Jump to content

Type keyword(s) to search

Episode Discussion: TFGH


  • Start Topic

Recommended Posts

Now I wonder how it would've been had the actress who plays Rosalie would've been cast as Sabrina? Would I actually have liked the character?

 

One of the major problems with Sabrina is that she's not a well-thought out character. She was created in the mold of Ugly Betty meets Disney Princess, and when that storyline had run its inevitable course -- she is transformed from ugly duckling to beautiful young lady and the cute guy notices her -- Ron simply just picked the character up like it was chess piece and plopped her down somewhere else (late 20s something career woman who takes on people -- side eye to Britt -- who mess with her man).  No matter who played Ugly Betty Sabrina, she was going to come across as a cardboard caricature.  Imagine the actress playing Rosalie stuck in that horrible grape Halloween costume?  Though, if she let her bitch-face shine through, just maybe Sabrina would have been salvageable as a character.

  • Love 4

 

But, he's brought back Anna, Duke, Lucy, Kevin, Ned, given Alexis a love story, brought back Lucas.

 

I'll grant that he gave Alexis an actual romance and also brought back Lucas. As far as bringing back Anna and Duke and Lucy and Kevin... to what purpose? Duke is seen once every three months or so and Ron is so clearly over anything Anna/Duke that he barely bothers to recognize they're even together. He had the whole storyline where Duke was actually Faison and it was fun, cheesy camp but the second that was revealed... he was bored.

 

And Lucy... what in the fuck has he been doing there? She's a vampire slayer, no she's not... she was actually fucking nuts for ten years, finally reunites with Kevin and then starts screwing around on him because, as usual, Ron cannot seem to fathom a pairing where one of them is off-screen. She's some strange new age person who now presides over weddings?! What? I mean, Lucy back in the 90s was all about what the Universe was telling her but it's so obvious that they can't spring for a day player priest more often than not so they have Lucy presiding over the not wedding of Patrick and Sabrina? For that matter, why is Lucy the go to for granting approval on sucky characters? First she's Sabrina's biggest cheerleader and now she's Franco's? I don't even understand  how that works... especially given her own history with lunatics (Ryan Chamberlain comes immediately to mind.)

 

It's not that a triangle wouldn't work... it's that it's Ron's go to for everything. First it was Lucy, her insanity and Kevin, then it was Scott-Lucy-Kevin, now it's Bobbie-Scott-Lucy. If they ever get Jon Lindstrom back for a stint what's it going to be then? And more to the point, they shift from Lucy wanting nothing more than to be with Kevin, heartbroken that he's always working and choosing that over their marriage, heartbroken again when he finally catches her with Scott and tells her he's done and now she's immediately demanding that Scott choose her because... why? They're in love, I guess? There's no actual heart in any of this! If this is the best he can do... he's not doing the characters any favors at all.

 

And sadly, at this point, it's totally the best he can do. Guy never met a triangle he wouldn't try to shove down the viewers throat and then he goes on to do a quadrangle and says in an interview 'They can't all be triangles!' Oh, fuck you Ron. Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you.

  • Love 11

Like him or hate him, Guza knows how to write.  Ron does not. It's painfully obvious that Ron was never trained on characterization, narrative, or structure. He somehow rose through the ranks at OLTL due to his quippy, "modern" dialogue and splashy big events.

 

Ron has no idea how to plot out a storyline that gives the viewers a big-goal question to be answered or conflict resolved, along with delicious nuggets along the way that keep people satisfied. Guza, on the other hand, focused on satisfying himself.

Edited by Francie
  • Love 10

It's not that a triangle wouldn't work... it's that it's Ron's go to for everything. First it was Lucy, her insanity and Kevin, then it was Scott-Lucy-Kevin, now it's Bobbie-Scott-Lucy.

 

And now it seems we're heading possibly towards some sort of triangle with Duke and Anna, which...what?  WHAT?!?! 

 

I feel like, to Ron, Lucy is basically Roxy Balsom, brought out now and then for wacky antics and comic relief.  But like Ilene Kristen before her, Lynn Herring can do so much more (and has done so much more when she gets the chance - that monologue when she first cheated with Scotty about what she was doing, her heartbreak at the state of her relationship with Serena, etc.) and the whole thing bums me out. 

 

If this is all there is for Lucy, it's time to bring back Kevin, reunite them, and, sadly, send them on their way.

 

ETA...And you know what I would kill for?  A story for Lucy involving Serena.  Have Serena come to town and have mother and daughter really dig into the drama between them (like, I dunno, Lucy going insane for years about vampires).

Edited by TeeVee329
  • Love 4

 

If this is all there is for Lucy, it's time to bring back Kevin, reunite them, and, sadly, send them on their way.

 

Yes, she is capable of so much more. She can do gravitas and hit all the notes necessary. It's happened frequently over the years but Ron wants to put her in a very specific box: Wacky Lady of A Certain Age. (Yeah, the Roxy Balsom comparison is very spot on. Sadly.) See, I remember in the 90s when Kevin and Lucy were a couple... that's not what their stories were solely about. Lucy would get roped into stuff with Luke and Joe Scully and the Big Caribbean Adventure. Luke got shot and Lucy took care of him and even though they had a sort of bond after that, nothing happened, nothing came close to happening because Lucy loved Kevin and Luke loved Laura. Laura was always somewhat bemused about Lucy (and Bobbie really hated that Luke and Lucy were friends all of a sudden... which also made a great deal of sense given how they all intertwined) but never really saw her as a threat; Kevin really didn't like Luke because he usually wound up getting Lucy involved in rather dangerous situations (this before Ryan returned.) And it all made sense and worked and didn't devolve into needless triangles for no reason. I mean, soaps need those good, solid couples that you can count on to make up for the the chaos that comes with other pairings. It's all about balance.

 

And that's what it really comes down to. Ron doesn't write a balanced show. At all.

  • Love 7

 

Than all the other characters he's bringing on like Sabina, Nathan, Dr. O, Britt, etc...... and trying to give them other connections to GH legacy families and still writing BS stories. He's a hack who has to bring whole new characters on to write for them because he's an uncreative, non talented back who can't write for GH legacy characters or families.

 

This is the first time I've ever seen a writer connect newbies to other newbies. The entire Westbourne family is filled with fucking newbies. Why did psychotic Dr. Evil and her stupid daughter need a family? And why the hell is that Madeline Magda freak coming back? I doubt many people were begging to see more of her. 

  • Love 4

I remember reading back in the '70s that a lot of actors of a certain age were convinced to appear on The Love Boat because they were told it would reignite their careers. But it didn't. Maybe Ron is selling that same old story now but changing it to the advantage of appearing on a soap. That's the only reason I can come up with for Donna Mills showing up again. 

  • Love 1

My main issue with Ron is the dialogue.  I've only been watching since 2006/7-ish, but under Guza, the day-to-day dialogue seemed ... more intelligent?  Better thought-out?  More relevant to the actual s/l and what we were seeing onscreen?  More in-character?  Less campy?  Less juvenile? Less WTF? 

 

I don't know, but I did enjoy it more.  Even if it was all-mob-all-the-time (and it has pretty much returned to form), the characters had better conversations with each other. 

 

So, that's one difference for me.  Not saying I liked Guza, no.  But, I do miss how the show's dialogue was written, even if the storylines were awful.

 

Yeah, me too. And the splicing into short scenes hurts a lot too. If they can get back some of the old dialogue writers, and stop slashing scenes in half, I think that would improve Ron's GH a boatload and make it way better than Guza's GH.

 

TeeVee, last time Dante talked to Michael and Morgan was in July when Rafe and Molly were brought to the hospital.

  • Love 1
Adventure. Luke got shot and Lucy took care of him and even though they had a sort of bond after that, nothing happened, nothing came close to happening because Lucy loved Kevin and Luke loved Laura

 

I love Luke and Lucy's friendship and it sparked one of my all-time favorite exchanges:

 

Luke is planning to leave town and he tells Lucy how attractive he found her.

Lucy:  You never once looked in my direction!

Luke:  Oh I always looked!

 

It allowed Luke to still have a little bit of his lecherous side but be faithful to Laura out of choice. That was the Luke I liked.

 

 

I think it's kinda bizarre that the catfights over a man are happening with the oldest bracket of characters, the "steamy affair" storyline is happening in the age group right under them, but the youngsters' love lives are dull and duller.

 

And you left out the youngsters even under them -- the pre-tween set who should be playing with crayons -- who make huge declarations of love.

Edited by Francie
  • Love 3

 

Ron has no idea how to plot out a storyline that give the viewers a big-goal question to be answered or conflict resolved, along with delicious nuggets along the way that keep people satisfied. Guza, on the other hand, focused on satisfying himself.

 

Two methods that don't really work in the long run. Guza just got ridiculous and his never-ending love affair with the Borg was just... mind-boggling. Let's be honest, Guza sucked at balance, too.

 

Ron had a gift for the Big Moments for a while but, like I said, his followup is shit. And the leadup wasn't all that great either. That whole storyline on OLTL where Dani's boyfriend is blackmailed into porn with some girl that his brother used to date was so long and drawn out and awful and didn't make any sense... (like, why not hire actors who want to do porn? Seriously? Rick was played as pure comic relief so this wasn't a story about the dangers of getting sucked into the Adult Entertainment industry... it was just... stupid.) It culminated in the Vickerman premier which was, admittedly, funny and had a lot of threads coming together... Rama's fake pregnancy, Markko being the director of a film while his mentor had been demoted to cater waiter at the event, the whole stupid porn story coming out and, of course, Todd finally revealing himself to his family.

 

The results? Well, the Rama story was a C-story anyway so it got wrapped up fairly well. The porn thing seemed to be an issue between Dani and her boyfriend for a week. Maybe. She forgave him for that so ridiculously fast that I couldn't believe it. And the Todd reveal... which was beautiful on so many different levels... well, when Ron doesn't like something, he does his best to ignore it. Starr, Viki and Tea all paraded through the jail to confront Todd and demand who he really was and berate him or be freaked out or just whatever... but the one true love of his life? The one he laid a scorching kiss on at the reveal and dared her to forget him? They didn't interact again for three weeks -- hell, she barely got to react at all. And he carried on with that until the end of the show... always interrupting their scenes to insert Tea into it... and then to insert Tomas into it... and shoving a useless triangle into the proceedings because triangles are all Ron cares about. Ugh. You have this big amazing Umbrella Moment that soaps are known for and then he completely squanders the major plots of it.

 

It takes a special kind of incompetence to blow that sort of thing. And he continues to do that sort of shit on GH as well. It's something he's clearly not ever going to change.

  • Love 6

I liked Dr Silas Lt Vampire Caleb McBain Morley Tanner today. I rather lol'd and about pissed my pants at Nina's excessive use of emoticons. Like, for real? And the "I will not be ignored" text in caps. Dead. Like I expected a grumpy cat meme next saying "I will cut you bitch!" So looking forward to McSilas Morley yelling in Nina's face tomorrow. For real.

Loved Dr. O being spot on about Nina, but why could we not see that shit rather than Franco crying over Carly or Sonny/Carly banging? Or Sam crying? And who is Fluke? Anyone but Jasper Jax.

One half of Dante's hair apparently fought off whatever attempt was made to tame it with a comb/and or brush.

 

Anna could/should be off hunting down her wayward daughter but instead her days are filled with Duke and Dr. O...I wish David would just pop in and whisk her away, the pointlessness of it all is so tiresome.

 

Whatever the hell is supposed to be happening between Jakson and Liz is so baffling I feel as if, yet again, Ron is writing for a whole other soap. This is not Jason, it isn't anything close to being anything like him, whatever last name he's had in life, even when he had amnesia which happened more than once.

 

Ron, there are tapes of the bloody character going back over two decades, is it so hard for you to use some semblance of an old character's real history? Ffs...

 

And let me guess, his fingerprints have been altered or some bs to keep this generic trash going and going and going. Also those had to be the cleanest, whitest bandages removed from a "bloody face" in the history of ever.

 

A sleuthing seething Silas is fun to watch, at least there's hope this will all help drive a welcome wedge between he and the leaping gazelle he calls his wife.

 

The Nina has learned how to write in ALL CAPS for so called emphasis, so even when not talking she's abusing the English language.

 

Travis has the most annoying text message alarm.

 

Ah Jerry Jacks, he may wear his welcomes thin in record time but he was glorious today.

 

Sam and Patrick both are too stupid for words at times, Spencer could have easily kept track of them and their travel plans from day one, did they really think one as Jerry would merely stroll into that shop without knowing exactly who was inside?

 

And really Patrick you attempting to be "threatening" is like Sam trying to squeeze the chest pillows into a B-cup bra, it's as futile a battle as separating Sonny from his pomade.

 

Then to top it all off Patrick can get all riled up and shouty at Jerry about the awful, horrible, terrible things he did to Robin but he was ready, set, go to play naked bed tag with Sam a mere few hours earlier. He is such a loathsome creature.

  • Love 5

I was relieved when Nina put her sweater on backwards, after years of being subjected to MSt's unfettered boobettes on Y&R I'm way over seeing that. Silas tells her she's beautiful (gag) and that he is attracted to her and still Neen freaks out. While telling Franco to be all rational about CarSon screwing. I have no idea who either of these people are, what they think and why I should care.

Spoiler and Eye Bleach alert!  MS' flapjacks were out in full force today.

  • Love 6

My main issue with Ron is the dialogue.  I've only been watching since 2006/7-ish, but under Guza, the day-to-day dialogue seemed ... more intelligent?  Better thought-out?  More relevant to the actual s/l and what we were seeing onscreen?  More in-character?  Less campy?  Less juvenile? Less WTF? 

 

I don't know, but I did enjoy it more.  Even if it was all-mob-all-the-time (and it has pretty much returned to form), the characters had better conversations with each other. 

 

So, that's one difference for me.  Not saying I liked Guza, no.  But, I do miss how the show's dialogue was written, even if the storylines were awful.

 

Like… y'know, this is me. A lot of RC's dialogue is OMGWTFBBQ?! The plotting is atrocious too, and don't get me started on his "romances"… it's been my one big complaint with the lack of one really big one for my favorite character. RC just indulges his worst ADD tendencies. 

 

BUT, at the same time, after watching how Guza handled certain characters (specifically Liz), which turned me off the show altogether, I do like that RC goes just a little bit more to the humorous, snarky side than emotional from time to time. I wish he did more of the emotional/thoughtful stuff, but I can at least watch the show when my favorite characters aren't being written like basket cases 90% of the time. Liz always seemed to be on the verge of a  mental breakdown every time I watched in the last few years of the Guza/Wolf run. Sam too. I felt like I rarely saw her spark onscreen, unless it was with Jax or Lucky or *ahem* Jerry.

 

I do like that RC's made an effort to bring back veterans and restore the Qs, though now a lot of that effort is clearly half-hearted and weak in terms of what Ron wants to write. And his dependence on RH/KA/ME to drive stories is absolutely gross. But I can still watch the show. It leaves me scratching my head sometimes, but I can still watch it okay. 

 

He needs a MVJ-type co-writer to balance out his campy style though. 

Edited by WTActualF
  • Love 3

I agree. I think it's very effective when the topic is the same, like when Lulu and Maxie and Dante and Nathan were talking about Maxie and Nathan's date, but it doesn't work when we need to see things play out in one stretch.

 

It doesn't really work for me then either because FV overuses it, imo.

Edited by ulkis
  • Love 3

If I was transported back to 1980 right now, I'd be huffing and puffing to get home get home! to watch GH live.  I'm home this afternoon and I'm multitasking with GH on, closed captions on, no sound.

 

I see Abby Ewing is back in all her fabulousness with that fabulous working hair.  Ahh, Jerry Jacks.  Ya.

 

I would never romanticize Guza and I think Ron is just plain dumb.   He doesn't know how to write serial drama, a continuing story, a daytime soap.  Too many people related to each other that are wrong. Heather for example.  Robin Mattson had it down and had relationships with every one of those vets, she should have stayed and not been so diabolical.  I wanted to scream with that Heather/Scott/Franco shit.  How dare he? He should watch Downton Abbey, pure soap, well written.  

  • Love 3

Ok, I almost lost my shit at Nina's emoticon threats to poor idiotic Travis.  THAT was funny.  But not funny like I am sure RC intended, since he tweeted about it.  I will <<bomb bomb gun>>> you.  I didn't make out what any of the other ones were, but seriously.  Funny.

 

I admit, seeing Jerry was a surprise.  I guess they can still keep *some* things under wraps.

 

I am really tired of Liz/Jakeson already.  Doesn't Liz have other patients? 

  • Love 4

 

 

Sam and Patrick both are too stupid for words at times, Spencer could have easily kept track of them and their travel plans from day one, did they really think one as Jerry would merely stroll into that shop without knowing exactly who was inside?

And really Patrick you attempting to be "threatening" is like Sam trying to squeeze the chest pillows into a B-cup bra, it's as futile a battle as separating Sonny from his pomade.

 

Nicely said, CPP83.

I'm still irritated that Patrick and Sam were supposed to be "out of sight" in that cafe (with the gray walls, of course). I can't believe that somebody couldn't have found a potted plant or two for them to use as a screen and humor the viewers instead of asking us to be as dumb as the characters. Since PC women have demonstrated -- quite a bit lately -- that they can take care of themselves,  Patrick being there is totally unnecessary, as demonstrated by his rather vacant look today when Jerry appeared. (I know, I know … his sole purpose now is potential sexy time for Sam, but … meh … that sweater is killing whatever attraction he might have had for me. )

  • Love 3

Silas has a brain! Alert...Silas has a brain! Thank pancakes he's finally becoming a bit interesting. Nina's use of emojis were freaking amazing, too. Dare I say I was entertained?

Dr. O psychoanalyzing Nina was something else. Please go away forever.

I still can't get into Nathan and Maxie's relationship, but RP is getting a bit more natural and less wooden. A bit.

Anna/Dante will always be awesome together. They could read the phone book and I'd listen.

Jerry's back! He's deliciously evil with no qualms about it. Loved all the digs to the Trio of Dumb.

Patrick acting all tough with his Mr. Rogers sweater was fresh. I guess today he has a WIFE and remembered she was shot and enslaved and held hostage? That's rich. So I can only assume tomorrow he will tell Sam he's over Robin and they'll screw?

If Patty isn't the picture of The Cure's "Friday, I'm In Love," I don't know who is. "I don't care if Monday's blue...Tuesday's grey and Wednesday too....Thursday, I don't care about you. It's Friday, I'm in love."

I also thought it was weird that he just sat there while Jerry repeatedly touched Sam, who got all touchy when Jason's name came up. So...she's getting texts from Silas, dreaming about Patty, and crying over Jason. Have to keep that straight.

I love Billy Miller so much. He makes Jason adorbs, I don't even care. I could do without the blatant, unnecessary flirting between him and Liz, though. Too soon, Ron. Too soon.

  • Love 6

I'm leaning towards Billy Miller got a run down on Jason before he left Y&R from Steve Burton, then watched you tube clips, then looked at his Emmy collection and laughed.

 

Well, to be fair, Steve Burton also has an Emmy, so...  But Daytime Emmys are as prestigious as Cracker Jacks toys now, anyway, so...yeah, it doesn't get one far these days.  :-\   I still say a good Jason is NO Jason.

  • Love 4

Billy Miller is way more AJ than Jason.

 

I will accept a ton of Cassadine/Jerry Jax fuckery if it meant Miller was actually AJ. Because that stuff that went down with SK and TIICs was uncool. 


Also, this may be UO here, but I'm over Dr. O and her "evilness". Just as I am over Britt. I want my classic GH villains, but with less camp, more actual menace. 

  • Love 3

Yeah, Jerry!!!! That's all I enjoyed about today's show. I saw him & my mind wondered to him holding me hostage, calling me darling & speaking other languages softly in my ear.

 

The rest of the show was full of shit.

 

I'm tired of the Jason propping already. Yeah, right Jason was a challenging opponent of Jerry. I'm tired of them throwing Liz/Jason together already & I didn't mind them back in the day. I am really perturbed that St. Jasus' bandages are off when based upon Patty/Sam were are just over 48 hours out from the Creighton Clark incident. He is really a Saint considering he healed from a 30+ hour complex surgery & has he bandages removed mere hours later with minimal bruising, no swelling & no scars. Give me a fucking break, I've had patients with dressing on longer from single surgical incisions.

 

I still say a good Jason is NO Jason.

 

 

This. I heart this so much that I'm going to wrap it up & stick it in a tree.I haven't always felt this way but the propping just. Won't. STOP. I can't take it anymore.  

 

I'm still not getting any heated chemistry from Maxie/Nathan but you can tell they are more comfortable with each other. All that hanging out in real life is working. I still would prefer Maxie/Morgan thou. Sue me, I feel like BC played off of KSt better.

 

Wow, the douche remembered his soon to be ex-wife. 

 

I don't care about Silas or Nina. Of course, Nina/Silas' child is still alive. We called that shit months ago. Ron needs to provide Nina a story past the damn "List". I wish MSt's sweater had been on backwards today. Also, I don't care about or for Donna Mills

 

Yeah, tomorrow Jerry's still around & Brad's with Britt! If I can't have CoJones, I'll take a little Br2.

 

ETA:

Because that stuff that went down with SK and TIICs was uncool.

 

 

It was complete fuckery from the fat jokes, horrible story lines to no story lines, no love interests & going off screen for months in order to make the story line "realistic". Pure bullshit. Then the AsshatFucktwitDouchcanoeAssholeHack Ron had the nerve to say SK should have been thankful for all the crap. Well, IMO, SK got the last laugh because he looks good & I'm enjoying his scheming on B&B.

Edited by BestestAuntEver
  • Love 6

I still would prefer Maxie/Morgan thou. Sue me, I feel like BC played off of KSt better.

Wow, the douche remembered his soon to be ex-wife.

The chemistry between KSt and BC was so playful and cute and natural. I loved it, too.

I think it's so skeezy that Patty still refers to Robin as his wife when you couple it with his scenes with Sam. This dude needs a POV and fast.

Edited by HeatLifer
  • Love 1

If I was transported back to 1980 right now, I'd be huffing and puffing to get home get home! to watch GH live.  I'm home this afternoon and I'm multitasking with GH on, closed captions on, no sound.

 

I see Abby Ewing is back in all her fabulousness with that fabulous working hair.  Ahh, Jerry Jacks.  Ya.

 

I would never romanticize Guza and I think Ron is just plain dumb.   He doesn't know how to write serial drama, a continuing story, a daytime soap.  Too many people related to each other that are wrong. Heather for example.  Robin Mattson had it down and had relationships with every one of those vets, she should have stayed and not been so diabolical.  I wanted to scream with that Heather/Scott/Franco shit.  How dare he? He should watch Downton Abbey, pure soap, well written.  

Its interesting you should mention this because if anyone goes back ad watchs clips from 1983.Am I really supposed to buy that Heather had scottys kid sold it or whatever but then in 1983 was spouting that she loved him and wanted to marry him but yet kept this little secret quiet.Ugh RC even manages to ruin the old stories.

  • Love 2

So, did they really just hand wave Madeline's murder of the pharmacist with an off-hand "chain of evidence" problem.  Like the dead body, her confession, and her motive weren't enough?  Oooookay, Ron. 

 

I get it. You love Donna Mills. And no story on this show will ever have a definitive ending. Ever.

 

This reminds me, was it ever explained how Dr. O still works at the hospital after committing multiple crimes, or was it all glossed over together? 

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
×
×
  • Create New...