GH: Classic Thread

[carolineg]

They both chose to leave.  I am not sure if that was the best decision for Shayne but she has worked a lot.  I also believed she declined starring in Port charles.

Karen was a total wet noodle of a character, but I am sure she would have had staying power.  I literally couldn't stand her lol

Edited February 28, 2022 by carolineg

[Franko]

I've mentioned it before, but reading the summaries from 1991-93 implies there was a lot of writing by the seat of one's pants going on. There seemed to be quite the ripple effect in 1992.

Robert and Anna are gone, seemingly for good, but it happened right after Holly came back. She'll get paired with Mac, who's easing out of his relationship with Dominique. Eventually Dominique will end up with Scott (at the moment, sans Lucy), Holly will end up with Bill and Mac will get involved with the newly-returned Felicia (followed by Ryan). Now that she's free from Bill, Julia can join the not quite love hexagon of Marco/Tracy/Paul/Jenny/Ned/Julia. And, of course, we have Jason/Karen/Jagger/Brenda (plus Robin, a little too young at the time to be a serious player in this).

I think Steve & Audrey and Edward & Lila were the only couples that made it through the year unscathed. Alan and Monica stayed married, but they had to deal with A.J. & Nikki. And then there were Bobbie (and Tony) and Tiffany (and Sean) fighting over Lucas.

[Vee]

Yeah, that whole period is wild to watch play out online. Monty's grand vision implodes - the scope and audacity of it all still impresses me, though - then Riche seems to be experimenting to find something stable for most of 1992 into '93 and manages a few hits, and that keeps them alive until Labine and Luke and Laura.

At least as entertaining were Tony Geary's endless interviews about Bill Eckert and the Eckert family history in that era, though. He just went on and on as Bill kept changing identities and personas. And then he gave his legendary TV interview, I think to Talk Soap on E! maybe, where he bleakly prosecuted the audience for not embracing Bill in fall of '93.

I could swear it was Monty who got Alan and Monica back together, too.

Edited February 28, 2022 by Vee

[Franko]

Yup, Alan and Monica's reunion was under Monty's watch.

[carolineg]

Tony just wanted to do anything but play Luke and Luke/Laura.  There is a lot of treading water during this period but I do think Riche/Labine tapped into what could work and what actors could work.  I also think that era was really lucky with having actors that were great finds and a lot of chemistry that did just click randomly. 

[Vee]

I also am in the relative minority in that I think Finola and Tristan had insane chemistry in that period and that Monty was right to put them back together even if was rushed or done poorly. (I think those scenes when Frisco finds out about them and is struggling not to razz her about it are hysterical) But in fairness I also haven't watched that much classic Robert and Holly period as a little Emma Samms has always gone a long way for me onscreen, though she seems like a lovely person and I hope her recovery from COVID continues.

One of his fansites still has like 3-5 long, long interviews archived from '91 through '93 going deep, deep into the Eckert/Bill backstory and all his personas! The man was Invested with a capital I. It's amazing. I would love to see the eps where Bill transitions from his initial fisherman persona into the corporate raider, I'm not sure those are on YT.

It was a mistake for RC to change the story and not use Eckert for Fluke, IMO. The actual execution of the story, even before the rewrite, was so stupid, but it could've been well done by better people.

[carolineg]

I can only imagine what it's like to be so boxed into a character when you had worldwide fame.  It has to be disappointing on some level and I can see how someone like Tony would create a whole yarn about a character no one liked lol.

I always thought Finola and Tristian had great chemistry.  They just had more with others which is a luxury most actors don't have.

Idk, I give Riche/Labine tons of credit, but it was also a perfect storm of good actors that could pull off stories. They really had great stories, but they did have the right people to deliver them.

[Khan]

What was the original story?  Were we supposed to learn that Bill was still alive and had stolen Luke's identity?

[Vee]

It was very clearly supposed to be Bill.

First, the guards in Ferncliff or Shadybrook or wherever Luke was originally kept before being 'switched' referred to a second man in charge - not the prisoner. Second, after being 'released' and getting up to no good, Fluke began making crucial mistakes: He mistook the Floating Rib for the Outback, from the early '90s, and then commented to himself that Tracy deserved any pain coming to her for 'what she did to my sister' (Jenny Eckert). He also was investigating Barrett corporate holdings and Cartullo, a company connected to Brenda Barrett. Bill had existing ties to Harlan and Julia Barrett.

Tony Geary's medical issues delayed the story and prolonged it, but he made it clear in interviews mid-story that he'd been hooked by the original storyline without explaining its secret - Tony Geary has always been fascinated by Bill Eckert, and has nursed a grudge about the character being killed off for years, so much so that IMO he tried to refashion Luke into a version of Bill and all his concepts for him in the mid-2000s through the 2010s. He talked a lot in the press about Bill being misunderstood and unappreciated over the years, but his most infamous interview about it was with Pure Soap on E! (I think) in late 1993 where he was very candid and pissed about it to, I think, Michael Logan. It used to be on YT but now seems to have gone private.

Once Geary prolonged the story, RC apparently discovered that fans had figured out the truth about the story from the clues and got pissed. Suddenly Bill's skeleton was discovered, all the past clues were dropped and we got the DID angle that doesn't really make much sense. Tony also confirmed the story was rewritten as he exited the show, though he didn't get into specifics.

Edited February 28, 2022 by Vee

[AdelaideCate007]

I think around that time was when they also started dropping in a few Jenny and Julia mentions out of nowhere. Stuff like I think Ned ringing Jenny and Sonny mentioning Julia to Fluke. There was also something with the Eckert house and Luke and Bobbie's long lost sister but I don't remember if that was before or after they changed the story. 

It was definitely a mistake for Ron to change the story because people figured it out. It's not like they'd been subtle about who he was up to that point.

Edited February 28, 2022 by AdelaideCate007

[Vee]

It was definitely after.

[carolineg]

I have always been curious where exactly the story was headed.  Obviously FLuke being Bill, but there was also those weird hints about Barrett Industries and Sonny called Brenda to ask about Julia/Barrett industries and Brenda said Julia had sold it years ago.  Of course it was all dropped never to be mentioned again, but what sinister person owns Barrett Industries now and what does Julia do all day if she has no company?

I wished they hadn't changed the story, but I am not sure what would happen once Fluke was revealed as Bill.  Was Luke supposed to be hidden somewhere?  Dead?  Of course fans figured it out.  Like it was said above, it wasn't subtle especially when you are name dropping characters that hadn't been spoken about in years.

Is the Floating Rib where the Outback was?  I always thought it was Jake's.

[Khan]

I thought so.

Was Genie still on the show then?  Knowing Ron Carlivati, I'm surprised he didn't have Bill, masquerading as Luke, seduce Laura, thereby making her a rape victim for the second time.  Ron is ALL about the rapemances.

And once again, the jackholes who write and produce these shows fail to understand that surprising the audience like that is NOT. THE POINT.

I suspect it would have been the latter, and (we learn) that either Helena or Stavros was his captor and that he/she was in cahoots with Bill.

She opens a Yoga studio?  I'm just spitballing.

[Vee]

Helena was indeed in cahoots with Fluke IIRC, but it's been awhile. They made out, I think.

Laura was not on the show at the time - Genie had split between 2013 and 2015, when FV had declined to offer her a contract following the anniversary, expecting to be able to use her on recurring like most of the vets, and Laura was abruptly written off in the fall of '13. She didn't come back without a contract, and their skirmishes since have largely been about that AFAIK.

Edited February 28, 2022 by Vee

[carolineg]

Laura wasn't on the show back then.  She returns a little later, after the Fluke story is over, and Luke/Laura go on an adventure to rescue Lucky or Ethan.  Both?  I can't remember lol

I mean, I am sure Ron didn't think it was so easy to figure out Luke was Bill, but they started the story and then changed it, so nothing really made any sense.  I am sure most of the audience wasn't clamoring for Jenny Eckert, Sly, or Julia Barrett to return, but I was into it.   I have been waiting for Sly to return for years.  What's he been up too?  Why was he not cast as part of the teen scene in the late 90's?  Jenny was lame, but I think I could deal with her if she wasn't a main heroine like she was during her original run.