General Hospital Watching General Hospital

[DallasFanForever]

I’m hoping this all opens things up for Britt and Jason again but I’m not getting my hopes up. I was really rooting for them to be a long term couple.

 

[Monzo]

I'm surprised how easily Nina is back on track, no real mourning for Mike, suddenly she wants to do the right thing.

I'm looking forward to this week's day to day ratings (to be released next week). In contrast to CBS soaps, GH no longer has a ratings increase due to major events. Last week's most watched episode was Monday (Peter threatens to kill Nina), while least watched was Thursday (Sonny gets his memory back). It feels like no viewer who has quit the show is coming back to see a big event.

 

[Daniel Avery]

So now Drew and Dr. Obrecht are being held prisoner together: a Navy SEAL and a brilliant doctor/criminal mastermind are allowed in a cell together? Victor had better look out, because the inmates will soon be running the asylum. I find it really entertaining how Liesl keeps going on about killing Peter as if it's a task to cross off her to-do list rather than making it out to be some important event. I'm guessing Valentin will be the next one to end up on Cassadine Island, leaving Anna a sitting duck.

From what I've read, the Nina/Carly showdown wasn't the slap-fest or scorched-earth event I was imagining. Maybe they're keeping their powder dry for future showdowns, since they haven't laid all the details out yet (likely in an effort to create another "stage" of a longer story rather than just ending the story with the end of "Mike" and Nixon Falls). They've had Sonny acting uncharacteristically compassionate toward Nina without saying it out loud, and of course Jason and Carly can say their almost-romance is over and in the past, but the feelings seem to still be there. If Sonny keeps hearing Carly dishing out hateful diatribes about Nina and tells her to lay off (or better still, defends her) then Carly will start going to (and confiding in) Jason, who will always listen to her bitching even if he doesn't agree.

I have to say I'm rooting for Nina to stand her ground against Carly's onslaught. I admit I'd probably root for anyone who's up against Carly, since she is just the most hypocritical, unlikeable harpy in town. Nina did something stupid, and I don't think she should "come out on top" in a war with Carly, but I do not want to sit through Carly grinding Nina into the pavement and adopting that smug look of self-satisfaction that she wears so often. From what I read, Nina did not shrink back from Carly in their initial fight the other day, so it's a good start. I imagine Carly's next step will be to weaponize hers and Sonny's children, especially Michael. Since she's carried Michael's balls around in her purse for years, I imagine she will demand that Michael not allow Nina to see Wiley. Would he have the nerve to tell her he won't follow her orders? I highly doubt it, but he will not be pleased to be shoved right into the middle of this Nina/Carly war. It's too bad Michael has no backbone whatsoever, because if he were to forbid his mother to turn Wiley into collateral damage in her latest feud, it would be a thing of beauty. Manipulating the kids (not just Michael, but also Dante, maybe even Ghost Kristina) into fighting her battles for her would be right up Carly's alley.

So what can Nina do to fight back? I wish Nina would fall back on the large fortune that she inherited from her father. It was said back in the day that it was hundreds of millions of dollars in Manhattan real estate. As Carly tries to drive Nina out of town (to keep Sonny from buzzing around her!), Nina could reinforce her place in Port Charles by buying up some key real estate---like maybe the hospital. This was how Reginald Love made his presence known in Another World's Bay City, by buying the town's hospital and a huge skyscraper where several characters worked and lived (which he renamed The Love Tower). The beautiful new rooftop pool that Carly and Olivia built atop their Metro Court hotel had to have cost a pretty penny; what if they took out some sketchy financing that Nina manages to leverage against Carly and end up owning a third of the hotel? They've never used this plot point (of Nina's fabulous fortune), but they could introduce someone who has been off-screen managing her real estate portfolio, who then comes to PC to help her make some moves to consolidate her place in Port Charles society.

 

[Monzo]

I enjoyed this week more than last week. What I like about GH are those little surprises. I didn't expect Maxie to tell Carly about Nina or Esme using Sonny for her plan. Carly is just Carly. Wasn't if funny when she confronted Jax and whatever he said was wrong from her point of view?

What about temporary recasts? No other soap (not even Days on a tighter schedule) does this as extreme as GH.

 

[Daniel Avery]

Jax pointed out to Carly that if he had told her Sonny was alive and tending bar in Nixon Falls, she would have accused him of making up crazy stories to stop her from marrying Jason. Even she had to admit that would have been her reaction. But that didn't stop her from continuing her diatribe, did it? How dare he introduce logic into her ranting and raving!!

From what I read, the one-episode recast of Nikolas was because Marcus Coloma had a family emergency that took him away from the studio for several hours (not even a whole day of shooting). I'm frankly amazed they found a suitable recast so quickly. The scenes had been written, blocked, and rehearsed, and they don't just shut down the whole operation because one actor (of the numerous actors involved in those scenes) had to leave briefly. if his scenes had been less vital, involving fewer actors they could possibly have shot around his absence, but it just wasn't possible given all that was going on. The way they were able to limit the recast's scenes to one episode (it was just that one, right? I saw Coloma back on Thursday) says they didn't even want to pay the guy for more than one episode.

I don't think it will ultimately matter that Maxie (of all people) was the one who blabbed about Nina's role in the Nixon Falls Follies, since someone was going to clue her in eventually. What I'm seeing is an effort to tear down the Corinthos marriage in the style of "death by a thousand cuts". Both Carly and Sonny are carrying around secrets about their feelings (Sonny is being suspiciously and uncharacteristically easy on Nina, while Carly is glossing over her feelings about Jason quite obviously), and every time one of them learns something about the other, it comes from an outsider rather than their spouse. As Sonny realizes his wife has feelings for his lackey that she is hiding, Carly might realize that this Mike-ified Sonny (a softer touch, maybe less of a hothead) is not the man she married (so many times). I mean, he's not even putting the Kiwi Shoe Polish on his hair any more, which to me is an intentional, visible choice of the producers to remind the viewer that he's a "changed man". Even if they don't try to do a mirror-image romance thing with Sonny/Nina and Carly/Jason, they can use what isn't said between them to hack away at their marriage. Which....ehh, we see too much of them already.

Phyllis is a wild card they have yet to deal into the game, since she can attest to what really went on in NF without having her motives or ability to tell the truth questioned by Carly in that "ladylike, demure, and level-headed" fashion of hers. Nina was not "hiding Sonny from everyone for nine months" as Carly keeps screeching to anyone who will listen (and even those who won't). "Mike" had been in NF for months before Nina stumbled upon him by chance. Both Phyllis and Lenny kept urging "Mike" to find out who he was, and Mike flat-out refused long before Nina entered the mix. Will Carly try to scream at and steam-roll Phyllis over not forcing "Mike" to look into his past? She could try....but man, would that blow up in her face. Sonny would blow his stack and defend Phyllis against Carly's bullying and bellowing, and I think Miss Phyllis might dish it right back at her and tell her she needs to take a few seats. Carly would see Sonny taking Phyllis's side against her and go running to Jason for yet another of their subtext-laden scenes of "friendly advice" that may or may not end up submerged in sexual tension.

Speaking of good ol' Phyllis, I have yet to hear whether the show plans to have Phyllis move to Port Charles, though rumor has it she might be Stella's sister. In the Show In My Head, she moves to PC to run Charlie's (Sonny and/or Nina buys it for her). Willow's mother Harmony is released from her half-way house job at the prison and tries to get hired at Charlie's, but suddenly decides against it when she sees Phyllis, and Phyllis feels she's met Harmony before. Turns out Harmony (using another name back then) met Phyllis years ago when Harmony and comatose Nina were in the same hospital giving birth. Harmony switched her unwanted baby with Nina's, hoping to scam some money out of the Reeves family, but when Madeline Reeves was so quick to adopt out the baby in secret, Harmony realized Madeline did not want ANY baby around...so Harmony kept the baby, named her Willow and told the world she was Willow's real mother. When I heard that the actress who plays Harmony has been put on contract, I assumed they planned to do more with her---and this would be great, since making Nelle into Nina's (now-dead) daughter was not very good timing.

 

[Monzo]

Mind Control of Drew? No, not again! I'm not happy with GH right now, too many storylines going in a direction I don't like, but I like Cameron Mathison more than I expected. Not a fan, but not a hater either.

Nina should suffer a little, not necessarily from Carly, but from her own guilt. Curtis lectoring Michael, who is just finding out what Nina did, was too much. I don't see Nina as important in Wiley's life. He managed to get over the fact that Lucas and Brad were deleted from his life, so losing his grandmother, whom he saw a couple of times, shouldn't be a problem.

Nice to have Robert back, but I have to say GH is always good at hiding characters. I didn't really miss Robert, but in hindsight I realize that he should have been involved in Maxie's story more often.

By the way, does anyone think Chloe Jennings looks like Karen Carpenter's long-lost daughter?

 

[Daniel Avery]

Nice to have Robert back, but I have to say GH is always good at hiding characters. I didn't really miss Robert, but in hindsight I realize that he should have been involved in Maxie's story more often.

Tristan Rogers was placed in "time out" by the producers and was only brought out because they could not work around Robert's absence from two major stories that are now intersecting (Maxie/Peter and the search for Drew). I'm not even sure the pressure from the fans to bring him back sooner had any effect.

 

[Monzo]

How old is Valentin supposed to be? And at what age did Victor father him? I didn't see this twist coming for sure.

 

[Daniel Avery]

There is an unrealistic age difference between JPS and CS (something like ten years or so), but they've played fast and loose with actor ages before. I'm too lazy to look it up but JPS is mid-50s and looks younger. CS has this sort of ageless thing going on right now---despite the white hair, everyone pictures him as either 1980s Shane Donovan or 1990s Maxwell Sheffield and not 70-ish Victor Cassadine. Victor doesn't even have the "Icebox Excuse" his brother Stavros had (has?), who looked (looks?) younger than his true age because he was frozen for many years and revived (looking like Robert Kelker-Kelly, the last time we saw him).

I had a feeling they were going to re-Cassadine Valentin, but thought better of it when I found out Charles S had gotten the role due to the ages. When they "un-Cassadined" him, he had a DNA test that said he had no Cassadine blood in him, but hey, I just roll with it. It's ridiculous that all these Cassadines just use Cassadine Island as a luxurious hideout without Nikolas's knowledge. I mean, all those servants, food, utilities, rent-a-goon services, etc. don't come for free, and Nikolas (as the "Prince"/head of the family) would be receiving all those bills. It's not like "dead" Victor gets a pension from the WSB to pay for all his "long-term guests" in the basement.

 

[Monzo]

I liked Sasha's understanding of Nina. I hope the two will get closer again. Wouldn't it be great if Nina adopted Sasha at some point?

I was amazed that Carly confided in Britt about her feelings for Jason, but I don't think Britt will be stupid enough to interfere and tell Sonny about it. Sooner or later, however, Jason and Britt should get back together.

Hopefully Sonny will show some gratitude to Jax in the next episode.

I read Nancy Lee Grahn's 25th anniversary interview. She said the worst part on the show was just being a talk-to. So right now she must be feeling pretty bad without a storyline. Maybe Esme's new job will spice up Alexis' storyline a bit.

 

[Daniel Avery]

I was amazed that Carly confided in Britt about her feelings for Jason, but I don't think Britt will be stupid enough to interfere and tell Sonny about it. Sooner or later, however, Jason and Britt should get back together.

It is breathtaking how Carly feels she "owns" Jason, right down to giving Britt "permission" to resume her relationship with Jason (now that Carly doesn't have any use for him romantically). Mad props to Britt for pointing out that she (Britt) takes second place to NOBODY. But of course Carly is too thick-headed to even notice how she treats Jason like personal property. I'd love love love for Britt to tell Cousin Nina about Carly's confession, if not just to give the next Carly/Nina argument a new facet. Maybe the threat of Nina telling Sonny would make Carly back off.

Hopefully Sonny will show some gratitude to Jax in the next episode.

I hope you aren't placing any bets on that ever happening.

I read Nancy Lee Grahn's 25th anniversary interview. She said the worst part on the show was just being a talk-to. So right now she must be feeling pretty bad without a storyline. Maybe Esme's new job will spice up Alexis' storyline a bit.

Part of the reason NLG has been making such a public spectacle about having a vaccination mandate on the set is because she apparently lives with someone who has a compromised immune system. So even more than most people, she did not want to court the possibility of bringing Covid home with her from work. This is the reason why Alexis remains in jail; having NLG interacting with as few people as possible in a controlled setting. NLG can sit far apart from her scene partners, and the writers can pick and choose who visits Alexis in jail. One can look at this in two ways: either it was a generous action on the part of the show to keep her working while also helping her and her partner evade possible infections, or it was punishment for asking for special treatment. But she has been on soaps long enough to know that you can't always be front burner---everyone goes through periods of not having a storyline. If the show had been run by someone less understanding of her situation, they could have ordered her back to work with no "favors" (in other words, do the same close-up conversations, kissing, crowd scenes, etc.) and told her she'd be replaced if she refused. Frank V and the writers could probably have come up with something else to help her maintain extra distance, but they didn't HAVE to come up with anything at all. A lot of others on the show would probably jump at the chance to have as much screen time as she gets even in prison (Liz...oh, Liz? Are you around?)

 

[Monzo]

I know the shooting should be the biggest issue of latest episode but for me it was The Closer's / Major Crime's Robert Gossett joining. I had no idea, so this was a shock! Could he be Curtis' not so-dead father? It would be a classic aunt Stella twist to keep the fact that his father left his family a secret and instead turn him into a dead man. Could Phyllis still be a part of Curtis' family?

Scott and Spinelli were fun, Sam and Dante are never fun.

How could it happen that Peter (obviously the smartest villain) outmaneuvered Victor? And that Russell actor is really bad, even for dayplayer standards.

 

[Daniel Avery]

Speaking of distractions, I cannot take any of Cameron Mathison's scenes seriously because that scraggly, uneven beard makes him look like a homeless vagrant. Yes, I understand the whole "being held captive and not having access to Supercuts and the Clinique counter" but his whole face is obscured. He looks like the Unabomber.

 

[Daniel Avery]

So I happened to see a scene with Sam and the others in Crete where she said she wanted to go back to PC "to take care of the kids". Only then did I realize just how they've glossed over all those parents leaving all those kids to fend for themselves. We joke about the Quartermaine Daycare Center (AKA Monica's mansion), but that place is currently bursting at the seams. They may have to send a separate school bus just to pick up all the kids for school.

When Sam and Dante just picked up and headed to Crete, she was leaving Danny and Scout at Monica's (as usual). Those are Monica's grandkids, so I can see them having their own room (or even rooms), so that's....understandable. Dante left Rocco behind, and since Rocco is Olivia's grandson, he's "covered". He might room with his "Uncle Leo" (yes, his uncle). Wiley and Leo already live there, of course, and BrookLynn's "daughter Bailey" (Louise) is in the nursery. But then we had Bailouise's supposed father Valentin living there with his daughter Charlotte, who is now not only abandoned but not really related to the Q's in a meaningful way. Covid has the kids being seen even less than usual, but it's a funny plot point; other than Liz's sons, all of PC's children under the age of 12 are all silently and invisibly living in the Q mansion...somewhere.

 

[Daniel Avery]

This plotline of Michael trying to get Nina thrown in jail for the Smike cover-up is laughable. First of all, no crime was broken....by Nina, at least. They're trying to pin "fraud" and "identity theft" on her, while her actions were neither. Michael, meanwhile, is outright bribing an official (or at least a candidate for office, which is a problematic aspect as well) to have Nina arrested, which is enough to get the candidate impeached and removed from office if he gets elected, and of course throw Michael in jail.

The whole thing is also problematic because of the way Sonny will (should) react. Sonny has been this mob kingpin for decades by keeping a low profile, or as low as he can. He does not want his name circulated as part of some tabloid-type story involving him as a wandering amnesiac now caught in a love triangle with the editor of a famous fashion magazine. He certainly does not want to take this situation to court--he avoids court and the law the way a vampire avoids the cross. While Michael thinks he can make Nina pay for what she's done, he obviously has forgotten that in order for the case to go forward, Sonny will be put under oath to testify. He would be obligated to answer ANY questions Nina's lawyer asks, such as the nature of his businesses, his association with people like (the late) Buscema and Novak (who blew up in that limo), and most notably, What were you doing on that bridge right before your accident? He was on that bridge killing Julian Jerome. Julian, who was technically Nina's son-in-law since Nelle had blackmailed Julian into marrying her as part of her scheming. Julian ended up dead, so Sonny would have to own up to being the person responsible for that death. So Michael's attempt at getting "Justice for Sonny" (not to be confused with the "Justice for Duke" mantra from years ago) would very easily end up with "Jailtime for Sonny".

Michael is a moron, so this is to be expected. But before anyone brings up Sonny's misdeeds, they will likely have Sonny shut down this legal pursuit of Nina because he doesn't want her to be hurt. He still has the hots for her, even if he's not sure how to square it with his feelings for Carly. Sonny will say he's angry at Michael for targeting Nina and the whole plot point will be dropped, but I'd like it far more if Michael's effort gets HIM in trouble (bribing a public official, etc.). I mean, what if this AG candidate was the type who would wear a wire, inform the FBI and have Michael arrested? You know---a law-and-order kind of guy? There are some that actually exist, y'know. He might think that this would be a means to take down the Corinthos crime family, since...well, Michael walks around using that last name.

 

[Monzo]

I also think that Michael's action is going nowhere. It's just a filler storyline to show that Michael isn't just Carly's son, but uses the Quatermain's ruse. Sonny will end the investigation and Carly will be even more suspicious of him and Nina.

My main problem right now is Robert. He acts like he is WSB boss and nobody says anything against it. His mispronunciation of the names Liesl and Valentin makes me wonder if it is an order from the writers to show his disapproval of the two characters, or is it sloppiness on the part of Tristan Rogers?

By the way, who actually owns Kelly's? Still Bobbie and Luke? And who runs it? I can't remember who did that recently.

 

[Daniel Avery]

The name that is not mentioned---and is conspicuous by its absence---is Frisco Jones, who is the REAL head of the WSB (and of course father of Maxie Jones). Anna, Robert, and Valentin would be throwing that name around when talking to Victor and everyone else involved in this if this were written properly, but of course if they mention Frisco in his position as head of the WSB, it invites questions as to why Frisco's daughter was (and still is) being terrorized by Peter August, and why there seems to be no effort whatsoever to find Louise, his "kidnapped/missing" granddaughter.

It's been so long that I have no idea who owns Kelly's. They went for over a year without showing that set and still barely use it, despite it still being that go-to place for teens to get a job, or for some new bachelor hunk in town to rent a room upstairs.

 

[Monzo]

Charlotte ("like the web") really enjoyed her Pirate's Crunch. It's hard to imagine that papa will ever be able to offer her something else for breakfast... Why is product placement so big on GH and not on the other three soaps?

 

[Daniel Avery]

I read about the scene but did not see it. The write-ups only said she got her first taste of "sugary cereal". I'm not familiar with a brand called Pirate's Crunch, so that might have been a prop brand that does not really exist (similar to OLTL's residents all doing their social media on a site called "MyFace" years ago). The closest brand I can think of is Captain Crunch, which does have a cartoon sailor captain (but not a pirate) as its mascot and enough sugar to send a kid into orbit....but these companies shy away from advertising how sugary they are, so I don't think any "real" brand would be willing to be seen as the source of Charlotte's sugar buzz.

 

[Daniel Avery]

This is the kind of stuff that makes me love soaps so dearly....because it's absurd, yet relatable.