GENERAL HOSPITAL December 2021 Discussion Thread

[Vee]

I think DZ is excellent and can help carry the show with good writing. He just hasn't had any in at least 10 years. The Sam thing is a B or C pairing at best. They have chemistry in the abstract, but the material - wearing stupid outfits, her yowling at him, etc. - is terrible. It could've been something deeper but now it is a place to park them. KM is completely spent on the show IMO, even more spent physically (the work or whatever she and Steve did to themselves destroyed both of their looks), and she should be gone for good. And I say that as someone who could've found purpose for her in most of the last decade despite often hating Sam in her heyday. There are plenty of dynamic possibilities for Dante, though.

I told people Mikayla would not last while still off-contract and they threw a tantrum. It's the truth. I think they should lock down all three of those kids (her, Lipton, Chavez) for as long as possible, but I agree the stories aren't much to write home about. This is easily the strongest youth scene they've had since maybe the mid-2000s though, so they need to work it. The couple is cute even if I'll never buy Spencer is 100% str8, and Esme probably should've been a dude. That's an angle they can work with some other guy another day, I suppose. They could add kids from the Asian Quarter, they could do any number of things while writing off Joss for awhile.

[Faulkner]

Easily.

Just sad that Sprina had more potential than I’d personally seen in a soap couple in many, many years, and they can’t even take advantage of it.

[John]

CS has said he only signed a six month deal as Victor  and if he doesnt stay he will exit by April 2022 and this story even though im liking it is moving slow

I bet Mikayla will recur a while longer, at least thru the summer  but I could her leaving by next fall, if GH cant get her back under contract

Edited December 2, 2021 by John

[AlexElizabeth]

Of course these teens are all going to leave eventually. Most teen actors on soaps do. You don't have to be a psychic to figure that out. Nobody was throwing a tantrum over that grand prediction. Lord. 4/5 of the teens are in college and it's not because they plan on staying on GH forever. 

[carolineg]

Agreed.  It is a place to park two popular characters for awhile with no real investment.  DZ really could carry the show, but since Guza left he hasn't gotten much of anything.  You and I will always agree Sam is useless and way past her expiration date on the show.  I don't think Kemo's face work is that bad.  It does look waxy on camera, but her lips look worse than her actual face.  Unfortunately, KM always looked tired and worn out on the show even when she was younger so maybe she is overcompensating now.

I agree SM is probably leaving, but a lot of teen actors stay on the show for a long time.  Many leave but plenty of teens on the show have transitioned to leads.   Robin, Jason, Brenda, Emily, Lucky, Liz, Nik, Maxie, Michael, Kristina, Molly, Laura lol all started as teens and stayed to either lead the show or for several years/contract cycles.  I don't think it's crazy to think someone like Eden McCoy might be on the show for a long while even if she leaves and comes back.  Probably not the teen everyone wants to stay, but she seems the most invested.

[AbcNbc247]

Wasn't it SM's decision to go on recurring? It sucks when you think about it, but you can't fault anyone for it

[ChitHappens]

Yes, she went recurring for school, but she's been on at least 3 magazine covers and if the right offer comes along, I can't see her passing it up.  She is free to move on if she wants.  They need to work around her schedule better so Sprina fans can get a payoff before a recast possibly happens.   It's like everything they film is aired and then once they film again, those eppies air consecutively.  Spread those scenes so the pairing is airing together more.  The Sprina fans said they won't be on again until next week.  That's not the way to hold onto the momentum.

[AlexElizabeth]

The teen story in general has been MIA recently, it's not necessarily specific to Sydney/Trina. It could be that it's hard for the show to work around 4 different college schedules and/or they're distracted by writing for Jason's death storyline and their shiny new Drew. 

Edited December 2, 2021 by AlexElizabeth

[Faulkner]

Yeah, I wasn’t entirely blaming TPTB, but it sucks indeed. It’s like having a winning lottery ticket you can’t cash in on.

[Vee]

All I'm saying is that when I pointed out months ago that being that young and talented and only on recurring meant they could lose her sooner than GH was acting like they will, a couple people (and I'm not talking about you) lost it and insisted she'd be here for the long haul just because GH said they would in press. But "working with her schedule" always means they're the mercy of the talent's demand. The PR is always the same: "Oh, they're not going anywhere, they'll do both!"  Then they get a pilot and it's byebye.

I hope she stays longer. And I agree with Chit that in case she isn't, they should be block taping her. Yet somehow I don't think Frank is missing a chance to maximize his Roger Howarth or JPS output. Foolish.

[Nixor]

It’s interesting to me that this crop of teen actors all want a degree rather than focusing solely on acting. Maybe they’ll decide to be actors long term after school, but the other teens that either stayed on GH or went on to act in other projects (Kim Mc, JJ, Amber Tamblyn) didn’t pursue college. Either way, I’m prepared to never have payoff to Sprina and all their potential but I hope we at least get one kiss. 

[Taoboi]

Well, granted I haven't started to watch the aftermath of the cave-in so the last time I've seen the teens is at the art exhibit, I was already writing that it already seems the writing is on the wall because all of a sudden it felt like Esme was shifting away from Trina and Spencer and they were mixing up her and Spencer more with Joss and Cameron while Trina was curiously absent. It was just a sense of there is so much to do with Sprina (and especially with Portia on the warpath) and it just seems to have been put on a simmer to focus on...Joss? It is almost she took Trina's whole story...and I was hoping that it was not just coincidence. Though I've like some of what Esme with Joss/Cam is bringing out with them...still doesn't mean there is not room for the potential of Sprina and their built in drama. 

 

I agree and have said so that we haven't had a good teen set in a minute on ANY of the soaps and Spencer's return (and adding a vixen/psycho in Esme) is bearing fruit to that fact. Heck, we even have teen storylines again like virginity, sex, college talk, identity. And that resonates. You would think with them in college in RL, they could block film for sure. I remember all the times Anothey Geary would go on vaca and they would block off all kinds of stuff to at least keep him on air for a while before it was noticeable. 

 

 

[carolineg]

I would assume the teens in this era are being smart.  In the 90's even if the teens didn't book another great job they had some security in GH at least being on the air.  I think this crop is aware GH won't last forever and are just getting secure backup for a future non-acting career.  I also think being on a soap and vaguely famous does help open a few doors as far as college acceptance, so strike while the irons hot.  I can't fault them for thinking ahead.

[AlexElizabeth]

Sorry, I get bitchy sometimes

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I didn't mind Esme being inserted into Joss and Cam's orbit as they needed a third party and some shaking up far more than Trina and Spencer ever did. Joss and Cam have had zero story since getting together and all they do is make out at Kelly's. Esme has been shifted back into Trina's orbit recently, confronting her at the gallery and then of course all the hi-jinks at the art exhibit, which Joss was noticeably absent from. And based on the video about Genie's return, Joss is once again absent from whatever Christmas activities the other teens are doing. I mean, I don't mind one bit that Joss is MIA, it's just a bit odd since they usually love to showcase her whenever they can, just like her mother. I know Eden is crazy busy as well. It is probably hard to coordinate everyone's college schedules. I don't know how Sydney Mikayla is managing everything - that girls stays booked and busy. She's got a new magazine cover every week. I do think it's good that they're getting an education because like someone said, GH won't be around forever. I actually really like this teen set and it sucks because I know they're all going to bolt eventually. Nick Chavez is the only one not in school but I'd be stunned if he stayed once his three-year contract is up.

Onto the actual episode, which was far less interesting than the teen cast going to college...

Spare me with these Carly/Sonny/Drew scenes. Carly and Sonny kicked Drew to the curb the second Jason returned and never looked back. They didn't give one f-ck about him! I don't think they even had any interaction with him in the months leading up to his disappearance. But now that Jason is gone, they act like they care and that they're so happy he's back. Can Drew go see Liz's kids? He was a great father figure/uncle to them.

Jason just died and they really have Sam talking about how happy she is. They're really twisting the knife for the JaSam fans. Maybe the Liz/Liason fans shouldn't be too upset that Liz isn't getting any sort of point of view, lol.

Also, Drew/Maxie? WTF? I can only assume that this is a chem test because I don't recall them having any history? I don't know that I've seen anyone clamoring for Drew and Maxie to interact, but okay. I'd personally rather see Drew get tested with Britt. Perhaps they realized that Austin/Maxie is an epic fail. Honestly, at this point I think I'm ready to just go back to Maxie and Spinelli. I figured that was the whole reason they broke him and Ellie up.

The actors are doing a nice job with the Brando/Sasha stuff. This baby honestly is really pointless so I do wonder if he'll make it. Liam is a good name.

The big bad Valentin Cassadine sure is a whiny crybaby lately, lol.

I love Chase's airtime lately. Keep this man on my screen five days a week.

[titan1978]

The show had actual notices with Sprina, and Sydney Mikayla is deserving of her attention.

The truth is, if I was a teen in Hollywood and on a soap, I would go recurring for college too.  Because the soap will always be there, especially if you are popular, so you might as well have your cake and eat it too.  But bigger opportunities may not be, and if those come along the story will be different.  So to me, this is a pragmatic decision, and only time and Pilot Season and fall casting for existing shows will tell if they are more serious about school and staying on GH or if they are willing to go for larger opportunities should they present.