JMO

I had to laugh at "pine barrens". They were/are the quintessential dumping grounds from mobsters from the NYC/Long Island area and New Jersey. But for Sonny to drive there from Port Charles would take him the better part of a day. Unless he uses the same space/time warp that allows other Port Charles residents to travel back and forth from Europe in the blink of an eye. If Dex is leaving, I will congratulate the show on keeping his departure secret, just as they did that of Esme. I kind of hope he is leaving, which might be interesting, but I also kind of doubt it.

We have one locally and I don't understand it. Also not thrilled with the idea of being surrounded by people who are good at it.

I don't have any trouble relating to Trina's attitude in grief. She's in her twenties, looking forward to the rest of her life, seeing Spencer in it---and suddenly it's all gone. When you lose someone young, you don't just lose the past, you lose all of the imagined future. I'll cut her a very big break. Is there a reason Sonny's office is in a restaurant that is never open? I'm thinking I must have missed the reasoning on that one. I was glad to see John/Jagger give it to him today, especially after Michael's obsequious behavior with him.

Can't remember how many times the PC police commissionership has rotated among Anna, Robert and Mac. I don't think either of the Scorpio brothers have any love for Sonny, regardless of his relationship with Robin, and I can't figure out why Anna does. Couldn't believe she actually defended him by noting that he is important to so many people. Sure he is. Just like all of the people he's had killed were important to many people. Sheesh. I remember a pre-Sonny Port Charles, and I miss it. I also remember when, during her first stint as police commissioner, Anna broke off her engagement after finding out her fiance was in the mob. I miss that Anna.

While I would have appreciated seeing it on screen, I suspect we were supposed to think Kevin and Esme developed a relationship during the time she and Ace were living with him and Laura.

I thought the cemetery scene with the voiceover eulogy was a creative way to condense the episode. Appreciated Kevin and Liz thinking of Esme, didn't understand Heather's diatribe toward Kevin, but that's Heather. It was good to see Cam. I don't know that he'll be on screen longer than today, but if he is, I hope we'll get more of him with his mother. and his brothers. I applaud WL's focus on his education, but will also applaud if he decides to come back for a longer stint at some point. The teen/young adult generation is pretty underrepresented on GH right now. I'm enjoying Gregory's story much more than I expected to, mostly because it has become about living while dying, and not just about dying. GH (the actor) has been playing his scenes with a deceptively elegant touch. I don't think either ME or JS are quite up to it, but NLG and JE are, which makes me treasure those encounters. It won't surprise me if Finn ends up finding a curable alternative diagnosis, but until or unless that happens, I will appreciate the gift they're giving us.

Loved every scene with Jane Elliot and especially the scenes with Gregory. Gold. I always feel like I've received a gift when she's on screen. As hoke-ily as they got there, I look forward to Anna and Robert teaming up as PC and DA.

I was pleasantly surprised by Martin's philosophically-rendered breakup with Lucy today. For me, he's been more of a caricature than a character, but this showed some real depth. I wonder if the new writing staff might be able to develop Martin a bit more, and give him something substantial to do. No to the Lucy/Scott thing again.

Oh, PTV, where were you when we needed you?! The one bright light for the week is the knowledge that the people who brought us this Esme/Spencer, Carly/Crimson, Drew/Michael, Curtis-in-the-gym-days-after-cutting-edge-spinal-surgery, and Sonny-under-fire dreck are already gone. They have squandered both talent and some promising storyline opportunities and left behind a convoluted mess. Wishing the new crew the best of luck in cleaning it up, and trying to be patient while it happens. Readying the fast-forward button, just in case. I don’t know who Sonny’s shooter is, but I do wish they had better aim. Jane Elliot is a treasure and one of the few reasons to keep watching. She elevates everything, and I suspect the other actors look forward to their scenes with her. Ditto for Genie Francis, who was genuinely moving in showing us Laura’s grief, despite the ridiculous storyline. Bidding a fond farewell to Avery Pohl, who was remarkably adept at keeping us guessing about the true nature of her character, and to Courtney Fulk, whose work as Joss was excellent. I’ll miss them. I was ready to bid farewell to the Clay twins as Ace because I was sure he’d have been SORASed by the time we saw the character again, but I guess we get to hold on to them a bit longer. Wish Ace was with Esme, and not Nicholas. Looking forward to seeing Cam again, intrigued about where they will take Jagger. I think he left during one of my prolonged absences from watching, only remember him with Karen.

I don't quite agree that Esme has been one-note, and I think we saw the potential for some interesting character growth via her relationships with Laura and Alexis. But the writers have failed the character (and the viewers, as I think AP is more than capable) in portraying her in black and white tones, instead of shades of gray. If AP is on her way out, I wish her well, and that she find a setting where the writers will let her showcase her talents. I think the whole Maxie/Spinelli/Cody thing is there to allow Cody to fulfill the familial relationship known only to him (and Dante and Sasha), until John York is back on screen and the revelation of their father/son relationship can be made. I believe the writers are trying to find a way to keep him in the Scorpio orbit until that time. Run, Robert! Run the other way, as far and as fast as your aging legs will take you!!

Ah, the Esme storyline was so close to being interesting. So close....

Ashton.

The Jason/Elizabeth story was sweet at the time, a coming together of two hurt souls, much as happened with the Jason/Robin story. But SB has spent the intervening decades turning Jason into an automaton, and I like Liz too much to wish that upon her. For that matter, I like Liz enough to wish for her a real love story, one with some real romance and excitement, which isn't happening with Finn. Not really into yet another Lucy/Scott redux. Poor Bobbie's gone to her glory, and these two are still playing games. Much more interested in Gregory's relationships with Tracy and Alexis. I originally thought they were crazy to give him ALS, but it's actually working. I hope Anna and Jordan haven't forgotten that the bullet that hit Curtis might not have been aimed at him. HAHAHAHAHA! The entire Ashford clan hovers at Curtis' bedside, waiting....waiting....waiting...for the neurosurgeon from the cutting edge surgery study to show up to do the critical exam that would determine if the surgery has worked----and he pulls out a safety pin, and says, "Can you feel this?" OMG. The sighs of a million neurologists are deafening.

wrong thread

Esme should have gone to her boss, who at least has a background in law. Alexis might have told her that a good lawyer could have gotten her charges dismissed, and then gone after Nicholas for her abduction, and to settle custody of Ace. Honestly, I think most of us could easily make the necessary arguments. They're playing this as though Esme has a split personality, that she's either one thing or the other, but all she really had was memory loss. Now she remembers what came before, but she also remembers what's happened since, and the new relationships and newfound respect she's garnered. They should be writing her accordingly, but they are not. And they are definitely not writing Spencer as understanding this. Laura seems on the fence. Hopefully psychiatrist Kevin will come to the rescue.

That sent me back to Georgie's funeral, and Maxie's skewering of Felicia. Of course, Carly didn't attend.

Thanks, jsbt. I remember the Sarah Brown Carly and loved to hate her (and occasionally to feel sorry for her). Not sure I loved any of the rest, but they were all definitely better than what we've been getting of late. I'm one of those 'women of a certain age' who loved the pathos and relatability of the past, but I understand that things change, and maybe viewers are looking for something different these days. That's why I am grateful for having found vintage episodes online. (Also just discovered the Brit series 'Cranford', which is quite soapy and much more my speed.)

Can you tweak an aging memory by mentioning some of the GH storylines associated with Mulcahey?

BJ was Bobbie's adopted daughter, and the one she got to raise. Carly was her biological daughter, who arrived to Port Charles fully malformed. I never knew Maxie and Carly had any kind of relationship until we were recently told they did. But maybe it happened during one of my extended absences.

When Nina turned around at the door sporting those shades, I was waiting to hear, a la The Terminator, "I'll be back." I don't know how anyone played the rest of that scene with a straight face.

Fascinates me that the writers gave us these episodes within a week of reminding us about how good the show used to be. They could at least have had a character actually shoot themselves in the foot.

Everything to do with this SEC story and everyone involved (except Tracy and Ned) can disappear unlamented from my screen. What a waste to throw Esme (and Nicholas, for that matter) into this ridiculous Ace-on-the-run storyline, when we could have had a much more intriguing story about a young woman trying to reconcile her past and present to find her true identity (with the help of her Uncle Kevin). AP is more than capable. The Finn debacle---they had to bring in an outside expert to make the astute observation that patients don't keep appointments? Uh-huh. Drivel.

There was nothing redeeming in this episode. Idiocy between Nicholas and Spencer. Pointless conversation between Trina and Esme. Mob bosses attempting a touching moment of forgiveness after a botched surrogate murder attempt by one on the other. Incomprehensible approach to handling an overdose. Torturing that poor little baby actor by keeping him smashed against a stranger for nearly the entire episode. I do worry about how quiet he is. Still we should always look for the positive, so---I liked Esme's outfit.

BJ was Tony's lifeline after his wife (and her mother) Tania died. Afterward, he was manipulated into a relationship with Lucy (who cared for BJ), and then married Bobbie. Each of those relationships ended with betrayal, leaving Tony with BJ as his lifeline once again. When he lost her, he spiraled. They were having trouble finding a heart donor for Maxie because she carried the "small p factor". At some point, Tony decided that he and BJ should be tested for it, since they were blood relatives, just to know. Then, one day, he sort of nonchalantly mentioned that the results had come in, and BJ carried the factor, too. My response: "Oh, no! They're going to kill BJ!" And they did.

I think that's Amy under Alan.