ALL: Michael Fairman's "Best & Worst of 2024"

[dragonflies]

[ranger1rg]

Interesting article to read. Interesting choices, too.

While I can understand many of them, so many are head scratchers that I LOL as I read. Fairman writes to curry favor with the actors he writes about. The sucking up is unreal.

[DRW50]

Based on some of my past Fairman readings, this had a good balance of positive and negative, even if it's a bit generous to some Bell soap cast members. I appreciate that he praised Finn's exit without wanting Finn back, as SOD or someone did. I am happy to agree Michael Easton did a very good job in his final days on the show but let Finn stay gone.

I get the feeling he isn't a Drew fan...

[Khan]

He's not the only one, lol!

On the one hand, I'm glad they found a purpose for Drew that isn't just as Jason's one-time twin brother.  Plus, as I've been saying since God-knows-when, Cameron Mathison just works better as a smarmy bastard than he does as a noble guy.  However, I'm worried that they've gone so far with his unscrupulousness that they've written him into a corner.  I doubt Frank Valentini is eager or ready to let him go, but I feel like GH has another Wes Ramsey/Peter August situation on their hands.

[Vee]

I do think they're gonna can him, and soon. Which is a bit of a shame since I think Patrick Mulcahey made Drew work and the character still can, but they've also sort of mishandled a lot of the story since and have everyone against him.

[Khan]

I agree!!

If nothing else, let 2025 be the year we finally get that sit-down interview with Patrick Mulcahey where he explains just what the hell happened to him at GH, lol.

[Vee]

Nina is also practically an afterthought in the story now after his exit, which seems deliberate on Korte or whoever's part. Whereas originally I thought Drew and Nina were the endgame, not Drew and Willow. The affair is still a great idea, but I think Drew between mother and daughter was going to be handled differently over time.

I don't think the show is serious about putting Drew and Willow over as a love for the ages - I think they know what it is and it's meant to be short-term (too short-term) drama. You even have characters like Michael and Jason, the voice of God, going around saying Drew planned his whole political career and Willow's foundation job just to get Willow into bed. That's not what happened and it's revisionist history. Carly now acts like Drew is A.J., and she spent the last couple years sleeping with him and talking about him like he was a living saint. She was happily in love with him less than a year ago.

A character like Drew Q, even now, could thrive on the show as a heavy or heel in earlier times, but today's very basic GH does not seem suited for any characters who aren't either very bland or evil plot devices. The few who are allowed to exist in between (Ava, Ric) are in very precarious spaces that keep them supported due to fanbases and popularity while not presently having much story, are pets of the show and not seen often (Valentin) or are special cases (Sonny). So I think soon Drew is dogmeat. IMO he could stay if handled better, it's just that they've managed to turn the whole audience on him (and they hardly loved him even when PM arrived, due to years of bad story).

Edited January 2 by Vee

[Khan]

Once again, @Vee, I agree with everything you've said.

It wasn't that long ago that I expressed support for Drew sleeping with Nina and Willow simultaneously, and the messiness that was bound to ensue from that.  I even said that such a storyline had to culminate with Willow injuring and/or killing Drew and Nina taking the rap out of love for her child.  (At the same time, I also wanted Michael to sleep with Sasha when he learned about Willow's infidelity, thereby creating a sort of Nina/Drew/Willow/Michael/Sasha/Cody "hextangle").  But, dear God, I wanted it to have more layers than the [!@#$%^&*] we're getting now!

Edited January 2 by Khan

[Taoboi]

I completely agree. If they couldn't find plausible wiggle room to get Ava out of her being written in corner, I'm sure Drew is heading that way with a quickened version of the Wes Ramsey/Peter August situation.

 

 

Yes, please.

[Liberty City]

Only if Michael Logan comes out of retirement for it. Otherwise, keep it.

[DRW50]

The Nina/Drew relationship was so toxic, I'm not sure if it was intended as endgame, as I felt like Drew may have been using Nina for physical needs and Willow for emotional needs. I do think the story would have had actual weight behind it if Mulcahey had stayed, and he did seem to want to write for Nina.

Korte seems to be more known for who she doesn't want to write for than who she doesn't. She may love Carly, but she hasn't done her any favors.

I do think Cameron is too expensive for the current show to stay on given Drew's widespread unpopularity, but I will believe he's gone when I see it. I think they still see him as a big draw.

This story would be so much better if it was being done by anyone who actually card. The lack of interest from anyone up high is clear in so much of the show. 

[Vee]

I think the story (under Mulcahey) was them growing to understand and respect each other in a more romantic way. I definitely saw it happening with Drew towards Nina in spring and summer, as he softened and saw her in a different light and they began to work well together at Crimson/Aurora and in his political career, and seeing her with her family. He called her a spoiled dilettante (which she is), she called him a cocky boor (which he was). Then they began to shift. The dalliance with Willow was what got in the way, in true soapy fashion. I wasn't against it at all, as crazier things have happened on soaps. But the way it's been done since Mulcahey dipped has downshifted Nina and amped up Drew being portrayed as a skeez.

It's a fine line between a cad and scheming but fun cavalier hunk vs. an outright skeezy dude, especially in today's world. Cameron can portray both and I think has done so well, but they've leaned hard into the latter since PM exited. I do not think they are trying to present Drew and Willow as true love. I think he is the full heel. And that's fine too if it has to happen (though it didn't), it can still make good drama. Just not the way GH generally does it, rushing things and wasting potential good villains and drama.

Edited January 3 by Vee

[Maxim]

This article... I'm sorry... in my opinion... is not correct at all. All of this is subjective, so... I agree to disagree with the author. 

Best villain - Luna?!! 

No. If that's the best villain of 2024 for daytime, then... there is trouble. Psycho Luna was a stupid re-write that was meant to dig up some ratings in the last moment...  and change the narrative after Zende got called a rapist by fans and the storyline backfired for Bradley Bell.

Best couple - Finn and Steffy

Jesus Christ No. I actually liked them better the previous years. This year has been non stop Steffy rambling to Finn about Hope or Sheila. They literally do nothing else as a couple other than Finn stand naked and Steffy rant about how he's forbidden to see Sheila or Hope. She acts like he is her pet and accidentally came off leash. This is not a top couple material.  

Most missed character - Thomas? 

Mmmm no. Thomas is a character that makes Bradley Bell's lack of writing talent most apparent. A character that he used so much of his tired disgusting tricks... that by the end... he literally was as unwatchable as Sheila. They should have paired them up at some point BTW. 

MOST MISSED WAS TAYLOR played by Krista ALLEN!

Best first impression - Crew Morrow. 

No. I actually prefer the stalker guy Romy if I have to choose... acting wise. Crew, I'm sorry to say this... has not given me a good first impression. He may improve with time, but under Bradley Bell's writing - I doubt it.   

Characters that deserved the biggest bitch slap - Steffy 

I don't agree with this too. As much as Steffy has annoyed me... she at least has some kind of dignity. The character that needs slapping is BROOKE LOGAN - she is still sucking up to her bully ex husband Ridge after he called her child a slut and a bitch and then jumped into bed the next day with his ex-wife. She is still begging him for a chance. She literally disgusts me right now. Brooke needs to step her sh-t up. 

Most Wrecked Character - Hope.

I agree! The only thing I agree with him about.

Best use of history - Sugar?!!!!!!!!

HELL to the NO. This was absolute cringe. Deacon googling her name on the laptop is probably the moment someone at CBS should have intervened and called Bradley and asked him... What is this?! Is this a joke?

Worst Storyline - Broken Heart Syndrome - this little thing cannot be called a storyline. It was very short, very stupid... 

The worst storyline of 2024 was the mints storyline! Nothing tops this for me. It was pure insanity. And lead to absolutely nothing. Backfired, fans were disgusted so much on the boards and calling Zende a rapist... that Bradley Bell panicked and re-wrote it like Luna was a psycho. 

 

So... Yeah. I'm quite shocked at these picks. 

Edited January 3 by Maxim

[Cheap21]

Is anyone? With my limited viewing from the past 2 months, he and Willow tie as the worse characters on the show

[Taoboi]

VERY. A textbook on how to do a recast right.