Episode Discussion: TFGH

[Melgaypet]

Maybe RoHo actually understands how loathsome his character is and is making a statement through his physical appearance?

It's crazy. Howarth is not a bad-looking guy. Nothing will reconcile me to Franco, but the show has been trying for years to make him happen. You'd think they'd at least want him to be handsome.

[ulkis]

4 minutes ago, Cupcake04 said:

My thoughts exactly. To me, visually they look gross together. They really really need to do something about his hair. It is not even funny anymore. It so grossed me out in that bed scene today. WTF are they thinking? No disrespect, but he seriously looks like a homeless bum with no shower access.

It's crazy. How? I mean how? Do they think he looks like a sexy struggling artist or something? Because he doesn't.  

1 minute ago, Melgaypet said:

Maybe RoHo actually understands how loathsome his character is and is making a statement through his physical appearance?

It's crazy. Howarth is not a bad-looking guy. Nothing will reconcile me to Franco, but the show has been trying for years to make him happen. You'd think they'd at least want him to be handsome.

I feel like there must be some sort of TARDIS effect going on at the GH studio where once inside there, Franco's hair looks good and Michael and Nelle are setting the room on fire with their blazing chemistry.

[WendyCR72]

12 hours ago, ByaNose said:

I guess naming her Julia after her father is out of the question, right?

It would probably give NLG flashbacks as that was her character's name on Santa Barbara. Coincidentally, her daughter was also named Samantha.

[ulkis]

i just posted this in the history thread but it's worth posting here too, given what Carly said today.

Carly: I was as honest with Kristina as I felt was appropriate, Sonny. I'm not Kristina's parent. There are questions that only you and Alexis should answer. But I did think she deserved the truth as much as I could give it. So I told her that, you know, our relationship was dysfunctional and volatile, that we genuinely loved each other, but we were toxic together. And that no, you never hit me.

Sonny: Thank God for that.

Carly: I mean, you shot me in the head once, but accidents happen. Can you...can you still hear us? I mean, I can. I can hear the yelling and things breaking. I can hear you calling me a faithless whore. Screaming at the top of your lungs that I'm worthless. I've never seen anyone get as angry as you. And your rage, Sonny, your rage is overwhelming. You zero in on what's weak in someone, and you hammer away. You dismantle it piece by piece. And I look back, and I'm horrified at myself. I'm horrified that I put up with it, that I rationalized it, and I participated in it. But that was my illness. I stayed with you, and I let it happen over and over again. The vicious cycle. And you know what, Sonny? It's called abuse.

This is why it's ridiculous for Carly to be all "oh no Sonny, you ruined the future I thought we were gonna have!" I guess she could slip back into the cycle, but that's obviously not the story they're telling.

[YaddaYadda]

Why is Franco getting in Jason's face? And why is he telling Jake anything tomorrow?

[tvgoddess]

So like have they named this baby yet or what?

I haven't watched in forever, but I have watched the past two days. Finn saving the hospital? Pass. Franco and Liz in bed? Vomit. Baby Girl Morgan, 13 years later? Yes please. Now don't name her Scout, Show.

Have Ava and Olivia even had a single scene together? What a waste.

[Oracle42]

Even with the warning the Friz scene still caught me by surprise and grossed me right the fuck out

[Deputy Deputy CoS]

1 hour ago, tvgoddess said:

So like have they named this baby yet or what?

I haven't watched in forever, but I have watched the past two days. Finn saving the hospital? Pass. Franco and Liz in bed? Vomit. Baby Girl Morgan, 13 years later? Yes please. Now don't name her Scout, Show.

Have Ava and Olivia even had a single scene together? What a waste.

I peek in here for a name too. I think Scout is a nickname? It is cute unless it is her actual name. Lexi seem like a no brainer. 

[Oracle42]

I love Olivia J for recognizing that Julian is worthless

[Hope4Soaps]

9 hours ago, Asp Burger said:

Yes, I'm with TeeVee329 on that one. Valentin is more on the level of Julian or Paul, the new "dark" flavor of the month. Finn, Ava, Franco, Hayden, and sometimes Nina are the pets, played by Soap Royalty™.

I'm more or less okay with it, really; I like two of them a lot (Ava and Hayden) and don't mind a third (Finn), so that's a pretty good average. Probably the same average I have with any five long-established characters. But from watching the show in the last couple years, I see an obvious mission to Make Them Happen that I don't see with Griffin or Valentin, and I do think it has to do with the actors' status in the daytime biz, their successes on other soaps. Valentin's story is really about Anna, and his other story is at least as much about Lulu as it is about him. But Hayden's story, Finn's story, Franco's story...they sure aren't playing support to Liz or Tracy or anyone else.  

JPS has been in the daytime biz since 1988 as AMC's Will Cortlandt, a major character that was the brother of Dixie, raped mainstay Hayley (played by talk-show host Kelly Ripa), and was killed by Janet from another planet, kicking off a yearlong murder mystery. He, too, is Soap Royalty.

Conversely, MW debuted as ATWT's Carly Tenney in 1995,  Rebecca Budig landed her first soap role as GL's Michelle Bauer #2 in 1996, and Michael Easton's soap debut was as Day's forgettable Tanner Scofield in 1991. Who's "reign" is longest?

[Asp Burger]

Well, I don't deny that he's been on a soap, but his career since 1992 has been elsewhere, hasn't it? Would anyone have described JPS as a daytime star a year before he landed Valentin? But Budig, Easton, Howarth, Stafford, and West...they are lifers. Even if you never watched one of their shows, you were seeing their faces on the magazines when in the checkout line, hearing about them being up for the industry awards and all that.  I don't think JPS's long-ago stint on AMC makes him as much of a fixture in the insular daytime world. I could be completely full of it, though.  

Other topic: Laura Wright was really good today. MB was just along for the ride. What I loved in the episode most of all was Olivia J. figuring out the scheme, and the specific language she used. "She's on to me. She said she was in front of a liquor store, and there was no traffic noise, no background conversation, nothing. And she's pushing this 'drunk in a crisis' thing way too hard." It's the kind of thing a diabolical person actually would notice, but we so rarely hear that.  

Edited March 2, 2017 by Asp Burger

[Oracle42]

Fuckin Franco is whining because he's not qualified for the tech positions available at the hospital. He wasn't qualified for the art therapist position either and I honestly thought that was supposed to be some kind of volunteer/parole position. 

Also? The serial killer who used to pose corpses as a form of artistic expression is not above cleaning up medical waste

Edited March 2, 2017 by Oracle42

[P3pp3rb1rd]

14 minutes ago, Oracle42 said:

Fuckin Franco is whining because he's not qualified for the tech positions available at the hospital. He wasn't qualified for the art therapist position either and I honestly thought that was supposed to be some kind of volunteer/parole position. 

During his whine, Freako locked eyes with Liez so intensely that I thought for sure she was gonna offer him the role of house-husband and nanny to her boys while she supported them all. It could still happen; she seems that besotted.

[Ryan Chamberlain]

Franco had no business getting involved in Jason/Sam's business. 

 

Also, I hope the kid stays named Scout. Even if it's just a middle name or nickname. I find it incredibly cute. 

[jsbt]

JPS is a great actor with a lot of primetime experience as a character actor, but West, Stafford, Howarth, Budig, Easton, etc. are all much bigger deals in daytime proper. They are seen by the industry as major soap stars, Stuart isn't.

I think the reason Howarth looks so gross is that they're trying to channel the '90s-era Todd Manning from OLTL, who was all about the long hair and beard grunge. It's not back in fashion, Frank. It's gross.

[ulkis]

I think Chloe Lanier could have worked as a SORASed Joss as well, and done this whole story again, sans the Michael romance. And it would then make sense Carly didn't suspect her.

Did anyone catch Carly saying "man" today? She should do that more often.

10 minutes ago, jsbt said:

I think the reason Howarth looks so gross is that they're trying to channel the '90s-era Todd Manning from OLTL, who was all about the long hair and beard grunge. It's not back in fashion, Frank. It's gross.

Did they notice this time around he doesn't wash or comb it?

[jsbt]

Didn't really make that much difference back then either.

[Asp Burger]

9 minutes ago, ulkis said:

Did anyone catch Carly saying "man" today? She should do that more often.

I noticed. It was a Sarah Brown Carly flashback moment.  She was all about the "man."  

[ulkis]

29 minutes ago, Asp Burger said:

I noticed. It was a Sarah Brown Carly flashback moment.  She was all about the "man."  

Yeah, that's why it stood out to me. It works with Laura Wright too.

[Vyk]

5 hours ago, ulkis said:

This is why it's ridiculous for Carly to be all "oh no Sonny, you ruined the future I thought we were gonna have!" I guess she could slip back into the cycle, but that's obviously not the story they're telling.

I'm steeling myself to admit this, but . . . I actually think Sonny and Carly have grown up since those days.  At least in regards to each other.  That cycle of abuse between them hasn't happened once since they've been back together.  And they've been back together for two years now.  So I do think Carly saying that is warranted.

[Asp Burger]

Those Carly quotes from 2010 were fantastic. Then, look at the continuation of the scene.  

Sonny: Right. And I never saw you cowering on the floor, sobbing, beaten, 'cause that's what--that's what I see as abuse. That's what... that's what my mother and I went through for years. [Sighs]

Carly: You know what, Sonny? You asked me a question, did you abuse me, and I am trying to answer you with my truth and my reality, and you're discounting it because it's something you don't want to believe about yourself. You can abuse someone without lifting a finger. It's not about bruises and scars.

Sonny: You're splitting hairs.

Carly: No. You're in denial. Think about Kristina. She's lied. She's talked back. She's behaved badly. Would you want Kristina to be with someone who treats her the way you treated me?

Exactly. He tried to redefine "abuse" in a self-exonerating way, and made a play for sympathy by bringing up childhood trauma she had heard about a million times. She didn't let him get away with it.  

Off-topic but related, on how people persuade themselves that something does not "count": I saw a fascinating documentary about the making of the Hitchcock film Marnie (not one I like very much). In the film, there is a controversial scene in which the hero, played by Sean Connery, forces himself on his frigid, unstable wife, played by Tippi Hedren. She is terrified and resisting. The original screenwriter was horrified by this, and thought it would make the audience hate Connery's character, but Hitchcock was firm about it. This writer responded by writing an alternative scene as well as the one Hitchcock wanted (like, "See? Compare. Isn't mine better?"). Hitchcock responded by firing him. The replacement screenwriter, a woman, had no qualms about writing the rape scene. Even in old age, interviewed decades later, she said, "Oh, that wasn't really rape. I never saw it that way at all. Rape to me is when you're walking through the park and somebody grabs you. This was a husband and wife in their home," et cetera.  

It was...disturbing.  

Edited March 2, 2017 by Asp Burger

[BlueberryJane23]

On 2/28/2017 at 10:34 AM, peachmangosteen said:

Thank you! I'm sorry, but I don't understand why LW and BH don't have their teeth fixed. They're on TV for fuck's sake! And we're not talking about an interesting little gap or crooked teeth, they're teeth are distractingly bad. Don't @ me, Liz fans! This show makes me such a mean person lol. 

She doesn't, it was under the welcome mat.

Yes! I think BH is beautiful but I do not understand why she hasn't fixed that one gap. It's all I can focus on when she smiles. For years I wondered if I was the only one who noticed it. 

Also, I would have liked it if Bobbie had ended her tirade to Nelle by hissing, "And get a haircut."

Edited March 2, 2017 by BlueberryJane23

[NutmegsDad]

15 hours ago, P3pp3rb1rd said:

15 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

"It's not the building. It's what lies beneath." A hellmouth would explain a lot. But we'd better hear what the deal is and why it took until 2017 to be discovered.

• Not a hellhole, but a bit fat wormhole that characters in Port Charles use to teleport themselves so quickly to various locations?
• A oil gusher field as big as Spindletop in East Texas?
• A race of aliens?

Are they going back to Helena's Subterranean Laboratory where she kept Stavrosicle? OJ, Valentin, and maybe Dr. O as a reconstituted Legend of Doom?

"They're getting the band back together!"

10 hours ago, tvgoddess said:

So like have they named this baby yet or what?

Sonnyista Stoneova Morgan-McCall.

Edited March 2, 2017 by NutmegsDad
Homonym abuse

[NutmegsDad]

11 hours ago, YaddaYadda said:

Why is Franco getting in Jason's face? And why is he telling Jake anything tomorrow?

Jason didn't get the memo that Franco is a Hero, having rescued Liz from Seth Baker after she pushed her way into the Baker home and found the incredibly-convenient scrapbook proving Tom was an unreformed predator, thus retrojustifying Franco's imprisonment and torture of Tom.

[Cheyanne11]

I guess the ~best thing about yesterday was the decision to NOT show how Jason miraculously climbed back up onto the bridge with Sam and the baby.  Though it would've been great comedy gold if he was like "honey, why didn't you just take this elevator back up?" as the muzak started to play.

[Cupcake04]

13 hours ago, tvgoddess said:

So like have they named this baby yet or what?

I haven't watched in forever, but I have watched the past two days. Finn saving the hospital? Pass. Franco and Liz in bed? Vomit. Baby Girl Morgan, 13 years later? Yes please. Now don't name her Scout, Show.

Have Ava and Olivia even had a single scene together? What a waste.

Jason referred to baby as Scout yesterday so I'm afraid we are gonna be stuck with that.

[dubbel zout]

12 hours ago, Oracle42 said:

Even with the warning the Friz scene still caught me by surprise and grossed me right the fuck out

RoHo being schmoopy is not something that should ever make the airwaves.

9 hours ago, Vyk said:

14 hours ago, ulkis said:

This is why it's ridiculous for Carly to be all "oh no Sonny, you ruined the future I thought we were gonna have!" I guess she could slip back into the cycle, but that's obviously not the story they're telling.

I'm steeling myself to admit this, but . . . I actually think Sonny and Carly have grown up since those days.  At least in regards to each other.  That cycle of abuse between them hasn't happened once since they've been back together.  And they've been back together for two years now.  So I do think Carly saying that is warranted.

I kind of agree that Carly and Sonny's relationship has grown a bit. But that might be only because they haven't been written as a couple for a while. They've been together, but their challenges mostly haven't been interpersonal until now. So who knows if they won't fall back into the old patterns?

[ulkis]

11 hours ago, Vyk said:

I'm steeling myself to admit this, but . . . I actually think Sonny and Carly have grown up since those days.  At least in regards to each other.  That cycle of abuse between them hasn't happened once since they've been back together.  And they've been back together for two years now.  So I do think Carly saying that is warranted.

I could see that if they had been together for a little longer, but they haven't been back together all that long. I just don't see Carly able to be all that much shocked at anything Sonny does. Maybe if he threw Avery down a well, heh. But sleeping with another woman in a moment of weakness? I think Carly's reaction would/should be more disgust and annoyance.

[Oracle42]

Carly seemed to be focused on the fact that he lied to her and allowed her to be vulnerable to someone who wanted to do her harm. But the actual sex should have elicited a Copkilla eyeroll

[TeeVee329]

I seriously need someone, in small words, to explain to me what the point of this Laura/Kevin stuff was.

[dubbel zout]

Meeting their minimums.

[Linny]

I've been picking on Jason lately, but he did a nice job today. He was clearly upset and on edge and trying to come to terms with a really scary situation. Robin being there for him and Scout was sweet. I want Robin to stay in town forever, her presence is so soothing and lovely.

Franco had no business being the one to tell Jake about Jason and the baby. This would have been a good opportunity for Liz to actually interact with one of her kids, but no, gotta force Franco into things. God forbid the writers miss the chance to polish Franco's halo.

It felt like Tracy was a child having dinner with her divorcing parents. Now that it's out in the open that Finn's an addict, he's being a real asshole. Definitely making me like him less.

As Carly was telling Nelle off, Sonny was standing in the background nodding so emphatically that it was comical. He looked like a bobblehead.  

[TeeVee329]

1 minute ago, dubbel zout said:

Meeting their minimums.

It's just so embarrassing, this is all they can come up with for them, Laura being victimized for no good reason?

[ulkis]

2 minutes ago, Linny said:

Franco had no business being the one to tell Jake about Jason and the baby. This would have been a good opportunity for Liz to actually interact with one of her kids, but no, gotta force Franco into things. God forbid the writers miss the chance to polish Franco's halo.

they need to ease up on it, just for the sole reason that a lot of the polish seems to be getting to Franco's hair.

[TeeVee329]

Previews...FINALLY!  Both Nelle going for Carly AND the slap!

Edited March 2, 2017 by TeeVee329

[dubbel zout]

Ugh. Slapping is something soaps should have done away with years ago. And Carly really is someone who shouldn't go around hitting people.

Edited March 2, 2017 by dubbel zout

[TeeVee329]

Eh, I still appreciate a good soap slap.  This is no Nora slapping Inez, but it's pretty satisfying.

Speaking of slaps, Sonny's face in the background is super slapable.

[LexieLily]

11 minutes ago, TeeVee329 said:

I seriously need someone, in small words, to explain to me what the point of this Laura/Kevin stuff was.

That was seriously the dumbest kidnapping plot ever. So Rudge drugged her, drove her around and then to JFK and just left her there?

[HeatLifer]

Sam taught Jason how to love? Sure, show. From the moment he stepped out of his frozen pod.

[Cheyanne11]

1 minute ago, HeatLifer said:

Sam taught Jason how to love? Sure, show. From the moment he stepped out of his frozen pod.

Yay, more rewrites!  Bonus points if he actually says these words to Robin.

[dubbel zout]

2 minutes ago, TeeVee329 said:

This is no Nora slapping Inez

The gold standard, for sure.

GH goes to the slap way too often for it to be effective or shocking or whatever they want it to be. It's so tired.  

[HeatLifer]

7 minutes ago, Cheyanne11 said:

Yay, more rewrites!  Bonus points if he actually says these words to Robin.

Oh, he did. It's hysterical. Jason for 20+ years has made the truth clear, though. The dialogue today just made me laugh. You can tell the writers know nothing about the history and are just writing to please the fanbase.

[TeeVee329]

In other news, sure looks to me like we're looping back to Jake's time on Cassadine Island with Helena.  Only took them a year. #eyeroll

[Vella]

Yes, it was one of THOSE days.  Any day where Jason, Franco, Sonny and Carly are heavily featured is bound to suck something FIERCE.

Robin hovering over Jason, soothing him, praising Sam, calling him the bravest person she knew. First of all, what the fuck Robin? There is NOTHING brave about Jason. YOU are brave. Jason is, by and large, a coward currently living off BLOOD MONEY, who built his fortune, in large part, on the suffering of others weaker than him. Get a damned life Robin Scorpio. Stop visiting mobster douches who do not give ONE shit about you unless you are right in front of them.  I'm still waiting for Jason to even REMOTELY grasp all that Robin sacrificed, all she endured, for HIM.  Stop this bullshit friendship. Jason is NOT Robin's friend.  Stop living off the gas fumes of 20 years ago GH.

Franco tells Jake the he has a sister. Of course this asshole does. Liz isn't going to be allowed to tell all THREE of her children about Jake's new sister. It's always about Franco with this garbage couple. And now it looks like Helena is being dragged back and for what? Sam and Jason? What an absolute waste.

The showdown that wasn't.  Anytime Sonny and/or Carly start hammering at another person for being a liar, schemer, attempted family ruiner, it's like white noise. This is how the show runners view those two awful people. They are the root for couple, the supercouple, the innocent victims of some dastardly MEANIE.  The fact that Nelle didn't laugh in their faces, toss ALL the hypocrisy anytime either of them even ATTEMPTED to throw something in her face is a big fat BORING WASTE.  But I did get a good laugh of Michael huffing about how Sonny would NEVER send flowers to a woman he's cheating with, like it's some sort of defense of Sonny's gentleman qualities.

Ugh. At least Nelle has some fire tomorrow. Of course, it'll all be bullshit because it's not like the most root worthy couple on the show is ever going to be painted for the assholes they are.

[HeatLifer]

5 minutes ago, Vella said:

And now it looks like Helena is being dragged back and for what? Sam and Jason?

Helena would not give a flying fuck about Sam. It's ludicrous.

[TeeVee329]

6 minutes ago, Vella said:

But I did get a good laugh of Michael huffing about how Sonny would NEVER send flowers to a woman he's cheating with, like it's some sort of defense of Sonny's gentleman qualities.

I assumed that remark was because Michael knows Sonny would buy the woman a dress and fly her to his island.

7 minutes ago, Vella said:

Franco tells Jake the he has a sister. Of course this asshole does. Liz isn't going to be allowed to tell all THREE of her children about Jake's new sister.

Liz has three children?  I'm gonna need to see some receipts.

[dubbel zout]

At least Carly is focusing on Sonny lying. That's a small improvement in general.

Edited March 2, 2017 by dubbel zout

[LexieLily]

10 minutes ago, TeeVee329 said:

In other news, sure looks to me like we're looping back to Jake's time on Cassadine Island with Helena.  Only took them a year. #eyeroll

How would Jake even know about the curse Helena put on Sam?

[dubbel zout]

Helena probably told him everything she was up to when he was on the island.

[TeeVee329]

He was already home in Port Charles when Helena cursed Sam.  But I could see Hells explaining how she curses people for kicks in general while reading the kid a (gory) bedtime story.

Edited March 2, 2017 by TeeVee329