Sad part is, they knew since January Geary was leaving. That was enough time to craft something reasonably decent. Instead, they wasted time and energy trying to pretend history matters. I think Tom/Lena should have been revisited because they wasted an entire year of our lives with Fluke trash, the high note should have been him healing. Pulling Frank and daughter (what is her [!@#$%^&*] name) into this and then Ethan? Holly? That was a waste. Ratings increased by over 100k when Laura showed up and dropped like a hot rock the week after. Nothing meaningful is happening EVER.

They also had time they could've spared in the actual timespan they used. Instead they spent time on other [!@#$%^&*], or cut pages because Frank the Master Builder (and Editor and Director) needed more of Dud Story X instead of Luke, Laura, Holly, etc.

(And her name's Jennifer.)

I agree about the family, and they may be dealing with Tim and Lena in a way I find meaningful (if cheesy) next week, if the rumors are true. But it would be one of the few parts of the story that work.

Edited July 14, 201510 yr by Vee

If he was simply masquerading he wouldn't have been on staff at OLTL for over a decade before getting the big chair.

And before you say it, it's not about defending Ron Carlivati - there's no defending what he's doing that's caused this. It's just about being even-handed. I think RC was probably a very talented staff writer, much like Jean Passanante is allegedly a very talented breakdown writer. But she couldn't handle the big chair, she's a horrific HW, and Ron quickly succumbed to his worst weaknesses when left to his own devices with no control variables. God knows EricMontreal and I argued for years over Megan McTavish, who IMO was only good at AMC in the early '90s when she was backstopped by everyone from Agnes Nixon and Francesca James to curb her foolishness.

Unless we're dealing with Brian Frons there is no pure good or pure evil in daytime. There rarely ever was. There's degrees of competence and incompetence, and ego, and successes marred by catastrophic flaws.

Of course, you're stanning, but it's your right. However, GH under Ron has NEVER been good. EVER! An eppy or 2 here or there, but nothing really memorable. No stories and all plots. His bag of tricks are the same only he doesn't have enough of the GH cast to hide it now. But I'm not blaming moRon. He can't do what he's not allowed to do.

Of course, you're stanning, but it's your right.

No, I'm not, and you know it. But that's okay. You're committed to your POV. Mine is more complicated.

Edited July 14, 201510 yr by Vee

Sad part is, they knew since January Geary was leaving. That was enough time to craft something reasonably decent. Instead, they wasted time and energy trying to pretend history matters. I think Tom/Lena should have been revisited because they wasted an entire year of our lives with Fluke trash, the high note should have been him healing. Pulling Frank and daughter (what is her [!@#$%^&*] name) into this and then Ethan? Holly? That was a waste. Ratings increased by over 100k when Laura showed up and dropped like a hot rock the week after. Nothing meaningful is happening EVER.

What was the purpose of Holly and Ethan returning? Seriously Ethan was on one episode and Holly was on for one week and most of the time she was in a motel room waiting for a phone call….dumb.

Edited July 14, 201510 yr by Soapsuds

Of course, you're stanning, but it's your right. However, GH under Ron has NEVER been good. EVER! An eppy or 2 here or there, but nothing really memorable. No stories and all plots. His bag of tricks are the same only he doesn't have enough of the GH cast to hide it now. But I'm not blaming moRon. He can't do what he's not allowed to do.

GH was really good for the Robin's return story, all the Faison aspects were good. Also the vampire story was fun. I liked the Fluke story when Fluke was actually on. For me those were the highlights. The moment RC turned his eye on to Jason and his pals and gals it all went to crap. The audience just left.

Even when Fluke was still Bill Eckert, it was largely crap. And there was no excuse for it running that long.

GH was really good for the Robin's return story, all the Faison aspects were good. Also the vampire story was fun. I liked the Fluke story when Fluke was actually on. For me those were the highlights. The moment RC turned his eye on to Jason and his pals and gals it all went to crap. The audience just left.

Robin's story had its moments but the problem with Ron's writing is that he has no payoffs in his stories. Robin returned for nothing….before we knew it she was gone again and left for dumb reasons. Why hasn't she shown up again? Jason is back at GH? Helena is not a threat.

Ron himself said he could only write pregnancy story lines …..he knew the beginning ..middle and ending to them.

GH was really good for the Robin's return story, all the Faison aspects were good. Also the vampire story was fun. I liked the Fluke story when Fluke was actually on. For me those were the highlights. The moment RC turned his eye on to Jason and his pals and gals it all went to crap. The audience just left.

Robin's return was weak. She stood in a lab for 2 eppies after being found by Nik and moRon thru his director and actors under the bus by saying it was written with more urgency. She then hid behind a door for an entire eppy. The ratings were stable, but nothing was happening until Robin was actually revealed. Something actually happened, and that is why viewers tuned in. However, it quickly went south because Dumb and Dumber Ass decided that instead of something meaningful, they'd have this bitch walk out on her family. Knowing Kim was here for a limited time, they didn't have the courage to kill the character or recast.

That was about the show as a whole, not Jonathan. Nothing was able to keep it going, not Vanessa Marcil, not anything or anyone. And honestly, I loved those original years with JJ in the '90s. There were lowlights and bad periods, but there always are in any semi-golden age of soaps. That is the nature of cranking out product 365 days a year, every year, for 50 years.

But the idea at the time was that he and Marcil and so on were supposed to be better and bring it back.

To me anything past about 1994 is uneven and 97-on are mostly weak with some strong moments here and there. But I wasn't ever a fan of the Spencers. Other than some of his story with Liz I never thought JJ was one of the better parts of the show. I never liked the Lucky/Luke relationship or the way that often translated to it being OK to treat Laura as a drag, a burden, or a target for verbal abuse.

Of course the ratings may go up next week with him back. They can't get much lower.

But the idea at the time was that he and Marcil and so on were supposed to be better and bring it back.

To me anything past about 1994 is uneven and 97-on are mostly weak with some strong moments here and there. But I wasn't ever a fan of the Spencers. Other than some of his story with Liz I never thought JJ was one of the better parts of the show. I never liked the Lucky/Luke relationship or the way that often translated to it being OK to treat Laura as a drag, a burden, or a target for verbal abuse.

Of course the ratings may go up next week with him back. They can't get much lower.

Y'all said that last week.

But the idea at the time was that he and Marcil and so on were supposed to be better and bring it back.

To me anything past about 1994 is uneven and 97-on are mostly weak with some strong moments here and there. But I wasn't ever a fan of the Spencers. Other than some of his story with Liz I never thought JJ was one of the better parts of the show. I never liked the Lucky/Luke relationship or the way that often translated to it being OK to treat Laura as a drag, a burden, or a target for verbal abuse.

That kind of braggadocio is not on the actors, though - that's on the press and the PR departments.

And aside for some rough times in the rape revisit story (which was intentionally rough) I didn't see Lucky ever doing that to Laura, but YMMV.

Y'all said that last week.

I was about to say that and look what happened ….LOL

But the idea at the time was that he and Marcil and so on were supposed to be better and bring it back.

Marcil last return was a huge bust. The ratings tanked…I think it was the first time that happened

Robin's return was weak. She stood in a lab for 2 eppies after being found by Nik and moRon thru his director and actors under the bus by saying it was written with more urgency. She then hid behind a door for an entire eppy. The ratings were stable, but nothing was happening until Robin was actually revealed. Something actually happened, and that is why viewers tuned in. However, it quickly went south because Dumb and Dumber Ass decided that instead of something meaningful, they'd have this bitch walk out on her family.

The problem with Robin's return - which still made most of today's show look like Shakespeare, IMO - was that they had Kim contracted for, what, three or four months straight? And they spent the bulk of that airtime on her skulking around in disguise. This was, allegedly, a direct homage to Laura's return in '83 which had a similar development, but they knew they had a limited amount of time to work Kim and pay it off right. Instead, they faffed about for months, milked it to death and then threw together a bullshit exit and subsequent developments.

That is a fundamental problem they've had for years, and not just on GH. Milk something to death before the payoff, gamble that they can pull it out in the crunch, deliver a payoff, and then !@#$%^&*] up and fumble the ball, and blame everyone else. And it's happened over and over and over. If it's not Kimberly McCullough, it's Steve Burton (who they shouldn't have waited on to begin with - they were right to let him bounce, but then they gambled that he'd come back) or Trevor St. John, or others.

Or Prospect Park.

Just noticed that Days beat GH on Monday in HH and Total Viewers

DAYS

Monday: 1.99/2,644,000

GH

Monday: 1.96/2,585,000

No way Carlivati is surviving this. I expect the announcement of a new HW by summer's end.

We survived it, y'all!