GH: March 2024 Discussion Thread

[Liberty City]

YMMV?

I'm honestly surprised they're bringing in the two new characters they are right now. They're likely five-and-under roles we'll either never seen beyond these episodes, or they'll pop up at random.

[Vee]

Your mileage may vary.

I don't think those two recent castings are anything but just random recurring bit players.

[Taoboi]

3-25

 

I'm sorry, but only on soaps. Because I LOL and also agreed right along with Joss that if Jason really did it, Jason...DOES...NOT...MESS. So of course, Jason is innocent. When that flew out of Joss's mouth...I hollered. Cuz #facts.

 

That's right, writers!!! Give Liz some story love. Because I enjoyed her talking with Willow. And getting to get a peek into Liz's head and see what she's thinking and what she's feeling. And I enjoyed her acting like such a mom with her having to leave work to go pick up her kids. And we all know how I feel about Liz's kids.

 

That said...this is an interesting layer to do with Jake. Any and all of Jason's kids in fact. Given what he does for a living and all the years Jason has been there for all kids, BUT his own kids, it's nice to see the writers digging into his own kids having some resentment and Jason having to deal with it. HOWEVER, this goes back to what I said about wanting the kids to be used gradually so that when they start to hit on this thread, that they will be ready to handle. I don't think they are ready at all. At least, not Jake. So watching Jake with Liz and Aidan, he is just coming across whiny without any...presence that is only one dimensional. 

 

Contrast that with Aidan. Story-wise, there's potential. But nothing has been started. Only a (very) loose thread that keeps being brought up every few months, if not year or so. But he's been popping up more and more. Background. Or mentioned in dialogue. And I feel he's being handled well. And I don't think the actor is ready yet, either though I feel his slight quirkiness gives Aidan a presence. With him, I would like to see more eventually. Like the often-mentioned Tobias. 

 

I like this version of Trina!!! Or perhaps it's how Tabyana is playing her. It feels and especially LOOKS like barely contained rage. Or that's how it comes across. It could be the styling on her today. And I never even thought of the angle of her feeling a way about Joss due to Jason's return being connected to Curtis's shooting. TA is giving a lot in these scenes and just like Liz, it's reeeeeally nice to see how she's thinking. How she's feeling. And I loved the scene at the grave. Her talking about art and Monet. I grinned. Question...is this musical cue with Trina talking to Spencer's grave an old GH music cue?

 

Awwwww loving seeing Chase/BLQ dealing with the Dante/Jason stuff together. After all the back and forth, they are actually being used as a couple. God bless the writers. Though I want to shake Chase at times.

[TEdgeofNight]

GH is slowly improving. Still alot of work to do. Getting rid of Valentini would help but that doesn't seem to be on my instapal Nathan Varni's agenda. 

Give Genie something to do! Get those young actors some acting lessons! Get rid of squeaky Trina. Get rid of Dex. I FF through Trina and Joss. Ugh. 

Steve Burton is a welcome back great addition. He's killing his scenes. And he looks great. Those blue eyes. Yum.

[janea4old]

I agree.  I think Tabyana is doing a great job.

[Contessa Donatella]

I'm not part of Sprina Nation but I am a big fan of Taby's. I call her character a combination of a pink superhero & a fairy tale princess. To me she is one of those recasts, when a recast works SO well. And I am so glad that now the new writers are going to write for her. I mean going by this past week, compared to the 3 weeks prior & hoping that is going to continue. 

[Aragorn]

I agree with the anti-Trina forces. She can go and I would not miss her. The show would not lose anything by her absence.

[janea4old]

In my opinion, I feel the show would lose some of its heart if there was no Trina.  

The heart of the show is its ensemble cast, and I don't see anyone as *the* star. Nor do I see anyone as *the* heart (unless maybe Genie).

But I think Trina contributes significantly to the whole ensemble, and I'd be sad if the character left.

Edited March 31, 2024 by janea4old

[BetterForgotten]

Honestly, if Kimberly McCullough had stayed, Emma would have probably been the priority younger heroine on this show (not Joss or Trina), following in Robin’s footsteps. Alas, we’ll never get that now. 

Edited April 1, 2024 by BetterForgotten

[Vee]

Unfortunately that kid can't act. TA can and often reminds me of Kimberly, especially in her confrontations with Esme which at times echoed Robin/Carly. There's an inner strength and intelligence they both have.

I would bring back Emma (recast, please God) but I'd do something different. She would be the secret town schemer, who nobody expects for obvious reasons. But I do think Emma will definitely be back on contract sooner or later, whoever plays her. It's just natural, and it's not like Kimberly hasn't come back to visit a zillion times since 2015.

Edited April 1, 2024 by Vee

[Chris B]

I don’t envy anybody taking over this show but they’ve done a good job so far. We went from 20+ stories, quick scenes with no depth to a show refocused with longer scenes, a family element at the forefront and real character development and clear motivations. I can’t wait to see where the show can go in the coming months. 
 

I do agree we need cast cuts and I expect them to come as contracts come up. I hope Cody and Sasha are first. 
 

Steve Burton was dreadful during his last run (after delivering solid work on Y&R) but he seems motivated again. I never expected to enjoy a Jason storyline.
 

Im also not someone who likes kids on soaps and while the acting could use some work, it’s so nice to regularly see the characters with their kids and how the impact of Jason’s return effects them. I find it very odd how teens have been largely eliminated from soaps in recent years so it’s nice to see them starting to develop a new teen scene. 
 

We know Jason’s return was a requirement so I feel we still haven’t seen an idea of what these new writers want to do. I can’t wait to see them start to launch their own stories so I can see how that goes. 

[BetterForgotten]

Oh, I definitely think Emma is recastable. Going the opposite direction with her would work too - I just hope they don’t retcon that Robin or Patrick were intentionally awful, neglectful parents to do that. 

Edited April 1, 2024 by BetterForgotten

[Vee]

I'd just say she's spoiled and bored, lol. Lord knows people spoiled little Emma. Everyone would expect a peaches and cream saint on the canvas given her family and Brooklyn Silzer, so I'd pull the rug out a la the famous Valerie Malone reveal on 90210 at the end of Tiffani Thiessen's first episode.

[Liberty City]

My thoughts exactly; pretty Emma was the one both Cameron & Spencer were feuding over until she left, and Josslyn was aged and put in as a [corn] replacement.

[Vee]

I honestly don't need them to conform to the contours of the cringeworthy and uncomfortable kiddie quad RC did (which had creepy little Joss jealous of Cam and Spencer's interest in Emma). Their mixing the young adults up was not a problem for me. I do think they have over-elevated and relied on Joss for years because FV was so thrilled to finally get a white blonde vaguely resembling Starr Manning to be functional on the show lol, and also because they were very wedded to the Sonny, Carly, etc. family gospel.

IIRC Eden started as a temp or bit player and FV boosted her because he still seems to swear by his (somewhat) ratings-winning paradigm of the late 2000s vanilla teen scene from OLTL, and Joss was the closest he'd ever come to a young white heroine fitting the Starr mold since Kristen quit. It's also taken this long for him to begin to accept that Trina is not just Joss' ethnic sidekick a la Langston and Markko to Starr on that show. I don't think Eden is terrible and I think she takes too much stick from fans online for stuff beyond her control, but I do think they should change her role to something more comic or troublemaking, lighter but fun. And then I would probably recast in future. I'd also put her with a geeky character to humanize her more, a la Spixie or Nick Fallon and Chelsea on DAYS. Eden has a masculine and forward energy that would work well with a more sensitive male.

Edited April 1, 2024 by Vee