General Hospital Watching General Hospital

[Daniel Avery]

Michael (and Chad Duell) is probably just relieved he doesn't have to participate in the Magic Milo act. Poor Willow's sitting home watching the hospital staff partying the night away, knowing her doctors and nurses will show up for her transplant tomorrow all hung over and bleary-eyed.

 

[Daniel Avery]

I have to say the writers managed to surprise me with the kidnapping of Dr. O in the midst of Victor's plot, adding a new wrinkle to Willow's situation. I'm expecting Carly to blame Nina somehow for Nina's aunt not having the decency to leave some of her bone marrow behind before she got tossed in the trunk of that car.

 

[Monzo]

One of my favorites episodes of Touched by an Angel is the one in which Gregory Harrison's character dies from ALS, so it's a Déjà-vu for me. Hopefully I'll be just as amazed by his acting on GH.

I've never been a fan of Ethan, I really couldn't stand that thing with Kristina and his other story with Helena's daughter also wasn't fun to watch, but since a recast can totally change a character's personality, see Drew, I'm hoping for the best with nuEthan.

Nothing happened between Robert and Diane for months and as soon as Holly is back on-screen, the two get closer than ever - the writing couldn't be less subtle.

 

[Daniel Avery]

I tend to view things sort of backwards these days when it comes to situations like NuEthan. Is the actor on a long-term contract, or just a recurring, short-term addition? If he's just here as part of the Ice Princess story, then I won't form an opinion one way or the other because I know he'll be gone after May Sweeps and it won't matter. I won't get attached, at least. I have to say it amazes me how quickly online commenters elsewhere pass judgment. The guy didn't even utter a line and people were already throwing him overboard, saying he was terrible, etc. I think it might be a tad premature to be erecting the gallows.

Years ago, Doug Marland wrote that in order for a character to be cared for by the audience, they need to be around for at least six months before writers place them in front-burner stories. In other words, don't shove the newbies down their throats. Well, the GH writers did follow that "rule" with Gregory Chase, but unfortunately they had him so far in the background and used him so sparingly that I fear the viewers aren't going to care enough for him to make his ALS story sufficiently root-worthy. I do not doubt Harrison's ability to do the acting; I just fear the writers will continue this tradition of breaking the story up into smaller, far-apart pieces shown once or twice a month. GH seems to be enjoying giving their characters real, terminal illnesses that, while realistic, are quite the downer. Mike Corbin got dementia; Sasha and Brando's baby died (at Christmas, no less); Britt had Huntingdon's; Willow has leukemia; and now Gregory has ALS. I guess Victor got off easy (pardon the pun) with impotence.

 

[Monzo]

Unfortunately, it is now taking longer for soap ratings to be published. The Nurses Ball did not result in a ratings jump. Only the tribute episode for Ephiany was popular. A two-month high was reached with 2.7 million viewers. The weekly ratings average for GH is currently slightly declining. While almost 2.3 million viewers watched at the beginning 2023, GH got currently under 2.2 million viewers. Hopefully some viewers will return soon.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Sadly, I am not feeling much optimism about GH these days, mostly because the writing is substandard
The Nurses Ball was so-so. No performance made much of an impact.
Maybe Carly should get a comeuppance, but not from a lying, selfish hypocrite like Nina.
Please break up Sonny and Nina. It is a boring pairing.
Liz/Finn doesn't work. It was a mistake to end Franco.
Not a fan of Dante/Sam either.
Gregory Harrison and Cameron Mathison have both been wasted with poor writing.
Where is Monica? (not just that literal phone it in)

And the Ice Princess story... When compared to the orignal,
we see how far the writing has declined.

Charles S is brilliant as Victor, with the ability to convey a wide range of acting ability.
But the writing...
A dozen or so people in Port Charles know that Anna, Valentin and Lucy are alive, but not Victor with all his eyes and ears.
His grand plan is (Spoilers)??? Seriously. No in-depth detail, and/or no plausible plan on how he intends to profit from it.

Laura lived on Cassadine Island for two years, Alexis was raised on it, and Valentin has surely been there numerous times,
no one knows where Victor is going but they will find it because Drew has a map, conveniently!

Spencer and Trina are good together, but they are not as compelling as TG and GF were in the original Ice Princess.

Obrecht is probably the one unexpected benefit for her role in the story.

Always great to see Jane Elliot return.

Why is Lucky not involved in pursuing Victor for Luke's death?
I know a recast would be necessary, but still...

How much longer will they drag out the Willow is sick story?
Suggestion: A no holds bar fight for ELQ between the Qs and Valentin with many others caught in the middle.
Maybe bring back Cyrus for a role in the battle.

Start over with the Jeff/Carolyn/Liz story with some actual good writing.

Bring back Morgan with a hunger for power.

I don't think we have seen the last of Heather. Maybe they are trying to bring back Robin Mattson.

I have a hunch that Tyler C may be coming back- nothing solid to base it.

I am a longtime fan of GH. I hope that the producers and writers can improve it

 

[Daniel Avery]

A dozen or so people in Port Charles know that Anna, Valentin and Lucy are alive, but not Victor with all his eyes and ears.
His grand plan is (Spoilers)??? Seriously. No in-depth detail, and/or no plausible plan on how he intends to profit from it.

Oh, he knows. He tracked the three to the safe house and when Valentin told him off one too many times, Victor had one of his goons shoot Anna. She's currently recovering in the hospital with Val by her side, of course, which is why Ned is suddenly so upset about ELQ not having leadership. The writers did not really care about ELQ's lack of leadership during the 6-8 weeks when Val was presumed dead. Ned apparently stepped in to run it, and just because Val turned up alive, Ned did not have to give the CEO job back to him, but apparently did. Very sloppy. But like I said, Victor did find out his son and the others were alive. They're saying that Victor just wants to kill off 50% of the population of Earth in order to save the planet (Thanos?), which is ridiculous since Victor has never struck me as an eco-warrior of any sort. I cross my fingers and hope he's lying to Spencer, Trina, and Liesl and has a much more selfish motive for all this, but it might actually be all they're going to write.

Laura lived on Cassadine Island for two years, Alexis was raised on it, and Valentin has surely been there numerous times,
no one knows where Victor is going but they will find it because Drew has a map, conveniently!

They're not heading to Cassadine Island, actually. It appears that this bunker they're trying to find is on an island off the coast of Venezuela. The coordinates for the bunker were etched onto the Ice Princess necklace, and apparently Victor stole the Haunted Star to sail there rather than...oh, I dunno, FLY there on a private jet? The idea that the boat could get from Western NY to Venezuela in a few days is preposterous, too. The locks on the St. Lawrence Seaway alone would take the better part of a day to navigate, and they'd be sailing against the Gulf Stream to head south. For realism (remember that?) they could just as easily said the bunker was on an island off the coast of Nova Scotia, since it really doesn't matter where they're going. I guess (??) he plans to release the biotoxin from the bunker, so you'd think he'd be some place more centrally located; perhaps they're afraid there might be too many comparisions to the lab leak in Wuhan, so they sent Vic and the gang to someplace that would be the polar opposite of urbanized China.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Oh, he knows. He tracked the three to the safe house and when Valentin told him off one too many times, Victor had one of his goons shoot Anna. She's currently recovering in the hospital with Val by her side, of course, which is why Ned is suddenly so upset about ELQ not having leadership. The writers did not really care about ELQ's lack of leadership during the 6-8 weeks when Val was presumed dead. Ned apparently stepped in to run it, and just because Val turned up alive, Ned did not have to give the CEO job back to him, but apparently did. Very sloppy. But like I said, Victor did find out his son and the others were alive. They're saying that Victor just wants to kill off 50% of the population of Earth in order to save the planet (Thanos?), which is ridiculous since Victor has never struck me as an eco-warrior of any sort. I cross my fingers and hope he's lying to Spencer, Trina, and Liesl and has a much more selfish motive for all this, but it might actually be all they're going to write.


They're not heading to Cassadine Island, actually. It appears that this bunker they're trying to find is on an island off the coast of Venezuela. The coordinates for the bunker were etched onto the Ice Princess necklace, and apparently Victor stole the Haunted Star to sail there rather than...oh, I dunno, FLY there on a private jet? The idea that the boat could get from Western NY to Venezuela in a few days is preposterous, too. The locks on the St. Lawrence Seaway alone would take the better part of a day to navigate, and they'd be sailing against the Gulf Stream to head south. For realism (remember that?) they could just as easily said the bunker was on an island off the coast of Nova Scotia, since it really doesn't matter where they're going. I guess (??) he plans to release the biotoxin from the bunker, so you'd think he'd be some place more centrally located; perhaps they're afraid there might be too many comparisions to the lab leak in Wuhan, so they sent Vic and the gang to someplace that would be the polar opposite of urbanized China.

Thanks for the clarification. Events are a bit difficult to follow

 

[Daniel Avery]

So today they're saying The Haunted Star is actually heading to an island off Greenland, which on the one hand makes geographic/logistic sense (a two-day journey) but makes less sense when you consider the North Atlantic has "challenges" (icebergs!) that the Haunted Star can't really stand against. Plus, the characters are dressed for California Spring, not Greenland. Still, it beats the heck out of Venezuela. I think the confusion about the destination came from Holly, Tracy, and Felicia being in VZ saving NuEthan from being sold off in an auction.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Always great to see Jane Eliot return!

She makes a stunning entrance into the Q mansion, speaks sharply and causes multiple reactions, and then shows her heart by offering to help Willow.
Only a great actress like Jane Eliot can make this work.
I think that Jane Eliot, Maura west and Vernee Watson-Johnson are the best actresses (not to be confused with the characters they play)
on the show

 

[Daniel Avery]

I had to sit through the Willow/Michael wedding yesterday (not-so-fondly referred to as "Mildew" by online detractors) and I must say for Willow to be in Stage 4 leukemia and given two weeks to live two months ago, she looked surprisingly healthy. But at least I got to see a bit of Tracy's gloriously snippy repartee with her nearest and dearest. IIRC, Monica allowed Drew to move into Tracy's old room (the one with a view overlooking Lila's rose garden), so I fully expect to see all of Drew's stuff boxed up and sitting in the hallway (or maybe on the curb outside or tossed into the lake, depending on Tracy's mood).

Since it's always Michael's girlfriends who die gruesome deaths, perhaps Willow has a better chance of survival now that she's moved up to "wife".

 

[Daniel Avery]

Saw this "wedding photo" elsewhere and had to share. I've missed you so much, Tracy!

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Robert was informed of a new WSB head.

Possibles:

Luke Spencer - Like is alive!

Jason Morgan - Jason is Alive!

Tracey Q - a longshot, but she has resources and contacts

Julian Jerome - Alive

Nicholas Cassadine - Out of his coma and Tyler C returns

The problem with these possibilities is I don't think they cold enough to sacrifice Laura, Holly, Anna and the others?

Could Stavros, Stephan or even Mikkos be alive? Even so, they are more likely to side with Victor

Jennifer Smith - maybe the only possible who would not care about who was on the island

 

[Daniel Avery]

I don't think the new WSB head will be anyone we know. They likely wrote this "regime change" as a way of saying Frisco didn't give the drone strike order, since despite it all he's still thought of fondly in the older fandom and the writers would not want to make them angry unnecessarily. No one in the current cast has much use for the WSB these days anyway, so this might be the last time they have to involve them in plots.

Though it is kind of telling that the WSB would agree to drone-strike the island to rid themselves of Victor and his evil plots, given they hired him to run the WSB years ago knowing he'd been part of the original Ice Princess caper. Behavior that was once a resume enhancement is now grounds for the ultimate severance package.

 

[Monzo]

All week I've been telling myself that the Greenland story would be great. I put the blame that I was not really into it on Willow, because her boring drama interreputed the real drama, but also on Portia, who we had to watch worrying way to much.

On Friday I finally realized that I didn't like the Greenland story. Anna wanted to sacrifice herself for Valentin and accepted that Robin and her grandchildren would mourn for her. I liked that Helena was just a hallucination because I don't think she should be resurrected. Constance Towers is at an age that writers shouldn't risk reviving Helena for a few appearances only to find out that she died off-screen.

The WSB stuff around Robert in the hospital wasn't entertaining either, only Scotty was funny. Genie Francis and Charles Shaughnessy delivered strong performances, but otherwise I just expected more from the script. Greenland didn't disappoint me, but it didn't excite me either.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

All week I've been telling myself that the Greenland story would be great. I put the blame that I was not really into it on Willow, because her boring drama interreputed the real drama, but also on Portia, who we had to watch worrying way to much,

On Friday I finally realized that I didn't like the Greenland story. Anna wanted to sacrifice herself for Valentin and accepted that Robin and her grandchildren would mourn for her. I liked that Helena was just a hallucination because I don't think she should be resurrected. Constance Towers is so old now that writers shouldn't risk reviving Helena for a few appearances only to find out that she died off-screen.

The WSB stuff around Robert in the hospital wasn't entertaining either, only the Scotty was funny. Genie Francis and Charles Shaughnessy delivered strong performances, but otherwise I just expected more from the script. Greenland didn't disappoint me, but it didn't excite me either.

I agree, mostly.

I remember in that 20+ years ago, Tony Geary forwarded an 80 page treatment called endgame, which was somewhat similar to this story.
The Greenland story appears to be a merger of the original Ice Princess story and Endgame.

The original Ice Princess story was good, escapist fun, with John Colicos (who I think was the first actor to portray a Klingon)
and Bernard Fox (Dr Bombay and Col. Crittenden) in the cast.

This story seems to lack the cohesion of the first IP saga. Victor's motive3s seem incomplete, and I think he was far too clever a character to be defeated in the manner that he was. I hope Victor survived. Charles S is a superb actor

 

[Daniel Avery]

It would be easy to blame the underwhelming nature of this story's conclusion on budget---"Oh, it can't be as good because they didn't do remotes, stunts, etc."---but that's a lousy excuse, IMO. A well-written story could be done on a shoestring budget and no one would "miss" the bells and whistles because people show up for a story, not necessarily those bells and whistles. This story is the victim of the same issue that has been afflicting most of the stories in recent years---timing and pacing.
GH's writers have a terrible habit of setting up a story, then putting it into neutral. By the time they decide to play it out, no one cares any more!*

The groundwork for this thing with Victor was laid so long ago, and yet they did not succeed in maintaining the momentum by having the story unfold in sizeable "doses" every week or so. It was over a year ago when Port Charles experienced that "heat wave" in mid-winter, teasing the viewer with the idea of the fabled Weather Machine being cranked back up....only for there to be no follow-up or anything. They seemed to have tossed the machine out in favor of this "virus to de-populate the Earth" angle, only to bring it back in at the last minute---but kill it as quickly as it was revived. If they had planned to have this story be the focus of the 60th Anniversary, then it stands to reason that they would have mapped it out over a year ago when Victor was brought back from the dead. And yet this felt like a last-minute rewrite, with people tossed in who didn't need to be there. Navy SEAL Drew stood around in the background while others did most of the fighting and shooting; it felt like he'd been included simply to keep him from being nabbed by the agents who showed up to arrest him and Carly.

* In the "we don't care any more" file I can deposit Liz's past with her parents; Brook Lynn and Chase's non-romance and her fight to get her songs back; "the West Coast threat" to Sonny's organization; Austin and Mason's secret activities at the behest of some relative of theirs (whom I still assert is Tracy); the question of who Trina's real father is, and how the revelation will affect Curtis and Portia's marriage; and of course Willow's months and months (and months) of being at death's door. I no longer care if Nikolas wakes up, or if Gladys steals all of Sasha's money. I sure as hell don't care if Michael's manufactured vendetta against Sonny results in anyone being arrested or hurt.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

* In the "we don't care any more" file I can deposit Liz's past with her parents; Brook Lynn and Chase's non-romance and her fight to get her songs back; "the West Coast threat" to Sonny's organization; Austin and Mason's secret activities at the behest of some relative of theirs (whom I still assert is Tracy); the question of who Trina's real father is, and how the revelation will affect Curtis and Portia's marriage; and of course Willow's months and months (and months) of being at death's door. I no longer care if Nikolas wakes up, or if Gladys steals all of Sasha's money. I sure as hell don't care if Michael's manufactured vendetta against Sonny results in anyone being arrested or hurt.

As longtime fan, I keep hoping for better. Valentin's reaction to Victor was impressive acting- powerful without being overwhelming.
A battle for the leadership of ELQ would be interesting - again if well wrirtten.
Maybe Carly should get a comeuppance, but not from a lying, hypocritical, reprehensible person like Nina.

And PLEASE do not bring back Melle. Mediocre actress, totally unlikeable character

 

[Daniel Avery]

Totally agreed on Nelle. I keep seeing people interjecting her into conversations and I just want to strangle them.

James Patrick Stuart (Valentin) is a good actor in so many ways, but he can't "stage cry" worth a darn. He needs some lessons from Maura West in this area, because she is a master of crying on cue.

So Michael rails for months about Sonny, repeating ad nauseam how he (Sonny) "deserves to go to prison because he broke the law". In the very same episode, he claims he will do everything he can to make sure his mother doesn't go to prison----even though she clearly broke the law. Do the writers even listen to what they're writing for the characters to say? Everyone seems eager to find out who leaked the insider trading to the SEC and punish them for spilling the beans, but it's like no one cares that C&D actually did break insider trading laws. And so far, neither of them has said so much as a "oopsie" in regret over it.

But then, this is the same Michael who bribed a public official (a District Attorney) to bring up bogus charges against Nina to try to send her to jail for the whole Nixon Falls affair, so Michael's views of legal versus illegal is hazy at best. It's fairly obvious that he only wants to send Sonny to prison because Sonny dumped his mommy for another woman.

 

[Daniel Avery]

Oh, and I also think Tracy called the SEC on Carly and Drew long before Nina instructed Martin to drop the (same) tip. I mean, no government agency moves THAT fast on a tip, and given how Tracy reacted when she saw Carly at the Q mansion prior to the wedding, I think her "Why are you here?" might have been her wondering why she had not already been detained by the SEC. And that priceless photo of Tracy on her phone during the wedding might have been her calling them to tell them where C&D were at that moment.

Seeing Tracy join in on the Ned pile-on sealed the deal for me today. Tracy likely tipped them off several days before, and the SEC just happened to get around to showing up as Nina reported them.