Wow, Michael Logan interviewed Tony Geary and asked so many great questions. I love the conversation because, I, like Geary don't see Luke as an alcoholic. (That's just my TV perception at work!) Tony calls this story "A big spectacular gift"....
Sample:
TV Guide Magazine: What about Jake's mother, Elizabeth [Rebecca Herbst]?
Geary: The writers have done a really interesting thing with that. Luke thinks Elizabeth has gone a little crazy, and maybe she has, because she comes to him after the child is buried and apologizes for not having watched her kid closer. She says she's sorry Luke is going to have to carry this burden when it's really all her fault. In a weird way he becomes her protector.
So, there's a little spoiler there. Geary goes on to say Tracy wants Luke in rehab (as do many of the others on the show). There's a nice little insight to Sarah Brown's leaving GH this time (when she was Claudia Z). Great stuff. Read the entire interview on TV Guide.
Okay, so Guza was able to do "research" that showed it is possible to hit a four year old boy in an SUV at a certain speed without knowing it (what a load of crap), but he could NOT manage to do any research on kidney cancer, life support, and transplant surgery? For anyone else it would be unbelievable, for Guza it is completely expected...
ReplyDeleteI think it's pretty obvious that TG is enjoying his work on this. I love him - and the rest of the cast - but more and more, I've seen him phoning it in. Not this week. This week has been spot on. Not that I like this story, or the writing. Or anything about this show these days. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteI read the whole interview and I agree, Luke is not an alcoholic. I do fear, however, that we will get a s/l with lots of the horrors of Luke's terrible lifestyle, his pain and suffering, Elizabeth's unlocked doors, Lucky's anger...all stuff to 'guilt' every parent and grandparent that ever had one drink at dinner, then drove home, or found their kid 'out the front door' when they turned their back. Mr. Geary is far too trusting of the writers on this show, they will make a muck of it and Luke Spencer will pay the price. Fortunately for Mr. Geary, unlike those who may go down with him, he can "take the money and run!!!"
ReplyDeleteWhich kid was Claudia supposed to kill???
ReplyDeleteTo anon : Claudia was responsible for Michael's shooting. I wish michael was off the show because I cannot stand his character and I do not like to see him and abby together ( so forced ) , boring.
ReplyDeleteTony Geary: I'm happy for you to have a challenge as an actor, but as a fan I feel very bored with this story. This is not at all powerful. It's predictable. Powerful would have been to make the culprit Carly ( a character that's on all the time ). Let it affect the jason/carly /Liz /Lucky/Sonny crew. That would have been hugely difficult. Luke is hardly on the show. He always leaves. He had a big confrontation when they re-visited his rape of Laura. I think this will in turn be far from the dramatic effect Guza and Phelps are looking for. I did see a spoiler that in April carly being the driver will resurface ( michael tampered with evidence ).
Joss may just as well have had the flu. I work in medicine, she would be hovering on life support very critical with transplant and would have many setbacks to overcome before being out of the woods.
The actors want to act and don't realize the viewer frustration or that as a fan, you want to see a show produce better stories. They don't accept veteran viewers as having longtime favorite characters. It's all about new younger fan bases that gut the old traditions. I don't think those ratings are good. GH has that placement because other soaps are dropping the ball. They have lost viewers steadily and it will continue until your next train wreck. Most of the couples are forced. I get that they want to be like a primetime show ( read TPTB think this ) , Mob is the lead story and characters on the show but sopranos did it better. As a woman, I like romance and would love to see couples with chemistry ( don't see it ).
I watch GH for the acting, basically. Not really into couples. It's more about the character for me. If I want a couple to swoon over I'll go watch "Twilight"
ReplyDeleteBest line from the TV Guide/TG interview came at the end...
"You can only blow up so many cars or explode so many buildings. And, the truth is, movies do that so much better than we do in daytime. Besides, we no longer have the budget for it. What we do best is unzip our hearts and bleed for the people."
Amen.
Anonymous 2, yes, Claudia was behind Michael getting shot, but the article said that there was a blow up just before Sarah Brown left the show because TPTB wanted Claudia to kill a child. That would not have been the Michael shooting that they were referencing. I too have been wondering who they wanted her to kill...
ReplyDeleteGive me a break, Luke is a ragging alcoholic.
ReplyDelete- By TG's own admission Luke drinks to forget bad times.
- He lies about how much he had to drink and lies to get a drink (many such scenes of him doing such in the Q mansion).
- His drinking has affected past decisions
- His drinking has affected others
- He encourages others to drink and has used alcohol/drunkeness as a means to manipulate others
- He ignores health concerns related to his drinking
- He thinks he does not have a problem
Weeks ago when news of the Jake storyline first leaked and rumours of the driver were focusing on RObin or Edward, I posted on this very site that I hoped the driver was either Maxie or Luke. I wanted it to be Luke as I feel they have glorified his drinking for years and it was time for them to address it in a very real and strong way.
I think TG is an amazing actor but i also think Luke is one of the most despictable characters on any soap. A storyline where he deals with his alcholism head on would give TG great material and could be a turning point in redeeming the character of Luke.
GH not just brushing Luke's drinking under the rug but glorifying it is incredibly irresponsible. I've stuck with GH through aliens, ice freezing machines, killing babies, killing Georgie, disrespecting vets, and being a poor clone of the Sopranos but if they brush alcoholism under the rug this time this loyal viewer for the last 32 years will turn GH off once and for all.
claudia was supposed to kill kristina for causing the car accident that caused her misscarriage.
ReplyDeleteluke is an alcoholic. he may not be drunk all the time but he needs his alcohol. otherwise after all his heart attacks he would have quit drinking.
ReplyDeleteAll I got to say is Amen Anon
ReplyDeleteGUZA DID RESEARCH!?! ROTFLMAO! And apparently they do draw names out of a hat since if TG said no they'd have picked someone else. Quality story writing.
ReplyDeleteOther observations:
1. He remembers he has had 3 heart attacks and that Luke's been drinking since 12! Awesome. why can't the writers remember these things.
2. The suicide things is really intriguing and probably would be the most appropriate way for him to go. It's certainly dark like the TIIC likes.
3. Liz reaction could be interesting (if I had faith they'll show it). TG thinking Jason's reaction is out of character is also interesting.
4. Doesn't seem like he likes SB or blowing things up all the time.
I completely agree that Luke is an alcoholic. He is a functional alcoholic, but if you cannot get through a single day (and in Luke's case, an hour), without alcohol, if you use alcohol as a crutch to get you through bad times, through good times and through all the times in between, you are an alcoholic. If it looks like a duck, sounds like a duck, quacks like a duck...
ReplyDeleteThanks for the memory jog on Kristina being responsible for Claudia losing her baby. I had forgotten about that- tells you how memorable a storyline it was...
I say Luke is completely an alcoholic. I have hated for years how they have glorified it when real families go through it every day. If TG thinks he isn't one, then maybe he lives the same way, who knows.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to hear from people trying to reason why they think Luke ISN'T one!
Where the heck is Ethan BTW? Wouldn't he want to comfort Ethan at all? And Jax? Man this is bad. I am actually so sick of seeing LW's Carly I have been ff'd thru her scenes. She has been such a screen hog this week when it should have been Becky, JJ, Steve B, period.
I meant Ethan comfort Lucky
ReplyDeleteJust read the full article and agree with what a lot of the commenters have wrote.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that Luke is a functioning alcholic or at the least has a drinking problem.
Also, what he mentioned about Jason coming to Luke with a loaded gun, isn't that exactly what Sonny did to Rivera after the car bombing that killed Lily?