General Hospital September 2021 Discussion Thread

[AlexElizabeth]

Right? This will probably end up being like Chase/Michael/Willow where Chase just instantly forgave everyone and everyone got along and there were no consequences. So boring. 

[victoria foxton]

 

  

[xtr]

They revealed things pretty quickly regarding Sonny's return from the dead and Jason/Carly's wedding. Sonny came in quickly, told them he was alive before they got a chance to sleep together. They revealed to him quickly that they were married and told him the story of how that came to be. And he was pretty calm about it. People on Twitter was suggesting maybe they decided to try and wrap things up really quickly because maybe they've received a lot of negative feed back about Jason/Carly getting together.

I'm not sure if that is the case, but they were moving pretty fast today in how they were revealing things. I am interested in seeing what else may happen especially if Sonny learns that Jason/Carly love each other, and if they are going to have Jason/Carly struggle with those feelings.

I also liked seeing Brook and Chase spend more time together though it ended up being cut short due to Maxie warning them that Peter was alive.

Edited September 21, 2021 by xtr

[KMan101]

 

Yep. That's what I feared but I kept hearing "wait" "Sonny will be pissed" (even Mo was teasing "SONNY IS BACK") But all that means is Carson reunited and Jason being their bitch again. I would LOVE to be wrong. 

 

It sucks because the story was there. The writers get it but the end result sucks because Frank is seemingly afraid of any real drama (I also argue he panicked after the show busted up all the failed couples and islanded Sonny in Nixon Falls and stans were bitching on social media like you wouldn't believe - some STILL talk about Julian and how his death is why the show sucks - seriously). He has to stop catering and pushing his own agendas and let the writers write. 

 

I believe they're capable because of what they've done but there's been a clear shift. I do think some fault lies with them but if you're told what to write ...

 

And not that I see ABC actually giving a damn and firing Frank, I'd rather not see the writers get scapegoated like they were the last few times. 

Edited September 21, 2021 by KMan101

[Faulkner]

The ratings have not been fabulous, I think.

I’m not able to watch today but this sounds awful.

[FrenchBug82]

This is an absolute disgrace. I defended this story for a year because I thought they payoff would be spectacular. I was wrong. If this is as far as it goes this was a limp noodle.

And there is no question in my mind that this is a shift driven by something else than the writers. No way was this the plan all along. This feels rushed and lazy.

 

 

 

[KMan101]

 

No they haven't been. I don't put as much stock in Nielsen ratings anymore but they do still show a trend. And it isn't good.

 

And lol at Alan Sarapa the Twitter soap know it all. I mean all of us on here have been screaming interference. I'm just glad he's speaking about it because no one seems to be listening and they want to blame the writers (many believe Frank is a soap savior)

[Vee]

Rushed, lazy and anticlimactic has been this show's MO for years.

[KMan101]

 

Frank has shown his ass in the last two months I feel ... just about everyone has noticed the interference. Something many of us talk about but it seems to get brushed aside.

 

Yep. Remember the Jean and Shelly years? Lord. This is gold compared to the Oscar, Drew and Kim years.

[ChitHappens]

Rushed and lazy I probably could have dealt with, but absolutely no payoff for the viewers who endured this?  That's just downright cruel.  The wedding fizzed, the wedding night fizzled and now Sonny is back pretending he's content when I know deep down, even his dumb ass has to know that Jarly in his bedroom with Champaign and the lights dimmed means something.  Is he going to gaslight them?  

I repeat, GH is a soapless soap!  Prank Valentini begs viewers to return only to kick them in the teeth!  We are all Charlie to his Lucy!  

Frank is the joke that has yet to deliver a punchline.  

[FrenchBug82]

I personally liked a lot of the material in the spring. I thought it was soapy.
But yeah this is a disaster and I am furious I defended them for so long in the in-hindsight-naive belief they had a fun twist up their sleeves. 

When you said that in the spoiler thread a couple of weeks back, I wrote a response detailing why I disagreed because I thought the material earlier this year was soapy.

But yep. I have to bow now. I was wrong; you are right.
I am stunned by how they could weave such a long story and end it with a big ball of nothing, no drama, no twist, no payoff. Unbelievable.
I tried to forgive the Willow/Chase letdown of a reveal and the terrible followup to the Peter/Maxie reveal with excuses based on how unpopular the characters were but there is NO excuse for not wringing as much drama out of the Sonny mess. I hate Sonny and Jason but they are story drivers. This should have been dynamite.

[Vee]

IMO Frank has been micromanaging this show for his own vision since RC was fired. They clicked together in sync, whether the work was good or bad, but I think with Frank solo, having consumed all that hype from soap bloggers and Twitter folk that they were the saviors of ABC soaps and the last guardian of the history, it emboldened him to try to become Jill Farren Phelps - creating the show himself with his favorite folks, adding in bits and pieces of OLTL, etc. at any opportunity.

Frank couldn't stand Dena Higley at OLTL but serviced her vision as an EP in those years because it was necessary. Now he's running the show.

[KMan101]

 

"We are the Charlie to his Lucy"

 

Perfectly sums it up

 

But many of us have seen Frank being the problem for years and years and years (I'd argue even back when he was the OLTL 'savior' I saw the same issues). 

 

9 months of Sonny in Nixon Falls. Rushed Jason and Carly into marriage after spending weeks/months building up Jason and Britt (because Jason needs someone when Carson reunite ....) ... 

 

Such a letdown. But I expected to be. I was really hoping they'd get this right since it's the 'stars of the show' but nope.

[Vee]

If this was normal times, of course, people would get fired for this. But since ABC no longer cares, no one will. See also: Josh Griffith, Y&R.

[xtr]

I wonder if they negative feedback may have played a role in things. I saw several people on Twitter, complaining about Jarly being together, though, I know that's not the only platform out there. I wonder if they received a bunch of negative feedback in general and just decided to really rush the reveal. There really doesn't seem to be any fallout right now, but maybe there's still time for that to change at least a little. Maybe people will be mad at Nina and that will bring some drama to this story. They could at least get some drama from people being mad that her lying and secret keeping kept Sonny from his family. I would also like to see Sonny struggle with his feelings for her, but I'm not sure we'll get much of that. 

Edited September 21, 2021 by xtr