General Hospital: May 2023 Discussion Thread

[DRW50]

Valentin does seem to have a vocal following, the way that Julian (the other character in this role who took ages to be written out) has, so I guess that may have an impact.

[Khan]

I'm watching again for one reason and one reason only: Jane Elliot.  I'd watch JE in anything, because she can make anything work.  Even Tracy Quartermaine as GH's answer to the old puppet "Madame."  (Fortunately, her Wayland Flowers is still back in Amsterdam.)

[Vee]

And as we know, Frank (allegedly) hated Julian/WDV and tried repeatedly to off him, lol. The infamy of his initial exit story with Julian threatening Alexis with the actual dagger that killed her mother seemed to quietly put NLG off the pairing for good, yet he lingered for several years. At the time his survival was attributed to focus groups. Whereas I think FV is clearly deeply enamored of JPS and is willing to spin the entire show around him.

Well, he's supposed to be dead but I don't believe it. That said, I'm always happy for more Jane and Tracy.

[Khan]

And that's okay!  If Frank wants to rebuild all of GH around JPS, be my guest!  Just give him a character to play, not an American Greetings card or a Michael Feinstein Spotify playlist!

[Vee]

He has a character, it just contains all of the above! Plus that whole insane WSB hunchback backstory. Valentin and Willow are the two characters I would call a pay hotline to the network to have killed, just like DC Comics fans did in the '80s with Robin #2 Jason Todd.

[Khan]

Now, I'm hearing echoes of announcer Alan Berns' voice at the end of every GL episode ringing in my ears: "Tell us what you think!"

[Khan]

I don't believe Luke is dead either.  Didn't Shane, I mean, Mr. Sheffield, I mean, Victor push him from a cable car or something?  If Luke could survive an avalanche and a swordfight, he could survive being pushed from a cable car.

Meanwhile, if Victor stays, then I want Frank to bring on Fran Drescher as Fran Fleckman, Diane's cousin from Flushing, Queens, and be his new love interest.  I want this, because it's been a year, and I've given into the madness and accepted that Carlivati-esque camp is what these shows want now.

Edited May 7, 2023 by Khan

[j swift]

I gotta say GH does sweeps like no other soap on-air, but the in-between time is not always great.

[Vee]

I think a lot of us were expecting Tony to appear during the anniversary period. I still am. It's beyond me how they let this 'oh, Luke died in an offscreen accident and maybe the Cassadines killed him but we're not going to do anything about it' thread play for over a year. Even FV wouldn't want to end Luke's character like that. Tracy and Bobbie have both brought it back up so I expect something to happen. Maybe Frank gambled on hooking Tony and lost, or maybe (more likely, IMO) they are keeping it very quiet atm. As it is, there is no way Laura, Scorpio or offscreen Lucky would've ever sat back and done nothing about Victor for this long if they believe he killed Luke.

[Khan]

What if Victor IS Luke and Helena has brainwashed him?

[Vee]

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[Khan]

It's the era of Carlivati, Vee.  Give into the madness.

[titan1978]

Which is tradition- I often felt that way during Guza/JFP.

Valentine has been a failure for me as soon as his backstory with Anna and Alex started being told. This is supposed to be a big bad Cassadine, and instead he is a quivering mess. JELL-O on legs.

[Khan]

The fact that you've spelled "Valentin" with an "e" on the end sums him up precisely, @titan1978.  Valentin isn't threatening; he's like a big, squishy valentine; the kind you receive along with a heart-shaped jar of candy kisses with a Snoopy plush toy attached.

[j swift]

It is a red flag whenever an adult character's paternity changes more than once. 

Why is Victor so upset about Valentin's betrayal?  They just met each other recently, and both are grown men who've lived entire lives before they knew they were related.  I would bet that Victor knew Tiffany Hill longer than he's known Valentin, and he doesn't seem to carry a grudge against her.

Also, not too long ago, the Cassadines were losing money, so Nikolas had to marry a rich girl, and they just lost Spoon Island to Ava in the divorce settlement.  How can they afford to fund their army of henchmen in multiple countries?  Their hideout, tech, and yacht may be old, but they have massive overhead when it comes to staffing.

I guess the only excuse I would accept about the whole tale that Helena told of Valentin being the most dangerous Cassadine is that it was crafted by a writing staff that has been replaced at least twice since then (and wasn't Valentin already cast to be played someone else at the time?)

Finally, after the recent interview in The Hollywood Reporter, I no longer expected Tony to appear.  It was evident from their answers that he was not on set.  If they wanted to keep his return a secret, they would have omitted the question rather than lie in an article to the non-soap press.

Edited May 7, 2023 by j swift