The show is in such a weird hybrid state. It’s not quite as generic as it was before Mulcahey. The scripts could be better, but there is clearly more care in them than there used to be.

Dex and Molly, Molly and Alexis, and Tracy/Dante all had real emotions and character in the script. Ric and Alexis was a highlight too, they play so well off each other.

It took Hearst sharing this scene with NLG to show some of what he does best. For being away from acting for so long he hasn’t really lost a step in sparring and the smug side of Ric.

I think Huss did a great job having an emotional core for a character he has barely played, except in pivotal times. The guy deserves a shot.

38 minutes ago, titan1978 said:

It took Hearst sharing this scene with NLG to show some of what he does best. For being away from acting for so long he hasn’t really lost a step in sparring and the smug side of Ric.

I think Huss did a great job having an emotional core for a character he has barely played, except in pivotal times. The guy deserves a shot.

It's a shame because I think Hearst is a great actor, but Ric is so disgustingly slimy.  I am okay with scenes one on one with him because he can shine with the right costar, but when Carly says something like it was horrible the one time you chained to a wall for months.  I am back at, yup, still hate him lol.

23 minutes ago, carolineg said:

It's a shame because I think Hearst is a great actor, but Ric is so disgustingly slimy.  I am okay with scenes one on one with him because he can shine with the right costar, but when Carly says something like it was horrible the one time you chained to a wall for months.  I am back at, yup, still hate him lol.

I have no issue with despicable. Just don’t try to also have him be romantic or on good terms with these people. Alexis has terrible taste in men!

7 minutes ago, titan1978 said:

I have no issue with despicable. Just don’t try to also have him be romantic or on good terms with these people. Alexis has terrible taste in men!

Yes but at least she has that. If not for impossibly awful taste in men, whatever would she do? Maybe fixate on her daughter's lives? 

59 minutes ago, carolineg said:

It's a shame because I think Hearst is a great actor, but Ric is so disgustingly slimy.  I am okay with scenes one on one with him because he can shine with the right costar, but when Carly says something like it was horrible the one time you chained to a wall for months.  I am back at, yup, still hate him lol.

I’ve always loved semi villains played by charismatic actors so because of how much I enjoy Hearst I just don’t care about Ric’s crimes 😂. ESPECIALLY on this show of all shows.

11 minutes ago, carolineg said:

It's a shame because I think Hearst is a great actor, but Ric is so disgustingly slimy.  I am okay with scenes one on one with him because he can shine with the right costar, but when Carly says something like it was horrible the one time you chained to a wall for months.  I am back at, yup, still hate him lol.

Rick Hearst has always been a mix of smarm and sincerity, and none of the soaps ever knew what to do with this balance. The show did keep him around in some form for a number of years, in spite of all he did (and not being a fan of Sonny/Carly/Jason), but then Frank and Ron had no real interest. I had assumed we'd never see the character again. At least Heart is really putting in the work while he's there. 

17 minutes ago, titan1978 said:

The show is in such a weird hybrid state. It’s not quite as generic as it was before Mulcahey. The scripts could be better, but there is clearly more care in them than there used to be.

Dex and Molly, Molly and Alexis, and Tracy/Dante all had real emotions and character in the script. Ric and Alexis was a highlight too, they play so well off each other.

It took Hearst sharing this scene with NLG to show some of what he does best. For being away from acting for so long he hasn’t really lost a step in sparring and the smug side of Ric.

I think Huss did a great job having an emotional core for a character he has barely played, except in pivotal times. The guy deserves a shot.

I wonder if some of the people who were sandbagging Mulcahey are trying harder now, especially as the show's future is probably on the line.

It helps that some of the worst stories set up under his run have been wrapped up and they're allowing for more emotional material and giving scenes to talented actors who can actually do something when given the chance. Sometimes I forget that GH does have a lot of talented actors onboard.

Of course, these stories may have been set up by Mulcahey, and the bottom will drop out within a few weeks or months.

8 hours ago, DRW50 said:

Given that Valentini's era is the one that watered Lulu down so much it's interesting to see them addressing and trying to give explanations. I wonder if Korte wants to return Lulu to being a mini-Carly, as she was under smugbot JMB's era. 

I just wonder what they’re gonna go if/when Lulu comes out of the coma. Judging from the news we got yesterday about KM, I guess we’re not getting a triangle. 

8 hours ago, carolineg said:

I had the same thought.  Knowing this regime it will be a big name soap star (let's say Gina Tognoni for @Liberty City's sake lol) and she'll be some crazy Mormon sister wife.  She will then meet Sonny and Jason and change her ways immediately. 😂

Could be GT

Definitely someone who was popular on OLTL or AMC 😂😂

I had plenty of issues with Berman's Lulu - she was talented but they were clearly trying to make the character into the mini-Carly because they thought was the apex female of the show, and I never thought she had a ton of heat with any of her partners. But I do think Lulu is an essential character. I think the adventurous journalist angle is a good idea with the right actor, and I think she and Dante can still work well. It's a question of who they cast. I am not exactly enthused about the possibility of Stephanie Gatschet, who I've always found deeply boring. Fingers crossed.

I always enjoy seeing Ric and Rick Hearst. He's just such a weird, duplicitous and damaged character who you can make do just about anything. He's very lucky he didn't get killed off several times. RC intended to kill him before he was fired in 2015, and Silas got the knife instead.

Edited August 28, 20241 yr by Vee

9 hours ago, DRW50 said:

Rick Hearst has always been a mix of smarm and sincerity, and none of the soaps ever knew what to do with this balance. The show did keep him around in some form for a number of years, in spite of all he did (and not being a fan of Sonny/Carly/Jason), but then Frank and Ron had no real interest. I had assumed we'd never see the character again. At least Heart is really putting in the work while he's there. 

Smarmy is a great way to describe him!  I liked Ric when he was first introduced and early Liz/Ric believe it or not.   I agree the show didn't really know what to do with him.  Ric would do horrible things, but then there would be periods where he was a decent guy, and eventually go back to doing horrible things again lol.  I have never been sure what to make of the character.  So far he's been great with Molly and it's nice to see one of her parents so firmly in her corner. 

4 hours ago, Vee said:

I had plenty of issues with Berman's Lulu - she was talented but they were clearly trying to make the character into the mini-Carly because they thought was the apex female of the show, and I never thought she had a ton of heat with any of her partners. But I do think Lulu is an essential character. I think the adventurous journalist angle is a good idea with the right actor, and I think she and Dante can still work well. It's a question of who they cast. I am not exactly enthused about the possibility of Stephanie Gatschet, who I've always found deeply boring. Fingers crossed.

I always enjoy seeing Ric and Rick Hearst. He's just such a weird, duplicitous and damaged character who you can make do just about anything. He's very lucky he didn't get killed off several times. RC intended to kill him before he was fired in 2015, and Silas got the knife instead.

I am not terribly enthused about Gatschet either.  I am not super familiar with her work, but the bits and pieces I have seen don't inspire me.  I still don't think the show has ever gotten adult Lulu exactly right.  JMB was smug 90% of her run and had no chemistry with any of her costars until DZ.   I started liking Lulu once that pairing started and she stopped being Carly Jr.  I thought Rylan's Lulu was fine, nothing special.  A bit of a strange choice after Berman. She was mostly marginalized by the end.  

I actually am surprised they didn't kill Ric off years ago too.  He just usually quietly leaves town instead lol.

16 minutes ago, carolineg said:

Smarmy is a great way to describe him!  I liked Ric when he was first introduced and early Liz/Ric believe it or not.   I agree the show didn't really know what to do with him.  Ric would do horrible things, but then there would be periods where he was a decent guy, and eventually go back to doing horrible things again lol.  I have never been sure what to make of the character.  So far he's been great with Molly and it's nice to see one of her parents so firmly in her corner. 

To me the weird thing about Rick Hearst is that he is a really nice guy. 

16 minutes ago, carolineg said:

I am not terribly enthused about Gatschet either.  I am not super familiar with her work, but the bits and pieces I have seen don't inspire me. 

Y'all can stop being concerned about Stephanie G. She's not coming to GH.

 

16 minutes ago, carolineg said:

I thought Rylan's Lulu was fine, nothing special.  A bit of a strange choice after Berman. She was mostly marginalized by the end.  

I didn't care for Rylan on GL & I certainly did not on GH. I didn't see her on Y&R. For me, her score is 0 out 2 attempts.

16 minutes ago, carolineg said:

I actually am surprised they didn't kill Ric off years ago too.  He just usually quietly leaves town instead lol.

Given some of the stuff he pulled & his being Sonny's half-sib, it is a wonder they did not kill him off. And, in this case it's a good thing. As Molly's dad, right now he is definitely needed.

24 minutes ago, carolineg said:

I thought Rylan's Lulu was fine, nothing special.

She wasn't bad, no, but the writing was dismal. The spitfire in Lulu as a Spencer was washed out for being a mother. And, in today's soap world, motherhood means you lose all edge. It's baffling.

4 minutes ago, Liberty City said:

She wasn't bad, no, but the writing was dismal. The spitfire in Lulu as a Spencer was washed out for being a mother. And, in today's soap world, motherhood means you lose all edge. It's baffling.

Some of the stories Rylan got saddled with were awful.  Her waking up from being frozen by Stavros and liking Milo.  WTF?  The random ways her children were conceived and carried by other people.  Dante's affair.  DZ leaving.  A romance with a D player named Dustin.  I am not saying Emme was the perfect fit, but she got some terrible material. 

It was like both Lulu and Maxie stop having any fun after they both had kids.   

Just now, carolineg said:

Some of the stories Rylan got saddled with were awful.  Her waking up from being frozen by Stavros and liking Milo.  WTF?

I get why the "writer" did that; it was his way of introducing a recast, and having that jump between co-stars... but it was too on the nose for me.

1 minute ago, carolineg said:

A romance with a D player named Dustin.

Dustin was a wasted character and Mark Lawson was wasted, as well.

1 minute ago, carolineg said:

It was like both Lulu and Maxie stop having any fun after they both had kids.   

YUP! Ding-ding-ding! I've been saying this for years. Seems like once a woman in Port Charles has a baby she loses all of her edge and her spunk, and is all about being a mommy. Not a negative... but it's also out of character for many, and both Lulu & Maxie were two of those affected.

37 minutes ago, Liberty City said:

I get why the "writer" did that; it was his way of introducing a recast, and having that jump between co-stars... but it was too on the nose for me.

I just remember there were lots of scenes of them working out?  It was so silly.

38 minutes ago, Liberty City said:

Dustin was a wasted character and Mark Lawson was wasted, as well.

I barely remember him.  Like I said, I get him and Josh Kelly confused.  They are sort of the same person to me lol

39 minutes ago, Liberty City said:

YUP! Ding-ding-ding! I've been saying this for years. Seems like once a woman in Port Charles has a baby she loses all of her edge and her spunk, and is all about being a mommy. Not a negative... but it's also out of character for many, and both Lulu & Maxie were two of those affected.

Both characters have at least 1 too many children.  It's fine they want to be mothers, but they were both so young and had time to do other things.  Both immediately shifted to marriage and babies in their early 20's and that's not very realistic these days.  

1 minute ago, carolineg said:

I just remember there were lots of scenes of them working out?  It was so silly.

It was stupid; Milo was just a random one for her to attach to. Would have made more sense had Johnny Zacchara been there, and she latched to him.

2 minutes ago, carolineg said:

I barely remember him.  Like I said, I get him and Josh Kelly confused.  They are sort of the same person to me lol

Dustin, the very beginning, gave "creep vibes" with Cameron Webber, and I kind of wish they'd been allowed to delve into that more.

2 minutes ago, carolineg said:

Both characters have at least 1 too many children.  It's fine they want to be mothers, but they were both so young and had time to do other things.  Both immediately shifted to marriage and babies in their early 20's and that's not very realistic these days.  

Plus, Lulu also went and became... a journalist? Of all things, a journalist? Whew.