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General Hospital is in that stage where it’s good but not must-see. With November sweeps approaching, there seems to be a calm before the storm. It’s obvious the big reveals are being saved for Oct. 29th-Nov. 25th and hopefully those reveals deliver. I don’t need over the top stunts and twists but I miss the feeling of wanting to rush home and watch. At the same time, there is actually a lot to like on GH right now.
The impending reveals – the big stories we’re suppose to be excited about – I’m kind of feeling not all that excited about. This isn’t the fault of Jean Passanante and Shelly Altman. They inherited some messy story lines, like the unfocused and lengthy Jakson story. I stopped caring about Jakson a long time ago and, while I’m ready for the reveal to happen, I’m not exactly sitting on the edge of my seat for it. I just want the bandaid ripped off so GH can move forward. Not really how GH wants its audience to feel I’m sure.
As a pal of mine put it (Hi Christopher!), “I think that’s why a lot of us get frustrated – potential for good soap is still there, in so many ways, and being wasted.” I really felt that last week when the stand out moments for me were the stories I wanted but never got. Ned’s return was a real treat but it reminded me that I didn’t get to see Ned and Olivia’s story. It was nice seeing Brad and Lucas again but we still don’t know why Brad is married to Rosalie, the reason why we were denied a fun and romantic wedding for the popular pairing. I loved seeing all the hospital staff again but those scenes showed how much that part of the show has been left to dwindle. I do think it’s safe to say though that GH knows where its pain points lie.
A lot happened this past week on GH and I wasn’t able to share my thoughts on everything. If you want to share your thoughts or get my take on anything I did or did not mention, feel free to leave a comment below or tweet me and we’ll chat!
General Hospital Week In Review is for the episodes that tried between October 19th – October 23th, 2015.
Baby of Mine
Ned dropped into town this past week for a quick but impressionable appearance. It was really nice to see Wally Kurth on GH again though however brief the appearance. We only had him for one day but that one day was everything. I was a huge fan of the romantic-comedy style pairing of Ned and Olivia so it really broke my heart watching them, ever so gently, break each other’s.
I knew they would have to break-up. Ned couldn’t just hang out in General Offscreen while Olivia was on screen. Kurth and Lisa LoCicero really sold the scenes with their great chemistry and talent. These two soap stars know how to add romance to the writing they’re given. It was very bittersweet to see Olivia and Ned go their separate ways. Niv was a popular couple that fell victim to bad timing and circumstance both on and off screen. The break-up manage to end their romance while making me want more. That’s what soaps are suppose to do.
The reason for Niv’s break-up, Olivia’s lies regarding Baby Leo, were a moot point by week’s end. Alexis stole a binky and had Brad run a DNA test, proving that Leo is in fact Julian’s son. She gave her lover the news after he surprised her with a new house. Can I just take a moment to say that the bathtub love scene was really nice? Julian and Alexis haven’t been given much story line outside of their sexy times this past year or so and they were starting to miss romance and depth. Remember the role playing at the Metro Court? Remember cringing at how campy that was and seeing how uncomfortable the actors looked? The recent material for Julexis has been very refreshing in comparison. I hope we get more story and moments like what we’ve been given in the last few weeks. Now back to Baby Leo. The resolution to this baby caper seems to be co-parenting. I’m more than okay with this.
I don’t need more than one custody battle playing out at the same time, we already have Ava vs. Sonny. It’s just poor pacing that these stories lined up at the same time. I also think it’s better for showing character growth and moving the story forward. Neither Olivia and Julian want to make the same mistakes they did in the past. Olivia already hid a son from a mobster baby daddy and I don’t need to watch repetition. This is also a different situation. Unlike Sonny, Julian has left the mob and wants to focus on family. I feel like there is much more story in watching everyone try to be civil than there is in a vicious battle for baby.
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