JMO

Some stories are dragged out over months, and here we have a paternity reveal, kidnapping and recovery all in under two weeks time. Just when I was gearing up for a good Scorpio adventure. Sigh. The embrace between Robert and Sasha would have been more impactful if: a) they had ever spent more than five minutes in a room together; and b) she'd been missing for more than a day. Not enough relationship established for a good payoff. The scenes between Alexis and Olivia were well done, with a touch of restraint lain over their grief. Did we ever see them interacting as members of Dante and Sam's family? Also, I think we need to see Ned here soon. He and Alexis were married, after all, and they are connected through their children/stepchildren. Best of the day for me were Tracy and Cody. She perfectly embodied my reaction to the Robert paternity revelation, and to Cody letting Drew have it.

And who killed Austin? And will Sonny not be prosecuted for beating Cyrus? Will no one stand trial for killing Jagger? This is the thing. If the writers are free to just drop storylines whenever it's convenient for them---or, rather, when it's inconvenient to resolve them---why should I become invested in anything at all? Just really poorly done, and unprofessional on the part of the showrunner to allow these things to happen.

Agreed, NLG has been outstanding, and I suspect nearly all of what we've seen----sobbing, breathlessness, near exhaustion---has been because of her acting choices. Just remarkable, to the point where she even looks dehydrated from losing all those tears. She even made Sonny tolerable today. I was looking forward to Robert and Anna working together, with or without Holly, but it doesn't look promising. The "our daughter" thing just rings hollow. Carly can have an opinion about Lucas and Brad. But it should be kept entirely to herself, just like all of her other opinions.

Do we know for sure that Cody and Sasha haven't slept together? We could have a WTD double whammy.

So many things today... Kristina not wanting her sister "cut open", days after a major surgery. Not wanting an autopsy despite demanding to know what happened. Both overdone tropes, but I guess someone had to say them. Moving to the chapel and arguing with God. KM did a good job, given that she was saddled with the dialogue. But what I think the writers don't understand is that these kinds of scenes only have real impact when they represent a disruption of an established relationship, which is to say that the character involved needs a history of being religious or praying in some way. Many people remember the scene from West Wing where Bartlet lets loose, but that scene was only impactful because Barlet's faith life had already been a thread running throughout. Molly and TJ are acting like acquaintances, rather than like a couple, and I don't understand the point of it, nor of them. I applaud Sasha for delivering some truth bombs to Willow, even as she held back some new, crucial information herself. As to the rest....eewwww. More anvils about Holly being Robert's true love, and I don't appreciate them. Does anyone else think that Diane's hair looks like a wig? KW looked like she'd been through something in that short scene with Alexis, and I'm drawn to wonder the toll it takes on her to play the death of a child, both in character and in real life. If they play this Sidwell/Sasha thing out without heavy involvement of Robert, I think I will need to be done.

I actually enjoyed Robert's romance with Katherine. He was like a fish out of water, for the first time dating someone who wasn't a spy or trying to pull a con. It's my understanding that the actress wanted to leave, which ended the duo. Still, my favorite pairing for him is with Anna, even if it's not a romance. A deep affection can be nearly as powerful, and sometimes more so----but it has to be written for, and it has to be on screen, neither of which have been happening. I agree that he lights up with Diane these days, but I can't help but wonder if what we're seeing is his glee at finally getting screen time. ☺️

I feel the same. You may be right about why we haven't had a romance between Anna and Robert again. It may be the difference in their contract status (which could be remedied), it could be that the difference in their ages is more visible now. Still I would have liked it. At the very least, I would have liked more frequent interaction between them, maybe a caper or three. Robert's absence from Anna's life was glaring in the aftermath of her shooting Charlotte, then her misguided alliance with Jason (and the charging of Sonny for beating Cyrus, which I guess we're all forgetting about), her running off to find Lucky. Maybe TR wasn't up to it, but the storyline begged for it. If Sidwell comes for Sasha, maybe we'll get one more Scorpio adventure. I'd love to see Robert, Anna, Mac, Felicia and Cody working together. I guess we can include Holly, too.

All around good performances today, to the point where I could forget for a moment that I'd known this was coming and actually relate to the shock of the unexpected. NLG, GF and FC (Rocco) stood out for me. Robert and Holly. I really hope there is not a plan for them to ride off into the sunset together. How can Holly profess her undying love and her fear that he might not return it, when the only reason she came back to PC was because she was ushered on to that WSB jet with the others, and the only reason she told Robert about Sasha was Sasha's relationship with Cody? She didn't come back for Robert, and she had no intention of being honest with him. Don't fall for it, Robert! Bring Anna back to slap him upside the head and knock some sense back into him.

An air embolism. I like this idea. I also remember that Sam didn't initially get tested because she had "a cold". So a post-Covid clot would also do. But the air embolism after diving is much more soapy.

I've been watching the older episodes on the ROKU channel, too. They're only six years old, but I was almost entirely fast-forwarding at that point, or deleting episodes entirely, so a lot of it is new to me. I am struck by how exquisitely creepy Jon Lindstrom makes Ryan Chamberlain. It reminds me of the time he was stalking Felicia way back when. I didn't care for the later, crazier version of Ryan, but this one is delicious. I'm also struck by the younger actors playing out Oscar's terminal illness. They really handled these stories so much better, even just a relatively short time ago.

First, I want to acknowledge your losses and say that I'm very sorry. Glad you followed NLG's advice in that case. Re: Robert and Holly---I do wonder if it's part of a Robert exit story. There are loads of 80s GH fans who loved their pairing, though I was always 'blah' about it. I get that TR has gotten somewhat frail and may not be able to handle a heavy story line at this point. Maybe he wants a relatively happy ending for his character. But I'd hate to see Robert leave town right after learning that he has another daughter. It would just contribute to the inanity of Sasha's newly minted origin story.

Still rooting for Shannon at the end of the season, and still hoping for her to realize that the only person who can bring her fulfillment is herself. She seems fun to know and, to my eye, even a lot of her drama is self-deprecating and more than a little bit funny. Although it sounds like some find her storyline more boring, for me that's part of what makes Gina more relatable. She's neither wealthy nor faux-wealthy, she has real life problems to deal with, and she handles them with as much humor as she can muster. She seems pretty low-maintenance in the friendship department, and I wouldn't mind including her into my circle. Emily is a mix. She's going to need to curb the liquor, not only for her health, but because she passes quickly through the funny stage and into the mean, and the mean seems to stick around even when she's sober. Still, I like her friendship with Gina, which is the only genuine one on screen. Re: the babysitter thing---Emily does not have an 'inside' voice. Of course her kids have heard her talk about Heather. Who, in fact, can be mean. Heather. I don't think I've ever heard her curse as much as she has this season, and I'm not sure why it happened. Generally, I tend to overlook her snobbery and focus on her attempts to maintain order among the rest, but we didn't see as much of that this year. Maybe it was the manufactured feud with Katie. Katie. I just don't know about her. At times she seems innocuous, but too often there have been hints that she's good at stirring the pot, and she doesn't mind upsetting people. I just don't trust her yet. Tamra remains her own worst enemy, as she does her damnedest to be everyone else's worst enemy as well. Just not attractive, and in contrast to the others, there are no redeeming factors. Past time to go. Jenn. Sweet, pathetic, dependent Jenn. It's awful that there are so many children involved in this mess. Ryan gives off Brooks vibes. Alexis and Johnny J are too unskilled in hiding their manipulativeness. Vicki was fine in small doses. It was good to see Jo again, and she is living proof that there can be fulfilling life after RHOC.

I had no idea about the Zenon character either, but now that the connection has been pointed out, integrating the Maxie/Spinelli family scenes into the episode makes more sense. Unlike the Robert/Holly scenes, which really didn't belong, these family scenes were apparently really just "fluff" designed to give us a break from the high drama of Sam's death, and not there to move the plot forward. And I agree that Georgie looks completely like her namesake. The hairstyle didn't hurt in that regard.

Reaction to the reactions: I actually thought Drew's immediate reaction was the most realistic, because he had to spend several seconds trying to make sense of the words that had just been said to him. But after that, he moved too quickly into reminiscing. No one goes from completely stunned to acceptance that quickly. I thought it was well done that Danny read the look on Jason's face and knew immediately that something was gravely wrong. I agree with others that the Laura/Rocco scenes were excellent, and Rocco (sorry, too many kid actors, I don't know their names yet) delivered. I thought the dialogue was particularly well written. No surprise that DZ hit the right notes with Dante's scenes, especially in the hospital room. For me, the Dante/Sam relationship has never been particularly flashy, but rather boringly solid, like most relationships. Which means he will mourn deeply. NLG's portrayal of Alexis hitting that wall of numbness after grief, yet meeting her maternal responsibilities was spot on. I thought Molly's stunned silence was a more realistic reaction than Kristina's. Watching Molly get excited for Sam about the engagement and then immediately remembering the circumstance was heart-rending. Many soaps will devote the entire episode to a major event like this one, and I wish GH had. As much as I love Robert Scorpio, I could have waited until Monday to see him with Holly. And please, show, do not send him off into the sunset with her.

I think that the act of crossing oneself has been appropriated by the general public as a means of asking for divine intervention, hence the many athletes who employ it. Similarly, the rosary, which seemed to be a fashion statement for a while. Funny that none of the other fashion from the nunnery took root.

You're right. I meant Spencer. NAC's name always messes me up.

I was struck by how alone Alexis is. She was literally alone at the hospital, and apart from her two immature, dysfunctional daughters, there is no one else prominent in her life. They've sent Finn off, Gregory and Nicholas are dead, Valentin is (hopefully permanently) on the run. Who else is left? Diane? Sonny? Who will grieve with her, and support her? Maybe Ned can lend a shoulder. I'm still mad they killed off Gregory, for both Alexis' and Tracy's sake.

Disappointed in the tired soap trope that is the Drew/Willow/Michael/Sasha storyline. I don't find any of them sympathetic for their involvement in the affairs, even if I am sympathetic with Sasha over her relationship with Cody---which plot is at least a little bit original, if also preposterous. I was glad KM's last exchanges were with NLG. Actually wondered if NLG had demanded requested it, so she could be a supportive scene partner. If the little one who plays Scout is up to it, we could have some legitimate emotional scenes coming up. A rare unforced error by Dante not to realize that Rocco would have feelings about his dad marrying again, especially since they are all currently so caught up in saving his mother's life. I really like Maxie. Wish I could see her eyes.

Tracy's scheming with Ned is a bit of a return to her roots. I can't help but think it would be a much more interesting return if she had someone like Gregory, more familiar with a kinder and gentler Tracy, to throw her into a degree of existential crisis over it. Loved the scenes between Mac and Cody, but I feel cheated at not seeing Mac find out, nor a scene between Mac and Robert. I wish I'd been able to watch the Dante/Sam proposal scene without already being aware of Sam's fate. Can't get to the same degree of emotional investment when I know the story will be short lived. Still finding DZ's Dante to be one of the most believable characters on screen at the moment, even when not the most dynamic. Glad Lucky at least found a comb. Will never understand why his kind of hair style is a choice, and not a punishment.

I'm totally confused. Doesn't it get messy if you don't drink by bringing the glass to your mouth?

GH puzzles me in this regard. Every so often, they seem to want to do a story about a societal injustice, including racism. They bring up the issue, but then don’t really address it in any depth with storyline. The last time I remember was about Marshall’s psychiatric mistreatment decades earlier, when he learned he’d been misdiagnosed. There was all sorts of room for exploring how characters of vastly different backgrounds might have understood it, how some might come to see it with new eyes, whether there’s any justice to be found in the present, etc. Instead, the issue was raised, minimally discussed (and only among Marshall’s family), then Kevin issued a formal apology and a many-minutes-long information dump, and it was over, never to be heard of again. I’m not really complaining. It's okay if GH isn’t a show about real societal issues. I get that it’s a show that has a loose relationship with reality, period. What I don’t get is why they repeatedly decide to dip their toe into the waters and then go scurrying away.

Once upon a time, I'd hoped she would return for Monica's retirement, so she could enjoy the accolades in character. Now I guess I'll hope that we get a story about Monica's death, which would bring all of the same accolades, and LC could enjoy them in the comfort of her own home. She is such an enduring and important part of GH history, she deserves it. Soon, show. Soon.

This is why I think it's so ridiculous that the show feels a need to anchor each new character to an existing family, especially when it's so unnecessary. I hope each household has some kind of family tree chart so that, lying mothers and missing fathers aside, they can try to avoid getting into a relationship with a relative. I love Robert Scorpio, and I love how Tristan Rogers plays him. He is always in character, always uniquely himself. So many of the other actors seem interchangeable to me, as though they could exchange roles and still read their lines, and I might not notice much difference. But Robert is always uniquely Robert, with just the right amount of twinkle in his eye, the right amount of cynicism or wry observation in his voice, the perfect amount of righteous indignation when it's called for, and just the right hint of vulnerability when it's warranted. I love that he's getting some focus, even while I hate the storyline. TR is irreplaceable. I've never been a huge fan of Sam, but I also don't like injustice, and it sounds like that may be what's been perpetrated with KM. For that reason, I'm sorry to see her go. I hope her fellow cast members are up to making her exit a worthy one.

I wonder about the disconnect between what the showrunners think are the demographics of their viewers versus the actuality. Sure seems like there are a lot of us who were watching way back when, and are still here to call out their attempts at retconning. Per Deadline in January 2024, our average age is 68!

I would have been happy with Tracy having a May-December romance with Finn. But with Cody, it would be more like a "two years ago January-December" romance, and it just wouldn't feel right to me.