Port Charles Chuckles

Sometimes They Come Back

 

So, Michael Logan has an interview with the savior of my sanity, General Hospital's new head writer Garin Wolf, and it's contents have me positively giddy.  Maybe it's foolish to get my hopes up because many people can say the right thing and then are unable or unwilling to implement said-right thing.  However, I'm sure we all vividly recall the serious disaster that it was every time Bob Guza opened his mouth at all, so let's just agree that this "saying the right thing" thing is progress in the right direction and leave it at that.

 

I am forced to admit, when the man used the words "balance", "multi-generational stories", and "identifiable emotion" in his answer to the first question, I got so excited that I squealed audibly . . . . and then I had to lie down because I was light-headed.   

 

It's a long interview and worth reading every word yourself, so I'll just hit the highlights - -

 

Regarding the Quartermaines - - "They're a cornerstone. I love them. There's not a character on this show who is mined out yet. There's always something we haven't seen, a twist on a character we think we know but really don't. I love the idea of pinball characters. If this person had not crossed the street at this point in time, this would not have happened. If somebody had just kept their mouth shut, this would not have occurred. That's the kind of thing you're going to see this summer." 

 

Funny thing about perspective and expectation; if Bob Guza had said those same exact words, I would have feared that he intended to "twist" Dillon into a serial killer or Ned into a child-molester.  Somehow, in spite of the fact that I know next to nothing about him as a writer, I read Garin as far less sinister.  Hopefully, time will reward my optimism.

 

Regarding Nancy Lee Grahn - - "I don't want to give it away but, yes. I love Nancy. She is one of those actors who can bring you heart, humor, intelligence and tears. She has such a wonderful range and I have something for her that's going to let her do all of that and more. Alexis is already connected to so many characters, and she's going to wind up in a position to be even more connected. She will have her own story to blaze underneath everything"

 

Alexis will have her own story?  One that doesn't involve blaming her for Kristina's abusive boyfriend?   Sweeet!!

 

Wolf also hints that viewers may not have seen the last of Leslie Charleson, Jackie Zeman, Ingo Rademacher or Tyler Christopher in their roles.

 

Hot darn!  

 

Perhaps viewers will be the next ones to "come back" to General Hospital?

Better Late Than Never

 

I'm feeling the need for an upbeat, optimistic "rant" after all the depressingness of late.  As I so often do when I need to think of something positive to say, I'm turning to the acting.

 

Okay, so two long years after his toxic-ball-adjacent arrival, the character of Ethan Lovett has finally grown on me***.  I have always found Nathan Parsons to be charismatic and appealing, but Ethan has been well, a bit murkily-defined.  The character has always seemed to vacillate with the wind (he's not the only character to suffer from this terrible disease otherwise known as Guzaitis) and it's been tough for me to emotionally invest as a viewer.

 

Well, times they are a' changin' - - beginning with Luke's intervention scenes, the writers have been writing a more serious, introspective side of Ethan, and Nathan Parsons is really knocking it out of the park (see what happens when you give an actor something to work with?). 

 

I really enjoyed the scenes last week where Ethan expressed his devastation over Luke to Kristina and told her that he could feel himself slipping away and he was terrified of who he'd become - -

 

Pretty darn good.

 

Today's break-up scenes with Maya however, simply phenomenal.  Allow me to gush unabashedly for a moment - -  .   I was never a huge Maya and Ethan fan because, well, the writers so clearly couldn't be bothered and it seemed unwise to get attached.  However, I always thought they had potential as a couple, and today's episode really made me wonder what General Hospital missed out on. 

 

 

Damn, was that painful to watch - - gut-wrenching, sweet, loving, regretful, sad - - all at the same time. 

 

The writing was kinda blah, but the lovely, layered, and understated performance truly brought Ethan's pain to life. I am now officially a Nathan Parsons/Ethan Lovett fan-girl***.

 

***usually this would be a sign that the aforementioned character is about to be hit with a wrench or stabbed with a knife and turned into a zombie, but there's a new writing staff in town, so I'm feeling cautiously optimistic.  Perhaps the character growth will continue?***

If I Had Just One Wish

 

There are many things that I wish for in life - - a winning lottery ticket, a size-6 waist, a sweat-soaked Chris Hemsworth to cut my grass - - many, many unattainable wishes. 

 

But if I had to pick only one unattainable General Hospital-related wish, it would be that the new head-writer does away with the following odious phrase (or any variation there-of): "Carly is a good mother". 

 

I have come to expect this kind of nonsense from Sonny, Jason, and even my beloved Jax (he did procreate with her afterall, he pretty much has to believe that) over the years.  But this week, Alexis, Olivia, and now Robin are jumping on the delusional bandwagon and it's enough to drive me batty. 

 

Alexis and Olivia both fought desperately to keep their own children away from Sonny's damning influence, and now they're perfectly happy to throw little Joss into the fire?  WTF?  And Robin, if I can't count on her for some much-earned Carly-hate, who can I count on?

 

I understand that Robin recently went through a traumatic near-death experience which may have possibly involved her inhaling braincell-killing furnace fumes, but nothing could possibly excuse her refusal to testify on Jax's behalf at the custody hearing.

 

Good mothers don't knowingly and repeatedly expose their children to physical and psychological danger.

 

Good mothers don't choose mobsters and hitmen to act as paternal role-models for their children.

 

Good mothers learn from their previous mistakes and work to correct them.

 

 

On that subject, good head writers learn from the mistakes of their predecessors.

 

 

Dear Garin,

When you take-over as head writer,

please spend more time focusing on novel concepts like

character-development and story, and less time

polishing mob-apologist halos and pushing

your own personal woman-hating agenda.

Cheers,

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