Jump to content

GH: Mulcahey OUT!


Recommended Posts

  • Members

I feel like he was pushing Ava in an origin direction, almost like how she was in the beginning. And I was okay with it. But, it's also... alarming, because it could have ended poorly for both Ava and Maura West.

Him going to Kevin and BOOM suddenly being level-headed again felt... so off, especially in comparison to the past when Sonny had gone off his meds. It's clear, to me, Mulcahey wanted Sonny unhinged and Maurice Benard denied it. Could THAT be what got him out of the writers' room?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 287
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Posted Images

  • Members

I know @titan1978  had a really good theory on how they felt PM would have written Ava out of the hole she was being written into. I honestly believe PM was not going to write her out. Punish her like the villains of old yes, but write out no. He gave her wiggle room to redeem herself.

 

Very off. re: Sonny. But did Maurice Benard really deny it?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

You are correct. I know this. He was NOT going to kill off Ava. No, he had a plan. 

What? Did Mo deny what? He's said some rather interesting things of late. A bunch of us have a theory, that they are positioning him to write him off. Maybe he & Brenda on the island, in which case we would see them, at times. But, maybe literally writing him off the show completely, Sonny & Brenda ride off into the sunset, forever. Many people think it is significant that Vanessa is doing a zoom with Lois & then for the big GH fan weekend, she is doing an event with Mo. @carolineg are you reading this? 

It is interesting to many of us that Mo likes bipolar being part of his character & often in his storylines. But, there is now a problem. Acting these storylines is kicking up his anxiety. And, anxiety is like his x axis while bipolar is his y. 

I'm sorry to go on & on about this but it is something I think about & talk about with others & also something I know a bit about, being bipolar myself. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I don't think Mo/Vanessa/Rena having an event for GH weekend means much.  They all seem to be very good friends IRL and know the event would have a decent fan draw.   It doesn't take a lot of effort to do a fan event and Vanessa does seem to really appreciate her fans.

I personally don't think they were ever going to write Mo out completely.   If they were Brenda/Sonny would be the obvious, easy option.  Have Sonny leave with her, but leave it open to come back.  

IMO, there are many obvious ways to mention Brenda by name with the Deception and Jagger stuff.  They don't.  She's sometimes very vaguely referenced.  This is probably the best time in the last decade for Brenda to come back and there doesn't seem to be much interest.  Basically,, I think MB needs or wants are separate from any sort of Brenda come back.  It would be FV's last available option. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Yeah, I saw Ava as this show’s Roger Thorpe. Even after being shot, he still operated outside the lines and never really got caught. Punished? Yes. His relationship with Hart, losing out in business, broken heart, etc. but never sent to prison for real. I don’t think they were going to get rid of her.

My concerns for Maurice stand. He feels he can only act if he uses method acting. He cannot handle drawn out emotional material anymore. He has said this many times in the last few years on his YouTube show. He also claims he is close to retirement, and yet when he has too much time off or backburnered he has mental health episodes. This started with COVID and has continued. I do personally think the show has a responsibility to acquiesce to his health needs. But so does he.

So that leaves the show in limbo. He resists trying anything new, and also resists being moved away from the central figure of the show. Even Tony Soprano got great mileage out of therapy, and they just dropped that potential with Kevin (so far). Something needs to happen for both him and the show to be at their best.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Hmm, it's my understanding that in fact that is the case. I don't see it as sad, just as one operating factor. At least VM/Brenda has that as this huge bullet point by her name as opposed to them having absolutely no use for her. 

I do get that this seems odd to you. You see more value in VM/Brenda. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

As one who lives everyday with depression and anxiety, my heart goes out to Maurice Benard and his struggles with bipolar disorder.  Those who are fortunate enough not to live with psychological issues don't fully understand how debilitating our conditions can be; preventing us, in many cases, even from being able to support ourselves financially or maintain close relationships with others.

At the same time, however, TPTB's job is to entertain the viewers, not make life easier for MB.  If he can't or won't play a storyline that would make sense for Sonny given his circumstances at that moment because of the risks it would pose to his mental health, then he needs to consider retirement and explore new ways in which to express himself as an artist.

Edited by Khan
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I don't think anyone is talking down on Benard nor his struggles. I feel for him and what he's endured in his lifetime but, as you brought up: if he cannot or will not play a storyline, or ANY actor for that matter, then they should reconsider things a bit. Especially since this is not the first time Sonny has gone off of his meds. He's done it before. It makes me feel like he's always approached them about Sonny going off his meds, or he's been asked if he's okay with it, and this wasn't OK'd with him. And either way, he's an actor who provides a job. And I'm all for people being comfortable with their job, but what I'm not okay with is providing an ultimatum (which is ultimately what I feel Benard did in the end).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Last night I watched parts of Friday's episode on Hulu out of curiosity for Lucky, and then I read the comments in the GH thread.  And I realized I'm even more non representative of someone who's going to watch a daytime soap on a daily basis now than I thought when I last posted in this thread last week.  If the ratings had actually dropped dramatically enough that GH was in (more) danger—and if these changes buy them more time—then I genuinely wish them luck (although at this point the industry is kind of the boy who cried wolf).  Clearly Mulcahey was never going to be compatible, although why they didn't stick with what was "working"(?) is mind-boggling.

That said, it's not for me, and I don't get the plaudits at all.  The dialogue has deteriorated even more than it had by the time PM's name was still in the credits but he clearly wasn't around to edit scripts, which I don't get - wasn't Korte the script editor in the Labine era?  There may be more drama, but none of it is compelling to me because a) we've seen it all before and b) like on most of the remaining soaps, we've established that no GH plot development—no matter how decisive or what viewers saw with their own eyes—is lasting.  I'm not sure how or if I could ever invest in an entire story from start to finish again at this point - but maybe some scenes at least, like I did this spring.

The stuff at the graveyard was dreadful all around in my book.  I will acknowledge that the direction of Kristina's pregnancy story when Mulcahey was around seemed regressive, and for all I know, maybe that was entirely his vision.  As much as I love a lot of material he wrote, he wrote some of the key scenes of some of soaps' most notorious pre-millennial pregnancy stories (although wasn't he at least gone by the time Sonny shot Carly while she was in labor?).  This story just seems like all of the ugliest parts of the previous six months dialed up a notch—Kristina loudly declaring "my baby" in front of anyone who'll listen without a second thought, TJ and Molly both policing her pregnancy decisions and the story outcome essentially justifying that judgment—now in the key of gruesome and morbid.

As for Lucky, I realized I didn't even care what this cliffhanger would lead to today...been there, done that (for all I know, his captor is working for Faison, who's somehow in league with Pikeman or whoever).  I was actually hoping Lucky would have scenes with characters he knows, which again could have been interesting to me than how he got into/will get out of this latest jam.

Anyway, it was a surreal blast from the past for me to watch GH regularly again, after all this time, in this year when I definitely needed some escape.  Over and out.

Edited by DeliaIrisFan
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I do too, and it sucks. I have a lot of empathy for Maurice. I truly do think the show needs to step in for his health and  have the conversations that he maybe doesn’t want to have. Which is Sonny needs to evolve, and that means different kinds of stories. Even if he resists them.

I know that Valentini forces him to keep dying his hair and MB would prefer to not do that anymore. Stuff like that is ridiculous. Let the man go grey.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.



  • Recent Posts

    • How did I never notice how tall Colton was?

      Please register in order to view this content

    • They didn't need to have some slutty gay dude as their representation. Just a 'normal' guy getting involved with another guy or two (or three). Just like the straight characters. Thinking about it, they missed the boat by not having a few other single charcters at the beginning. Maybe Naomi or Ashley could be shown meeting Derek/Jacob and  we could follow their romance. Too many characters were coupled up at the start. As a tattoo hater I was surprised to see Tomas so inked. Don't find it attractive or sexy. I'm surprised an actor would do that as it's definitely a statement and may not be appropriate for some roles. Suppose they can cover if necessary. I didn't buy Kat being all girly and then paying off Darius to get into Eva's room. Way too cliche. She should have just come along when the housekeeping was leaving and breezed in saying it was her room. And her smug looks in the hotel room and 'Now I've got you!!' talks to herself at Orphey Gene's...no.  
    • Omg I was so annoyed. Like girl calm down. Coming on way too strong. Omg I forgot about this

      Please register in order to view this content

    • I thought it got stale before Jocks death lol. His death picked things back up for me.
    • 1976 Pt 5 Tony is summoned to the reading of the will in the Llanfair library,as he’s a principal in the will. He tells Joe there’s not a chance of coming to terms with Dorian, as he is sure she brought about Victor’s death by torturing him emotionally when he was her helpless prisoner after his stroke. Ironically, Chapin hand delivers to Viki a letter her father wrote before his stroke, praising Dorian and asking Viki to befriend and support his widow when he was no longer there. Viki feels a responsibility to her father’s wishes and vows to try with Dorian. Victor’s will leaves the expected amounts to members of his family and staff, with the lion’s share of his stock and property going to Dorian. Victor’s will explains that his son Tony expressed the desire that he not be “bought from the grave,” and, in keeping with his son’s wishes, the only bequest to him is the knowledge of his father’s love and respect. Tony is deeply moved. Dorian’s first attempt to use her new power is the recommendation of Peter as head of the Merideth Lord Wolek hospital wing, claiming that naming Larry would be virtual nepotism. Peter, who has devoted considerable time and effort to helping Jenny get over Tim’s death with gentle, affectionate support, is happy at this suggestion, but Jenny points out Dorian is merely using him to hurt Larry. Viki disregards Dorian’s ingenuous assurances that she’s not trying to wield her new power but is merely putting Peter up for consideration for a future opportunity, if not this one, and tells her she won’t be able to fulfill her father’s desire that they be friends unless Dorian stops interfering. Larry, fully understanding Dorian’s personal motives, warns her he’s going to fight for the appointment no matter what. Realizing that she has made a tactical error, Dorian announces that she won’t even attend the board meeting but will give her proxy to Jim. She admits to Matt McAllister, still her confidant, that this was humiliating, but it was a necessary protective tactic. Dorian manages to win her next round at Joe’s office when, after he praises her decision to yield on appointing Peter, she expresses concern for Viki “at a time like this.” Joe, of course, jumps on her words, and Dorian, pretending great distress at having mentioned something she shouldn’t have, is “forced” to explain that she knew about the congenital heart condition Megan had and that any child of Joe’s is likely to inherit it. She overheard the doctors discussing it at the time of the accident, she continues, and naturally assumed that Joe already knew.  Joe arranges a meeting at home with Viki and asks her how she could live a lie like this; how she could go through their lives as if everything were fine while every moment was a lie. He is further upset when, in trying to explain that it was out of her love for him that she kept the truth from him, she mentions that Jim and Larry also know but Cathy still hasn’t been told. Viki tells Joe that Dorian deliberately told him this way to hurt their marriage, and she is very upset when he starts toward the door, pleading that they have always talked things out in the past. Joe coolly points out that she didn’t do that when she learned about Megan and continues out the door.  A tearful Viki is shaken and when Joe later returns, having spent several hours in a bar drinking only soft drinks,she breaks down, crying that she was convinced he’d left her. Joe assures her they can get through this despite everything, because their relation is based on love and mutual respect. 
    • If you think about it, DALLAS and DYNASTY grew stale right about the same time, even if the ratings were slow to reflect that.  FC and KL, on the other hand, tried to stay fresh, but KL was way more successful at it, I think, than FC.  (That [!@#$%^&*] with The Thirteen does not hold up well, lol).
    • GH 1976 Pt 8 Heather takes advantage of the situation by asking Jeff to come and look at Tommy. She uses sympathy, compassion, and her own feminine wiles, together with his misery and his pills, to lure him into bed. Later, sober, he apologizes. Learning from Pearson that Monica has seen a divorce lawyer, Jeff confronts her, and she insists it’s a lie. Avoiding his attempts to kiss her, she musses her hair and tears her blouse, then rushes to Rick’s, claiming that she can’t stay with that maniac any longer. They wind up in Rick’s bed, and after making love he confesses he always loved her. Rick replies to her question of whether he wants to marry her by saying he has to talk to Jeff. Monica insists that Jeff not bear any pressure from their problems. As she leaves, Rick gives her a key to his apartment. Jeff, having spent the night drinking, misses his surgical assignment, and Steve, informing him that his personal life can’t interfere with his profession, puts him on suspension. Rick can’t persuade Steve to reverse his decision, but Mark, sensing what’s at the heart of Jeff’s problem, convinces Steve to lift Jeff’s suspension and transfer him to Mark’s service. Rick asks for his key back, telling Monica they can’t do anything as long as she’s under Jeff’s roof. So she has a duplicate made and moves into intern’s quarters, explaining that Jeff’s violence drove her out. She tells Jeff she needs privacy to work things out, and tells Rick Jeff wanted her out. Thinking that this is the preliminary to a divorce, Rick tells her she can come to his place. In New York, Leslie’s abortion is delayed by a mix-up in scheduling, and she calls Terri to commiserate. Rick overhears Terri’s conversation and forces the whole story from her. He flies to New York to stop Leslie, feeling responsible for pointing out how evil Cam was, and arrives to find that she has decided she can’t deny her child the right to live. Monica, meanwhile, expecting that Rick will be home, uses her key to let herself into his apartment and is shocked to find Mark there; knowing that Mark was uncomfortable at the hotel, Rick offered Mark use of the apartment in his absence. Monica is upset to learn that Rick is in New York with Leslie, and Mark doesn’t know why. Mark does advise Monica to play fair with Jeff, but she resents his interference. The next day, while covering for Leslie at the clinic, Monica discovers Leslie’s lab test report and jumps to the conclusion that the baby is Rick’s. When Rick and Leslie return, Monica wastes no time in accusing him. He is dismayed to see that she is still as suspicious and possessive as she was before he went to Africa, and points out that her making a duplicate  key proves she hasn’t changed. Terri encourages Leslie to see Rick in a romantic light and then suggests to Rick that Leslie is interested in him. Rick likes this idea and tells Mark he’s growing ‘unwilling to cope with Monica’s unreasonable demands. But Monica immediately recognizes the threat Leslie represents and decides to attack. She goes to Leslie and tells her flatly that she and Rick are having an affair and he’s her exclusive property. Leslie, who realizes she has been falling in love with Rick, is hurt, and Rick is mystified when he feels Leslie pulling away from him. Monica’s big moment comes when she brings Rick a housewarming gift and seduces him into letting her stay overnight. She is in the bedroom when Leslie stops by to apologize for refusing his dates, and makes a dramatic entrance into the living room draped in Rick’s bathrobe. Leslie turns and runs out. Rick later informs her he’s disappointed in her, because she prejudged Monica and him rather than giving him the benefit of the doubt. Heather tries to arrange another tryst with Jeff, but he replies that he still loves his wife. Heather decides there’s only one way to get Jeff to be pregnant with his child. She manages to overhear Monica putting Jeff down by telling him he no longer turns her on and should look for someone he does. Heather goes to Jeff and tells him that she heard Monica and that she is the one he’s looking for. She manages to get him into bed again, and sweetly assures him this is right. She then sets the stage for future meetings. Steve, meanwhile, offers to help Monica and Jeff work out their problems. Jeff is willing, but Monica turns the idea down. Instead, she presses Terri to convince Jeff to end the marriage. Terri now knows that Monica isn’t a good wife for Jeff and promises to try. But Jeff makes it clear to Monica that he still loves her and won’t let her go. She is bitter and upset, as she has already implied to Rick that she will soon be free. Audrey is upset to find that Florence Andrews has been inquiring about Tommy and herself. She goes to Florence’s home and finds she’s away now. Florence has gone down to Mexico to sign a sworn statement that she purchased a false death certificate for Tom, to protect his son after his wrongful conviction. Tom, learning from her that Steve and Audrey are to be married and Steve is planning to adopt Tommy, tells  Florence not to do anything, as there’s still no assurance that he’ll ever get out. But the judge does accept the statement, and, ironically, on the day that Steve  and Audrey are married, Tom is released from prison.
    • 1976 Pt 12 Final part Laurie agrees with Stuart that Peggy is rushing into marriage to prove that the rape didn’t ruin her life.  She points out that the only way Peg can be sure is to make love with Jack before the wedding. Stuart admits she’s right but points out that he can’t suggest that to Peggy. As the wedding approaches, Peg seems happy that Jack’s become close to the family. However, her happiness is shattered by a nightmare in which her loving bridegroom turns into a leering Ron Becker, forcing her to cancel the wedding. Jack reassures her he’ll wait as long as it takes, and Chris confides that she and Snapper didn’t consummate their marriage on their wedding night because of her own rape experience, but Peggy tells Chris she might never be ready.  Despite her desire to keep Karen as her own daughter, Chris helps a police artist create a sketch of Nancy so it can be printed in the newspaper as part of a search for her. When the attempt proves fruitless, however, Chris asks Greg to file application for permanent custody of the child. Greg points out that adoption is the only way to prevent Ron from returning and claiming the child, and that it will take quite a while. Meanwhile, a nurse in the psychiatric ward sees a resemblance  between the newspaper drawing and her autistic patient, Mrs. Jackson, but since “Fran” doesn’t respond to the name Nancy and no one else sees the similarity, she fears she’s mistaken. Jill is horrified to overhear Kay, when brihging baby Phillip a Christmas gift, telling the child she remembers the night he was conceived. Kay has to then admit to Jill she saw her with Phillip in the bunkhouse that night. Jill is aghast to realize that Kay new the truth all along and put her through such agony in spite of it, denying her baby his father’s name. Lance tells Laurie they’ll marry on Valentine’s Day. He laughs that it’s corny but agrees, secretly wishing it were sooner, as Vanessa has vowed to prevent it. Indeed, Vanessa makes an unprecedented venture out of the house to visit Brad, telling him to rebuff any advance Leslie might make to him, as she’s reaching out to him only from a sense of duty. But Laurie then makes a concerted effort to reach Vanessa. Without being sure why she’s trying so hard, she tries to assure the woman she’s not losing Lance and she, Laurie, will help her find a plastic surgeon somewhere who can help her. Grudgingly, Vanessa seems to be reconsidering her view of Laurie, and Laurie is delighted when Lance offers her a choice between two diamond necklaces, explaining that her preference will be Vanessa’s Christmas gift. Learning from Les about Brad’s blindness, Stuart tells Brad he could have turned Leslie away only out of great love. Knowing that Les is going to see Brad again, Laurie warns him not to bring the baby into their discussion, as Leslie will come back only she’s convinced he loves her, not for the babies sake. Leslie finds Brad disheveled and sloppy, and proceeds to straighten the apartment, stating that she can't respect him if he lets himself go. Realizing that neither Brad nor Les will make the first move, Laurie hurries things along by refusing to help Brad with his grooming, saying he should ask his wife. Then, having learned  that Brad offered Les the use of their piano, Laurie untunes the Brooks' piano forcing Leslie to accept his offer. By refusing to cater to his  blindness, Les manages to get Brad to stop wallowing in pity, and by the time Leslie’s Christmas braille message of her love and her need for him arrives, they are husband and wife again Lance takes Laurie on a business trip on New Year's Eve, and tells her, on board his plane, she won't be  won't be able to call him “Mr. All Talk and No action” after tonight. When Laurie protests that waited this long and will continue to wait until married, Lance delights her by instructing his pilot to land in Las Vegas, where they are married immediately.
    • Yeah, not sure why Jack and Jen didn’t rush to Marlena - or even Carrie - to offer their condolences. A few flashbacks would've been a nice touch too. Instead, we got a whole episode of them talking about Chad and Abby? Come on. On the bright side, I loved Anna’s scenes with Marlena and Carrie - sweet and heartfelt, felt like a real 80s throwback.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy