GH: May 2024 Discussion Thread

[Paul Raven]

That would fly . Especially as that's how big business is operating these days. Show that your diverse/inclusive to look good.

You're beautiful as you are- but you need to spend your hard earned $$$ on all this stuff we're shilling. 

[carolineg]

It also seems like it would save money to use real people.  As much as I like the idea of one Face of Deception, it seems like a very dated concept.

I also am slightly confused at Deception's concept.  Is it just skincare?  Do they have make up?  Because in the 90's it was perfume, IIRC.

[Khan]

LOL!!

IKR?  Especially in our current socio-political climate.

Of course, there's no conflict in my concept, unless Lucy faces pushback from someone from within the company, but one major issue that I have atm with GH is that it operates as if it's still 2011.  We've come a long way from that period of time, I think; and IMO, it's just not okay anymore for something like the FoD to be exclusively white and cis female.

And I swear it started out as a spa, lol!

Edited May 5 by Khan

[carolineg]

I think Blaze is the show's answer to Deception being edgy?  Latinx and LGBTQ.  But again, most companies don't just have one single model doing everything.  It just seems strange that an entire skincare line hinges on one person.

We had this discussion I think.  Deception was a spa in the beginning then Laura at some point opened it again I think but the story was scrapped and it just faded away.  I am pretty sure all Brenda did was shill perfume.  Like the one scent they had was called Deception.  It wasn't multiple products

No idea what Carly/Laura were selling in the early 2000's when Gia was the face, but it seemed like makeup.  And now it seems like skincare and laser products lol.

[Khan]

Now there's an ad campaign: "Deception -- It's Whatever You Want It To Be"!

If Deception is a cosmetics or skin care company, then it DEFINITELY needs more than one line and spokesmodel.  I mean, where's the line for WOC?  Or "Deception Silver" for females 65 and over?  How 'bout a non-GMO or cruelty free product line?  You get what I'm saying, lol.

[TEdgeofNight]

Vee likes to claim that he knows how Frank thinks. He's never met the man. It's just gossiping about a person you've never met. I have met Frank. I'm one up on Vee! lol

[Vee]

I think that diversification is a great idea, especially where Lucy is concerned for the older branch. Though I think if you get too in the weeds you run the risk of emulating classic Y&R, which while I'm not dogging it I don't know that GH would ever be great at. I do think you could play with that stuff a bit though. But in order to do so you'll need more compelling writing than the current makeup, and probably some more interesting players.

If it was me, it'd be Trina co-opted as a fish out of water into the main line Deception and possibly a WOC offshoot, thinking it will be good money in the bank and a fun experience only to find it pulling her away from her true passion (art studies) more. She'd be mentored by the returning superstar of course - Brenda - who is beginning to come to grips with her age. Maybe you'd have Natalia still in the mix trying to actively sabotage them both for Blaze, maybe she'd be gone by then. Lois would be the general emcee, Maxie (who is reenergized as is) would be in control, maybe BLQ is still at the job, maybe not, while Lucy would be working on the product for older women. And then maybe bring back Serena (noted in many recent mentions to be a bit of a hippie-dippie heiress with environmental interests) to get involved and have her idealistic aims for the product line make things difficult for some of the others. Then you have a lot of women involved in different things.

The problem is Blaze is about as edgy as ultimate frisbee. Gia was the real deal.

Edited May 5 by Vee

[Khan]

I agree.  Of course, it's still odd to me that we're even talking about a spa/fragrance/cosmetics/skin care company on a show called GENERAL. HOSPITAL.

(I'm sorry, I love a lot of what EK/PM are doing, but someone's gotta bring this show back to being exclusively about the hospital someday, lol.)

Edited May 5 by Khan

[DeliaIrisFan]

I hope GH is not in (more) jeopardy.  I do think it's greatly improved from what I've seen earlier this year, and I want to give these writers more time, but it is hit or miss right now for sure.

I agree with many that Nina and Drew are the strongest story.  That is a little surprising but also not so much when I remember what CW accomplished on GL playing another throwaway character, in a grotesque and misogynistic story written by lesser writers.  And CM is a good-looking man who's not being written as annoying currently.  Their scenes work for me, and at the end of the day, drama about adults having consensual sex they enjoy is not a bad thing for the remaining soaps could be focusing on in 2024.

Runner up, sort of: A number of scenes having to do with Sonny's impending downfall are quite strong and I can still believe there are real stakes.  But I agree it seems increasingly likely all will be forgiven once Carly or whoever proves he wasn't to blame because of his meds.  And stuff like Anna confiding in Jason in ways that she can't trust anyone on the police force (which I can't say I blame her for, but if that's the case why is she the commissioner and not at least as focused on cleaning up the PCPD?) also does not bode well.

I gather this is unpopular, but Gregory's story is in third place for me right now, at least when he's with Tracy.  Jane Elliot is getting really good material.  I missed whatever it was that made Gregory so universally loathed and maybe the actor himself took some getting used to the pace, etc. of filming GH these days, so take this with a grain of salt, but I'll actually be disappointed if he really is killed off in a matter of days (both because the material itself is working for me, especially what Jane Elliot is doing with it, and because it seems like a copout).

Beyond those 2-3 stories, primarily involving characters I hadn't heard of and/or wasn't expected to care about when I tuned back in, just about everything else still seems aimless.  I can't say much more than has already been written about all those career changes, except that I half expected when the congressman announced he was retiring that Drew would ask him to be Willow's co-spokesperson at the "Institute."  I singled out Sasha becoming the Q cook last week, but upon further reflection, it's no less random than whatever else she could be doing and putting her in the Q orbit is not the worst idea.  But the show is called General Hospital, so why on earth take Willow out of the hospital when she's a nurse?  And why are we hearing about all of these businesses that seem loosely affiliated with ELQ and/or used to be (Deception? Aurora?) but not the biggest company in town?

For me, Lois as the Deception spokesperson is perhaps the worst in this trend.  Lois actually is a well-defined character, and her career goals were always key to her character.  The job wasn't fulfilling enough for Sasha, who is still figuring out what she wants to do with her life, but Lois has nothing better to do with her time?  I love Rena's Lois, but she's recurring and her daughter is a legacy character (inasmuch as there are any legacy characters on this show anyone cares about) tied to a core family.  If the new writers don't have anything else meaningful for her to do, I think they could give her some good supporting material with Brook and the Qs and even Sonny, with the understanding that she's still Lois and living a full life off-camera.

On a similar but more disappointing note, if this is how Mulcahey and Co. see Lucy, I don't for the life of me get it but I think I'd rather they not use her at all.  She's probably my favorite character left and Lynn Herring is a treasure, but I think I could live with that if their vision for the show as a whole ends up working.  What they're doing now just poisons my attitude toward characters they're trying to shore up, at Lucy's expense.

I know nothing about behind the scenes, but I do suspect there are issue(s) with the editing that is undermining the writing.  Are we sure that any given writer even has the final say about which characters will be in an episode and what the first and last scenes in the show will be?  The issue that came up earlier in the week when Maxie said Felicia was babysitting (one of) her kids and then we cut to a one-off scene of Felicia at the hospital with Willow makes me think not.  With the chaotic shooting schedule, is there actually anything to stop the production staff from splicing together random scenes for logistical reasons?

Edited May 5 by DeliaIrisFan

[Vee]

I think a lot of the Deception stuff I've seen in the early '90s with Scott, Dominique, Julia, etc. is actually a lot of fun. And I think it's fine to do more with it. But it can't be governed by the likes of Sasha or the QVC shít FV keeps going back to because he likes employing Morgan and Susan Batten. There are ways to have fun with this stuff.

It's what FV has been doing for many years. I remember Hillary B. Smith, Brian Kerwin and others talking about it at length at OLTL for the oral history, saying they had no idea whose funeral they were at, what was going on, etc. On the one hand I get it - Frank's piecemeal method kept that show under budget and vital, allegedly paying for much of the rest of the overages of the other two soaps. It's done much the same for GH's survival. For all we know it may be the only way now to do a functional soap at these numbers without ending up looking like Y&R, with everyone having 'meetings' at the coffeehouse or greenscreening it up. But I have to think there is a better way to thread the needle at least a little bit. If you can expand the scenes as they have done, you can experiment a little with the flow of production so it doesn't sometimes feel like the William S. Burroughs writing method.

I don't know who disrespects Lucy but it has been going on for many years. I knew when she was first reduced to roaming the docks as a realtor(!!) maybe 7-8 years ago it was bad news. At least she has a more central role now, but I still want much better for her even if I suspect Lynn is always having fun.

I am open to Lois doing more at Deception, but I've always said I want her music business in the mix somehow. Otherwise it's Employment Mad Libs (again like Y&R). I don't really care about Willow so I don't mind if they try to make her go the young Lila route as a wealthy charity queen for a storyline purpose, which is what I have to assume this is, but regardless I don't need her or Michael around. I do agree more doctors are needed, especially if we shed Finn, Willow, etc. soon. I'm not worried about Becky Herbst's place on the canvas, which may be famous last words but I'm just not.

I do think the Gregory/Tracy material is often elegiac, smart and touching, and GH is doing a good job. But ultimately this guy has been hobbling around and lecturing people for what, a year or more and I'm just tired of him. It was a waste of talent.

Edited May 5 by Vee

[Contessa Donatella]

I'm quite curious about this. How can it be a copout to have a character die of a 100% fatal illness? What would it say to the family members who have lost loved ones to ALS if they pull some sort of hail mary pass out of the magician's hat & have Gregory live? 

[carolineg]

The Deceptor seems to be about anti-aging so it makes no sense to have models that are in their 20's? early 30's?  Of course their skin is going to look good.  I get what you are saying because it does seem like Lucy, Maxie, etc are very focused on one singular demographic and that's not how life works anymore lol.

That just makes way too much sense lol.  That would be something I would want to watch.

 

Truth.  I find Sasha and Blaze to be the least interesting personalities to sell a product. I would buy something from Brenda, Gia, or Trina.  I struggle not to change the channel when Blaze or Sasha appear.

[DeliaIrisFan]

So sorry if I didn't clarify, I said it would be a copout if he were killed off in a matter of days.  I will be particularly disappointed if rumors/suggestions that it will be right after dancing(?!) at the wedding come to pass in any way.  I'm by no means an expert but I have lost several (extended) family members to ALS.  I just think ending it now would be more fitting for an unspecified soap opera disease than a real-life condition, especially on a show centered around a hospital.  A few arguments about whether he wants (as opposed to needs, which seems like an eventuality) in-home care is barely scratching the surface.  From what I know of ALS but also from a dramatic perspective, it seems obvious to me that Gregory has a bit longer to live, but his life is likely going to change A LOT MORE in that time, in ways that GH should not shy away from.

Edited May 5 by DeliaIrisFan

[carolineg]

I think part of why the early Deception stuff is fun is because they didn't go to deep with it.  The early Scott/Julia/Dominique stuff was light hearted and then it transitioned into Lucy vs. Katherine, Brenda/Jagger doing some cheesy photo shoots etc.  Nothing terribly serious. 

This Deception isn't glamourous or fun.  Between the talk of how it's going to go bankrupt or how Maxie is one paycheck away from going broke, how they can't find a model, blah, blah.  It's almost like I feel "why bother?' if it's all so insanely difficult.

[DeliaIrisFan]

Oh yeah, I know the filming method is difficult for actors to keep track of their characters' arc even if there is a big-picture plan for which scenes air when.  I just wonder if even that thread is now getting lost.  From what I've seen, there is typically only one script writer credited in a given episode, and I assume there are union safeguards to prevent significant amounts of material written by dialogue writer X airing on a day when writer Y was credited.  But I can't shake the feeling sometimes that an actual writer is not responsible for the sequence/grouping of scenes in any given day.

Edited May 5 by DeliaIrisFan