General Hospital: November 2023 Discussion Thread

[Contessa Donatella]

I felt that Trina was holding things in & growing impatient with the situation for a long while, so it didn't seem at all sudden to me. It seemed to me like Finally!

Just finished watching today & I have no idea what your rejoinder to Joss is for. Everything she's said to Spencer has been dead-on & things he needs to hear & very much advocacy for her best friend. I am open to hearing what I'm not seeing. 

And, if Austin's not dead yet,  he will be soon. Sweeps dead. Really dead. DAID, dead. 

[AbcNbc247]

He explained himself pretty well yesterday. He feels that Nikolas abandoned Ace, which is the exact same thing that was done to him. And that seems to be the main reason why he’s sacrificing so much. 

I’m actually glad that they tied Spencer’s motivation to that. I think that was a pretty good idea. 

Edited November 18, 2023 by AbcNbc247

[Liberty City]

The ladies of Port Charles have been giving such compelling performances lately. Finola Hughes, Maura West, etc. They're all coming for Emmy gold in 2024!

Don't be sorry, because it is true. My main issue with Chris Van Etten & Dan O'Connor has always been their timing and pacing. When Emma Samms came in for her one-month stint (original), it was paced and was watchable. Nothing dragged, because they knew they had one-month to tell the story they needed / wanted to tell. Otherwise, we get stories that one or two Sweeps periods too long. They create openings for stories to end, and then extend them. That's their main problem. If they could tighten the time in which a story is told they could really do well.

That being said, the interim writers have done wonders with use of history and tightening stories. They ended what needed to be ended, pushed what needed to be pushed and amped up things that needed to be amped up.

[AbcNbc247]

Ehhh…. I just put that in there so nobody jumped on me and was like, “OMG you support scabs”

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But I have been really enjoying the quicker pace. It’s reasonable and I don’t feel like they’re rushing through things either. 

Edited November 18, 2023 by AbcNbc247

[Liberty City]

The general consensus has been positive concerning the struck material, so I believe you're safe, haha.

[Contessa Donatella]

The reason this is true is because they arrogantly believe that they can make it up as they go along! They simply do not decide at the outset of a story who is going to be the killer or what is going to be the payoff or what kind of repercussions might exist. 

[j swift]

Not to be a Debbie-Downer, but I read that Morgan Fairchild has either an arthritic or a neuromuscular issue, which requires her to be prescribed steroids that puffed her face.  So, I think her current "look" is not just a case of failed vanity.

@Liberty City & @AbcNbc247 ITA on the pacing of the scab writers, but it would be juicy to know how much they veered off course with the original intent for the Pikeman story.  We've all probably seen or read the references to the NYT article surveying daytime writers about the effect of the WGA strike in the 80s on plots, where the Ryan's Hope writers admitted that the Michael Pavel murder was not written as they intended.  So, although there are fewer forums to read such an article, it would be fascinating to hear if the Charlotte and Austin twists were part of the original outlines.

Edited November 18, 2023 by j swift

[John]

I do wonder since GH didnt specify who was writing the strike scripts will they take over as writers when Dan & Chris' next contract cycle ends.

[Liberty City]

Mhmm, exactly. Which also may explain the use of a wig this go 'round.

Who knows. I do feel as if Pikeman was meant to be someone other than Cyrus Renault, etc. and things planned did not happen as cohesively as they would have wanted, and I'm OK with it being dropped at this point.

They were not specified because they were not fi-core writers. General Hospital did not hire fi-core this time, because when Garin Wolf was credited in 2008, it was because he was fi-core. Hence why "scab" is constantly used this go 'round.

[Contessa Donatella]

I'm sorry but I don't follow. Are you wondering if Frank will fire Dan & Chris at the end of their next contract cycle? 

Um, how do you know this? And, FiCore status writers are still scabs.

[John]

yes

[j swift]

Yeah, I keep going back to the idea that a Pikeman is a reference to a warrior armed with a pike (a primitive fishing tool) and is often associated with German and Russian soldiers

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Given the amount of Russian details mentioned during the Cassadine storyline, I can't help but think that was a clue.  Which is why I always suspected Dante's time as a prisoner would be referenced. Also, I'm still stuck on who Valentine went to meet with after Anna house was torched.  But, I think there will be a lot of loose ends left between the writing regimes.

Edited November 18, 2023 by j swift

[Contessa Donatella]

My crystal ball told me people are already getting annoyed with D&C. 

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Before that, the last thing it told me was that people had gotten annoyed with Roger Howarth phoning in his performances. 

[j swift]

Let me preface this by repeating that I am the worst GH prognosticator in the world (and I don't claim any insider knowledge, like some), BUT, given that Austin was prominently featured in the February, May, August, and now November sweeps, he must be popular enough to think we shouldn't count our chickens before they're hatched...

In other words, I don't get the appeal, but someone must.  And given that Mason and Charlotte survived getting shot, the GH Trauma unit seems to have a good recent track record (although Austin was in Pautauk, so he might not make it to GH).

I assume the next beat of the story is that Austin won't take Robert's plea deal because he knows that even escaping prosecution won't mean that he's safe.

Edited November 18, 2023 by j swift

[AbcNbc247]

Yeah. The someone is Frank Valentini 

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I'd like to know too. For the most part, it's been pretty much dropped.