General Hospital Watching General Hospital
- Thread starter Daniel Avery
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Gotta save something for Christmas...
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I do agree that the show isn't very "uplifting" these days, but there are some bright spots.
I agree that Kevin/Laura is a good thing, and I appreciate the slow build rather than just shoving them together in an insta-couple type situation like so many soaps do these days. Similarly, I like the way they're building up Kiki/Dillon slowly. The two actors seem to work well together, and I think the two characters are pretty dull separately, but end up being very watchable together. I'm also cautiously optimistic about Kiki finally deciding to do some self-examination about what she wants to do with her life (career, at least).
The Tracy/Laura friendship (when they're allowed to play it) is always fun to watch. They've so much shared history that you never quite know if they're going to hug or if they'll end up snarking on one another. Tracy in general is a hoot, though it bothers me when the show uses her to prop the interminable Dr. Finn/Hayden story. I cannot believe that this story is what Frank Valentini waved under Michael Easton's nose when he coerced Easton to return to the show.
But back to the bright spots. I hope Anna's newest rivalry with Valentin lives up to her past few such feuds (the rivalries with Faison, Dr. O, Julian, with Kyle Sloane, and of course Paul Hornsby). I have a soft spot for the Nina/Valentin thing, since she strikes that odd balance between a woman of her age and that of a 25-ish woman (since she lost those 25 yrs. in the coma). Though I hate how they've back-burnered Maxie and Nathan, I still look forward to their all-too-brief screen time and hope the wedding will also help them kick off a new story. I like Griffin Munro, the character, even if his most recent story is/was a dud. Good characters can survive dud stories, though.
I agree that Kevin/Laura is a good thing, and I appreciate the slow build rather than just shoving them together in an insta-couple type situation like so many soaps do these days. Similarly, I like the way they're building up Kiki/Dillon slowly. The two actors seem to work well together, and I think the two characters are pretty dull separately, but end up being very watchable together. I'm also cautiously optimistic about Kiki finally deciding to do some self-examination about what she wants to do with her life (career, at least).
The Tracy/Laura friendship (when they're allowed to play it) is always fun to watch. They've so much shared history that you never quite know if they're going to hug or if they'll end up snarking on one another. Tracy in general is a hoot, though it bothers me when the show uses her to prop the interminable Dr. Finn/Hayden story. I cannot believe that this story is what Frank Valentini waved under Michael Easton's nose when he coerced Easton to return to the show.
But back to the bright spots. I hope Anna's newest rivalry with Valentin lives up to her past few such feuds (the rivalries with Faison, Dr. O, Julian, with Kyle Sloane, and of course Paul Hornsby). I have a soft spot for the Nina/Valentin thing, since she strikes that odd balance between a woman of her age and that of a 25-ish woman (since she lost those 25 yrs. in the coma). Though I hate how they've back-burnered Maxie and Nathan, I still look forward to their all-too-brief screen time and hope the wedding will also help them kick off a new story. I like Griffin Munro, the character, even if his most recent story is/was a dud. Good characters can survive dud stories, though.
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I agree with your bright spots. I like Kiki and Dillon too, much more than Kiki and Morgan. I always thought Morgan had better chemistry with mother than daughter, even before the recast.
Is it wrong that I am (subconsciously) trying to shove Liz and Griffin together? I really don't think the Liz/Franco pairing has any legs.
Is it wrong that I am (subconsciously) trying to shove Liz and Griffin together? I really don't think the Liz/Franco pairing has any legs.
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They are making an effort to have Griffin around a lot when Franco is acting out, a subtle chemistry test to see if they can build a triangle between Liz, Franco, and Griffin. Griffin and Liz are quite pretty together. 
Still, I think Griffin would end up being written as the "spoiler" since the show seems so invested in making Franco work. Griffin deserves to be a leading man (or driving his own story) rather than playing second-fiddle. Oh, well--it gives him something to do that doesn't involve 48-hour parenting.
Still, I think Griffin would end up being written as the "spoiler" since the show seems so invested in making Franco work. Griffin deserves to be a leading man (or driving his own story) rather than playing second-fiddle. Oh, well--it gives him something to do that doesn't involve 48-hour parenting.
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Has anyone heard ABC won back the rights to All My Children and One Life to Life? I hope they bring Vincent Irizarry back from DOOL as Dr. David Hayward. I loved him and Anna as a couple. Also, perhaps their daughter Leora is alive. Vanessa is a Cassadine relative, and she had them help her kidnap her from the hospital and used their resources to revive her. Leora has lived all this time, thinking her parents abandoned her.
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Though I am glad those con-men from Prospect Park did not get away with their schemes, I fear the damage has been done. Too much time has passed for GH to benefit in any way from past ties to AMC and OLTL. "Strike while the iron is hot," they say. Well, the iron has gotten cold! Easton is playing yet another role and it would be ridiculous to bring him back again as John McBain, even though McBain was the best "fit" of any role he's played on GH, and the most successful of the three OLTL crossover characters. Starr and Todd Manning were quite easily forgotten.
We don't even have Ron Carlivati any more. He was the best person to write the OLTL crossover plots, since he had better grasp of those characters. The duo writing GH right now would not know how to write the characters. They often don't even know how to write the GH characters we already have.
What I see more than anything else, however, is that ABC wants us to forget the mistakes they made with AMC and OLTL, not drag it all back up by resurrecting past characters from shows they tossed aside so cavalierly. While GH would benefit greatly from "expanding their horizons" by including bits of those soaps, I fear a lot of people in charge would just prefer to leave it alone.
We don't even have Ron Carlivati any more. He was the best person to write the OLTL crossover plots, since he had better grasp of those characters. The duo writing GH right now would not know how to write the characters. They often don't even know how to write the GH characters we already have.
What I see more than anything else, however, is that ABC wants us to forget the mistakes they made with AMC and OLTL, not drag it all back up by resurrecting past characters from shows they tossed aside so cavalierly. While GH would benefit greatly from "expanding their horizons" by including bits of those soaps, I fear a lot of people in charge would just prefer to leave it alone.
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"Oscar Jessup" =/= Olivia Jerome? I read a speculative article online and thought it might be...interesting.
Now that the Prospect Park lawsuit has been dismissed, I started thinking about Todd Manning. When we saw him last, he was the owner of Crimson and the Port Charles Press (which he re-named The Sun like his Llanview tabloid). He was fresh off that baby switch where he took baby Danny from Sam and gave her to Tea Delgado (his OLTL ex-wife), then was forced to give him back. He also had a pretty hot-and-heavy involvement with Carly. When PP forced the show to write out Todd, Starr, and McBain, Todd simply left town and sold the newspaper and magazine in absentia to newcomer "Derek Wells" (Julian).
Perhaps Franco has suddenly gotten so bizarre (men in cages, etc.) because the show has an option that just opened up: bring back Todd Manning! They can write Franco into a crazy corner, get some mileage off Days-like plots, then get rid of him--knowing they can just have Todd Manning return and have ready-made plotlines waiting for him. The show had to try making Franco work because the network wanted them to keep Roger Howarth on staff, but it would be much easier writing for Todd than writing for a damaged character like Franco. He could plot to get his media properties back from Julian, perhaps be a spoiler in Sonny/Carly's problems, and be yet another person for Sam and Jason to hate on. If the Carly/Todd thing isn't in the cards, then maybe he could get involved with his Crimson editor, Nina? Whether the two actors get along or not, I liked their on-screen chemistry. Writing Franco in full-on crazy mode for the holidays might get them a ratings bump, and then bringing back Todd (with a better haircut, hopefully) in February Sweeps might get another one.
Now that the Prospect Park lawsuit has been dismissed, I started thinking about Todd Manning. When we saw him last, he was the owner of Crimson and the Port Charles Press (which he re-named The Sun like his Llanview tabloid). He was fresh off that baby switch where he took baby Danny from Sam and gave her to Tea Delgado (his OLTL ex-wife), then was forced to give him back. He also had a pretty hot-and-heavy involvement with Carly. When PP forced the show to write out Todd, Starr, and McBain, Todd simply left town and sold the newspaper and magazine in absentia to newcomer "Derek Wells" (Julian).
Perhaps Franco has suddenly gotten so bizarre (men in cages, etc.) because the show has an option that just opened up: bring back Todd Manning! They can write Franco into a crazy corner, get some mileage off Days-like plots, then get rid of him--knowing they can just have Todd Manning return and have ready-made plotlines waiting for him. The show had to try making Franco work because the network wanted them to keep Roger Howarth on staff, but it would be much easier writing for Todd than writing for a damaged character like Franco. He could plot to get his media properties back from Julian, perhaps be a spoiler in Sonny/Carly's problems, and be yet another person for Sam and Jason to hate on. If the Carly/Todd thing isn't in the cards, then maybe he could get involved with his Crimson editor, Nina? Whether the two actors get along or not, I liked their on-screen chemistry. Writing Franco in full-on crazy mode for the holidays might get them a ratings bump, and then bringing back Todd (with a better haircut, hopefully) in February Sweeps might get another one.
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I like that idea, but I don't think I would give the current head writers credit for planning something that complex. Their handling of the serial killer storyline pretty much proves they sometimes have to scramble to legitimize their storytelling.
Also, Lulu's embryo has traveled more in its life than I have
I just hope the person in the back room of the pawn shop isn't Tony Geary.
Also, Lulu's embryo has traveled more in its life than I have
I just hope the person in the back room of the pawn shop isn't Tony Geary.
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I do seem to give them too much credit for creativity. I guess you're not the only one with a "GH in your head" scenario that's probably a better show.
It sounds silly, but one of the reasons I think that isn't Olivia Jerome pulling the strings is because GH already has an "Olivia" on the canvas (Ms. Falconeri). Soaps still function as if we're too stupid to comprehend two characters in town with the same first name at the same time.
I guess you're not the only one with a "GH in your head" scenario that's probably a better show.It sounds silly, but one of the reasons I think that isn't Olivia Jerome pulling the strings is because GH already has an "Olivia" on the canvas (Ms. Falconeri). Soaps still function as if we're too stupid to comprehend two characters in town with the same first name at the same time.
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My version of GH probably wouldn't be to anyone's liking, though I did read where someone else suggested (on another site) that they think Franco is on his way out, so you may have been right on that one. I guess we'll have to wait and see...or not.
Your comment brought to mind how Y&R (in the days of Bill Bell) had two characters named John: Abbott and Silva. Since Olivia Falconeri seems to appear once a month, and always behind the counter at the hotel, it probably wouldn't matter to also have Olivia Jerome skulking around. Aside from the fact that she's supposedly dead.
Your comment brought to mind how Y&R (in the days of Bill Bell) had two characters named John: Abbott and Silva. Since Olivia Falconeri seems to appear once a month, and always behind the counter at the hotel, it probably wouldn't matter to also have Olivia Jerome skulking around. Aside from the fact that she's supposedly dead.
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If we discount the supposedly dead from the cast of daytime soaps, the episodes would only be ten minutes long! Heck, Days would be a thirty-second commercial, given how everyone is presumed dead at least three or four times in Salem.
If Franco (and Howarth) were indeed on his way out, one would think they'd dream up something more spectacular than locking some day-player in a cage. But who knows? It might be the start of something big. He could kidnap more of his enemies like Carly, Jason, Sonny, Monica, Sam....he's going to need a bigger cage....
If Franco (and Howarth) were indeed on his way out, one would think they'd dream up something more spectacular than locking some day-player in a cage. But who knows? It might be the start of something big. He could kidnap more of his enemies like Carly, Jason, Sonny, Monica, Sam....he's going to need a bigger cage....
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It does seem as if the writing is on the wall, and Nathan (my beautiful, beautiful Nathan) is likely going to end up biting the big one. The new writers marginalized Ryan Paevey/Nathan almost from day one, and between the intro of the shiny new (and hot) Griffin and Kirsten Storms's off-screen issues, Maxie/Nathan have become yesterday's news. I can't help but wonder if this back-burner positioning is a CYA move in case Storms has to take another leave of absence or (heaven forbid) has to leave the show, and Paevey's lack of screen time is a by-product of that (that is, they value him so little that they'd write both of them off if KS left).
A correspondent of mine pointed out that the days of GH creating a whole family for him (mother, aunt, two half-sisters) are long gone. I countered that the same could be said of Maxie, since virtually her whole family has been killed off, written out, or barely seen. If Maxie were to leave town, would there be any reason for Felicia or Mac to make their quarterly appearances?
A correspondent of mine pointed out that the days of GH creating a whole family for him (mother, aunt, two half-sisters) are long gone. I countered that the same could be said of Maxie, since virtually her whole family has been killed off, written out, or barely seen. If Maxie were to leave town, would there be any reason for Felicia or Mac to make their quarterly appearances?
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As I have said before, Nathan reminds me somewhat of Ronan Malloy, Jeff Branson's earnest cop/romantic hero who appeared on Y&R from 2010-12. He started out in a role that connected him to the larger Genoa City canvas, but by the end he was sacrificing all sense of duty and morals to help Phyllis. Perhaps Michelle Stafford is just a jinx on policemen I'd rather not lose Nathan or Maxie, but I'd also like to avoid any further character assassination.
I'd rather not lose Nathan or Maxie, but I'd also like to avoid any further character assassination.
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I saw Thursday's show, and the anvils were dropping all around my poor, delicious Nathan. I'm hoping it is some kind of "presumed dead but really somewhere else temporarily", since it's been released that RP will be taking a month off to film another movie.
Thursday was actually the first episode I've watched in probably a week. I'm half-keeping-up by reading updates and synopses, trying like %^&* to avoid having to sit through this nonsense with Julian/Alexis. And guess who showed up?
Thursday was actually the first episode I've watched in probably a week. I'm half-keeping-up by reading updates and synopses, trying like %^&* to avoid having to sit through this nonsense with Julian/Alexis. And guess who showed up?
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There have been so many preemptions over the past two months that it can be a chore to figure out where the story is...or that could just be the headwriters' slow and/or inconsistent pacing. I did have to refrain from laughing the other day when Michael and Nelle explained to Josslyn that she had to forgive/live with Sonny because he was the most important character on the show. I write dialogue in my head sometimes, but that was the crux of the scene.