Episode Discussion II: The TFGH

[pinkandsparkly13]

Oh everyone eavesdrops on this show. Lol that was stupid. I loved how Carly said "alleged insider trading". Ummm didn't Drew go to prison, and you had to pay a big fine for that? As far as the law is concerned y'all were guilty! Plus yeah, they had been admitting it all over the place when trying to find out who turned them in. 

[nilyank]

1 hour ago, Cheyanne11 said:

That's what I remember, too, but Nina said she overheard Olivia talking about it?  

Nina lied.

[dubbel zout]

Curtis's doctor should be saying, "Tell me when you feel something," not "Do you feel this?"

[KittyQ]

On 1/22/2024 at 12:30 PM, statsgirl said:

Carly to Nina: "It's entirely legal for Drew to fire you." Actually, no, the  whistleblower law protect her. But this is Carly, who thought that buying all that Aurora stock. That bodes well for Aurora.

Meanwhile Dante says Nik is legally not kidnapping Ace.

Why on earth do the characters on this show just take anybody's word for whether something is legal or not?  They never even say, "I'll ask my lawyer (because everyone here has one) about that and get back to you".  Only on TV do people get fired and not have to deal with paperwork ending their employment or talking with HR. I worked in an "at will" state, but I think most companies (even the little ones) tried to be sure they had their ducks in a row before firing someone because there are plenty of annoying lawsuits and bad PR that will tarnish their reputations and could cost money just to make them go away.

I wonder how Dante figures that Nik is not kidnapping Ace? If Esme had amnesia when she gave birth, would she have put Nik's name on the birth certificate as father? Is everyone just assuming that Nik is the parent and even though he's been out of the picture for all of Ace's life, he can just come in and take him? So, anyone who showed up and said, "I'm the dad, and I'm taking this kid to Europe" would be within their rights? Esme is so freaked out that she's getting advice from everyone except the most responsible person she knows - Laura OR Kevin. Asking a psychopath and a criminal what to do is not going to end well. 

Also, why the hell does Nina even care if she and Drew are now "even"? If I were she, I'd at least lock all my devices so neither Drew nor Carly could access anything. The "evil" me would delete material or cancel orders to wreak havoc, but that might work against me in my lawsuit, so probably not. 

[Auntie Velvet]

3 hours ago, nilyank said:

Nina lied.

Are we sure? Or did she just put a bunch of pieces together after hearing a chance remark from Olivia? I sure can't remember.

[dubbel zout]

20 minutes ago, KittyQ said:

Also, why the hell does Nina even care if she and Drew are now "even"?

So she knows if yet another shoe will drop. Can she devote all of her attention to her revenge war, or does she have to keep an eye open to make sure Drew doesn't do something else?

I don't think that question was unreasonable, though I wouldn't necessarily believe Drew if he said yes. 

[ffwbe]

Is Drew’s asshole turn supposed to be because of his prison stint because wasn’t he an asshole before that to everyone not connected to Carly? She was definitely treated Ned like crap well before he suspected him of turning him into SEC, was dismissive towards Lucy which is what caused her to vote against him in the first place, and was foaming at the mouth at the thought of blackmailing Tracy in a weird attempt to force Ned to bail him of his crime instead of just being nice to Ned and asking him for help like any normal person would. 

[ciarra]

When is Ned getting an apology?

They can all line up to berate Nina, but the guy they wronged?  Nothing.

[Cheyanne11]

33 minutes ago, ciarra said:

When is Ned getting an apology?

They can all line up to berate Nina, but the guy they wronged?  Nothing.

Didn't this all start because Drew and Michael wanted to push Ned out of ELQ?  They can take several thousand seats with the innocent act.

[statsgirl]

Drew was an asshole to anyone who didn't adore Carly before prison but the rage and the physical threats to women are new.

2 hours ago, KittyQ said:

I wonder how Dante figures that Nik is not kidnapping Ace? If Esme had amnesia when she gave birth, would she have put Nik's name on the birth certificate as father? Is everyone just assuming that Nik is the parent and even though he's been out of the picture for all of Ace's life, he can just come in and take him?

Dante said under New York law, one parent can take the child out of the country. (This would be illegal in Canada unless he had signed authorization from the mother.)

I can understand Esme putting Nik's name on the birth certificate. She had amnesia, she was confused and alone and everyone was telling her that Nik is the father. But if she did put Nik's name on it, why isn't she getting support for Ace from the Cassadine estate?

Lol that we are still talking about yesterday's episode because in today's, the most interesting thing was Jordan telling Anna about her kidnapping. All of Curtis' family talking about supporting him was filler as was Finn at his AA group. You can ask Obrecht what she did when she lost her license to practice -- she went into research and communication. Didn't you discover a cure for [made up disease] Finn? You can do more of that.

Lucy/Martin was a good relationship but it's now tanked JE is always good but this Scott/Tracy story sends me to sleep as does BLQ and Chase axe-throwing. Did I miss something interesting?

[JMO]

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.

[ciarra]

I'd stick a pin in Curtis.

[lala2]

In general, parents have equal rights to their children in the US. One parent can take a child out of the country or the state without getting permission from the other parent because parents have equal rights. There may be some state out there with a different rule but I’m speaking generally. 

Now, if there is an existing custody order, establishing who has the child at which times, etc., then one parent could potentially be in trouble for taking a kid out of the country; it would depend on the court order and state law. 

That said, even without a custody order, a parent might be guilty of kidnapping if they intentionally conceal the child from the other parent. Because Nikolas has essentially disappeared with the child and cannot be reached or found, he could be guilty of kidnapping. If he took the child and parked himself at Wyndemere and refused to give him back to Esme, then there would definitely be no crime because he and Esme have equal rights. Esme would have to go to court to force him to return the child to her care. 

I put aside the paternity issue and the FOJ issue. We can just assume paternity has been established. I’m sure GH hasn’t given that issue any thought. 😂

[Daisy]

1 hour ago, Cheyanne11 said:

Didn't this all start because Drew and Michael wanted to push Ned out of ELQ?  They can take several thousand seats with the innocent act.

Before and after Ned said that the merger didn't make a lot of sense. they're so stupid 

But they didn't apologize because why apologize when you're a Carly. 

[Sake614]

So a couple of guys in suits flash badges at Jordan and take her to an interrogation room. Apparently they didn’t identify themselves, she asked THEM if they’re FBI. Did they show actual ID? Not that we saw. And she, a former DEA agent, just takes their word for things. Then the ‘big boss’ knocks on the door and the underlings just say ‘sorry for the inconvenience, there’s a car waiting to take you home’ and she just goes? For all she knows, they’re the ones who plotted the shooting so of course they don’t want her involved! Why oh why can’t women on this show be allowed to have brains?

[jacourt]

2 hours ago, JMO said:

Ashford clan hovers at Curtis' bedside

Am I having a senior moment but wasn't ashford neds name before he changed to quartermane?

[JMO]

3 minutes ago, jacourt said:

Am I having a senior moment but wasn't ashford neds name before he changed to quartermane?

Ashton.

[jacourt]

Thanks!!!

[TVbitch]

Wow, Anna's hair extensions were totally OTT today. ....that's all I got. 🤣

 

[Steph J]

2 hours ago, Daisy said:

But they didn't apologize because why apologize when you're a Carly. 

"I'm sorry you're so stupid" is probably the closest a Carly would ever get to an apology.

[mbluecpa]

I don’t think my blood pressure has dropped from last Thursday and Friday’s episodes. I was actually thankful they circled back to Curtis yesterday, scenes that were entirely predictable but at least not rage-inducing. 

Nina’s glare into the mirror was a very rare glimpse of OG Nina, who arrived into town with a list of people to seek revenge against. I’m here for whatever she’s plotting but really fear it’s hopeless to get excited about it since the writers simply won’t allow it to be successful.

Seeing Jane Elliot and Alley Mills brilliantly ply their craft was really the only enjoyable thing about the last four episodes. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

14 hours ago, JMO said:

For that matter, I like Liz enough to wish for her a real love story, one with some real romance and excitement,

That was done with Sean Kanan's AJ, until Burton was rehired, and Kanan fired for being fat and having him shove Elizabeth, because you know, AJ can never win. 

Gee, where have I heard that song before?

And I loved seeing those two get together-even if Elizabeth was pissy with him at first, because you know, Jason.

And I say this as someone who LOVED Robin and Jason and Elizabeth and Jason. The ONE time Jason defended Elizabeth to that SheBeast, telling her to "SHUT UP ABOUT ELIZABETH!" when she was haranguing him about how Elizabeth kept Jake a secret from him, I actually shouted and cheered. But it was a one off. Because asshole let her pull her shit with Robin when he and Robin lived* in Brenda's old cottage.

*Yeah, still BITTER about that.

All that said, Burton only ever lights up or puts in an effort when he's in scenes with Kimberly. I know it's unpopular, but when Jason returned as Jason, pretty much letting Drew know he WASN'T Jason, I loved and laughed at the scene with him and Robin as they couldn't believe Patrick and Sam had gotten together and how they should never talk about it again. And decided to go have lunch, or something to eat.

[Cheyanne11]

15 hours ago, JMO said:

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.

And only did it TWO times--on the same foot.  Fantastic neuro exam!

Edited January 24 by Cheyanne11

[sunnyface]

3 hours ago, mbluecpa said:

Seeing Jane Elliot and Alley Mills brilliantly ply their craft was really the only enjoyable thing about the last four episodes. 

Yes indeed. 

I must have missed the scene where Jordan was kidnapped.   I probably would have enjoyed her scenes more (and other characters) if Carly/Sonny et. al. didn't eat so much of the show. This is endemic throughout the PC-verse.  Did we really need to see those scenes of Sonny strolling into Cyrus' hospital room to basically lift up one of his hind legs and mark his territory?  Wasn't military-grade weapon trafficker Sonny pummeling a guy nearly to death in church (replete with flashbacks) enough of a statement?  

[mbluecpa]

50 minutes ago, sunnyface said:

I must have missed the scene where Jordan was kidnapped.  

It was very brief and buried at the very end of the two rage-y Carly/Drew episodes. She left meeting TJ for coffee (leaving via the shady-looking alley of course) and got accosted by the two guys who were in the interrogation scene. I thought one of the guys was the prior Pikeman henchman but alas not.

I’d honestly forgotten about it until Anna showed up at the hospital to tell TJ that Jordan never showed for drinks. 

[Katy M]

Has Esme completely lost her mind?  How is knocking Kevin over the head going to help anything?  

And, it would be one thing if Heather weren't a psycho and really wanted to help Esme be a better person, but since that's not her, I just have to say, with a mother like Heather, who needs enemies?

And, I can already tell (not that this is surprising) that Molly is going to be beyond annoying to Kristina during this pregnancy. I can arrange my own fridge thank you very much.

Edited January 24 by Katy M

[PatsyandEddie]

At least Esmé bonking Kevin on the head leaves no doubt that she has gotten her memory back and is going to be trouble. Poor Kevin, the most innocent of the lot. 

[statsgirl]

Only slight sympathy for Kevin, too little, too late. He should have gotten involved much earlier

29 minutes ago, Katy M said:

I just have to say, with a mother like Heather, who needs enemies?

It's such shoddy writing to make me hate Esme and be on the side of Spencer and Trina. Too bad, it doesn't work for me.

Do we really need to see Spinelli being pissy because of jealousy over Maxie? I went through riding camp wearing running shoes.

[dubbel zout]

I'm so tired of everyone acting as if everything Curtis does is so amazing. It's not as if he personally set the table or did the flowers or made the food for Trina's party. And given how endlessly the family talked about her trip to Paris, it wasn't much of a stretch to think about putting together the party.

When is Trina leaving? The way everyone it talking it sounds like it's immediately after the party.

5 minutes ago, statsgirl said:

It's such shoddy writing to make me hate Esme and be on the side of Spencer and Trina. Too bad, it doesn't work for me.

I'm bored with this story. Someone upthread mentioned how much more interesting it would be to watch Esmé struggle with how liking the support she's gotten since giving birth to Ace and with wanting revenge. 

Gee, Molly is being overbearing. Who'd've thunk? I don't care if Kristina knows where it's coming from, Molly needs to dial it back. Though I doubt Kristina will say anything.

Go away, James. (It was cute when Cody ran through the living with James and said, "We're going to play a game!" That was more Josh Kelly than anyone else.)

[blondiek237]

Wait until Esme finds out that her mother wants her in jail

[rur]

8 minutes ago, blondiek237 said:

Wait until Esme finds out that her mother wants her in jail

Unless this is part of the master plan she and Heather concocted. 

[statsgirl]

1 hour ago, blondiek237 said:

Wait until Esme finds out that her mother wants her in jail

I see it this as a test of Laura. Will she understand that Heather is completely delusional, or will she take Heather's word for what Esme wants?

[JMO]

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

[KittenPokerCheater]

Are they writing the character off?

[statsgirl]

35 minutes ago, KittenPokerCheater said:

Are they writing the character off?

My guess is she's going to become the new Julian. Heaven forbid they actually write a character with nuance.

[perkie1968]

16 minutes ago, statsgirl said:

My guess is she's going to become the new Julian.

NIna is the new Julian.  Esme will have to settle for being the new Nina.  

[Katy M]

They had such an opportunity to turn the character around a bit. they gave her amnesia and she was good and then give her her memory back and she could have been not as bad as she was, but not little miss perfect, either.

[Desperado]

I only watched the last few minutes. Esmé went to see Kevin to get help and when he didn’t give her the answers she wanted, she hit him over the head? Or she planned to do it all along? How does that help her get Ace back?

Basically, they’re making her go off the deep end to redeem Nik.

[Sake614]

6 minutes ago, Desperado said:

I only watched the last few minutes. Esmé went to see Kevin to get help and when he didn’t give her the answers she wanted, she hit him over the head? Or she planned to do it all along? How does that help her get Ace back?

Basically, they’re making her go off the deep end to redeem Nik.

She didn’t go to him. She took the corporate credit card for the Invader and was about to book a flight when he walked into Alexis’ office. They started talking, he offered to help but she didn’t believe him. Then she walked behind him, grabbed the statue and whacked him with it. But yeah it was a stupid move. 

[ffwbe]

I don’t think Esme was ever good, even with amnesia. She was more boring for sure but it didn’t redeem her. However, I think they realized that she has nothing going on without Spencer on the canvas and that’s why they’re going back to her being crazy. She has no friends and her family is either offscreen, dead or wants nothing to do with her. This is an UO on here not Laura being her biggest defender has always been gross to me considering 2 of her biggest targets were her grandsons. If they had to have someone in her corner, it should have been Kevin, not her. 

[Artsda]

Does anyone care about this Kristina and Molly story, it's such a flop.  

Not a mention of Taggert at this going away party.  Is he even still in town?

Spinelli attacks Cody for taking advantage of Maxie, when he bought shoes for James? How is that advantage?

Portia will be right Spencer's drama will follow him. 

Esme's plan is what? 

Dex not there at the party with Joss was lacking. He overall seems to be less with the recast.

[ciarra]

Esme hit Kevin with the toilet seat!

 

[jsbt]

AFAIC Esme has never had remorse for the things that counted. Even when she had amnesia her personality, her true nature and instincts often shone through. If she couldn't monopolize Spencer's attention vs. his girlfriend (the one she'd drugged and framed back before she got her year-long day pass) she got sulky and petulant; if people brought up her paying for her crimes she would inevitably whine. And after she got it all back and had to face some of the music for her B&E, what did she do again at the PCPD to try to shame Laura for making her own up? Whine and blame other people. It was all the same person underneath, which was at least some nuance at a show that seemed to struggle with where it wanted to go with the character.

From all I've seen of her before and after she took that big dive into the drink, the true Esme is a sociopath. A fun character to write for in doses and wreak havoc with, but a spoiled sociopath. I don't think that baby is anything but an asset to her. That doesn't mean I think Nikolas with all his shenanigans is a viable parent at this point because I'm not sure he is and I don't think the character is really in any condition to be a long-term lead right now, if ever again. And Spencer is too young and too brash. If Ace is a Spencer/Cassadine, he should be raised by Laura and Kevin at this point or given to a good home. Esme shouldn't have custody of a pet rock.

I'm all for complex, nuanced characters. I don't think Esme has ever been that. But hey, Avery Pohl's obvious talent becomes a Rorschach for people seeing whatever they choose.

[ffwbe]

39 minutes ago, Artsda said:

Dex not there at the party with Joss was lacking. He overall seems to be less with the recast.

I think they gave up on the character once MB’s son joined the show, even before Joss was temp recasted. He’s barely been on for months and even when he was, was mostly standing in the background while Joss talked to Adam. 

20 minutes ago, ciarra said:

Esme hit Kevin with the toilet seat!

 

LMAO, I hope she cracked it because I always end up staring at it when we see the back of her office. 

[Cheyanne11]

Oh, god, SHUT UP SPINELLI!  He's got some nerve deciding who Maxie can have in her life.  Who does he think he is, Michael? 

[ffwbe]

4 minutes ago, Cheyanne11 said:

Oh, god, SHUT UP SPINELLI!  He's got some nerve deciding who Maxie can have in her life.  Who does he think he is, Michael? 

He’s always been so creepy when it comes to any guy around Maxie and tbh, all those guys were better people than mob lackey Spinelli (except Peter). I know Cody isn’t her aspiring LO like the others but they’re writing Spinelli like they do with all her LOs. It’s toxic. They haven’t been together for over a decade and if they really are supposedly friends and in a healthy coparent arrangement, he needs to not act like a jealous tool.

Edited January 25 by ffwbe

[jsbt]

What happened to all that weird bullshit with Lucy wandering across ABC Daytime investigating Martin's past and exes like Blair? Did she ever learn about that whole money thing? When did she fall out of love with him or whatever (if she did)? I don't care, but I am curious.

Edited January 25 by jsbt

[CeChase]

9 hours ago, jsbt said:

AFAIC Esme has never had remorse for the things that counted. Even when she had amnesia her personality, her true nature and instincts often shone through. If she couldn't monopolize Spencer's attention vs. his girlfriend (the one she'd drugged and framed back before she got her year-long day pass) she got sulky and petulant; if people brought up her paying for her crimes she would inevitably whine. And after she got it all back and had to face some of the music for her B&E, what did she do again at the PCPD to try to shame Laura for making her own up? Whine and blame other people. It was all the same person underneath, which was at least some nuance at a show that seemed to struggle with where it wanted to go with the character.

From all I've seen of her before and after she took that big dive into the drink, the true Esme is a sociopath. A fun character to write for in doses and wreak havoc with, but a spoiled sociopath. I don't think that baby is anything but an asset to her. That doesn't mean I think Nikolas with all his shenanigans is a viable parent at this point because I'm not sure he is and I don't think the character is really in any condition to be a long-term lead right now, if ever again. And Spencer is too young and too brash. If Ace is a Spencer/Cassadine, he should be raised by Laura and Kevin at this point or given to a good home. Esme shouldn't have custody of a pet rock.

I'm all for complex, nuanced characters. I don't think Esme has ever been that. But hey, Avery Pohl's obvious talent becomes a Rorschach for people seeing whatever they choose.

VERY well stated!

[YaddaYadda]

10 hours ago, Artsda said:

Not a mention of Taggert at this going away party.  Is he even still in town?

He's drunk in a ditch somewhere while the daughter he loved and raised forgets all about him.

[lala2]

UO opinion on this board, but I gotta agree with those who feel Esme has never had any nuance. AP is a decent actress but she hasn’t made Esme particularly vulnerable or anything. She hasn’t gone beyond the script, IMO, and the scripts are flat and one-note. 

From the moment Esme appeared, she was written as a one-note villain. Remember when we all thought she had some personal beef with Ava because of what she did “for Spencer” only to learn she didn’t. She torched Ava’s car and taunted her with Kiki’s death for her dad I guess but we didn’t know that at the time. It just made her seem crazy to me. I’m not committing arson for some college BF! 

She was then aimless for months and primarily used as the antagonist for the YA group. They never let her become friends with her age group. She targeted and alienated everyone, which isolated the character. When we finally learn her purpose, the story confirmed that she was unhinged. No sane person would think Ryan had any chance at reuniting with the woman whose daughter he brutally murdered. And it’s not like she was trying to gain his favor because of her bad upbringing and desperate need for a father figure. She had a fine life. She’s just crazy. We could have seen some nuance when she slept with Nikolas, especially considering Spencer was her boyfriend and someone she supposedly loved but we didn’t. She didn’t hesitate or anything. She just did it. She impregnated herself just to further her dad’s goals - another insane act if you ask me. They gave her amnesia but didn’t have her feeling any true remorse for her actions. She still whined when ppl brought it up. They didn’t use the amnesia time to broaden her bubble because they couldn’t. Let’s be real - they’re not hiring a bunch of new YAs to interact with this girl, and no one in the current group would ever be her friend. The writers saw to that, She has no friends and no family. I don’t count Kevin. 

The writers failed with Esme, but they failed her from the start, IMO. Esme hitting Kevin in the head and presumably going to Paris to exact revenge against Spencer (and Trina who has never done anything to Esme) is exactly what Esme would do. She’s not being trashed or thrown under the bus. She’s never been decent or even gray. She’s been a villain from jump. They could have changed that but they didn’t. I do think the character is on her way out, and I’m one who never needed her to resurface after her first swan dive off the parapet so it’s fine with me. I really see nowhere else to go with her. Gray characters are great. Crazy characters can’t last on a soap. Esme is and has always been nuts.

Edited January 25 by lala2