GH History Lessons: Because History is Always Repeating Itself

[SlovakPrincess]

Oh, I didn't want my girl Anna with Luke at all. But it might have, maybe, been an interesting story if the show acknowledged while it was happening that this really was not the right relationship for either of them, that they were just distracting themselves from the sadness in their lives, and this would all blow up in Luke's face eventually. And then Robert would come back to town, all "WTF?!"

Actually, scenes of Mac gently asking Anna WTF, as her friend, would've amused me. Did she ever know that Felicia screwed around on Mac with Luke?

Did she ever know about the Laura rape all those years ago? Actually, I don't think even Robert knows - L and L had already stopped acknowledging the rape by the time Robert came to town.

[UYI]

Anna met Luke in 2006, during the Monkey Virus story. So they had a few years under their belt of at least knowing each other by 2012, but like not he does with Robert & Holly, obviously. Speaking of the latter couple, I know some R&H fans resent how their couple has been treated over the years, but given what just happened to Duke & Anna, they've actually dodged a bullet by being kept largely offscreen in recent years. To many, they were thought to be together offscreen in 2012. Not to me, obviously, because I want him with Anna, but you know what I mean.

Edited May 15, 2015 by UYI

[GHScorpiosRule]

Oh yeah. Forgot how Anna returned in 2006 to kick Pod!Robert's butt.

[TeeVee329]

To many, they [Robert and Holly] were thought to be together offscreen in 2012.

 

I think we're supposed to think they're together now too, right?  Didn't he leave town to help her with some Ethan nonsense?

[dubbel zout]

Wasn't that resolved? I know Robert knows Ethan isn't his son. He took that with a lot more good grace than he should have. I really hated that he was all "It's totes okay that I missed my only daughter's funeral because you sent me on a wild-goose chase after a dude who shouldn't exist in the first place." (Okay, that might be editorializing a bit.)

[TeeVee329]

Yeah, but when TR left the show, Robert left town to go help Holly get Ethan out of some jam, saying he owed her for being by his side during his coma.  Ethan being in a jam was also the reason Holly wasn't on-screen when Robert woke up from said coma.

[UYI]

Oh yeah. Forgot how Anna returned in 2006 to kick Pod!Robert's butt.

 

She was also around a few times in 2007/2008, so she might have caught up with Luke then.

 

There's a whole introduction scene from 2006 where Anna just laughs and says, "Are you Luke Spencer?", clearly because his reputation preceded him there.

I think we're supposed to think they're together now too, right?  Didn't he leave town to help her with some Ethan nonsense?

 

He went to Wisconsin (nice Y&R jab there, Ron) last year. Is Holly supposed to be there with him? 

[UYI]

In honor of the late BB King, here's his 1995 appearance on GH.

 

[cmahorror]

The Markham Island Reunion -- this was the first time Anna saw Robert since his return from the dead and when Anna met Luke.

 

 

 

Added bonus: Robin questions her parents about their relationship:

 

Edited May 16, 2015 by cmahorror

[katie9918]

I'm still enraged with Anna over that. Kicking Robert's ass after he's already had a difficult time reconnecting with Robin and Mac (GEORGIE was more civil to him than either of them were) and when Robert stayed "dead" to protect HER worthless ass as well as Robin.

Not to mention the fact that Anna didn't even have to ask anyone's forgiveness when it was her past that landed her on that boat in the first place and Robert paid for going after her to save her with almost fifteen years of his life.

Took me a long time to stop fast-forwarding Anna after that, and after I loved her so much on All My Children.

[UYI]

Lily's appearance at the end of yesterday's show made me curious to see if I could find these scenes, and I finally did! This is from 2001, when Sonny was on the verge of death, and saw Lily and their ClinkBoom!Baby, and his Mistairrage baby with Carly. Just keep mybabyaidan away from this, or her head will explode. ;)

 

[cmahorror]

One more scene - one of my favorite Scorpio family scenes from when Robert first came back (starts about 2 minutes in - once you get past the Nikolas stuff).

 

[HeatLifer]

I love this little Robin/Jason Q. scene back in the day. They were the sweetest.

Robin: I don't know if I'm really cut out for this hospital stuff.

Jason: Hey, my parents are doctors, I know things, and let me tell you something else, OK? I think you're a natural. Look at your parents. They were great at helping people. And from what I can see, they passed that on to their daughter.

Robin: I don't know if I want to be like them. They tried real hard to help people. Look what happened to them.

Jason: I'd believe you except for one thing.

Robin: What's that?

Jason: You're signed up at General Hospital. What do you call that? I call that helping people.

Robin: I never thought of it that way. Thank you.

Jason: Sure, anytime.

[Francie]

He went to Wisconsin (nice Y&R jab there, Ron) last year. Is Holly supposed to be there with him?

 

The writers have been deliberately vague on this point.  No mention either way.

 

That way, RNA fans (holla!) can believe that he drop-kicked Holly the second he got Ethan out of the jam or that Holly skipped out on him with a bunch of jewels or something (yep, totally what happened); or

 

RNH fans can believe that Robert and Holly are hanging out together in Wisconsin.  For reasons.

[HeatLifer]

"I'm sorry I didn't understand. I'm sorry I didn't hear you until now...when it's too late. I know that you love me. I know that now. And I'm sorry."

Sniff! This scene was so well-written. I always liked anything with Jason/Alan. Stupid show.

[Tiger]

That was a great scene, but for me it's tainted by Steve's comment on Stuart's firing. Many of the then cast made comments, including Kim who said something akin to 'it's wrong, and you can print that', while Steve said "it's business".

Yes, it is "business", but it will forever piss me off that vets and women and poc's were killed off while Steve got to push his pyramid scheme juice on viewers.

ETA: I may make jokes at the expense of actors like Bryan and Nicholas, and opine that others like Michelle and Roger are horrible actors, but I have no real ill will towards any of this people, except for Steve Burton. I cannot f'ing that roided, orange, bully, pyramid scheme pushing non-actor.

Edited May 23, 2015 by Tiger

[HeatLifer]

I completely understand where you're coming from. I'm well aware about SBu's past antics. Sadly.

But I separate that from what was a really great scene for Jason's character. It was the perfect ending for Jason/Alan in terms of Jason's realization on how crappy he was to his father. I remember a scene they had together after Jason's accident. Jason/AJ had just gotten into a physical fight and Alan was tending to Jason's facial wounds. And he basically went into a speech about how when he used to look into Jason's eyes, he'd see himself. And how Jason validated him as a father because Jase wanted to follow in his footsteps. And that made Alan so proud and made him feel good. But now he looks into Jason's eyes and nothing is there. And Jason was like, "That's a sad story, but I feel nothing."

It was amazing to go from there to what Jason was able to finally comprehend.

[Harmony233]

personally I hsted when Jason always showed up when a Q was about to die.THen he whined at their funerals.Give me a break you werent good them when they ws alive then stay the heck away.

[WendyCR72]

personally I hsted when Jason always showed up when a Q was about to die.THen he whined at their funerals.Give me a break you werent good them when they ws alive then stay the heck away.

 

As far as I'm concerned (don't read, HeatLifer!), Jason can shove his regret for Alan up his 'roided ass. He treated him like dog shit the moment Jason Morgan came to be, and one boohoo speech changes nothing. I wish his death stuck. I really do.

 

This show told me all I needed to know about the Holy Hitman and his undeserved icon status when he got the hilariously awful five-minute walk of pain at that damned carnival.

 

Finally, I despise Liz Webber. Always have. Always will. But objectively, despite her known propensity to dry-hump Jason's leg, even I will never buy her going into Psycho Land over his ass. Just another reason I loathe him and wish no self-respecting woman on him. Leave his ass to Carly or his BFF Sonny.

[HeatLifer]

I wasn't a Jason fan (hell, I'm not really one now, although I do enjoy BM more than the actor SBu became in the '00s), so I don't disagree with you. But there are some scenes I appreciate on a writing/acting level.

[SlovakPrincess]

Apropos of nothing, can I just say that I did not know Lassa fever was a real thing until I heard about it on the news this morning?   I thought it was a made up thing from some clips I've seen of 1970s GH ...  (I am stupid, apparently).

 

What other ridiculous-sounding things from GH are actually going to turn out to be real??  The Bombay phenotype?  Carbonic snow?  Can a person actually have a bazillion brain surgeries like Jason and still function??  Is there actually a security bureau .... for the whole world??  Now I'm questioning everything, LOL.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

I'm reading this book right now called Leviathan Wakes, and it would be awesome if some of those events would take place on GH.

[LegalParrot81]

 

What other ridiculous-sounding things from GH are actually going to turn out to be real??  The Bombay phenotype?  Carbonic snow?  Can a person actually have a bazillion brain surgeries like Jason and still function??  Is there actually a security bureau .... for the whole world??  Now I'm questioning everything, LOL.

You peaked my curiosity, so I went looking.  The closest thing I could find that comes close to carbonic snow would probably be carbon dioxide snow the solid formed by rapid evaporation of liquid carbon dioxide, giving a temperature of about −79°C (−110°F). It has been used in cryotherapy to freeze the skin, thus producing local anesthesia and arrest of blood flow. 

 

The closest thing to an international security bureau would probably be Interpol.  

[LeftPhalange]

Apropos of nothing, can I just say that I did not know Lassa fever was a real thing until I heard about it on the news this morning?   I thought it was a made up thing from some clips I've seen of 1970s GH ...  (I am stupid, apparently).

 

What other ridiculous-sounding things from GH are actually going to turn out to be real??  The Bombay phenotype?  Carbonic snow?  Can a person actually have a bazillion brain surgeries like Jason and still function??  Is there actually a security bureau .... for the whole world??  Now I'm questioning everything, LOL.

 

The "Bombay phenotype" is real.

 

The Hh blood group contains one antigen, the H antigen, which is found on virtually all RBCs and is the building block for the production of the antigens within the ABO blood group.

 

H antigen deficiency is known as the "Bombay phenotype" (h/h, also known as Oh) and is found in 1 of 10,000 individuals in India and 1 in a million people in Europe. There is no ill effect with being H deficient, but if a blood transfusion is ever needed, people with this blood type can receive blood only from other donors who are also H deficient. (A transfusion of "normal" group O blood can trigger a severe transfusion reaction.)

 

Because the H antigen is the precursor of the ABO blood group antigens, if it is not produced, the ABO blood group antigens are also not produced. This can be misleading in paternity cases, a fact that has been exploited in soap opera story lines!

 

In the show "General Hospital", the father of Monica's child was in doubt. Monica had blood type A (genotype AO) and her child had blood type O (genotype OO). Because the child must inherit an O allele from the father, the father could have the genotype AO, BO, or OO. In other words, the child's father could have blood group A or B or O, which rules out Monica's husband Alan (type AB) and implicates Rick (type O).

 

 

However, Alan is the father! This is possible because both he and Monica are carriers of incomplete H deficiency (H/h). Their h/h child is unable to produce any ABO blood group antigens and so despite inheriting the A or B allele from Alan, the child's RBC's lack the A and B antigens as in blood type O.

 

 

 

Edited May 27, 2015 by LeftPhalange

[LeftPhalange]

 

Okay, I can actually see how Luke getting closure with Sonny makes sense. They were good friends for a long time, for better or worse. Lucky's "death" permanently changed the course of their friendship, but it was still an important part of both their characters.

 

How did Lucky 'dying' affect Luke and Sonny's friendship? 

[UYI]

Lucky was living above the garage that Jason owned at the time of his "death", and I think Luke thought that the mob was originally behind the fire that "killed" him, and so he blamed Sonny and Jason for putting his son in danger.

[LegalParrot81]

 

Lucky was living above the garage that Jason owned at the time of his "death", and I think Luke thought that the mob was originally behind the fire that "killed" him, and so he blamed Sonny and Jason for putting his son in danger.

 

One of the best scenes from that period was Laura going after Sonny & Jason in the morgue, just after she'd seen what was presumed to be Lucky's charred body.

 

Edited May 27, 2015 by LegalParrot81

[GHScorpiosRule]

That clip just reminds me how MUCH I miss Taggert.

[UYI]

Bobbie gets upset that Luke & Laura allow Lucky to eat under the table, and thinks that it's a bad influence for Lucas. It really took awhile for Bobbie & Laura to get along, didn't it, even years after the triangle with Scott?

 

[SlovakPrincess]

Learning that the Bombay phenotype is real delights me to no end - thanks, LeftPhalange!

Remember when you could actually learn something from this show, rather than lose brain cells and patience with each passing episode? That was swell ...

Edited May 27, 2015 by SlovakPrincess

[SlovakPrincess]

I'm reading this book right now called Leviathan Wakes, and it would be awesome if some of those events would take place on GH.

 

I am not familiar with this book, but Wikipedia tells me it involves outer space and is maybe a good beach book I should buy this summer ...

 

Speaking of space, and just for the record, I am 100% ok with Casey the Alien coming back to Earth to rescue Robin.  That's where I'm at at this point, people.

[ulkis]

https://m.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10153890166201029&id=96270126028

I think we all knew this mostly, but Nancy Lee Grahn dishes a bit about Guza and Alexis/Sonny there.

Edited May 30, 2015 by ulkis

[Tiger]

https://m.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10153890166201029&id=96270126028

I think we all knew this mostly, but Nancy Lee Grahn dishes a bit about Guza and Alexis/Sonny there.

Guza planning to abort girlchild for is news to me. Good on the fans for stopping that.

[Ambrosefolly]

I have a feeling once GH is over for good, we will be hearing a lot more stories like that from the cast.

[tvgoddess]

There was a reference in the Episode Discussion thread about a scene with Anna and Heather in 2012 by jsbt, does anyone have this? I'd really like to see it.

[dubbel zout]

One good thing about that Guza story is that he told NLG no longing looks at Sonny. There's no way Alexis should have been taken with Sonny. The ONS was bad enough, IMO. Alexis has terrible taste in men, but that's the case for nearly all the women in PC, given that their choices are so limited. Sonny, though, is the worst of the worst.

[UYI]

I have a feeling once GH is over for good, we will be hearing a lot more stories like that from the cast.

 

I'm hoping for an oral history book on GH, like the one Jeff Giles wrote about OLTL called Llanview in the Afternoon. From what I can tell, actors on GH, compared to some of the other soaps, seem to be pretty good at indicating/outright saying when they don't like a story, and a book full of interviews like that would be the most entertaining thing in the world. 

[cleo]

I've been watching the Timoria storyline. Parts of it seem ridiculous even for a soap. I just watched the clips where Lucky ends up in the swamp or whatever it is. What was the point of the Timoria computer game? I had a feeling all along it was probably pointless, and I'm guessing that is correct? I mean the hospital stuff makes more sense, it's just the computer game seems pointless. Similarly I don't quite get the point of Luke and Laura pretending to be broken up. It also seems like a pointless exercise intended to be entertaining or something (and failing).

 

I am enjoying the occasional scenes with Carly, especially with Luke finds out her real identity. I generally think Luke is kind of an awful guy but their conversations are entertaining.

 

Overall I'm surprised the writing at times seem to have gaps, more than I would expect even for a soap. I also saw some clips of Sonny and Brenda and some of the dialogue was so cheesy. Like- "I think you're too hot to handle...". It was hard to get through.

 

I'm still enjoying what I've been watching, but at times it seems very flawed. I suppose I should watch the 80s.

[Box305]

I'm hoping for an oral history book on GH, like the one Jeff Giles wrote about OLTL called Llanview in the Afternoon. From what I can tell, actors on GH, compared to some of the other soaps, seem to be pretty good at indicating/outright saying when they don't like a story, and a book full of interviews like that would be the most entertaining thing in the world. 

 

Tristan Rogers should have an entire chapter. 

[UYI]

There was a reference in the Episode Discussion thread about a scene with Anna and Heather in 2012 by jsbt, does anyone have this? I'd really like to see it.

 

If I'm not mistaken, it's a scene where Anna pulled a gun on Heather while questioning her at the police station. I'm pretty sure it was deleted because the shooting in Aurora, CO during the Dark Knight Rises premiere had just occurred. 

 

I'm trying to find it, but so far I can't. I know it was up three years ago, when it was revealed there was a missing scene. 

Tristan Rogers should have an entire chapter. 

 

He was one of the first people I thought of. ;)

Edited May 31, 2015 by UYI

[UYI]

I think I just found the scene, tvgoddess! Go to 7:08. I'm almost positive this scene, with Anna holding the gun on Heather, is the deleted scene. I guess whoever posted this added that missing scene in with the rest of the episode, because I remember abc.com posting it separately. I don't think anyone, including Soapnet, ever aired it as part of the full episode.

 

 

Edited May 31, 2015 by UYI

[ulkis]

I've been watching the Timoria storyline. Parts of it seem ridiculous even for a soap. I just watched the clips where Lucky ends up in the swamp or whatever it is. What was the point of the Timoria computer game? I had a feeling all along it was probably pointless, and I'm guessing that is correct? I mean the hospital stuff makes more sense, it's just the computer game seems pointless. Similarly I don't quite get the point of Luke and Laura pretending to be broken up. It also seems like a pointless exercise intended to be entertaining or something (and failing).

 

Yeah, the Timoria stuff is rather pointless, I think the point of it was Stefan's weird way of revealing that Leslie was really alive. And I think that's why L&L broke up, they wanted to try to make Stefan trust Laura and throw him off guard while they tried to find Leslie. And eventually Laura and Leslie faked their deaths to get Leslie away from Stefan. I forget why Laura revealed herself after all.

 

late 1996-through 1997 is really a bit of a sludge. If you're watching the Cassadine storyline I would just fast forward to Nikolas getting shot in late 1997, that is where it all starts to come together again. I mean to be honest, all that kinda fizzles out too - it turns out the Cassadines never really have any master plan, but watching the relationships either grow or be deconstructed between Liz/Lucky, Lucky/Luke, Luke/Nikolas, Nikolas/Stefan, is all really great stuff, imo.

[tvgoddess]

Thank you, UYI! That was totally worth it, Fin was freaking flawless, and I like that she got the better of Heather there. RM did a good job of being messed up because of the gun. I understand and sympathize with this being deleted due to the Aurora shooting, but it didn't really have anything resembling that. I guess it was an overabundance of caution. I'm glad I got to see it though. Really incredible work, as usual, from FH.

 

Ewen! My UO is that they shouldn't have gotten rid of him. Of course they stuck him with Liz so he kind of annoyed, but he should have stayed around.

 

Julie! I didn't always like her when she was on, but now I look back and remember her fondly. I really liked her and Dante together.

 

UGH. was not expecting to see KSu. She annoyed for the few minutes she was on. I'm so damn glad we got rid of her.

[dubbel zout]

Ugh, Scott Reeves' Steven Lars. Worst. boyfriend. ever.

[OnceSane]

Ugh, Scott Reeves' Steven Lars. Worst. boyfriend. ever.

Jason: *pouts* I thought that was MY title!

Sonny: No, mine!

Patrick: We're all pretty awful.

[dubbel zout]

Hee. Even with the tough competition, Steven Lars was still the worst boyfriend IMO. He sang "Hallelujah." Nothing Sonny, Jason, or Patrick did can be that bad.

[Oracle42]

Could've been worse, could've been Brown Penny

[Tiger]

This may have been addressed when Anna first came back in 2006, or when Ron brought her back in 2012, but has her entire stint and everything that happened to her on AMC been erased, and effectively replaced by her having spent years working as the WSB-liaison to the FBI where she mentored both McBain and Sloane?

[jsbt]

Not to my knowledge. I'm pretty sure she did it all, they just don't mention AMC at the moment.

[dubbel zout]

I don't think they can mention anything relating to AMC, can they? With the lawsuit and all?