GH: February 2025 Discussion Thread

[Khan]

I'm afraid so, lol.

Believe it or not, though, I like Jeff Kober.  It's just a shame that GH saddled him with a character who has LONG outlived his usefulness.

[Vee]

I think everyone wished Weitz was a little shorter-term tbh lol. His run ended after like five years with Garin Wolf trying to marry Anthony to Tracy(!), then Ron and Frank came in and iced him very quickly. And I think hiring those big primetime names was all Guza.

I understand the impulse for marquee names to get eyes, but the writing was messy at best. Still, as I say, you got a sense of who the Zaccharas were as this gothic, perverse dynasty whenever you saw them together, or you at least understood that the Balkan was this massive menace even when his story got very tedious and you were beyond tired of watching Sonny and Jason vs. Villain of the Year. There was still some unique flavoring to these characters even when many got half-baked. You don't get any of that from Cyrus or Sidwell (or Shiloh or Peter or Valentin), who all fail to impress or intimidate.

[DRW50]

I was more for Boonie.

 

Adrienne Barbeau was also in that Balkan story.

I do think some of the Zacchara dynamics worked, at least with Johnny and Claudia (I think Weitz was miscast). I remember, from the bits I watched, Benzali doing a good job, but I just didn't care. It came across to me as Guza being more ashamed than ever of having to be on a soap instead of getting to peddle his leather jacket publicity photo in primetime.

[Vee]

I think as time went on Guza got more and more resentful with his place in the industry, and it definitely showed again and again. It's been a long time and he's done other things, maybe that's changed.

I do remember Adrienne's role with Vanessa. It got very silly too but I was always glad to see her. I think she could've had something better on the show overall. On paper I liked some of the Brenda return story (even the extended Rome interlude at the beginning, don't hit me caroline!). But the execution was a debacle, in part because it took forever for VM to force them to commit to Sonny and Brenda marrying. Then you had other stupid elements like Siobhan, etc. But Sonny and Brenda grown up was always the meat for me (and still is, despite not having been a big fan of them as a kid); the crime story mattered much less than seeing those two actually having to live a life together as grown people, which was a big shift. And of course didn't last, but still gave us Mo's last best work.

[Contessa Donatella]

Perfectly okay. Besides, in wish terms, MORE FOR ME! Right? But, Boonie was no slouch either. And, maybe I'm fickle but China Beach offered so many lovely ladies & I was all in for most of them.

 

[carolineg]

Lol.  I might have an undiagnosed sensory issue or something, but I always feel like I am waiting for a big reveal in Cyrus's next line.  And it's like "I just wanted a bite to eat here at Bobbie's".  It's not a MB "I have no idea what my next line is" delivery, but it's off-putting for me at least.  I haven't seen much of China Beach and it's not easy to find.  I could see it working better in that scenario instead of just roaming around a middle class town in Upstate New York for no reason.

I can see why some big names attached themselves to GH for bigger returns like Benzali.  It sounds like a pretty decent gig.  I do think the more experienced villains/actors were just better at spinning a tale and menace.  No one's going to tell me sobbing poor man's Billy Joel Valentin is scary or even a threat to soon to be PACEMAKER Sonny.  

[Antoyne]

Omfg

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[Vee]

And I am still convinced that all of Pikeman will eventually be pinned on either a) the French-not-French? (come on, Frank) chick, b) Chris McKenna's surely short-term Brennan* or c) both to get Prince of Tides off the hook so he can come back and reunite with Anna amidst floods of mutual tears. It's too bad because Mulcahey did a pretty good job last spring of being very specific as to how they both had done it all, but it was clearly intended to write both JPS and Mesure out and we couldn't have that.

(*Yes, Brennan actually was the co-head of Pikeman but atm they want us to forget that, having conveniently elided the entire topic in Brennan #1's long recitation of his history with Valentin to Carly last week. I expect this to come back eventually when it's time to get rid of him, much like the show magically remembered 'hey, Nikolas pinned Hayden's shooting on an innocent Black man' and 'hey, we never figured out who killed Austin')

[carolineg]

No it was horrible!!! Brad Rowe as her potential husband?  Literally 10 times duller than Jax.  Possibly duller than Miguel Morez.  Brenda listening to everything Sonny had done after a decade and a half of poor decisions and immediately absolving him? Sonny knowing she was in terrible danger and peacing out and sending Jason?  I die!!  Although that's actually in character for Sonny.

Anyhow, that's old news and it was the last of MB's stint at trying. I do think he gave some effort during the Kate/Konnie stuff right after.

[Contessa Donatella]

Imagine if you will, your great good fortune. You see, I have it. China Beach, complete, all episodes. Let me know if I can help you out. And  that goes for the rest of you, too, of course.

And, on today's credits, Charles Mesure is gone. Evan Hofer remains. Just an update.

Edited February 8 by Contessa Donatella
Friday credits

[Vee]

Well, yes, that part was terrible! But I didn't hate seeing Brenda's celebrity life over there, though it did go on too long.

[carolineg]

I remember just practically dying of laughter after Brenda heard Sonny shot his own son in the chest and said (I think verbatim) "that must have been so painful for you, Sonny. 100% more painful for Dante I am sure.

I did like Brenda's celebrity Angelina Jolie sort of life, but, duh, I always knew PC was just holding back her greatness.  I actually like Jason/Brenda's ridiculousness with Suzanne included more than the Sonny stuff even though I did feel like Guza tried with the rain an everything.

Sonny immediately dumping Claire after just seeing Brenda was also a highlight.

[Vee]

I didn't even remember them still being 'involved' at that point. And yes, I recall that moment re: Dante. Ugh.

For me the wedding scenes and then the break-up stuff make up for a multitude of sins in that year-long period. That's what I remember most, and again I was never even a big fan of the couple BITD. One of the final gasps from the longtime GH writing team that was dissolved when Guza exited and then FV/RC came on.

[jasonminer1974]

Carlo owned restaurants and hosted a cooking show 

[carolineg]

The wedding and the break up do make up for a multitude of sins.  I will give credit to MB and VM there because they truly do seem to care about the pairing and the nuances of the reasons it always go wrong. 

The show seemed to have a very difficult time telling Sonny/Brenda's story in an organic way with all the pieces in front of them.  There were only a few times I thought Sonny/Brenda actually liked one another even though I knew they were in love if that makes sense?

It was always just a weird pacing problem.  A million years in Rome and 5 minutes for Sonny/Brenda's marriage.  The thing people waited years for.

He should stick to that then.