When Shelly Altman and Jean Passanante came on board, there were a lot of big promises about bringing romance back. Almost a year later, we’ve seen Hayden mourn the man who had her shot in the head, Lucas and Brad’s exciting off screen honeymoon, and Julian threatening to slit Alexis’ throat.
But that’s all about to change, because people were getting all hot and bothered this week! Sure, they were all couples no one cares about. And sure, all these people have the chemistry of dead fish being smacked together. But love in the afternoon, you guys! Sort of!
pretty bras in the afternoon?
How can such attractive people possibly be so boring? Oh, right… she has no personality and he has no plot and together they get about five minutes of airtime a month. Now, I remember.
I want to like Valerie. I really do. She’s part of a core family, she’s one of two non-white women on the show, and despite the whole Dante mess, she’s not an offensive character. But they do absolutely nothing with her family connections and everything else about her is just criminally bland when she’s even on screen at all.
On the other hand, Curtis is the most charismatic new male character since poor dead Carlos. And just like both Carlos and his oddly less attractive twin, Curtis is being wasted on a total lump of a leading lady. (Side note: I will give one hundred virtual dollars to anyone who can explain why so many men are inexplicably obsessed with Sabrina. PLEASE someone explain it to me.) Meanwhile, Rebecca Herbst is sitting right over there, spending all of her considerable chemistry on a serial killer while these good looking men languish in romantic black holes. Because the universe hates me.
Over at the hospital, Claudette and Griffin finally kissed, causing the fifteen people still watching this show to fall into spontaneous comas. I say “finally” because I feel like we’ve been hearing about their forbidden love since the beginning of time, but in reality she showed up a week ago and has already been desperate to snag two separate men, despite having zero chemistry with either of them.
Why are these people here? How is is possible to make an affair with a priest not sexy? Was anyone actually craving MORE convoluted backstory for Nathan, aka a block of wood with abdominals? He already has an unexplained paternity mystery and more family than a lot of the actual legacy characters on this show. But sure, lets bring in more new people for him instead of Serena Baldwin or Sarah Webber or TJ Hardy or Brooklyn Ashton or any of the million characters with connections on the canvas that the audience actually cares about.
ACTING. HIS. BALLS. OFF.
At least this did give us the gift of Ryan Paevey expanding his repertoire of “staring blankly” and “taking off his shirt” to include EXTREME TOOTH ACTING.
I’m confused, though. Is this story supposed to make me worry that Maxie and Nathan won’t get married? Because I have some strong feelings about cops who get drunk and shoot civilians in cold blood and also about men who react to being cheated on by trying to kill people and all of those feelings are now screaming at Maxie to run away from this dude as fast as she possibly can.
Speaking of which, in his latest bid to make my skin crawl literally off of my body, Franco decided to surprise Liz by breaking into her car and hiding in the back seat. You know, like women are constantly warned that rapists will do. Which is funny because Liz is a rape victim and Franco is a former pseudo rapist. OH, HOW WE LAUGHED.
FRANCO: If I had come to your house and knocked on the door, you would have opened the door and seen my face, you would have slammed the door.
Can’t argue with that logic! Nothing says “trustworthy romantic partner” like casual stalking and refusing to respect boundaries. Amazingly, he followed up by asking her to apologize to him for letting him yell at her before. Which, you may recall, is because his history of being a serial killer made her uneasy when he was accused of being a serial killer again.
And yes, it was played as a joke… sort of. But somehow, this actually did end with Liz apologizing for just not being able to get over his history of killing people and also kidnapping her baby that one time:
ELIZABETH: Sometimes when I look at you and I think I’m seeing you for who you really are, something happens and it triggers memories of who you used to be.
FRANCO: I’m trying really hard to be someone different.
ELIZABETH: I know, I know. It’s me. I don’t think I’ll be able to make peace with who you used to be or what you did.
Let’s be honest: there is probably nothing that the show could do to make me like the idea of Franco and Liz together. Because besides all the bad history, he now spends the majority of his scenes whining about how unfair it is that nobody trusts him just because he used to kill and sort of rape people a lot and I just find that massively off-putting for some weird reason.
But even if I’m never going to be completely on board with this couple, they could at least not be constantly having him creepily trap her in elevators, or creepily trap her in his studio, or creepily hide in the back seat of her car because he knows she doesn’t want to talk to him. I feel like these are things that could super easily be avoided. And yet they keep happening for some reason.
So, Franco/Liz fans–I know at least some of you read this blog. This is a no judgment zone. I am just legitimately curious: do you like this pairing in spite of this creepy stalker stuff? Or because of it? Inquiring minds want to know.
Despair in the Afternoon 
When Shelly Altman and Jean Passanante came on board, there were a lot of big promises about bringing romance back. Almost a year later, we’ve seen Hayden mourn the man who had her shot in the head, Lucas and Brad’s exciting off screen honeymoon, and Julian threatening to slit Alexis’ throat.
you know what, that’s a pat line of theirs…do you know how many times i’ve heard that story on every soap as soon as a new/recycled writer comes on…
so just insert writers’ name…and go from there, and say that line….
but the rest of it is so dead on
or creepily hide in the back seat of her car because he knows she doesn’t want to talk to him. I feel like these are things that could super easily be avoided. And yet they keep happening for some reason.
oh must not have watched that day…didn’t know that happened
yeah when you think about it, he’s still a stalker……
Why did they cast RoHo as Franco? Why? They could have created a new character for him like a business man. He could have interacted with almost every characters. He’s one of the best actor in daytime yet they wrote him in a dark ugly corner right from the start. Why?
Your recaps are the best. It’s like you’re in my head. Valerie and Curtis are absolutely dry. I don’t know why they thought it was a good idea to put two newbies who they barely write for in a relationship. No one cares. As for the Franco and Liz stuff. It’s nauseating and horrific and I find it bewildering that there actual fans of this couple. Stalking and manipulating a woman every change you get is romantic. Who knew?
I like this pairing because I pretend Roger isnt playing Franco and because Roger is a pet of TPTB and that means Becky will get a storyline..
I thought her story was going to be figuring out the pictures Jake drew in that book she got during helena’s will reading but the writers, well most likely the EP dropped that story so her sole purpose on the show is propping up Franco, a pet character of the EP. People blame Jelly(the writers) for the show but FTMP it seems that the stories they talked about writing got dropped or changed.
They do seem to have forgotten that entire mystery, which is annoying.
I think it got dropped for her being with Franco and supporting his story including the murder mystery at GH.. I also wonder what was the point of Laura getting the key from Helena. Story started but little on Cassadine Island seemed to have to do with that Ditto Lulu’s empty envelope. Yeah Alexis’ dagger got a story but nothing to do with Cassadines, and everything to do with destroying Julexis.
Friz fan here (love your blog)! I could do without the creepy stuff too but it’s not going to make me abandon ship. They’ve been building this relationship for months now. It’s unfortunate they had tie them to the hospital killer s/l but it is what it is. I will say, no matter how off it starts Franco always manages to turn it around in the best possible way. The elevator and parking garage scenes are actually two of my favourites.
But what sells me the most is Becky and Roger. Their chemistry together is fabulous. I can’t remember the last time I’ve been this excited about a Liz pairing. They have what Liason 2.0 lacked, imo, which is why I could never fully get onboard even before the story went left – and threw Elizabeth under the bus.
I totally agree about the lack of chemistry with so many pretty people on screen (Valerie/Curtis, Claudette/Griffin)! Such a sad waste!
And, as a #Friz fan, I understand & share the frustration about the creepy scenes. I love them despite it and fell for them before Jelly decided to make it look like he could be the hospital killer. And I hope they are done with it now! I love that they acknowledge & understandably struggle with their pasts! But It is in character for Liz to be overly forgiving and I think Franco is good for her!
Even when I disagree, I love reading this blog. You almost always make me laugh. I actually agree mostly. I did find Val &Curtis totally chemless and ditto to Claudette and Griffin.
I do really like Franco & Liz though. I pretty much have liked most Liz pairings at least at first and I am a total chem whore. It excuses a lot for me. There was a time when I would have said HELL NO to Franco and Liz but they sucked me in and I really like them, maybe even love them. I could do without the springing up from her backseat or the way the elevator scene started …I def think they need to stop that. It makes no sense given the narrative they are going for, that Franco is a changed man, but its GH and I tend to take a story I enjoy warts and all…hopefully that part of the story is over. Frankly I just enjoy watching Becky Herbst & Roger Howarth. They both look like they are having fun and they just work…..soooo I am just choosing to believe Franco’s tumor was the reason for his past actions and actually enjoy something on the show. There isn’t a lot doing it for me lately.
I can definitely agree with most of your take on GH with the exception of Franco and Liz. I absolutely adore them. I really think that if the writers would just get past this creepy shit they tend to do at the beginning of Friz scenes I really think they could end up with a huge fan base. It’s growing everyday. In the next couple of weeks we should be coming to the end of the hospital killer storyline and I have great hopes that with that storyline done the Friz scenes are only going to get better and less creepy. No matter what you say about Franco there is one thing you absolutely cannot deny and that is the fact that since the lie reveal Franco is the ONLY one who has been there for Liz with his words of encouragement and total support no matter what.
Franco and Liz have had 8 months of slow build. He has been there for her thru everything. He has encouraged her and helped her son. In all that time we have had a couple of moments of creepy and that was only for this stupid “hospital killer” plot point mess. So to answer your question, yeah I can ignore 3 moments of “creepy that really wasn’t” when I have 8 months of wonderful. When I have this great chemistry, fabulous writing and such fantastic actors working flawlessly together. So if you hate you will look for that moment or two to hate and make the entire 8 months about those couple of moments. Hell Jason clenching his fists, grunting, rolling his neck and getting in Liz’s face was more disturbing than anything Franco has done, but let us not acknowledge that I guess.
I agree Shannon. I think that some of the darker stuff & Liz’s caution is being played for the emotional beats & it got laid on a little thick a few times. For fans of the pairing, those moments aren’t a big deal but it’s frustrating because you just know that the haters (for lack of a better term) are going to go in on those few times Franco was creepy other than focus on the majority of times when he was sweet & Friz shared real connection.
Thanks for answering — just to clarify: hating Franco /= thinking Jason is a saint and I’ve criticized him many times.
Love your blog. However I personally am a Friz fan and can’t wait for them to finally get together. They have had 8 months of build up. And YES there have been a few “creepy” moments but for me the build up has outweighed those few “moments”. The writers are using history to write for Franco and Elizabeth. Nothing is being swept under the carpet and its propelling them forward. Roger and Becky have incredible chemistry and the writing thus far has been incredible. So I am fully on board the Friz train.
Totally 100% agree with your entire post…EXCEPT for Liz and Franco. IMHO tptb have, for the most part (minus the ridiculous creepy moments they inexplicably want to throw in) shown a story of redemption for the character of Franco. One thing I always think about regarding Franco is that he is not “normal”. He wasn’t born or raised that way, and the brain tumor caused even more issues. But since that reveal, he has consciously tried to be a better person and a better man. Many characters have their pasts and behaviors excused in a heartbeat. Why not him? And who has been there for Elizabeth EVERY time she has been in distress over something or other? FRANCO. His desire to be there for her, and to become better for himself, is something I will always root for on a soap. And I agree with others that said FRIZ have unbelievable chemistry due to the fabulous actors involved. So I am 100% on board the FRIZ train 💯🙌🏼❤️
I agree with everything except the franco /liz stuff yeah the writers laid the creepy stuff on thick a time or two but Friz has been one of the very few things that has been written good on this show,Roger and Becky have great chemistry and you can tell they enjoy working together it comes off on screen. Yeah some people might not ever get over his past but with so many people on this show and their shitty past who are they to judge at least the guy is trying. As huge liz fan I want someone who is gonna have her back and love her uncondtionally and Franco has been there every step of the way for her,when she told him how she felt he backed off and excepted it and when she was sad over the news of JS he was there to comfort her with nothing in return. Kudos to the writers for making me care about Franco when I didnt in the past out side of liz he has managed to still be self aware and wanting to change and Roger is doing a great job. Looking forward to what this couple has in store for those of who do enjoy them!
I’m not a Friz fan not in the sense that I love them together but they do have a weird quirky vibe WHEN he isn’t do this crazy ish. I hated Franco when JF was on GH it was awful. I would like for them to eventually get to be friends but not with benefits. I could see her finally forgiving him but he’d have to show some real progress not hiding and creeping around that’s very unsettling. I also find Jason to be a demanding, my way or the highway asshat so I don’t want him for Elizabeth either–get her someone else like Griffin or bring Jax back for her -JMPO
Sorry, but Valerie is a total WASTE of a character.
She came on the show…OBVIOUSLY a black woman…but there was NEVER an explication of that, no background offered for her, NOTHING! Why the hell should we care about her? Just because she’s someone’s niece isn’t enough.
Without a back story, I don’t give a rat’s ass about Valerie!
Curtis, on the other hand, deserves SO MUCH MORE than a nondescript character who is boring as hell!
I don’t need more background for her — we know who her mother was and that her father, who was obviously a black man, left before she was born. Since she ostensibly moved to Port Charles because she had no other family, it’s just really disappointing that they’ve failed to actually build those family connections. Valerie has no friends; she’ nothing but a plot point.
I love curtis and think they need to give him more and Val is not it,tried to like her but nah lol. Dont care about the priest or that blond girl or nathan give Maxie something to sink her teeth into this ish aint cutting it.
I for one have come to really love Friz, I like that their not sweeping everything under the rug they are dealing with every issue they can. RH and BH have insane chemistry that kiss on the cheek was sexier and sweeter than anything that has been done on this show in a while. When she told him that it was hard for her to get past his past and how she felt at the studio he backed off and respected her wishes he didnt show out and get crazy. When he saw her at the hospital he was supportive and generous with her even though he thinks he has no chance with her, What was those words Beautiful,smart and sexy Gah! The man has been with her every step of the way he has his faults but so does liz and I feel like these two can learn and grow with each other because no matter how much liz is struggling with Franco past it wouldnt bother her this much if she was sooooo afraid of Franco and didnt have feelings. She struggling because she is falling and she does see the good in him and I think he could be good for her he just has to realize he has the good in himself. Excited to see where they go with couples like Friz,Kevlaur and killion.
I like your blog and agree with almost your whole post, with the exception of Friz. I LOVE them! I find the few creepy moments the show put in there (obviously for the play of the hospital murder mystery) overkill and unnecessary, however as Shannon commented, 3 (way overplayed) creepy moments in 8 months of fantastic build up and great writing is not a blip in the radar to me. My hope is that with Franco being cleared of the hospital killings that creepy stuff will stop. We went months with no creepy behavior whatsoever, so I expect we’ll go back to that very soon. Franco has been written to be a completely different person, and while he gets a little self pitying here and there, he is right, he’s the only one on this show who did horrible things in the past (also because of a medical condition) but he is not redeemable. You have Sonny who shot a cop (and ironically his long lost son) point blank in the chest leaving him for dead and he’s the shows would be patriarch. HUH?? Jason is a cold blooded killer for hire. Has killed for 20 plus years, by his choice, with complete control of his faculties, a seemingly clear conscious of it, and fans LOVE HIM. So, yeah, I get Franco’s point. Complete career change, HELPING PEOPLE, and he’s still the worst human being. He’s shown to be caring and compassionate, doesn’t matter. I get a little tired of the double standard. Also, I find Roger to be extremely sexy and good looking, so I don’t think Liz is missing out on her own “wasted hotness”.
Thanks for answering — I think where we disagree is that I don’t see it as 8 months of healthy relationship with 3 uncharacteristically creepy blips. I’ve found Franco’s behavior with Liz to be overbearing and manipulative since their friendship began. So for me, these overtly creeptastic scenes are a worrying escalation of that dynamic.
But I share your hope that the writing will change as the hospital killer story wraps up! If they could show him consistently respecting her boundaries without guilting her, that would be a great start.
there are those of us who got enough room to hate all 3 lol.
c’mon!
Flat out say the IIC should have had Becky as a lead, period. I am not going to go all “Friz” just so the lady can have air time.
She’s earned it, others haven’t.
She can act, IIC’s lead can’t.
This regime sucks, at writing, at ratings, and demographics,
the only thing going for them is their over inflated egos,
which is driving the stories
Yes I am talking to YOU Frank.
These people wouldn’t know what love in the afternoon is
even if being done in front of them.
No imagination, no history lessons, no connections,
they are just a big NO.
sigh
i feel better now
That’s a really complicated question to answer, lol.
Obviously the heavy-handedness of the “creepier” scenes is unfortunate in that it disrupts the momentum for some, particularly those who might otherwise be tempted to invest in the pairing. But unlike others I don’t attribute them simply to the hospital murders story. I attribute them to the writers attempting to give weight to Elizabeth’s point of view. Her scenes in the parking garage were telling. She sees so much good in him – but he is impulsive and reactionary and sometimes petty, and these moments are too much of a reminder of the way he used to be.
In his desperation to be heard or to have her acknowledge who he is presently, he can absolutely be over the top. Having said this I can continue to love him despite (or maybe partly because of) those qualities because they are so fundamentally human.
In fact, they aren’t unlike some of Elizabeth’s bigger flaws. She too is reactionary, she can be petty, and she is not above demonizing others for things she actually put into motion -and I say this as someone who ADORES the character of Elizabeth. I also remember that while these traits render him very flawed, I have to look at them as separate from his past actions. It appears that he doesn’t feel like the same man who did any of that. I can understand his frustration when he is told ‘ you are this ‘ when that definition of him doesn’t jive with the man he knows himself to be. If I am to accept the tumor defence, which I do, then he was a victim of circumstance. It has been decided by this show that he is not culpable. And while he is certainly not a boy scout, without that tumor he’s also not the man that did such awful things.So at worst he is impulsive, petty etc. Ultimately, I’m not sure why he must be judged so harshly for the exact same qualities that I’ve seen manifest in my favorite character, Elizabeth, for years.
So to (finally) answer your question: I think I like them more because of the very stuff to which you object. Part of the appeal is how vehemently he wants her to see him. Elizabeth has spent much of her time in PC wanting the very same thing from people – to not be labelled as either the “angel” or the “whore”, but to be loved and sometimes forgiven for the fact that she is a complicated mix of so many things. And because the sum of her worst mistakes are always been thrown back in her face (looking at you Hayden, and Britt before you), I imagine she can relate to never being able to fully escape your past. So that – in addition to all the chemistry and pretty dialogue stuff that my fellow Frizzies have mentioned – make them root-worthy to me.
Thanks for asking the question. I like that you invite dialogue.
Cheers!
Damn this post is good. Bravo, cc. Could not agree more. 👏🙌
Awww… thanks Mel!
Great post! DITTO DITTO DITTO LOL
Spot on cc!! Great post!
I think you put it as perfectly as anyone could!
Ok you just said a mouthful and I totally agree! Preach on it.
Thanks for such a thoughtful response! I actually agree with your analysis of Elizabeth’s flaws; I do think it makes sense that at this time in her life she would especially empathize with Franco’s desire to be seen as more than just the sum of his past mistakes. There’s the potential for a good story there.
What trips me up is that despite their similarities as town pariahs, there’s such a huge difference between the magnitude of even Liz’s worst mistakes and Franco’s many pre- and post-tumor crimes. And obviously, it also matters that Elizabeth is a character that I’ve known and loved for 19 years. She’s always going to get more of the benefit of the doubt from me than a character who was brought on as possibly the most over the top and hated villain of all time.
It also doesn’t help that since Franco’s tumor was removed, he has tried to kill his mother, taken hostages at his own wedding, taken advantage of Olivia’s kindness to blackmail her, and helped kidnap a baby. He pays a lot of lip service to feeling remorse, but then repeatedly gets in the face of his former victims and berates them for not wanting to be BFFs with him. If he wanted a fresh start, he could have moved to a place where no one knew him; he chose to stay in PC, so he has to deal with the people he’s hurt not wanting anything to do with him.
I guess my bottom line is I’m not going to truly buy the tumor excuse until they start consistently writing him as a new person, and I don’t feel like that’s happened yet. Maybe the tide will turn once this hospital killer story ends? I hope it does. I don’t like hating Elizabeth scenes.
Thank you for responding. I always love to read your opinions, even when they don’t mirror my own.
I absolutely understand what you are saying. Post tumor he has done some despicable things. Nothing outside the realm of what most other characters on this show have done, in my mind, but certainly despicable. I imagine I’m okay with that because I think he should have things he must still work towards. When he says he’s seeking salvation, I need to know that the journey is real and not just a pretty pick up line. Even if he has darker impulses, watching him struggle with them will keep me rooting for him. I think he may still be in the phase of coming to understand how his actions are interpreted and understood by other people, as his social skills are so under-developed. But I do see balance between those qualities, and his desire to nurture.
I hope the tide does turn, too. I feel for you as someone who has long struggled with the Elizabeth-Jason relationship. It is awful to want to root for your girl, but hating everything about her pairing or her story. I hope you find something to enjoy soon.
Cheer,
CC
*Cheers – doh! :)
I see where you’re coming from, and if Franco didn’t have the pre-tumor baggage that he has, I could probably accept the post-tumor actions a lot more easily. It’s just the combo of the two that doesn’t work for me… how I wish they’d brought Roger Howarth back as literally ANYONE else! Oh, well.
Anyway, thanks for the conversation and the sympathy. It is really hard not being able to enjoy Liz–going on a year now! But I’m glad you’re having fun with the show right now. Someone ought to be!
I agree with everything you wrote especially the vomit inducing couple that is Franco and Elizabeth. There is nothing rootworthy about Franco and thus sticking him with my fave isn’t going to change that. I find him a manipulative,bullying, manchild. I feel that he does this stalkerish, creepy crap because he knows that he can get away with it. He didn’t do this stuff with Carly and Nina because both of those women were tall, statuesque women who had intimidating backup. Nina with having a brother for a cop who could throw Franco’s behind in prison and Carly who had an ex- husband who could make Franco permanently disappear. Elizabeth is petite thus far more in a vulnerable position if he decided to attack her and she doesn’t have intimidating backup. Yes, there is Jason, but to me that is only an aphrodisiac for Franco that being around Jake and Elizabeth bothers Jason. They could do so much for Elizabeth than sticking her with that psycho but I guess when your pet have been on the show for more than three years and still haven’t caught on with viewers, you have to keep trying him with popular actresses to make him work. I personally think it won’t as it didn’t work using Carly and hopefully TIIC will give up and make all his psychotic behaviour come out ( like the stuff coming out now) and eventually go ahead and kill the character.
Love your blog. I agree with everything but the Liz & Franco mentions.
I would have NEVER even thought of pairing these two characters up. But here we are & I’m enjoying it. Yes there is a bleak past. Yes the creepy factor is way over done, especially w/the music. And I get why some dislike this pair. But I have managed to look past all of the bad. I’m totally on board with Friz!
The acting talents and chemistry of Becky Herbst & Roger Howarth have won me over. Liz & Franco are interesting. They have an easy natural believable flow. The dialogue and actors chem just make their story work. I look forward to the Liz/Franco scenes.
Have been a long time BH fan & RoHo fan. Now they are working together and it’s like the dream team. Nice job Becky & Roger and GH writers!
I love the character Valerie. I just don’t care for Curtis. I want Valerie with anyone but Curtis. I just can’t understand why they aren’t giving Valerie any family scenes either. Why can’t Valerie get some friendships. I comment to abc.com every night about where’s her family scenes or Friendships too. I hope Valerie solves the hospital killings herself.
yeah TPTB blew up their most popular and highest performing couple overnight. The distance to rewrite entire canvas to center on Sonny as the show’s heroic lead was not a wise one. Neither is bringing on a whole slew of boring newbies. Zero investment in Val b.c they didn’t bond her with her established family but made her Dante’s slampiece. She’s never recovered from that. Curtis is going to Jordan who’s 0 for 2 in pairings that work. Nina is in every story to try to make this failed character work and Hayden, it
is pretty clear what and who her canvas tie will be.
I also really like Valerie and I do think she and Curtis have chemistry, I just think he’s being told to downplay it because he’ll end up with Jordan (of course). In fact, they have the most realistic relationship I’ve seen on this show with then going on dates, supporting eachother, visiting eachother, and it finally culminating in then sleeping together.
Alas, he will end up with Jordan and she’ll be even further backburnered. They should take the chance with her and Dillon who seems to mature for Kiki.
Can’t stand her or him…so, IMO…they’re a perfect match.
When I watch (which for the past 6 months is not often) I pretend Franco isn’t Franco.
The writers are terrible, but I don’t think that overall awfulness of the show is totally their fault. Frank and Nathan have destroyed the show and no one in power at ABC cares.
It’s definitely not all their fault. The show was already a mess when they came on, and without knowing exactly what’s going on behind the scenes, it seems clear that since Varni came on board, there have been too many cooks in the kitchen. I had a feeling that when they got rid of Ron and kept Frank, the out of control casting would continue and lo and behold, we’re still stuck with a bloated cast of boring newbies no one cares about. There’s been a leadership failure across the board.
Writers have little to do with determining what’s being written. It was clear after RC that his replacements would have even less autonomy than he had towards the end. The writers told us what they were planning to write and very little of that has panned out in stories. Most of the Helena’s will stories were started then dropped without really going anywhere. Carly’s “journey” was supposed 2 be about her concerns about her relationship with Sonny a violent mobster. Now she is in a organ donor story where Sonny comes off in a better light. Tracy’s journey turned into her being PP to introduce ME’s fourth character.
And most importantly the one thing you never saw in the HWs comments about stories in soap media involves Julexis and Carson and their families. What they said is that both pairings would be core pairings and their blended families would be two of the core families. The HWs viewed them as equal in terms of how rootable they’d be. Nothing about Sonny being “good”, Julian being “evil” Carson being loving, stable, family affirming and Julexis being toxic, violent and anti-family. Carson’s family remains a core family and are pretty much a snooze to watch because all of Sonny’s kids (including alas, Michael!) have their heads so far up Sonny’s ass it’s just nauseating whereas Julexis’ blended family got blown to smithereens.
It’s clear the show’s refocusing on Sonny and probably eventually Jason as the show’s moral compass of what is good and just. And that shift in the writing which led to changed stories, dropped stories and Sonny in nearly every story saving the day, solving the problem or mystery and hell even buying the town fireworks on the sly was clearly caused by the EP and the network which would have to sign off on it because that’s how they do business. Judging by the also large shift in the show’s ratings including demos I guess the audience is responding back like it did in 2007-2011.
I didn’t like a lot about RC but I did like that he lacked a Sonny or Jason fetish. He killed Jason off and brought him back as someone else. Sonny wasn’t leading every story and looked downright silly in some stories that I imagine must have made MB grit his teeth playing some of that out. We did have the blissful but all too short Michael Q story arc which a lot of people seemed to like.
honestly, I don’t think FV has a Sonny fetish either. I think more Sonny is his misguided way to cater to “old school” GH fans to so he can fill up the show with Franco, Michael Easton part 40, Nina, Griffin, Claudette and say well yeah we have plenty of newbies but we still have plenty of GH vet Sonny so there’s balance!
I would agree except when Nelle who’s been in town five minutes was singing his praises joining the greek chorus of Sonny cheerleaders it just reminded me of how heavy handed the Sonny favoritism since about March. In one episode, Sonny saved Alexis, he found the missing link in the donor story, he bought Lante a house, he paid for the town’s fireworks and he saved someone else as well. I rolled my eyes at the overkill with making him the hero all the time again but wasn’t surprised to see that this episode was one of the lowest rated episodes in one of the lowest rated weeks in the lowest rated July mini sweeps ever. Sonny’s the main thrust of the donor story, doing the leg work with Spinelli. Deciding that Nelle really is the donor and being the one who’s suspicious of Jax. Jax who has come back mainly to be the villain in his own kid’s rewritten and totally retconned donor story. And Sonny will no doubt be the one who exposes him and saves the day.
After seeing the writing trash(rewritten) Julian virtually overnight, seeing Alexis become self loathing and helpless and constantly needing Sonny to rescue her or lecture her. Alexis and Carly needing Sonny to tell them how to parent Kristina, Morgan and even Joss. Rewriting Sonny as the custodial parent of Avery when Ava had custody and Sonny threatened her out of it. Julian abusing Alexis and rightfully being unrootable for doing so but Sonny can threaten women including Ava and Alexis and trash Alexis’ home and say she’s dead to him but since he”s “right” we’re supposed to root for him and overlook his abusive behavior. among other obvious signs of the show’s decision to recenter Sonny as its moral compass. The PCPD can NEVER solve a single case or even look remotely competent because Sonny and to a lesser extent Jason are the ones who wind up doing that. Jordan, Anna and Mac all had to appear incompetent as was Sloane the five minutes he was Commish. Though Sloane was more of a villain.
Funny thing is I never thought FV was interested in Sonny all that much but something’s clearly changed his mind about that b/c it wasn’t the HWs who are trying to sell heroic Sonny in any interviews they ever gave on the show. FV did a bit. The ratings are taking their all too predictable hit because that’s what happens when GH is more dark, more violent, more misogynist and it centers on a misogynist thug as its moral focus. Franco got that treatment over and over for a while but looks like they’re giving up on that.
The thing is if FV really wanted to cater to a fan base so he could put all his personal faves on screen he would have never trashed Julexis like Julexis got trashed in some crazy overnight rewrite. Because Julexis was probably one of the most popular couples/stories the show had going for it. But making Julian a man who left the mob for family made him more rootable than Sonny who chose mob over family over and over. So given the climate of GH Julexis wasn’t going to last long if GH became more centered on Sonny again.
I think the worst thing though is replacing an establishment like Kelly’s which survived destruction with Sonny’s stupid coffee court. RIP Kellys.
I’m going to have to kindly disagree with the Friz hate. I adore their scenes. The chemistry is amazing and honestly the pairing is unexpected but welcome. They don’t need a 3rd party to add angst like so many couples do. Plus there are so many stories that can stem off from them being together. ReRo play so naturally off each other.
I understand the whole creepy thing they keep doing with Franco but I think that they played that up to cast suspicion on him as he killer. Now that it is obviously not him I think we are going to be seeing that less and less and more moments like the cheek kiss in the garage and their talk in the hospital. These two have the potential to be huge. Let’s not count them out before they get a chance! After all lets not forget Carly and Michael had both forgiven Franco and moved on (that is until Franco exposed Carly for cheating on him for months with Sonny and somehow Carly got to go back to being adored and Franco feared)
I am loving Friz but the rest I agree about. Val is so boring and I would love to see Curtis paired with someone who could really bring out his sexy side…. Someone like Sam maybe…
Love your blog. You said a lot of the things that I’ve been saying. The #Friz stuff is hard for me because it reminds me of most of Liz’s relationships. Her life implodes and she goes to the person that makes her feel better Franco is like he was with Carly. He likes that she makes it seem that his past is his past and you just feel it won’t last. They have chemistry, but test the continued flashbacks of his creepy ways makes it hard to invest.
That’s true of most couples. We get more MorKi then we need, but the couples that we are suppose to invest it its crumbs. I guess we are suppose to like Val/Curtis, but he’s with others more and seems to truly care for them as well.
I will say that I’m liking Laura/Kevin, but that’s a couple with history. They don’t need as much TLC to work like newbies or people with troubled past.
For the record, I wish we could have seen some of Brucas honeymoon as well. It would make up for their quickly wedding.
The side-lining of Brad and Lucas is infuriating.
Just want to say IMO Liason Fan got the best of bring Jason back…Even tho Jason was “JAKE” for a while so for a while Lake had the very best of LOVE in the after noon……..
I’ll always look back on the Liz/Jake stuff before she found out the truth with fondness. I enjoyed the slow build of their relationship so much.
Your blogs are always so funny and entertaining! I too got nothing out of Val/Curtis & pretty much only care for Maxie out of this whole Maxie/Nathan/Claudette/Griffin quad thing. Those Claudette/Griffin kisses were so embarrassingly sad!
I will give credit to the writers for some other newer couples that show promise: Laura/Kevin, Hayden/Finn and Kiki/Dillon (once we are rid of the albatross that is Morgan). Also, when Nikolas reappears, I may be interested in him and Ava.
I am also going to say at least 3 couples on this show are so stale to me and Julexis is the creepy scary couple now.
Now to the subject of Franco and Elizabeth. Let me just say that I am loving every second of them. This has been building for months and yes, the writers have put alot of TLC into the writing as they should because of the Franco character’s past, primarily. Seriously, I can hardly believe I’m watching GH when I watch the build for Franco and Elizabeth! I haven’t seen a soap couple get such a good build in years.
I’d like to answer one of your quotes: “But even if I’m never going to be completely on board with this couple, they could at least not be constantly having him creepily trap her in elevators, or creepily trap her in his studio, or creepily hide in the back seat of her car because he knows she doesn’t want to talk to him. I feel like these are things that could super easily be avoided. And yet they keep happening for some reason.” If Nikolas had done any of those 3 things, I’m sure it would be oh so romantic to some. The fact that this is Franco is what is problematic, and yes, and I can see why people who don’t like the character and don’t accept the tumor excuse see these situations as creepy. All three of these situations Franco put Elizabeth in have absolutely been my favorite scenes for them simply because each of them was Franco wanting honest conversation about his and Elizabeth’s relationship. Also, Elizabeth has confessed to Franco more than once that she has feelings for him, so he actually KNOWS she WANTS to talk to him. I did have a problem with him saying that if he had shown up at her door she would have shut it. No she actually would not have, not when she had stopped him at the elevator wondering why he wouldn’t talk to her.
Kudos to the writers for very thoroughly and slowly breaking down all the barriers to a Franco and Elizabeth coupling. This romance has everything I could ever want for Elizabeth: drama, comedy, romance, angst and yes,sexiness. Roger Howarth is one of the sexiest guys out there and I have always thought Rebecca Herbst to have that underlying sensual quality that surfaces when Elizabeth gets emotionally deep with a guy (for instance, with Nikolas). I love the ReRo chemistry and I honestly think this is Elizabeth’s sexiest pairing yet. I cannot wait for the next Franco and Elizabeth “Friz” scenes. Their story gets better everyday and I am so thankful to the wonderful writing and to Roger and Becky for their wonderful portrayals.
I am cautiously interested in both Hayden/Finn and Ava/Nik, and I’ll be a Lucy/Doc shipper until the day I die, but Laura/Kevin isn’t offensive and gives the vets something to do, so that’s nice. I’m also actually looking forward to the Hayden/Liz sister thing, even though it’s eye-rolling that they’d rather invent new family for her than bring on any of the family she already has. At least it will give her some meaty material where she isn’t the bad guy and hopefully make her less isolated on the canvas. So there are some things to maybe look forward to. Fingers crossed.
Re: Franco, you’re right that some people would definitely think these scenes were romantic if Nikolas was the one breaking into Liz’s car, etc. Or Jason. Or Ric. Or Lucky. I definitely wouldn’t be one of them, though. It was creepy even back when Brenda did it to Sonny! Just say no to stalking, lol. ;)
I love your blog. Jelly is such a disappointment. I do however don’t put all the blame on the mess that my favorite soap has endured on their shoulders. I blame Frank. The cast is huge. So much dead weight. But there has been a sudden creative surge that has turn GH into something watchable. Curtis is one example of the good on GH. He is fascinating to watch. But they are missing beats with him. Jordan is awful and watching her I see a lot of fans saying why is she commissioner why isn’t it Curtis??? The one thing that would work is having Curtis become a PI with Jason Morgan. There’s a lot of talent on GH but the cast must be trimmed. I agree with everything you said. Friz is something that frustrates me. The chemistry is there but but but creepiness makes it hard to watch this couple. The flip flop between non creepy vs creepy Franco makes this couple not enjoyable.
Lately you can see the changes at GH. Stories are finally moving along. Let’s take Jason and Sam. We have two beloved characters that have been written poorly. But these last two weeks the writing has been strong. The romance is finally in the center. But there’s still things that must be done.
Im hopeful. Whatever is happening behind the scenes is showing on our tv but but but GH still has a long way to go.
Aw, I like Jordan, although her relationship with Andre is a total snorefest. ANNA/JORDAN 4-EVA! Heh.
think Curtis works better as a slightly grey character who works outside or around the law than he would as the Commissioner, which, let’s face it, is a no win position, since the PCPD will never be able to arrest half the criminals in town. But I need them to stop making him a plot point for every woman in town and give him a story of his own.
I pretty much stopped watching when they blew up Julexis so that Julian could overnight go back to being turned evil to prop up Sonny and now Jason’s sainthood. I’m over seeing \d NLG get screwed over on yet another popular pairing she has but am enjoying her great acting before she gets backburned offscreen in some mental institution. I had enough of the Sonny and Jason worship crap under Guza/Frons. Can’t believe that era is being revisited accompanied by the same plunging ratings. Friz is rapist/rape survivor. They’re just creepy in my opinion but so are all of Frank’s couples.
Thanks Friz fans for all your replies. We don’t agree, but I appreciate the discussion. :)
Thank you for listening I never really read your blog before and I responded because a friend showed me your blog so I felt the need to represent for Friz as well as Franco,I might not really keep up with your blog after this but I respect your opinion and loved that you welcome the discussion even if you dont agree.
Thanks, I’m glad you chimed in!
Thanks for the chance to discuss. I saw you received some criticism for it on twitter. Sorry about that. I hope it doesn’t discourage you from doing posts like this in the future. Because I enjoyed it. So many great responses! :)
Hah, thanks. Twitter is terrible for discussion, which is why I normally avoid it. :) But friendly disagreement is always welcome here, don’t worry.
I totally agree with you about both Liz and Franco as well as Sabrina. Remember Sabrina first came on and she was some sort of Disney character? And they did that whole Cinderella moment at the Nurse’s Ball? I wouldn’t have been surprised if she had been a virgin. Then all of a sudden after she & Patrick hooked up, they brought in Carlos and tied her into the mob. Then Michael fell for her and now it turns out she hooked up with Carlos’s less hotter brother Joe. I don’t get it, I really don’t. I find the character about as bland as Valerie, and I will never forgive her for getting Michael to give back Avery, not to mention forgiving Sonny for murdering his biological family. And Curtis and Valerie are a snorefest. Curtis is hot and dynamic, he sparks with Nina, Jordan and Hayden so of course they stick him with Valerie. I might have liked Valerie more if they had played her in scenes with her family instead of pushing her into a love triangle with Lulu and Dante. It didn’t help that Lulu was suspicious of her from the beginning and had trouble bonding with her. Perhaps if she had been working at Ruby’s which would have allowed her to interact with the entire cast.
Also, I don’t know why Roger couldn’t have played Tom Hardy or even Jimmy Lee Holt which would have given us another Quartermaine.
My explanation for Sabrina is her hair. So shiny!
Re: Nathan, I can kinda understand him shooting Griffin, but the whole choking him part, not so much. I get he sounded condescending with his “I forgive you” stuff but hey, how about a punch to the face, which while that would be shitty of him, would at least not be trying to kill him again?
I 1000% agree with your Franco/Liz analysis. It’s disgusting. I for one am not really a tumor retcon person; and this “reformed rapist/serial killer” thing isn’t working for me. Franco should be under the jail, period.
And what he is doing to Elizabeth is many, many times worse than it would be for any other two characters. FIrst of all, I am on board with no to stalking at all times. It’s not cute. It’s not romantic. It’s abusive.
And for a rapist to be continually violating the boundaries of a rape victim? I’m sorry, no amount of “artistic license” can make that okay for me.
I HATE Joe but I LOOOOVE Valentin!