General Hospital January 2022 Discussion Thread

[carolineg]

I mean I agree someone should check on Trina, but they are teens.  The world's most boring teens but I have definitely left people to sleep it off in the other room if they were too drunk-and I was drinking too.  They have no reason to believe she was drugged.  It's not great friendship, but that is believable in context to their age. 

[LondonScribe]

Thinking she used Trina’s phone, which she’ll conveniently get a hold of and release the video from.

Cue selective gullibility and the teens all fall apart.

[AlexElizabeth]

I don't think she used Trina's phone. They showed Esme with a burner phone on Tuesday. 

[Khan]

Maybe we should start calling her "Messme" from now on?

[LondonScribe]

Righto. Must have missed that detail. Many thanks

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[Vee]

It would be one thing to have Trina drugged at a party while other teens fùck, which does unfortunately happen IRL. It's another optic and tonal issue when the show's story priority has always been the white kids.

[j swift]

I know they write these stories as cautionary tales for the prototypical soap viewing moms at home who still watch linear cable.  But, in reality, I don't think there are many sites in 2022 where an anonymous person can upload video of people having sex without their consent to being filmed. 

Also, Chase hasn't been able to work for months at a time since he was poisoned last summer.  How can he afford health care (or rent)?  One assumes that if he was suspended from the police force, he would not be paid nor would he get benefits.

Edited January 29, 2022 by j swift

[Vee]

Ohhh, I can think of a few.

[carolineg]

Do you really think it's an optic and tonal issue? I am not trying to be combative or rude but just want more clarity on it from your view.   I just think its drunk kids being stupid and like our friend is sleeping in the other room and okay.  I don't expect them to sit by her bedside or anything.

Edited January 29, 2022 by carolineg

[Vee]

I know you're not, lol. I think these things happen everyday, as I said. In a more balanced show and canvas I'd feel differently about it. But here I just think it's a tacky choice on the show's part, given how much focus and timeshare GH has already given to Joss and co. for years on end now. It's not lost on me who's locked into a contract and who's not (even if that's at least partly SM's choice), and who's getting a lush love scene and who's drugged next door.

In Frank Valentini's world the ethnic kids are the sidekicks to the young white teens and their hopes and dreams. This is always how he's done it, and I told people he'd do it here, just as I said they would sideline Trina without a contract. I'm glad people enjoy Spencer and Trina, but I have no faith in this show, their priorities or their sense of the moment. And it's not a reflection on William Lipton who's excellent (and should've been part of a triangle with Trina but I digress), or even Eden McCoy who is a passable actress but who should not be in the starring role she has. I don't think it's on Cam and Joss in-story. It's a reflection on Frank and the production.

Edited January 29, 2022 by Vee

[AlexElizabeth]

The issue I'm seeing (from people on Twitter and I agree) is that the sole black teen was drugged, humiliated, and put in a room off screen while the others got all the drama (which should very much involve Trina). And I don't even think this was a scheduling issue with SM as these cabin scenes were likely all filmed on the same day. They just chose to have Trina drugged and off screen while Joss got to tell off Esme and then have a cringeworthy love scene. It's like they want us to love Joss but know that Trina steals the spotlight from her every time and they can't have that, so she has to be off screen. 

Edited January 29, 2022 by AlexElizabeth

[Vee]

I'n sure it wasn't. That doesn't mean the different situation with her availability doesn't dovetail with the show's own preference for who gets more central focus and story.

And anyone who watched the teen scene at Frank's OLTL (as I believe you did) with Brittany Underwood and Jason Tam has seen this and more insidious routines before. Except Langston's storylines demeaned and marginalized her way more - so far.

And let's not forget the attempted teen plot in 2013 at GH where Frank and Ron angled to put Molly (white) with Rafe (white) while Molly's boyfriend, Black overachiever T.J., got drunk with Black vixen whatserface, Felix's sister, who disappeared overnight along with both T.J. and Molly when the white kids failed to capture the audience.

[Khan]

If I didn't know any better, @Vee, I'd say you were calling Frank a racist POS without calling him a racist POS.

Edited January 29, 2022 by Khan

[Vee]

I'm actually not! Frank Valentini has done a lot of good at his shows as well as a lot of bad. He did some solid multicultural stories once upon a time. I also think he learned the wrong lessons from some of the last years of OLTL. I just think that the way his shows are run is, like so much of daytime, too often deeply tonedeaf, blinkered and focused entirely on the wrong things. It might appeal to Peoria to keep the people of color in their place, but Peoria isn't going to keep this show alive for another 10 years (probably).

Edited January 29, 2022 by Vee

[carolineg]

I get what you are saying 100% but I don't think Joss/Cam would ever be sidelined just because of their parents.   These teens are the most boring teens on the planet, but i do think a lot of trina's issues are due to SM's non contract situation.  Idk,I  Iike Trina and think she's a find but no one on the teen scene gives me a future star vibe like Kim, Vanessa, Steve, Michael Sutton, Cari Shayne, Amber Tamblyn, JJ did.   They are all fair and middling to me and I know that's unpopular.   But I think the audience is searching for the next brenda, carly, robin so anything that is mildly good is a find.

Edited January 29, 2022 by carolineg