GH 50: Discussion for the Month of April - May 3, 2013

[Vee]

She convinced me simply because they were happy and Frisco hasn't made much of a pitch beyond the neanderthal thing. But that's me. I'm sure Ron will disagree down the line.

[DRW50]

I just saw some comment saying these returns show that Ron is just like Doug Marland. Now I remember why I only go here and TWOP for soap talk.

[Dr Neil Curtis]

he favors Launchpad McQuack from DuckTales/Darkwing Duck as well.

[Vee]

I vote that every monthly thread from now on mention a DuckTales character somewhere.

[jfung79]

This thread is so predictable ... Heartfelt, emotional scenes, great music numbers, and most of what this thread can talk about is bashing Ron Carlivati and Frank Valentini. Tell me a few years ago that GH would be back to being about the hospital, with so many people I remember back and in major scenes, going up in the ratings year to year, I wouldn't have believed you. This is a dream come true and you come here, if I wasn't watching, I'd think from what people were saying GH is on death's door and unwatchable.

People praising Sam and that DWTS guy makes no sense to me because Sam hadn't even practiced, so why should she be so good? That's way too much invasion from Kelly Monaco's real life into the show. If you want to complain about something, that was actually bad writing, not most of the things people are saying is bad writing.

I wonder who the "anonymous donor" is. Maybe it is Dr. Obrecht and she will reveal herself at the right time ... (Although I'm not a fan -- that's a character who seems to be a caricatured villainess who actually is written poorly, with few if any layers. But people seem to love her, while bashing what I see as rootable, three-dimensional characters.)

And who did Lucy see at the end? Hmmm ... Maybe it's Kevin and he didn't leave after all.

I thought the red carpet stuff was fun, and a good way to establish or re-establish the characters for people who might just be tuning in, even if it wasn't entirely believable. There are red carpets for events in the real world where the most minor of people are treated as celebrities too, so it wasn't entirely unbelievable either.

Why are people assuming that Felicia will turn Frisco down? That is a spoiler. I don't feel much from Frisco until the song, but it was powerful. I agree that I was also uncomfortable thinking about KW and JW's real-life relationship. I grew up with Mac and Felicia in the 90s, but now with Maxie grown up, maybe Felicia doesn't have to worry about who would be stable in her life anymore. I see why she is torn.

[Cheap21]

Ugh, then why didnt you use spoiler tags for those who dont read that?

[jfung79]

No, I don't know that it's a spoiler. I don't read spoilers and don't know any spoilers for GH. I'm just saying people are talking about it like they know Felicia will choose Mac, and if so, it was spoiled for me by this thread.

For all I know, that's not what's happening, and they're just making assumptions.

Hopefully all that talk up above by others is just speculation and nothing has been spoiled yet.

[Vee]

With all due respect, you've been watching for maybe a week. Don't presume to lecture us about how we should treat the show when we've been watching it for a year, or years under this regime on two different shows.

I personally don't think GH is nearly as horrific as others in the thread claim, nor as glorious and fantastic as other sites feel where the show is colossally overrated and equated with the Second Coming. I think the truth here is somewhere in between both extremes. I truly enjoy it everyday, something I have not done since 2000, and I also excoriate it everyday. I love and hate the show in equal measure on a daily basis; there are things I cheer for and then things I could spend pages tearing into. I think it is compulsively watchable with great stuff everyday but it is also profoundly weak and damaged on many other levels which could be helped with just a little TLC, thought and effort beyond just churning out the product according to Frank Valentini's stopwatch and Ron Carlivati's all-encompassing plot beats. I think they are very good at what they do, I think they saved the show, but I also think what they do has become an assembly line. And it doesn't have to be just that kind of fast food. When they're at their best, it's not. They got a lot right during that first day, especially in honoring Jessie Brewer and Nurse Amy. The Spinelli/Ellie number was actually great, as was Jack Wagner singing, and Sam and the DWTS guy. It's the larger macro-structure of the show, how they run it and assemble it, that needs to be fixed. I knew that from OLTL, and I know that here. There needs to be a co-writer, and there needs to be someone saying 'slow down,' and there needs to be someone with another set of eyes and tastes. Preferably a woman.

[jfung79]

Fair enough ... And you make good points ... Sorry if I came across as lecturing, but it's frustrating when you love something to see tons of other people nitpicking or tearing it down, threatening its existence. I'm glad there's so much you still like. I agree with you the show probably isn't as great or as bad as the extremes of how it's described. But please don't make the perfect the enemy of the good. Calling GH "profoundly weak and damaged on many ... levels" when all it is needs is 'just a little TLC, thought and effort" seems contradictory, and exaggerated. It might be a good idea in concept to have another set of eyes, but is there anyone you have in mind specifically?

Also I've been watching for over two weeks actually -- time flies -- and I grew up with the show in junior high and high school so if I like it a lot, I'm going to say so. I feel confident in stating that this Nurses Ball comes across comparable to and in the spirit of what I watched in the 1990s so far. I'm also not going to censor myself from pointing out good or bad writing if it differs from the majority opinion.

Time will tell whether I agree that there is too much a "fast food" feeling in the overall pacing of stories and use of characters. I don't so far.

I am aware that I have a lot more to observe and learn, and strive to respect and learn from the viewpoints and knowledge of others.

[Cheap21]

+1

[MontyB]

LOL! Someone said Monica looks like their mother, LOL. Whatever the case, this was some good stuff back then and Leslie was beautiful. On yesterday's show at the Nurse's Ball, I could actually see the full outline of her "pullback" when they showed her from a certain angle. It was as if someone was standing behind her and pulling her skin back as tight as they could to fasten it. Very disturbing.

[MontyB]

Yeah he does favor him a little.

[JackPeyton]

Why did Lesley and.. I think it's Rick? Get divorced?

[ChitHappens]

Hopefully, you will find a site where there's nothing but praise for GH because you should be comfortable. Good luck with that one!

If GH is about the hospital now, I'm certainly missing it. The only way this show will be about the hospital is if Roger Howarth comes back as a doctor, Konnie is integrated and becomes a shrink herself and/or Starr gets a job in the lab.

The red carpet? I found that utterly embarrassing and wish they had left it out. If it had to happen, the person introducing everyone was miscast and some of the intros were awful. It was a bad idea and I cringed as I watch. It seriously was a struggle for me.

Kelly/Sam dancing as bad writing? Who didn't know Sam would learn that dance in 20 minutes? The performance was great, and that had nothing to do with the writing. However, it was a number for the ball and it worked! If I were going to talk about the horrid writing, and I do, this would be at the bottom of the list!

Frisco and Flea - I can't even comment because I ff anything remotely involving Frisco. To bring this guy back after abandoning his family for almost 20 years, immediately reunite him with Maxie with no struggle and then have him in an equal battle for Flea with the man who took care of and supported his family? Not sure why Flea needs to think about who to choose because Frisco chose for her years ago. Why would I watch any of that?

If FRon get bashed, it's because they deserve it for always serving up garbage!

[Cheap21]

they divorced around the time Monica gave birth to AJ, but later remarried. They never divorced after the second marriage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxrQxOF_ieg

Sam saying she has never danced isn't exactly true. She learned to dance the last time she was on DWTS and they worked it into her storyline. Granted it was years ago and I wouldn't expect her to remember the moves, but that line wasn't exactly accurate