Let me preface this by saying I STILL have the cold from hell so I'm grumpy. Take all this with a gain of salt. Or cold medicine--whichever gets you through!! It's not pretty ...
On a personal note, I realized that I started writing for Gedstern's website in Feb of 1998. That makes me old hat at this, no? The Wubs Net became 'official" in about 2001... it's coming up on 20 years soon, kids.
We have a new Taco Bell in our area--not sure if they have breakfast burritos? Could I even taste one with my stuffy nose?
Yes? Hellos? I'd likes to speak to Sir Franks in Charge....
WHY I AM FRUSTRATED BY GH AT THE MOMENT:
Way too many story loops going on. AGAIN. -- The poignant saga of Mike needs to be a thread that's told at a flowing pace. Ditto on Oscar and Aiden's Journey (as I'm dubbing it). The choppy nature of them is just killing everything. Although I'm not a fan of Oscar, his eventual diagnosis and recent seizure should have at least have been the kick off of a "3-some adventure" story OR his slow decline health decline. Get him into the Q mansion for his last days. Get the family together. Don't give me falling in a pit just to have JaSam sex and then the kids doing homework in Charlie's like it's every other day. Don't give me Drew/Kim/Julian stuff that should have been taken care of eons ago. Nope, this should be about The Big C. Anyone old enough to remember John Gunther Jr. with Robbie Benson? Hell, I was destroyed by that movie when Mr. Cady made us watch in english class. Now we are basically cheering on Oscar's demise because it's just taken so damn long.
Same thing goes for the Mike story. I feel like everything is in clips. Show for 2 days, Drop. Aiden's Journey is now being interrupted by Willow's Baby Adventure and Franco's Serial Framing. Don't get me wrong, I can and do mulit-task watch but dang. I really really hope Brucas comes over for dinner and we see it.
HUGE CASE IN POINT: Gail's Will. Can someone explain why we had that blurb and then..'a condition' and then? What? Why are you waiting? Lucy's book should have been done up too. She could have had a whole story arc about finding the history of PC.
FORGETTING THE BIG/LITTLE THINGS: Robert's at GH ...Lulu's in ICU. Stabbed. And you don't have a scene visiting Laura? The hell? Why? Scheduling? That's BS. Get him in there. I hope to hell they get them together before this is all over but that was a missed opportunity. Also, old-school soaps would have had Anna, Finn and Robert working WITH the PCPD so it's an ensemble piece. We have Jordan with Chase or Curtis in a room and then the other 3 at Anna's. Coordinate.
Last NOTE: The editing is driving me INSANE. I hate short. less than a minute scenes and the continuity from one day to the next is just non-existent at this point.
ON TO THIS WEEK'S SHOW:
So, I got this report here that shows some fishy-business with A Dr. Cabot and images of several people who report not to have met with him but we just need to figure out why that could be...
Um... I think some of them look alike...
Crikey!! Blimey!! Dinga Dingo!! Yer right!! TWINS!! Why in the croc-o-potbelly didn't I think of that? Several episodes ago?
Oh my god, Maxie..they think my stunning, wonderful son killed those people!
You're kidding me! I mean, look at him! He's so reformed!
He really is. I could stand here forever and just look and look.
I'll join you. Should be riveting.
I COMMAND YOU TO RISE!!!
Hey, Jason...
You have something in your eye?
No... I mean..since we're doing it..lets...
Make eggs again?
No...
Um.. talk about how we have to break up so you can go undercover with Shank?
Exactly. Because everyone in town will believe I left you for that guy...
Well, to be fair, Kristina is pretty dumb.
OH MY GOD!! YOU HAD SEX!! YOU HAD SEX!! :clapping:!! OH, MY GOD!! Did you film it? I mean, is it on the cloud? On our shared page?? Seriously? You had sex! I'm so happy!!
OMG !! SONNY JASON AND SAM HAD SEX!!!
My mother is going to write a medical advice column for Faison's son and Maxie is going to date him. I really need something stronger than this champagne.
Feel it, really feel it, from you head down to your toes...
Um, I came here to just talk..
GOD MOM, YOU RUIN EVERYTHING!!
Alexis, you have to let go..let go... let it go...
Wait, you just quoted two songs...
Just walking on the dock of the bay, baby... now feel.. feeelings...nothing more than....
Oh my gosh, wait.
What?
I mean, why don't we just pick the serial killer that lives in town?
Um, didn't we use him as a source and basically eliminate him a long time ago?
Shut up, Chase.
Want me to go get Curtis?
That would be useful.
Well, see.. I thought I was supposed to love Alexis but now I think because I hired a cleaning service I'm supposed to love Kim, plus her kid is dying which does up the drama.
NUTSHELL WEEK:
Ava is desperate and asks resident "psychic" Olivia for help
Carly found out JASAM HAD SEX!
Drew and Kim almost got together, then her knitting needle attacked him and she decided to kiss "Charlie" instead.
Lulu woke up but can't remember, Jordan wants to try hypnotherapy
PCPD think Franco should be their main focus and let Ryan in on it
Ryan visits Kevin, Kevin gives him false info about a "prenup". Kevin also shaves in Ferncliff
Robert and FAnna finally get there's a twin connection
Alexis tries Cult Club
Oscar and Joss do homework
Brad finds out that Willow thinks she's Wiley's Mom
Sonny realizes Mike's going to have to go into long term care
Sonny sends Brick to find out what's happening with Dante
Dr. O is going to write a column on medical advice
Nina wants to visit Sasha
Kim is a really bad knitter
Drew hates Julian for getting Kim a cleaner and food in her time of need.
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FACE OF THE WEEK: Maxie kicks Nina...hard.
RUNNER UP FACE: Oh, you finally are gonna blame it on the serial killer in town.. geesh. How original.
PROP OF THE WEEK: the knitting needle that went up Drew's butt. Star o' the show.
Sam's PH...
Kim's Apartment....
Cult House...
PROPS THAT NEED TO STOP: White tapers. I've bitched about them before and yet, THEY PERSIST!! Here there are in multiple locations and they are never, ever STRAIGHT!
WELL! Did you make it to the end!!?? Did you!!? Sorry but this week was exhausting. I felt like almost ever scene needed to be longer. Maybe everyone needs to get in the same room like the old days and hash things out. Did soaps always have head, breakdown and dialog writers that revolved? I don't even know.
Here's to my cold going the way of the Polar Vortex this week-- see ya again soon! PS. Thanks to those that have ordered from the link to Amazon! It really helps the site keep going!!
Speaking of almost 20 years ago, I have a question about an old GH gossip site from about 15 to 20 years ago. (Late 90's to early 2000's, I've been doing this Interwebs thing a long time.)
ReplyDeleteThere was a guy that had a site that I went to every day for the latest GH news and gossip. His mother was not well and he was taking care of her and then a nurse took over when it got to be too much and they fell in love and rode off into the sunset together. Does anyone know the name of that site and what happened to him? I hope they had a happy love filled life together.
Karen, that so much for the REALLY GREAT SS, hope you feel better soon!
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ReplyDeleteOther props that need to stop. Those White office chairs!!!! They're in every office and Sonny has a black one in the living room. They are so bougie.
ReplyDeleteGet ready for those noisy whicker outdoor chairs that magically appear in Port Chuckles and then in Europe in a blink of an eye. It's almost Spring and time for outdoor scenes.
Are you thinking of Sage?
ReplyDeleteLOVED your recap - I only disagree with one thing - for the love of all that is good and kind, Anna and Robert and Finn do NOT need the PCPD help cause they couldn't find an elephant in a room of nuts....honestly, SONNY'S people could solve cases faster (and remember we have not had MOB storylines in a year - YEAH!!!!!!!!!!)
ReplyDeletewhy why is Kevin not drugged and in a straight jacket? I think the nurse WOULD believe him if he would tell her to go to Laura and explain there is a man who LOOKS JUST LIKE DR. COLLINS --- get the ball rolling - that is ridiculous he is normal and not talking to the nurse!!!!!!!!!!
sigh............sigh..........sigh........
GH can be so frustrating and will probably continue to be. Thank you Karen for your dedication and this blog. Congrats on your 20th. I totally agree about all the way too short segments. And editing...scenes out of place. Mainly it's the talent that is so watchable. As fun as it is to watch JL in dual roles, it really must end soon. And Michael needs to have that baby...before he graduates high school! Hope you feel better soon.
ReplyDeleteah...debating over storylines. the neverending battle as to what is right or wrong with the show. for me (and this is my opinion, which all of you love), it really has nothing to do with the storylines. yes, it is true. i have come to realize that the writers will write what they creatively feel is a good story and sometimes they have no control what happens to it. all of you who are working (which I assume is most of you) have experienced this at work -- you have an idea, you more than likely have to go to a supervisor who will agree or disagree and then you have to listen as your idea is accepted/squashed/altered. I have a boss who says to me "put that project aside. I need you to work on this one. You can get back to that one later". sound familiar? Maybe this is why we still dont know whose Cassadine ring was on that finger in the Limousine with Charlotte. Dropped and delayed storylines all have an effect on the pacing of the show and that, in turn, affects the viewers.
ReplyDeleteunfortunately, the writers, who get a bum rap from all of us, are also subjected to people who are higher on the food chain. and i am learning to accept that. We cannot blame everything on the writers if we dont know what goes on behind the scenes and who really dictates the content of the show. Two people (writer/supervisor) can
have vastly different outlooks and outcomes on a storyline and the writers can have a brilliant plan in mind and TPBP can squash it mid-stream and we lose the storyline because the boss always wins. how many times have me and Karen
(or is it Karen and I? my catholic school days are far being me for good grammar) presented a
storyline to the blog and half the group loved it and the other half hated it? I've really become
aware that this show, and all the shows I watch, are out of my hands and i just have to sit back
and hope for the best. Does anyone watch the new Dynasty? OMG one of the worst show written in
TV history, and yet I watch it every Friday night and dont turn away. Why? why do I stick with
something so bad?
PACING. Storylines are not drawn out and I am hooked every week to tune in to see what happens.
It is all about the pacing. The Kim/Oscar/Drew storyline could be a good storyline. WIth faster pacing.
Drew/Memories? Seriously? Is this even a storyline anymore?. How long have we waited for them to execute the storyline and then conclude it? Some people liked the Kiki storyline. Is it becuase it was written so well and the words
on the page were so compelling? I say "no". It was a basic murder storyline. Someone is murdered. Someone is
falsely arrested. Someone vows revenge. The cops are incompetent. It is a formula, used before
many many times. The main factor here was (besides the mesmerizing acting of MW and JL) Pacing. Within a week, everything was happening and we were back in a “tune in tomorrow” mode to see what would happen next..
This did not drag out over the course of 6 months. I remember Diana Taylor. That took forever to solve,
but it was a different world back then. We live in the age of short attention span. People still call it the “MTV Generation” although MTV is non-existent. The show needs to live in a world where everything happens fast and there really was no “false misses/red herrings” to drag it out and cliffhangers on Friday are solved on Mondays. Boom Boom Boom. It all happens right away. The show must live in the “now”
We have choices. A billion channels, youtube, cell phones, firesticks, netflix, et. al. Dragging out storylines as if there were only 3 stations to choose from is defeating their cause and killing the genre. Which already has one foot in the grave to begin with.
If the pacing doesnt pick up and storylines are not fleshed out properly, its clear this show will soon make way for another “Chew”.
I watch Dynasty, too so that makes 2 of us :)
Deleteits almost like a sitcom anymore. but i like how there is a cliffhanger one week and pretty much finished the next week. storylines dont run on for months. how bout steven not being in paraguay after all?
DeleteMy wife is an old school Friday night Falcon Crest fan and started watching this Dynasty. Suddenly, it gets the attention of my oldest daughter when she is home and my attention too. It is ridiculous (and suffered somewhat from the loss of the 1st Crystal from last season) but danged if it isn't funny as hell. I laugh my ass off alot watching it and the casting of Fallon and Alexis is really good - they both have the best lines. Don't worry about Steven, they have tabled him some this season but he will return with a bunch of bombshell secrets. It's surprisingly entertaining!
DeleteOldSchoolGHfan
I think the role has been recast too
DeleteGreat response. I finally got a chance to read it!! :) applause.
DeleteKaren-That was the best Sunday Surgery I've ever read. I agree on all points. Writers taking an easy way out writing Franco into Kevin/Ryan storyline. Roger and Rebecca have been great in the Aiden storyline nobody needed the Kevin/Ryan diversion. Poor Billy Miller. He has been given a bum deal with the Kim/Julian/Oscar nonsense. He deserves a better story. Get Well Karen!
ReplyDeleteYep, there was a time when the headwriter or headwriters, were the plot people, came up with stories and how to juggle them or connect them, did the outlines of story, then the breakdown person broke that outline down to weeks, divided each into five segments, handed those down to the writers who actually did the daily scripts, who wrote the scenes/dialogue for each day, etc., and the scripts sent back to final readers to okay or not. I knew more about the old days and now not much about today's fast work. These top jobs were done by same people hired for those jobs. I never heard of rotating them but I could be wrong. The rotating people were the day to day writers, and they could live any where across the country. The breakdown person(or even head writer) decided where scenes took place so the set and prop people could set up, and the costume people also needed to know.
ReplyDeleteLots of people involved, each more or less depending on the other. All this while the headwriter has to keep in mind what days certain contract actors work or don't, who they need to call in of reoccurring actors, if they can even get them, etc. It was and is very complicated and with todays' rushed schedules, it has to be even more so as they now have intense shooting ahead for a while, then maybe a week off. That has to mean story adjustments and why it would be harder than ever to change a not-so-hot story mid-stream.
It seems to me that Mike's story is well-paced, as his disease is a somewhat gradual thing..not like some dementia. My dad would sometimes think I was my niece, who he saw more often...but with Mike's disease, he might soon forget family members altogether.
They do need to get Drew and Kim together faster to make the Oscar story flow better. And, of course, most of us want Alexis back in Jules life. Alexis needs a story.
Delco Dave is right about headwriters having people over them who, without the long experience and historical knowledge of this soap might decide something like 'Fire Genie Francis--we need to cut budget' and suddenly your story is ruined. Then fans, who do have the long experience and history knowledge of GH are outraged and the poor writers must figure how to write her back in. My sympathy is nearly always with soap writers!
thank you for a really great, well thought out post.
DeleteI so agree. And yes to the pacing of Mike, I think I meant I want him on more. His disease could play for for years, actually.
DeleteThanks for the post!!! I can't imagine keeping the damn schedules in mind as far as who's on when. By "Rotate" I meant that it seems like the breakdown writers change day to day, even if the scenes are sequential. ???
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ReplyDeleteGood WUBS summary and yes I thought the same thing re: ROBERT SCORPIO! Give him and Laura some scenes together STAT! Genie and Tristan go way back on GH (and had some great scenes on The Young and the Restless together too back around 2011) and we need them in the same room!
ReplyDeleteOldSchoolGHfan
I agree,
DeleteAnother great SS, Karen. I had a great laugh at those pictures and comments.
ReplyDeleteI think they're making some scenes so short so that it's hard for us to FF through them.
Great SS! I agree with you Karen and understand what you're saying Dave and you're right, they need to fix it or the other foot they have on a banana peel is going to slip into the vast & deep soap grave! I personally don't care about the whys I just hope they fix it because it stinks and I would miss GH.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the great comments this week!!! I'm glad we can talk about the writing and the stories without fighting about content--which happens SO MUCH on Twitter, it's nuts! Lol..
ReplyDelete