GH: Classic Thread

[titan1978]

There was a sense in her last return that she was just annoyed with Carly and tired of them as rivals. But the brief anniversary return she had enough spark that it felt more like Brenda was happy to play with Carly like a cat with a mouse. That slyness was back. It did seem like she took what they wrote and just added fun to it instead of leaning into trashy, which is what Ron loves.

[DRW50]

I didn't even remember that Tony was possibly a suspect until some of these posts, so I can't imagine he was ever really in contention of being Liz's rapist. 

That period did have some clearly dropped stories, like Emily's pill habit, but that one is new to me.

[carolineg]

I have to believe Emily's pill habit was just a catalyst to create more suspects in Dr. Dorman's murder.   I don't think it was ever intended to be a story-more just a plot point in a larger story.

[DRW50]

Sorry, I forgot about the original pill story. I was thinking of when she and Alan had a fender bender - he was on pills at the time and as she had hurt her neck, gave her pills too to keep everything a secret. Then it was never mentioned again.

Edited January 2 by DRW50

[carolineg]

I know a common complaint in Brenda's 2010 return is that she let Carly get the upper hand too often.  I think VM heard that feedback and leaned in to it.  She never took Carly seriously before and she had nothing to lose at that point.

Oh, lol.  I don't even remember that so it clearly was dropped.  I was thinking of the time she was high on PCP or whatever and fell off a roof.

[dc11786]

I think the class conflict needed to be addressed. Depending on the timing of the story, I believe "Port Charles" was doing a story about the homeless late in Karen Harris' run so there may have been ways to tie that into Tony's redemption work. I think looking at medical equity to different communities would be appealing. It also would have opened itself up to different arcs. I'd have liked to see a shorter arc about possibly HIV, elder abuse, and the barriers that prevent people from accessing quality health care (language, education, insurance, immigration status). A running, understated thread would be Tony's slow realization that his life wasn't as bad off as it was. Also, I didn't mention it for purpose of length, but I would have tied the protege to B.J.'s accident. I would have had it that his younger sibling had also been on the bus or he had witnessed the accident and it was that incident that made him want to be a doctor. Revisiting B.J.'s death in a way that would allow Tony and Bobbie to heal and for Tony to realize that again there were good things to happen even in the worst moments of his life. 

I would also lean into Tony pushing Bobbie away thinking he was not good enough and letting Bobbie take on the role that Tony had played in the 1980s/1990s reassuring him that he is not his past. 

My mother was a teen during Luke and Laura. She and all her friends watched. I remember watching bits with her in the early 1990s. That crew that grew up with Luke and Laura real stuck around in some form and I think a lot of them identified with people like Bobbie, who wasn't perfect and didn't always think she was good enough, and wanted her to find a good man like Tony who loved her anyway. If this audience was willing to forgive Luke raping Laura, they would have accepted Tony and Bobbie finding their way back to one another. 

I was reading an interview from Karen Harris from a decade or so ago. She spoke about how she got into an argument with Claire Labine over Brenda wearing the wire. Harris (and I believe Elizabeth Korte) both insisted that Sonny could never forgive her for this and they would no longer be a couple. Labine's response was something along the lines of but won't it be fun watching them get back together. I feel its the same here.

Tony and Bobbie reuniting may have been beyond the pale. There would obviously be stuff that would have to be done on top of that (mainly, therapy with Gail, but not Kevin because of his ties to Lucy). Something I was considering was that Tony had mostly forgiven Bobbie for things that hadn't happened during their marriage. The other big lie (Lucas) led to a breakup.  

[j swift]

Is Brenda's Mom a retcon, or how did they explain her absence while Harlan was around?

[carolineg]

She was presumed to have died when Brenda was around 3.  So, yes, it was a retcon when she came back from the dead.  Brenda was so young and Harlan kept no pictures of her in the house hence the reason she didn't recognize her mom when she appeared.  Brenda basically only heard stories about her from servants.

[dc11786]

@carolineg When did they reveal that Brenda's mother died when she was three?

I'm sure carolineg has seen this, but for @j swift. In this scene here, from February, 1993, Brenda speaks about her mother being an alcoholic and Harlan loving Julia's mother more than hers.

I definitely think this, combined with the death, would have worked for a "Madame X" style story where Harlan learned Veronica was cheating and drinking and shipped her off to some far off destination and told Brenda that her mother was dead, especially since he preferred Julia's mother.  

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[carolineg]

I think she revealed her age when she was talking to Jax in either 1996 or 1998.  I want to say 1998 to gear up for Veronica's return, but Brenda did talk to Jax a lot about her family.  ETA-GH wiki said she died when Brenda was 4 and it was revealed on Aug 10 1998.  I would have to look that episode up, but my memory was probably just off by a year in my head*

The tale of Veronica was a bit expanded on through the years and the circumstances were murky.  She left Harlan then "died", I believe, and she was a drinker but more eccentric than an addict.  I got the impression that some of this was in Brenda's head as far as Julia's mom vs. hers and Harlan did love Veronica and was extremely upset she left.  Apparently Veronica was much younger and a free spirit and was stifled by Harlan and a young child.  What her illness played into this is unclear at least to me because a lot of this was said by Veronica herself and she was clearly an unreliable narrator.

Harlan loving Julia more than Brenda appears to be true, but I think the reasons aren't exactly what Brenda or Julia thought they were.  As I said, this is not one of my favorite stories so I tend to fast forward or skip some of 1998 Veronica scenes because she just annoys me.

*Veronica says Brenda was 4 when she was presumed dead on the French Riviera to Jax to prove her identity in that episode and Jax seems to accept this answer so I am going to assume that's correct.  Luckily it was at the beginning of the episode so I didn't have to watch a full hour of Veronica lol.

Edited January 2 by carolineg

[j swift]

Thank you for your service. 

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That was a much more complete answer than I ever expected.

[DRW50]

Skimming through that episode and I'm reminded again of how much Shell Danielson looked like Lynn Herring at certain angles. I wonder if that was intentional. 

I love this GH opening but it feels extremely out of place by early 1993. 

[carolineg]

No problem!  Clearly my most prized possessions are my Brenda edits lol so once I have a date it takes me only a few minutes to look up on my laptop.  

They also celebrated Lulu's 4th birthday on Aug 10 1998 if anyone is wondering.

Shell and Lynn do look a lot alike in this episode.  I never really noticed that before.

I am always shocked to see that opening in 1993, but I am pretty sure Faces of the Heart becomes the opening on the anniversary that year so it's updated soon.

[Vee]

Correct. And yes, it's weird as hell to still see the old opening in the early '90s. Cannot believe it took them that long.

[carolineg]

It's funny seeing Jagger living in that cabin for awhile.  Was ASJ filming something else?  It seemed pretty ridiculous and most of the time people just came to visit him.  It may have been the story plan but it seemed weird for him to be in a entirely different location away from everyone else.