GH: April 2024 Discussion Thread

[dc11786]

 

I hear what you are saying about real life diseases, but I do appreciate the approach that is being taken since the change in headwriters. I think showing someone who wants to have a say in how they live their life as well as how they handle their medical care is interesting. Gregory asking Finn for help with editing his article and then resigning from the paper were some of my favorite scenes so far. Unfortunately, anything else that has asked Michael Easton to do any sort of emotional work has been a struggle. 

I am curious if they will take this anywhere dramatic like having Greg making the choice of having the right to die and the potential family conflict if Tracy sides with Greg and the boys are determined to keep their father in their life. 

Given Lucy's history with Bobbie, that would be a powerful moment of reflection that Lucy used to be very good at. Given how much of Lucy's humanity came from her relationship with Dominique, if himbo Cody has to stick around it wouldn't upset me too much if Lucy started to try to mother him a little bit in only the way Lucy could.

i'm hoping to see some real stories develop for the characters you've listed. I've been impressed with what I've seen of Brook Kerr as Portia in the hospital setting. I am looking forward to how Portia will handle the Heather Webber conviction issue when it eventually goes to court.   

To expand upon what @titan1978 said, Natalia specifically nixed the part of the contract that required Blaze to be a spokesperson for the company. She could appear in the advertising, but couldn't be forced to make personal appearances due to issues of exposure. It would have been interesting had Blaze showed up because it would have pissed off her mother and then her mother could have fought whoever she thought was behind the decision. 

Whether or not Blaze is in a position yet to defy her mother seems up in the air. 

Has the show ever had a male Face of Deception? Or for that matter, has any show had a cosmetics company develop a make up brand for a male clientele? In real life, I know the brand War Paint was a thing a few years ago, but I'm not sure how that panned out.

[Vee]

I have my doubts there is anything Frank wouldn't do to keep employing the OLTL cast (like Batten) at this point. Only #MeToo has kept Todd Manning from Roger Howarth's umpteenth contract return, and then there's poor little Patrick Gibbons' recurring role as the boy scout Wyatt when all that poor non-acting teenager wants to do is go play hockey back home.

If Sasha and H&H (or ME) finally exit, then we'll know something has begun to really start to change.

BK/Portia is so much stronger and more committed onscreen than DT/Curtis it's depressing. I would cut him in an instant and free her up for a new man, because she has carried a lot of material over the last few years and her reward for it is just more Curtis and Marshall.

I do think Easton has made a real effort with the Gregory stuff, particularly of late. I just am tired of watching him onscreen and I think the majority of the audience is as well. The weary look in Liz's eyes in their 'romance' of late also screams "you again?"

Edited April 16, 2024 by Vee

[Khan]

LOL!!

Speaking of OLTL, I'm genuinely surprised that Frank Valentini has yet to find a way to bring Andrew Trischitta (ex-Jack) onto GH.

[Vee]

I think poor Andrew (who did improve a bit on OLTL 2.0 with actual rehearsal time) is a teacher or something now. Probably for the best!

[Khan]

Quick question: why is it called "Home & Heart" and not "Home & Hearth"?  And is it just a shopping network, or do they air other kinds of programming, too?

IDK whether this counts, but I do remember AMC's Erica Kane launching a "Man of Enchantment" campaign for her cosmetics company way back during the Clinton administration.

Edited April 16, 2024 by Khan

[Vee]

Am I crazy or was Charlie Brent the Man of Enchantment?

[Khan]

I think that's how the brief Charlie/Erica romance started!

[Vee]

Circling back to GH re: these crossovers, I still can't get over how the strike business with Martin (remember him?) being married to Blair from OLTL went absolutely nowhere. He has some big dumb secret about getting alimony from her and does Lucy ever find out or learn that the Deceptor was apparently stolen from Blair by him? I don't recall so. Pointless.

[carolineg]

Yeah, that makes sense about Blaze.  I listened to what Maria  Natalia said, but I still think it would have been more interesting to have Blaze step in and let the chips fall where they may with her mother.  I have defended Sasha for years, but I am over her and don't think she's in any way right to be a brand spokesmodel.

Jagger (ASJ, obvi) did the boxing campaign with Brenda, but that's the only male I can recall being in campaigns for Deception.

[Vee]

I hope they step it up with Natalia being the momager from hell tbh. That could be fun and actual conflict vs. the magic of Sasha, and it would give KM bigger story than waiting for this baby to either pop or preferably die.

I thought JY's wooden Lucky might have modeled a little in the early 2000s, but I may be totally wrong.

[Contessa Donatella]

Slight correction required here. PM & EK didn't toss the D&C script. The decision to toss it was made simultaneous with the decision to cut D&C loose. So, that decision was made by either Frank or Frank & whomever else was involved in making the decision to fire them & change HWs. At that time EK was tasked with beginning a new Jason Returns script from scratch & PM joined her, sometime fairly quickly. And they also began cherry picking scripts to tweak & their own new stuff. There's no way they had the luxury of creating a bible, as has been said here recently. 

[titan1978]

There is no doubt in my mind that the new writers did not have to submit a story bible beyond fix the Jason return. My feelings from the start were that May/ Summer was going to be a better indication of new story directions. March was the Jason umbrella and setting that story up on its feet, while exploring the rest of the canvas. I think some of the starts and stops have been that way under Valentini anyway, dictated by how he manages the budget.

I can imagine Korte being asked what she would do with the story as the Jason expert, and using that opportunity to pitch a return to the GH that she loved. I still hope we get an interview from EK/PM at some point to hype their vision. 

The network was clearly game for a change- look at the exits of Howarth, the rumored exit of another, Burton’s return, luring Patrick Mulcahey out of retirement. Sometime during the strike somebody at ABC started paying real attention to the show again above Frank. Be that Varni or someone else. All of a sudden we had that ABC special that they rushed into production too.

I have no doubt Frank Valentini is still very much the EP here. But his show is starting to look and feel like GH did before his time, including stronger day to day writing and way less focus on his friends from OLTL. 

[Vee]

I'll agree with all of that. I'm going to be very curious to see how May and the BLQ/Chase wedding stuff goes, even if I find him infantile and boring for her. I expect fireworks next month at least, possibly in conjunction with that wedding. And I hope Drew and Nina kick it up in and out of bed and the office. It's very strange to be suddenly invested in those two of all people.

[titan1978]

Me too! But a year of terrible stories and the last two days in overalls have left me beyond numb to poor Sasha. Time to cut that character. Let her get an amazing job offer from Home and Heart that takes her out of Port Charles and we wish her the best!

[Vee]

If this was really PM's Santa Barbara, Comet the horse would trample her to death.