GH: August 2024 Discussion Thread

[Contessa Donatella]

Oh, I see. So to your way of looking, GH went back on it. 

[Khan]

I agree.

[John]

8.6.2024

Creators: Frank & Doris Hursley

EP Frank Valentini

HW:  Patrick Mulcahey & Elizabeth Korte 

BDW: Emily Culliton

SW:  Kate Hall

DIR:  Alison Reames Smith

Edited August 6, 2024 by John

[Liberty City]

Bryan Craig did fine... but the cameo was not needed.

Ava will spend more time in jail than Carly ever will, and that's where Elizabeth Korte's clear favouritism comes out to play.

Nancy Lee Grahn & Kate Mansi were the standouts in today's episode.

[ranger1rg]

-- Bryan Craig was pretty good, considering he wasn't given much. Maurice Benard wasn't awful (which I expected), but that performance wasn't special in any way.

-- Too much of Joss is not good, but these latest complaints about her are unfair, in my opinion. She hasn't been eating the show.

-- I'll stick up for Tajh Bellow, who's really getting bashed here by a few people. I think he's been just fine.

[Contessa Donatella]

Bryan Craig, playing a figment of Sonny's imagination rather than a more usual ghost, did a fine job. It was especially important since Sonny, unusually, was taking care of himself. Today was the closest Sonny's come to self-awareness in, well, years at least! And that he ended by going to Kevin's office & turning himself over to him, saying that something is wrong with him & he needs help ... fairly amazing. 

Joss has been good this whole week. Clearly she saved Kristina's life & she kept on in her capacity as "lifeguard" until her part was completely over & then she fell apart. And that's okay. 

I have no problem with the actor but I'd like a word with the character. He is routinely too hard on Kristina. Blames her for everything. Also regularly overreacts literally to everything. But, I have to give him this. So far at least he's the only one thinking about what to name Baby Girl Tolly. I also realize that this is the second baby he's lost in less than a year. He's the solitary male in a "household" of females & he does the best that he can. 

Some people are saying that if this baby had been white, it would be alive. I hope they're wrong. I was very glad that Jordan was there. It gave him someone to vent to who won't make it be more than that. It's better for him to blow off some steam with his mom than with Molly. 

[carolineg]

I think TB does just fine with the character of TJ.  He's been on the show for almost a decade, but I know very little about his personality.  He's always been just a pretty decent guy.  The default now is anger at Kristina, but this character is very ill-defined.  I think TB just kind of works with whatever he's given and doesn't have a super strong perspective on the character and the feelings because the show just started giving him one 10 mins ago.

[titan1978]

I do not mean this in a nasty way at all. I have empathy for Maurice even though I do not really enjoy Sonny anymore. But if storylines that are darker in nature are ones he is no longe capable of playing without a health crisis, then maybe it is time to finally evolve Sonny, fade him to the background, or begin an exit strategy.

He doesn’t want cuddly Sonny, but it’s pretty clear he isn’t the best judge of his own abilities to handle this material anymore. I feel a lot of empathy for his wife too, she seems to play an instrumental part in keeping his mental health in check. If you watch his YouTube show at all, you know things changed for him during the COVID shutdowns.

I think at this point something has to be done, because Sonny as the town’s best friend doesn’t work narratively either.

[carolineg]

I often wonder why the show doesn't pull the trigger on bringing Morgan back.  I would recast, but the show seems to like Brian Craig enough.  It seems like it would bring so much drama to the current Ava/Sonny situation.  I don't really care at all about Morgan in general. It just seems weird he has never come back.

[Contessa Donatella]

Dan & Chris were going to bring him back & it was that story that ultimately got them fired, not because of bringing him back but, how they were going to do it. It was like they pitched a good idea with a really stupid execution. If that makes any sense at all. 

[John]

Wasnt Susan Moore alive and involved somehow?

[detroitpiston]

Kate Mansi and KV were great in that last scene, they’ve really done good work with this story. NLG was okay too and I thought TJ’s actor did a decent job with his scene with Jordan, I don’t get the hate for him.

I’m glad we got to see Sam involved as well because her absence was glaring yesterday. The subtle touch on her losing baby Lila was nice but I think they could have played more beats there. Why couldn’t we get her and Jason in a scene together acknowledging that? Korte’s obvious bias against JaSam and Liason needs to be addressed sooner rather than later.

Nobody at the hotel informed Carly about what happened? Joss just let Dex screw her to sleep instead of telling her mom? All of that rang very false. I did think the scene with Carly and Donna was sweet but I’m still confused on why this child even exists.

Ava moving the bag is really dumb writing and clearly just an excuse to get her in more trouble. I did laugh at Anna showing her the photo receipts and locking her up. Also still dig the Anna and Jason partnership and wish they’d move him into the WSB/police world now that this FBI informant plot is over.

Sonny’s scenes on the roof hallucinating Morgan were okay, I don’t care for that actor and would rather have seen Morgan recast and alive. Sonny going to Kevin for help at the end was the part that got me interested, that was a good story turn.

Its a very tricky situation. I always think back to Kristoff St John and how Y&R dropping him to recurring lead to a spiral. Based on the podcast Maurice seems to place so much of his own personal value in being Sonny and being the big star. Hearing him say how devastated he was just from the idea of temp recasting the role while he was dealing with his mental issues made me honestly nervous. In another livestream he admitted he thinks this is the only gig he’d be able to keep where they’d be willing to deal with his mental health problems and it made me feel bad for him.
 

All of that said, looking at the recent ratings numbers and seeing him leading the episode counts with a mostly, and I hate to say it, lackluster performance with this current story, I’d be doing some serious recalculation of Sonny’s role on the canvas. The thing is how do you do that sensitively to MB’s mental health? Sonny’s storylines going forward will be interesting to see.

Edited August 7, 2024 by detroitpiston

[Vee]

It's a good and valid question. My answer remains the same as before: You do it by bringing back Brenda and marrying them off, and letting VM lead most of their joint or separate story. That, Maurice could live with.

[Contessa Donatella]

Yes, I don't know the details but somehow she was alive & had some - I think minor - involvement. Apparently some of the poor execution or stupidity. Not sure. Also don't want to know those details. 

I agree. 

Now I disagree. Jason didn't even notice Sam, not as much as a glance. And that is as it should be. They are nothing to each other except exes & co-parents. 

I was appalled & I still say this is a lawsuit in the making. Seriously though, why did Joss not drop a dime & call her mama?!!!

Me, I'm hoping for a Security Firm with Jason & Spinelli. 

AMAZING. I'm in trouble. Something is wrong with me & I can't take it anymore. THANK GOD. Sonny saved himself. Before either Jason or Carly would have had to do it for him. 

Carly is free! Jason is free! 

[titan1978]

This show. Carly found out about this accident at her hotel hours after it happened? Which means Olivia is also in the dark because she would have contacted Carly.

There is an entire show to fill with dialogue. It costs them zero dollars to use a character’s name if they don’t have the budget to feature them. The details matter!