From: port-charles-owner@xmission.com (port-charles Digest) To: port-charles-digest@xmission.com Subject: port-charles Digest V1 #8 Reply-To: port-charles@xmission.com Sender: port-charles-owner@xmission.com Errors-To: port-charles-owner@xmission.com Precedence: port-charles Digest Thursday, September 25 1997 Volume 01 : Number 008 In this issue: GH/PC: GH: V GH/PC: GH: next week's previews after the show GH/PC: Julia Barrett GH/PC: GH: AJ GH/PC: GH: Sorry about last message with another message attached! Re: GH/PC: big BAD gh spoiler... (space included) Re: GH/PC: GH: V Re: GH/PC: Julia Barrett Re: GH/PC: GH: AJ GH/PC: he always leaves me in the rain GH/PC: PC: Picky, picky about Cooper and his room... GH/PC: PC: Scotty and the Bridesmaid Re: GH/PC: PC: Scotty and the Bridesmaid GH/PC: Sonny 'pulled a Nick' Re: GH/PC: Sonny 'pulled a Nick' GH/PC: Outta Left Field GH/PC: Guza interview See the end of the digest for information on subscribing to the port-charles or port-charles-digest mailing lists and on how to retrieve back issues. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 20 Sep 1997 00:21:02 -0400 From: "Mary Lu" Subject: GH/PC: GH: V I can't help it. I love the character of V, even down to her name. Of all the women on GH, this character is the one that comes the closest to myself. Unsure, klutzy, very casual wardrobe to the point of not much to wear, etc. I think most women would say the very same thing. What I get a kick out of is the fact that since Jax has been with her, he has actually seemed truly amused by her. I think that I like his smile more now than when he was ever with Brenda... She brings back humor to the show between a couple that has been missing since K&L went to PC. (Luke has humor no matter who he is with, so I don't count that! Mary Lu ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 20 Sep 1997 00:37:44 -0400 From: "Mary Lu" Subject: GH/PC: GH: next week's previews after the show I know that I didn't get next week's previews after today's GH program. I think this was an error in the Portland area. Did anyone get to see them and if you did, could you please tell me what they showed? I tape both GH and AMC here, and there was nothing between the programs after they said to stay tuned for the previews when suddenly I was watching what happened yesterday on AMC. (Yes, here in Portland, we have GH before AMC.) ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 20 Sep 1997 00:34:36 -0400 From: "Mary Lu" Subject: GH/PC: Julia Barrett Wasn't Julia Barret supposed to return to town for the wedding? (I think she was played by Crystal Carson, a great character, I thought.) Could that be Julia that arrives in the back of the church when Brenda looks back? Did she have an invitation to get in? I'm just trying to put my thinking cap on here on how they could stretch out the anticipation a little bit further. Mary Lu ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 20 Sep 1997 00:54:38 -0400 From: "Mary Lu" Subject: GH/PC: GH: AJ More thinking today about AJ's actions concerning Carly and her/his(?) baby... AJ asked Lila about whether or not he was really a Quartermaine and Lila gave him the answer about his dad needing proof that he was his and the realization that the doubt that Alan initially had about AJ's paternity due to Monica's actions has cost AJ the close father/son relationship that SHOULD have been his, and wasn't, not due to any fault of his own. I am thinking that he is placing himself into the role of the baby, realizing that if he told Tony about his relationship with Carly, he could be permanently jeopardizing any real bonding of this child to Tony if it is really Tony's child. I don't think he would want any child to go through what he has/is going through because of someone else's mistake. This is the only valid reason that I can think of that is keeping AJ from telling Tony about Carly... for the child involved. This can get really complicated because AJ may have the conscience that Carly lacks about what is truly right for the baby. IF the child is AJ's, he may decided that it is better off being raised by Tony with two parents that care for she/he, no matter how demented one parent is, than by being raised by one alcoholic and one psycho. This may be what drives AJ's character in the near future. Of course, all this is mere speculation on my part, but it is based on the scene between AJ and Lila, and Lila told AJ the truth. (Then again, he.... just thinking about other possibilities.... I totally love BW playing the role of AJ!) Mary Lu - ---------- : From: Mary Lu : To: port-charles@mail.xmission.com : Subject: GH/PC: GH: V : Date: Saturday, September 20, 1997 12:21 AM : : I can't help it. I love the character of V, even down to her name. Of all : the women on GH, this character is the one that comes the closest to : myself. Unsure, klutzy, very casual wardrobe to the point of not much to : wear, etc. I think most women would say the very same thing. What I get a : kick out of is the fact that since Jax has been with her, he has actually : seemed truly amused by her. I think that I like his smile more now than : when he was ever with Brenda... She brings back humor to the show between : a couple that has been missing since K&L went to PC. (Luke has humor no : matter who he is with, so I don't count that! : : Mary Lu : ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 20 Sep 1997 04:19:21 -0400 From: "Mary Lu" Subject: GH/PC: GH: Sorry about last message with another message attached! Sorry about that last message as I used a message I had sent earlier to reply to and I didn't kill my original message at the end. Oh, well. I know I'm not perfect... Mary Lu ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 22 Sep 1997 14:47:26 -0700 From: Taiyin Subject: Re: GH/PC: big BAD gh spoiler... (space included) Mary Lu wrote: > My question to others who watched this show in other areas... did you get >previews for next week? Did they run the closing credits? Yes, there was nothing very telling about them previews, though. Mike yelling at Jason, asking him if Sonny was ever coming back, and then screaming at him "Don't just stand there like a stone!"; Sonny telling his driver to take him to the church; and then another run-in with Carly and someone, I don't remember off hand... Taiyin "Do you ever listen to yourself?" - --"I'm the only one who ever does." -- Lila & Edward, GH ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 22 Sep 1997 14:49:44 -0700 From: Taiyin Subject: Re: GH/PC: GH: V At 12:21 AM 9/20/97 -0400, Mary Lu wrote: >I can't help it. I love the character of V, even down to her name. I agree. I guess I just hope she doesn't get paired with Jax. I'd rather she actually becomes a character in her own right before being joined at the hip to any of the resident men. Plus, honestly, I'm not really much of a Jax fan. And, from what I've heard, it looks like Jax is going to be holding Brenda's hand through the up-coming months, anyway. Taiyin "Why don't you go scare yourself with visions of living on fish heads and crusts of bread." -- Alan, "General Hosptial" ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 22 Sep 1997 14:51:39 -0700 From: Taiyin Subject: Re: GH/PC: Julia Barrett At 12:34 AM 9/20/97 -0400, you wrote: >Wasn't Julia Barret supposed to return to town for the wedding? (I think >she was played by Crystal Carson, a great character, I thought.) Yup, Crystal Carson played Julia. But I never heard anything about her coming back. In fact, in one of the mags form the last couple of week sthey did one of those "Where are they now" things with her and she didn't mention coming back at all. The most she said was that, as long as Brenda was in town, it would be a possibility. Taiyin "I used to want to hurt you. I don't anymore. I guess that's progress." - --"I used to want to kill you. I don't anymore. I guess I'm mellowing." -- Monica and Alan on their 20th Wedding Anniversary, "GH" ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 22 Sep 1997 14:54:03 -0700 From: Taiyin Subject: Re: GH/PC: GH: AJ Mary Lu wrote: >This can get really complicated because AJ may have the conscience that >Carly lacks about what is truly right for the baby. IF the child is AJ's, >he may decided that it is better off being raised by Tony with two parents >that care for she/he, no matter how demented one parent is, than by being >raised by one alcoholic and one psycho. That's actually an excellent point. While I was watching those scenes I was thinking that they were going to use it to motivate AJ into finding out the truth, but that would be a much more unconventional way to go. And when the fall-out comes, as it most surely will (SOON, PLEASE!!!), it would be that much more spectacular. Taiyin "I haven't tried to kill you in 15 years. That's cause for celebration. Would you like some champagne?" - -- Alan to Monica on their 20th anniversary, GH ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 22 Sep 1997 18:21:25 PDT From: "Jodi Griesemer" Subject: GH/PC: he always leaves me in the rain I don't know if it was just me or what but after fridays episode I was expectinga spectacular ending to this horrendous nightmare. And as a result today I was not moved until Brenda was standing out in the rain and told Jason that he "Sonny" always leaving her in the rain.....now that moved me to tears...I can't wait for Rena to get there...I know I will fo0r sure cry. Hope everyone's day/night is going well....after this nightmare we all need some laughter. Jodi ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Sep 1997 02:03:11 -0400 From: "Mary Lu" Subject: GH/PC: PC: Picky, picky about Cooper and his room... I know, I know, it's only a soap... however, the scenes with Cooper and that hospital are so unbelievable. The guy was in a locked ward in some psychiatric hospital (or at least some hospital with a locked ward). Did you see how plush his bedding was in that room? Get real! I have spent enough time in hospitals (no, not psychiatric ones) and the bedding is anything but plush! If that hospital is so cold that people need comforters on their beds at this time of year, then something is wrong with the hospital. If Cooper was a "veg" (as that nurse so "nicely" put it), then, think about it, the linens on that bed would have to be frequently changed. You keep it as minimal as possible. Does anyone remember when we knew that Cooper wasn't in a coma? If he was in a coma for even a short time (a couple of weeks) he would have been weak as a kitten getting out of bed. I can't remember how long I was in one (and what level of consciousness constitutes being out of one), but it was awhile. I was too weak to hold a newspaper, not to mention even sitting up in bed. If you are unconscious, or are unable to move on your own, they turn you... you are not left in one position for much more than two hours because of the potential for pneumonia, bed sores, etc. With soap comas, no one ever turns the patient! I laugh at it now, but the chair used to be my "enemy" because I was forced to sit in one before I could hold my head up! That was therapy, I guess, but it worked. What is the deal with having a phone in Cooper's room? Since when? Someone in his condition is not in a room with a phone, particularly in a locked ward. Was he in a locked ward for psychiatric or criminal reasons? Doesn't matter. A phone would be off-limits. The phone cord could be used to hang oneself. Well, a vegetative patient couldn't do that, but then he couldn't use the phone and why put him in a locked unit? Yadda, yadda, yadda.... Are they going to assume the body is Cooper's or are they going to use dental records... I know, I know, IOAS!!!! But I had to vent. Besides, I am worried about Kevin. Why can't they let K&L have a little bit of peace? Mary Lu ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Sep 1997 02:04:54 -0400 From: "Mary Lu" Subject: GH/PC: PC: Scotty and the Bridesmaid I loved the comment made today about how pretty Brenda's bridesmaid was!!! Did he look wistful when he said that to Serena or was that just me... Mary Lu ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Sep 1997 08:37:06 -0700 From: Taiyin Subject: Re: GH/PC: PC: Scotty and the Bridesmaid Mary Lu wrote: >I loved the comment made today about how pretty Brenda's bridesmaid was!!! >Did he look wistful when he said that to Serena or was that just me... No, it wasn't just you at all. In fact, that was the *exact* word I was going to use to describe it, too. I did really end up enjoying watching he and Serena go out and save Eve's bacon. I miss them. She's been so preoccupied with Devlin lately, that she and Scott haven't gone a few rounds in far too long. I loved the look on Eve's face when Scott said "pick up," too. Taiyin "Do you ever listen to yourself?" - --"I'm the only one who ever does." -- Lila & Edward, GH ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Sep 1997 09:08:32 -0700 From: Taiyin Subject: GH/PC: Sonny 'pulled a Nick' Well, I suppose that only makes a hell of a lot of sense to "Forever Knight" fans. Let me start, however, by saying that back in the old days of B&S, I *loved* them. Clear up until Lily entered the picture. And since their reunion I have been less than impressed, clear up until the point where I got downright apathetic. Brenda's recent foray into spineless little girl behavior has left me with a neausiatingly bad taste in my mouth. And the one thing that I have always hated about Sonny was the fact that he 'pulls a Nick' on a regular basis. What 'pulling a Nick' means, as any devout FK fan can tell you, is that Nick Knight has the VERY unfortunate habit of making decisions for the people around him, especially the women. It's a truly reprehensible quality that undermines the woman's ability to choose her own course in life. Sonny has always had the inclination toward that, and that has always been something that I haven't liked about him. The fact that Lily just blithey went ALONG with that kind of machismo megalomania is a large part of why I so thoroughly detested her. And the one thing that I always liked about Sonny and Brenda, even when other things bothered me about them, was that she would go out of her way to try and keep him from doing that. And she would call him on it when she had found out he had done it behind her back. And yet after their reunion, that was all supposedly over with. He came clean. She tried to respect the boundaries of what she could and couldn't ask about. But, by and large, he had STOPPED making her desicions for her. And then this. This was, without a doubt, truly reprehensible. "It's been a great ride"?!?!? He deserved to be eviscerated for having Jason tell her that. That was inexcusable. And yes, I know, the entire point was to break her heart so she'd hate him. But he seemed to miss something crucial: he didn't have the right to make that choice for her. She CHOSE to leave her home and her 'family' to be with him. She CHOSE to accept that they would have to live their lives on the run. But she CHOSE that because, for her, nothing else was more important then them being together. If he didn't want her, that would be one thing, but manipulating the situation and her emotions the way he did was well beyond his right. When he asked Jason if he would break Robin's heart if it would take away her HIV and keep her safe, and Jason said no, it was clear that Sonny didn't understand WHY Jason wouldn't do that. Jason knows that is not his choice to make. He doesn't have the right to do that to Robin, because her choices are what make up her life. Sonny didn't GET that. He didn't understand that, no matter how well founded his fears might be (though, frankly, they were sounding pretty sudden, irrational and paranoid to me), he didn't have the right to make that choice for her. And at the wedding... I felt so humilitated for Brenda. And Lucy was such an angel. And I almost cried for Mike. I really, Really, REALLY wish Luke had been there, because I would have killed to see his reaction to all of that. Somehow I doubt even he could have defended Sonny after that. And Jodi was right, when Brenda said, "He always leaves me standing in the rain" I did cry. I also find it absolutely disheartening that Maurice supposedly actually LIKED that exit for his character. I know the whole entire purpose for doing it that way was to leave the door open for him to come back, but frankly I think it would have been easier to explain his rise from the dead than to repair the damage they just did to the character's integrity. The whole thing was just so... I'm at a loss. After all the years of round and round and back and forth and ups and downs that Sonny and Brenda have gone through TOGETHER, how on earth does Sonny think that Brenda will just accept that she meant so little to him? She'll hate him for what he did, to be sure. But to try and negate 4+ years all of a sudden? I don't think so. The whole thing was really hideous, and it makes me grateful beyond BELIEF that Bob Guza is returning, because there is no way in hell the show, not to mention fans, should have to suffer through anymore of this dreadful writing. Taiyin "Be careful. No, forget that. Just be happy." -- Brenda, GH ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 25 Sep 1997 10:46:36 -0500 (CDT) From: jesaker@ix.netcom.com Subject: Re: GH/PC: Sonny 'pulled a Nick' On 09/23/97 09:08:32 taiyin wrote: > >Let me start, however, by saying that back in the old days of B&S, I >*loved* them. >And then this. This was, without a doubt, truly reprehensible. "It's >been a great ride"?!?!? He deserved to be eviscerated for having Jason >tell her that. That was inexcusable. all i can say is...oh god i don't even know. since friday's episode, i've alternated between hysterical sobbing, blind rage, and absolute speechlessness. what a week to spend three days away from my computer (yup, jury duty DID come to pass, and i might be there again tomorrow.) however, i'm sure my parents, grandmothers, friends and roommates are all VERY happy i have temporary access to my email again, because they have NOT enjoyed my gh rantings... i am horrified, absolutely positively HORRIFIED and disgusted, with what happened with sonny and brenda and jason from friday through yesterday. friday i was watching with my mom and my grandmother, who don't watch gh. and i was livid--screaming at sonny, screaming at jason, and then sonny stopped the car. mom and nana said, "see...calm down. it's going to be ok." and i actually (idiot that i am) had HOPE that sonny was indeed going to do the right thing. of course he didn't--but what he DID do was even WORSE than if he had just kept driving!!! how...could someone please tell me HOW sonny could do that??? drive back to the church, only to stand across the street and WATCH the complete devastation and destruction of the woman he supposedly loves??? ohhhhhhhh no. no no no no no. that's just wrong. cruel, inhuman, unthinkable. BEYOND low. he WOULDN'T DO THAT!!! and then yesterday--jason was WAY too nice to sonny. he let him off the hook FAR too easily. "she believed me." no--that doesn't cut it, jason. tell him--tell him in excruciating detail every single thing she said. how she tried so hard to reconcile this behavior with everything she loved and trusted about sonny. how she really DIDN'T believe it. how jason had to push, and keep pushing, and ultimately had to deliver the cruel line sonny had devised, about how it had been a great ride. and then, how she completely fell apart. how her eyes glazed over, and all life seemed to just vanish from her body. how she was left completely alone--humiliated in front of the entire town, deserted by the man she loved, with NOT A SINGLE ONE OF HER BEST FRIENDS around to try and comfort her (ok, side note...WHY IS ROBIN NOT ON A PLANE FROM PARIS RIGHT NOW??? OR LOIS??? OR EVEN NED??? i know...actors' schedules. and lois IS coming. but not for another week. wouldn't you think SOMEONE would come as soon as they heard?) i'm sorry, but i'm truly repulsed by this entire thing. i don't see the need for it. i don't see what it accomplished. or even what it was SUPPOSED to accomplish. NOBODY who had ever seen s&b together, sonny's enemies included, would buy that sonny never loved brenda at all-- therefore, since he DID love her, he would STILL be hurt if something were to happen to her. therefore, she can NEVER be safe, even if he's no longer with her. so that reasoning does NOT work. and sonny is not a dumb man. he would KNOW that. and even IF that reasoning DID work--that's something sonny should have realized a LOT earlier...NOT an hour before the wedding. it just doesn't make any sense. i don't think i could accept this outcome, even if it WAS done for a valid reason. but the fact that it WASN'T just makes it that much worse. >And Jodi was right, when Brenda said, "He always leaves me standing in the >rain" I did cry. oh me TOO. plus all day yesterday, with the flashbacks. i had to stop the tape four times, because i was sobbing too hard to hear what was happening, and it took me a full 20 minutes to compose myself after it was all over. but it was all so GRATUITOUS! i feel manipulated. this storyline was not only cruel, but it was not true to any of the characters involved. i can only compare it to lucy's miscarriage--that was also a plot development i hated (and still consider cruel), but at least none of the characters were destroyed in the process. and the acting we got to experience was superb. none of the above is true in this case. i truly can't imagine forgiving sonny--OR jason for that matter--for their behavior throughout this. and (i'm sorry to say) we didn't even get any beautifully-acted scenes out of this. brenda's sole function yesterday was to initiate flashbacks, and sonny's last moments were ridiculously anticlimactic. how could he have been so calm and unfeeling when he knows he just destroyed the so-called love of his life??? and worst of all is that i don't know who any of those people were. we've watched sonny and brenda for four years now, and the "new" jason for...i forget. but for a while. we've seen sonny fully develop as a character-- revealing his insecurities and flaws. we've seen that beneath his tough- guy mob exterior is a little boy, abandoned by his father, who felt powerless to defend himself and the mother he loved against the ravages of his stepfather. we've seen him love and lose stone, his surrogate son/little brother. learn that robin, who he loves as a daughter, is hiv+. seen him react to his wife and unborn child being blown up in front of his face, and feel that he is responsible for their deaths. recently, seen his trusted bodyguard die in his stead, and seen his reaction to having joseph's blood too on his hands. this is a man who, if he's learned anything over the past four years, has learned about love and loss. and the importance of being able to say good-bye. and jason--brain-damaged or not, jason knows right from wrong. and jason knows about love. and loyal as he is to sonny, he knows how to stand up to him when he's right and sonny's wrong. when sonny tried to fire him, jason called him on that--told him that wasn't his choice to make. that jason knew what he was doing, and deserved to have the opportunity to make that decision himself. he knew the same was true of brenda. and he knows what this would do to her. especially after just experiencing his own break-up with robin...he KNOWS. that either one of them could have gone along with this, allowed this to happen, CHOSEN for this to happen...i can't accept that. that's something the characters that I'VE been watching just wouldn't do. > >I also find it absolutely disheartening that Maurice supposedly actually >LIKED that exit for his character. I know the whole entire purpose for >doing it that way was to leave the door open for him to come back, but >frankly I think it would have been easier to explain his rise from the dead >than to repair the damage they just did to the character's integrity. i absolutely, completely, TOTALLY agree. that's what i kept saying on friday, when i was trying to really be hopeful. "maurice said he liked the way the exit was written. he wouldn't accept sonny leaving that way. not without saying good-bye. not doing that to brenda." which made the outcome even worse. how on earth he could support, and actually approve of that ending is BEYOND me. my faith in the characters of sonny and jason, and the actor(s) who supported this, and whoever conceived of this idea, wrote it, and allowed it to be carried out, is completely and irreversably shattered. i can suspend disbelief in soaps when long-dead relatives return from the grave, when identical twins people never knew they had appear out of nowhere, when fires can be started via laptop computer, when comatose criminals can be given access to a phone, and the complete privacy to kill a priest and start an explosion...but i draw the line at this. i watched this love story for four years, and i can NOT pretend those four years didn't happen. i can NOT accept that sonny could do something this cruel, and this damaging, and have the nerve to claim it was done out of love. i would rather they had killed the character off than do this. it's ridiculous, i know--but i actually feel personally betrayed by all of this. i've watched this show for over ten years. during that time, i've developed (perhaps unhealthy) attachments to various characters and storylines, and been extremely emotionally involved in them, and been upset when favorites have left in various ways. but never have i felt this manipulated before. tptb brought on these characters, not realizing what they were going to create. but as soon as they DID see what they had on their hands, they decided to milk it for all it was worth. they created tension, obstacles, drama, in the form of lily/miguel/jax/miranda/etc. they dragged these two characters through three years of hell. they realized they had quite a fan base built up that would put up with any amount of crap we were fed, as long as the promise of a payout was still there at the end. so we all stuck with it through the above-mentioned horrors, not to mention the reunion that wasn't, the tiger key mess, and the abduction of brenda by aliens from the planet of the stepford wives. by this point, just about everyone realized there was no hope for any sort of "happily ever after" resolution...but we still watched, hopeful that the inevitable would at least be done in a way that was true to the characters invovled, and that RESPECTED the relationship they had built with each other (and that we had built with them) over the years. rumors started surfacing--horrible rumors--and still i remained hopeful. i had faith. faith in the actors, faith that tptb would know this one time that they should NOT play with the fans, that we would get the closure we desired, and deserved. misguided faith, as it turns out. and now, i'm really not sure if i can put up with this any longer. i was never one of those fanatics who said "sonny IS gh, and when he's gone, i'm gone." i've survived the departure of TONS of "favorite characters" over the years. but what i can't survive is the departure of my respect for the show, and of their respect for their fans. >The whole thing was really hideous, and it makes me grateful beyond BELIEF >that Bob Guza is returning, because there is no way in hell the show, not >to mention fans, should have to suffer through anymore of this dreadful >writing. i'm no longer sure that's enough. guza may not be able to save this mess-- or at least not to MY satisfaction. i haven't decided yet--it's really hard to break a ten-year habit in the course of one afternoon--but i am right THERE on the edge, THISCLOSE to giving up this show once and for all. i didn't think it would come to this. but then, i didn't think it would come to what happened between s&b either. i'm sorry this is so long, but i've been DYING the past few days with no one to talk to who could come CLOSE to understanding my disgust at all of this. i ALMOST feel better now...almost. but i'm still not sure whether i'll be able to bring myself to watch whatever happens next. julie ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 25 Sep 1997 10:09:18 -0700 From: Taiyin Subject: GH/PC: Outta Left Field I sat there watching GH and I thought I was hallucinating. Literally, I thought I was seeing things. Wasn't Monday supposed to be Maurice's last day? And what was that with him still being in PC? Excuse me? Talk about an anti-climax!! Sheesh! Why didn't he just leave after the non-wedding, like he seemed to be doing originally? And why in the hell hang out in town where he could be seen? And, as if everything else weren't bad enough, by the end of the episode I could honestly say that Sonny was a desetable character. I hate the writers for doing that, it was totally unnecessary. Why in the world did they have to make Sonny such a creep in order to leave town? This was worse than when Jake "died" on Another World and then the entire town became convinced that he had been stealing his best friend's money and ditching his wife. At least the FANS knew the truth. This time we don't even have that. We only know slightly more than Brenda does, and if anything, I think that makes it worse. I don't recall ever seeing a beloved character leavea s how in such a dreadful way. That was hideous. Taiyin "You're the shrink. What do you need me to tell you that for?" - --"Maybe I'm having a Stupid Day." -- Mac and Kevin, GH ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 25 Sep 1997 13:01:54 -0500 (CDT) From: jesaker@ix.netcom.com Subject: GH/PC: Guza interview just read this on pc online. although it doesn't say, i assume it's a logan/tv guide interview, reprinted entirely without permission. (please don't sue.) i'm sorry to say, in the midst of my current outrage over the travesty of sonny's departure, guza's plans do NOT make me feel better... but i thought i'd share anyway. julie ************************************************************************ Bob Guza, Part 1 Head writer on General Hospital Get ready for the Second Coming: Two-time Emmy-winning writer Bob Guza has returned to General Hospital after abandoning the show in the summer of '96 to launch Sunset Beach. And, boy, does he have his work cut out for him! Here, in the first of a two-part Q&A, he sheds a little light on his plan for salvation. Well, Mr. Mystery-Man Recluse! Where the hell have you been? Are you aware of how much fuss you've stirred up on the Internet and in every soap magazine on the planet? There has been nothing but nonstop ''Is Guza coming back to GH?'' buzz for months and you've been hiding out, refusing to give interviews, through it all. Do you have any clue what's been going on? Have you been online? No. I'm not equipped to do that at home. Maybe I should start doing it from the studio. It would be interesting to get a take on what the fans are thinking. Well, everybody's thrilled -- and relieved -- that you're back to save the day, especially, I'm sure, Tony [Geary] and Genie [Francis]. Tony and Genie are the best. I cut my teeth writing for those two back in the Gloria Monty GH days. It was just extraordinary. I just can't conceive of the show without them at the core. OK, so here's the situation as I and a lot of other people see it: You came back to GH in January of 1996, and in record time turned it into a magnificent show. And then you're just as suddenly gone. GH almost immediately went to hell in your absence. Seriously! You left the following June -- though your stories played out well into the fall -- and then, under [former head writer Richard] Culliton and the subsequent regime, the whole show went to s---. It completely fell apart. The show has lost over a million viewers in less than a year. Are you feeling guilty about this? Because you sure should be! [Laughs] What sort of things fell apart in your mind? I'm really curious. I'd like your take on that. Hey, I'm asking the questions here -- everybody's sick of what I think about GH. We want to hear from you. I know I'm supposed to be answering questions, but if you'd be specific it would help me. OK, I'll be specific -- it all sucks. There's really not one single element -- except maybe a performance here or there -- that has managed to survive the last two writing regimes unscathed. The plots are stupid and pointless. The characters are unrecognizable. It's like a bunch of pod people took over the souls of the characters we know and love and are now calling themselves ''Stefan'' and ''Carly'' and ''Lucky.'' And there are too damn many teenagers. Your successors basically violated the audience. There was an overwhelming lack of respect for what had gone before, as if we viewers either don't remember the show's history or don't care about it. Now, you dug into the history. Yes, you created your new characters and employed a little revisionism -- OK, a lot of revisionism where Laura was concerned -- but your style is to pay homage to the past and to the investment we've made and to the actors and their characters. That has not been the case with your successors. I love the characters. I love the actors. It's not like I even have to think twice about resurrecting the history and trying to tap into it, as opposed to bringing things in out of left field, you know? GH has been through so many crap periods but it always survives because of the extraordinary characters and actors. [Stuart] Damon and [Leslie] Charleson and [Jackie] Zeman and Geary can survive anything. But, boy, have they been put to the test. So my first question is: How will you fix it and how quickly? I don't know what to tell you. The show was written into late October when I returned, but I'm going full-tilt to turn some things around by November. I've basically had to do a crash course on GH and Port Charles, since I'm also serving as a consultant on PC. I'm hoping to have some influence as quickly as possible. GH has got to be big. The people are larger than life. I don't want to see my life on the screen. I want to see characters who love deeper, crash harder and soar higher than I do. That would be the first thing I will do. And we must put the titans back together -- the Cassadines and the Spencers, Brenda and Jax, that sort of thing. That's what people want to see. Why does it have to take so long to see results when a new head writer joins a soap? Especially when there's a crisis like there is with GH. I mean, have you seen the ratings lately? Why can't there be some sort of emergency turnaround? I'm not sure there can't be, to tell you the truth. You want to be careful of doing dramatic U-turns from a Friday to a Monday, but the audience will accept a certain amount of that if they believe things are happening for the better. Ideally, you filter your story plans into the story plans of the previous regime; you work together with them for an easy transition. But I also want to start with a bang -- and I will. We'll start with something right away that wakes everybody up and says, ''We're here, we're fixing the show, take a look.'' Clarify some of the hoo-ha about you: Why did you start GH and then jump ship so quickly for SB? How did you get away with that? My deal to cocreate and head-write SB was in place before I started with GH. SB was in what is called ''first position,'' which meant I had to leave GH when SB got the go-ahead. Did ABC and [executive producer] Wendy [Riche] think it was unlikely SB would get a green light? As much as we're glad you did GH even for a few months, it seems like a foolish or at the very least odd business move -- to hire a writer that you know will likely depart within six months. Sounds nuts. I honestly don't know, Michael. Nobody ever told me what they were thinking. My guess is they probably thought the chances were slim that SB would go, because so few [proposed soaps] have gone. But nobody ever actually said that to me. They rolled the dice and took what they could get. I was on GH for basically eight months, because I worked with Claire Labine for a bit before she left. I always felt I had unfinished business. Now it seems like I'm coming home. I feel like I owe some people on GH more time and some more story. And maybe some Emmys -- like for Tony and Genie, who sorely deserve it. So you had a one-year agreement with SB and therefore you had to wait until it was concluded to start back at GH? Right. It would have been a conflict of interest, which is why I won't be directly responsible for story for a while. I've just come on board, and I've got to catch up first on what's been done in my absence: I've got scripts to read, tapes to watch, then I've got to hole up and write some long story. So when can we expect a miracle? Like, how about next Tuesday? Gee, thanks for the pressure. The pressure is on, baby! It's always a pleasure talking to you, always a pleasure! You are on the hot seat, mister. We are all waiting to see what you will do. So let's get down to specifics. When will Bobbie finally realize Carly is her daughter? The crowd's getting antsy. I will jump on that immediately. As much as we've wanted some resolution, I'm glad the previous regime did not get their hooks into that story. That's an ''A'' story, Michael, an ''A'' story! I'm glad they didn't get to it, too. That's one of the first things I want to jump on partly because it's left over from when I was here before. I'm dying to get into that. And Luke's connection to it is great. I like the idea that he's the only one who knows the secret. And he's got one of his own, right? Bobbie is gonna have a cow when she finds out Luke lied about her daughter being dead. Right. See, that's the stuff we miss. It was all so beautifully layered. Secret on top of secret. And on that subject, when Genie took a powder, we were left with the intimation that Stefan might be the father of Nikolas. I love that possibility. But that wasn't your idea, right? That happened during the Culliton regime. Actually, I pitched it a long, long time ago in long story. I still love the idea of maybe getting back to that. Seems like a mighty dangerous thing to do to the Luke and Laura fans. There was a large contingent that had difficulty believing Laura could -- or would -- have kept the secret about Nikolas from Luke for all those years. Sure, it made for fabulous drama, but it was hard to swallow because of the closeness of the Luke and Laura relationship. You are right, absolutely right. So Nikolas being Stefan's kid seems like one more of those hard-to-buy revelations. Well, we'd have to be very, very careful, but the story has to have those kinds of stakes. Whether Nikolas is literally Stefan's kid or not, you need those stakes. You need that possibility. Luke and Laura have been so strong for so long that if something is going to come between them -- or threaten to -- what would do it? It has to be something really big. I think the audience would buy it, with Luke and Laura ultimately triumphing, of course. Stefan, easily your most brilliant creation, has become a toy villain in your absence, trying to take over the world with his laptop. I want Stefan back in Luke's face. His romantic power over Laura is much more important than his quest for global power, which is silly and hard to buy. And I can't wait to get my hooks into Alexis. If my life depended on it, I could not describe the plot in which Stefan tried to take over the world or the world's bank reserves or whatever it was -- with Alexis standing by in support -- and he did it all on his little laptop. Yeah, I heard about that. And then Luke stopped him on his little laptop. This, of course, all harkens back to the Ice Princess days, but we're in a very different place here in the '90s. Nobody buys this stuff now. I asked some of the actors involved if they could tell me what was actually going on with that laptop plot, and they didn't understand it either. So what are you going to do to get Stefan back on track? Every story must have a romantic underpinning. Every story. Stefan needs something big -- he needs to be breaking up Luke and Laura, or trying to. That's what I mean by ''big.'' Taking over the world is not big, it's silly. I agree with you. Do you see the Ned/Alexis romance as successful? Is it something you want to pursue? I absolutely want to explore it, particularly with Lois still out there hovering. The possibilities are tantalizing. As I said, I can't wait to get my hooks into the whole Alexis character because she came along after I left. I've been a huge fan of Nancy Lee Grahn. I worked with her on Santa Barbara. I'd love to reteam her with Lane Davies, to tell you the truth. She and I were talking about that possibility just the other day. Even though they couldn't stand each other's guts back then, she's ready for it now! She could use a strong leading man to give Kurth a run for his money. It would send such a ripple through the show. Plus, Lane needs a regular gig. He keeps getting cast as a regular in all these lousy Fox/WB/UPN sitcoms that last two and a half episodes. God, he's so good! Lane is one of those with that rare power. [Stephen] Nichols has it, too. And Geary. Maurice [Benard], too. There are a number on this show who do. Alexis could use some of that power. Who is this desperate, sick, psycho character? Why this sudden turn to the dark side? I realize it's not your fault -- but we demand an explanation! She's almost a villain at this point, especially compared to Katherine, who is now some sort of latter-day saint. How will you deal with this? The first thing we need to do is give Alexis a reason for being -- which she really hasn't had up to this point. I've got a really great idea. Basically, we're going to find out why the family is so important to her. Alexis will become the truest of the Cassadines. In about eight months, she's going to turn on Stefan. There will be a series of events that will turn her against her family. It will be really, really prominent. I have always loved Nancy. I tried to get GH to hire her when I was here before. Elaborate when you say ''truest of the Cassadines.'' She'll be the one who truly, truly believes in upholding the legacy. Hmm... sounds very cool. And a vast improvement over the crap they've been handing poor Nancy. That girl deserves another Emmy just for showing up every day. Speaking of reunions, many fans resent the forced pairing of Nichols and his Days of Our Lives costar, Mary Beth Evans. It's like The Powers That Be are going to shove the magic of Patch and Kayla down our throats, whether we like it or not. Address this. It was rushed. I thought there were years to be milked with Stefan and Bobbie. I want to get back to that. My initial plan had nothing to do with reuniting Patch and Kayla. We brought in Stephen Nichols because I wanted to put a Cassadine in Luke and Laura's path. I wanted that kind of romantic triangle to harken back to the past. I wasn't thinking Mary Beth at all. This is absolutely the truth. We thought down the line -- like maybe three or four years after we played through the Cassadine saga and the whole stuff with Bobbie -- that we might see what would happen with Stephen and Mary Beth. But I mean, literally three or four years. I still think there's a huge amount of stuff to be milked with the Cassadines and the Spencers and Bobbie and Stefan. I love Mary Beth and what she does, but I think the niche with Stefan was rushed a bit. I want to get Stefan focused on Laura. That's the key thing to this show. The Patch and Kayla thing is immaterial as far as I'm concerned. So you won't be continuing with the romance? We'll certainly pick it up from where they are now. Maybe the way to do it is to use the Katherine/Stefan stuff to link Stefan back to Luke and Laura. Back to Stefan and Alexis, what's with all these intimations of incest that we've been seeing? I do not want to suggest that there is some sort of sublimated love between Alexis and Stefan. Well, too late for that! I mean, I'm into kinky programming, but these two have been cheek-to-cheek one too many times, even for my taste. I think it's something much deeper than that. Like what? Did you ever watch Wiseguy and that relationship Kevin Spacey had with his sister? Of course. Well, we can't do that. That's not what we're talking about, though it certainly looks like it now. And it will continue to look that way for the next three or four weeks. But that's not the way we're going to go. The audience is just not ready for that. So Alexis will continue as a villain of sorts? No, the biggest thing on GH is Luke and Laura's love and, down the line, Alexis -- in order to protect the Cassadine family -- is going to ally herself against Stefan when he's getting increasingly involved with Laura. I think it'll be real interesting. So it's not villainy per se, because she's acting out of understandable motivation. But she'll do whatever is necessary. Let's discuss the situation with Vanessa ''I'm leaving; no, I'm staying; no, I'm leaving; no, I'm staying'' Marcil. The Brenda/Sonny fans are disappointed that they don't get a happy ending. But the Brenda/Jax fans are doing cartwheels. But there's also a groundswell of Jax/V fans. So what do you want to say about this? We've got to explore the Brenda/Jax thing. It is just huge. I got a chance to run with it for a little while, and certainly I brought Jax in, picking up on what Claire had envisioned. Printed reports say Vanessa is leaving in December -- that she's taking advantage of a six-month out in her contract and that she and Maurice will be reunited and leave the show together. No, she's not, Michael. Oh, God, no! That is absolutely not true. She is very prominent in at least the next year's worth of story. And Maurice? I would hope Maurice would come back at some point. I talked to him at the GH picnic a couple of weeks ago and he said, ''My timing sucked,'' because he very much liked working with me. If he came back, we'd maybe put them back together, maybe not. So where does this leave poor V? I haven't seen enough about V yet to know, but I think there's some very important stuff with Brenda and Jax to be played first, and then we'll see about what might come between them. So you don't see Brenda needing a window of time to, uh, rest, after Sonny's departure? Of course. I would be throwing things at the screen if Brenda went right into Jax's arms. There's no way that's going to happen. But Jax could play a huge part in her healing. I love the two of them together. But wouldn't that window of time Brenda needs to heal allow the V and Jax relationship to really solidify, thereby making Brenda the third wheel? I like the idea of maybe that starting to happen, but with Jax still having his eye on Brenda and watching her heal and deal with the fact that Sonny's left her. That can happen even as he's growing increasingly close to V. That Lisa Cerasoli is really excellent. At first there was a lot of adverse reaction to her -- the Brenda/Jax fans were not happy -- but she's been developing quite a nice following. I agree. I really like what she's doing. You could have brought anybody into that mix and there would have been a bad reaction. But I like the dynamic. Brenda and V could even become friends. That could be really extraordinary. Next week, in Part II of this Q&A, Guza gives us the lowdown on Nikolas, Lucky, the Webber girls, Felicia & Mac, Alan's drug addiction, Steve Burton's rumored departure, what went wrong at Sunset Beach and loads more! ------------------------------ End of port-charles Digest V1 #8 ******************************** To subscribe to port-charles Digest, send the command: subscribe port-charles-digest in the body of a message to "majordomo@xmission.com". If you want to subscribe something other than the account the mail is coming from, such as a local redistribution list, then append that address to the "subscribe" command; for example, to subscribe "local-port-charles": subscribe port-charles-digest local-port-charles@your.domain.net A non-digest (direct mail) version of this list is also available; to subscribe to that instead, replace all instances of "port-charles-digest" in the commands above with "port-charles". 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