General Hospital Watching General Hospital

[Monzo]

If Esme is Ryan's daughter, who is her Mother?

Hopefully not Felicia. They should have learned from the Peter is Anna's son debacle and not make the same mistake.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Yesterday, I laughed that Nina has the audacity to tell Victor he was dishonest.

From Nina? Really!

Says she will stay away from Sonny, interacts every chance she can, kept him away from his family for months, set in motion events that
led to real harm, and plays the Victim?
Victor may have his faults, but he is far less hypocritical, not that that's a high bar compared to Nina. Much like JR, its "for the family"
I don't blame Michael and Willow one bit for how they feel.
The show now just glosses over her "friend" Ava Jerome did, although I agree that Maura West is an excellent actress.

 

[Daniel Avery]

Let's face it: as long as the character of Sonny Corinthos is on the canvas, no one (onscreen, at least) can dwell on the misdeeds of any other character for long or become overly self-righteous about anyone else's behavior. How can anyone in town moralize about the actions of anyone else while three-fourths of PC treats the resident mobster as some kind of wise patriarch? A Goodyear blimp could be seen sailing across the skyline of Port Charles with the word HYPOCRITES! flashing in neon lettering.

For far too long, the show propped up the Sonny character and glossed over the crimes he committed. They made law enforcement out to be the "party poopers" who were minor irritants in the lives of the heroic mobster and his messianic hitman. If we were to re-visit Ava's shooting of Connie, Nikolas's shooting of Hayden, Liesl's numerous crimes against the Scorpios, and the like in an effort to "cancel" Ava, Liesl, and/or Nik, then it would be totally fair for viewers to demand similar treatment of their "dimpled don". No one in PC seems to mind he's responsible for innumerable crimes, so overlooking one bad guy while dragging another one through the mud would make them all look like...well, see the blimp? At the moment that blimp ought to remain in a holding pattern over Michael and his latest girlfriend Willow. Every time Michael goes on a rant about Nina trying to destroy the Corinthos marriage by sleeping with Sonny, I want to remind the little twerp and his sanctimonious girlfriend that they slept together (during Wiley's birthday party!) while Willow was Mrs. Harrison Chase, and Michael also slept with Kiki Jerome when she was Mrs. Morgan Corinthos. (The blimp ought to just crash onto Carly, since I'd need days to delineate her hypocritical behavior over the years)

But hey, there is no way ABC would allow the producers to write a "take-down" of their favorite mobster with a heart of gold (and gun of stainless steel), to finally have him answer for the decades of mayhem he's been in the center of, even if he was not always the one starting the mayhem. They might be forced to admit that turning a mobster/killer into the hero figure of the show was a mistake. So they leave him in a strange place where most every character kisses his butt and waxes nostalgic about what a great father he is, and how he has such a strong moral code, even as the words do not match the actions.

ABC has tacitly upheld this whole "Sonny's gang=heroes, police=bad guys" theme for over twenty years, even as Frank Valentini sought to move on from that theme when he started at GH in 2012. I want to believe this latest story concerning Sonny being forced to look at his past life through new eyes (since he thought he was someone else) was another baby step toward turning that page, but now it's bogged down in a traditional infidelity story arc.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Let's face it: as long as the character of Sonny Corinthos is on the canvas, no one (onscreen, at least) can dwell on the misdeeds of any other character for long or become overly self-righteous about anyone else's behavior. How can anyone in town moralize about the actions of anyone else while three-fourths of PC treats the resident mobster as some kind of wise patriarch? A Goodyear blimp could be seen sailing across the skyline of Port Charles with the word HYPOCRITES! flashing in neon lettering.

For far too long, the show propped up the Sonny character and glossed over the crimes he committed. They made law enforcement out to be the "party poopers" who were minor irritants in the lives of the heroic mobster and his messianic hitman. If we were to re-visit Ava's shooting of Connie, Nikolas's shooting of Hayden, Liesl's numerous crimes against the Scorpios, and the like in an effort to "cancel" Ava, Liesl, and/or Nik, then it would be totally fair for viewers to demand similar treatment of their "dimpled don". No one in PC seems to mind he's responsible for innumerable crimes, so overlooking one bad guy while dragging another one through the mud would make them all look like...well, see the blimp? At the moment that blimp ought to remain in a holding pattern over Michael and his latest girlfriend Willow. Every time Michael goes on a rant about Nina trying to destroy the Corinthos marriage by sleeping with Sonny, I want to remind the little twerp and his sanctimonious girlfriend that they slept together (during Wiley's birthday party!) while Willow was Mrs. Harrison Chase, and Michael also slept with Kiki Jerome when she was Mrs. Morgan Corinthos. (The blimp ought to just crash onto Carly, since I'd need days to delineate her hypocritical behavior over the years)

But hey, there is no way ABC would allow the producers to write a "take-down" of their favorite mobster with a heart of gold (and gun of stainless steel), to finally have him answer for the decades of mayhem he's been in the center of, even if he was not always the one starting the mayhem. They might be forced to admit that turning a mobster/killer into the hero figure of the show was a mistake. So they leave him in a strange place where most every character kisses his butt and waxes nostalgic about what a great father he is, and how he has such a strong moral code, even as the words do not match the actions.

ABC has tacitly upheld this whole "Sonny's gang=heroes, police=bad guys" theme for over twenty years, even as Frank Valentini sought to move on from that theme when he started at GH in 2012. I want to believe this latest story concerning Sonny being forced to look at his past life through new eyes (since he thought he was someone else) was another baby step toward turning that page, but now it's bogged down in a traditional infidelity story arc.

I don't disagree with you. I would add Jason to your analysis.

However, Sonny's behavior doesn't justify the bad deeds of others.

I think there is a problem with who is and isn't held accountable.

I suppose it depends on which characters are popular with viewers.

There are popular characters who I never liked - Liz, Alexis (Only since NLG has become intolerant politically), Jax,
Emily (the second actress),Faison, Rick, Jerry Jax, Monica. I didn't care for Duke Lavery when he was younger, but I thought he was good when he returned.

Not just Sonny, but Luke was not exactly without faults.
How horrible was it that Stuart Damon only had about 30 seconds of tribute, when Sean (who was OK) had a whole episode

 

[Daniel Avery]

I think the canonization of Jason (derisively called "the Holy Hitman" by some, "Saint Jaysus" by others) occurred because Bob Guza had a 'thing' for the character, as if he was living vicariously through the exploits of that character he wrote. Jason was a Mary Sue, as it were, and once he was written that way, it was hard to tone that back.

I think there is a problem with who is and isn't held accountable.

Very much so. It also bugs me when they decide to have bad things happen to characters and then label that occurrence as "punishment for ____" . For example, they sent Franco through the wringer for YEARS in an effort to make detractors finally say "Okay, he's been punished for all the stuff he did when James Franco played him". Arguments could be made that the torture Ryan inflicted on Ava, culminating in Kiki's grisly murder and Ava being institutionalized, was the show's way of punishing Ava for Connie's murder years before. They can't just admit "Hey, we wrote this character committing a crime, so he/she has to go off to jail now." I'm usually very old-fashioned that way---good triumphs over evil, evildoers go to jail or get killed off for their misdeeds---but I'm as guilty as others when it comes to (occasionally) taking a liking to a villainous character and rooting for them to get away with it. Reforming a villain into a hero(ine) is a soap specialty, after all; if all villains had to be vanquished we would not have had the likes of Rachel Cory, Erica Kane, Roger Thorpe, Kim Hughes, or Jill Foster Abbott. Or Dr. Liesl Obrecht, of course.

I thought the "tribute episodes" they did for Gail Baldwin and Sean Donely were kind of silly, actually. If that was the sort of flight-of-fancy tribute they had planned for Stuart Damon, I'm kind of glad they ran into issues. The departures of Burton and Rademacher caused the show to go into chaotic rewrites and re-shoots, and the tribute to Damon got lost in the shuffle. Doesn't mean they could not do it any day of the week, however--as long as Leslie Charleson is there, I'd watch. It doesn't have to be a specific date/anniversary.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

I think the canonization of Jason (derisively called "the Holy Hitman" by some, "Saint Jaysus" by others) occurred because Bob Guza had a 'thing' for the character, as if he was living vicariously through the exploits of that character he wrote. Jason was a Mary Sue, as it were, and once he was written that way, it was hard to tone that back.

Very much so. It also bugs me when they decide to have bad things happen to characters and then label that occurrence as "punishment for ____" . For example, they sent Franco through the wringer for YEARS in an effort to make detractors finally say "Okay, he's been punished for all the stuff he did when James Franco played him". Arguments could be made that the torture Ryan inflicted on Ava, culminating in Kiki's grisly murder and Ava being institutionalized, was the show's way of punishing Ava for Connie's murder years before. They can't just admit "Hey, we wrote this character committing a crime, so he/she has to go off to jail now." I'm usually very old-fashioned that way---good triumphs over evil, evildoers go to jail or get killed off for their misdeeds---but I'm as guilty as others when it comes to (occasionally) taking a liking to a villainous character and rooting for them to get away with it. Reforming a villain into a hero(ine) is a soap specialty, after all; if all villains had to be vanquished we would not have had the likes of Rachel Cory, Erica Kane, Roger Thorpe, Kim Hughes, or Jill Foster Abbott. Or Dr. Liesl Obrecht, of course.

I thought the "tribute episodes" they did for Gail Baldwin and Sean Donely were kind of silly, actually. If that was the sort of flight-of-fancy tribute they had planned for Stuart Damon, I'm kind of glad they ran into issues. The departures of Burton and Rademacher caused the show to go into chaotic rewrites and re-shoots, and the tribute to Damon got lost in the shuffle. Doesn't mean they could not do it any day of the week, however--as long as Leslie Charleson is there, I'd watch. It doesn't have to be a specific date/anniversary.

Couldn't stand Guza - the worst showrunner ever, had no respect for the show's legacy

 

[Daniel Avery]

Oh, and I just want to get this on the record in case I'm right ( )---

This plot twist that Jake has been emailing back and forth with his grandparents (Jeff and Carolyn Webber) behind his mother's back sounds like a fake-out to me. I think the person torturing Liz is catfishing Jake and making him think he's talking to his grandparents. I mean, it would be incredibly easy for the person to impersonate grandparents whom he has never interacted with via web-chatting. All this person would have to know is basic info about the family members. This person has already let Liz know they can get in her locker at work (to place her wedding ring), into her home (to place that painting), and now this proves to Liz that the person can get to her children.

 

[Monzo]

There are so many actors in Hollywood whose native language is German. Why doesn't GH manage to find anyone who actually speaks German? Anna's German was not significantly worse than that of the three day players. Can't imagine that Kathleen Gati could have accentuated so many sentences as well as Finola Hughes. Obrecht is more of a One Word Pony.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Oh, and I just want to get this on the record in case I'm right ( )---

This plot twist that Jake has been emailing back and forth with his grandparents (Jeff and Carolyn Webber) behind his mother's back sounds like a fake-out to me. I think the person torturing Liz is catfishing Jake and making him think he's talking to his grandparents. I mean, it would be incredibly easy for the person to impersonate grandparents whom he has never interacted with via web-chatting. All this person would have to know is basic info about the family members. This person has already let Liz know they can get in her locker at work (to place her wedding ring), into her home (to place that painting), and now this proves to Liz that the person can get to her children.

Could be, but I would like to see Jeff and Carolyn. Richard Dean Anderson probably won't return, nut we have never seen Liz's parents onscreen together

 

[Daniel Avery]

We only learned Liz's mother's name this week thanks to this plot twist. Liz has been onscreen for 25-ish years and they'd never even said her mother's first name!

I would fall into a fan-girl coma if they were to hire Stephen Schnetzer and Alice Barrett (Cass and Frankie from Another World) for the roles. SS is about the right age for Jeff, and it would be such a treat to see Barrett play someone "less maternal" (bitchier) than Earth-Mother Frankie.

If they do determine that Jake is being cat-fished and the Webbers are not really trying to contact him, then that would be a convenient excuse to dismiss the whole teased plotline of Jeff and/or the wife visiting. And that might be why they decided to write it.

 

[Monzo]

If even Spinelli can't convict Esme, she should consider a career in cyber, because she must be a genius.

I still don't understand how three of the five families could just be wiped out and none of those three families have a successor to rival Sonny and Selina.

I don't get why a smart woman like Selina wants to promote the obviously incompetent Brad in her empire.

Who is Marshall? He seems like the "blood is thicker than water" type to me, so I don't understand why he's so concerned about his foisted grandson TJ.

Ryan will surely kill someone. Harmony will be useless when the truth about Willow comes out, so it might be her. I also see Sasha as a goner, so grieving Brando could take over Jason's job for Sonny.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

The state of this show is sad indeed.

This Sonny/Nina pairing turns my stomach. I get that Sonny and Carly have done lot of damage(to say the least)
but Nina has no self-awareness and no accountability for what she has done to numerous people.
Esme seducing Nicholas? OK I don't like Nick/Ava together anyway.
Liz is boring, no chemistry with Finn. I hope Jeff Weber is coming back, it would be more interesting.
Not a Dante/Sam fan. Never liked Dante's self righteous pompousness.
It looks like Harmony's days are numbered. A shame since her character is becoming more interesting, and unlike Nina, she shows
remorse and self-awareness for her actions.
I like Alexis, but NLG's woke politics have turned me against her.
It has hit the point where I am more supportive of Victor Cassadine (superbly portrayed by Charles S)
than the so-called goodguys. Is his plan for prominence any worse than Sonny's all-encompassing power?
I like the return of Felicia.
I like Marshall, he seems interesting, but why is nobody asking Stella about his "secret?
Book Lyn and Chase have chemistry
Didn't need a Jordan recast, I will miss Shaun
Where is Kristina, I thought she was back.
I like Cameron Mathison, but his character has no direction beyond a plot device.

Robert and Anna have so much history and they belong together
Robert is seriously underused

Isn't it time for a Lucky recast?

 

[Daniel Avery]

If even Spinelli can't convict Esme, she should consider a career in cyber, because she must be a genius.

I've been wondering for some time now: everyone in town has him on speed-dial to do their bidding. Does he send them a bill? 'Cause I would not be doing all that stuff for free.

I still don't understand how three of the five families could just be wiped out and none of those three families have a successor to rival Sonny and Selina.

I remember reading something that explained (weakly) that when Novak and Buschema got blown up in that limo, Sonny and Ms. Wu divided up those"territories" between them. There had been a (weak) plan to introduce Joey Novak as a temporary enemy out for revenge but I think all the backstage upheaval and rewrites with Burton leaving made them drop that plotline (as well as the borderline comic performance of the actor playing Joey) . It is unrealistic that the mob wars would just cease when so many organizations seem not to have any leadership--only Ms. Wu seems to be going to the office every day. Even if they want us to think that Ms. Wu is quietly collecting more and more territory/power, they ought to at least mention it in passing.

It looks like Harmony's days are numbered.

I read a really, really intriguing spoiler/speculation thread someplace about her that I hope comes true. it said that when she moves into Alexis's house, she exhibits knowledge of the layout of the house that she ought not have, since Alexis has never invited her over. We find out that Harmony has been there before--she was the one who killed Neil, Alexis's boyfriend who "died of an overdose" in the bed next to her a few years back. Neil was the one who 'de-programmed' Kristina from the Dawn of Day cult, and Shiloh sent Harmony to the house to kill Neil by injecting him with drugs. If this is true, it makes the whole "Willow is Nina's real daughter" secret pale in comparison.

It has hit the point where I am more supportive of Victor Cassadine (superbly portrayed by Charles S)
than the so-called goodguys. Is his plan for prominence any worse than Sonny's all-encompassing power?

I feel pretty much the same about Victor: a villain with a root-able factor, like old-school Liesl Obrecht. No wonder those two work so well together. He's just so darn smooth. But I think Victor's got a lot more going on than he lets on. Port Charles's recent "heat wave" and his henchman's comments about the "harbor being the wrong temperature" tell me VC's tinkering with Mikkos's old weather machine. His henchmen keep referring to "the cause" in passing, which leads me to think Victor has convinced his underlings that he intends to use the weather machine to improve the planet---not so much "curing climate change" as much as solving world hunger or helping end weather disasters, stuff that gullible people might think he wants to solve. His real intention is of course something akin to world domination, like picking and choosing which groups have terrible weather and which get all the sunshine and bountiful crops.

I like Cameron Mathison, but his character has no direction beyond a plot device.

He started off so well, but his chief plot function now seems to be going from place to place and listening to every other character's problems. He should set up one of those stands like the Peanuts character, "Psychiatric Help, 5 Cents". Only he doesn't need the nickel. At some point I just want him to get tired of listening to Carly's whining about her marriage and yell "Oh, remember me? Locked up and tortured for two years? Mind controlled? Thanks for asking how I'm doing." I'm leaning toward naming him Replason.

 

[Monzo]

I read a really, really intriguing spoiler/speculation thread someplace about her that I hope comes true. it said that when she moves into Alexis's house, she exhibits knowledge of the layout of the house that she ought not have, since Alexis has never invited her over. We find out that Harmony has been there before--she was the one who killed Neil, Alexis's boyfriend who "died of an overdose" in the bed next to her a few years back.

When I read this, I thought this is so fan-fiction, now it is so true. Poor Alexis, further proof of her poor knowledge of human nature.

I'm a little worried about the Esme situation. If this was her endgame it would be a good one, but I think it's just the beginning. GH had great übervillains, but those villains of the season always overstay their welcome, like Nelle, Peter and Shiloh. Cyrus would still be around if Jeff Kober hadn't decided enough is enough. A young actress isn't going to make a decision like that, so I'm sure we'll have to put up with Esme for a long time.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

When I read this, I thought this is so fan-fiction, now it is so true. Poor Alexis, further proof of her poor knowledge of human nature.

I'm a little worried about the Esme situation. If this was her endgame it would be a good one, but I think it's just the beginning. GH had great übervillains, but those villains of the season always overstay their welcome, like Nelle, Peter and Shiloh. Cyrus would still be around if Jeff Kober hadn't decided enough is enough. A young actress isn't going to make a decision like that, so I'm sure we'll have to put up with Esme for a long time.

I think that the young lady who plays Esme is a good actress, it's just that her character is unlikeable, and it is ridiculous that anyone could believe that Trina did this. Not liking the direction for Harmony, I was enjoying the rehab of her character.
Really don't like Sonny/Nina

 

[Daniel Avery]

I guess they felt that they had to make Harmony un-redeemable in the lead-up to revealing she was a baby-snatcher (or at least a baby-switcher). Madeline is no longer around to blame everything on, and of course they can't turn Phyllis into the bad guy. Saint Willow (and to a lesser extent, Nina) will need someone to be mad at. I would not be surprised if they pin more unsavory crimes/mischief on Harmony just to reinforce the idea that she's bad news. I mean, someone had to be helping Ryan manipulate others while he was supposed to be suffering from "locked-in syndrome," and she's been his "aide" for an undetermined period of time. I would not even put it past these writers to attempt to link Harmony and Esme somehow via their shared infatuation (let's call it that...ughhh) with Ryan. Harmony has this history of allowing herself to fall under the sway of cult leaders and manipulative personalities like Cyrus, and lord knows Ryan fits that bill.

I don't believe Esme is any more pregnant than I am.

 

[Monzo]

What do Michael Corinthos and Will Smith have in common? They only punch for love. Although what the reporter said about Jocelyn was worse than Chris Rock's GI Jane joke.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

GH was at its best over the years when it expanded on traditional Soap Opera conventions
and explored it in more detail

The Ice Princess story
Luke as an antihero
The Cassadines as complex family with a backstory
Helena as an wealthy matriarchal female with charm, intelligence, and the will to use her power and resources

Stone with aids and Robin's struggle when she was infected.
The WSB and its doings
Robert Scorpio as a surprisingly fresh, layered James Bond representation
The rise of Sonny Corinthos as a mob boss with mental health issues, way before the Sopranos
Laura' complex interactions with the Webers, Baldwins, Spencers and Cassadines


The show that I watch now feels like a shadow of what it was.

Victor Cassadine is supposed to be the bad guy, and I find myself cheering for him
in part to Charles S awesome portrayal.

I though Shaun was a great character and I am disappointed that he is leaving

Cyrus should have stayed. He was the most formidable adversary to Sonny,
and a Port Charles under Cyrus's thumb could have lead to some fresh stories
with a change in dynamics and new alliances, while Sonny is conficted
about Nina and Carly (which I find sickening)

I never cared for Liz, but bringing her parents on bord could revive the character

 

[Daniel Avery]

Victor Cassadine is supposed to be the bad guy, and I find myself cheering for him
in part to Charles S awesome portrayal.

Perhaps we gravitate to certain villains like Victor because we are bored with the status quo and secretly hope they "win" because it would mean a change from the usual plotting. I know part of what made me love Dr. Obrecht initially was how she gleefully made Robin miserable, since Robin was becoming an insufferable goody-goody. Her warped world view was rather entertaining, especially her "situational pragmatism" where sometimes she saw nothing wrong with killing someone who was in the way.

I like Victor's "selling point" of wanting to reunite the Cassadine family and leverage their power, since we can be sure Nikolas the "Prince" (heir) isn't going to do it, and all the other Cassadines are scattered to the four winds doing their own thing. People forget that the Davis Coven (Alexis, Sam, Molly, and Kristina) are all Cassadines, and lord knows none of them act like it. And for the first time in ages, the "rising villain" of PC isn't mob-related (that is, in direct opposition to Sonny) so we get to see a good-vs.evil plotline that does not involve having to root for the lesser of two evils. I worry that this plotline will lose valuable momentum, though, because Charles Shaughnessy took some time off for hip replacement surgery and his absence from the series should be coming up soon.

 

[Monzo]

Britt should approach her mother to handle Selina. I would love to see a fight between Obrecht and Ms Wu.