Tweeting Tony Geary

Yes, I was actually tweeting "him" yesterday during the Fluke scenes as if he's on Twitter and was going to read my comments. Just another example of a delusional soap fan; one of which he appears to disdain so much. I'm not going to sit here and pretend this op ed will do anything but make me feel better. I'm also not going to pretend that we don't all know that Geary has had a heavy hand in writing this Fluke "saga". 
Therein lies the rub... 


Tony's never really been into the soaps, and even though the 50th year anniversary gave us a rare glimpse into private/group interviews, I could tell he was distant and almost 'over' it all. ( I think he was 'over' it years ago.)  I remember reading an interview where he basically said GH paid the bills and allowed him to go to Amsterdam when he wanted to. Geary is such a fine actor that I didn't care if he was nice, crabby or indifferent to the genre. I just wanted him on my screen.
Times--like ladies wearing pants, have changed. 

During this long, drawn out tale, we've gotten two distinct lectures about the whole Luke and Laura story from the writers (and dare I say TG himself). One was about the identity of "Luke" being tied to an anti-hero when he was really a raging evil scumbag and another about the rape itself. How could we (the audience) have been so stupid as to enjoy such tripe? I guess we shouldn't have. Revisiting the past is one thing, making it into a mockery is another. 
And yep, I certainly felt mocked. 

Soap fans are a strange bunch, I'll give everyone that. I've seen and heard from people/fans that I wouldn't want being attached to my 'character' 24/7. I have also know and do know legions of great fans that want the best for this genre and really keep it alive, even when the networks are driving spikes into it's coffin. We realize the work and time that goes into the making of Daytime shows. We know the actors--for the most part, are awesome and very very talented. We show up to fan events and pay outrageous sums to just listen to and meet them. I don't see us that far off from other fandoms at all. But--seems to me when actors like TG dismiss us as a whole, we mean as much as gum on a shoe.

As a girl, I did love the LnL story and how they transformed the rape aftermath into something magical.  Geary and Francis made me believe in hard-core love, even if it was a fantasy. Like reading a good book, it wove a great story for me to savor. To have the fact that one of the main players actually despises it's existence tarnishes my love of it. It does. It makes me sad as well. I really thought when it was Tony's time to go, the story would be a magnificent one. Certainly he got a great acting opportunity here with the whole DID/Father Flashback. I personally could have appreciated it more if it wasn't changed in the middle of the game but it is what it is.  
I did love the acting. I did love the Flashback eppy. I even liked the Fluke "on Luke" talks in Miscaviage.  
People don't mention LnL "Phase II" much but that was also a great time in soaps. They came back strong, with location shoots...and adventure and one of the best casting choices in soap history: JJ as Lucky. Sorry if you didn't see his early years and interaction with Ruby those first few days--you missed a gem. Luke and Laura settled in and Luke started having 'the itch". That was realistic and moved them forward as a couple. By then, the Cassadines were born and LnL Era 3 began. My point is, LnL weren't ONLY that one dot on the map. There were several points and growth over the years.  In fact, we did revisit the entire rape thing when Luke talked to Lucky about it. That was some great acting and gave us all a bit of reflection and heartbreak. 

If Geary wants to leave the LnL thing in the past, we certainly have gotten that fact over the course of the last few years. Genie not being on the show also helped that along. I won't comment on her not being asked back after the  50th, but let's just say I do think she would have been on canvas if she could have.  I am also a big time Tracy and Luke fan. I love Jane Elliot and think the two of them make a great team. This isn't about that; it's about the past being used as a battering ram against this endgame story. 

I've watched GH so many years I've come to pinpoint TG's vacation times and accepted them as they were. Story disruptions be damned; he's such a great actor, who cared?  Now I hate to say this but it's time to go.  I don't want to see you tied to a hospital bed fighting your demons anymore, Luke. We got the point about 3 months ago. 
Take your bitterness about the whole LnL era with you. Soaps aren't about joy anymore anyway, so why make it even more painful to those of us that have watched so long?  Yeah, this is a 'first world problem"-- and no I don't have to watch. But I'm not going to sit here and not open my big mouth when something makes me mad.  I think you know that by now. 

Couldn't have been ALL bad....

And PS... when Genie and Tony look at each other as Luke and Laura? THAT's why I have watched soaps for the last 35 odd years. Maybe it doesn't mean much to he or the writers, but it sure does to this girl. 
Magic. And you can't take that away from me. No sir.