GH: April 2015 Discussion Thread

[Cheap21]

So whatever happened to that Michael and Rosalie thing they had going on? You'd think she'd be seducing him as part of her undercover work for that offscreen takeover storyline

[AlexElizabeth]

We'll see flashbacks of this happening in a few weeks.

[ChitHappens]

Yes, Craptini have solved the ongoing problem of OFFSCREEN Storytelling by giving you ONE flashback to catch you up. Lawd!

But I have to be honest...I have watched few minutes here and there, and the only thing that sticks out to me, and I'm really stuck on this eppy, is Scummy telling Carly that they can't give Michael a free pass on his behavior. I just couldn't deal with that, and I'm emotionally stuck. I really can't get past something like this coming from that greasy little maggot. That was last week, and its all I can think about!

[KMan101]

I loved how Ronnie announced on Twatter a while back that "by popular demand Rosalie is back" and she was on for like a day. Ron can't even keep up with his own so-called storylines anymore. Off-screen happenings and recap flashback episodes are SO lazy. He tries to do way too much and service [make your own joke] too many characters and he ultimately can't handle it, clearly. I know scheduling and episode guarantees and actor availability play a large role but maybe fix it so we don't go so long without seeing someone. Why can't characters be weaved into other storylines (every once in a while they are) when they aren't in their own? Too many isolated characters. I feel like I'm watching several different shows. "Recurring" or not, why were Bobbie and Scott's scenes cut? Why is Monica only on a few times a year? Are Ron and Frank still pissy towards Leslie after all this time? Or does he want to avoid the fans calling him out on Monica not recognizing Jason, etc. I mean, why the hell isn't she involved in this? She even sees Danny OFF SCREEN. Just shameful. Guza and Wolfe treated her better. I expected better from Ron at least where Monica was concerned. Yeah, the vets are mostly window dressing but I still appreciate, in his fanboi mind, that he wanted them back and on the canvas.

[StevieM]

Am I the only one who thinks this kidnapping is pretty easy to figure out? Silus kidnapped Avery so he could use her as a bone marrow donor for Ava. Also, we saw Silus with blood samples that he can test to see if they are a match.

I don't see how you can blame Morgan and Kiki for the kidnapping, regardless of who did it. The child in question was not yet in their custody at the time she was stolen. And, of course, she could have also been taken from the Quartermaine mansion. The only person to blame for the kidnapping is the kidnapper.

Then again, I think that Avery is best off with Ava, her mother.

[titan1978]

I love LC and Monica. But she hasn't helped herself by having so much distracting work done to her face. It's the truth. When she appears the comments start with either her work has settled and looks better or she looks awful and should stop.

I think her absence is glaring, her role on the show should be bigger, but she is also a reminder of how much JFP and Bob Guza decimated her family and her place on the show.

[ChitHappens]

Monica should have been front and center when her grandson took custody of Scummy's spawn and named her AJ. That would have been THE punch that particular conclusion needed. Instead, we have Scummy onscreen trying to be deep as Carly acknowledges his pain and all he's been through. My GOD!

Stevie, if this weren't a cartoon, Ava would be in jail and stay there for murder, so AJ with her would not be possible. Michael should retain custody and really make a story out of it as opposed to this child being missing every goddamn 5 seconds. Of course, Silas has that kid, but don't let on to moRon that you know that because the entire story will change so that they can trick you.

Zeman's acting (if you choose to call it that) just gets more laughable with each passing day. Her scenes with Kin yesterday looked like a comedy skit.

[dragonflies]

I agree about JZ, she was even hard to understand yesterday cause of how bad her face is messed up.

[YRBB]

:lol:

[Vee]

Jackie did shockingly good work in the last few months, her best in years after being clearly insecure about her face and overcompensating. Now she's back with Kin and doing Betty Boop the kindergarten teacher again. The writing, of course, is not helping.

[DRW50]

I finally watched the anniversary episode, after putting it off for a while because I dreaded the subject matter and the hack writing in general.

It started out bad but got somewhat better as it went along.

The good:

- As many already said, the casting for young Luke and Patricia. They did a wonderful job with such hyperdramatic material and they were believable young versions of Tony Geary and Dee Wallace. Geary isn't an easy actor to emulate but the guy who played him did it just right. He also made Bill Eckert seem like another character and not just Luke with slicked back hair.

- The hospital homage. I like that Jason/Becky/Ryan didn't go overboard in trying to imitate the original actors, and that there were no winks and nods and cutesiness. This worked out much better than I had expected.

- Laura Wright made a real impression in her handful of scenes, convincing me of Lena's struggle as the perfect wife who was never going to be perfect enough for her husband, a woman who was terrified of her husband and for her children. Jackie Zeman and Jane Elliott gave strong supporting performances (although I thought Jane was a little off with Luke at the end). Dee Wallace was also wonderful in what could have just been a check-cashing throwaway role for her.

- Aside from a few too many overwrought closeups, Luke watching his past unfold was a stronger narrative choice than I'd expected. The makeup/hair and camera work on the recreated flashback of Bill Eckert was surprisingly seamless.

The "didn't agree with this choice but it could have been worse":

- I don't think they made the right decision casting Geary as the Spencer father. It was too much of Geary doing Geary - bellowing, hamming. Only from the time they learned of Lena's death did I think Geary began to start acting and put in a respectable effort.

The bad:

- Terrible, obvious dialogue.

From Lena's "Who do you think you are? Mary Tyler Moore?" (domestic violence is always a good segueway for more pop culture cutesiness) to the father immediately launching into interchangeable racial slurs just in case we wouldn't know that he was a bad man, to a young Luke shouting, "You destroyed us!" like a 12-year old writing his first fanfic, the words in their mouths threw me out of scenes time and time again.

The low point was when Lulu, after learning that her grandfather had beaten his wife and all of his children, said, chirpily as ever, "He was a hateful man!" Yes, Lulu. Let's dismiss years of abuse as if he flipped somebody off while taking their parking space.

- Misogyny abounds.

While Luke (accidentally) killed Lena, Pat gets the narrative blame, because she kept pushing and pushing her father, even as her mother begged her to stay in line. Pat was also the one who was effectively "punished" for her actions, being a prisoner of her own body via MS even as Luke has lived the life of a king. It's unfortunate that the message of these scenes was that if you stand up to your father's racism and sexism and violence, then your mother will pay with her life. It's even more unfortunate that the show compounded this by giving Pat a mixed-race daughter whose sole purpose is to be demeaned and villainized in favor of Barbie princess Lulu.

- Ham wailing.

Luke's weeping and wailing at the fireplace about how HE DID THIS was reminiscent of no-budget theater work that SCTV used to skewer. Put Joe Flaherty in a wig and see the difference (although Joe Flaherty is a better actor). Geary and Ron are not a good mix.

All in all I'd give it a B or a B-, which is pretty good by modern GH standards. I can't help wondering what might have been with a qualified writing and producing team, but it is what it is.

[Vee]

In fairness to GH, which doesn't deserve much these days, I don't think they have vilified Valerie yet. They may soon, but they haven't done so thus far. I like her a lot. I also don't think they blamed Pat, but I think she blamed herself.

Dee Wallace was way better than most of the cast - just incredible, heartwrenching work in her few episodes. I can't believe they knocked her off like a day later. I also thought JT had John Beradino's voice perfect.

Re: the Eckert flashback, if you mean his death scene, I believe that was just the old footage with an overdub from Geary.

[DRW50]

I thought most of it was the old footage - just the last part looked new to me. But you're probably right.

To me it felt like Pat got blame as they made such a choice to have her repeatedly defying her father even as Luke and Lena kept quiet, but I'd rather believe it the way you interpreted it.

Dee really was exemplary. At least we, hopefully, will never have to see the character return as an evil mastermind.

[alexisfan07]

I was actually thinking she looked a bit refreshed again in the scenes with Kin so perhaps she was overcompensating like she had done previously

[slick jones]

Didn't mind the Sonny/Luke scenes. ELQ story not bad. Of course Silazzzzzzzzzzz has the baby...maybe he can go to jail next..

Always nice to see Tracey in a story....