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

[Vee]

One thing I will say: It was a classic FV/RC blunder to leave LNL off the rest of the week for expediency and time's sake. They did that [!@#$%^&*] all the time at OLTL, left crap hanging for days on end. But Luke and Laura on the Haunted Star surrounded by Cassadine death squads is way too big a cliffhanger to leave on a Wednesday during the 50th Anniversary.

I have a terrible feeling that, as I predicted, they will pick it up next week with Luke and Laura already out of danger saying, "good thing we got away!" They've done that before, which is horrible. But assuming for a moment they don't - the way to properly handle that would have been to thread the follow-up to Wednesday with them through the Friday episode alongside the NB, and play their great escape intercut with Frisco doing "All I Need." You can't tell me the audience would not have ate that [!@#$%^&*] up.

[DRW50]

Generally I think the thread gets a good mix of commentary. I and maybe a few other people are more on the harsh/glib side, some love the show, some are in-between. I think this is one of the very few sites that is balanced about "Cartini." People have been happy to praise the show when they think it warrants praising.

[KMan101]

Exactly Carl. Well said.

Well said as well Vee, for your great post a page or two ago.

I love your thoughts jfung, I'm glad you enjoy the show and I enjoy your posts a lot (which I've said before).

I'm probably more negative than necessary, and more nitpicky than necessary, but if I like something, I like it. If I don't, I don't. We all can't help what we feel.

I'm more on the line along with what Vee said. More down the middle, but maybe a bit more negative lately. I'm not a Carlivati 'hater' or 'lover'. I think he's capable, but he needs to be reigned in, he needs to realize he needs better script writers, and he probably could use a co-hw. I think some of his ideas border on bad fan fiction but I will fully admit that I love how he's brought back as many vets as he can. The problem is he is a fan. So he writes like one, not that it's a bad thing but I feel like he tries to do too much all at the same time, then there is lack of follow-up, I see little actual depth on screen, it's just kind of a "wow! look at that! then 30 second later "OMG, look over here!" lol. I don't know. I think the show is capable of being fantastic right now and a lot is just falling flat. I give him credit and thanks for the returns and the return of the Nurse's Ball but like I said, sometimes it's like he starts well, then sees something shiny and gets distracted and then remembers and does a quick wrap up. Frank needs to reign him in just a little bit.

Rant over.

[Vee]

The thing is, when you've seen what they can do when they're really on as opposed to when they're scrimping, saving and cutting corners, you tend to be a lot more harsh. OLTL pretty much fell victim to cutting all the fat out that it possibly could to keep the show running, and that's exactly what they did. They put on a decent show, but they also, over time, mercilessly sacrificed character over the ongoing plot drumbeat (and kept a lot of characters that just didn't work). And by the end the show they were putting on - while I still loved a lot of it - was a far sight removed from the show they were putting on in late 2007 or most of 2008 (rapemance aside). Now I don't think they're even doing it to just to save money. I think they're doing it because this is now the formula that works for them. And that's a problem, and it will get worse. Because there is no one there to be a counterpoint to this method. I would not throw them off the show - but I would bring in someone equally strong enough to insure a more satisfying, whole show.

[KMan101]

I agree about OLTL falling victim to that. They drew me in when they first started OLTL. After the strike, I dunno, they lost me. And then I was trying to watch regularly towards the end (still kept up and watched when I felt like it), you'd get involved in a storyline and it would be pretty much shoved down your throat, and then you wouldn't see the characters for what felt like weeks on end.

They do put on a decent show, aside from a few mishaps. It could just be so much better.

EDIT: And it's already starting to happen to GH for me right now. Yeah we have 'vets galore' and I love it for that fact, but it's like when they first showed up, they got off a bit rocky but then the Faison story among others were pretty good. I don't remember this much negativity a few months ago. It was a lot more neutral and positive imo.

[DRW50]

There is no one, outside of some fans, who ever criticizes their work. When you have a soap press that does nothing but kiss your feet, then you feel like you're doing everything right.

[Vee]

When the anniversary hoopla passes, it'll be very interesting to see what the show looks like. I suspect that is part of why they are pushing this in the press as an "anniversary year," not merely a month or week, to keep the hype train of guests and big stories going for as long as possible. In reality they really don't have a bible or rulebook for this - they thought they were coming to take the show off and now I think it's flying by the seat of their pants. Which is okay within reason, but with these guys, they already do seat of their pants on general principle.

This is all in addition to whatever is going on with the OLTL 3. All I've heard about Kristen Alderson is that she is not playing Starr anymore and doesn't seem to know who or what or if she is playing, though I suspect FV would sacrifice a ram to the altar of Baal to keep her around - he seems to think she is the skeleton key to the youth demo, even though he knows that Starr and Michael (and Trey and Kristina - who Frank actually terminated, as opposed to doubling down like he did with the Fords on OLTL, so that is progress) failed to anchor their own stories last year and had to be folded into the veterans' ELQ stuff to work properly. I think she works only in short, controlled bursts - like gunfire from assault rifles - and with vets and Chad Duell, but the show is not exactly suffering from not having her, or any of those three. I think it's a waste of time and money to force this. Kristen can barely play Starr independent of herself, let alone any other character.

[KMan101]

That is very true.

And Ron gets pissy on Twitter whenever there's any criticism from what I remember. I don't do Twitter but when things are posted here about Ron on Twitter, it's him getting all upset when the truth is told.

[EricMontreal22]

I was about to type a similar response--until I saw this. Exactly.

[jfung79]

I like your idea but I also like that the Nurses Ball had a whole day to itself to start with, no other settings. Also, I'm not sure that intercutting Luke/Laura's adventure with "All I Need" would have been appropriate since the characters are in a state now where they still care for each other deeply, still have a great connection, and come together for their children, but are no longer a couple. Laura's eyes are open about Luke's flaws and I don't think she is pining to be back with him, or Luke with Laura.

[Vee]

You're wrong. They're going to reunite, sooner or later, this year. That is Ron Carlivati, and that's the show as well. He's already made it very clear in his usual thuddingly obvious way, in dialogue and cutting. The only question is if Luke will, at some point, earn it.

[Cheap21]

One thing I hate about RC is that he writes with a super couple mentality. It reminds me of Days of our Lives and its annoying as hell. The couples are way too predictable and he tends to latch onto nostalgia even if it no longer works

[jfung79]

That's your take, but I don't think it's as obvious as you do. We've already seen Laura lash out at Luke for yet again not valuing Nikolas's life. We've already seen her have a believable moment of indecision about shooting Luke, and not react in agreement when Ethan said nice work to her for planning to give Luke the gun. We've seen Helena mention the rape, and Laura's years in a catatonic state where Luke abandoned her and married someone else, with Laura saying nothing in Luke's defense.

Plus I don't think a reunion is what Tony Geary wants. Not sure about Genie.

I see support for your argument too, such as Laura abandoning Scotty yet again to go with Luke to save Lulu, Scotty talking to Bobbie about Luke and Laura's love, and Laura asking Scotty to stay away from the hospital.

This being soaps, at some point Luke and Laura will reunite, either under Carlivati or not, if GH is still in the air. It might not be a lasting reunion, but at some point someone would try to put them back together again. But I'm not convinced it would be as soon as later this year.

[Nate4]

This is random, but did anyone laugh when Brenda meant Sean? You know the guy that was hired to kidnap/kill her and that's why he joined GH...

[Vee]

That doesn't matter to FV and RC. They reunited Viki and Clint on OLTL and Erika Slezak didn't really want that. They reunited Bo and Nora after years of drama. I think down the road they may yet go back and reunite Frisco and Felicia as well. Compared to the last two situations, LNL are nothing. They don't care about what the actors want.

You want to bet money? I'll do it.