GH: Classic Thread

[Vee]

IIRC Geary may have also claimed Suver co-wrote the original pitch for the "Endgame" mess with him in 2001, which I think was to also feature the return of Robert Scorpio and which he said JFP totally discarded. I may be wrong on her name being linked. That is as much as I know about her.

Edited June 4, 2023 by Vee

[DeliaIrisFan]

That does sound vaguely familiar.  Maybe that's partly why her name stood out for me in those credits.

Having recently watched what has turned up on YouTube from Luke and Laura in 1993-94—some/most of which I was seeing for the first time—the writing was surprisingly seamless, considering the dates in the credits and that article.  ABC had allotted ~ 6 months after announcing Genie's return, which should have been more than enough time to plan a story.  But then the previous regime was out in August, the Labines' names first appeared in the credits in mid-October, the show was already committed to some version(?) of Suver's story, and the Spencers were back by Halloween.  I do wonder if Suver was actually in the building/in meetings at all by that point, or what.

Edited June 4, 2023 by DeliaIrisFan

[titan1978]

I don’t recall him naming Suver in later years, but he did say more than once that the original Endgame was written with his writing partner, who also wrote the return story.  So they must be the same person.

While the ratings had stabilized by the end of Monty’s second run, her support at the show was pretty much gone. Losing FH and TR at roughly the same time was by all accounts the final nail. Both let it be known that she had driven them out. I believe Tristan said in an interview that after the then recent passing of her husband, she just wasn’t the same.

Genie refused to return, and back then Tony refused to play Luke without Laura.  Imagine that compared to the end of his run! So Bill came to be.

I think the younger set is what saved Riche, buying her time to be paired with a stronger writer, ABC’s suggestion of Labine.  They dominated story and Antionio Sabato Jr was everywhere with his shirt off.

[Vee]

That was the impression I got. Riche was casting about for whatever could save the show or at least keep it afloat while she sorted through the chaos, and she found the youth set. Then they tried Mac and Felicia with KW's return, Ryan, Lucy's return, Scott and Dominique, etc. It worked for as long as it took to land Claire Labine and get L&L back on the books. They tried a lot to put Bill (and Holly) over in that year-plus too but of course it didn't work.

Edited June 5, 2023 by Vee

[titan1978]

As rough as the Riche transition was, I personally enjoyed Ryan/Felicia/Mac, the younger set, and Scotty/Lucy/Dom more than anything during Monty’s second run.  And I was a fan of Anna/Robert being paired and Faison. But Riche got in a groove and it just got better with Labine.

[dc11786]

I think Riche sets a tone almost immediately for the type of show she wanted "General Hospital" to be. Even if the stories weren't always the strongest, the stories were rooted in human emotion. No matter who was writing in those early years, the characters seem to connected and invested in the world around them. There are stakes. I think even in some of the weaker stories, there is something to find of value. Actions had impact and often ripples across the canvas. Romance was also back. Characters relationships were central to the drama. There is a feeling of community in Port Charles. All of this was in place by the time that Labine and team arrive and run with it.  

Part of me thinks that it was for the best that Robert and Anna left when they did. It forced Riche to shift the show away from the action and adventure stories that had been the show's staple and required the humanity to be returned. Bringing the hospital back to the forefront was very smart. Characters who were ignored were given material of substance. I do think Riche leaned into her TV movie background and, at times, the stories may not have seemed like soap opera stories. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. 

Personally, any episode from 1992-1993 is stronger than the material I've seen in 1990-1991. 

@DeliaIrisFan I looked at the summaries again. Bill inherited land from Fred Eckert which he used to get into business with Harlan Barrett. My apologies. 

[Vee]

I agree. And as I said above, most of the interim stuff worked. Especially the Ryan saga with Felicia and Mac.

[depboy]

Thread derail...I know, I shouldn't feel bad!

November 1970...what does the 7th floor have to be thankful for? Let's find out!

Monday, November 2, 1970: No info.

Tuesday, November 3: Jane tries to cheer Tom, who is low; he tells her how much he wanted a family.

Wednesday, November 4: Jessie has a nightmare she is searching for Phil in a fire; meanwhile Phil, thinking of Jessie, cannot sleep and cannot explain to Diana.

Thursday, November 5: Al asks Lucille when (and if) she is planning to marry him.

Friday, November 6: Peter tells Diana that if Harold is hiding something, it's for a good reason; Diana reports to Harold about her conversation with Peter, and then asks what he's hiding; he walks out.

Monday, November 9: Audrey suggest to Steve that she disappear for six months, have the baby somewhere else, and that after they are married they can retrieve it and claim it is adopted; Steve is adamant about telling Tom.

Tuesday, November 10: Meg tells Lee that Howie has called Brooke and they talked about a motorcycle; Brooke and Howie inspect second-hand bikes.

Wednesday, November 11: Brooke offers Scotty a ride on the new motorcycle, but Meg says no.  Audrey reluctantly agrees to tell Tom tomorrow that she is pregnant.

Thursday, November 12: Audrey tries to tell Tom about the baby; he mentions that he thinks their marriage would have worked out if they had had a child; horrified, Audrey can't tell him.

Friday, November 13: Diana tells Jessie and Peter that Harold knew the precise medical treatment for a bee sting (that's hard??); Peter speculates that Harold may have been a doctor who lost his license for malpractice (that's a reach!!); Phil decides that he has to get out of town.

Monday, November 16: Steve tells Tom, with Jessie's urging, that Audrey is pregnant; Tom is incredulous, then dazed.

Tuesday, November 17: Steve reports to Audrey about his conversation with Tom; Audrey is convinced Tom will cancel the divorce; Tom asks Lee about how to cancel the divorce.

Wednesday, November 18: Tom, bitter about Audrey's pregnancy, tells Meg he doesn't know what he's going to do.  Howie and Brooke have a good time at a roadside beer garden.

Thursday, November 19: Sharon advises Jane not to suffer in silence of Howie.  Audrey is miserable, asks Steve what she should say to Tom.

Friday, November 20: Meg delivers a tirade to Lee about Brooke; he is distressed at how upset Meg is.  Phil thinks about Diana, feels she is growing too curious, but hates to leave her.  Tom tells Audrey she can't ask him to sacrifice being a father.

Monday, November 23: Diana quizzes Jessie and learns that Phil fled to South America to escape a murder rap; Diana learns Harold lived in South America.

Tuesday, November 24: Diana calls Harold by his real name, and finds that he responds.  Lee advises Tom about the difficulties of a reconciliation with Audrey.

Wednesday, November 25: Peter tells Jessie how much he has to be thankful for; Phil and Diana spend a happy evening together, but the audience knows she is not telling him that she knows he is Phil Brewer.

Thursday, November 26: The Dawsons and the Pinkhams have Thanksgiving dinner together.

Friday, November 27: Pre-empted.

Monday, November 30: Howie is annoyed to find Jane amused by Henry.  Lee regrets that he can't help Audrey find any solution to her problem.

Edited June 5, 2023 by depboy

[titan1978]

Look at Diana putting the pieces together!

[dc11786]

It's funny. Overall, I like the Ryan story. Charismatic doctor who is secretly a sociopath is definitely intriguing. I also liked how people slowly turned on Ryan over the course of the story. Psychiatrist Tom Hardy never seemed to like Ryan, while Simone thought that Ryan was upright citizen. Similarly, Steve Hardy remained neutral until Ryan showed up at the facility where Felicia was institutionalized in order to cause trauma. It was at that point that Steve's facade broke and he admitted that he could no longer defend him. 

There are elements that seem overblown. The trial seemed a bit over the top. Yes, it is a soap opera, but there were just moments that were too much. I will say that I appreciate Kristina Wagner much more after witnessing her in this story. Felicia really evolves during Riche's reign. 

I think another reason that the pre-Labine era of Riche is so accessible is that Riche has the writers maintain the stories in place. They may evolve (like I pointed out in the Joseph Adkins plot), but, for the most part, the frame of the stories and the characters stayed the same. For example, I think the messy entanglements of Tracey-Paul-Jenny-Ned-Julia remained pretty much in play until Tracey left in mid-1993. I like it. Is it perfect? No. Is it the best soap opera I've ever seen? No. It is, however, written as soap should with beats played, emotional notes emphasized, and character relationships tested over and over by the intense emotions of the characters involved. By the point that Tracey departs, I think they had already started splintering Ned and Julia off to deal with AJ, correct? Without Tracey, did Jenny and Paul really have any strong opposition? 

Similarly, the direct line from Cheryl's death to the custody battle between Tiffany and Bobbie to Tiffany's drinking while Sean carried on with Jessica to Tiffany's miscarriage and Jessica's murder is a pretty strong sequence for Sharon Wyatt who had been sidelined in so much of the material I've seen from prior to this. For me, this kind of build makes other mistakes (Levinson's special brand of female dominated stories presented in a slightly misogynistic lens) more bearable.  

The younger set has already been addressed, but, I will say, is the fact that they stayed meant they were no longer new by the time Labine arrived. Dynamics and characterization was pretty much set up. While I know that some think Karen was pointless or forgettable, I think Riche planned to bring Karen back eventually, which was why they set up Karen as Scott's daughter. Scott as Karen's father tied her to Port Charles beyond her mother. 

@depboy Thanks for all you are doing with those summaries. I don't comment, but I look them over and it's fascinating to see how the characters evolved. 

[depboy]

Finishing out 1970!

Tuesday, December 1, 1970: Tom explains to Meg how important it is to him to renew his marriage with Audrey.

Wednesday, December 2: Tom tells Audrey he has decided to set aside the divorce decree.

Thursday, December 3: Lucille gives Tom a piece of her mind.

Friday, December 4: Diana irritates Phil by talking about how happy Jessie and Peter are.  Howie and Brooke expect trouble when they get home late.

Monday, December 7: Meg tells Lee that Brooke is breaking up the Dawson marriage and wants to tell Steve to remove Brooke from the training program; Lee feels Meg has gone overboard and tries to soothe her.  Diana tells Phil she wants a baby.

Tuesday, December 8: Audrey tells Steve she has made up her mind to leave.

Wednesday, December 9: Tom asks Steve where Audrey is, finds out she's left town without telling anyone where she's gone.

Thursday, December 10: When Lucille refuses to tell Tom anything about where Audrey has gone, they have a disagreeable fight.

Friday, December 11: Diana begs Phil to leave town with her, and he cannot understand her desperation.

Monday, December 14: Lucille shows Steve a postcard she received from Audrey saying that she will be staying somewhere near Boston.

Tuesday, December 15: Diana watches for Phil's reaction when she tells him that Jessie and Peter are going to Hawaii on their honeymoon.

Wednesday, December 16: Lee talks to Brooke about Meg and admits he is afraid she may have a mental illness.

Thursday, December 17: Steve writes to Audrey that the divorce has been cancelled.

Friday, December 18: Diana asks Jessie what she and Phil exchanged for Christmas gifts; later Diana tells Phil she would like the same perfume that he used to give Jessie.

Monday, December 21: Phil watches from outside as Jessie and Peter trim their Christmas tree.

Tuesday, December 22: Meg overhears Brooke making a date with Howie (to exchange a gift he got for Jane); Meg wildly talks to Peter about Brooke, then collapses; Meg admits she sometimes loses touch with reality.

Wednesday, December 23: Much to Sharon's dismay, a beautiful stranger asks to see Henry.  Diana begs Phil to run away with her.

Thursday, December 24: Lee calls saying that Scotty would like Steve to tell the Christmas story; everyone gathers to hear Steve tell the Christmas story.

Friday, December 25: Pre-empted.

Monday, December 28: Henry refuses to tell Sharon about the stranger.  Peter and Jessie leave for their honeymoon, confident about their life together.

Tuesday, December 29: The stranger, Elaine Baxter, arrives to see Henry; she admits to Henry that she couldn't tell her boyfriend that she was pregnant; when Sharon sees Henry put his arm around Elaine, she calls Jane to look, too.

Wednesday, December 30: Diana begs Phil to tell her who he really is and go away with her; he admits he cannot make himself leave town.

Thursday, December 31: Henry tells Sharon he won't be able to spend New Year's with her because he has to go out of town to help Elaine; Sharon is very upset, because it's not only New Year's, it's their wedding anniversary.

[FrenchFan]

Absolutely fascinating !

[Hunnibunni1025004]

I am absolutely enjoying these older recaps, but for the life of me I cannot figure out this Phil Brewer character

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!!! It’s like he just cant let go Jessie, but yet he wants to be with other women. 

[Khan]

Phil Brewer was the sort of person who wanted to have his cake and eat it, too, lol.

On one level, I think, Phil enjoyed the hold he held over Jessie's emotions.  He knew that, no matter how many times he strayed, or how many times Jessie vowed not to take him back, there was a part of her that would always need him.  But, on another level, I think the fact that Jessie was several years older than Phil played a part in his refusal to let her go as well.  Perhaps, on some subconscious level, Phil looked at Jessie as some sort of mother figure, which he confused with something else.  Did we ever learn anything about Phil's background - his childhood, his relationships with his parents (if he had any), etc.?

Edited June 7, 2023 by Khan

[titan1978]

If I had been watching from day 1 up until Phil was murdered I would have been rooting for Jessie to have done it!