Episode Discussion: TFGH

[P3pp3rb1rd]

1 hour ago, Linny said:

--Tracy's change of heart, brought on after being confronted by painful memories with Edward, felt appropriate to me. She regretted her mistakes and wanted to be better than her past self. 

--All the flashbacks proved that JE has always been fabulous. She's such a gem on this show, and is truly irreplaceable.

No, the outcome was just corny and predictable. If Tracy changed that much, she wouldn't be the fun and sass we love anymore.  I would have preferred to see her holding on to the painting and her inheritance, amid the bitter memories of her father's manipulation of his family, unsure about what to do. Then coming back to the present, she would have been astonished to see Samira and the whole problem had vanished as if it never happened--it was a only a divine test of her character. Life would be back to normal, and she would have the painting and her inheritance, but her spirit would still be restless and unsure if she should alter her attitude with the time she has remaining in her life.

That way, we would be rid of Samira and her awkward requests.

[tricknasty]

This story is so awful I mostly ff through it which is why I have a couple of questions. Thanks in advance fellow preverts

1. Why didn't Samara (deliberate spelling) present her case to Tracy while they were in Turkey?

2. How did she afford the $1000+ trip to the states? Thought she's poor

I hate Sonny and Carly and Jax dodged a bullet

[ulkis]

3 minutes ago, tricknasty said:

This story is so awful I mostly ff through it which is why I have a couple of questions. Thanks in advance fellow preverts

1. Why didn't Samara (deliberate spelling) present her case to Tracy while they were in Turkey?

2. How did she afford the $1000+ trip to the states? Thought she's poor

I hate Sonny and Carly and Jax dodged a bullet

I think Tracy gave her the slip or something.

The monks paid for it, I think.

[Fellaway]

Admittedly, I've only been watching with half an eye the past couple weeks, but I don't get this Samira storyline.  So, her daughter has been kidnapped by human traffickers and she needs this painting, worth approximately $20 million, to get her back?  At the risk of sounding callous, isn't that a pretty steep price tag?  Is that what traffickers normally charge?  And, it has to be this painting specifically?  It couldn't be something else that's valuable or, I don't know, say, cash?  I mean, what are the traffickers going to do with it?  Hang it on the wall, brighten up the place?  Or, more reasonably, convert it to cash, so... why not take cash?

And her family just expects Tracy to hand over this painting?  Have they any proof this woman is even telling the truth?

This storyline be stupid.

Spoiler

Also, if TG is coming back, that sounds like Tracy's exit might be walking off into the sunset with Luke.  (I hope not!)  If it is, how does that work with Tracy's new determination to be a better person, 'cause Luke sure isn't going to help with that!

[ciarra]

I think TG was just back (old clips)  in a dream sequence, when Tracy got brained with one of the crypt plaques.

Edited April 28, 2017 by ciarra

[TeeVee329]

And let's not forget Lord Larry's role in all this - putting it on Tracy's radar in the first place, his spitting out his drink when he heard Tracy went after it, him trying to steal it.  There has to be something more to that, right?

[dubbel zout]

LOL that FV was willing to pay Sean Kanan $1.75 for the use of his picture, but he refuses to give a cent to SBu. 

It makes sense that Scott is Tracy's lawyer, but it's a good thing she's dreaming, because he's terrible. Hee. Sonny should not have been the judge, but at least MB didn't stutter as much as he usually does.

OG Edward was one to talk about Tracy letting money become a god in her life. She had that much right.

And as always, shut up, Samira. Ugh, she's so one-note. If the painting is worth $20 million and it's going to be sold anyway, what's wrong with cash? The writers could have given Samira a bit more than just "I need the painting!"

This episode was no Defending Your Life (and maybe Albert Brooks should contact his copyright attorney), but as a tribute to Jane Elliott, it was pretty decent.

[Darklazr]

The Good.    All of the flashbacks featuring veteran GH characters!

The Bad.  Why was Nathan, Samara, and Kiki in this episode?!   The entire Samara and the picture crap is really bad.

I would have preferred seeing Tracy decide months ago that she wanted to do some traveling and take over running ELQ in Europe.  This crap with Samara is freaking dumb.

[peachmangosteen]

18 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

LOL that FV was willing to pay Sean Kanan $1.75 for the use of his picture, but he refuses to give a cent to SBu. 

I love it!

I mean this episode didn't really do much for me. It was fine though.

JE's voice when she was younger was horrendous. Her baby voice was worse than BH's!

[jsbt]

1 hour ago, ulkis said:

The monks paid for it, I think.

Not a sentence you hear everyday!

[Bringonthedrama]

5 hours ago, Bishop said:

Yes to all of this, but Carly gets no pass because even now, after an invitation from the MUCH better Jasper Jax, she finds an excuse to stay behind to remain in Sonny's orbit.  So her stating that the marriage wasn't in a good place - it's NEVER in a good place because they hurt each other, move on to new partners, and then end up back together again.  Jasper offered Carly a better life away from Sonny, and she said "no."  So, I don't really sympathize with either Carly or Sonny regarding the state of their marriage at any given time.

  Also, Nelle is guilty of assault, but for some reason, when a woman does it, it's not treated like a big deal.  Franco did the same to Sam, remember?  He drugged Sam and led her to believe that they had sex (which would be rape), and she still hates him to this day for it - as she should.  Yet when Nelle does it:  Drugs a man, undresses him, and tells him they had sex - which would also be rape, btw, since she was stone-cold sober ost part) are great.  

I was talking about Carly's perspective, not mine. I agree with you  I also believe Carly is forever addicted to the toxicity/dysfunction of Sonny. She never has, and never will, appreciate Jax. She didn't truly want a better life; she enjoys the power and status of being with him and using their connection (along with her connection to Jason) to try to threaten/intimidate people into getting what she wants. She accused Alexis of never getting over Sonny or the fake marriage to Jax when Alexis called her out for always being on Sonny's side rather than being true to Jax (when his plane went missing). A friend of mine once described another friend's relationship, and in my opinion it has always applied to Carly and Jax, too: "She doesn't love him; she loves the way he makes her feel." Being around Jax makes Carly feel like she's a better person than she ever was, or could be, and he glosses over the many terrible things she's done.

Re: assault ... I would argue that GH hasn't taken assault seriously since Elizabeth was a young rape victim. Wasn't 20-something Emily told to get over her rape, and get on with her life? Aside from AJ and Monica's reactions to the news, the aftermath of Michael's rape was written poorly IMO (intro of Abby, for example).  Franco's crimes against Michael, Sam and others got whitewashed.  Jax was raped by an old flame of his brother Jerry, and Carly and Jason literally laughed about it.  Ned's daughter, Brooke Lynn (paid by Carly), tried to drug and sex up Dante, but Lulu interrupted. She screamed at them and threw Brooke out of Dante's loft. Lulu and Maxie later had a conversation about how gross Brooke's behavior was, then Olivia went to Brooke wanting answers and she lied. The topic was never addressed again that I recall. "Sexual assault" or "rape" were definitely not terms in the scripts those actors had. So this incident with Nelle is just another in a history of dropping the ball on properly addressing sexual assault on GH.  

[Oracle42]

1 hour ago, ulkis said:

The monks paid for it, I think.

The monks paid for the ticket? Why didn't they just give her the painting?

[ulkis]

Just now, Oracle42 said:

The monks paid for the ticket? Why didn't they just give her the painting?

Tracy had already taken it.

Stop harassing me or I'll call your principal!

[dubbel zout]

The time line on this is all messed up, as usual with this fakakta show. Laura heard a woman crying in the monastery. We now know that was Samira. If her daughter wasn't kidnapped at that point, why was she crying? (Aside from being stuck in a monastery and in this terrible story.) And I think the first time they heard the crying, they hadn't seen the painting and didn't know if the monks at it.

[Nalan]

I have to say I loved the flashbacks.  It was actually nice seeing Maurice back when he could actually act.  (Well, I do think he still can, but it takes a lot to make him wake up now, it seems.)  Everyone looking so much younger was a nice treat, too.  I couldn't believe how high-pitched Jane was back in those days!  And David Lewis's Edward!  Wow!  Lila, as well!  And I hadn't watched when Jenny was on.  That was what she looked like.  Anyone know who played her?

And my God, did Jane sell her reaction to reliving what had to be Tracy's worst memory.  So that was how the heart medicine thing played out.  Jane sold Tracy's deep regret over that flawlessly.  She was a real tour de force with that one.  The whole episode, really, but especially that one!

[Originalroux]

Spoiler

So, since Tracey is giving Samira the painting does that mean (Samira) leaves Port Charles and never returns?

OH please oh please

Edited April 28, 2017 by Originalroux

[perkie1968]

Unpopular opinion but I hated this episode.  Oh, I loved all the flashbacks, but I hated the trial, I mean SOnny as the judge?  Shut up show.  And I absolutely hated everyone in the mansion, going on about how Tracy had the audacity to leave WITH HER FREAKIN PAINTING.  

 

Also this:

Dillon:. Save her daughter another way.  We're rich.

Samira:. I cannot take you money.  The monks already have a buyer.

 

so she'll take money from the monks be t not from the Qs.  WTF is this nonsense?

i agree with whoever said Tracy should have just moved to Europe to run the company branch there.

end rant

[LexieLily]

Jean is an idiot. A good 90% of fans on Twitter are calling the writers out on the blatant rewrite of the Jason/Robin/Creighton-Clark story and saying that Jason and Helena couldn't have been alive on Cassadine Island at the same time Jake was, Jean tweeted "How do you know?" and later that "Since years pass by off camera it's possible things happen you are never shown. Before CC". Then she said that their story was that "he was taken to CI first."

So - according to them Jason was fished out of the ocean, nursed back to health from his gunshot wounds and taken to Cassadine Island for two years where he was dead-Helena's soldier boy, and then...someone did something to him to freeze him and transfer him across the world to Creighton Clark where Robin would have to save him?

LMAO. My head hurts!

If I knew how to embed tweets I could show you all of the tweets.

[teenj12]

On 4/26/2017 at 3:01 PM, TeeVee329 said:

Michael runs a multi-national corporation?  You wouldn't know it from all the free time he has to prop his parents. 

In the end, I think the worst thing about Michael these days is seeing all the wasted potential waiting to be picked up. There's a goldmine of stuff to explore with Michael, and the writers just don't seem interested in any of that. Instead he has to be the glue that holds his family together. To date, he has:

• Grown up around constant violence.
• Been kidnapped, shot, and comatose as a child.
• Murdered his step-mother and went to prison where he was raped, as a teenager.
• Lost his biological father in his early twenties after his adoptive father shot and killed him.
• Lost at least four girlfriends between the ages of 19 and 25. Two of them dead.

When you stop and think about it, he's had a tragic life. I think it would be fun if the writers played with his emotional demons a little more, and I definitely think Chad would be able to pull it off. Would be much more interesting than watching him end up in another doomed relationship with Nelle of all people.

[jsbt]

Michael and, uh, Maxie #6 2k17

Edited April 29, 2017 by jsbt

[Sake614]

For a split second before Tracy came back with the painting, I thought maybe Ned was going to actually ask Why Samira HAD to have the painting. Why wouldn't cash accomplish the same thing? I still want someone to actually consider that there's something inside the frame that's more valuable than the painting itself. Like drugs or diamonds. 

MB was a nice looking young man. Still not the best actor (based solely on the scene they showed) but at least he was pretty. Not so much anymore.

i have to admit I was hoping Carly called Nora. But since Alexis referred her and I don't think she ever met Nora, I guess it's someone else. Whoever it is, I hope he or she takes sonny to the cleaners. I have no sympathy for Carly but I despise Sonny and want to see him suffer, even if it's just financially.

i kind of enjoyed today's episode. It was nice seeing those old clips. I remembered most of them and it was fun to watch even if the overarching story was contrived.

[statsgirl]

I was all set to enjoy the flashback clips, popcorn in hand but then it turned in to "Let's show what a terrible person Tracy is".   I love Jane Elliott playing snarky Tracy but there was too much of bashing on her.   I didn't like Lila preferring Jenny to her (I've never forgiven Lila for the adoration of Brenda over Skye who really needed some love) but the worst was the clip with Edward's  heart attack. He was a nasty, nasty man who created the money-loving insecure Tracy and wanting to sign the will in front of her to punish her for becoming what he wanted was bad enough but being unwilling to tear it up in exchange for he meds is over the top villainy.  I was left feeling "Poor Tracy".

6 hours ago, Oracle42 said:

I really need Samira to be running a con that leads to the actual Q - who will be cast without any input from FV

I hate what this whole storyline has turned into. First the actress playing Samira is awful; I think she was cast wholly for her blue eyes.  I have zero sympathy for her.  But worse this "We have to give her the picture" rather than giving her money makes idiots of Monica, Ned, Laura and everyone else.  The constant repetition of "the monks have a buyer" just makes me roll my eyes at these fools.  If the monks have a buyer, then match the amount!  And now Tracy, the holdout I was clinging to, is going to give Samira the painting to show she's really a good person.

So here's to hoping that Samira is running a con and Tracy figures it out.  Or Cook.  Or the orderly at the hospital. Just someone make this stop.

On the plus side, I did love Ned saying that while he personally votes left, he has conservative friends in high places.

[TeeVee329]

1 hour ago, Sake614 said:

i have to admit I was hoping Carly called Nora. But since Alexis referred her and I don't think she ever met Nora, I guess it's someone else. Whoever it is, I hope he or she takes sonny to the cleaners. I have no sympathy for Carly but I despise Sonny and want to see him suffer, even if it's just financially.

I'm kinda hoping the lawyer is a hot dude who, after cleaning Sonny's clock in court, Carly makes out with in Sonny's eye line.

[OnceSane]

8 hours ago, Linny said:

Sonny as the judge is perfect, because he believes himself to be all powerful and better than everyone else.

And it's the only way he's taller than everyone else in the room.

[P3pp3rb1rd]

1 hour ago, statsgirl said:

First the actress playing Samira is awful; I think she was cast wholly for her blue eyes. 

And her long, long, long horsetail of hair. Whoever is doing the casting of women these days on this show likes--nay, is obsessed with--long straight hair like Samira's or Nelle's. Even Bobbie sports a too-long, stringy, improbably red mop that hardly any woman her age would keep. (I think it is a preference from her "pro" past too). It is ludicrous to have Kiki's long blond locks competing with Nelle's long broom of hair competing with Bobbie's red hanks, etc etc. Now with Samira the show has a brunette with the requisite look.                                          

[nilyank]

Quote

And my God, did Jane sell her reaction to reliving what had to be Tracy's worst memory.  So that was how the heart medicine thing played out.  Jane sold Tracy's deep regret over that flawlessly.  She was a real tour de force with that one.  The whole episode, really, but especially that one!

I know that she regrets that moment, but really she shouldn't. Edward was faking it to manipulate her again. He always did that to her and then would act all shocked when she acted exactly like him.

[IWantCandy71]

Scotty was the best part of the episode. That and the reminder that Real Edward was a snake in the grass.

[dr. gailey]

The only thing I like on GH these days are Davis Girls scenes with a sighting from Scout.

That being said, Soap Twitter has been the best thing about GH this whole month.

Tonight has been the best day ever. Jean getting dragged for her stupid ass tweets had me howling. How Do You Know will never be lived down. I am going to answer everything with that phrase now.

[lor]

why is Laura repeating to tracy give up the painting? get a life. why do dilon, Monica and kiki care so much about this samira? samira looks like she is spaced out. its creepy.

why did helena want jake not Liz's other kids? where are Liz's other kids? how do they feel about their brothers return? 

Franco needs a bottle of shampoo.

[peachmangosteen]

12 hours ago, Sake614 said:

MB was a nice looking young man. Still not the best actor (based solely on the scene they showed) but at least he was pretty. Not so much anymore.

I thought MB was about as bad acting-wise in that clip as he is now, but yea he looked great.

1 hour ago, lor said:

why did helena want jake not Liz's other kids? where are Liz's other kids? how do they feel about their brothers return?

Liz has no other kids. You imagined Aaron and Cody.

[Bringonthedrama]

I'm confused - this Samira is Edward's maybe illegitimate daughter from a time he ran away from the Qs?? Alrightey then. So how many children did Edward have from affairs?? There was the son from Mary Mae Ward, who died, a Jimmie Lee Holt, and others? Is Holt alive? Who was his mother? 

[IWantCandy71]

Beatrice LaSeur is Eric Quartermaine(Jimmy Lee Holt's) mother, and yes he's still alive. And why we couldn't have him or one of his kids instead of another Jerome, or Cassadine, or this Samira chick, is beyond me. We already have one female named Sam who is dull as dirt. Who ordered another one? Not me.

I'm glad they gave JE focus yesterday, but the episode just fell flat for me. I still don't get the sudden emphasis on her being a "good person". It's so contrived. And if I were picking clips, I would have picked better ones. More comedy. More moments where she has been tender. And since Scott was her lawyer, maybe the desk make out scene or them chasing each other in the Q mansion wrapped in sheets. Something FUN. Because after JE leaves, show's gonna be sorely lacking in that department. Ric Lansing would have been a fun choice as her lawyer, too. I'm just glad there was no Jason. I take my blessings where I can find them.

[ulkis]

I think my bar's even lower than yours, because I was just glad we got clips at all.

Do you know who she was talking to when she said "if it comes to a battle of wits I would win by default"?

[P3pp3rb1rd]

I'm still enraged to the point of having a stroke that the Show changed Tracy's entrenched (and more interesting) personality and history by making her give in to the high-horse advice of others to give the twenty million dollar painting (that might have even more concealed in the frame or behind the current painting) to the stranger Samira. Gee, is that all it takes to get that kind of dough out of the Quartermaines? Tears and petulant, guilt-inducing threats in a story that has no evidence or documentation? Sign me up! [/sarcasm].

And what if the annoying Samira is a Quartermaine? So what? Having Quartermaine genes--especially from that old snake Edward--would be more likely to yield a problematic heir who should be vetted and held at arm's length for awhile.

[ciarra]

I laughed and laughed as Sonny gave Andre the pills, then phoned him seconds later to badger him for the results.  Does he think independent labs produce results in 20 minutes, or it's free?

[ch1]

3 hours ago, Bringonthedrama said:

I'm confused - this Samira is Edward's maybe illegitimate daughter from a time he ran away from the Qs?? Alrightey then. So how many children did Edward have from affairs?? There was the son from Mary Mae Ward, who died, a Jimmie Lee Holt, and others? Is Holt alive? Who was his mother? 

Why are they still giving Edward kids when characters like Ned and AJ are old enough to be grandfathers themselves?

[dubbel zout]

16 hours ago, statsgirl said:

I think she was cast wholly for her blue eyes. 

The blue eyes are what makes her a Q; I mean, who else in the world has them besides that family? And if that's not enough proof, Samira sang "We Gather Together." Who needs a DNA test?

1 hour ago, ulkis said:

Do you know who she was talking to when she said "if it comes to a battle of wits I would win by default"?

Pretty much everyone?

[statsgirl]

I'd like to think that Edward is rolling in his grave at how stupid Monica, Ned and Dillon are being.

Tracy seems to be the only one living in that house who has any brains.  And she's supposed to be the bad guy,.

[Chairperson Meow]

So, wait.  Samira is Edward's daughter?  From what time period? Zombie days?  She looks like she's 15.  

God.  Can't Alan have some illegitimate kids?  Stop being obsessed with grandpas conceiving into their graves, Show.  

[ciarra]

1 hour ago, Chairperson Meow said:

 Can't Alan have some illegitimate kids?  

Doesn't Jason count?

[tvfanatic13]

On April 25, 2017 at 3:36 PM, TheMediaHo said:

Well, let's sound off...I've been watching since 1982/3, with no breaks. I suspect I'm in the minority.

I have been watching since 79 with no breaks! We are at a table of 2 together!

[Melgaypet]

23 minutes ago, ciarra said:

Doesn't Jason count?

I suppose he must. And they did it with Skye, even if she was eventually de-Qued. But, this is dumb. Ned or AJ should be the ones with long-lost children showing up, if anyone.

Edited April 29, 2017 by Melgaypet

[Darklazr]

4 hours ago, Chairperson Meow said:

So, wait.  Samira is Edward's daughter?  From what time period? Zombie days?  She looks like she's 15.  

God.  Can't Alan have some illegitimate kids?  Stop being obsessed with grandpas conceiving into their graves, Show.  

Jimmy Lee Holt should have some kids out there, along with AJ and Ned.  We're supposed to believe that AJ and Ned don't have some missing kids from previous relationships.  Nope.  Emily should have taken a medical course in Europe and the role recast after a few years.

[Bringonthedrama]

3 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

The blue eyes are what makes her a Q; I mean, who else in the world has them besides that family?

Laura Spencer. I remember dialogue on this show at least a couple times making a point that Laura has blue eyes. 

[In2You]

5 hours ago, ch1 said:

Why are they still giving Edward kids when characters like Ned and AJ are old enough to be grandfathers themselves?

There are characters like Brooklyn and Maya that could be recast and brought back

[Ambrosefolly]

I don't even think recasting is even necessary, especially for Brooklyn. There is plenty they could. Ned could have some other spawn out there as could Justice. Jimmy Lee Holt can have his own family. If you are going to give Edward another kid, at least make it good, like they did when Justice was brought on. 

[In2You]

57 minutes ago, Ambrosefolly said:

I don't even think recasting is even necessary, especially for Brooklyn. There is plenty they could. Ned could have some other spawn out there as could Justice. Jimmy Lee Holt can have his own family. If you are going to give Edward another kid, at least make it good, like they did when Justice was brought on. 

But why create other kids when you have viable ones already created? You still have to cast a new actor anyway. No need to create long lost children. Maya is doctor which this show definitely needs. Brooklyn has history with Dillon, Lulu, Dante, and Maxie.

[Darklazr]

3 hours ago, In2You said:

But why create other kids when you have viable ones already created? You still have to cast a new actor anyway. No need to create long lost children. Maya is doctor which this show definitely needs. Brooklyn has history with Dillon, Lulu, Dante, and Maxie.

RoHo could have played one of Jimmy Lee's kids and still had a romance with Carly or played Dr. Steven Lars Webber.  Brooklyn should have been back a long time ago.

[Bringonthedrama]

20 hours ago, IWantCandy71 said:

Beatrice LaSeur is Eric Quartermaine(Jimmy Lee Holt's) mother, and yes he's still alive. And why we couldn't have him or one of his kids instead of another Jerome, or Cassadine, or this Samira chick, is beyond me

Ok, thanks.  I thought (again) that he's dead because a monk told Tracy that Edward had been there, and he gave the name Jimmy Lee Holt as an alias. I assumed before that he was dead because of the time Skye told Edward Emily died, and Edward talked about burying "children, grandchildren."  Re: "children" - I know he was there for Alan's death, but I thought he didn't know he was the father of Mary Mae's son (a man he'd met a few times) until after his death.  So I figured he meant Alan and JLH. 

I agree that he or a child of his would be better for a storyline. Hey, even Edward's babymama(?)/ex, Beatrice, could come into the mix, demanding the painting as inheritance for her grandkid(s).  Jason, Michael, Ned and Dillon having a new cousin or two in their lives as friends or rivals might make them more interesting (because I don't count involvement in Sonny's/Mob drama as interesting). 

[lor]

does the identity of the buyer for the painting the clue for why samira has to take the painting.why isnt anyone asking why it has to be the painting? 

when ned said on Friday it has to be the painting it would have been funny if they all said it has to be the painting.

the way kiki stood on friday when the ice agent saw the visa was like yeah we showed you.

sonny was much better looking when he was younger.