GH History Lessons: Because History is Always Repeating Itself

[ulkis]

Quote

He had his chance to be a leading man on GH, and he thoroughly and conclusively blew it 

@yowsah1 Do you think any actor could make a new relationship work under the circumstances the writers put his character in?

[yowsah1]

2 minutes ago, ulkis said:

@yowsah1 Do you think any actor could make a new relationship work under the circumstances the writers put his character in?

Becky Herbst has made every pairing she has ever been put in work, and some of those pairings (including her current one) have been under pretty dire circumstances.  Dominic Zamprogna had to sell suddenly becoming an adulterous shit and sleeping with his wife's newly-discovered cousin and he made it work.  Ditto Maura West.  Ditto Jon Lindstrom.  And they all suffered under the same shitty writing that JT did.  A competent actor makes it work.

[Hater]

I think JT shows up in his scenes but he hasn't been an appealing leading man in years imo.  I think it stopped after the affair storyline with that crazy doctor whose name escapes me.

All I remember was Patrick crying a lot.  He lacks a certain charm to me these days, idk if he was ever charming.  He played cocky well but charming? Meh.  

Edited April 3, 2019 by Hater

[HeatLifer]

1 hour ago, ulkis said:

Do you think any actor could make a new relationship work under the circumstances the writers put his character in?

I don’t think any actor would have made that story better or made his other pairings work. Would another actor have had more chemistry with TeCa or KeMo? Possibly, but chemistry is subjective. But no actor could save that crap in terms of making Patrick likeable during that time to me as a viewer. The story would still have been the story. That was never on JT.

And Dom sucked during that Valerie homewrecker storyline, lol.

[WendyCR72]

It's also clear Ron gave no shits about Patrick as an individual since Patrick's personality was nowhere in sight with Sabrina or Sam. He was...a human potted plant.

Add in other angles like his "drug addiction" told to JT between scenes and...yeah. Not at all surprised he took his chances and "peaced out" when he did.

[jsbt]

3 hours ago, yowsah1 said:

Becky Herbst has made every pairing she has ever been put in work

Uhhhhhhh

Dominic Zamprogna had to sell suddenly becoming an adulterous shit and sleeping with his wife's newly-discovered cousin and he made it work

He absolutely did not, and that is not his fault either.

[WendyCR72]

2 minutes ago, jsbt said:

He absolutely did not, and that is not his fault either.

That whole thing was just Patrick/Lisa minus the crazy plus the family angle. Bet TMFIC just crossed out Patrick/Lisa and inserted Dante/Valerie. And I agree. DZ sleepwalked in that as much as JT did. And I don't blame either of them. They both likely knew they were being shat on for...reasons.

[dubbel zout]

On 3/13/2019 at 1:30 AM, teenj12 said:

After hearing about the Lori Loughlin-college bribery case, I see the whole "Kristina drops out of Yale because of Sonny/Alexis" story very differently.

Until they decided to make Kristina a directionless mess, she was doing quite well at Yale and enjoying her classes. Then I think she met Trey and we got the recast (or vice versa; the order isn't that important) and things fell apart.

8 hours ago, jsbt said:

12 hours ago, yowsah1 said:

Becky Herbst has made every pairing she has ever been put in work

Uhhhhhhh

Quote

I think it's safe to say BH doesn't actively tank any of the pairings she's in, like the men do. She at least tries to find something to work with.

[UYI]

5 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

Until they decided to make Kristina a directionless mess, she was doing quite well at Yale and enjoying her classes. Then I think she met Trey and we got the recast (or vice versa; the order isn't that important) and things fell apart.

She came back in May 2012 and then met Trey soon after that. Lexi had been gone since late 2011 before that. 

(I know you said it wasn't important, I just wanted to clear it up. 🙂 )

[Bringonthedrama]

On 4/2/2019 at 11:31 PM, yowsah1 said:

 And they all suffered under the same shitty writing that JT did.  A competent actor makes it work.

What Jason Thompson should be worried about is that after Y&R bounces his untalented ass, GH may well not be there to pick up the pieces.  

--I'm going to stick up for JT here, because I think he was very believable as a guy who didn't want to fall for Robin, as a devoted father to Emma, and as a close friend to Elizabeth. One of JT's best scenes ever IMO was of Patrick sitting on the docks with Robin, heartbroken that he had failed to save the life of their dear friend Elizabeth's son, a little boy who had played at their house with Emma. He felt he had failed as both a doctor and a friend. 

[yowsah1]

8 minutes ago, Bringonthedrama said:

What Jason Thompson should be worried about is that after Y&R bounces his untalented ass, GH may well not be there to pick up the pieces.  

--I'm going to stick up for JT here, because I think he was very believable as a guy who didn't want to fall for Robin, as a devoted father to Emma, and as a close friend to Elizabeth. One of JT's best scenes ever IMO was of Patrick sitting on the docks with Robin, heartbroken that he had failed to save the life of their dear friend Elizabeth's son, a little boy who had played at their house with Emma. He felt he had failed as both a doctor and a friend. 

And literally every single scene you mention was with KMc around to carry him.  Take her away, and JT sucks dead donkey dicks.

And I see no reason why KMc should give up a successful directing career to go hold up JT.  (This is assuming that GH would even want him back after Y&R fires him, which is a huge assumption to make).

Edited April 6, 2019 by yowsah1

[WendyCR72]

3 hours ago, yowsah1 said:

And I see no reason why KMc should give up a successful directing career to go hold up JT.

I don't think this is an issue. JT has promoted KMc's directing stuff as her friend. I'm sure he is aware where her passion lies. I like Patrick/JT. But I also do not want him back to see the character further dragged through the mud. If he must make appearances to bring Emma to town, that's fine. But long term? No, thanks.

[Bringonthedrama]

3 hours ago, yowsah1 said:

And literally every single scene you mention was with KMc around to carry him.  Take her away, and JT sucks dead donkey dicks.

KMc was not in every single scene with him. For example, a scene I really liked was when Elizabeth was at Shadybrook after her breakdown, and Patrick visited her. They sat on the floor together with him talking quietly. He was able to get through to her. Another scene I remember without KMc was where Patrick is receiving praise (I think from Mac?) and Patrick didn't want to hear it because he felt that he failed Robin and Emma.  Then in September 2012, Edward refused the anti-serum so that Patrick could save Emma's life. JT got me "in the feels" in his scenes with Emma both at the hospital when they were ill and then later that month when she got angry/upset because he went out to dinner with Britt and left her with Sabrina. 

[bubble sparkly]

Given FV has brought a number of his OLTL faves back as multiple different people, the best solution might be to bring JT back as a new character (maybe a Quartermaine?). That way he can be on the show and not tarnish Scrubs, but anytime KMc makes an appearance he could just play Patrick.

But this is assuming Miller wants to go back to Y&R. My understanding was that Y&R has a strict taping schedule and they weren’t prepared to give BM time off for prime time and movies, which is why he ended up leaving. BM doesn’t seem content to be a soap lifer so he may not be prepared to go back to Y&R and give up his prime time goals.

[Ladybyrd]

5 hours ago, bubble sparkly said:

Given FV has brought a number of his OLTL faves back as multiple different people, the best solution might be to bring JT back as a new character (maybe a Quartermaine?). That way he can be on the show and not tarnish Scrubs, but anytime KMc makes an appearance he could just play Patrick.

But this is assuming Miller wants to go back to Y&R. My understanding was that Y&R has a strict taping schedule and they weren’t prepared to give BM time off for prime time and movies, which is why he ended up leaving. BM doesn’t seem content to be a soap lifer so he may not be prepared to go back to Y&R and give up his prime time goals.

Have you watched Y&R recently, though? I can maybe see that the possibility for a non-Patrick character exists, but I really don't want him tbh...

[Asp Burger]

On 4/3/2019 at 12:12 PM, dubbel zout said:

I think it's safe to say BH doesn't actively tank any of the pairings she's in, like the men do. She at least tries to find something to work with.

I agree with this.

I think what @yowsah1 meant with "has made every pairing she was ever put in work" was not that they were all to every viewer's liking, but that they all developed fan bases, and her sincere efforts had something to do with it. The only exception I can think of is the Jacob Young Lucky, and I did not blame that on her. He was the wrong actor for that character.

But her pairings with JJ Lucky, Jason, Ric, GV Lucky, "Jason"/Drew, and now Franco all have had enthusiasts, as have some of her shorter entanglements (Zander, Ewen, Matt). 

Were there Niz fans in significant number? I really can't remember, but I guess there must have been. I always thought she and Tyler worked extremely well together, and there was a time (late '90s) when I wanted them paired. But when the show finally got around to doing them, it was in such a sleazy and character-wrecking way. I was glad it didn't ruin the friendship of the characters. 

Edited April 8, 2019 by Asp Burger

[UYI]

3 hours ago, Asp Burger said:

I agree with this.

I think what @yowsah1 meant with "has made every pairing she was ever put in work" was not that they were all to every viewer's liking, but that they all developed fan bases, and her sincere efforts had something to do with it. The only exception I can think of is the Jacob Young Lucky, and I did not blame that on her. He was the wrong actor for that character.

But her pairings with JJ Lucky, Jason, Ric, GV Lucky, "Jason"/Drew, and now Franco all have had enthusiasts, as have some of her shorter entanglements (Zander, Ewen, Matt). 

Were there Niz fans in significant number? I really can't remember, but I guess there must have been. I always thought she and Tyler worked extremely well together, and there was a time (late '90s) when I wanted them paired. But when the show finally got around to doing them, it was in such a sleazy and character-wrecking way. I was glad it didn't ruin the friendship of the characters. 

Add AJ to that list, too. (Although I personally saw more chemistry between SK and LW's Carly...and now I'll prepare to flee. 😉 )

[dubbel zout]

Sean Kanan and Laura Wright had great chemistry, but I don't think there's any way AJ and Carly could ever be a legit couple after how she and Sonny treated AJ. She was never sorry for what happened.

[ulkis]

26 minutes ago, UYI said:

Add AJ to that list, too. (Although I personally saw more chemistry between SK and LW's Carly...and now I'll prepare to flee. 😉 )

I don't think that's an unpopular opinion.

[Hater]

On 4/6/2019 at 9:08 PM, bubble sparkly said:

But this is assuming Miller wants to go back to Y&R. My understanding was that Y&R has a strict taping schedule and they weren’t prepared to give BM time off for prime time and movies, which is why he ended up leaving. BM doesn’t seem content to be a soap lifer so he may not be prepared to go back to Y&R and give up his prime time goals.

Billy hasn't made it big outside of soaps though.  That's what he wanted and he hasn't gotten it.  But at this point YR>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>GH.  If they're asking him back and he has no other prospects, he'd be stupid to stay on GH.

Now would he do to Thompson what Burton essentially did to him?  I don't know.  I tend to think he doesn't care and would step all over JT to get his role back. 

Edited April 9, 2019 by Hater

[UYI]

1 hour ago, ulkis said:

I don't think that's an unpopular opinion.

It's a polarizing one, which might be worse. 🙂 

[dubbel zout]

I think SK/LW having chemistry is pretty accepted; the polarizing opinion is whether AJ and Carly should have been put back together in some way. 

It's an interesting question: When do you let actor chemistry overrule character history?

[Asp Burger]

The question is moot. AJ was fat. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

22 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

When do you let actor chemistry overrule character history?

Every time Vanessa Marcil returned? After she'd said good-bye and good luck to mooby in '98 after the Bastille Ball and had chosen JAX, this fakakta show had to act like she was still conflicted over the two. I would like to think that nonPod!Brenda would be horrified by Mooby shooting Dante in the chest. But nooo, she was all "how horrible for you." But I'll stop here, because I need to keep my blood pressure from elevating and exploding.

[statsgirl]

Did VM really have that much chemistry with MB? Or was it because Sonny has to win everything?

On 4/9/2019 at 11:13 AM, dubbel zout said:

It's an interesting question: When do you let actor chemistry overrule character history?

I think you can when it creates a good story. TV shows have flipped characters all the time, especially soap operas who flip them back and forth depending on how long the character has been on the show.  That may be especially true for re-casts when the new actor has a different chemistry than the old. History is really the only thing keeping Dante and Lulu together since ER got the JMB role.

I don't mid overruling history as much as I hate overruling character.

[HeatLifer]

On 4/9/2019 at 8:13 AM, dubbel zout said:

When do you let actor chemistry overrule character history?

Basically never, IMO.

[Oracle42]

On 4/9/2019 at 11:13 AM, dubbel zout said:

When do you let actor chemistry overrule character history? 

I generally think it's a bad idea to choose chemistry over character.

But, I don't think that had to be the case for AJ/Carly. I think those two characters in particular could've followed Alan/Monica's arc. And I think it could've been a soapy, compelling pairing because they are both deeply dysfunctional and because AJ/Carly used to be friends - real friends, not that bullshit infantilizing, ennabling mess that she has with Jason.

In fact, I think AJ is the closest this character has ever come to a real friendship and I think the GH script writers were incorporating that into their scenes, right up until RC/FV decided that Carly/Franco needed to happen

Edited April 11, 2019 by Oracle42

[dubbel zout]

I think the train sailed on making Carly and AJ a next-gen Monica/Alan. I could maybe see Carly and AJ forging a tentative friendship, but she and Sonny did too much to AJ they're not ever going to be sorry for. You can't tumor that away. And Carly would always have the upper hand. Ugh.

[Ladybyrd]

I would actually choose chemistry over character history 100% of the time.

The thing about soaps is that pretty much all characters have done genuinely unconscionable things.  All of my favorites have, at least. If we love them, we forget that they abandoned their kids or faked a pregnancy or committed murder or withheld heart medication or whatever. 

Carly and Aj would have been a great story and also v. hot. 

Edited April 11, 2019 by Ladybyrd

[Hater]

If the writing is as horrendously bad as it is now you need to pair in some instances based on chemistry. That’s why the audience is now suffering with all these awful pairings on GH.

[HeatLifer]

3 hours ago, Hater said:

based on chemistry. 

Who determines that? Who the writers think have chemistry? The fans? The executive producer? The actors? Chemistry is subjective. 

[Hater]

38 minutes ago, HeatLifer said:

Who determines that? Who the writers think have chemistry? The fans? The executive producer? The actors? Chemistry is subjective. 

It is but none of these pairings are working well and a lot of that is because the actors have zero vibe together. Chemistry can make up for crappy writing. Jasam. Carson. Paxie. Fanna. Etc are horrid and continue to be pushed and in some instances it’s so obvious there is nothing between the actors. 

Edited April 11, 2019 by Hater

[UYI]

54 minutes ago, HeatLifer said:

Who determines that? Who the writers think have chemistry? The fans? The executive producer? The actors? Chemistry is subjective. 

This obviously would probably never work now, but back in 1982-1983, there were fans who thought that Robert & Holly had chemistry from the moment they met (when Holly was still involved with Luke), and they wrote the show about how much they loved them, and I guess the show runners agreed, because it wasn't long before Luke was presumed dead, and they had Robert & Holly married to keep her from being deported back to England (although I don't see how marrying an Australian would solve that, but whatever), and things went from there.

And obviously TR and ES noticed something, too, because they were together in real life for two or three years themselves.

I guess my point is that while chemistry IS subjective, there are times where there are enough fans requesting a pairing that TPTB notice it too and things come together.

To bring it back to a couple YOU like (because I'm so giving, lol), I've often wondered if that was part of the motivation behind the J&R pairing. Correct me if I'm wrong about this, but wasn't the show going to pair up Jason & Robin earlier than they did, but didn't because of just how young KMc looked next to SBu at 14 or 15? The irony being that Michael Sutton is even older than her than SBu is, but I guess that he looked young enough that Stone & Robin still worked, and once Stone was gone, they felt the time had come for J&R...but they knew that Jason Q. would never dump Keesha otherwise, so the car accident/transformation into Jason Morgan provided a better excuse to get to J&R (along with the fact that I suspect the J&K fan base* was never as passionate as the J&R fan base proved to be). Of course, they risked the chemistry going away with Jason Q. becoming Jason Morgan, but I guess that didn't happen in most people's minds.

...That's my guess anyway, lol. TL:DR and all that. 🙂 

(Of course, I could see the car accident also providing the show an excuse to finally pair up AJ & Keesha, too, even if they also lacked the passionate fan base that J&R enjoyed.)

*Still, there was no excuse for Jason Morgan acting so cruel to Keesha about not remembering her/preferring Robin to her afterwards. That should go without saying, but still. 

Edited April 11, 2019 by UYI

[UYI]

I do have to say that the fact that J&R are clearly being teased here in this 1995 scene strikes me as a bit odd, too--not on Robin's part, since we know Stone is dying, but when Jason is talking about how he regrets not being with Robin back when she first liked him, it kind of feels like a swipe at Keesha, even though she was still his girlfriend then. IDK.

(Maybe Karen, too, since they were dating when Robin liked him, but given how she left him for Jagger, I can excuse that a bit more.)

Edited April 11, 2019 by UYI

[GHScorpiosRule]

Of course this is VERY UNPOPULAR, but the reason why they kept Anthony Geary, when he was supposed to have been killed off after raping Laura, was because of the crazy chemistry between him and Genie. For all that he trashed Luke and Laura and their fans, every time Genie returned, they sizzled. And he actually lit up when she came back engaged to Scotty that last time. 

Yes, chemistry is subjective, but some actors just have IT and it comes across the screen. Tristan and Emma; Tristan and Finola. Jonathan and Becky. Some are just chemistry magnets like Kimberly McCullough.

And I can’t help it-I LOVED Luke and Laura.

[dubbel zout]

10 minutes ago, Hater said:

Chemistry can make up for crappy writing.

Only up to a point, though. I think chemistry can make a pairing seem logical—i.e., you get why the couple became a couple—but crappy writing can ruin the couple being a couple. GH for too long has simply refused to put in any sort of work into establishing a couple. The show throws people together and hopes for the best. That's not the way to write a soap, but nothing will change.

[HeatLifer]

Luke and Laura would absolutely never fly today, in 2019, regardless of whatever chemistry. Luke would be given a brain tumor, if anything.

39 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

I think chemistry can make a pairing seem logical

I think that’s part of it; you’re able to see the WANTING between two characters, for sure. But, as you said, the writing and character will always be more important. If there’s chemistry—and then someone cheats, or there’s disrespect, abuse, lying, behaviors are displayed that lend more to pushing the plot—the pairing doesn’t survive in my eyes.

Edited April 11, 2019 by HeatLifer

[Dr.OO7]

6 hours ago, UYI said:

Correct me if I'm wrong about this, but wasn't the show going to pair up Jason & Robin earlier than they did, but didn't because of just how young KMc looked next to SBu at 14 or 15? 

That's what I've heard.

6 hours ago, UYI said:

The irony being that Michael Sutton is even older than her than SBu is, but I guess that he looked young enough that Stone & Robin still worked, and once Stone was gone, they felt the time had come for J&R...

I thought the same thing.

6 hours ago, UYI said:

but they knew that Jason Q. would never dump Keesha otherwise, so the car accident/transformation into Jason Morgan provided a better excuse to get to J&R (along with the fact that I suspect the J&K fan base* was never as passionate as the J&R fan base proved to be). Of course, they risked the chemistry going away with Jason Q. becoming Jason Morgan, but I guess that didn't happen in most people's minds

I think it did. I've said time and again that I would have liked Robin and Jason QUARTERMAINE, but I hated Robin and Jason MORGAN, precisely because of how cold and emotionless he was. And Robin still looked too young to be with him.

6 hours ago, UYI said:

Of course, I could see the car accident also providing the show an excuse to finally pair up AJ & Keesha, too, even if they also lacked the passionate fan base that J&R enjoyed.)

*Still, there was no excuse for Jason Morgan acting so cruel to Keesha about not remembering her/preferring Robin to her afterwards. That should go without saying, but still. 

I've never forgiven the characters or the writers for that. Of all the people from his old life he inexplicably seemed to have a particular hatred for Keesha and seemed to almost take a sick pleasure in being cruel to her. I wonder if it was hard for the actors to play those scenes. 

And both pairings--J&R, AJ&K--ended up feeling very forced, despite the fact that AJ had been pining away for Keesha for years.

It would have made far more sense for Jason Q. and Robin to begin spending time together in the wake of Stone's death, feelings develop, etc.

5 hours ago, UYI said:

I do have to say that the fact that J&R are clearly being teased here in this 1995 scene strikes me as a bit odd, too--not on Robin's part, since we know Stone is dying, but when Jason is talking about how he regrets not being with Robin back when she first liked him, it kind of feels like a swipe at Keesha, even though she was still his girlfriend then. IDK.

I thought so too.

And it's something else that makes the Jason Morgan development suck--why bother clearly teasing Jason Q and Robin in that scene if they were just going to erase his personality and memory anyway?

[HeatLifer]

6 hours ago, UYI said:

enough fans requesting a pairing

So if you’re going by fans, how do you gather that data? Back then, it was through Nielsen ratings, letters, phone calls, and focus groups. Now, would it be mainly social media, I guess? 

Regardless, if you’re to choose the fans as your guide, there will always continue to be a segment of the audience who is unhappy. You can’t please everyone. So even now, discussing the “bad” pairings on GH...who are they? What does the majority feel? Who does this majority feel has chemistry: JaSam, Julexis, Friz, CarSon. What is TPTB choosing incorrectly here?

[UYI]

1 minute ago, HeatLifer said:

So if you’re going by fans, how do you gather that data? Back then, it was through Nielsen ratings, letters, phone calls, and focus groups. Now, would it be mainly social media, I guess? 

Regardless, if you’re to choose the fans as your guide, there will always continue to be a segment of the audience who is unhappy. You can’t please everyone. So even now, discussing the “bad” pairings on GH...who are they? What does the majority feel? Who does this majority feel has chemistry: JaSam, Julexis, Friz, CarSon. What is TPTB choosing incorrectly here?

Yes, back then it was probably through letters and phone calls to the studio. Now...I mean, I still see old people writing to SOD (bless their hearts...and I mean that sincerely, not in the Southern "fuck you" way), but obviously social media probably is the best way to figure that out now, following the biggest trending topics, etc.

So basically, I'm repeating what you just said, @HeatLifer, thus probably infuriating you more. My apologies. 😛 

[threebluestars]

On 1/6/2019 at 10:58 AM, UYI said:

No problem! I was terrified I came off as insensitive given the subject matter, but I just wanted to make sure.

Next up: Robin hates broccoli! 

This is probably a strange question ... but my very first memory of GH is of a woman dying on the floor and writing a name in blood and I swear it happens in this kitchen/dining room set - am I dreaming?? It would've been early 80s maybe? I was really little, but it stuck out to me so vividly as a kid.

[Oracle42]

I think ratings, fan events and letter writing are probably still a better metric than social media. Those things require a time/money investment - Twitter, Facebook and forums don't

[Hater]

5 minutes ago, Oracle42 said:

I think ratings, fan events and letter writing are probably still a better metric than social media. Those things require a time/money investment - Twitter, Facebook and forums don't

But some will say ratings are down across all soaps. However Gh is the only soap that refuses to make any changes even when it’s in the shitter.

And the ratings are dreadful and have been for over a year. 

Edited April 12, 2019 by Hater

[movingtargetgal]

18 minutes ago, threebluestars said:

On 1/6/2019 at 1:58 PM, UYI said:

No problem! I was terrified I came off as insensitive given the subject matter, but I just wanted to make sure.

Next up: Robin hates broccoli! 

This is probably a strange question ... but my very first memory of GH is of a woman dying on the floor and writing a name in blood and I swear it happens in this kitchen/dining room set - am I dreaming?? It would've been early 80s maybe? I was really little, but it stuck out to me so vividly as a kid.

It's not a strange question at all.  What you are remembering is the murder of Diana Taylor.  Heather Webber was in a mental hospital, stole a nurses uniform and escaped so she could kill her biological son's, Steven Lars, adoptive mother.   Heather tried to frame Anne, who was dating her ex husband, for Diana's murder.  After she "killed" Diana, Healther picked up her hand and wrote "Anne" in Diana's blood.  I remember it because it freaked me out.

[Oracle42]

35 minutes ago, Hater said:

ratings are dreadful and have been for over a year.  

The ratings have been dreadful for much longerbthan that. Aside from an initial bump when RC/FV started, the ratings have been dreadful for most of FV's tenure.  I don't know whether the ratings are worse now than AMC and OLTL when they were cancelled, but it wouldn't surprise me.

[UYI]

1 hour ago, threebluestars said:

This is probably a strange question ... but my very first memory of GH is of a woman dying on the floor and writing a name in blood and I swear it happens in this kitchen/dining room set - am I dreaming?? It would've been early 80s maybe? I was really little, but it stuck out to me so vividly as a kid.

Philomena? The woman in this clip with Robin, her grandmother? Because she was murdered by Grant Putnam right in front of Robin's eyes, which (along with Anna being kidnapped) caused her to become catatonic for awhile. This would've been in 1988, I think. 

ETA: Never mind, it sounds like @movingtargetgal had the right answer. 

Edited April 12, 2019 by UYI

[threebluestars]

1 hour ago, movingtargetgal said:

It's not a strange question at all.  What you are remembering is the murder of Diana Taylor.  Heather Webber was in a mental hospital, stole a nurses uniform and escaped so she could kill her biological son's, Steven Lars, adoptive mother.   Heather tried to frame Anne, who was dating her ex husband, for Diana's murder.  After she "killed" Diana, Healther picked up her hand and wrote "Anne" in Diana's blood.  I remember it because it freaked me out.

OMG, that's it. That hand writing in blood stuck in my 5-year-old mind so strongly!

[GHScorpiosRule]

13 hours ago, threebluestars said:

This is probably a strange question ... but my very first memory of GH is of a woman dying on the floor and writing a name in blood and I swear it happens in this kitchen/dining room set - am I dreaming?? It would've been early 80s maybe? I was really little, but it stuck out to me so vividly as a kid.

Wee Robin was all kinds of ADORABLE! And Wee Kimberly such a natural actor. From the way she kept changing hands when eating (left-handed? right-handed?) while doing everything else. This era of the show really lucked out with the find and casting of Jonathan and Kimberly.

My heart breaks when I see this charming Duke and what the Frank and the current hacks show did to him.

[UYI]

For those who were watching at the time and remember, I have a question: how long after her HIV diagnosis did Robin go on the protocol?

Thanks in advance! 

[GHScorpiosRule]

30 minutes ago, UYI said:

For those who were watching at the time and remember, I have a question: how long after her HIV diagnosis did Robin go on the protocol?

Thanks in advance! 

I want to say...almost immediately. After the initial denial, telling Stone and Mac. My mind is just so full of how she was with Stone, helping him to deal with his diagnosis, that I can't pin point the scene when she started the protocol.