ladybug

I wonder if MW had Betty's death planned from the start?

Along with the Karofsky bullying/attempted suicide arc, I always thought that the Burt & Kurt relationship was the best thing the show ever did. This might be because the writers had first hand experience with the issues at hand (I read one interview with RM that the Karofsky character was actually based on someone he knew of IRL) but also because, IMVHO, Mike O'Malley, Chris and Max were among the strongest actors on the show so they had the chops to carry those storylines. When I think of how well they handled those storylines, it makes it more disappointing with how they handled other storylines/characters. Especially when they turned the show into a glorified After School Special (Becky brings a gun to school!). I realize the story wasn't everyone's cup of tea, but re-watching the Karofsky storyline-especially the scene with Kurt in the hospital-it still drew me in & still had an emotional resonance with me. It was my favorite story arc of the entire series. I only wished that could have brought the same nuance and complexity they brought to that story arc to every "important issue" storyline on Glee.

Thank you so much for the info!

This is painful for me to say, because I use to think TC was all that and a bag of chips back in the day, but I wouldn't miss him if he left GH. When I first started watching GH, TC was one of my favorite actors on the show, due to various factors: 1). I think TC's acting WAS better years ago, while he occassionally still 'brings it' it is few & far between. 2). I think part of the reason TC's acting was better back in the day is probably due in part to working with SN, TG, GF, JJ-without actors of those caliber around, his acting suffers, IMO. 3). HIs storyline was much more interesting & the writing on the show was better. Looking back, I realize that I was much more enamored with the character than the actor. It's maddening to realize that three of the highest actors (excluding TG) in GH (MB, SBu-before he left, TC)were, IMO the three most overrated actors on the show; while good, underrated actors like SN, SD, BW either got their walking papers after decades on the show, or absolutely craptacular character assasination "storylines." Even then, those actors did their best to bring some nuance & emotion to the horrible stories they were given.

For those of you who watched GH during the infamous A.J. kidnapping Mykill and shooting Alan era; what was the reaction of the Soap press/bloggers to that storyline? I'm assuming that fan groups like the NOLers thought Sonny could do no wrong, and A.J. was the root of all evil. What about the majority of fans? What about the Soap press? Did they see that storyline as ridiculous and offensive to the characterization of A.J? From what I read on TWOP/watched on youtube, pretty much the only thing good that came out of that storyline was BW's acting, Skye's eulogy, and Alan confronting Sonny & his family over how they treated A.J. over the years (when everyone thought A.J. was dead for the first time).

Assuming A.J. is dead and not 'dead': Sonny is tried & convicted of 1st degree murder and is wisked off to jail. Carly is convicted for covering up the murder. The entire town shuns them. Michael disowns Sonny & Carly completely and legally changes his name to Alan James Quartermaine III in honor of his father & grandfather. He and Monica grow closer. Morgan, disgusted by his parents' behavior moves to wherever Jax & Josslyn live. A new Quartermaine shows up at the front door, she's the daughter of A.J. and Keesha from way back when. There's no "almost incest" between the newly christened Alan & his half-sister. They know right from the start that they are siblings. Monica gets a granddaughter to dote on. Side note: I'm a little bit iffy on this part of my ret-con, I hate that A.J. missed out on a chance to parent both of his kids. On the other hand, I love giving Monica a granddaughter & another connection to A.J. Jason (now aptly played by a differed actor) regains his Q memories and his moral compass & backbone. He truly feels absolutely disgusted & remorseful over what he did-not only to A.J. but as part of the mob. He willingly turns state's evidence against Sonny, but also does jail time for his mob crimes. Alternatives: Monica kills Sonny and disposes the body off the coast of Bolivia. It's declared justifiable homicide. When she's back home, her entire family has a big party for her-complete with a cake. Everyone had a blast-even Tracy! Okay, not exactly "Mad Men" or "Breaking Bad" level storytelling, but I so want Sonny to actually pay for his crimes & for the Quartermaines to have some good luck happen to them after all the stuff they've been through.

Just wanted to say thanks for this thread! It's manna from snark heaven. I just discovered the soon-to-be-RIP TWOP GH forum a week ago, and I didn't realize that I wasn't the only person who can't stand the unholy trinity of doom.

The point of no-return for me? The Opie Opus/destruction of A.J. and the Saint Jason & Sonny cult. I actually started watching GH around the time Carly was having her mental breakdown after giving birth, Tony was having his mental breakdown, Nikolas was recovering from getting shot (in front of Sonny & Luke's club-IIRC)-and I was hooked, although obsessed was probably more like it....;) Then we had the year from hell when Jason keeps A.J. from his son AND when A.J. finally is told that he's Michael's dad, just about everyone (with the exception of Alan-RIP) acting as if JASON is the f@ing victim and A.J. is the bad guy! Two things wrong with this: one the whole A.J. finds out the baby is his storyline took way too long to reveal, especially when the audience already knows he's the dad. Second, I absolutely hated how Monica, Emily and Lila acted as if what Jason did was somehow okay. So, a brain-damaged mobster, KNOWINGLY lied to his brother and prevented his own nephew from knowing his dad-and this is somehow okay? Then came the whole A.J. character assasination plot. Seriously, did Billy Warlock run over Guza's dog? Because that was seriously messed up. The whole baby Michael always cries around A.J. pissed me off to no end. I only watched GH occassionally at this point, mostly because this storyline was so unbearable, and most of their other storylines (Jax & V, Hannah, Sonny) bored me. I hardly watched GH during the infamous Meathook years. Not only had Guza taken one of the more complex characters on the canvas and reduced him to a cartoon villian, but I hated how not only did Sonny & Jason get away with everything, seemingly everyone in P.C. was on their side AND worst of all, the writers clearly wanted the audience to be on their side as well. It only had the opposite effect on me, the more they tried to turn A.J. into a 'bad guy' the more I rooted for him. The more they tried to turn Sonny, Jason & Carly into the bestperfecttrioofparentsandpeopleanywhere! the more I disliked them, I stopped watching GH completely after that point. I started watching some clips recently on youtube, mostly of Quartermaine scenes/AJ's return. I have no idea who half of the characters are on the show right now. With the latest A.J. murder, I'm probably not going to check it out again-until Sonny is either behind bars or at the bottom of the ocean.