GH: April 2024 Discussion Thread

[Khan]

Currently, there are 96 cast members on GH who identify as female.  Surely, one of them is bound to spark with Steve, lol.

[Vee]

Steve doesn't need a pairing, I agree. And Carly needs a break from men. But we'll see what happens.

[Khan]

On the other hand, I'd put him in a May-December romance with Trina, just to watch the head of every Liason and Sprina fan explode on social media, lol.

[BetterForgotten]

Yesterday's episode made it abundantly clear that the supporting stories inherited from Chris and Dan don't work and need to end quickly:

• Does anyone care about Kristina being Molly and TJ's surrogate? Kristina needs to miscarry and end this mess pronto 
  • On a side note, Kristina and Dante have inappropriate sexual chemistry as siblings...
• Has anyone ever cared about Sasha and Cody?
• Does anyone care that Curtis can walk?
• Does anyone care about The Face of Deception nonsense?
• Does anyone care about any member of the Chase family? This ALS story is boring as hell and with a character most people are not invested in. 

The show only really has Jason's story going for it now, other stories need to get started, and the mess from the previous regime needs to be trashed. 

 

 

Edited April 4, 2024 by BetterForgotten

[Khan]

It's strange how Jason's story works for me in ways most other stories on GH don't (and I say that as someone who is, at best, lukewarm about Jason/Steve).  Yet, aside from PM/EK, there have been no other BTS changes lately, so what's going on here?  Were Chris and Dan really that generic, or has Frank truly taken a hands-off approach to his new HW's (either willingly, or with pressure from above)?  As the saying goes, inquiring minds want to know, lol.

[BetterForgotten]

Makes me think PM/EK were put in place abruptly, and didn't necessarily have much planned for when they inherited the show. The Jason return stuff was a mandate, but a month in, little set-up otherwise seems to be happening and Chis and Dan's supporting crap is still lingering strongly. 

[Khan]

I'm beginning to wonder that myself.  In a way, it reminds me of when Douglas Marland took over THE DOCTORS: individual scenes and episodes are being written better, but aside from that, very little, if anything, has changed.

[John]

Maybe PM/EK are following Marland's rules

The rules:
Watch the show.
Learn the history of the show. You would be surprised at the ideas that you can get from the back story of your characters.
Read the fan mail. The very characters that are not thrilling to you may be the audience’s favorites.
Be objective. When I came in to ATWT, the first thing I said was, what is pleasing the audience? You have to put your own personal likes and dislikes aside and develop the characters that the audience wants to see.
Talk to everyone; writers and actors especially. There may be something in a character’s history that will work beautifully for you, and who would know better than the actor who has been playing the role?
Don’t change a core character. You can certainly give them edges they didn’t have before, or give them a logical reason to change their behavior. But when the audience says, He would never do that, then you have failed.
Build new characters slowly. Everyone knows that it takes six months to a year for an audience to care about a new character. Tie them in to existing characters. Don’t shove them down the viewers’ throats.
If you feel staff changes are in order, look within the organization first. P&G (Procter & Gamble) does a lot of promoting from within. Almost all of our producers worked their way up from staff positions, and that means they know the show.
Don’t fire anyone for six months. I feel very deeply that you should look at the show’s canvas before you do anything.
Good soap opera is good storytelling. It’s very simple.

 

Edited April 4, 2024 by John

[titan1978]

We already knew the change was abrupt, because they had to rework the original Jason returns plan. I would imagine they are looking for things to spark, and hopefully building and setting stuff up that we are not seeing fully yet.

We have heard zero indication that Korte and Mulcahey arrived with a bible ready to go. Much like when SSM was recruited back to Y&R, she didn’t walk in the door with stories. Her problem was she focused so much on character and never found a groove with stories to propel her forward. I am holding out hope that we won’t see what their real show is until May sweeps and the summer. Hopefully we start seeing some actual stories moving besides Jason, including some exits.

Plus Mulcahey has no problem being interviewed and there has been nothing so far. They seem to be cleaning up the writing, and tightening up the characters, and letting the Jason story drive momentum while they test out the cast.

[BetterForgotten]

I don't need anyone to follow these rules to make a good show, and Marland often didn't follow them himself. They're good guide posts, but not necessarily a mandate for a strong show. 

[Soapsuds]

I find it amusing that they're giving Chase upcoming marriage to Brook Lynn airtime. I mean if I were marrying Chase....I wouldn't give to shits where I'd marry him. I'd be more interested in the honeymoon.

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[Khan]

That's one reason why I'm surprised to be as invested in the story as I am, all things considered.  I mean, when was the last time anyone was intrigued by a storyline on a soap that's clearly being rewritten on the fly, lol?

[titan1978]

On the one hand, I agree. On the other, the show has ignored details for so long it is kind of refreshing to watch every single beat be played, like the old days.

I think those rules are great, but he absolutely didn’t follow them himself.
 

The only rule I truly need in 2024 is do not flood the show with new people right off the bat.

[Soapsuds]

The only person that would be upset is Tracy. Which would make it more fun if they had a not so Q wedding.

[ranger1rg]

I'd agree with you, except for the fact that we'll probably get Brook Lynn wrapped in a thick and bulky terrycloth robe on her honeymoon while she delivers chaste kisses on pursed lips.

Wasting Josh Swickard like this is a mortal sin.