeth thing go when they stuck him with her sister. I didn't think that writing was in line with how loyal Lucky was previously written to be but I would have been over it if the writing had improved for Lucky instead of declined.

As far as I am concerned, Jason and Elizabeth didn't flop. In order to do that they would have to have been in an actual romantic relationship with writing that supported it. Two seconds here and there repeating how they couldn't be together does not a relationship make.

Jason was always depicted as so loving and dedicated to Michael. He was willing to pretend to be Michael's father to keep him away from the allegedly "evil" AJ. Now there's this horrific writing that finally makes him a father after all these years, only to have his son's safety used as the reason he can't be part of his life. Since they had no intention of writing a proper romance with Elizabeth, they should not have given them a child together. The one night stand and "we still can't be together but maybe one day" speech would have been sufficient.

The pairings are not and have never been the issue. I can sit through those if the writing is good enough (although Ned and Alexis' sister was extremely gross to me). The writing has been an issue for years and even though I check back now and then to see if anything has changed, they lost me as a viewer on the basis of the writing. I passed the habitual viewer stage awhile back. My idea of romance is not between a man who threatened to kill a woman and the woman he threatened to kill. There's nothing captivating about that kind of writing.

I don't see a whole lot of reason to think this time will be any different than the last. I've been a little surprised that he's been the one pursuing her so far, but I can't see it continuing.

Jason is pursuing Sam now? Did he ever apologize for threatening to kill her twice?

Jason is pursuing Sam now? Did he ever apologize for threatening to kill her twice?

Do you really expect to see Jason apologize on this show? Maybe you somehow missed the memo (or should I say edict), but Jason Morgan is never wrong. Jason came as close as he ever comes to pursuing someone when he told Sam that he wanted to go to the carnival and that he wanted to go with her. I was shocked he even gave that much. It's almost like Jason is acting like a soap character right now. Almost.

Jason is pursuing Sam now? Did he ever apologize for threatening to kill her twice?

Did Sam apologize for allowing Jason's son to be kidnapped?

Liz's stories are always like a bad parody of a soap heroine. Poor Liz is always so tortured. She is forced to make the difficult decision in spite of what she wants. She stayed with Lucky because she was afraid he'd relapse. She split with Jason (before they had any real relationship, meaning the show could continue to treat them as the Peter Pan of coupledom) for the sake of her children. Now she is splitting with Nik - a relationship which came out of nowhere and seems to be based on Nikolas leering at her and looking like he's going to put his hand up her skirt - because...why again? Oh, she doesn't want to hurt Lucky. And then when Lucky finds out the truth, he will be the idiot and the villain, and Liz the long-suffering saint.

Did Sam apologize for allowing Jason's son to be kidnapped?

I'm pretty sure she did apologize about a year and a half ago??