GH: June 2024 Discussion Thread

[titan1978]

It was present from day one to anyone watching the show. No regime change for what we all saw and commented about. The whole point of casting the character was clearly to inject some conflict and background for Blaze and Kristina. She wouldn't be on the show except to be against her daughter having a relationship with a woman. Her interviews did not match anything we have seen onscreen. They do match if her character believes she isn’t homophobic but actually is, which is what has been playing out, and Eva was choosing to keep the story to herself until it unfolded.

She has been playing the classic homophobic parent that otherwise believes she isn’t because she thinks she has no problem with LGBTQ+ people. Except for her child to be one. As it appears more and more that Blaze and Kristina are going to continue and she is losing control over Blaze, her facade is slipping.

The only thing I think they added after she was cast was the Sonny flirtation. She could be concerned about Kristina’s cult past, her dangerous in a car mother, or her well known mobster father. But nope, she’s worried about anyone knowing her baby is with a woman.

[janea4old]

This.  

Edited June 4, 2024 by janea4old

[ranger1rg]

Agree with all of this.

I hate the character and I despise the way ELR talked about the character. "She didn't know" is a lousy excuse and defense for someone in soaps for decades.

It's sad that she can't see she's pretty much ignoring what a lot of the audience thinks about Natalia, or is even turning her back on anyone opposed to homophobia. I really want her gone.

[Khan]

Even if I were to agree that homophobia remains prevalent within the Hispanic and Latinx communities, I still think the premise of anyone, even a parent, being concerned at all with how a musical artist's sexuality will affect their career in 2024 is absurd and clearly the work of a writing team who 1) have not read a newspaper or magazine, watched or listened to a news broadcast, followed anyone on social media or even so much as stepped outside their own homes since 2007; and 2) are desperate to generate some conflict for an otherwise dull and inconsequential pairing.

I also think (although, I have no evidence or insider information) that Frank Valentini sold ELR a bill of goods there, promising her role would be written one way, when, in fact, what she's been receiving and playing is not at all what she signed on for.  (Hence, her apparent disconnect between what she's been saying about her role and what we're actually seeing on-screen).

So, AFAIC, the sooner they can write Natalia into a corner with her homophobia and off the show for good, the better.

Edited June 4, 2024 by Khan

[ranger1rg]

Well said.

[Contessa Donatella]

Totally accurate full character study on Natalia. 

I did think it was clever that Ava accidentally taped her remarks. Who is so oblivious that they leave their phone on when they're taping an introduction to an artist's exhibit. Our Ava, that's who. 

[allmc2008]

Watching Monday. I'm loving the Natalia/Ava scenes. Natalia is finally letting it all hang out.

I stopped recording notes like that because I forget to turn the damn thing off.  Aside from  my doing, it's oddly common. It's like filling up the kitchen sink to wash dishes, needing to go to the bathroom and not turning it off because it won't be long, then getting distracted after using the toilet. Once I forgot about it for 15 minutes (the kitchen needed mopping though).

[Contessa Donatella]

The one big thing I liked about today was that we saw how desperately Jason wants out from under Cates & the FBI & wants this RICO evidence gone & not being held over Carly's head. 

Edited June 4, 2024 by Contessa Donatella
combine

[titan1978]

I think both your points hit the nails on their heads- this one especially. She was created solely to generate conflict for an already underdeveloped character. Your first point rings true too, because these shows are nothing if not old fashioned and often cliches for how conflict and real issues exist between real people. 

[Khan]

I can't even buy the argument that Natalia is concerned about Blaze being in a relationship with someone who possesses Kristina's family history.  Are you kidding me?  If anything, everyone involved in Blaze's musical career would exploit the hell out of her relationship with the daughter of a well-known mobster, lol!  They literally would be pitching those two as a reality series to every network and streamer out there!

The thing is, I don't blame Patrick Mulcahey (not even for attempting to pair up Natalia and Sonny), because Natalia and Blaze's relationship was something that was handed to him.  I think he and Korte did the best they could with it, all things considered.

If I were to blame anyone, it would be Chris Van Etten and Dan O'Connor, who had a knack for coming up with some of the stupidest ideas I'd ever heard.

Honestly, I don't know what I would do at this point to salvage that particular storyline.  It's idiotic and it's doing Blaze and Kristina no favors.  In fact, I think it's making them even less likable, lol.  Just have Blaze tell Natalia to go to hell and then have Natalia return to wherever she came from.  The end.

Edited June 5, 2024 by Khan

[Soapsuds]

Natalia is a pointless character.

She worries about what being a lesbian will do to her daughters career yet she's hanging around Sonny and Ava.

.

Please register in order to view this content

Edited June 5, 2024 by Soapsuds

[Khan]

Which makes her a hypocrite AND a dumbfuck.

Like I said, just have Blaze tell her to go away and let that be the end of it.

[Vee]

Natalia has always been a stealth homophobe. As someone said, there's still plenty of 'liberal' people like her out there.

Like many, I think they brought her on as obvious conflict for the boring couple. But I also think Frank saw hiring Eva LaRue as another big soap get he could fanboy out over, and keep her around for months or years doing nothing but being a superficial feather in his show's cap like so many other actors. I think that's why the show has attempted to test her with Maurice. If past creative choices show out under FV we could be stuck with Eva for another couple years. I'm hoping the reaction is so negative it won't take that long, but we all saw the reign of Peter August.

I'm still slowly catching up on the show after being busy with personal stuff - I'm about two weeks back. The scenes surrounding Gregory's death and the fallout, Finn, etc. were very well-done and carefully paced, with real time taken. I'll probably stay another week or two to see how much more of PM's vision we can get, but if it degrades more as others have said I won't be staying until Mulcahey's name is off.

[titan1978]

Someone refresh my memory please? Who was the person Liz and Finn were talking about that still has a drink every so often but is in the program? 
 

And dear god in heaven, not them kissing. It’s like anti-chemistry.

Edited June 5, 2024 by titan1978

[Contessa Donatella]

I wasn't sure who they meant. But Curtis drug of choice was pills & he drinks casually.