General Hospital Watching General Hospital

[Daniel Avery]

For all the talk about Sonny/Nina having this inexplicable pull toward one another, they sure are the most hands-off "romance" I've seen in a while. The most "romantic" thing they show is an occasional dance. They could at least imply they're sleeping together on the regular. Same with Cameron and Josslyn, though I guess having that sex tape surface was like throwing a bucket of cold water on them.

But look who gets Sexytimes: Lucy Coe and TadMartin Gray! Michael Knight is easing back into work after getting (I think) knee replacement, so what better way to make it easy on him than to have Martin and Lucy in bed most of the hour?

 

[surfinggrrrl64]

ok, does anyone know how Nina could be in a coma, in a hospital (according to Phylis)and give birth to twins and be in a commune (with Harmony at the same time?

 

[Daniel Avery]

Years ago, Nina gave birth to twins. It's inferred that Phyllis and Harmony were both working at the hospital at the time, but Phyllis was not present when Nina gave birth to two babies. We are supposed to believe that none of those medical professionals caring for comatose Nina ever noticed there were two babies (not just the one) growing in her. Madeline had already made arrangements for "the baby" to be adopted, so when the spare turned up, Harmony (I guess) asked Madeline if she could keep it. Madeline didn't care, obviously. Harmony had someone create a fake birth certificate for the baby (back when she was known as Kali Miller). Phyllis was given the other baby and she took the baby to Frank Benson, who adopted her and called her Janelle (Nelle). We're also supposed to believe that everyone who was involved in the birth (attending doctors and nurses, interns, etc.) made a concerted effort to keep the second baby a secret from Phyllis, even though there was no reason to keep this a secret from their co-worker. A comatose woman giving birth to a healthy baby is remarkable; giving birth to two would be a medical miracle worthy of discussion among co-workers who were likely quite attached to their tragic patient.

Fast forward to last year, when Kali (now Willow) somehow lost that fake birth certificate, which she needed to apply for a passport. Harmony, hoping to get some help from Alexis, told Alexis that Willow was not her child, that back in the day she (Harmony) had been in a hippie commune with some woman named Joan. Joan gave birth to a baby and promptly fled. Harmony then decided to keep the baby for herself, and now she needed to fake a birth certificate. Alexis refused to help her, and then it all unraveled from there. There never was a "Joan"--that was one of Harmony's attempts at covering up how she came to be Willow's mother.

 

[Monzo]

This is fantastic news!

‘General Hospital’: Josh Kelly Joins Cast Of ABC Drama

UnReal alum Josh Kelly is heading to Port Charles.

deadline.com

Cutter was one of my favorites from the late OLTL era. Whenever I see Josh Kelly's name in guest starring credits of a primetime show I'm excited, but he was nowhere as good as on OLTL. I guess he's got the kind of personality who works better on daytime than on primetime. I remember Josh Kelly always saying in interviews that he would only return to daytime if he could play Cutter again. So could he actually be Cutter and not Jason? It is said his character will be involved in Sam & Dante's storyline, but Sam and Jason are over and done, so I'm curious what's going to happen.

 

[Daniel Avery]

He isn't going to be Jason, unless they want to have howls of protest before "Jason" even walks onto set. Steve Burton is 51, and Cameron Mathison is 52. Josh Kelly is only 40. Even if they were to ignore Burton's age, we have to keep in mind that Drew and Jason are twins and thus have to be the same age.

But like you, I'm glad they snagged Kelly, because I liked his run on OLTL too.

 

[Monzo]

Are there any rumors about Dex yet? At first I thought he would be a love interest for Jocelyn, but after Sonny's conversation with Dex, I'm wondering if he'll turn out to be Sonny's love child.

 

[surfinggrrrl64]

Years ago, Nina gave birth to twins. It's inferred that Phyllis and Harmony were both working at the hospital at the time, but Phyllis was not present when Nina gave birth to two babies. We are supposed to believe that none of those medical professionals caring for comatose Nina ever noticed there were two babies (not just the one) growing in her. Madeline had already made arrangements for "the baby" to be adopted, so when the spare turned up, Harmony (I guess) asked Madeline if she could keep it. Madeline didn't care, obviously. Harmony had someone create a fake birth certificate for the baby (back when she was known as Kali Miller). Phyllis was given the other baby and she took the baby to Frank Benson, who adopted her and called her Janelle (Nelle). We're also supposed to believe that everyone who was involved in the birth (attending doctors and nurses, interns, etc.) made a concerted effort to keep the second baby a secret from Phyllis, even though there was no reason to keep this a secret from their co-worker. A comatose woman giving birth to a healthy baby is remarkable; giving birth to two would be a medical miracle worthy of discussion among co-workers who were likely quite attached to their tragic patient.

Fast forward to last year, when Kali (now Willow) somehow lost that fake birth certificate, which she needed to apply for a passport. Harmony, hoping to get some help from Alexis, told Alexis that Willow was not her child, that back in the day she (Harmony) had been in a hippie commune with some woman named Joan. Joan gave birth to a baby and promptly fled. Harmony then decided to keep the baby for herself, and now she needed to fake a birth certificate. Alexis refused to help her, and then it all unraveled from there. There never was a "Joan"--that was one of Harmony's attempts at covering up how she came to be Willow's mother.

Thanks, So, Harmony made up the whole commune story she told Alexis And Yes how does no one working in the hospital notice twins being born to a comatose patient? . Hehe

 

[Daniel Avery]

I haven't heard much about Dex, but if he becomes Sonny's new 'enforcer' (Jason 2.0) I would not be surprised. I was hoping Sonny would not replace Jason, because no enforcer/hitman means none of the old-style stories of Sonny's Gummi Bear Mafia.

 

[Daniel Avery]

GH's 15,000th episode will air in June. They took a (majority of) cast photo to celebrate. Apparently no one got the memo to dress up....

 

[Monzo]

Jeff Kober is having fun with his former castmates, so does it mean Cyrus is coming back?

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Thanks, So, Harmony made up the whole commune story she told Alexis And Yes how does no one working in the hospital notice twins being born to a comatose patient? . Hehe

The writing has become horrendous. I am a big fan of the show, and I think it needs to conclude some of these ridiculous storylines and
refocus on Victor's plans, the Cassadine-Quartermaine battle for ELQ, and Sonny dump Nina

 

[Monzo]

Since Harmony is still an issue, here is what Inga Cadranel said about her exit:

“I was 1,000 percent as shocked as everyone else was. To be honest, I didn’t like it because it didn’t really make enough sense to me as the ‘why’ Harmony would go as far as murder, but I did know they wanted her to have betrayed Alexis in a major way and I suppose that would be the worst way to have done that. So I understood it ... Frank let me know in advance that it was going to be a final, meaningful death. I knew my contract was coming to an end, but I thought it may be the type of storyline that would have Harmony disappear or leave [town] so that door could always be open down the road. I was definitely surprised when he told me he and the writers decided that Harmony was going to die.”

 

[Daniel Avery]

Charles Shaughnessy had to take medical leave for hip replacement, which is why Victor seemed to disappear and the whole plot surrounding him had to go into neutral. This photo is proof positive that he is back at work, so Victor should be back in the mix soon enough (the 15k episode airs on June 12th I believe). One fringe benefit of his absence is that the writers can more easily push that plot forward when he comes back by saying he got a bunch of smaller goals accomplished off-camera.

I can't put my finger on it, but I don't think Valentin is himself these days.

 

[Daniel Avery]

"That's So Dumb":
Carly keeps going around town, patting herself on the back for getting The Invader to do an unflattering story on Nina Reeves. She seems convinced that said hit-piece will sway the judge in the visitation case to rule in Michael's favor. First of all, any judge that would allow a tabloid article (rather than the merits of a case) to sway his or her opinion probably doesn't deserve to be on the bench anyway. Moreover, the minute a judge learns that they will be working a case involving someone in the public eye, they would actively avoid any news or gossip involving the participants in that case. So it would be hilarious if that smug look was wiped off Carly's face when the judge informs everyone that no, he never saw any such article and would not seek out such so-called journalism anyway. Why would Ms. Corinthos (or whatever she's calling herself now) think that manipulating public opinion would have any bearing in the judge's decision process?

And if Nina Reeves's misdeeds in life merits an article in The Invader, Michael's misdeeds would fill a small book. Carly's misdeeds would be a 24-volume set akin to Encyclopedia Brittanica. It should be pointed out by someone onscreen that Nina runs a magazine, and not once did she consider paying Carly back in the pages of Crimson.

 

[Monzo]

I try to ignore all the dumb stuff, because otherwise there's too much that bothers me. First of all, who are the Quartermaines? I always think of them as Port Charles answer to the Gettys, so it makes sense that some scandals get covered, but to be honest, Edward was no John Getty, so probably nobody would cover the Quartermaines. But least of all would any media, serious or not, report about Sonny. I don't know a single mob boss by name, but maybe Sonny actually gets reported because he keeps drugs out of his district. How big is his area now that five families have become just two? And does Miss Wu deal with drugs? I don't want to think about anything that doesn't make sense, but sometimes you can't ignore it.

 

[Daniel Avery]

I have The Show In My Head that helps me smooth over such rough edges. Stuff that doesn't make sense or has too many gaping plot holes gets explained by my making up details that aren't addressed onscreen. Show In My Head explains that Sonny's crime syndicate deals in counterfeit merchandise, such as tennis shoes and knock-off designer handbags. No one has said as such onscreen, but it is a convenient idea since no one has said it's NOT. Ms. Wu has an agreement with Sonny not to run drugs, but I think she deals in guns, stolen property, and of course gambling. She may have some dabblings in prostitution, as well. She'd probably be knee-deep in drug traffic if not for her deal with Sonny, and I'm sure the writers have held off on that because fans seem to really like her as she is.

How big is his area now that five families have become just two?

I dislike all the mob wars/stories, so I'm glad the loss of 3/5 of the families has not caused chaos. But it is highly unrealistic. They call it "organized crime" for a reason. Without the others running their businesses and getting everyone to work together, there ought to be lots of dis-organized crime occurring. The Sonnys and Ms. Wus of the world keep their criminal enterprises from being seen by the outside world, so with no leadership in those other areas, crime should be Topic #1 in those places. A spotlight would be shown on all the rampant, uncontrolled crime by local media now that they need not worry that the local mob boss will lean on them. Lesser crimes like property damage, etc. would be amped up into uncontrolled gangland fighting, arson, and targeted murders. But none of this seems to be happening. Show In My Head simply says that all the criminals working for the Novaks and Buschema decided to go back to college and learn how to code.

 

[Monzo]

I can't remember the last time I saw a horse on GH. Where is the budget coming from? Presumably Cody will take care of the horse soon. I'm always happy when a new character has nothing to do with Sonny or Carly, I hope it stays that way. Also, hope Drew gets a storyline at some point, but if he doesn't he should become a backburner and give way to more interesting characters. Please don't flash back to Nikolas-Esme sex in every episode that either of them is in, because it wasn't hot, it was just supposed to be hot.

These days it feels like whenever an actor wants to take a nap, a temporary recast takes over. It's a rarity that there's an episode without a TempRecast. After the loss Kristina Wagner suffered, I wonder how producers will deal with Felicia. Are they making an effort to rewrite the script including her, or will there be a temporary recast for her as well?

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

The writing is horrible,

Not liking Sonny/Nina,
Yes others - Carly, Michael etc have not always been pure in their actions but that doesn't give Nina a pass.
Nina hurt innocent people - Sonny's children, and friends, not to mention the bar owner.
Plus Nina's actions put in action catastrophic events, and it can be argued that Carly, Michael, etc have learned from their mistakes.
Michael is acting out of hurt, more than dishonesty or vindictiveness.

This is Marshall's big secret? Big deal.

Not loving Alexis, in light of NLG's holier than thou attitude

Drew has no direction, other than this takeover bid - Seriously, Drew knows business better than Ned?

Nicholas grows up among Cassadines, and he is fooled by Esme?

Now we are teased with Liz's parents yet again?

Get writers who have a clue

 

[Monzo]

I don't mind Marshall's story, at least it's not the usual criminal past that makes someone to pretend dead. I'm just wondering where it will go from here. Sooner or later Sonny will have a conversation with Marshall about mental illness, but what else is left for Marshall besides another breakdown and a tragic death?

I wish there was a story for Drew where he wasn't compared to Jason or where the viewer, like now with ELQ, thinks that Drew isn't as smart as we're supposed to think. The only memories he has are Jason's after his amnesia, so he only has mob knowledge. Aurora Media aka Derek Wells Media was already a powerhouse when Drew & Sam took over. By seemingly doing nothing, they didn't ruin the company.

 

[Daniel Avery]

I can't remember the last time I saw a horse on GH

Michael has been behaving like the south end of one lately. I understand the show not wanting to build a separate set for the Q stables, but that set they used looked like someone's living room with a horse plopped into the middle of it.

I know a certain amount of the budget did get freed up when the salaries of Steve Burton and Ingo Rademacher went back into the general fund, but it can't be just that. I'm guessing the show got a bit more $$$ from ABC to do some sprucing up. Though Frank V is now famous for stretching every penny, he certainly is not getting his money's worth with Cameron Mathison. Drew's turned into Lucy from the Peanuts strip, the one who sets up the "Psychiatric Help--5 Cents" booth to listen to everyone's problems. Only he doesn't ask for the nickel. CamMath is too expensive to be a supporting player, so they need to figure out which way they want to go and start laying the groundwork. Just don't pair him with Carly, please---she's already eating the entire show.

These days it feels like whenever an actor wants to take a nap, a temporary recast takes over.

I wonder if GH has compiled a list of 'understudies'--actors they can call on short notice to play all the characters. Because the last-minute recasts have been pretty good overall. Other than the recast for NLG (who had surgery), I think all these last-minute recasts are Covid-dictated---not that they got it (though I'm sure some of them probably did), but maybe they had a false positive and had to wait X amount of time before re-testing, or maybe someone they were near ending up getting it. Whatever the case, it's kind of neat seeing familiar characters being played by other actors. And yes, I would not mind if Robert Adamson took over the role of Michael permanently, because I'm ready for a change.

They talked in circles about Marshall's Big Secret for so long that no one gave a damn what it was by the time the writers made up their mind as to what the Big Secret was. This has to have been rewritten from its original form, because...well, these writers seem to be forced to rewrite stories a lot lately. ABC might be interfering again. They're the ones who 'killed' the Nixon Falls story (ordering them to wrap it up weeks earlier than planned), and of course they ordered the 'hit' on Franco. I've heard they're also the ones who turned Liz's story from a stalker to sleeping pill problems (with no one sure if or how Jeff Webber may fit in). Becky Herbst's contract is apparently up for renewal and I would not put it past the show and network to write this crap-tastic mess just in time to make her want to leave. Liz will likely be sitting in Shadybrook until the contract is settled (or she walks....lord I hope not).