General Hospital Watching General Hospital

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Constance Towers Returns!

Always fun to see Helena, would like to have seen/heard more.
Great performance today by Kin Shriner, and Scotty's reaction to the Memorial
Jennifer Smith? Will she be part of a story?

Is Luke Really Gone? What is VC's endgame? Does Holly figure into this? Stephan?
Too bad Lucky and Ethan are unlikely to return.
Will someone utilize the Ice Princess?

Someone please end this ridiculous Nina ?Carly/Sonny triangle. Michael and Dante are right.

These developments, if well written, could be compelling

 

[Daniel Avery]

I had read that CT returned to film a few scenes, likely flashbacks. But she filmed the scenes in November!

One key component of the Sonny/Nina relationship (if you can call it that) that increasingly bugs me is how neither Sonny nor Nina will spell out to other characters (and thus the audience) just what these "feelings" are. Sonny keeps harping on how he "has feelings for Nina" even as he loves Carly. "Feelings." When someone falls in love (or even just in lust, or gets infatuated) they constantly harp on what they love/lust about that person---oh, their eyes, their caring nature, their laugh, their sexy dimples, their generosity, whatever. If Sonny can't even articulate what it is about Nina that caused him to fall for her, then it's empty dialogue when he just keeps saying he "has feelings for her". I assume they are holding back such declarations in an effort to make sure Sonny ultimately reunites with Carly.

A Jennifer Smith mention, too? Last I saw of her, Roseanne Barr was playing her. Wouldn't THAT be the ultimate surprise guest? Watch NLG's head explode in 3...2...1...

 

[Daniel Avery]

Maxie has two kids she could legitimately refer to as George and Weezie. [/cue theme song]

Today's episode was good, even if I hate that Peter now knows Bailey is actually Louise. BTW, Wes Ramsey's acting in those scenes was particularly terrible. He seemed to be picking up Charles Shaughnessy's British accent for some inexplicable reason, too. Love love loved Monica dropping by to tell Peter off, though, because he could use the acting tips. At least we have movement on the BaiLouise plot--now we have several people figuring out the big bluff.

I have grown to dislike the Spencer/Trina/Cameron/Esme/Joss stuff, but I got the impression this is NOT what was originally planned for this "cabin in the woods" trip Esme's been trying to get off the ground since Thanksgiving. It felt like a rewrite, given the build-up....unless there is more to this than Esme slippin' mickeys in their cocoa. These scenes could have happened anywhere; no need to go to a cabin in the woods.

 

[Monzo]

Miss Wu was on fire for a few weeks but now she is MIA. In case you're wondering what happened, Lydia Look has the answer:

"I took an extended trip overseas. The end of the year is always when I go visit my mother in Singapore. But the show has called me and said, ‘Hey, when are you coming back?’ And I said, ‘Please wait for me! Please!’ Mark Teschner, said, ‘The writers want to write for you!’ I said, ‘Mark, if not for my mom, I would be there in a heartbeat! December/January is always family time for me, and that comes first. But I will be back!’”

Lucky for Brad. He still has a reprieve before his aunt reveals her plans for him.

 

[Daniel Avery]

Once upon a time, the various figures in Sonny's World were obsessed with keeping up the pretense that everyone was fully in control and on patrol---in other words, they were on top of things. But here we are with Sonny's recent bout with amnesia part of the public record (thanks, Michael), Jason's seeming death, and the pretty obvious rocky patch Sonny and Carly are going through. Though not known very widely, we also have Sonny off his meds again. Even ONE of those things would have meant in past times that alarms would be going off. Sonny would ship the family off to "the island" to be safe, and the place would be swarming with bodyguards/snipers. We'd be hearing of "shipments" getting blown up or stolen, the flow of "business" being interrupted, and of course snraling villains showing up to make empty threats to Sonny's supremacy in the....well, whatever business he's involved in. And of course Sonny would be constantly whipping out Giant Silver Gun and talking to it menacingly. I'm so glad this has not happened this time, but it is rather.....strange that all the various baddies are giving him time and space to have some "me time".

 

[Monzo]

I have to admit that if any of the other soap had written as sloppily as GH recently, I'd be upset, but I'm always generous with GH. Everything about Sonny isn't thought through, and there's so much about Louise that doesn't make sense. What Willow-rewrite will we get next?

Drew has become increasingly uninteresting over the past few weeks. Whenever Drew shows up in a scene, I now know nothing's going to happen, at least not with him. Still, I'm curious to see who Drew becomes a couple with. Sam & Drew have a respectful chemistry but also a bit boring. I would least like to see Drew with Carly.

 

[Daniel Avery]

If this were not a soap (in other words, people behaved intelligently) and I was Drew, one of the first things I would have done when I hit Port Chuck was pull Maxie aside to explain to her how Peter has implanted some sort of mind control stuff in my (Drew's) head. It would stand to reason that Peter would use Drew to get close to Maxie to kidnap her and/or the baby. Drew should give Maxie one of those playing cards and tell her that if he starts acting weird, wave that card and say "stand down" (like Jason and Britt did to him to turn off the conditioning). But of course this is a soap and they haven't even brought up Drew's de-programming (as in whether it's actually being done).

 

[Monzo]

I wouldn't mind if Lindsay Hartley played Sam permanently. Her Sam even has chemistry with Dante, who would have thought?!?

I read that Bryan Craig is joining Good Trouble. Obviously not bringing Morgan back from the dead was the right decision. When BC announced that he was dying to work and that Maurice Benard would have liked him back, I thought for a while it would happen, but I'm glad Morgan stayed dead.

Tyler Christopher is also speaking out again, not only online but also on Maurice Benard's State of Mind. TC was one of my favorites on GH but I'm not sure they should take the risk and hire him again. Marcus Coloma doesn't seem to be very popular, but he doesn't seem to be unpopular either, so what to do?

 

[Daniel Avery]

Kelly Monaco plays Sam as if she (Kelly) is bored and doesn't really want to be there. If Kelly has some sort of condition that causes her to be tired or listless, then I would understand, but they haven't said her behavior is the result of some illness. It's not that I am loving Lindsay Hartley's portrayal---it just looks so much better in comparison. I don't think the show really needs the Sam character these days, no matter who is playing her.

I never found Bryan Craig/Morgan all that engaging, and his attempts at playing the backstage politics of GH to his advantage made him look even less appealing to me when he was on the show. The way they wrote Adult Morgan (and I use that adjective loosely) gave him a shorter shelf life; if they were to decide to make him our 730th return from the dead this year, they should recast the part as well, hopefully making Morgan into a fully-realized adult rather than a hot-headed man-child. Back when he got blown to bits I suggested they bring him back after a few years being played as bitter and hardened by the experience, played by an actor with a missing leg or arm as a constant reminder of his experience. Too often all the gunplay and mob activity leaves no lasting marks on them, but having a son with a disability (a son who hates Sonny's guts) would keep the side effects of Sonny's choices in life right there in his face. But back then (and I would say even now) they won't tolerate a character onscreen who would be a constant reality check against the idea that Sonny is the "Good" Mobster and everyone else who opposes his lifestyle are bad.

I'd never say never to the show giving Tyler Christopher yet another chance.....but it would be about as unlikely than Ingo Rademacher coming back, in my opinion. The only likely scenario I could imagine would be Marcus Coloma deciding to quit on his own, and perhaps some higher-up than Frank Valentini orders him to hire TC back as some sort of ratings stunt.

I'm currently sitting here watching Sonny and Carly have a throwdown argument after Carly caught Sonny and Nina en flagrante dilecto. And Sonny just threw Jason up in her face! (Well, not the flattened body of Steve Burton, but the idea that Carly has been "pining" for the memory of the man Carly was about to sleep with when Sonny returned from Nixon Falls). About damn time he brought that up.

 

[Monzo]

GH is currently the only soap that feels like sweeps - thanks for that!

Will Peter still be there when Louise gets SORASed?

I still don't know why Kristina Wagner was brought back. Felicia could have learned everything that happened while continuing to care for her aunt in Texas. I hope something happens soon that only Felicia can do. By the way in a recent interview Kristina Wagner said: “When you’re an actor on General Hospital, you’re an actor on General Hospital till death do you part.”

Reading this, I thought Kristina Wagner was someone who is always interested in what's happening at GH, but then she said this:

“Being away from the show for so long, I don’t know who some of the characters are, or what’s going on with the characters I do know. What I have found is that if you have a question about anything — you know, ‘What’s this thing with Maxie and Peter about?’ or, ‘Who is this guy from One Life To Live [playing]?’ — you can just type it in on Google and it is amazing! As I’m studying my scripts, I’ve got my computer right next to me asking questions and I have had all my questions answered.”

She doesn't know the name of Roger Howarth, who has been with GH for 10 years. That says a lot about the priority GH has in her life.

 

[Daniel Avery]

Well, to be fair she could have been talking about Michael Easton, though he's been there just as long as Howarth. And both keep getting to play new characters every few years. Block scheduling/taping has been going on for that long as well, which meant that if "Felicia" wasn't involved in a story with one of Easton or Howarth's characters, they may not have ever met because there would be very few chances for a majority of the cast to be in the studio at the same time.

Today's scenes with Maxie, Peter, and BaiLouise were so weird. It was all supposed to be dramatic and high-stakes but since I had no idea if either of them were telling the truth, I couldn't invest. There was little if any subtext in their performances. Peter said a few days ago that he was going to punish Maxie for hiding Louise from him, so did he really mean it when he claimed he wanted them to run off and play house? His mission in life was to get his daughter back, yet he allowed (even suggested) dropping the baby off at the fire house and running away with Maxie. With plans to kill her? It was somewhat easier to figure out Maxie was lying and spouting all sorts of garbage to buy time, but I could not figure out if she has some overall plan or if she's just going to ride the wave to the shore. Meanwhile all these other characters are being positioned to be in the right place at the right time to kill Peter, but we've seen these situations so many times already that I can't help but adopt an "I'll believe it when I see it" attitude toward Peter finally pushing up the daisies.

I will say one thing, though---remind me never to accept a hug from an angry Laura Collins. Victor looked as if he was going to poop his pants.

 

[Monzo]

Why are some of the photos in the new opening credits so out of character? Victor and Ava laugh, Michael is totally unlikable, Drew has a beard and Peter is still in the new opening credits, even though some fans are expecting his exit next week.

Why is GH unlucky enough to constantly need temporary recasts? This year we already had Sam, Marshall, Taggert and Sasha.

I'm not sure why Franco is still an issue. When Finn joined, Silas was never mentioned again, but Austin is in one scene and in the next, Elizabeth gets a card from Franco.

Isn't it cute when Laura and Felicia hug? As if they had always been great friends...

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Why are some of the photos in the new opening credits so out of character? Victor and Ava laugh, Michael is totally unlikable, Drew has a beard and Peter is still in the new opening credits, even though some fans are expecting his exit next week.

Why is GH unlucky enough to constantly need temporary recasts? This year we already had Sam, Marshall, Taggert and Sasha.

I'm not sure why Franco is still an issue. When Finn joined, Silas was never mentioned again, but Austin is in one scene and in the next, Elizabeth gets a card from Franco.

Isn't it cute when Laura and Felicia hug? As if they had always been great friends...

Laura and Felicia - History is rewritten all the time.
I am a fan, I can't stand Nina, and the writers should be ashamed for rewarding that so and so after all the hurt she has caused,
Liking Charles S as Victor. Does his plan include the Ice Princess?
Something is wrong when I find Cassadine villains more sympathetic than the "goodies"
because they have become so deceitful and boorish.
Maybe Stefan (or Stavros could return)

 

[Daniel Avery]

The photos used in the opening are changed virtually every episode, in part to reflect which characters will be in that episode (though others get scattered through as well). ABC did a cast-wide photo shoot to get new(er) publicity shots for the cast, and some of the head-shots are used in the opening. In some cases they kept the head-shots they were already using, maybe because they didn't get anything better in the new shots. I'm sure this "photos dropping" sequence was designed because it is cheap and made it much easier to delete someone who is no longer on the show (fingers crossed Peter/Wes Ramsey will be removed after Feb. 22). I dislike the music they're playing as the photos "drop", though---it's more like background music for a scene and is not memorable at all.

As for the temp recasts, I guess they have the episodes mapped out and can't "shoot around" a missing actor. The temps are unexpected costs, though, and Frank V hates spending money! The temp Sasha is the real-life sister of the regular Sasha, so at least they kept it in the family.

Port Charles is experiencing a "heat wave" so I have to think maybe Victor's tinkering with papa Mikkos's old weather machine. Maybe that Ice Princess had a sister to play a temp recast, Fire Princess? Victor has turned out to be a very well-written and acted villain--not all snarling and hammy like Peter, or angry and smug like Cyrus. Victor is just....smooth. Fran would be rather shocked by Mr. Sheffield's latest shenanigans.

Many are speculating that Liz's odd occurrences (moving her ring around, the shredded wedding dress, now a card from "B") are actually manifestations of a split-personality where she did these things to herself. I think it's unrealistic but hey, Becky H deserves a story of her own, and I'm sure she would act the hell out of it. But unlike Maxie, who can just dump her three kids on any number of people, Liz can't just ignore her kids and wander off with a new identity. Jake and Aiden are too old to end up in Monica's daycare center at the Q mansion. I'm hoping the story is...well, something different. It looks like they ditched their plot idea to bring Jeff Webber back to town (probably couldn't afford a big name for the role), so this might be the consolation prize.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

I wouldn't mind if Lindsay Hartley played Sam permanently. Her Sam even has chemistry with Dante, who would have thought?!?

I read that Bryan Craig is joining Good Trouble. Obviously not bringing Morgan back from the dead was the right decision. When BC announced that he was dying to work and that Maurice Benard would have liked him back, I thought for a while it would happen, but I'm glad Morgan stayed dead.

Tyler Christopher is also speaking out again, not only online but also on Maurice Benard's State of Mind. TC was one of my favorites on GH but I'm not sure they should take the risk and hire him again. Marcus Coloma doesn't seem to be very popular, but he doesn't seem to be unpopular either, so what to do?

I think LH would be good as Sam
MC has improved in the role, but I would like to see TC return - he was the best Nicolas

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

The photos used in the opening are changed virtually every episode, in part to reflect which characters will be in that episode (though others get scattered through as well). ABC did a cast-wide photo shoot to get new(er) publicity shots for the cast, and some of the head-shots are used in the opening. In some cases they kept the head-shots they were already using, maybe because they didn't get anything better in the new shots. I'm sure this "photos dropping" sequence was designed because it is cheap and made it much easier to delete someone who is no longer on the show (fingers crossed Peter/Wes Ramsey will be removed after Feb. 22). I dislike the music they're playing as the photos "drop", though---it's more like background music for a scene and is not memorable at all.

As for the temp recasts, I guess they have the episodes mapped out and can't "shoot around" a missing actor. The temps are unexpected costs, though, and Frank V hates spending money! The temp Sasha is the real-life sister of the regular Sasha, so at least they kept it in the family.

Port Charles is experiencing a "heat wave" so I have to think maybe Victor's tinkering with papa Mikkos's old weather machine. Maybe that Ice Princess had a sister to play a temp recast, Fire Princess? Victor has turned out to be a very well-written and acted villain--not all snarling and hammy like Peter, or angry and smug like Cyrus. Victor is just....smooth. Fran would be rather shocked by Mr. Sheffield's latest shenanigans.

Many are speculating that Liz's odd occurrences (moving her ring around, the shredded wedding dress, now a card from "B") are actually manifestations of a split-personality where she did these things to herself. I think it's unrealistic but hey, Becky H deserves a story of her own, and I'm sure she would act the hell out of it. But unlike Maxie, who can just dump her three kids on any number of people, Liz can't just ignore her kids and wander off with a new identity. Jake and Aiden are too old to end up in Monica's daycare center at the Q mansion. I'm hoping the story is...well, something different. It looks like they ditched their plot idea to bring Jeff Webber back to town (probably couldn't afford a big name for the role), so this might be the consolation prize.

I think it is Liz with a split personality
I think there is an Ice Princess 2 in process, and Charles S is playing Victor superbly
Cast Fran Drescher as a business woman with a link to the Ice Princess LOL!

 

[Daniel Avery]

One thing they probably will never examine, but keeps coming to my mind as I watch Charles S/Victor, is the Crichton-Clark connection between Victor Cassadine and Nina Reeves. Madeline placed comatose Nina in the long-term care clinic after she gave birth when it became apparent she was not going to recover from the coma. By 2012-13 Victor was running CC as a cover for his true role as the head of the WSB, but was of course using it for sinister purposes. It's assumed Nina was in CC when she revived; I'm sure Victor would recall the hub-bub surrounding one of his long-term coma patients miraculously waking up after 20 years. He would know her, and she would likely remember him. ...but would she remember what he (and his doctors) may have done to her?

We know that Dr. Obrecht (in her Swiss version of such a clinic) was doing all kinds of secretive experimental surgeries and treatments on people (like having Robin revive "dead" Drew, believing him to be "dead" Jason), so it would stand to reason that such shenanigans might have been going on at Crichton-Clark. I mean, Ron Carlivati chose to name the clinic after people (Michael Crichton and Mary Higgins Clark) famous for novels/films that featured evil experimentation on coma patients.
Creepy, but if such stuff went on, Victor would know about it even if he wasn't running the place back then. So he could have possible information (patient files) on Nina's missing years that could be used to fill in blanks about the baby, files presumed to have burned up in the fire that Dr. O started at the clinic that "killed" Victor.

 

[Monzo]

Will any actor be able to pronounce "Versteckte Wiese" correctly? Can't imagine that some audio computer program managed to recognize "Versteckte Wiese" from Felicia's pronunciation. At least some actors pronounce "Autobahn" correctly.

I like Johann but after Laura realized he was in Innsbruck when the cable car crashed I'm afraid his days are numbered.

I'm amazed that neither Diane nor Martin are the divorce attorneys, but it's nice to see The Shield's David Rees Snell as Sonny's attorney. He's actually busy doing prime time as a guest or recurring actor, so I'm surpised he takes a daytime job.

 

[Daniel Avery]

Diane would not represent Carly or Sonny because of the conflict of interest as well as the fact that she considers them both to be friends. She has represented them (separately) numerous times, so if she were to choose one over the other, the friendship with the other would likely be ended. Then, whatever decisions made in the negotiations would likely be challenged or appealed by the other lawyer since Diane would have too much insider information on his/her client. In short, having Diane in the proceedings at all would just make everything messier than it already promises to be, and Diane would not benefit from involving herself at all. I'm actually proud of GH for not even attempting to have her involved.

If Carly really wanted to go scorched earth, she could demand an audit of Sonny's assets in order to assess just how much money she should ask for in her settlement. The last thing Sonny needs is to have a public light aimed at his books, since everyone in town knows there's a lot more to his income than Corinthos Coffee! But of course she won't go there. She would say it's to "protect the kids," but of course it's because the lawyers would ask her how much she knew about the mob stuff and why she didn't say anything years and years ago.

 

[Monzo]

What was the original plan for Drew? It's obvious that he's now meant to be Jason's replacement in Carly's life. The scene where Sam confessed her love for Dante next to Drew was weird. Suddenly Sam was completely sure of her feelings and Drew is free for Carly.

Shawn's exit is not a loss, but I'm glad his story had a happy ending. Others like Steve(n Lars) and Matt are apparently still in prison, although they should be released by now.

It used to be unimaginable that an actor like Vernee Watson could be on another network's sitcom and still be on a daytime soap, but times are changing. I thought Stella was just on GH during Bob Abishola's winter production break, but she's still here.