General Hospital: May 2023 Discussion Thread

[Khan]

Just don't put her with Valentin, okay?  The last thing anyone needs to hear is that sap serenading her with "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World."

[carolineg]

I think she'd have more chemistry with Easton than Roger, but this is a hypothetical situation.  In my brain.  Finn's more broody, but, honestly, I don't even know what RH's third characters characteristics are.  He historically has more chemistry with leading ladies though.

It would be good for a chuckle though.

[Khan]

Isn't A.J. dead...again?  Oh, well.  Maybe Steve Burton will come back when he's through with DAYS and play him.  ("So what if he used to be Jason?  That was then!  He's A.J. now!  Deal with it!!")

[Vee]

I just don't have any interest in seeing VM forced to put that over, lol. Those dudes are both a minimum of three characters in, it's obscene. And I'm someone who would've thought Roger and Vanessa would have had chemistry with both ten years ago, or ME for that matter as McBain, with their OLTL characters or some other, non-rapist/killer role for Roger.

[Khan]

Who would chuckle?  Heather?  Last time I checked, she still wasn't allowed to play with scissors!

[Vee]

He'd be back. I would re-pair A.J. and Sarah's Carly, in another Alan/Monica-style forced marriage that eventually turns to love. It's a whole thing, my mind is a rich tapestry.

[carolineg]

The amount of joy I would get from Brenda returning with a not dead AJ cannot be described accurately.  The chaos it would cause would warm my heart for at least a year.

I would at home on my couch.  Laughing at how stupid Valentin is while Brenda is off having an affair with Sonny...because she realizes her boyfriend is so completely whipped

Edited May 7, 2023 by carolineg

[Khan]

I wish I could feel that creative about GH - or any current soap - but I just can't muster up the fanfic anymore.  They are what they are.

[Vee]

They are! But they can improve, and that's something for me.

[Khan]

No, they can't.  They're all too far gone.  But, it's a free country (for now).  Knock yourself out.

[Errol]

With the right producer and of course the right writer, and especially little interference from the network heads, we will see a high quality soap in the sense ya'll are talking about again. It's happened before and it will always happen again. The only problem is knowing when. And how. And of course, who.

[titan1978]

On a much more superficial note, Drew really should be more subtle with the eyebrow tinting.  With the shape of CM’s face those brows are serving Sam the Eagle every time I catch a glimpse while fast forwarding through most of his scenes.

[Khan]

The networks (and the corporations that own them) have always been about the bottom line.  Yet, there was a time not TOO long ago when those in charge knew that you could produce quality work and STILL satisfy the stockholders' needs.  Somewhere along the line, TPTB forgot about that philosophy, or decided it didn't matter anymore (and I'm not talking JUST about daytime here, I think TV shows across the board have experienced a decline in quality over the past few decades). 

Will they return to that philosophy someday?  Maybe.  But, even if they do, I'm afraid it'll be too late to save the shows that are still on the air today.  I'm afraid that the remaining soaps -- GH, B&B, Y&R, even DAYS on "The Cock" -- will have to die before the genre redeems itself.

I don't know whether CM is still battling cancer or has entered remission, so I won't criticize his facial or physical appearance.  I just wish he would remember that he's supposed to be an actor portraying a character, not a media personality who's auditioning to host the new version of "Tic Tac Dough."

[AMCHistory]

I think GH is the closest soap to being in a "renaissance" - I just hope the ratings reflect this so the writers and FV can continue in the direction they are going:

• There is a critical mass of veterans, driving leading stories, and they are not all mob related. I am looking at you Anna, Tracy, Holly, Felicia, and Laura.
• There is a real sense of community in Port Charles, without feelings like everyone is one story. Michael/Willow are facing her mortality. Liz/Portia are dealing with hospital drama. Sonny has a traitor in his midst. The Q's are about to implode with a power struggle at ELQ. Anna/the Spies are chasing Cassadines. But everything is connected like dominos, where an effect in one story is being felt in the next.
• The relationships on the show are about more than romantic pairings. We have friendships. We have siblings. It's not just musical beds and mystery pregnancies'.

I think there is a cast culling that needs to happen to free-up budget and to open the canvas either returning or more interesting characters. Sasha, Willow, Chase, Finn, Gregory, Drew are all experiments that have had their time and just do not work. I want more TJ/Molly. I want more Kristina. I want more Liz/Portia/hospital crew. For that to work, some of these characters need to be release from their contracts.

Brenda - I think VM works best when her stories have a beginning, a middle, and an end. VM is not a lifer. Even if she thinks she is, the character of Brenda works best when she can break a lot of things, and rest from the mayhem that she created.

AJ and Jason (and the dead Q's) - I think we need to leave well enough alone and let the dead be dead. Especially with LC and Monica's futures in limbo. I appreciate the pivot the the Tracy/Ned side of the Q's. This cast has good chemistry. They have ripe relationships to continue to dig into (BL/Dante, Tracy/Olivia). I would love Dillon and Lois to come back to fill-in the voids. We know the character of Dillon works and is beloved with the right portrayer (think comedic v. himbo). Lois is a 20 year build-up we've been waiting for. She has immediate rivals canvas: Carly, Tracy, Ned, Olivia. Rena still has it.

The Kids - The kids on this show is a real problem. Gone are the days where Maxie, Georgie, Robin, Lucas were easy to track on the canvas. Now weave 100 blonde girls running around. I hate to say it, but we need some kids shipped off to gifted boarding schools and off-camera grandparents. Come back for holidays.

Liz is the perfect kind of character. She is from a "name" family in Port Charles. But she doesn't have 100 siblings and cousins running around, so she and her kids are not too limited in their romantic options.

Edited May 7, 2023 by AMCHistory

[Vee]

I don't think GH is in a renaissance, I think it has massive issues. But the reason for my current investment, and I think some other people's, is because I do think it's improved considerably in the last year or two and has a lot more going for it now in raw potential with cast and materials than it's had in almost a decade (the Laura focus, the college set, Liz's kids, Brook Kerr as Portia, a somewhat revitalized Quartermaine family, etc). It also has a lot of terrible characters and stories.

The fundamental issues with the show are creative micromanagement from (I suspect) the EP and the network re: story and focus. But it also goes back to how Frank Valentini has historically preferred to pace and edit the show and scenes, famously feeling 90-second scenes are optimal for the viewing demographic he's been trying to keep stable at his soaps since the late 2000s, plus how story is completely angled around the budget re: certain plotting and pacing issues. You can say 'well, this has always been part of the bargain at soaps, budget has to dictate storytelling' and that's true, but if you have less of Actor X or Producer or Executive Y's favorite - and I think we can all name a few key people there - you might be able to afford a bit more of either.

What has to be done is what the shows all as a genre no longer have the courage to do because they're playing it very conservative with their audience, in pure survival mode - story and focus is angled around the perceived POV, however accurate or not, of older Facebook-driven Middle Americans only. And that's cull, the same way AMC and OLTL did when they went to Hulu. You have to aim for overhauling for streaming and a more modern and varied generational audience, because that's where everything will end up someday if it is to survive. You have to not be scared of the Black audience on Twitter, or gay or Latino audience, all of whom have been just as loyal if not moreso for years and years. I would cull a good half of the cast if not more. I would also add a lot of people, not all at once but carefully. Brenda and a younger teen version of her son Alec would be among the first. And I would keep using a lot of people on recurring, sure. As for the children I've already discussed that in the SORAS thread - most would be gone. The youth set though, the current college-aged scene is probably the biggest boon the show currently has. Spencer, Trina, Cameron coming in and out as much as they can get him, crazy Esme, even Eden McCoy's Joss is not terrible; it's her stories and the FV-skewed focus on her. But Joss can be retooled as a character and eventually recast, and more solid potential schemers or heroines can be added as well (Lila Rae Alcazar, Emma Drake, maybe some AAPL kids, etc.).

Edited May 8, 2023 by Vee