Episode Discussion II: The TFGH

[threebluestars]

Yeah, I don't know why so many of the "return of an old favourite character" story lines involve them being held captive. Can't someone just return to town like a normal freaking person?! It's so overdone and lazy.

I actually think it would've been better to see Lucky turn up at Laura's or Liz's saying he heard about Lulu.

That being said ... I think I'd die laughing if we hear gunfire, and Holly and Ethan show up and are like "Your sister's in trouble, we have to go!" and that's that.

[tessaray]

I actually liked today's show. True, the dialog was clumsy in more than one scene and Lois/Gio was so out of place but everything else was soapy.  At least they put a spin on Lucky being a hostage and the new guy doctor had good friend energy with JJ. I mean, he got to slug Lucky for being a Spencer idiot - who hasn't wanted to do that? Yay, new guy. 🙂

The only thing that brought it down was Robert and Anna. Anna for being her normal 2020s self and Robert for being so thin and frail. 😓

Eta: I still loved seeing TR. I'm only depressed about the inexorable march of time. 

Edited August 26 by tessaray

[Desperado]

I was curious about JJ’s return so I returned to the show and wasn’t a fan of his acting today or the greasy hair or the too similar “Drew is a prisoner” rehash.

I did like the friend/doctor though and his exasperation w/ Lucky. 

Also of note, the battle of the blue eyes (Jason/Brennan).

Oh my, Tristan. Wishing him all the best…

[dubbel zout]

4 minutes ago, Desperado said:

Oh my, Tristan. Wishing him all the best…

He sounded a lot stronger than he has in the past, so maybe he got some treatment or something. TR is 78, btw.

[threebluestars]

32 minutes ago, tessaray said:

I actually liked today's show. True, the dialog was clumsy in more than one scene and Lois/Gio was so out of place but everything else was soapy. 

 

I really liked Gio today for some reason. Maybe he just plays well with Rena Sofer, but I found he seemed more his age - he's come off super young to me in the past, and today was way better.

[Bringonthedrama]

25 minutes ago, tessaray said:

I actually liked today's show. True, the dialog was clumsy in more than one scene and Lois/Gio was so out of place but everything else was soapy.  At least they put a spin on Lucky being a hostage and the new guy doctor had good friend energy with JJ. I mean, he got to slug Lucky for being a Spencer idiot - who hasn't wanted to do that? Yay, new guy. 🙂

The only thing that brought it down was Robert and Anna. Anna for being her normal 2020s self and Robert for being so thin and frail. 😓

I liked it too aside from the Lois scenes and that yet another man who's been places and done things outside of New York (so he's met plenty of women in life) wants to be in Port Charles and is interested in pursuing Carly. I thought it was crap when worldly Jax "fell in love" with Carly and I think it's crap now with Brennan.

I liked that Robert can still "read" Anna better than she realizes and is clearly disappointed in her for being at all still invested in Valentin. I agree it's sad to see TR looking so frail. 

[JMO]

Putting my Nancy Drew skills to work to conclude that TR has not been well enough to be on screen for the past number of months, and I realize that he is aging.  That may not bode well for us having Robert for the long term.  If that's the case, and given that he's clearly still capable of delivering a zinger or two, I hope the writers will give Robert a front line farewell story.  Maybe a Robin sighting, and definitely a legitimate reason for some Anna tears.

I don't think I was watching much when Brook Lynn was young, so I'm in the dark about why she is so pensive.  Don't have any idea why we're getting the Lois accent drama, unless it's to introduce the dialogue coach.  Feels like filler material.  And, demonstrative that there are too many little subplots on this show right now (or my failing memory), I'd completely forgotten about Gio.  

But, thankfully, there is now something for Tracy to do!  I'm looking forward to some meatier material for JE, and everyone else, in the Lulu story.  In many ways, even though I'm a JJ fan, I'm looking forward to this story more.

Seems ironic that so many recent impactful scenes (Laura, Dante, Maxie, Tracy) have taken place with the actor playing against an arm.

[TVbitch]

So Lucky got captured purposely, as a "job audition" for some baddies, as a ruse to save his colleague who got captured previously. Why do we need this? It does not absolve Lucky of his absentee father stuff, but I guess if it brings a new doctor to the hospital, that could be good. 

Gio comes off as a puppy dog kind of guy. Cam was super nice too, but he had enough "adult male" gravitas that I could understand Joss or Trina being into him. This guy seems to young and innocent for both of them. 

Nooooo, who thought we needed a Lois front and center story?! Lois has no impact and at best should be in the background only! 

 

[Grinaldi]

I don't know if Lucky will be enough to bring me back to the show. But doing a story with Laura, Tracy, Dante and Liz involved makes me a lot more invested.

I still think the best thing would be to explain his absence with him being in medical school and have him take on a little of the Steve Hardy role on the canvas lost when Patrick left. But I will take him back in whatever form at this point.

I agree we've had too many "held captive" stories. Drew made sense since it tied into the Victor story.  But it's been done to death as a trope. This does seem to be zagging from that at least.

Kind of just watching the Spenser stuff right now. I'm not hating it. I agree he needs a shampoo and hot oil treatment but hating a Spenser man's hair isn't exactly an unfamiliar position. (I was here for Luke's perm years, y'all)

[tessaray]

49 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

Nooooo, who thought we needed a Lois front and center story?! Lois has no impact and at best should be in the background only! 

They need to put Lois's scenes on Molly, Kristina and Sonny days so I can ff most of it. 

Not that I begrudge Lois a storyline but as much as I like Rena, I don't want to watch her as Eliza Doolittle. 

[Cheyanne11]

The only part of the Brennan/Carly/Jason scenes I liked:

"I'll call you"

"Don't."

"Fine, text."

Other than that the ridiculous canon that every man has to be attracted to Carly got old 20 years ago.  

1 hour ago, TVbitch said:

So Lucky got captured purposely, as a "job audition" for some baddies, as a ruse to save his colleague who got captured previously. Why do we need this? It does not absolve Lucky of his absentee father stuff,

There seems to be the need to really hammer it home that Lucky is his father's son.  I more than half expect him to call Aiden 'cowboy' when he gets back to PC.

 

[Artsda]

Loved Tracy at Lulu bedside.  Laura was the one who wasn't there.  Heck I'll take even Carly at her bedside more than Liz and Laura. It would be soapy for them to fight over treatment. 

Has Ethan's name been mentioned? 

Brooklyn telling Chase about Lulu's abortion seemed out of place and not her business. 

Fine, I'll text. Lol that was actually a funny line. 

I miss temp Sam. 

 

 

[graight]

Takeaways from today's episode:

Jason and Carly need to break up.

Violet needs to pay a visit or 10 to Kevin.

Lois needs to hire Prof. Henry Higgins.

Tracy needs to be my grandma.

Lucky needs to wash his hair.

Isaiah needs to pay me a house call.

 

[tessaray]

4 hours ago, Artsda said:

Brooklyn telling Chase about Lulu's abortion seemed out of place and not her business. 

About that - it struck me that way too, at first. But I think it was clunky dialog to show how much Tracy cared about Lulu, in spite of the fact that she terminated her pregnancy. That Lulu's wellbeing was Tracy's primary concern and not a potential grandchild. (Or her son's feelings about it. Not that I remember all that much about SC's Dillon.)

Edited August 27 by tessaray

[sashabear21]

Anyone else think it's a little tacky that they're giving Lulu cirrhosis as way to bring Lucky back and are all "maybe Nicholas can give her part of his liver!" when the original Nicholas actor died due to alcoholism?  I mean I doubt the writers really put that much thought into it and I'm fine being on Ick Island as a party of one, but it seems like there were about 1,000 other ways they could have brought back Lulu and Lucky.  

JE was fantastic today; she can convey more emotion in one look than a lot of actors can with pages of emotional dialogue. 

The whole Lois wanting to makeover her accent and nails is really out of place. Have the writers even been to Brooklyn in the past 2 decades? 

[Desperado]

16 minutes ago, sashabear21 said:

Anyone else think it's a little tacky that they're giving Lulu cirrhosis as way to bring Lucky back and are all "maybe Nicholas can give her part of his liver!" when the original Nicholas actor died due to alcoholism?  I mean I doubt the writers really put that much thought into it and I'm fine being on Ick Island as a party of one, but it seems like there were about 1,000 other ways they could have brought back Lulu and Lucky.  

I hadn’t thought about this at all, but it could be because I don’t think about the show much anymore.

I think the writers and FV are pretty oblivious in general and didn’t think further than “you can be a living donor of a liver, what can make you need a liver?”.

Because Nik is no longer played by the original actor, I don’t know why they’re going that route though as they can’t use flashbacks and for those who remember the origin story, it deeply reminds us of the loss of TC.

Maybe someone else will be the donor but I just wish they would’ve just simply woken up Lulu which would’ve been dramatic enough.

 

[Bringonthedrama]

17 minutes ago, sashabear21 said:

Anyone else think it's a little tacky that they're giving Lulu cirrhosis as way to bring Lucky back and are all "maybe Nicholas can give her part of his liver!" when the original Nicholas actor died due to alcoholism? 

I doubt the optics of this are a concern because TC died of asphyxia while intoxicated, not cirrhosis. 

[KerleyQ]

Maybe I'm just too used to Lois, but is her accent really that bad and over the top?  I mean, she's hardly The Nanny or Janice from Friends. 

[ljr]

There are posts about Sam being killed off. Kelly Monaco has been fired . 
Who would kill Sam? GH just killed off mollys daughter and now they want to kill Sam?  I don’t want to watch Alexis, Molly , Kristina and Sam’s children mourn Sam.

Edited August 27 by ljr

[ciarra]

Am I really supposed to believe that pint-sized Lucky was able to take out 7 baddies single handedly?  Ridiculous. 

[mostlylurking]

I thought it was funny how Laura had pictures of Ace for Nikolas in her phone.  Take a swing by Walgreens and print some out for the guy!

I liked the scenes with Dante and Tracy.

Also when Dex and Molly were talking I was like “oh right they had the one night stand a while back”….then I remember that was actually Brando, not Dex!  This is how bloated and superfluous some of these characters have gotten.

[CeChase]

4 hours ago, KerleyQ said:

Maybe I'm just too used to Lois, but is her accent really that bad and over the top?  I mean, she's hardly The Nanny or Janice from Friends. 

Really?  I put her on Nanny level personally.  

[Desperado]

Jane Elliott shines again. Really nice to see her character having a grown up conversation with Dante. I wasn’t watching at the time but nice to have D. acknowledge that he left Lulu of his own free will. Will mean more when he loses Sam.

Ah, here’s Carly being insufferable again. Same old… Her character is so superfluous when you get her away from Jason/Sonny.

[statsgirl]

The show treats Carly like a saint, here she is volunteering to be a donor. Why didn't she volunteer years ago after Joss recovered if she was so grateful and so aware of the need?

IIRC, Dante was afraid of murdering Lulu and the kids in a PTSD fugue. That's a good reason for leaving and getting treatment elsewhere.

I there a rule that Dex needs to be shirtless every X episodes? Cause it's not really making me see him as a real boy more.

[Bringonthedrama]

Carly: "Spencers stick together." Really? You only started using the name after multiple divorces. You always treated your cousin Lucky like crap if you even acknowledged his existence, and you paid BLQ to seduce Dante away from your other cousin Lulu, Lucky's sister because you were pissed off.

Line of the day goes to Alexis, in response to Ric saying he has an appointment: "With Satan?"🤣  Then "acid bath" NLG was so on fire with him.

I just can't with Ric criticizing Alexis as a parent - including referring to Kristina as "Sonny's offspring" and Molly complaining to Dex that she gets less love from her mom because Kristina "can't function without her oversight."  I think I have a headache from a big anvil: Alexis crying to Molly that she loves all 3 daughters and can't handle losing any of them.  

Is Tracy describing/complaining about ER's Lulu as opposed to the way Lulu was when she first met Dante (aka JMB's Lulu) supposed to explain the reasons for a re-cast to the audience? 'You robbed her" is a bit harsh. I liked Dante pushing back about his PTSD and the tearful acknowledgement that Lulu needs both of them. 

Ms. "I'm going to do pre-med" had no idea that a transplant recipient can't donate?! That shocked and crestfallen face 🤣

STOP, show with the almost-friend vibe for Carly and Elizabeth. One moment of Jason looking longingly at Elizabeth in front of Carly and the claws will be out again. 

Portia just saw and met Ric because of the baby's funeral and heard about him from Jordan, but now has no idea who he is?  

Glad it's time for Laura to go find Lucky!!!

 

 

 

 

[Daisy]

7 minutes ago, Bringonthedrama said:

Ms. "I'm going to do pre-med" had no idea that a transplant recipient can't donate?! That shocked and crestfallen face 🤣

 

this is what pisses me off about most soaps. Maxie and  Joss should be taking anti-rejection medication. at least . that should not be a shock to her. she can't donate blood either. 

[dubbel zout]

Flatland Prison? Where is that?

Ugh, Heather. Go away! Go away and stay away! I would not let Portia anywhere near me with a needle if she felt for me like she does for Heather. "I took an oath." Shove that oath, Portia. Remember waking up Oz from his coma against medical ethics?

How often have Carly and/or Joss visited Lulu? I love how they claim they're family only because they want info, not because they actually care.

Since when is Dex Mr. Family Therapist? Good grief. Joss was really fishing for compliments with Dex. 

I thought Ric and Alexis's fight was mostly dumb. The parenting potshots were unnecessary, but they both made some decent points about Molly and Kristina.

I thought Ric might be Heather's lawyer! Go, me!

I don't know why Nik or Laura were so shocked he couldn't donate. In the years since he gave Lulu bone marrow, a lot has happened. He hasn't exactly been a teetotaler, and liver donors need to be a lot "cleaner" than if they're using their own.

[norahs99]

If Ric is Heather's new attorney, is Kin Shriner out too? And I thought they'd abandoned the Free Heather storyline.  Plus, she sounds crazy again. SMH

I know there's no love lost between Alexis and Ric, but he was out of line in the way he was asking Alexis to remember she has another daughter who's also devastated.

[ffwbe]

20 minutes ago, norahs99 said:

I know there's no love lost between Alexis and Ric, but he was out of line in the way he was asking Alexis to remember she has another daughter who's also devastated.

I got what he was trying to do but he couldn’t resist making it a Sonny’s daughter versus his daughter thing, which is just him transferring his own issues with his mother onto Molly and Alexis’ relationship. Alexis’ issue isn’t that she favors Kristina because she’s Sonny’s kid. She tends to worry more about the kid who’s struggling the most which makes Molly’s feel neglected at times. And like she said, she’s been there and trying for Molly’s entire life. He’s mostly been on the other side of the country aside from a couple years since Molly was a toddler so if he thinks his daughter needed more attention, he certainly wasn’t doing anything to help matters and unlike Alexis, his attention wouldn’t have been divided over 3 children. 

[Bringonthedrama]

10 minutes ago, ffwbe said:

I got what he was trying to do but he couldn’t resist making it a Sonny’s daughter versus his daughter thing, which is just him transferring his own issues with his mother onto Molly and Alexis’ relationship. Alexis’ issue isn’t that she favors Kristina because she’s Sonny’s kid. She tends to worry more about the kid who’s struggling the most which makes Molly’s feel neglected at times. 

He's also aware now that Kristina was severely physically injured, which is why the baby died, yet he's talking like Kristina has a boo-boo and is being coddled while his daughter is really suffering but Alexis is refusing to be the mother that Molly needs her to be. Yes, Molly's emotional/mental health is suffering right now but she's in fine physical condition. Molly is talking like she doesn't remember she was terrified - just a week or two ago? - that Kristina would die. She's all "I lost my daughter because Kristina is a lost cause and unworthy of being my sister." 

[norahs99]

What I was inexpertly trying to convey was that while he started off wrong, he really seemed to be trying to just make Alexis aware of how Molly was feeling about her mother's understandable focus on Kristina's needs.  Alexis is obviously frazzled and hurting too, I don' t think in that moment the was trying to do anything more than help his daughter.  Doesn't make his a saint nor does it excuse his previous trespasses, but I did see some subtly in his performance and delivery that I don't see often enough on this show.

[Sake614]

2 hours ago, Bringonthedrama said:

Portia just saw and met Ric because of the baby's funeral and heard about him from Jordan, but now has no idea who he is?

OMG this shows how much attention I pay to the show lately. That completely slipped my mind!  But was Heather not around at all when Ric was in town? Do they really not know each other? Or at least does he not know OF her?

[Auntie Velvet]

I thought Ric was sort of spot-on. Alexis doesn't really understand the scope of Molly's assumptions about how Kristina comes first. Although if they got along better they could probably do a "divide and conquer" approach, with a possible assist from Sonny.

Last week Nina called someone on the phone after talking to Ava (I think) and sort of ordered them to help her -- we still have no idea who that is. I like to think it's Ric, since he's already had those calls from Alexis and off-screen Scotty.

[tessaray]

Oops. Wrong place.

Edited August 27 by tessaray

[dubbel zout]

Ric tried to gaslight Nina (when played by Michelle Stafford) about a baby—that's when my beloved Waaah! app came onto the scene. Nina should despise Ric, not call him to fill in for Scott.

[mostlylurking]

3 hours ago, Bringonthedrama said:

Portia just saw and met Ric because of the baby's funeral and heard about him from Jordan, but now has no idea who he is?  

Ok so it wasn’t just me!  I was like what is going on here they just met like five minutes ago?

1 hour ago, Bringonthedrama said:

He's also aware now that Kristina was severely physically injured, which is why the baby died, yet he's talking like Kristina has a boo-boo and is being coddled while his daughter is really suffering but Alexis is refusing to be the mother that Molly needs her to be.

Not to mention that Molly has a HUSBAND to help her and support her. I’ve not been watching for a while but it seems Blaze is gone so Kristina has no one. 

3 hours ago, Bringonthedrama said:

Is Tracy describing/complaining about ER's Lulu as opposed to the way Lulu was when she first met Dante (aka JMB's Lulu) supposed to explain the reasons for a re-cast to the audience?

That’s exactly what I was thinking and also that’s exactly what happened. Julie was much more edgy and Emme was more mild. But that’s also the way it was written so there’s that. 
 

 

[statsgirl]

Molly is suffering (and insufferable) but she has TJ, Jordan and the whole Ashford family to support her as well as Ric. Kristina has Alexis now that Blaze is gone, and is dealing with her physical wounds as @Bringonthedrama pointed out as well as her emotional ones. Molly is out jogging and getting sympathy from random passersby.

If I were going to fanwank, Molly's issues are old and deep, including seeing Kristina have her father around while Ric was MIA, and all those issues are coming forth now

[Cheyanne11]

Oh, look, the obligatory scene of the Carlys being praised for their selflessness.  Must be a day that ends in Y.  And if Carly so wanted to 'give back' she would've been on the donor registry since Joss was a baby.  But, hey, she thought she hit the jackpot with Jake's kidney and not really having to lift a finger except to have Jason pressure Elizabeth to donate it.  

The Tracy/Dante and Laura/Nik scenes were good.  I thought AH was quite effective today and I really loved the ending when he told Laura to "bring Lucky home for Lesley Lu."  

[TVbitch]

Love you Tracy, but ease up on my man, Dante. He had to complete the mission, dontcha know!!

I had to laugh at the very end when Nik hugged Laura, she held up her phone behind his back and started scrolling. I know, she's in a crisis and constantly checking, but it was just 🤣. I'm trying to decide how Lucky will mesh with this Nik. 

[StaceyNotStacie]

It was nice seeing Nik today. I wish they’d find a way to get him out of prison so that Laura can have all of her children together. 
 

I enjoyed Molly and Dex together.  They had a sibling-like vibe. Maybe his mother once had an affair with Ric and that’s the reason his “father” disliked him. It could also change the dynamic with Sonny. 

[Bringonthedrama]

2 hours ago, statsgirl said:

 Molly is out jogging and getting sympathy from random passersby

If I were going to fanwank, Molly's issues are old and deep, including seeing Kristina have her father around while Ric was MIA, and all those issues are coming forth now

I wish Alexis had reminded him of when she was comforting Molly because he let her think he was dead (I don't care that it wasn't his idea) from an incident at the police station. Later when his plot to keep Elizabeth away from Jake/Jason/Drew failed, he left Port Charles. Clearly being a present, loving father for Molly wasn't his priority then, either. 

[Artsda]

Find Lucky and bring him home? Why does Ethan not exist?

Love Tracy being there for Lulu. And even Carly that history was there. 

 

[ciarra]

Molly, you just buried the baby you so desperately wanted.  You should be gazing wistfully at parents and their children in the park.  Why is your focus, "Mom likes you best."? 

[CeChase]

13 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

Ric tried to gaslight Nina (when played by Michelle Stafford) about a baby—that's when my beloved Waaah! app came onto the scene. Nina should despise Ric, not call him to fill in for Scott.

Yep.  Nina has bleeding tragic taste in men though. 

OMG I thought I was imagining things.  I kept thinking, okay well maybe it wasn't Portia that Ric met?  Then I was trying to figure out, well who was the woman Ric DID meet at the Ashfords??  I should have realized it was the damn show that is confused again, not me. 

[Fellaway]

12 hours ago, Artsda said:

Why does Ethan not exist?

Ethan can continue to not exist, as far as I'm concerned, until someone goes back to the lab and proves he's Robert's. 

Still don't want him around, though.

On second thought, let's just have him continue to not exist.

Edited August 28 by Fellaway

[Sake614]

2 hours ago, CeChase said:

OMG I thought I was imagining things.  I kept thinking, okay well maybe it wasn't Portia that Ric met?  Then I was trying to figure out, well who was the woman Ric DID meet at the Ashfords??  

Jordan maybe? But weren’t they ALL at the cemetery? And at the church?

[nilyank]

22 minutes ago, Sake614 said:

Jordan maybe? But weren’t they ALL at the cemetery? And at the church?

It was Jordan. 

[Bringonthedrama]

2 hours ago, CeChase said:

Yep.  Nina has bleeding tragic taste in men though. 

OMG I thought I was imagining things.  I kept thinking, okay well maybe it wasn't Portia that Ric met?  Then I was trying to figure out, well who was the woman Ric DID meet at the Ashfords??  I should have realized it was the damn show that is confused again, not me. 

Portia and Ric were both at the funeral in the church regardless and he sat with Molly. He was the only male present there (aside from the minister) who Portia hasn't seen/met before. Once they went back to the Ashfords, Portia heard about Ric from Jordan. Portia came face-to-face with Ric at the Ashfords' front door as she was leaving for work, right after Jordan shared the history of Ric.

Edited August 28 by Bringonthedrama

[dubbel zout]

1 hour ago, Fellaway said:

Ethan can continue to not exist, as far as I'm concerned, until someone goes back to the lab and proves he's Robert's. 

God, no. Robert doesn't deserve to be stuck with that chucklehead.

Keep Ethan gone forever. He was totally unnecessary in the first place.

[tessaray]

On 8/27/2024 at 8:02 AM, sashabear21 said:

Anyone else think it's a little tacky that they're giving Lulu cirrhosis as way to bring Lucky back and are all "maybe Nicholas can give her part of his liver!" when the original Nicholas actor died due to alcoholism?

Like others have said, these writers aren't the brightest. But I can't complain too much because non-alcoholic cirrhosis due to medications is a real thing. My m-i-l died of it many years ago and she was a 2 beers a year woman. A little education doesn't hurt. At least they picked something feasible. 

AH tries his best but I still miss Tyler too.