JMO

Nice series finale. The older generation has come to a place of detente, and they all seem to realize that they need to model that behavior if they are to have any hope of bringing the family together again. They also--and Amy in particular, to my eye-- looked relaxed, and maybe relieved, now that they won't need to come up with any more artificial situations for the sake of the show. It was good that they were able to openly discuss the status of their relationships with Zach, Tori and their kids; Matt seemed surprised to hear that Amy and Chris haven't been seeing much of them either. Zach and Tori's kids are adorable. I don't see any neglect of Lilah, although I did cringe at seeing her riding in that tractor bucket. I get why they laugh about her, because at this particular age, she is a hoot---putting one blackberry into a large bowl, eating it, and then crying because the bowl was empty. This is toddlerhood, folks. I do remember hearing Zach and Tori talking on their podcast about the difficulty of coming up with interesting "story lines" for the show, and it's possible that Jackson gets more air time because he does more at his age. What I do see is that Zach is unhappy with his extended family situation. He has always loved both his mom and his dad, and the farm, and the life he had there as a boy, and now he's let this situation come between himself and all of that. And I do think he mourns that his kids won't have the same, no matter what he tries to pull off on his property. I hope he will find the maturity, and Tori the grace, to end their isolation. Bad grammar hurts my ears, so I cringed when Amy said this. I also cringed earlier in the show, when Caryn did the same. Like others, I hope we'll get to see Matt's new house, and maybe a few pics of the wedding. I wish them all well, and I thank them for teaching me what it is like to live with dwarfism.

I hope they don't accelerate Gregory's demise too much. There are too many discussions that haven't taken place yet, and I semi-think the current writing team could do them justice. In particular, I would savor Gregory and Tracy talking about living, and aging, and dying, and legacy, preferably not all in the same conversation. There needs to be more with Alexis as well, and with his sons. It's rare to have such a storyline with such a capable set of actors playing it out, and I hope it doesn't get shortchanged.

Re: Danny and Jason, and their somewhat enigmatic (and inexplicable) affinity for one another. For me, it might have been helpful to have had a scene or two between Danny and Rocco talking about their dads, or even just some discussion of Danny wishing he had his own bio dad around, as Rocco does. I hope we'll still get something like that, where he realizes his bio dad usually operates on one side of the law, and his not-quite-stepdad operates on the other. Might make for a good conversation between Dante and Danny about how to love someone while still realizing they're wrong. Ava and Nina were great today. I always feel like the scene is in good hands when either one of them is involved, but getting them both in conflict is a treat. Re: Anna and Molly. It made so little sense to me that I wondered if Robert was originally supposed to have been in those scenes, but maybe TR wasn't available. I do hope there's an explanation, because that version of PC Anna was far less mature, and less in control of herself, than was the version of 40 years ago. And I hope TR is okay, and that we'll get Robert to chime in on the whole situation. His absence is glaring. Maybe he's off fishing with Ned.

This is a great idea, and a good setting to better develop some of the younger characters. There could also be a natural connection back to GH in serving the health needs of youth. They could expand the scope beyond LGBTQA+ to provide services addressing a wider variety of youth and family issues.

It's always been hard to buy into Sonny as a mob boss, because he's situated in upstate New York, not exactly a bastion of mob activity. So, suppose Sonny is brought down and sent away, to a place from which he cannot escape, and where no one can visit him. What will GH be about? Thoughts?

Family therapy would be a great idea, and I hope they'll consider it.

Wow. Tough crowd here. I guess I see things substantially differently from most. First, I recognize that we see only what the participants are willing to show us, save those times when emotions run high and they inadvertently display some anger or resentment that they hadn't intended. Regardless, I think they've done a pretty good job of not letting everything devolve into a sea of bad feelings, perhaps to the dismay of production. I enjoy the Matt/Caryn relationship's ease and supportiveness, even as I remember that it began while Matt was still married and living with his family. No doubt Amy remembers that, too, because the fact of it will never change, even if the rift between her and Matt was already there. As with many other couples, they will likely continue to work on bridging the gap for the sake of their children, but the circumstance of having to film the show is currently awkward in the way that no one else has to contend with. I actually like Amy, and don't get the hate. Yes, she doesn't prioritize neatness, but that was actually a pretty good trait while raising three boys and the pack of their friends who were constantly at the Roloff house. She valued experiences over things, and while some of that would drive me crazy in my own house, I respect it. Sometimes I wish I could get there. Chris is very reserved, in marked contrast with Caryn, which may be why some still feel like his relationship with Amy isn't real or strong. But he's said he loves her and loves having a family, and I have no reason not to believe him. Matt is Matt, just on a lower key, where he's not constantly starting new projects, but is just building his house and his retirement. Amy might actually have gotten along better with this version, and Caryn definitely does. I do think he meant well by creating all of the attractions on his farm, so the boys could play in them, even while he was too limited in mobility to play with them himself. I'm sad for him that he is not seeing the next generation have the same experience. The next generation---Zach and Tori. I don't see them as the incompetents that others do. I see them as a young couple with three special needs kids, who have had their own young experiences with reality TV, and are circumspect about their children's experience. Zach knows a whole lot better than I do what it feels like to grow up as a little person, so I'm going to follow his lead. He had a great time growing up on the farm, and wants to share that with his son, who very obviously adores him. I don't know that Zach will ever get into ballet, but I do think he'll be happy to teach Lilah and Josiah soccer as well. I don't follow their social media, but unless they have said something to the contrary, you can rest assured that their pediatrician and orthopedist are aware of Jackson's bowing, and that there's a plan in place. No need for internet consultation. Same with Lilah's speech. I don't know if they've postponed speech therapy, but I do know that I can understand what she says. Guess I should mention that I'm a pediatrician saying these things. It looks like the show is winding to an end. I enjoyed the beginning and learned something about dwarfism through it, missed a lot of the middle, and now get to wish them all well at the end. PS If Lilah wants to stomp around in her boots, she is more than welcome to. Whatever floats your boat, little one. She's smart. She'll figure it out.

Anna's behaving as though her own meds are being tampered with---or maybe she just needs to start some. Where is Robert when we need him to remind her that she has no authority to assign a prosecutor, nor to decide to bury a citizen's complaint of assault "until I can best make use of it"? Bring my Anna back! But that moment between Cyrus and Dex makes me wonder if Cyrus will find just enough badness remaining in him to do Dex some harm and set Sonny up for it. All made possible by Anna's bad decision to "file" their statements. I'm a rare non-hater of Olivia, and I've always liked the relationship between her and Carly as owners of the MetroCourt, so I'll forgive the bad plotlines leading to its restoration. Ned's absence is increasingly obvious as the wedding of his only child draws near. Looks like WK has been busy on DOOL (Emmy nomination), but it's really bad planning for him to be absent for the most natural storyline he's had in ages.

My fear is this: That the plan is to completely isolate Sonny by having all of Port Charles turn against him (ie, realize how bad he is), leave him with no functional friends nor family (save maybe Ava) and then have it come out that his meds have been sabotaged, thus precipitating a long string of apologies from all the townsfolk before the Port Charles Don graciously bestows forgiveness. Somewhere in between, a special memory-erasing fog is released so that the townsfolk will have forgotten that Sonny's evil ways began long before he arrived in Port Charles.

In general, I think you're on the right track, even if it would mean I would no longer watch (because the 'sounding board' characters are the only ones I'm interested in). I do think that the Tracy/Gregory relationship demonstrates that there are still good stories to be told for the older characters. Same with the elder Quartermaines of the Edward/Lila era. So maybe it's more the quality of storytelling than it is the age and prior histories of the characters. Still, the show does need to plan for the future, which means they need to sort out their under-40 generations. Who will be the strong moral compass? Who the scoundrel? Who the solid relationship, who the star-crossed lovers? With the exception of Trina, who has had a fair amount of development, I'm not sure I've seen enough consistency in character writing to answer any of those questions. Nothing needs to be locked in at this point, but there should be some movement in a direction.

Overall, it seems to this viewer that the new writing team arrived with a vision for the Jason storyline, and many of those in its shadow, a commitment to more in-depth character exploration---and little else. I suspect that's why we're getting some very nice interaction, conversation and even soliloquy (Trina) in each episode. But I suspect it's also why the Jason-related storyline seems to be the only one that is actually advancing. Nothing else feels like it has any kind of an arc, or actual planning. I wonder if they are using the little interludes as a means of themselves getting to know the characters better before they move them forward. One can only hope.

The newly coined "Carly Nightingale" is the best thing to come out of GH today. Thanks for that, @TVbitch! I did enjoy Laura and Kevin. It's always so refreshing to see a mature, supportive relationship portrayed.

Disappointed today, top to bottom.

What I mean by having the writing address it is that, for instance, Stella doesn't need her own storyline about a possible romance with Marshall. Let her appear when her family is featured, or when you want her to perform her role at GH. Sasha could have shown up now and then when Deception was featured without having her own storyline about what to do with her life. Even Felicia, who is a long time favorite for me, didn't need her own "patient advocate" storyline. She could show up for Maxie, or Anna or Robert, as needed, until or unless there's a good, bigger story to be told (like Mac's new found son). Focus on a few stories at a time, maybe slowly advance a character here and there, and change the focus when a story inspires it. I don't know that this would be inconsistent with block taping, but I realize the actors have to be on board with this, and some of them wouldn't be. But many have other jobs and other interests, and are okay with intermittent appearances. Anyway, just a thought.

I'm not convinced that the cast is any larger than it was back in the 80s--and back then, the hospital and Kelly's were also well-stocked with extras. If they downsize, I hope we'll get some extras back, because it's hard to call GH a busy hospital when there is one nurse and one doctor present most of the time, and I don't know how any of the eating/drinking establishments stay open when they have only a table or two filled at a time. I'm wondering if what needs to be culled is the number of storylines. Back in the day, there was a strong cast of intermittently seen characters, some aging out of more hefty roles in the past, and it made sense to see them but not focus on them. They filled specific roles in stories (medical specialist, attorney, social worker, media) and they occasionally got something meatier with a regular, but they didn't merit their own full storylines. What we see now is that everyone gets a storyline, but that storyline may not be revisited for days or weeks at a time. Writing can solve that. Too much culling may create its own problems.

Wasn't quick enough with the remote and caught part of an ad for "What Would You Do?" during Friday's episode. The situation: "What would you do if you overheard a music manager harassing their client?" A situation directly from GH, or vice versa.

What I like the most about the new writing team is that they are finding the drama in the characters, rather than in silly plot devices. Tracy, and her birthday loneliness. Maxie and her fondness for the Nina who used to be. Gregory, who has entered into the anger stage of his grief. Even the Heather story---once upon a time it would have been solely about "is she or isn't she", waiting for the shoe to drop. But here, it's about two respected professionals disagreeing on her care, each for a legitimate reason. People are fascinating, and life is drama, and I'm glad these writers realize that.

You just mixed up the names for Aiden and Jake. Jake is the middle son, who doesn't resemble the other three, and whose parents are Elizabeth and Jason. Aiden is the third son, the baker, who is gay and his parents are Elizabeth and Lucky. I'm with you. I wish they would wear name tags, and with an on-screen annotation about who is related to whom and how.

I'll admit that I find the whole Pikeman thing confusing. Are we to think that the entire WSB has gone rogue since Frisco was outed? Or are Brennan/Val simply heading a rogue faction? Or is Val still a good guy, assigned to play the role of the rogue? I suspect the writers still have a lot of leeway there. Who set fire to Anna's house, and why? If the WSB needs to be cleaned out, might we see Frisco again? I would be okay with a recast, if KW and JW would find it hard to work together. But bringing Frisco back would provide an interesting storyline for Felicia, Maxie and Mac. If Sonny wasn't going to do business with Pikeman, who did they have next in line? Is that where Ava comes in? If so, I could see a plot line where arms are being transported as art, and Trina inadvertently finds out.... And I have inadvertently devolved into fanfiction, so I'll stop. But it's been a long time since GH has stimulated my imagination in any way, and I will thank the new writing team for having it do so now. (There's still nothing about Sonny, Carly or Jason that stimulates me in any way, however.)

Since it looks like the new writing team would be up to it, I think it might be nice to bring Monica back for a retirement event, and then let her set sail on that around-the-world cruise she's always wanted to take. It would be nice to honor a long time character and actress while they are still here to enjoy it, and it could be a great way to revisit some history and maybe launch a story or two from it. By the way, has anyone seen Ned?

Tristan's voice has been in and out for a few months now, and a couple of times it's been as thin as it was today. But then he looked and sounded strong just an appearance or two ago, when Robert was dining with Diane, so who knows? He's definitely slowed down a bit, but then, he hasn't been given all that much to work with. As to his character----I was wondering why we hadn't seen the DA when his office was prosecuting such a high profile case, and why the DA and the PC hadn't spoken together about it. Now I'm going to wonder when or if Anna will tell Robert about what Jason told her. The last thing she should foist upon her ex-husband is a wrongful murder prosecution.

The graveyard scene felt odd to me at first, but I realized that it was only because it was taking place weeks later than it should have, and thus felt a little disconnected. But if it gave us a sample of what we have to look forward to with the new team, I'm all for it. The quality of the writing was excellent, and I agree that TA showed real depth with it. Looking forward to more, with a greater number of characters, and more seamlessly woven into the overall arc.

Can't help but wonder if the strife between Lucy and her partners will end up with her moving to The Invader. Might be a good fit for her, and she did write that tell-all book back in the day.

Somebody please get Jane Elliot some better material than she's had the past few days, before she dies of boredom. Where's Gregory when you need him? Interesting dynamic unfolding between Laura and Heather. I wonder where they are taking us. Also, I really like the way GF and JL portray a strong, mature marriage. Theirs feels like a true partnership.

They definitely need new blood. Right now, everybody is related to everybody, hence my constant need for clarification on which kids are siblings, half-siblings, step-siblings, first, second and third cousins. Who can genetically be in a relationship, and who can not? The tendency to bring a new character onto the canvas and then retcon them into a biological relationship with existing characters doesn't solve anything. It only compounds the situation.