GH: Discussion for the Month of January

[Vee]

You know, all this mess doesn't even really matter to me. Most of the time I just watch the show, whichever show it is.

Yeah, Ron's got a real thin skin, and his flaws are real, myriad, and in some cases profound, and they should be noted and critiqued. I have serious issues with a lot of what he did at both OLTL and GH, and I will keep talking about those. But at the same time, I watched his show five days a week and loved the great majority of it.

The reality, in the end, is that 99% of the time, virtually no creative regime is ever note-perfect and hitting with every story or every character every month or every year. And watching the other day's episode it struck me that even when very little was going down on a Monday I was really enjoying it - the date night stuff with the GH ladies and Felix, and the dudes at the Haunted Star. It was just fun. Liz got something (and has the A.J. thing on the burner), Felix is a fun character who's not just some gay or black minstrel but genuinely winning, and I just like Teresa Castillo as Sabrina. It was light, it was fun, but it was what I needed and I think it's a lot of what GH needs. And the ELQ story is fantastic. I even like the vampire story, because I love the Port Charles exploration. It's no different from a show that did Casey the Alien or the Cassadine weather machine.

Yes, there are some dreadful stories, most specifically Connie, and some very poor choices, and some real issues with pacing and characterization. But after over a decade of a pitch-black dirge of a program which thrived on death, self-conscious posturing and angst, I think we sometimes have the soap opera we need for the times and for the moment, just as Monty and Racina made in their day. And that's what this GH is for me, and has been. There's adventure, there's excitement, there's new romances, but there's also humor and fun and a genuine sense that these people are living together and enjoying each other and their town, as opposed to just dwelling in misery.

I completely believe in dark, hard-hitting drama and gritty realism - I watch enough of it, I even sometimes write enough of it. But I don't think it's all there is in the spectrum, and I don't think it's all the show has to be. The balance between human drama and lighter fare may not always be ideal on today's GH, but it definitely wasn't under Guza or Wolf. They put out a show that was an adolescent fantasy of dark drama. Hell, it wasn't even always balanced under Claire Labine. She got dinged for either being too goofy or too dark at two different points in her run.

It's not a question of 'settling,' either. It's a question of allowing myself to enjoy what I actually am enjoying, despite the warts and larger issues. Sometimes it's a guilty pleasure, sure, but other times, a lot of times, it's genuinely just good IMO. No, it doesn't hit every beat or take every character moment it can or should - but it still works for me in a lot of quadrants. All I know is GH feels like a living, breathing soap opera again and I just am having a good time. I'm sure I'll go back to shredding the stories that I do hate after this, as everyone else should too, but I just wanted to point out that it doesn't have to be everything to everyone all the time to be good or even decent and watchable. That's all.

[Antoyne]

I guess I don't nor have I ever cared enough to ever write/tweet/email a writer of any show I've watched. If I don't like something I just won't watch.

[Ryan Chamberlain]

Loving today's show so far. And, Kevin hasn't even shown up yet.

[alexisfan07]

Can sociopaths be sane? Just curious.

[alexisfan07]

The new kid seems decent. But LOL at the stake/arrow thing.

I wonder if Erin Hershey didn't want to come back full time or what the deal was there.

[Vee]

He's already a lot better than half the teens on OLTL.

I always had a serious love/hate relationship with Alison that devolved to utter hate in later years, but Erin Hershey looks amazing. I do dig this crazy story.

[alexisfan07]

I'm intrigued by the story - mostly cause I can't think of any good way they can explain it all and have it make sense

[VirginiaHamilton]

Here's the thing - if folks are so miserable about the direction that this show has taken since Ron's taken the helm last year, stop watching. Hell, if I'm not mistaken, he even made the same suggestion (or was it Frank?).

Yet, not a single whining viewer has taken this advice, which speaks volumes more about them than it does about Ron.

[KMan101]

I already like the kid who plays Rafe. He doesn't seem terrible.

Lucy and Kevin at the end were so great. I liked Monica involved with Michael and AJ at ELQ.

Shouldn't Sonny be a little smarter than just trying to kiss away the charges against his daughter? I mean, ugh.

I'm glad Starr's calling out Todd. I liked their scenes.

[DRW50]

When people do choose to quit watching, people bitch about how they aren't true fans. They can't win either way.

[ChitHappens]

HELLO!

And if fans don't watch, they can't communicate the rotgut and Ron can't manufactured controversies to pat himself on the back. He has to troll something!

[marceline]

It can be great when you're dealing with a showrunner who behaves like a professional.

[Antoyne]

I didn't get to see the show due to the [!@#$%^&*] weather were having in Georgia :-/

[Eric83]

This.

The awkward moment when you leave your umbrella at home

[VirginiaHamilton]

I can't speak for anyone else, but I'm a believer in putting your money where your mouth is. Can't stand a show or the direction that it's taken? Stop watching and save yourself from giving yourself a premature stroke over it (especially when the HW doesn't care about your gripes with his writing enough to cater to you).

Now, if Ron, indeed, starts to complain after folks have chosen to tune out, then he'd deserve every bit of backlash that is thrown his way for being full of caca.