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GH History Lessons: Because History is Always Repeating Itself


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Okay I seriously feel like ya'll are punking me around here. I decided to look into Michael's history and THIS is what I found to start with. Seriously THESE people are who ya'll think are so much better than Sonny? OMG no wonder Michael had nothing to do with the Qs as a child. Considering to them he is "that child" ick!

I'm almost afraid to watch any more.

 

Eh. Considering what Jason turned into after his head bashed into that tree, I don't blame the Qs for trying to intervene. It was Carly who was psychotic enough to think that giving her son to first a hitman and then a mobster to raise was an awesome idea. Which, given Cujo's history, doesn't really surprise me. Say what you like about the Quartermaines and their long history of infighting, in their shoes, I'd have tried to pry Michael out of Jason's amoral arms as well.

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That's brain damaged hitman.

 

Cattitude, try searching for the scenes where Sonny hung AJ from a meat hook and forced him to sign over his parental rights to Michael by pouring booze over him and telling him that his entire family would believe it when he killed him and made it look like a drunk driving accident.

 

I still want Michael to somehow find a copy of that tape. AJ told him about it, but seeing it should cement his Sonny hate for all time. Wrong AJ, unfortunately, but Show in my Head definitely has surveillance videos floating around somewhere. Then again, Show in my Head has AJ floating around somewhere - and not by Monica's contrivance this time because neither she nor AJ would allow Michael to go through so much pain without telling him.

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Well clearly I have a different feeling about the whole thing, b/c as far as what I saw they all saw "that baby" as a piece of meat to fight over. Jason was actually the sympathetic one in the situation who looked to be Morgan's age. And don't even get me started on how they were all treating the "wimmins".

I might have understood if they truly seemed to love the baby but it was more about power and manipulation from all I saw and they clearly knew what they were doing was wrong.

 

I don't know that I'd blame Sonny if I did try to watch the meathook thing b/c as far as I saw AJ was right in there trying to take "that baby" from Jason when he thought Jason was his father. Again how is that better than what happened to AJ himself?

 

I truly do feel kind of punked.

Edited by Cattitude
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I don't know that I'd blame Sonny if I did try to watch the meathook thing b/c as far as I saw AJ was right in there trying to take "that baby" from Jason when he thought Jason was his father. Again how is that better than what happened to AJ himself?

 

I ask this without an ounce of sarcasm - how is the Quartermaines trying to take Michael away from Jason wrong, but Sonny hanging A.J. up on a meathook, if not "right", then somehow less objectionable? A.J. was Sonny's (and Carly's) victim from the moment Sonny decided that Michael belonged to him, and what's so ironic is that he kinda-sorta stole Carly from Jason when they had hate-sex, because I don't think Jason ever touched her sexually after that.

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I think for a lot of people (myself included), it's just the overall governing principle of the whole thing -- both sides are flawed, sure, but Sonny freaking KILLS people for a living without remorse, and yet he comes out on top every. single. fucking. time (as we're currently seeing yet again) and somehow manages to get more and more children, while the Qs (who were on the show long before Sonny was a twinkle in the writers' eyes) have been systematically killed off one by one.

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Aren't you the one that says that if Michael tries to take Avery away from Sonny as some sort of revenge, he's no better than Sonny? ;)

 

Also, I haven't watched the clip, but I rather doubt that the Quartermaines assaulted and threatened to murder Jason.

 

Side note, I actually missed most of the original Michael custody drama in real time and have absorbed much of this through osmosis and youtube videos myself and can't watch the actual clips that Cattitude posted at the moment. Is this still during the period where both sides of the issue would be allowed to be seen objectively or are we already in the period where the mob is somehow made up of heroes that those hypocrites that don't murder people for money are unfairly judging?

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Side question, as long as I'm on AJ kick. Like I said, I missed alot of these years - was there ever a scene where AJ just mourned his brother? I've always head canoned it that AJ feels responsible for killing Jason Quartermaine and doesn't really recognize Jason Morgan as the same person, but I don't know if that was ever scripted or is just in my head.

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For a while, both sides treated Michael as a prize to be won. The way Michael (and Jason, for that matter) was slobbered over later did the Qs no favors, in my book. But as ulkis wrote,  AJ deserved to raise his kid, regardless of his flaws. It wasn't Sonny's place to decide otherwise.

Edited by dubbel zout
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Okay I seriously feel like ya'll are punking me around here. I decided to look into Michael's history and THIS is what I found to start with. Seriously THESE people are who ya'll think are so much better than Sonny? OMG no wonder Michael had nothing to do with the Qs as a child. Considering to them he is "that child" ick!

I'm almost afraid to watch any more.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgN5cG5PEZI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8gaW0F48n4

 

I'm sorry, were either Tony or Alan murdering thugs?

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Side question, as long as I'm on AJ kick. Like I said, I missed alot of these years - was there ever a scene where AJ just mourned his brother? I've always head canoned it that AJ feels responsible for killing Jason Quartermaine and doesn't really recognize Jason Morgan as the same person, but I don't know if that was ever scripted or is just in my head.

 

No, that sentiment was in the actual show a lot. I'm pretty sure there were a couple of scenes where AJ mourned Jason Q, but I couldn't point to a specific scene, I'm sure someone else could.

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I will always choose the Qs over Sonny. They never got one of their children raped in prison because they didn't want to keep a bargain they made which would have kept said child safe. They also haven't dove to save their girlfriend when a hit man took a shot, instead of trying to save their pre-teen son. Also, murder isn't their business. So yup, I root for the Qs as often and loudly as possible, especially over Sonny.

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I won't allow myself to get in a Sonny debate, lol, but I think it's always more difficult to really explain these characters unless you watch/watched the show religiously through the years. 'Cause you can pretty much find good/bad clips of any character.

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I won't allow myself to get in a Sonny debate, lol, but I think it's always more difficult to really explain these characters unless you watch/watched the show religiously through the years. 'Cause you can pretty much find good/bad clips of any character.

 

I think we got very used to characters in long running dramas like soaps doing awful, despicable things. (Cheating on your husband and not being sure who the father is is bad. Rigging a house to collapse and kill both parties? Worse.) The thing is, "back in the day" the story would have them pay for their moral lapses before we moved on to the next story arc where they could be reasonable people again. They rarely went to prison, but whatever they were doing would blow up in their face at some point and they'd either learn (probably temporarily) from that or go on with their scheming until it blew up on them in a new way. (Or, of course, it would turn out that they were possessed by Satan. I think my Days trauma is showing.) The only way that they wouldn't end up realizing that they were at fault for their situations was if they were irredeemably evil or painted as not actually responsible. Now, Sonny murders AJ, it blows up in his face and Michael is an ungrateful bastard for not getting the hell over it while Sonny says that if he had the chance he'd do it again. WTeverlovingF? 

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Word, Jalyn. You summed up my issue. If the writers want the audience to accept the fact that Sonny will never pay for his crimes, he should probably show a bit of remorse. And Michael shouldn't be made out to be the crazy one for being angry about his bio dad's killing.

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Word, Jalyn. You summed up my issue. If the writers want the audience to accept the fact that Sonny will never pay for his crimes, he should probably show a bit of remorse. And Michael shouldn't be made out to be the crazy one for being angry about his bio dad's killing.

 

It would even be fine if Sonny never felt any remorse - so long as that made him an out and out villain and at least half the town realized it. What doesn't make sense is this "have your cake and eat it too" way that they are trying to paint this where he hasn't changed, isn't going to change and is still somehow the hero of the piece.

 

Of course, and to pull this back to the historical thread rather than harping on about current storylines, that is the way that GH has been written for Sonny, Jason and Carly (and anyone in their orbit) for years.

 

Sonny tries to murder an undercover cop? Well, he didn't know that it was his son, which somehow makes everything ok. There's no recognition that just shooting anyone in cold blood is inherently bad. Dante was a cop - and a lying one at that, so that's not a problem. The fact that he's Sonny's son? Well, that's a problem but he didn't know you guys. So you should totally feel bad for him about it. 

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I ask this without an ounce of sarcasm - how is the Quartermaines trying to take Michael away from Jason wrong, but Sonny hanging A.J. up on a meathook, if not "right", then somehow less objectionable? A.J. was Sonny's (and Carly's) victim from the moment Sonny decided that Michael belonged to him, and what's so ironic is that he kinda-sorta stole Carly from Jason when they had hate-sex, because I don't think Jason ever touched her sexually after that.

 

Aren't you the one that says that if Michael tries to take Avery away from Sonny as some sort of revenge, he's no better than Sonny? ;)

 

This comes back to my feelings about Sonny. Sonny is a mob boss and Jason was a mob enforcer. Of course they will do bad things but that is the life they chose. In some ways that is like taking ownership of being a bad person. In contrast the Qs are supposed to be upstanding "pillars" of the community, yet they act NO BETTER than a common mob thug. That is my whole issue. I don't mind bad characters as long as they own being bad(Raymond Reddington is the best character on TV IMO). What I don't like are people who claim to be so much better than the "bad guys" acting just as bad. I'm talking moral character not just common murder etc.

I would expect Sonny to threaten and coerce AJ into giving up Michael, I would expect the Qs to take the high road and NOT be just like a common thug. I guess that is too much to ask.

 

I think Michael is a good person and hate to see him become just like the person he wants to hate.(I don't mean literally just like as in a killer, but someone who puts revenge over other good things in his life)

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I would expect Sonny to threaten and coerce AJ into giving up Michael, I would expect the Qs to take the high road and NOT be just like a common thug. I guess that is too much to ask.

 

I don't remember any Quartermaines hanging people from meat hooks.

 

I also don't see how Sonny gets a pass to act however he wants just because he's upfront about being a murdering mobster.

 

And as far as the Q's being impeachable pillars of the community...not so much.  Characters have talked shit about them, about their alleged toxicity, forever and a day.

Edited by TeeVee329
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I don't remember any Quartermaines hanging people from meat hooks.

 

I also don't see how Sonny gets a pass to act however he wants just because he's upfront about being a murdering mobster.

 

And as far as the Q's being impeachable pillars of the community...not so much.  Characters have talked shit about them, about their alleged toxicity, forever and a day.

 

I don't think he should get a pass. I don't think Michael should forgive him, but I don't hate him for doing what he does b/c it is in character. I don't want to see Michael become a vengeful person, I'd rather he do good and be a better person than Sonny.

 

I just didn't see anything in that toxic situation of the Qs living room that made me think Michael was better off with them. My problem in the end is regardless of all the things that happened to Michael growing up he turned out to be a decent person so the life he had was fine.

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I just didn't see a toxic situation. They hung out in that drawing room for years with big cute dogs arguing about pizza. I never saw the horrible menace, myself. It was something Guza tried to force and I never believed it.

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I just didn't see a toxic situation. They hung out in that drawing room for years with big cute dogs arguing about pizza. I never saw the horrible menace, myself. It was something Guza tried to force and I never believed it.

 

Exactly.  I mean, those scenes are all about getting the audience to root for Jason.  The out-of-universe agenda was always clear.

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This comes back to my feelings about Sonny. Sonny is a mob boss and Jason was a mob enforcer. Of course they will do bad things but that is the life they chose. In some ways that is like taking ownership of being a bad person. In contrast the Qs are supposed to be upstanding "pillars" of the community, yet they act NO BETTER than a common mob thug. That is my whole issue. I don't mind bad characters as long as they own being bad(Raymond Reddington is the best character on TV IMO). What I don't like are people who claim to be so much better than the "bad guys" acting just as bad. I'm talking moral character not just common murder etc.

I would expect Sonny to threaten and coerce AJ into giving up Michael, I would expect the Qs to take the high road and NOT be just like a common thug. I guess that is too much to ask.

 

I think Michael is a good person and hate to see him become just like the person he wants to hate.(I don't mean literally just like as in a killer, but someone who puts revenge over other good things in his life)

 

I agree with a lot of what you've stated here, actually. As I said, I don't need Sonny to actually be remorseful about any of it to accept and enjoy the character. I do, however, need the show and a good portion of the characters within the show (who AREN'T members of the mob) to recognize that Sonny is not a hero. 

 

I don't agree, however, that being hypocritical is morally equivalent to being a murderer. The Quartermaines ARE better than Sonny, they don't murder people. And for the months where AJ thought it was possible that he had done so he was distraught and unable to function. Sonny proclaims that he'd do it again. Somehow, in Port Charles, AJ's the evil one.

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If I may interject...

 

Michael did not turn out to be a good person despite being raised by that midgety scum of a moobster and Cujo.  If y'all recall, when he was first SORASED and Drew Garret played him, he'd turned from the red-headed demon to a blonde headed little shit, wanting to join the mob; he's the one who blew Dante's cover, hoping that would convince that scumsucking murderous psychopath to allow him in da bidnez.

 

Even when Chad took over the role, still wanted to be in the mob...had major anger issues.

 

It wasn't until FUCKING AJ returned, and he connected with him, got to know AJ, that he turned away from all things mobular.

 

So I say, the former Stupid Little Shit, remain angry, vengeful, out for revenge/justice for AJ/whatever you want to call it. Because it was due to AJ's love and support that Michael changed for the better.

 

In my opinion, o' course.

Edited by GHScorpiosRule
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I think Sonny has shown remorse, however  it's remorse for Michael's pain and breaking his promise. Not remorse for ending AJ's life, he has stated clearly that he'd do that again and that he was glad he did it.  

 

All that means, IMO, is that Sonny is sorry for the wrong thing. It'd be like scalding someone with hot water and then apologizing because the floor got wet.

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All that means, IMO, is that Sonny is sorry for the wrong thing. It'd be like scalding someone with hot water and then apologizing because the floor got wet.

 

 Exactly what I meant. I was just pointing out that he has appeared to be remorseful, unlike Carly and he hasn't told Michael to just get over it, unlike Morgan. In fact I wish Sonny would tell those two to shut the hell up but I doubt he will.

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All that means, IMO, is that Sonny is sorry for the wrong thing. It'd be like scalding someone with hot water and then apologizing because the floor got wet.

 

Yes. And I'm not even sure he's sorry for Michael's pain. Or, rather, I think he is - but he's more sorry that Michael is so angry with him and is not his worshipful, loving, ego-boosting son anymore. As always, Sonny's greatest regret is for himself.

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I would expect Sonny to threaten and coerce AJ into giving up Michael, I would expect the Qs to take the high road and NOT be just like a common thug. I guess that is too much to ask.

 

 

Well, it kind of tilts the playing field if the Q's (and any non-mob characters) are never allowed to get their hands a little dirty when dealing with the Moobster and his ilk.  Are the Q's just supposed to let Sonny take Michael without so much as a token effort at fighting back, because, well, mobster are going to do bad shit, and decent people aren't allowed to fight back?  Nothing the Q's did measured up to a meat hooking (until AJ joined Faith in the kidnapping because he wanted to be with his son...who was stolen from him...by the Moobster and company).  I can't whitewash everything bad Sonny does with "well, he's a mobster, he's supposed to do bad stuff" and then tar and feather the Q's for daring to fight back when Sonny's bad stuff is shit like meat hooking AJ and stealing his child. 

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He wanted put Johnny on death row and if Johnny, Lulu and Maxie didn't decide to lie and go on the run (Johnny and Lulu), they wouldn't have all looked as guilty as sin of murder rather than self defense. Lulu wasn't even formally charged with the death of Logan

 

I blanked a lot of that out, I just remember Scott screaming at Lulu in Laura's room at Shadybrook about lethal injection, etc and Laura stood up and stopped the room.  He then proceeded to blackmail Laura into leaving with him again using not charging Lulu.

 

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I wanted to add this.

 

"I don't like to be Luke without Laura. She is his heart and his humanity. I don't want a major storyline without her.... I don't want another romance. I'd rather lay low in Genie's absence and protect the Spencer franchise. She's the only woman for Luke. They're not going to do any affairs--we're not going down any of those usual roads. He can flirt with everybody--and he does, shamelessly--but the man is not going to violate those vows. No way. The marriage will be on hold, and I'm OK with that as long as we've got the family. She's got part of the family--Lesley and Lesley Lu--in one place, and I've got Lucky here, so we'll never close that door. There's plenty of stuff to do. I can always support other storylines. I'm not that concerned about it. Hopefully, Genie will do what she needs to do for her family and still want to come back."

 

TV Guide website, May 14, 1997

 

What Tony Geary said about Luke/Laura, when he still cared about the relationship. I will *always* believe this. (Thank you to whoever linked this.)

 

http://www.mcamy.net/geary/quotes/geary4.html#laura

 

And I just realized that this should be in the history thread? My apologies. I was just *so* angry. 

 

And... I don't know how to move a post. Oy.

Edited by fishsanwitt
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On the Scotty v. Luke front: yes, Scott considered Luke a nice guy, before he knew that Luke was Laura's rapist and just thought Luke was Laura's boss at the disco. In fact, Scott was always asking Luke to give Laura a ride home after the rape, which was messed up. Now, in the context of the story and society at the time, it kinda made sense that Laura was afraid to tell Scott and thought nobody would believe her (acquaintance rape was not widely understood as a thing at that time). Also, she had a misguided sense of not wanting to ruin Luke's life, having already liked him as a friend before the rape.

The huge problem with the story, when L and L became a love story, was that it reinforced every horrible false myth about rape: that rape can "just happen" if you're a drunk, upset guy, and you just really love the girl and couldn't help yourself, and hey, it doesn't really count as rape if she forgives you and likes you back, right? It ended up adding to all the other fucked up "romances" in pop culture, from Rhett dragging Scarlett up the stairs to the The Fountainhead.

Anyway, because of how long the secret was kept and the way Scott learned the truth, he assumed the rape was a lie, that it was an affair, and he turned into a very bitter, jaded guy. His dad and friend Brian lost patience with him because instead of focusing on his own life, he wasted time playing malicious pranks on L and L for a while. I kinda get why he couldn't move on for so long, and was pissed at the whole town fawning over L and L after the Ice Princess thing.

However, Scotty really should not still give a crap about any of this. (And he didn't, back in the good old days with Dominique and a version of Lucy I didn't want to punch in the face!)

Edited by SlovakPrincess
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However, Scotty really should not still give a crap about any of this. (And he didn't, back in the good old days with Dominique and a version of Lucy I didn't want to punch in the face!)

 

Exactly.  In 1993, when the 3 L's returned to Port Charles, after the punch to the face Scott gave Luke when he first saw him, he and Laura actually talked about that time.  It was a sweet moment, when he asked if she was happy and she apologized for hurting him so much.  The two of them became friends.  Laura was one of the first to come and see baby Serena and they talked about Dominique.  It makes me sad that none of that is remembered.  You'd think "I know GH history better than any living being" RC would have.

Edited by LegalParrot81
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Exactly.  In 1993, when the 3 L's returned to Port Charles, after the punch to the face Scott gave Luke when he first say him, he and Laura actually talked about that time.  It was a sweet moment, when he asked if she was happy and she apologized for hurting him so much.  The two of them became friends.  Laura was one of the first to come and see baby Serena and they talked about Dominique.  It makes me sad that none of that is remembered.  You'd think "I know GH history better than any living being" RC would have.

In RC's minor defense, Guza was the one that ginned up all the Scotty wants Laura/is Luke's enemy crap when Kin was moved back to General Hospital. He even rewrote Rick Webber's death by having it be Scott somehow killing Rick, then jumping out the window to explain why the audience didn't even see him.

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In RC's minor defense, Guza was the one that ginned up all the Scotty

 

True, but RC has perpetuated Guza's warped vision of Scott, instead of utilizing his "vast" knowledge of GH to attempt and rehabilitate that dreck Guza left laying in the road. IMO.

Edited by LegalParrot81
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which is one of the reasons I loved the non luke and Laura years.I actually have scott and Dominquie edits and theres a scene where that Dominquie didn't even know scott had been married before. Guess she didn't hear about the famous Luke and Laura wedding lol.

 

MY biggest problem with Lee is that it never felt like Lee was trying to get scotty to stop his self destructive bhavior for his sake.He always had to mention his promise to Luke and laura to scotts face.Did he really think that was going to help matters ?

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In fairness, Scott has not handled that shit with Luke and Laura maturely since the '90s. He's been Neener Neener Spencer/Let's Hot Tub Time Machine Back To 1978 since not long after he left Port Charles. It's long been eroding all the goodwill I had built up for Kin Shriner.

Edited by jsbt
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In RC's minor defense, Guza was the one that ginned up all the Scotty wants Laura/is Luke's enemy crap when Kin was moved back to General Hospital. He even rewrote Rick Webber's death by having it be Scott somehow killing Rick, then jumping out the window to explain why the audience didn't even see him.

Am I really supposed to buy that scotty had this deep secret about Rick since the late 70s yet when scotty didn't want Ricks free clinic or something down at the waterfront because he wanted to make money.He wouldn't have blackmailed Rick with it? See this is why I hate when they rewrite history.

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I admit I was never a fan of Scott Baldwin.  When he and Laura were married, he acted more like her father than her husband.  Telling her where she could go, who she could go with, where she could work, etc.  

 

I did warm up to him during the short Dominque period.  It brought out a side of the character rarely seen before then.

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What the hell did I just watch. Scott was CUCKOO here.

 

 

I will say that, to be fair, having a guy whose wife left him for her rapist isn't exactly a situation that happens every day (or hopefully ever)--I can't imagine how much that must have messed up Scott psychologically, wondering what was so awful about him that wife preferred her rapist to him* (being controlling/cheating on her, as he did with Bobbie, are definitely bad, but he's still not a rapist). And again, since this isn't exactly that you can draw real life experience from, I actually am legitimately curious about what Kin has thought all these years when he plays the side of Scott who lost Laura to Luke despite the rape.

 

Even with all of that, though, this scene is still insane, even with him mourning over Logan's murder.

 

*I realize that 1979 was a very different time/am aware of the retcon that took place (before the unretcon in 1998), but imagining something like this today...it makes me curious. 

Edited by UYI
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This is a clip from the time Sonny was off his meds and looking to kill Jax. Dante was still in his hate Sonny period.

 

 

Actually that was a renewed period of Sonny hate. Good times, good times. This was my favorite part - Dante arrests Sonny after this for punching him in the face, and when he's in the interrogation room Sonny starts saying this

 

Sonny: I can't be in a jail cell for too long, because I need . . . (stammers)

Dante: what, your diaper?

 

Which I am 99% sure was an ad lib from Dominic. And I am not usually one to give credit to good lines to actors but he just talked right over MB, which is why I think it was

 

Here it is, if anyone thinks I was imagining it :)

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79K5kaMCm2U#t=208

Edited by ulkis
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