Episode Discussion II: The TFGH

[Katy M]

Just now, Melgaypet said:

What an odd comparison. No, the grocery store is not corrupt for selling steak to bad guys, any more than a hospital is corrupt for providing medical care to bad guys. Now, if the store were to accept a "donation" of illegally obtained beef, then, yes, they are corrupt.

Of course that would be corrupt, because a grocery store is not a non-profit organization.  You wouldn't make a donation to it.  But, if my child died because of lack of funds and a mobster who is not going to quit their illegal activities simply because a hospital said no thanks to a donation that they are done with once the checks left their hands could have saved her, I would wonder what on earth was the motivation for killing my child.

[Ambrosefolly]

I will slightly defend Sonny donating the money for the Stone Cates Memorial Wing: it wasn't his money. It was money her received for Lily's estate after she was accidentally killed by her mob boss father. From a time where Sonny's code was far less twisted, he couldn't use money  to further his criminal empire when he received because of Lily's death, so he wanted a postive way to use the money, and he was able to do it in a way to honor both Stone and Lily. 

[TeeVee329]

I know Lindsay Hartley is pretty, James Patrick Stuart, but back it up a touch.

Also I'm so tired of these ELQ share stories, because the Quartermaines always have to be dumbed down so much, basically handing over their shares on silver platters, and then aren't the driving force in getting it back together.  I mean, how many times has off-screen Skye alone been conned out of her and Lila Rae's shares?

Edited August 6, 2020 by TeeVee329

[Cheyanne11]

Seriously, show, you're so desperate for Sam and Jason to reunite that now Valentine is the great savior who is going to pull strings so Sam gets a ~better, aka one who will bend the rules, parole officer?

Wow, that dress LW had on today did her no favors.  Made her look like she had no waistline.

[WendyCR72]

Let's agree to disagree regarding how idiotic semi-competent mobsters use their ill-gotten gains and move on. Thanks!

[GHScorpiosRule]

I just don't understand Sam's over the top anger at Neil. Did I miss something after Alexis was disbarred before the pandemic? I also didn't understand her anger toward Neil? Maybe I did miss something since I fast forwarded all their scenes. What exactly, did Neil do?

And I just have one thing to say: whatever happened or didn't happen between Alexis and Neil is NONE of Sam's BLOODY Business.

Loved what Liz had to say today. And wow! A Lucky mention without shade or bitterness!

Oh, and unlike others, I'm not keen on this Sam temp recast.

I just love James Patrick Stuart. While I loathe Valentin whenever he's in Anna's or Robert's orbits, I love him in everything else.

But man. Were ALL of them, except for Rebecca Herbst, violating the six feet apart rules. Especially James and Lyndsay whatever her name is.

Edited August 6, 2020 by GHScorpiosRule

[ffwbe]

37 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

I just don't understand Sam's over the top anger at Neil. Did I miss something after Alexis was disbarred before the pandemic? I also didn't understand her anger toward Neil? Maybe I did miss something since I fast forwarded all their scenes. What exactly, did Neil do?

Neil ignored Alexis after their last meeting. I don’t know how much time was supposed to have passed. Sam’s anger towards him about it was way too much but I think it was supposed to be partly misdirected and she’s lashing out because she’s angry at her own situation and Jason. She’s had a lot of scenes this year where her level of anger towards someone didn’t make complete sense. 

[dubbel zout]

58 minutes ago, Cheyanne11 said:

Seriously, show, you're so desperate for Sam and Jason to reunite that now Valentine is the great savior who is going to pull strings so Sam gets a ~better, aka one who will bend the rules, parole officer?

It’s SUCH a plot point that Valentin is the one who can get Sam a new parole officer. And it’s 18 months, not 18 years, she has to stay away from Jason. She’s an idiot to even consider Valentin’s deal.

[ouinason]

I guess Sam has no faith in her relationship being able to last.  It would make me sad for her, but she did it to herself.

 

Also, have these people never heard of Skype? or Google Hangouts?   Or Facebook Messenger?  If the entire fucking world can go into quarantine than these two morons can deal with limited contact for a short period of time.

Edited August 6, 2020 by ouinason

[YaddaYadda]

4 minutes ago, ouinason said:

I guess Sam has no faith in her relationship being able to last.  

Especially now that Jason has named She-Beast his PoA. And they've made too much of it for Jason not to end up shot or at the bottom of the harbor. I hope Carly does unplug his ass.

Sam hit rock bottom a long time ago when it comes to Jason and everything Jason. Now it's the bottom of the barrel, several levels of crap, then Sam. 

Edited August 6, 2020 by YaddaYadda

[nilyank]

21 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

It’s SUCH a plot point that Valentin is the one who can get Sam a new parole officer. And it’s 18 months, not 18 years, she has to stay away from Jason. She’s an idiot.

Fixed that for you. 

Do I believe that Sam would eventually agree to Valentin's terms in order to get Jason back rather than wait 540 days? Yes I do.

The only reason this is happening is because they needed a way for Valentin to obtain voting shares of ELQ. This is a company that only the Quartermaines  own stock iin and if they just talked to each other, they could easily block him from gaining any real control in the company.

[WendyCR72]

1 hour ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

I just love Jason Patrick Stuart.

You mean James Patrick Stewart. 🙂 Still remember him as villainous Will Cortlandt on AMC. Good there. But what a 180-degree turn from original Will, Lonny Quinn (who is now a meteorologist!).

[GHScorpiosRule]

17 minutes ago, WendyCR72 said:

You mean James Patrick Stewart. 🙂 Still remember him as villainous Will Cortlandt on AMC. Good there. But what a 180-degree turn from original Will, Lonny Quinn (who is now a meteorologist!).

D’OH! I knew it didn’t look right! All fixed now!

I remember him as the recurring Catholic Priest-with the Oirish brogue on JAG!

[driver18]

12 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

I get Olivia's feelings here, but if she's been feeling unsupported, maybe she should have spoken up earlier. And what exactly is Ned supposed to do, ignore the trouble at ELQ and let it all go to hell?

Admittedly I don't watch all of Ned and Olivia's scenes because I generally find them quite boring (and I totally ship Olivia and Robert), but I actually have been following some of this story because Robert has been involved in it (again with the Olivia/Robert shipping) and she has spoken up to Ned. They've even gotten into a few arguments about it because she's vented, she's cried, she's shown her frustration and Ned hasn't shown the support that she needs. It got to the point that she was turning to Robert. We even had a scene where Robert and Olivia were talking and *he* was giving her the kind of support that she had been hoping for and expecting from Ned.  Ned walked in on them sitting on the couch in the Q living room and they were clasping hands and he had a look of consternation on his face.

So, no, this isn't coming out of left field from Olivia's end. This is something that has been building for a while in their storyline. It's just that as way low on the totem pole supporting players we don't see them that often so unless you pay attention and remember all of their scenes, it's easy to forget this stuff. Especially when the show has been off the air for months.

[TeeVee329]

Previews...

Carly (presumably to Sam re: the POA): I don't want to get in the middle of you guys.

Me: Oh fuck off, Carly, you l-i-v-e to get the middle of things., especially when it concerns one of your claimed guys.

Can Jason and Carly just go ahead and have an affair already?

Edited August 6, 2020 by TeeVee329

[Kiki777]

Did Nelle’s face look suddenly different to anyone else?  It looks like CL got fillers or something, there was a definite difference from Monday’s episode.

[ulkis]

1 hour ago, TeeVee329 said:

Can Jason and Carly just go ahead and have an affair already?

They would but Steve Burton Jason has been physically repulsed by Carly since 1999.

[ouinason]

Who's shares is Val trying to buy off of Sam?  Scout's?  Does she really have the authority to sell her daughter's inheritance?  That sounds sketchy as fuck.

[WendyCR72]

6 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

Especially James and Lyndsay whatever her name is.

Lindsay Hartley. She was once married to Justin Hartley of This Is Us/Y&R fame during their mutual soap days on the absurd Passions. He has since also married and divorced Crishell Stause of All My Children and Days of Our Lives.

The soap-world gossip tidbit of the day (early morning!).

[Asp Burger]

I'm gladder to have the show back than I thought I would be. It's just something that always was there, and then it wasn't. When I take a break from it, I want it to be my idea! 

One thing hasn't changed. When Rebecca Herbst is on, I pay more attention. I never feel that her scenes are a waste of time. Of course, Liz is my avatar on here (and I never want to change it, because that picture is hilarious to me), so that says something about character loyalty, but I thought she was great in her scenes with MB. It made me think about the whole Liz/Sonny history, even though, honestly, the character was just being used to facilitate someone else's story, as she often is. And I have to give credit -- I think MB is doing pretty well in this last lap of the Mike story too.   

I like Temp Sam, and I think Duell looks good with the longer hair.

I do have a hard time seeing Carly letting a comatose Jason die. She'd be able to stare at him and talk at him with even less interruption, and it's not as though he ever says much anyway.  

[nilyank]

2 hours ago, ouinason said:

Who's shares is Val trying to buy off of Sam?  Scout's?  Does she really have the authority to sell her daughter's inheritance?  That sounds sketchy as fuck.

He is not buying the shares just the voting proxy.

[texastornado]

9 hours ago, Kiki777 said:

Did Nelle’s face look suddenly different to anyone else?  It looks like CL got fillers or something, there was a definite difference from Monday’s episode.

It looked to me like she might have gained a few pounds.  I thought she looked good.

Michael looked a lot different to me, not just the hair.

[perkie1968]

5 hours ago, Asp Burger said:

I do have a hard time seeing Carly letting a comatose Jason die. She'd be able to stare at him and talk at him with even less interruption, and it's not as though he ever says much anyway.  

She'd be sitting at his bedside talking to him for weeks before realizing that he's in an actual coma rather than it just being Tuesday.  

[Kiki777]

1 hour ago, texastornado said:

It looked to me like she might have gained a few pounds.  I thought she looked good.

Michael looked a lot different to me, not just the hair.

Omg how messed up is it that I made that assumption that she had work done?  With regular people sure I would recognize a slight weight change but with actors - even young ones - my mind goes first to fillers/Botox.  

Michael (CD) does look good - his face thinned out which ages him in a good way.  He looks more believable as a young executive.

[Katy M]

11 hours ago, TeeVee329 said:

Previews...

Carly (presumably to Sam re: the POA): I don't want to get in the middle of you guys.

Me: Oh fuck off, Carly, you l-i-v-e to get the middle of things., especially when it concerns one of your claimed guys.

Can Jason and Carly just go ahead and have an affair already?

I don't care who it is, I just really love the fact that there is a long-term male/female friendship that hasn't gone there (since so long ago that nobody can remember).  

[jsbt]

Oh, Carly remembers. She never forgets. Everything she does with Jason is predicated on wanting Jason to be with her and only her again, even after like 25 years and Jason swearing off her before her oldest son was out of diapers. She has never gotten over him. 

Edited August 6, 2020 by jsbt

[Kiki777]

20 minutes ago, jsbt said:

Oh, Carly remembers. She never forgets. Everything she does with Jason is predicated on wanting Jason to be with her and only her again, even after like 25 years and Jason swearing off her before her oldest son was out of diapers. She has never gotten over him. 

I bet that’s how she tolerates sex with Sonny: ‘just close your eyes and think of Jason’

[jsbt]

Guza came close to putting it to rest in 2000, when Carly ran past Jason to Sonny after a disaster, back when Maurice and Sarah Brown were superstars together and Steve was only doing a brief return visit (I believe Guza was ripping himself off with Sonny, Brenda and Jax as well). But time, recasts and Guza's overwhelming fixation on Steve Burton ultimately invalidated that material. I loved S&C back then, sue me. Never again.

[Katy M]

55 minutes ago, jsbt said:

I loved S&C back then, sue me. Never again.

They were definitely more palatable when Sarah Brown was playing her.  Never really been an MB fan, though.  He's so scowly?  Is that the word I want?

[dubbel zout]

Carly was much less secure of her place in Sonny’s life back then, as well as in Port Charles. We’ve debated before (and likely forever will, LOL) if the current Carly is a realistic evolution. I happen to think she is, with LW in the role.

[jsbt]

I think it absolutely is, because Guza and Wright sold it. I'd still take Sarah back any day, though I find Laura a very solid recast.

[Katy M]

36 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

Carly was much less secure of her place in Sonny’s life back then, as well as in Port Charles. 

I think that's what I liked about her. Her insecurity gave her a vulnerability that kept her from becoming just too much.  Now, shejust is too much, IMO.  Nothing against LW, though. I just found Sarah's Carly more relatable.

[BlueMax]

No disrespect to anyone, but can we kind of lay off the social distancing stuff a bit?  Remember this is the fictional world of soap operas, COVID doesn't exist in their world.  Are we expecting couples to blow kisses from six feet away for the foreseeable future?  There has to be a feel of normal interactions, otherwise it's really going to get hokey after a while.

[absnow54]

I think GH is doing a much better job with the COVID-adjusted production than B&B which is almost comically spaced, but the scenes where they shove 5 people around a tiny desk is giving me (not actual) anxiety. I know they’re doing some fancy camera work and using mannequin stand ins, but I can’t remove the reality of the actors’ health from the fictional non-COVID Port Charles quite yet. 

[mostlylurking]

I am enjoying trying to figure out which scenes are preCovid and which are post.  That’s where I’m at with this show.  Lol.

I only know Lindsey Hartley from 1000 years ago when she was on AMC, and more recently Lifetime movies.  Her face is so gaunt it’s distracting, but her hair is goals.  I’m liking her as Sam.  She can stay permanently and I’d be perfectly fine with it.

[statsgirl]

Thoughts on today's show:

I'm happy to see Dante back but this PTSD story is horrible.  Although I guess it's a good thing when I'm involved enough to want to jump into the screen and do the therapy myself.

Maxie's hair is horrible. But she was spot on in the anti-Brook Lyn rant.

I don't care who is playing her, Sam will be intolerable as long as they keep giving her mob ass-kissing dialogue. Also, it's not going to be you as his PoA who lets Jason die, it's going to be his decision.

I find it hilarious that Jordan is weighing in on the discussion, telling Chase to stop investigating Jason because she owes Jason and Sonny and wants their help. Any law officer who is beholden to the mob in any way should get fired.

The underprivileged citizens of Port Charles are lucky that Jason never became a cop. He's the kind of person who would beat up someone he arrested because he's already decided that they're guilty, or would look the other way while his boys did it.

[jsbt]

1 hour ago, BlueMax said:

No disrespect to anyone, but can we kind of lay off the social distancing stuff a bit?  Remember this is the fictional world of soap operas, COVID doesn't exist in their world.  Are we expecting couples to blow kisses from six feet away for the foreseeable future?  There has to be a feel of normal interactions, otherwise it's really going to get hokey after a while.

It does exist in our world, though. What should they do, die?

[YaddaYadda]

Camera pans on Jason passed out on the ground. 

Me: Well that happened very quickly. 

Bozos didn't even let a month pass to put distance between the anvils and Jason's brain exploding for the millionth time.

Sam about her kids needing her. Welcome to the universe where children need their mother. So it wasn't just Drew's skirts of oppression Sam was trying to escape. She was trying to escape her miracle children too. The writing for Sam keeps reaching new heights.

I liked Maxie's hair today. The girl who replaced what's her face as BL didn't miss a beat. If I hadn't been paying attention, I would have thought it was the regular actress playing her. And I understand the baggie clothes were to hide the actress's pregnancy, but sheesh, she really pulled the short straw with wardrobe. 

[ciarra]

How convenient it was for Yvonne to be a visual aid for Sonny. 

And Carly, couldn't you Google "feeding tubes/Alzheimer's" before the eleventh hour?  I also think it's weird that Jason is hanging out in Carson's bedroom, but that's just me.  They just didn't want to have to use a different set after Sonny had his little nightmare.

[Linny]

Jesus Christ it was hard to take Carly and Sam patting themselves on the back today for single-handedly holding down their families while Sonny and Jason freely run around committing felonies. Like, congratulations for staying in relationships with selfish partners and tolerating the circumstances that make you the sole "backbone" for your kids. Very cool of you to ignore the threats and the danger and the arrests and give tacit approval for the mob business superseding all else. Totally normal and admirable behavior, right here.

And Sam saying that chasing after Shiloh was her way of reclaiming the Sam she was before she had kids was really pathetic, because that's a dilemma Jason won't ever understand and Sam won't expect him to. He hasn't given up anything to be a stable parent to Danny and Sam KNOWS that. She KNOWS that as much as Jason may love her kids he isn't ever going to be a full-time, day-to-day parent to them, and she finds that acceptable. It's sad, really, how Sam holds herself up as so strong without holding Jason accountable for all the ways he lets her and the kids down.

[dubbel zout]

Christopher Cousins!!! I’m so glad to see him on my screen, even if he’s stuck as Dante’s doctor. And speaking of, are we sure Dante isn’t related to Ava? Both of them immediately stopped treatment because the results weren’t instant. HATE.

Sam’s big realization was as laughable as it was pathetic. I have no trouble with her missing who she was pre-kids, but that doesn’t mean you go back to that life, especially when it was dangerous and illegal. FFS.

Can Cyrus please make a move?

[Kiki777]

I barely noticed NuBrooke because I am obsessed with her cute pink suit!  What’s that website where we can look up soap wardrobe?

Confession: I actually did not see Jason having an accident so soon.  Someday - I hope - they’ll have him become Jason Quartermaine again, if even temporarily.  It would be an interesting story.  I work for WHO???

[GHScorpiosRule]

18 minutes ago, Kiki777 said:

Confession: I actually did not see Jason having an accident so soon.  Someday - I hope - they’ll have him become Jason Quartermaine again, if even temporarily.  It would be an interesting story.  I work for WHO???

Well, he did. But he had total amnesia. AGAIN. I want to say it was right around 2005, and he and Sam were in...Hawaii???? Frankly, dude has had so many accidents and "brain trauma" I've lost count.

[Kiki777]

12 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

Well, he did. But he had total amnesia. AGAIN. I want to say it was right around 2005, and he and Sam were in...Hawaii???? Frankly, dude has had so many accidents and "brain trauma" I've lost count.

I remember that!  My then-boyfriend used to call him ‘double amnesia boy’ 😂 still would be fun though to see him as Jason Q,   With his pre-accident memories intact.  Monica would be so happy to have one of her sons back.   Best of all, Sam, Carly and Sonny would have matching hissyfits.

[statsgirl]

I'm afraid that Brando is going to get blamed for what happened to Jason (presumably that it was Cyrus finally doing something).

Maybe Monica could adopt Danny and Scout and let Sam get back to the life she really wants.  The kids live there most of the time anyway.

Dante seems like he is refusing therapy because he feels that he doesn't deserve to get better.  I wouldn't mind if they explored that rather than Dante just stuck there forever.  But they won't.

[WendyCR72]

3 hours ago, BlueMax said:

No disrespect to anyone, but can we kind of lay off the social distancing stuff a bit?  Remember this is the fictional world of soap operas, COVID doesn't exist in their world.  Are we expecting couples to blow kisses from six feet away for the foreseeable future?  There has to be a feel of normal interactions, otherwise it's really going to get hokey after a while.

It's a fictional world, but the actors acting in it are real, and this virus does not differentiate. I now hate this term, but this is our "new normal".

[ffwbe]

2 hours ago, YaddaYadda said:

And I understand the baggie clothes were to hide the actress's pregnancy, but sheesh, she really pulled the short straw with wardrobe. 

I don’t think the pregnancy was the reason for BL’s bad outfits going by her recent SOD article about being out. It sounded like she decided to start leave early because she is being extra careful so she more than likely either wasn’t pregnant when the show wrapped in March or wasn’t very far along. 

[Hater]

Although I prefer Lindsay's portrayal of Sam, the writing is still so bad. She just delivers it with a little less smugness and nastiness which makes it slightly easier to watch.

[dubbel zout]

She also seems to realize she’s on camera and should be acting.

[Gam2]

I’m so not a fan of KeMo but her replacement, Lindsey(?) isn’t much better. She’s so thin and her hair is so stringy that it’s distracting to me. Maxie’s hair is always just awful but today? Dear God, what was she thinking?!! When will these shows, that are already on their way out,  realize that when the actors’ appearances are so distracting that the viewers don’t pay attention to the dialogue/plot, something is wrong.