8 minutes ago, Vee said:

Either way, it would of course coincide with Brenda/VM. But I wouldn't write them out. Like I said, losing Mo would mean GH taking a crucial hit for better or worse and Vanessa can move audience.

As much as I love a fantasy where I am writing GH, even in fantasy I have to be real and I don’t think Vanessa would stay for longer than two years, and if Sonny is gone I don’t think she would stay or appear at all now. They had their chance to tie her romantically to Jason during her first return but ABC and Jill wouldn’t play ball with and good story and pretty tame contract demands. It’s not like she wanted a helicopter to fly her to the studio like others have demanded (was JFP at Another World when Jensen got that perk?). 

4 minutes ago, titan1978 said:

The great Mulcahey unraveling was so wild. They scrap the plans for Jason’s return and fire the writers. They hire someone who is no pushover as co-hw. Even though Burton’s first month back was not their work, Mulcahey’s fingerprints were all over Dante’s shooting as far as the tone and scripts went. And IIRC they did get a ratings bump for the return. Then all the Pikeman teasing and how it was going to also resolve Austin’s death. Then months of spinning wheels. And even though PM was gone way before he stopped being credited, they kept up the longer scenes for a bit until Frank could get them back where he wanted them.

Danny and Rocco are noticeably without a real story. To this day I think the only reason we had such an investment in Elizabeth’s boys was because it was to give Howarth’s Franco something to do, and Joss a boyfriend. Now they don’t need any of them because why would they be there to generate story for their mother?

Yep, pretty much.

 

I still find it so hard to believe how they finally appeared to be building up the kids/teen set to now just be barely there or plot points.

4 minutes ago, titan1978 said:

I have to be real and I don’t think Vanessa would stay for longer than two years, and if Sonny is gone I don’t think she would stay or appear at all now.

I mean...that would a good amount of time to write them back together (while working on the issues between Sonny and Brenda) while ushering Sonny off the canvas.

20 minutes ago, Vee said:

For my own ideas though (which would now begin with Scorpio having left his co-workers a very detailed series of protocols on Sonny and how to break him, also involving certain crimes or more recent issues they can no longer ignore), I would just have Sonny on the street and destitute/presumed dead for awhile after certain events with the mob come to a head, and maybe literally give Mo 4-6 months off. Or block tape a handful of appearances. One would hope his mental health could handle the break from work.

Either way, it would of course coincide with Brenda/VM. But I wouldn't write them out. Like I said, losing Mo would mean GH taking a crucial hit for better or worse and Vanessa can move audience. So they would reunite in a relatively swift timeframe once Sonny is properly broken and humbled, marry and that would become their new status quo. He would begin making classical Victor Newman moves in a white-collar way and take second seat to her stories. And in under two years (18 months or a year if you really want to stretch) all that can be settled and done.

Love this. And Victor is still going, too.

10 minutes ago, titan1978 said:

The great Mulcahey unraveling was so wild. They scrap the plans for Jason’s return and fire the writers. They hire someone who is no pushover as co-hw. Even though Burton’s first month back was not their work, Mulcahey’s fingerprints were all over Dante’s shooting as far as the tone and scripts went.

Danny and Rocco are noticeably without a real story. To this day I think the only reason we had such an investment in Elizabeth’s boys was because it was to give Howarth’s Franco something to do, and Joss a boyfriend. Now they don’t need any of them because why would they be there to generate story for their mother?

I think most of that first month with Jason was PM though it took a few weeks for his name to go on it. You saw the difference immediately. IIRC we were told at the time he was already working over the scripts too.

I'd still love to know more from the horse's mouth someday about what happened. The angle with Jason's feuding sons repeating Jason/A.J. is great but it was barely there. I do think Danny and Rocco are solid (especially Finn Carr) and interesting opposites who are close, and they should be given actual teen stories with new love interests or possibilities. Say sweet Rocco falls for a wild girl who wants overcompensating daredevil Danny, who in turn draws the attention of wallflower Georgie. It's an classic set of stories that rarely fail.

I do think Liz and her family should be showcased, but that won't happen under this regime; the shitshow with Lucky and Liz's immediate reversion to being Nurse Jessie after Jonathan's exit/firing proves that. Nonetheless, if it were up to me I would obviously bring back HW's Jake for some serious story, and as for Aiden I might honestly scale back the SORAS a little and see how he cooks for a few more years, since my priorities would be other young people (who could also end up LGBT). Cameron I also might wait on, to see if William Lipton's streaming stardom flops and he needs a place to go. I want her sons on canvas and eventually active in story, but I don't want them thrown at just anything for the sake of it. But that's my failure of imagination, really.

As much as I love a fantasy where I am writing GH, even in fantasy I have to be real and I don’t think Vanessa would stay for longer than two years, and if Sonny is gone I don’t think she would stay or appear at all now

I don't know. Vanessa is at a certain age and it's steady work. I think if you gave her a decent schedule/pay and kept her with Maurice (and again, they would end up permanently married a la Mac and Rachel) that you could rebrand the show with her as one of the returning Faces of GH, and you have Sonny and Brenda as one of the foundational/tentpole couples going forward. She'd probably love that. That way the show doesn't take a hit from losing Maurice but Sonny gets downshifted while Brenda takes the bulk of their future story, VM has a dependable salary, everyone wins.

And hey, if she does quit in two years you write them out together after all and take the risk. You'll still have gotten the bump from Brenda.

I would take any time with Brenda!

In other news, Chris McKenna is looking real suave and fine in these Michael Jackson suits just in time to get killed off. Finola is in rare form too. With zero viable love interest! That has to change.

As for Carly: Just bring back A.J., man. Recast again if you really can't make nice with Kanan. Even if I personally would bring back Sarah, LW is working so hard lately (though she always does) and the character is so lost. She deserves something more substantial and less tired than either Dayplayer Brennan or Sonny Round 30 (or God forbid, Valentin as Phase VII of Frank's James Patrick Stuart Forever Employment Plan).

It's daunting when you realize Anna, Laura and Carly all need new men and new story. It would have to be phased in in sections given the overall larger canvas. But it's doable. (And yes, I'd still give Lucy more story on recurring and reunite her with Kevin, even if both remain recurring. But I'd possibly swap Kristina Wagner and Lynn on contract tbqh, and do more with Lucy than the current whatever.)

Britt really needs Jason to co-sign a car while squatting upstairs and invoking issues with Obrecht and Nathan. No mention of Nina of course, because Nina has already said she would give her not only free room and board at the penthouse but most likely five to ten cars!

Edited October 25Oct 25 by Vee

June Lockhart has passed away. She was perfectly cast as a relative of Felicia. I also loved her on Nick at Night on Lassie and Lost in Space. She had an interesting career!

35 minutes ago, titan1978 said:

June Lockhart has passed away. She was perfectly cast as a relative of Felicia. I also loved her on Nick at Night on Lassie and Lost in Space. She had an interesting career!

I loved her work as Maria - she was just a very underrated actress in general, typecast for sympathetic mom roles when I think she had a little more range. I always think she appeared more than she did as Maria. Clearly, we aren't going to get a Maria memorial episode, and we shouldn't, but hopefully Felicia will at least mention Maria as passing away.

Edited October 26Oct 26 by DRW50

I almost thought June was immortal at this point. I thought she kept appearing on GH for quite awhile too, IIRC so maybe I also imagined the same thing. What a legend.

9 hours ago, titan1978 said:

I have posted before my dream Sonny storyline. He gets caught for something and goes to jail. Actual jail. And while inside some young guy ends up impressing him. He once again mentors a young man into being his enforcer. They have to cast well, an attractive young man who resembles Sonny as far as the intensity and the swoon aspects of young Maurice. They of course get out of jail after 6 months or so because of some soap nonsense. And within a span of two years of story, this kid ends up being to Sonny what he was to Frank Smith and Joe Scully. He wants the crown for himself, he’s young and hungry and dangerous.

Then Brenda re-enters the picture. And from there you have two options- Sonny stays true to what he told her about power when their marriage dissolved, and even if I had Sonny ultimately kill the new guy, it would be as he was also dying. He still chooses the power of Brenda and everything else. Or he goes through all that violence again and chooses the other path. He gets rid of the new guy and actually dismantles his own organization, finally leaving with Brenda and ensuring some safety for everybody else. Either way the entire story is an exit and it’s something that explores his character deeper and isn’t something he has faced before.

That would be a great story, especially if he genuinely likes the younger man and realizes he has no choice, sees in the younger what so many have said about him over the years, finally has that crystalizing moment there's no going back from.

I'm afraid I don't have a "dream Sonny story"...well, not one that doesn't end with him lying lifeless in a pool of his own blood.   

On 10/9/2025 at 11:07 PM, carolineg said:

I would have killed Ava off and written Nina out.  There's a wealth of women in that age range at this point, and both their arcs are mostly done.  Sure, Nina can read Willow, but you have Portia, Carly, Olivia, Alexis, Anna, Laura etc., etc. at your disposal.  You need to cull the cast at some point even if the actresses are super talented.

It may be because a lot of "newly-minted" (since 2010) GH fans are former P&G watchers and we miss our favorites (Maura and Cynthia). But, I get the point that GH has its own embarrassment of riches in the 40s/50s/60s ladies' department, so I get your point and don't want to be selfish. 

7 minutes ago, Gatecrashers said:

It may be because a lot of "newly-minted" (since 2010) GH fans are former P&G watchers and we miss our favorites (Maura and Cynthia). But, I get the point that GH has its own embarrassment of riches in the 40s/50s/60s ladies' department, so I get your point and don't want to be selfish. 

I am curious as to how many Ava fans were Carly fans. I loved Carly's first few years on ATWT and I can see some of Maura's grit still, but it's so tough for me to have a response to Ava. I think in the time I've been watching again semi-regularly her best work was Ava's "breakup" with Nina.

Edited October 26Oct 26 by DRW50

I would just take the leash off Ava again and let the chips fall where they may. I would have her and Sonny go full bore at annihilating each other again and that's how Donna would end up dead, partly by Sonny's own blunders as well as hers, while allying herself with someone who's really bad news. It would also lead to Sonny's downfall as mentioned.

Ava would then marry into power - maybe Ric becoming DA, maybe something else - to insulate her again a la OLTL's Alex Olanov and then I'd see how long she could continue to run. Maybe she can stay on contract, maybe she can't; like Alex or others, Roger Thorpe hung around forever and a day, before and after the jungle. Sheila on B&B had a number of strong years before they reduced her to whatever she is now. But this light caper work they put Ava in lately is a timewaster for all the talented actors involved. Whether she's married to Ric and also sleeping with Cody, Kristina, whoever she should still be very dangerous. I wouldn't squawk if she went off contract and came back for stints to make trouble, nor would I hate if she got killed off at this point. But if it's the latter she deserves one more balls to the wall story. We know Maura can play it.

Ava is Sonny's longest surviving adversary but she has only occasionally lived up to that stature, because people BTS and in the audience too often were in love with Maura and therefore wanted her to just be Carly Snyder with a little edge so she could stay on the show like 20 years. Faith Rosco or Olivia Jerome (or even Claudia, whose story was very, very messy) were only here for a couple years but we don't forget them because they never let up.