GH: March 2024 Discussion Thread

[Vee]

I've been too busy this week IRL to get into some of this more in-depth yet, but I will over the weekend. What I will say is I think some folks are being a little hasty when PM/EK's names only formally appeared on the show a week ago.

That being said, I have noticed a considerable change in the show over the last few weeks, starting with some of the ghost material. As I think @Darn indicated there is a real change in character specificity and tone in the material for me, a focus on family connectivity, and a lot of scenes feel longer and more mature. I was very impressed with the closeout of the Marshall storyline on Monday with Kevin, though I understand why some people felt it was unnecessary; I felt that's the kind of intelligent and educational stuff this show has excelled at in the past. It doesn't matter to me if it's done for a day to close out an unpopular storyline for C-characters I don't care about when it's that good, and I felt most everyone involved gave fine performances (Curtis didn't have to do anything but sit there, scowl and Think of Laura). Do they need to shift to crafting new stories with that kind of specificity and care, of course, but for a second day I found it damn good.

The jury is out for on the Heather thing - PM clearly wants to repurpose Alley Mills in a way similar to her B&B role. Time will tell if it will work for me. The rest, I think, is much improved though I don't have a clear sense of where stories are going. Characters feel smart and individualized again. And as for the youth set I will stand by repping for Hudson West's Jake, I think West is maybe the strongest young actor on the show next to Tabyana Ali who I also think is excellent (and too often shortchanged online for her predecessor, who I found much much more green). He just doesn't get much to do and when he does it's often been thin gruel. If it was me he'd be on contract. The kid playing Danny is very green but has some potential and some charisma; I've seen worse kids given more material in the last year (Violet, Charlotte) and I think the writing they've given his family scenes is solid. The latest Aiden should be recast, he's never been much of an actor. And I think the new/recent Rocco has real potential. My point is it's too soon to know about some of these newbies. And as for Eden, I think she should be moved into a supporting role and given more light/comedic 'spoiled heiress' material until such time as they can recast.

Time will tell what they're allowed to do with the show and its canvas, and if FV can adapt or if it will be on the writers to do so for him. But we're not gonna know in 5 days. So far I've been overall impressed with the execution in the changeover. YMMV. It's certainly done wonders for Kirsten Storms.

Edited March 22 by Vee

[titan1978]

I understood Esme more than Heather. With Esme you had a Cassadine trying to steal her kid, and that tugged at Laura’s deepest trauma. Plus she was upset at Nikolas and his crimes, and Spencer’s behavior. Add to that her own past at an even younger age having killed David Hamilton and gotten herself into lots of trouble- I could see that. Plus she wanted access to Ace. Not to mention being related to Kevin.

Heather I am having a harder time with. Sympathy sure- but not being reduced to Heather’s talk to. And I have watched a lot of the show on YouTube from Heather’s 70’s era past. They were not close. She was much closer to Monica than Heather, both before and after the Rick affair is revealed.

[Vee]

True, but there was still an awkward link there, much as there is now. And I suspect the idea here is Heather would become Laura's kooky talk-to. Whether I can get behind that remains to be seen, but it would definitely be something new for both, lol.

[janea4old]

Canadian recap for Friday March 22:   Link

also Varni tweeted

Edited March 22 by janea4old

[Contessa Donatella]

I think Danny has been excellent. I don't recall seeing Jake this week. Seeing this new Aiden I had no problem at all with him. I look forward to meeting his Tobias. 

I think Eden & Taby are both good solid actresses. I ached for Eden having to say the line, "I just want my mother."  I thought Eden gave a good interview & a lot of understanding of soap fans & of the messiness soap characters can have to endure. 

Thanks! I really like the fact they consistently do this. It's like they finally understand about pre-emptions!! YEA! 

[titan1978]

I am not opposed to Heather being closer to her 80’s personality. I know she was supposed to have killed Diana Taylor and Monty decided to change that and keep her because she liked what Mattson was doing. She became a victim in my mind of the extremes of Guza/Pratt and later RC, everything had to be darker and also zanier with her, so now she’s a killer.

I have less issue with walking back Heather than I did with Rick’s terrible storyline under Guza/Pratt. Or being forced to watch Frank’s buddies in multiple roles. Or Lulu being forced to have a child with weepy Valentine. I have room to forgive this.

As far as the teens go- we haven’t seen anything really yet. What they have been doing is trying to give each one of those boys an identifiable personality to build on.

I’m actually surprised so many people posting seem to think the show was just magically going to be good. It’s going to take a minute to see what the new normal is going to look like.

 

 

[Vee]

It's considerably improved on the day to day, which is enough of a good start for me. It holds my attention all week. I don't expect FV to turn into Linda Gottlieb. Would I love for there to be a new EP? Sure. Do I think it is likely in the current system? Nope. And I do think they've made a good start at delineating the boys.

Edited March 22 by Vee

[Contessa Donatella]

Another thing, & this is history I wish they had mined, Laura was held prisoner by a Cassadine. And, there was a child, too. 

[VelekaCarruthers]

Well, the first six episodes sucked (generally) IMO and I don't (yet) blame the KorMulc.  Lots of screaming, yelling, overacting, hand gestures. I was dizzy watching Lucy Coe's hand movements today. Coincidentally, I've been skimming Rauch's OLTL era during which Valentini was a production assistant.  Paul hired actors, real actors who could act. Imagine that!  In addition, the show had accomplished writers.  Peggy O'Shea's tenure was particularly awesome.  Frank hires hair models and dudes he thinks are hot.  No amount of soap writing Shakespeare will transcend that.

Edited March 22 by VelekaCarruthers

[j swift]

Did anyone else get a case of whiplash when Laura mentioned to Heather that there aren't many Webers left in Pine Valley?

Both are tangential Webers by marriage (direct or indirectly).  So, their familial bond based upon their shared surname is tenuous at best.

Edited March 23 by j swift

[Vee]

Laura considered Rick her father. And Heather was very much treated as a part of the family in those years by way of Jeff, if a sketchy one. That's why they had her staying with Lesley when they sprung Robin Mattson from the sanitarium in '80, and why the young Laura had a number of scenes with Heather in those years.

[j swift]

I agree that Laura grew up around Heather.  But I would contend that was mostly due to Leslie's relationship with Alice (Heather's mother).  And Alice was very close to Laura. 

Rick adopted Laura when she was already 18, so the idea that she thought of him as a father is a bit of a stretch.  He served paternal duties, like walking her down the aisle.  But I feel like their closeness was overestimated as time went along.   I've always felt that her use of the last name Weber was odd, because she married Scotty soon after she was adopted, and then she married Luke.  So, she was mostly referenced as Laura Webber for the brief period before she married Scotty, and the few months between their divorce and her marriage to Luke.

The Weber thing just threw me for a loop, because they've shared much more significant history, so it seemed like a random fact.  It would be like her saying to Scotty that her ex-husband and his father were both the mayor.  It is true, but hardly their most significant bond.

Edited March 23 by j swift

[Vee]

A few reflections on the remainder of the week that was (the first half of it, anyway):

Say what we will for Ron Carlivati back in 2012 but he came in hot and started killing people on Day 1 and ending stories, and I was all for it at that time lol. The writing and dialogue was pure camp and nonsense at the time but it was also very satisfying to see almost instant changes. Yet a number of those changes led to stuff that was less than fantastic (the Connie saga), and more importantly and relevant at that time I think is that the show was believed to be on a clock: Most believed GH had a year or less left and I think FV/RC felt the same. The situation here is more nuanced; GH does not seem to be facing doomsday, so the show is changing slowly and carefully. And we're seeing that slowly.

The biggest change for me in the first proper week is, again, a really sharpened-up series of interpersonal dialogue scenes and a continued focus on family and social connections; the stuff with Wagger and Anna was very human, not just plot-driven, as they had Wagger present himself as both vulnerable and flawed re: how he approached Danny and as they talked through the Sonny stuff re: Stone and Robin. It wasn't all plot-driven, and it gave me the first indicator that maybe they won't simply throw Wagger under the bus over whatever this setup is with Jason, because he admitted to being fallible in those scenes. Even the BLQ/Chase and Cody/Tracy stuff feels smarter to me, focusing on just the engaged couple's relationship (actually appearing at their own apartment and not infantilized within a clan on a family estate - imagine that!) and on Cody and Tracy connecting re: Dante. I appreciated that, even if little James is intolerable. Cody had the right idea in the first place: Lasso Maxie's brat and yeet him off the grounds!

This leads to another issue: I think the stuff delineating and defining Jason's two sons differently is a great idea, and while the kid playing hero-worshipping Danny is very green I think he has some charisma and potential. This is not the case for Aiden or James, and while the new team's attempts to push family connectivity and these relationships are very admirable, these kids do not need to be given more dialogue lol. They're terrible. It's time to recast Aiden yet again and James, well, I don't care what happens to him because I still can't get over the fact that he exists (third child? what third child?). I don’t care what Little Mushmouth thinks of Tracy! That's her horse! Yet I suspect this is another adorable kid Uncle Frank thinks is too precious to recast, so I expect we'll see yet more of him.

The material itself is not perfect - some of the dialogue with Liz and Aiden in particular is very B&B-esque and artificial as they continue to work overtime to set up various characters' new personal parameters. Elizabeth standing there monologuing about how Jake's (offscreen) feelings have changed hers for Jason to nobody in particular while we can’t get Jake onscreen that day does not work lol. Jake is going to be on quite a bit next week so that's fine, I get there are likely guarantee/availability or block taping issues in Uncle Frank's world and I am happy for the changes and differentiation in character on paper, but with some areas it's a bit forced and kludged together. In others I feel it sings. The scenes with Alexis and the latest terrifying Molly recast were smart and heartfelt, I felt. Even Valentin and Nina had some good dialogue, and people know I can't tolerate that whisper-thin simp. He nailed it when he said Sonny isn't complicated, just erratic. The Sonny/Natalia stuff, tedious, but that's how I feel about the entire Kristina/Blaze plotline so far. If you want to get Kristina a girlfriend find someone you didn't hire as a dayplayer.

Another week of scenes where Willow has inappropriate chemistry with anyone but her weak tea husband! She clearly wants more of Stone Old (not a typo) Uncle Jason in her life. Also, it's time to stop letting people bring clothes from home or letting the wardrobe dept repurpose quite so much stuff. That denim/blue jean top LW wears often looks like something she brought in IRL and is not favorable, it does not suit Carly or her. Nor do I understand what kind of horrifying Amish blue dress Eva LaRue was wearing at the brewpub with Sonny. It looked like a set of repurposed window curtains and she resembled one of the stars of Women Talking. Meanwhile, BLQ's latest wardrobe gives her both the coloring and dimensions of Super Mario.

Also: Frank’s Next Time previews are so random now. it's just random snippets of dialogue from almost a dozen scenes and we're getting bits like little James saying 'are you a bad boss?' Who cares! How is that second grader a teaser for the next episode? It reminds me of Peapack teasers. Those need to go. Back in the day (and not that long ago) GH previews had fewer scenes but used to hit hard. Anyway, that's enough ranting, I'll get to Thursday and Friday later. Sasha already looks like a mime, BTW.

She said it onscreen constantly. She called him Daddy, at least for a time. It's not a stretch, it's what happened. They had Laura go all in on Rick very quickly in the material that's available.

Edited March 23 by Vee

[Bright Eyes]

I think it's helped that I can't even remember the last time I watched the show with any regularity, because I've been enjoying it more than most it seems. I pretty much said this before, but if Robin Mattson were in the role, the Heather/Laura material would have been my favourite stuff so far this month. I'm happy to see Heather get some depth and the introspection/bonding it's led Laura to have about and with her has been fascinating. The honing in on the passage of time and life not working out like you thought it would was inspired and empathizing work, where I think Alley Mills toned down the mania and made Heather human again. Still, I don't need her around without Mattson, and would still write her out with the writing finally giving her the respect that it's lacked since she returned in 2004.

Adam Carrington as John Cates (weird white washing aside) has been one of the strongest parts for me. He really is a great actor and I'm always curious to see what he's going to do next. Whether he's staying around long term or not, I hope he maintains that grey area without becoming evil. In fact, this whole Jason return story has been so entertaining to watch and though I hope the mob3 don't eat the show again, it took no time at all to become invested in all the different facets of the story and how much people even beyond them that it's affecting, right down to the children of Port Charles. I enjoyed the much maligned (here) scene between Joss/Carly, where the conversation didn't end with a conclusive version on how the viewer should feel. (and randomly does anyone else think Joss looks like Miley Cyrus?).

Sue me, but I've genuinely liked Willow so far. I know she's been written as a Mary Sue in the past and understand how annoying that can be, but the actress seems pretty strong, able to portray nuance, subtlety, and subtext when she needs. I haven't hated Michael either, yet, and he got some points from me for choosing Willow and his family over Jason at the first sign real of trouble. At least he has some self-respect and respect for his partner, which I didn't expect (lol). I also think Chad Duell (and Steve Burton) still look great. I wouldn't kick either out of bed.

Which leads me to Dex; very sexy! Sorry, but no problems from me. I don't think he's been anywhere close to terrible. I'd get over it pretty quickly if he was written out, but I'm not opposed to him sticking around either. 

This is obvious and doesn't need to be said, but Finola Hughes has been stellar. How lucky that we still get to see one of the (I believe) all time greats with such strong material almost 40 years later. I thought Anna looked weirdly like she'd been caught in a rain storm during the warehouse scenes, but she looked fabulous thereafter. I think I sensed some chemistry between her and Adam Carrington in those wonderful commiserating scenes at John's place. But honestly, he has good chemistry with a lot of the cast.

I alluded to it before, but the actress that plays Molly is the spitting image of Mary Beth Barone, a hilarious comedian who gets a lot of traction on TikTok. I can't stand the actress though so I say after Alexis gets her lawyer license back, kill Molly off and have TJ vs. Kristina in a custody suit, which leads Alexis to potentially face her sobriety and loss of her license (she wouldn't) again.

Sasha also needs to go, please. Unlike Willow, who she is compared to a lot, she gives me nothing. I guess Cody has to stick around for the Mac reveal, but if that means keeping her around, too, let's just skip it. The Deception scenes today were running around in circles a bit, but it enraged me to see Lucy so villainized when she did absolutely nothing wrong. I did think the writing was strong enough, however, to show distinction between the reactions of Brook Lynn and Maxie, which I was thankful for. What I wasn't thankful for was Spinelli. I've been surprisingly fine with him so far, but the second he did that annoyingly quirky stupid jump over the bench my hatred immediately came back in spades. 

Speaking of Elizabeth, Finn has got to go. I tremble at the thought of having to watch Michael Easton portray mourning when Gregory passes. It's going to be brutal.

Random, but has that Asian male doctor been used before? I would try him out and if he seems like a strong enough actor, make him a regular. No to the cross-eyed one. It's nice that the hospital has an actual staff and that extras seems to be used reasonably well.

Anyone else find it disgusting that Cody/Olivia ate in the stables with the horse about two metres away from them? I'm talking poo particles if you don't see where I'm going with this. And does Cody live there? I saw stairs so I'm assuming. Also gross, if that's the case. And which kid was it that was in scenes with him and Tracy there? Literally, no idea.

Nina is the modern day Delia Ryan and you can't convince me otherwise. Her scenes with Drew having their tête-à-tête were quite fun. I wanted him and Jordan to bang for the hotness, but I want them to bang for the deranged-ness and to see Carly's head explode, but I guess that'll happen anyway when she finds out Nina's back at Crimson. Drew breaking up with Carly immediately, and now asking Nina to return to Crimson ... respect.

Kelly Monaco is still a sleepy actress. She came most alive when she got to tell Carly to politely eff off (and once she got out of that fugly top).

The Ashfords - Okay, so the misdiagnosis is settled, but what the hell was wrong with Marshall in the first place then? Or am I not supposed to ask? Or care? 

Sonny is Sonny. 

[Vee]

I think we're pretty evenly split in here, at least among those of us actually watching the show and not following along on Twitter.