Hello Voice of Reason!

Thy name is Matt Hunter.

I vote that Matt be included in all scenes on GH from now on because he seems to have some magical way of making sense of the nonsensical.

I wasn’t watching when Matt came to town, but since I started watching GH again, Matt has seemed more like a place holder for Patrick’s brother – basically a “mini Patrick”, only a shadow of who Patrick used to be – than an actual person.

But it seems this week, little Matt Hunter has been allowed to grow a personality (and backbone) of his own. And god help me, I like it!  Today, Jason Cook was able to demonstrate that he actually has acting ability. He easily held his own in highly charged scenes with both Kimberly McCullough and Jason Thompson.

I love Matt so much right now.

And it was kind of hilarious, and endearing, how terrified he seemed to be of Robin in this moment:

Also on my good list: Lucky Spencer. Finally, Lucky basically threw in Luke’s face how he has been acting toward him for years. I hate the way Luke (and the rest of the show) treats Lucky. Greg Vaughn deserves better. When he got duped by Ethan, I just thought “here we go again. Lucky is portrayed as a bumbling dolt.” When he came back at Luke, finally calling him out on acting ashamed of him, I experienced another moment of jaw-dropping shock, reserved for those moments when characters actually say the absolute perfect thing on this show.

Way to go Lucky!

On my bad list: Tracy. Normally, she is one of the awesome characters who get to be the aforementioned voice of reason, but then are immediately shown in a negative manner to negate the awesome truth they just said (see also: Alexis). This time, however, she was used to erase Lucky’s spectacular moment. I can’t believe she actually accused Lucky of being a bad son!

I couldn’t help but yell “what the hell Tracy?” at the TV screen. Why is it that any other time she is extremely compassionate to Luke’s child (Lulu) and extremely critical of Luke’s behaviors, but not in this particular moment? Because it is directed toward Lucky, that is why.  Why do the writers hate him so much? What did he ever do to them?

These great moments were a bit overshadowed by my ambivalence toward the Scrubs plot (and every other story, but I tend to FF through those). I’m not sure where to put Robin and Patrick – the confusing list? Both actors were equally great in their scenes with Matt. No question. And these scenes seemed to be some of the more focused ones we’ve seen in this story.

But as I try to sort through them, I realize that I can’t look at any of these scenes without a huge amount of bias. Honestly, this is because I really want to like this story. First of all, I love Patrick and Robin. Second of all, as I’ve mentioned before, I worked as a therapist, so I think this is an important story to tell. Third, I have a strong emotional reaction to this story. When I worked with families, I actually saw mothers who were depressed and had trouble connecting with their children. It was so heartbreaking. So when I see Robin suggesting that Elizabeth put Emma back in the stroller without touching her, I cringe. This image is very powerful to me. I also studied attachment and understand the immense need for children to feel physically connected in their early life. When I see Robin react this way, I immediately imagine Emma going most of the day without being held and it is painful. 

This baby is so cute! How could anyone not want to hold her? I honestly want to reach into the TV and scoop her up. Look at that face!

Top that all off with Robin leaving the baby at Kelly’s and I am just overwhelmed at how horrible I feel for this kid. I accidentally read spoilers about this happening, and I’m glad I did, because I think it would have really upset me. Hey – don’t judge. I never said I was rational.

I also feel very uncomfortable about the turmoil in Patrick and Robin’s lives. I, like most people who comment on this blog, want to see this couple happy. I like the idea of  a postpartum depression storyline, in theory. I do think the recent moments of clarity delivered by Matt have  helped give accurate information about PPD and whole-heartedly believe the actors are all doing the best they can with the material they are given. But, I don’t like that the majority of writing is all over the place and often not clear about the symptoms of PPD. 

My strong emotional reaction to this story would normally lead me to believe that it is indeed a good story. But my reactions seem to be due more to my own personal experience with this issue and my caring for the characters than what is being portrayed on screen. And ultimately, this emotional resonance and my desire to like this story just hasn’t equaled enjoyment of this plot for me. And for that, more than anything, I am sad.

Stop this ride, I want to get off

The endless cycle that began with the month-long day seems to have continued without the nifty clock. It’s like the movie groundhog day, without the, you know, plot.

I’m waiting for a day when an episode can’t be described like this: blah, blah, blah Spinelli is the greatest person eva, blah, blah, blah Rebecca looks just like Emily, blah, blah, blah Kate and Claudia cat fight. Actually, the last part hadn’t happened for a while, but the writers sure know how to regurgitate a winning dynamic!

And the confusion that is the scrubs storyline continues to grow in my mind. Is this a story about postpartum depression or is it a story about a family’s expectations and roles after they have a baby? I guess realistically they could be both. And if it was any other show I might even think that they intend it to be both, but since GH doesn’t do anything subtly I can only assume that they think this is all part of Robin’s symptoms. I think using Robin’s desire to go back to work as a PPD symptom really sucks.

First of all, it makes Patrick look like a douche. I really hate that when the writers decide to create conflict in this couple, they roll back Patrick’s personality to when he first arrived in good old PC. I’m sorry, but you can’t have it both ways.  You can’t try to depict him as the supporting, loving, worried husband and  have him run off to the hospital, without taking any time off at all once his baby was born and have him have such a horrible reaction to Robin saying that she wants to go back to work.  If I had confidence in the writers, I could excuse this by saying that under stress Patrick is going back to old habits and he’s arguing over this, when really it is how Robin is reacting to her child that is bothering him. But, honestly, the way they are showing it now, it just seems like it is the reverse. To me, from what Patrick is presenting, Robin’s argument makes sense. It looks like Patrick wants everything a certain way and is frustrated that it isn’t that way. It feels like the writers think that you must have PPD to not want to be a stay at home mom. That just irritates me to no end.

Second, it makes Patrick look like an idiot. You don’t have to jump all over Robin wanting to go back to work when you have other perfectly justifiable gripes to make. It seems perfectly reasonable for him to be concerned when she hires a babysitter for the entire day and doesn’t really account for where she was. I would understand if he felt upset because it seemed like Robin was hiding things from him. It makes sense for him to be angry with her for just showing up at work proclaiming that she is going back to work full-time without even discussing it with him. It is beyond acceptable for him to be worried about her after her breakdown in the snow. But their discussions are rarely about these things. How about, instead of Patrick arguing with Robin about the same stuff and kind of acting like a know-it-all, maybe he should go talk to the psychiatrist himself? Maybe then someone could teach him how to talk with his wife about these things and we might have a chance of getting some productive dialog between these two characters.  

I love Patrick. But what the writers are giving me lately is making it difficult.

The plot is all over the place. And it makes it hard for me to tease out where they are trying to go, except that they are just using this as a wedge to push them apart. I forgot the tried and true soap recipe. Need drama? Take one happy couple. Add a cup of arguing. Mix in one random person. Separate couple. Viola! Plot. Ugh.

I wish that for once, this show would show a couple struggling with something TOGETHER.

But to leave you on a good note, this episode did give us this:

So it can’t be all bad…

Once more, with feeling

There’s something familiar about all of this. I just can’t quite put my finger on what it is.

Lulu: Why don’t you just admit that you lied?
Ethan: When you admit you’re grasping for any excuse to talk to me.
Lulu: I don’t want to talk to you. I loathe you.

Hmmm…let’s see:

Cocky, arrogant bad boy + self-righteous lady who doth protest too much = THE START OF EVERY OTHER RELATIONSHIP LULU’S EVER HAD.

I realize the writers are not just ripping off themselves here, but also half the romantic comedies ever made.

But come on, now.

If Lulu’s romances keep bombing, maybe — just maybe — it’s got something to do with the fact that they are all basically the same. It was boring and predictable when it was Logan. It was boring and predictable when it was Johnny. And guess what? It’s pretty damn boring and predictable now.

One of the few positive changes Luke’s undergone in recent years has been the ceasefire between him and Nikolas. As I understand it, Tony Geary has a lot to do with that. And for that, I salute him.

Welcome back, vigilante writer!

I missed you so much!

Is it me, or does it seem like there was a coup in the writers room for this episode? I’m not saying it was perfect, but I was shocked at how much sense it made compared to the previous episodes this week, or even for the last few months.

This change in tone started with Patrick’s summation of Robin’s symptoms. It was such a coherent picture of PPD in comparison to the mishmash that has actually been portrayed. If only this writer could have been writing those scenes instead of summarizing them.

This excellent set up was immediately followed with Matt saying exactly what I was waiting for someone to say: if you really think Robin has PPD, you need to talk to a psychiatrist (and not any other person in your life that will listen).

Thank you!

He follows this by talking about how PPD won’t go away without treatment, and pointing out how Patrick can’t control what Robin does, but he can control how he reacts to her. My jaw literally dropped. Where has this sensitive, emotionally intelligent Matt been? More please!

I was also incredibly pleased that when they showed the montage of Robin’s symptoms they did not include the tree situation. And Kimberly McCullough’s scenes when she denied having a child, followed by calling to check on Emma and trying to care for her daughter from a distance were…. heartbreaking. Despite my ups and downs with this story, she still sold it to me. I actually forgot all the false starts and noncommittal writing of the past few months.

Other moments of note:

Nikolas and the Quartermaines admitting that they were acting crazy cakes around bad!Emily.

The possibility of a reverse Jason story line with a Soap Opera Rapidly Aged Michael. If this is indeed the direction they are going, they may be pulling the trigger a little early on this one, especially considering the lengths to which the writers seem to go to drag out stories create suspense. But hey, it’s something different than Jason trying to save Spinelli from jail and the Sonny/Claudia co-dependent, crazy marriage so I’m all for it. For a moment, I didn’t even mind a Sonny scene. Will wonders never cease? Hopefully they will cast the new Michael as someone who is not as creepy as the last actor. (I need to remind myself not to get too greedy.)

And this episode was book ended with Matt yet again making perfect sense: giving Patrick the name of a doctor who is not Robin’s friend and suggesting that fathers might need treatment when a mother is experiencing PPD! Since I previously worked as a family therapist, this was music to my ears. It was spot on brilliant! I really can’t gush about this enough. Yay Matt!

I don’t think I’ve been this happy with a GH episode since the beginning of the PPD story line. The story was finally straight forward, with no wavering. I’m happy to see that they are now diving head first into this story, as they should have from the beginning.

Just when I thought I was out… they pulled me back in.

P.S. Tenillypo made us a spectacular new header. Check it out!

Oh, Gag Me With a Spoon

Nikolas: I’m sorry.

Nadine: It’s okay. It’s not your fault, Nikolas. Your love for Emily was as close to perfect as it gets. I envy you. I just hope I can find that myself some day.

Yes, Nadine. I, too, hope that one day I can have a husband who will cheat on me and have a child with another (married) woman. A husband who’s considerate enough to take his sexual needs to someone else when I’m recovering from being raped is about as close to perfect as love gets, don’t you think?

Look, I realize this is (allegedly, at least) a soap opera. Couples break up and get back together all the time. Spouses cheat. So all that baggage doesn’t mean Nikolas and Emily were an inherently bad couple.

(I would argue that they were a spectacularly boring couple, but that’s both subjective and another matter entirely.)

It does mean, however, that this never ending litany of their Most Perfect Fairy Tale Love is more than a little 1) revisionist, and 2) gag-inducing.

Look, he loved her. We get it. Really. He loved her so much he couldn’t stay faithful to her for their entire marriage. And she loved him so much she rebounded to a greasy mobster nearly twice age. But they did love each other. Can’t that be enough? Why does it have to be The Love That Ended All Loves?

Ew, eww, ewww

I think I made a deal with the devil in my last post.

My pleas for scrubs plot was met with oh so gross Sonny and Claudia sex. I don’t think it is overdoing it to say again: Eww, ewww, ewwww.

This ick-fest was followed by shirtless Nikolas, which coupled with Rebecca gave me PTSD flashbacks to the super disgusting Emily/Nikolas sex scenes. *shudder*

The icing on the cake was Patrick having Sonny watch his baby and Robin saying that it was a good idea. WTF? I know Robin has history with Sonny. I know she feels that he was there for her during one of the toughest times in her life. I REMEMBER it well. But that doesn’t mean that she would necessarily think it is a good idea for Sonny to babysit her child. And Patrick is worried about Robin being alone with her own baby, but a mobster who gets his own child shot in the head is A-OK to watch his child? What?!? Get a nanny already! And stop acting like a stay at home mom wanting to go out to run errands is symptomatic of something when putting a baby in a tree isn’t!

I’m wondering if this is what my mom meant when she said “be careful what you wish for.” I can’t believe she imagined anything this heinous.

Thankfully I was plied with the hotness of Jason Thompson before all this nonsense.

 

Otherwise, I might go jump off a cliff.

Is this a test?

I often feel like I am being put through a trial by this show. Their objective: to see how mind-numbingly boring and repeatitive it must be before I turn it off. Monday’s episode was pushing my tolerance to maximum capacity.

Haven’t we seen this one before? Spinelli getting arrested. Maxie defending him. Sonny running to save Claudia. Jason chasing after Anthony. Every woman on the show obessing over Sonny.

It is my estimation that 85% of today’s episode was about Sonny, Jason and the mob. It is one thing when they are constantly taking up screen time, but do they have to TALK about them when they aren’t on screen?

OMG. My head is going to explode.

One good thing:

The sheer beauty of Rebecca Herbst. I have never thought that she wasn’t pretty, but I was especially struck today by her perfection. If only I looked like that when I was in the hospital. I had bed head and creases on my face. She, on the other hand is glowing. Ah, soap magic. You have the potential of being wonderous.

And as always, Alexis was the shining light, in an otherwise dismal episode. And per usual, she says exactly what I’m thinking and does it with such class and grace. The only problem, whenever she does this, she is automatically shown that she is wrong and should not be the voice of sanity. How is it that Nikolas has been acting like a complete psycho stalker and yet Rebecca defends him? I really hate the way they treat that character. No wonder she took off to go get herself a drink. If I were her, I’d never want to be sober.

Finally, it has been five days without any Scrubs plot. I think I’m being punished for criticizing it.

I TAKE IT ALL BACK. PLEASE, STOP THE INSANITY. YOU WIN. YOU’VE BROKEN MY SPIRIT! JUST BRING THIS BACK!

Why do I have a sinking sensation that my pleas will be ignored?

Dear GH Writers:

I realize that if General Hospital no longer has the money for trifles like bedroom sets, or a continuity editor, or a decent wig for poor Kirsten Storms —

— then the odds of you being able to afford new sets and extras for nightclubs and galas are fairly slim. After all, you’ve got to save every penny for the next sweeps stunt.

Believe me, I understand. Quality CGI like this isn’t cheap:

Priorities, people!

However.

If Kate’s going to keep sending Maxie and Johnny out on these promotional non-dates, then — and I know this is wacky, but bear with me here — at some point it would be nice to actually see them interacting on one.

I mean, don’t get me wrong; watching Lulu and Spinelli sit around whining to each other for hours in the Crimson office is endlessly fascinating. But maybe, just maybe, if you’re going to have an attractive young couple with oodles of sexual tension who are trying to avoid giving into their admitted attraction for one another but are being forced to interact due to circumstances beyond their control…

…well, then maybe you could try letting the audience actually enjoy that chemistry for more than two minutes an episode.

In other words: try writing an actual soap for a change.

(Just a thought.)

Masochistically Yours,
Tenillypo

p.s. Speaking of Johnny, much as I enjoy him spending time with Maxie, his father’s been holding his beloved sister hostage all week. You think it might make a little more dramatic sense to have him involved in that than jaunting off to fashion events we don’t even get to see?