GH: November 2012 Discussion Thread

[AllMyDaysatGH]

Some like me may argue that 720p/progressive video is more pleasant to look at on broadcast than the sometimes dastardly 1080i/interlaced video, though. Let me just stop my quality freak self right now, because I could go on for days. LOL.

[Cheap21]

and I really dont think any of those soaps look any better than GH and it has nothing to do with ABC being cheap

[chicklitsandfantasies]

B&B and Y&R do. DAYS no!

[DramatistDreamer]

I don't care what anyone says, man, GG was one of the best sitcoms on American television. Incredible writing and comic timing of those actresses!

but sticking to GH related topics-

I would love to have a truly frank discussion about what people's thoughts are on the love scene between Alexis and Shawn. I had a peek at one or two soap blogs/messageboards elsewhere and many seem to be poo-pooing the pairing between Alexis and Shawn. I'm seeing those standard phrases like 'lack of chemistry' and words like 'awkward' mentioned in regards to this pairing. Is this what others are seeing?

I watched the episode before I read the comments on various sites and I have my own thoughts about the scenes themselves as well as the ensuing comments but I'm interested in what others think?

Am I late to the party? Has this already been discussed? What does everyone think?

[quartermainefan]

Alexis and Shawn, I don't know where to begin so lets begin with him.

The guy has a good body, there is no denying that, and he isn't bad looking. That's where it stops. This actor is a mannequin for the most part and there is no energy to any scene he does so there is one strike against this love scene. Then you have Alexis. Nancy Lee Grahn has always been awkward in love scenes and just go back to the nightmarish Alexis/Sonny one as exhibit A. She can't do them. Put these two together and you have a charmless unappealing pair and scene.

[DramatistDreamer]

Interesting what you say about Alexis, in particular-- about her awkwardness in love scenes--because there were one or two posters who mentioned that they thought she should be put back with Sonny again. Hm. I'm genuinely asking because I've only watched GH on and off, I wasn't even watching when Alexis got together with Sonny, so I have no point of reference or contrast between the two pairings. Of course, I could try to go back to You Tube and try to watch episodes from that time but I'm either too lazy or not sufficiently motivated (lol).

Shawn hasn't been developed as a character at all though, imo. Had they made him a high school science teacher, as unexciting at that may sound to some, this scenario may have given him more reason to interact with Molly and even Alexis providing more organic opportunities to develop his character and a convincing romantic pairing--with anyone.

I appreciate your thoughts on this topic, though, quartermainefan.

For some reason though, I got the feeling that some posters may not have cared for the visual aesthetics of the pairing, in a matter of speaking.

[marceline]

I've always liked Robin C's voice but I've often thought there was something strange about her diction/pronunciation. As if she spent part of her life in another country. Of course, compared to some of the mushmouthed soap actors who talk like they have a mouthful of hot grits, she's basically Dame Judi Dench.

[VirginiaHamilton]

For the record, I've been a fan of Sean Blakemore's body of work ( ) since I'd seen him in that Vivica Fox flick, Motives, years ago. The fact that he outshined Shemar Moore (who I was still very much in love with at the time) in the sexy department is what landed him first on my radar.

However, whatever interest I had in seeing him bring the sexy to the small screen died the moment that it was clear that his character was going to be a barely-seen errand boy whose sole purpose was to prop the white characters. I'd already seen Justus (i.e.: the strongest Black male presence that this show ever had) transform from a proud, conscious, and upstanding young Black man to someone whose sole purpose was to shuck and jive for the Gummy Bear mob and I had/have no desire to see that revisited through Shawn.

In addition to my lack of interest in his character, I've always found Alexis (and her chicken-clucking portrayer) to be boring as hell (for the record, I know that he could've suffered a worse fate by being dragged down by the Slagbeast - a symptom that my poor Todd is suffering from as we speak) with zero personality or sex appeal to speak of. From the time that she showed up on canvas, I've wondered how come this show has either teased or paired her with men like Ned, Sonny, Jax, Ric, Mac, hell - even Jerry Jax, who I've never had any use for - when they've all been paired with far more dynamic female characters than she'd ever be on her best day.

So, though I've never and will likely never see the aforementioned love scene, I am definitely not surprised that the general consensus on it is 'awkward' and 'lacking chemistry'.

[VirginiaHamilton]

I'd be more likely to come to such a conclusion if the current GH female canvas wasn't lacking in rootable female characters, as I can pretty much count the ones that do exist on three fingers.

[quartermainefan]

Well, he is this muscular clod incapable of speaking but as long as his shirt is off he doesn't need to, and she is much older than he is and losing her figure a little bit every day. Soaps always have gone for these female fantasies where 60 year old Joan Collins types are deemed fascinating and attractive to 25 year old hunky pool cleaners, garden boys, and male secretaries, but the only way these things I think work is if the older woman is not a good guy or comes off a little on the superficial side like what they did on B&B with Brandon Beemer and Lesley-Anne Down.

It just doesn't work, and she would work better paired with someone like Luke or maybe a new banker type brought on played by a guy in his 50s, and he would work better as a silent bodyguard for Helena. I mention Helena because while she is much older than Alexis her character is of a type that she having sex with guys young enough to be her children and grandchildren sort of makes sense. I loved her relationship years ago with Andreas, 40 years her junior. It worked, looked right, and made complete sense.

[Vee]

I think Shawn should have a real storyline. He's the finest man on GH and Sean Blakemore is capable. I think the pairing with Alexis is okay, but more than a little awkward and forced. Frankly I'd be more interested if Sonny and Alexis fell back into bed and tried to hide it from their loved ones, including Alexis's boyfriend Shawn.

I'd rather see Shawn with a lot of other people. Carly was one, but they ended that. I also wouldn't mind seeing him with someone new. But surely there's something more for him than giving Nancy Lee Grahn Love Interest A. She doesn't need that, and he's better than that.

[Khan]

For me, the problem is that we haven't seen enough of Shawn and Alexis on-screen, together and as a certified couple, to be so invested in this development. These days, soaps are just too damn quick to send people off to bed (or the living room couch).

[Khan]

There's that, too, meaning the fact that their pairing feels forced. I'm with DramatistDreamer: the show has given Shawn no organic reason for interacting with Alexis, or with anyone else for that matter. This new relationship just feels random as hell.

[ChitHappens]

Sean is a damaged war vet who happens to be a degreed chemistry teacher. He was almost in a relationship with Carly and made friends amongst PC. He is now a father to TJ. How much more development does he need? That's plenty to work with for someone with the smallest desire to do so. He has more talent than 3 nobodies who appeared all at once, Brit, Sabrina and that doofus with the big glasses, has 100 times the substance of Maxie and his belt buckle is more attractive than the likes of Star and Spinelli - so why in the sam hell do all of these people have more airtime? All Shawn/Sean needs is a story or even just consistent airtime doing something other than wiping tables and counseling the white characters. Create a school environment with Shawn as one of the professors and assistant dean or something. But I'm hoping he and Sonny's bromance really takes off. It worked for Jason for how many years?

This is not about Nancy because nobody gives two chits about her or Alexis. This rotgut called Shawn/Alexis is to keep the audience from making certain accusations. Shawn was doing fine with Carly, a lead character and had 111 eppies under his belt in 2011. In walks FRon, and the first thing they do is take a sledgehammer to Sharly, regress Carly and put her with Johnny until they could figure out how they were going to put Todd with Carly (I hear that their eyes were on LW and Roger from the moment they they had the job). Not only did they end Sharly, Shawn was humiliated in the worst way. FRon were lit up on Twitter after that, so to avoid addressing the race thing, they shackled Sean to Nancy.

There is absolutely no chemistry between Sean and Nancy, and the scenes from Friday were a mess! Nancy looked uncomfortable, and I felt uncomfortable watching her discomfort (when I was not covering my eyes). This pairing developed offscreen, so why'd we need to be subjected to that forced crap? Then to advertise it as sexy? My god! There is nothing organic about this pairing and to continue to push it is ridiculous and only reinforces that they will do nothing worthwhile with Sean/Shawn, the only black contracted cast member. FRon never had use for black characters, but hey, it's not like they are the first to treat black characters this way on ABCD.

But whatever... Don't hate the player, hate the game, right?

[Vee]

I don't think that's so. They had a number of black characters they introduced and used on OLTL. They didn't always use them well - I didn't care for a lot of what was done with the Evanses - but I vastly preferred their bringing back Rachel Gannon to Dena Higley and Evangeline. I also really enjoyed what they did with Layla.

I also don't think they were the first to really abandon Shawn and Carly. Garin Wolf was already doing that. He created Johnny and Carly, not RC - God knows why.